Fantastic finish to the trilogy, but not flawless. Bring on the extended edition.

Rating: 10/10 (27 December 2003)

While I feel that most of the praise the final installment gets is deserving, I can't help feeling that of all the chapters it will benefit the most from the extended edition. Make no mistake, it is still an incredible achievement, it's just that there're so many things to be taken care of, so many stories to wrap up, that, for all its mammoth length, a theatrical cut feels rushed and choppy at times.
As with all chapters in the trilogy, some characters get more screen time while others draw a short stick. I was very happy to see Merry and Pippin grow up into something more than comic relief couple. They're still mischievous, childlike, occasionally silly and fond of food, but they also finally have some fine and serious drama to sink their teeth into. The interactions between Eowyn and Merry, Gandalf and Pippin are simply wonderful, and it's great to see more of the White Wizard after he was absent for the most of TTT.
On the down side, while Viggo Mortensen's Aragorn loses none of his quiet dignity and charisma, his part feels strangely downsized and one feels that a few crucial scenes are missing on his way of becoming a king. Saruman's story doesn't get a truly satisfying finish after he's been such a presence in the first two films. Faramir gets a fantastic scene with his father, the Steward of Gondor, but then has an unenviable task of spending the rest of the film as a near-corpse and appears only briefly at the end. Hopefully, the extended edition will flesh out all these stories a little bit better.
Gollum is still brilliantly played by the WETA team and Andy Serskis, who we even get to glimpse in the opening scene of the film in which he plays Smeagol prior to his corruption by the ring. Gollum makes for a delicious villain, although by finally forsaking his good side he predictably doesn't have as much dramatic impact as in TTT, where his inner struggles were heartbreaking to watch. Still, there's enough dramatic tension between him, Frodo and Sam to make this triad's journey compulsively watchable.
Needlessly to say, the special effects are amazing, incredible, etc. etc. Blended seamlessly together with the natural beauty of the landscape, they create an astonishingly realised imaginary world, to the point where it didn't even occur to me to think of them as special effects. The battle of Pelennor fields doesn't have the incredible build-up of Helms Deep, but in terms of scope and variety it is a sight to behold, and there are plenty of emotional moments during the battle. The one criticism I can make is that, after getting so much build-up, the sinister Witch King goes down a little bit too soon.
Many people complained about the multiple endings, but they worked alright for me. I'm glad it finished on a bitter-sweet note rather than some happy Kodak moment a la Return of the Jedi.
Overall, this trilogy is the one to beat and I don't think I've ever seen films that pulled me so strongly and completely into their world. Long may the story reign.