Wow! The Best Was Saved For Last (possible spoilers)

Rating: 10/10 (17 December 2003)

Last night, I went to the midnight premier of this movie, and I am so glad I did. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience. Honestly, I was at first a little worried about this film. Having read the books, I knew Peter Jackson had a lot of ground to cover, but he did it masterfully. Sure, as always things were omitted, but when the movie is over, you really feel that the story has concluded well.
The performances from every single actor was simply breathtaking. ***possible spoiler*** You are also able to see some of the previous minor characters (i.e Pippin, Eowyn, etc) stepping into a larger role with influential consequences. Furthermore, if you have gotten the opportunity to see all three films in the trilogy, you can truly appreciate the full character development. If I got to choose Oscars though, I would give Lead Actor to Viggo Mortensen and Supporting Actor to either Sean Astin or Billy Boyd.
I will be incredibly upset if Peter Jackson is not rewarded with an Oscar for this monumental achievement. His filmography techniques are practically perfect as we get one last chance to view Middle Earth. He also is able to balance the drama of this movie with all the action. The comedy is used with such subtlety that it lightens the mood of the film well. This is the darkest of the three films and it will pull at your heartstrings. I cannot think of a better way to leave this journey behind than with this film.
That being said, there is one drawback ***possible spoiler***. There are several fake endings, and I found them quite simply annoying. I enjoyed the way the film ended, but allowing the audience to believe that it was ending before it actually did seemed unecessary. However, not even that can ruin my score for the film. It is by far the best of this trillogy. My score: a perfect 10 (I only wish I could score it higher)