Simply Fulfilling

Rating: 10/10 (24 April 2008)

Peter Jackson's directing of the final installment to the trilogy is nothing short of a miracle.
The battle of Minas Tirith was stunning, the CG is highly realistic and the characters integrate very well into the scenes.
The dialogue of the characters mostly correspond to Tolkien's portrayal in the book; however, it is a requirement that the dialogues are made to be easier to understand rather than being kept in the original Tolkien style since you cannot 're-see' a scene like when you can 're-read' a part of the book if you did not understand.
The choice of actors are, undoubtedly, most suitable while the costume and prosthetics are as realistic as it gets.
Howard Shore was great and words could not describe the sensations that flow out of each of his pieces.
I do not understand why some people actually accuse the film of being terrible in any aspect. The length of the film is a necessity in order to be able to portray the depth of the story and do justice to Tolkien's masterpiece. If it was to be any shorter then the film would be missing essential elements required to bring out the majesty of Middle-Earth. It is simply unfair to say 'that and this is missing therefore it is not worth watching' because if Jackson was to include everything EACH of the trilogy would be over 10 hours long (assuming it took everyone that long to read). I for one will not be sitting in a chair for 10 hours and I believe it will also be unpractical to produce a movie that is 10 hours long. It follows that there will be minor discrepancies in the plot but it did not deter the storyline, keeping in mind that this is an adaptation.
Despite some criticism of this film being overrated, I believe that it deserves to be ranked as one of the best films ever produced and its grandeur unmatched.
Overall, this is a very enchanting film that is worth watching especially for fans of the Lord of the Rings. The Extended Edition is also a personal recommendation as it includes some missing elements that were not necessary for the progression of the plot but adds nicely to the storyline.