Minor flaws aside, LOTR proves itself one of the most successful trilogies in modern film

Rating: 9/10 (18 December 2003)

In Return of the King - which follows the book (that I have not read, though heard what is in it that is not in the film) as close if not closer than the past two - co-writer/co-producer/director Peter Jackson brings Tolkien's grand tale of the quest to destroy the ring to an end. The story strands follow along the similar linear paths of the others, and it is done so with an equal worth in entertainment. Frodo, Sam and Gollum's path to Mordor unfolds as almost something of a love triangle for the ring; Merry and Pippen follow their own tales towards the great battle; Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and all the dwellers of middle earth prepare for the swarm of the terrors of Sauron.
There is much praise that should be given to Jackson and his crew/cast on not just the worth of Return of the King, but to what is now the entire saga of the Lord of the Rings as a whole. Though the film does carry quite a load to it (at three hours and twenty-one minutes it's the longest of the three in theatrical form, and it definitely does go on at least ten to fifteen minutes longer than it should), and expands and deflates on the details of some characters (i.e. Saruman is nowhere in sight in this version, while Arwen gets more than what is from the original work), there are plenty of rousing scenes and sequences, terrific battles, and a grasp on the visual effects as a whole that don't let up. In all, ROTK is on the level with Fellowship and Two Towers, making the parts as good as the whole. This is something that only several other filmmakers can make a claim to, that one film does not bring on a let down from the expectations that preceded it. It's the kind of film I'll want to see again, however it would be very difficult to sit through it in one place. Grade: A (both as a picture in and of itself, and overall on the three epics combined)