The end of an epic, unforgettable adventure

Rating: 10/10 (13 December 2005)

It took J.R.R. Tolkien twelve years to complete this epic trilogy. It took Peter Jackson almost ten years to complete the movie adaptation of that trilogy (he'd been working on it since 1997). It's been a long journey, but it was worth it. Every single step.
So, this is the one where it all comes to an end: Frodo(Elijah Wood) must conquer his fears in order to fulfill his mission, the destruction of the One Ring; Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), on the other hand, is supposed to accept and embrace his fate, which is to reclaim the throne of Gondor, while all the armies available are fighting against the Dark Lord Sauron's forces. The freedom of Middle Earth is at stake...
Like in The Two Towers, character development is pretty much ignored in favor of the visually stunning combats (the 50-minute long battle of Pelennor Fields is breathtaking). Actually, that's the only defect of the theatrical version (rating:9/10) of The Return of the King: at 3 hours and 12 minutes it's, ironically, too short, mostly because of the biggest plot hole ever (what happened to Saruman), a scene which is gloriously restored in the extended edition, which is a must-see if you want the complete story.
Now, let's talk about the best thing in the movie: Sean Astin. He already proved he was a great actor in the previous films, but in this one he really shines, giving us a tormented, angry, but loyal character, willing to do anything for his master (fans will never forget this line: "I can't carry it (the Ring) for you! But I can carry YOU!", probably the single most moving piece of dialogue in the entire trilogy). Shame the Academy overlooked his astounding performance.
Well, at least they didn't overlook the entire movie, each one of its 11 Oscars being fully deserved. The Return of the King isn't just the best picture of 2003, it's among the absolutely best movies of all time.
Peter Jackson has written a new, exciting page of cinema history, and we will always be grateful for that.