start rolling the nomination reel

Rating: 10/10 (12 January 2004)

Peter Jackson did a marvelous job. This could be the year of the King come Oscar night. I would not be surprised if it gets more than 10 nominations.
Although he left out some parts (like the war in the Shire by the Hobbits and the Ruffians), it didn't deviate from the main focus of the story. Best parts of the movie was the Paths of the Dead scene and the siege of Gondor. Aragorn was imposing to the ghosts. As for the siege of Gondor, what more can I say. The fight scene was made to perfection. I liked the way Peter Jackson, at the start of the movie, introduced how Gollum came to be. It was, in my opinion, the one of the most critical elements of the entire series. If that would not had been shown, the story would be incomplete. Even though the movie started in the middle of the Two Towers book, it didn't affect much.
The acting was superb. The stunts (especially that of Legolas killing an oliphant) were amazing. I think Jackson made the best decision when he cast Elijah Wood to be Frodo Baggins and Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf. I would not be surprised if Wood gets a nod for a nomination for Best Actor and McKellen a 2nd crack for Best Supporting Actor.
In general, "King" deserves to be nominated for an Oscar. And if it wins the Best Picture, let's all start chanting "Hail to the King!"