More heart than any other film, ever.

Rating: Null/10 (21 December 2003)

Those who have criticized this film harshly have shown themselves to be the utmost of cynical, self-absorbed blowhards, without so much as a heartbeat to betray any evidence of emotion in their stone cold hearts. Yes, we are all entitled to our opinions, but to hear some of the complaints people had about RotK merely reminds me of the old adage about "opening your mouth to remove all doubt".
Yes, this movie has its flaws. Yes there are a few details that didn't seem to "work" for some people, but when you look at the entire scope of the project, look at what has been accomplished in this trilogy, and when you ask the critics if they could have possibly done a better job were they in Peter Jackson's chair, the din of nit-picking is drowned out beneath the sound of applause from those who truly know a masterpiece of film when they see it, if more in heart than in technical perfection.
This movie has raised the bar for me in terms of what I expect from a movie's heart in all future films I see. I will no longer be wowed by mere flash and special effects. I will no longer be wowed by meaningless battle sequences full of violence for the sake of violence, no matter how grandiose they seem. What I will be looking for is the heart behind the story, the characters, the direction, the performances. This is what RotK delivered to me. This is what I saw, because this was what I was looking for, and I wasn't disappointed. The critics, it seems, could not hear the heartbeat of the film beneath the din of their own egotistical opinions.
If this movie does not win Best Picture at the Academy awards next year, I will boycott the Oscars forever. The Oscars will no longer have any meaning for me. If this movie does not win, every other performer in Hollywood who has ever won one might as well throw it in the trash, for it will be about as meaningful as an also-ran ribbon in a grade school track meet, compared to the performances delivered in all aspects of the making of this film.
I do not bother to give this movie any number of stars. It is above that, and can not be compared to other such "movies". The movie industry is so caught up in the pursuit of the almighty dollar. I fear I shall enjoy any other movies a little less now that I have seen this one.
In conclusion, if you have not seen this movie yet, go see it, not because of the hype, but because it has a heartbeat underneath all the flash and bang. Listen for it, and if you hear it, you will recognize the criticisms for what they are, verbal flatulence from a mind bereft of any sort of discernible life.