One of the greatest movies ever made

Rating: 10/10 (16 December 2003)

Peter Jackson and Wingnut films have created what may very well be the best movie trilogy in history. And, having just seen all three movies in a row at a marathon showing, I find it safe to say that The Return of the King is the very best of the lot. It goes all out on the technical level, outclassing just about everything else out there, but it also showcases Jackson's talent as a filmmaker. The final chapter of The Lord of the Rings is tightly cut, stunningly beautiful, well acted, and captures the essence of the book it's based on so brilliantly, it's uncanny. I say this both as a film student and a literature student.
However, if you find this movie to be seriously flawed, you have a problem with Tolkien's source text, and not with Jackson's adaptation of it. This is perfectly reasonable; after all, high fantasy is not everyone's cup of tea, even though everybody seems to like these movies, or pretend that they do, because that's what you're supposed to these days. I say it's a matter of taste, but I really doubt there will be many that dislike this extremely impressive film.
Purists will notice a lot of changes in the storyline, just like with the two previous chapters, and find this somewhat annoying. I felt like that with the first movie, but then I realized that these changes are implemented purely for cinematic reasons. After all, if what we wanted was a perfect rendition of the trilogy in every little detail, why not just read the books instead? Some things just don't work on film, and we're lucky that Peter Jackson knows this very, very well. I also like the way he dares to add extra bits not present in the books.
If you still think that the movie is missing some parts along the way, well, you will most likely find them present in the forthcoming Extended Edition. That, however, does not mean you should not see the current version. It feels very much complete as it is. I give it my highest acclaim.