the content will stand the test of time, the CGI not!

Rating: 10/10 (21 December 2003)

************SPOILER FREE REVIEW****************
After having seen ROTK two times I felt the wish to say something about this film and the whole trilogy which I wanted to get rid off for a long time.
One of my major complaints in the first two installments were about the blurred GCI where you could clearly see that it is not Middle Earth you are watching to, but it is the middle of a computer. And I clearly have to say that things don't have changed in the Return of the king. But what has changed is my point of view. I'm now no longer looking for photo realistic shots because it seems to have no sense. The time for that hasn't come yet. Maybe some day they will revise this stain like they tried to do for the to the Star Wars trilogy some years ago and thereby a little more successful. I'm looking forward to but I can wait. What is important now for me is what the story wants to tell us. I think the heart of the movie goes out from the Shire. I felt it when I saw it again at the end of the movie. It was for me like coming home after a long an hard journey. It felt as if it was MY home, so cosy and familiar. And that after the groundbreaking and oversized battle on the Pelennor Fields where there was no room left for personal feelings. That establishes a great contrast which is for me not only the heart of the movie but the pulse which keeps it all alive. Sometimes you must put aside your own feelings and interests and even your own freedom and hopes and in this case, like in our history of wars to risk your own life, only that some day it can be as it was and that maybe an other individual can survive. You see that clearly when our four heros sit in the green dragon and drink their well deserved beer. They have fought with the hope that some day they could live their lifes as they always did and they didn't deny their responsibilities. They knew that if they had not done anything, the fires of Isengard would have spread to the Shire and the whole Middle Earth and that everything that was once green and good would have died. And they did it even though they were small and weak. They didn't have more brawn nor did they have more brain than the elves, dwarves or men. But they have other qualities more subtle ones. They are not as easily to corrupt by power as men are and they know what true friendship means. Only with those virtues it was possible to defeat Sauron. I like that very much and I think that this is very well shown in the Return of the King. What I actually wanted to say is that if you don't mind the (sometimes) bad CGI (there are very well made computer effects as well, for example the Shelob or the duplicated riders of Rohan) this film is a sure bet! It was not perfect, there were to much omissions and some characters like Denethor were too much simplified into one dimensional emotion bearers but there must be reasons to legitimate the existence of the Extended Editions. As said above there were also very good special effects and the acting was the best of all three instalments. Especially Sean Astin and John Noble (it is not his guilt that his role was reduced to a simple black/white contrast) played very well. I definitely will go to see ROTK another couple of times because there was too much in this film to appreciate in one single turn. So don't get me wrong, I highly recommend this film to anyone that has seen and loved the previous films. Without having seen them it must be extremely hard to follow the plot but you can go to see it nevertheless only to be blown away from the sheer magnitude of this achievement. It will be worth the price 2 x!!! I'm very glad this trilogy exists. In a very cynic time we must have something honest to cling to. Yes, you have read right, the content of the books as the content of the films I think is very honest. (The merchandising strategies is an other question). I will leave you now alone and hope that you go to see this film as soon as possible and enjoy it!
I rate it 10/10 because I'm a nerd!