See it twice

Rating: 10/10 (31 December 2003)

Many of the complaints that I have heard regarding this film center on the final 30 minutes or so, which can be considered the epilogue in which all of the loose ends are tied up. Needless to say, this does slow the film down considerably the first time one sees it, as roughly 75% of the film is incredible action which surpasses even The Two Towers (the Battle of the Pelennor Fields is easily 5 times bigger than that of Helm's Deep). In any case, I felt that the film dragged at the end the first time I saw it, but it seemed to work much better the second time. Believe me when I say that there is far more that the filmmakers could have put in but did not. If you see the film twice, you will gain an appreciation for the structure of the film that you can't get upon your first viewing (it's just too long, with too much to absorb).
That said, this is a fantastic film. The battle scenes are fabulous, the acting is great, the music is once again superb. The trilogy ends with a terrific bang, not a whimper. Peter Jackson has created a masterpiece of fantasy/war in this trilogy, and I hope that all three films will be remembered for years to come.