Best of the three (spoilers)

Rating: Null/10 (11 February 2004)

It's been a couple of weeks now since I saw this film and it has faded more in my memory than a truly impressive movie would have.
That said, this is the best of the LOTR screen trilogy. In the first two parts, particularly the second, changes were made to the plot and characterization that seemed pointless and added nothing to the story - indeed, they sometimes detracted from it.
Here, the changes work better and, with the bit of extra length, the film flows better from beginning to end. Despite being rather long, the central battle scene does not drag and smaller scenes, such as Aragorn's coronation, are mostly given just the right emphasis and screen time. The special effects, of course, are awesome.
Minus points: The ending is ridiculously protracted, especially the PAINFUL scene at the Gray Havens. The acting too is very variable: Elijah Wood just doesn't quite click this time as Frodo and Sean Astin's superlative performance as Sam can only partly make up for this. The music too is not very memorable.
So, a less than perfect conclusion to a trilogy that has thrilled in some ways and disappointed in others. But it took guts to take on such a monumental task and Peter Jackson et al deserve high praise for the degree of success they did manage to achieve.
Rating: 8/10.