Great Film

Rating: Null/10 (31 March 2004)

Return of the King is going to become a classic of our time. Peter Jackson was destined to make these movies, the Fellowship, the Two Towers, and Return of the King, simply because after seeing all three of them, I can't imagine how anyone else could've done as good a job.
The movie has been criticized as being too long, but when you consider it came from a 400 page book, three and a half hours isn't that bad. Also, when you consider that Peter Jackson has a difficult task, namely making a movie that is commercially viable and able to attract new fans while at the same time pleasing a very loyal fan base, it's practically a miraculous achievement. The multiple endings seemed to displease people, but it's important to note that all of those 'endings' are in the book and to simply cut them out would be a terrible mistake. Jackson makes excellent decisions when it comes to editing, but his true master is his use of special effects.
The visuals in the movie are amazing, as with the first two movies. The effects are so well done, you're not sure what's computer generated or real at times. The acting too is excellent. Elijah Wood and Sean Astin do amazing jobs, and Viggo Mortenson will undoubtedly have many leading roles from this point on. The female characters, Eowyn and Arwen have taken the most criticism, and while Arwen is only in this film to make use of Liv Tyler, the Eowyn character is well developed and well played. Legolas and Gimli, sadly, are a little short changed in their roles. Legolas seems to be the lookout while Gimli continues to be the comic relief dwarf. These characters in the book represented Tolkien's environmental views, but sadly the movie just doesn't have room for it.
The film is emotionally charged and even the greatest skeptic will leave the theater satisfied. This is a must see, and I'm sure the extended version will be eagerly awaited by fans of Tolkien's work.