"But we will meet them in battle nonetheless."

Rating: 9/10 (22 January 2005)

I think the vast majority of people who have seen and love the LOTR trilogy fell in love with it from the get go with the 1st film TFOTR. I, however, wasn't so sure when I first saw the Fellowship. I enjoyed it, yes, but elements of that film left me somewhat disappointed and in particular my preconceived feeling of what its general tone would/should be like wasn't satisfied. Now, some years on, as the proud owner of the special extended edition dvds I can announce that the series has grown on me somewhat and I find all three movies an immensely satisfying experience to sit through.
I could criticize the Return of the King in a nit-picking manner, it is far from perfect, but as we all know, nothing is perfect. What appeals to me most in this film is its beautiful nature, which will shine through for many years to come. And isn't the nature of things that which truly matters. Themetically strong, and new to the series, emotionally powerful, ROTK is a worthy conclusion to the trilogy. Never have I witnessed the theme of death dealt with in such a positive manner, which works for me, although it's true I'm not on my way to A&E as I write this.
Congratulations to Mr Jackson and all involved in the making of this trilogy and the bringing to life of Middle Earth. Their efforts have produced something special.
Lastly, although ROTK would narrowly miss out on my top 5, probably pushed out by Luke's Cool Hand (see what I did there?), I'm delighted to see it ranked #2 here on IMDb.