Well, I'm back...

Rating: 8/10 (19 October 2007)

(Comment originally posted 18 March 2004) What a wonderful conclusion to the trilogy. It's hard to review just one of these movies without really reviewing the whole set. I think they made a lot of excellent choices on this last one, as far as what was put in, what was left out, and how everyone was portrayed. I do agree that they shouldn't have cut Christopher Lee's scene from the theatrical, though.
I was glad they left out the scouring of the shire in this version. The movie is so long, that by the time the characters are heading home, the last thing I wanted to watch was another big, heartwrenching problem for them (I felt the same way about the book). An English friend of mine said that he likes the scouring scene in the book because it shows how Merry and Pippin grow and deal with the problem in the Shire on their own (for the most part) but I think the books and movie had already illustrated that quality in them, through their battles and separation, without this. I do love how they do come home in the movie, and how the scowling hobbit man is there to see them return.
And I'm so, so glad that the movie ended quite faithfully to the book, with Sam simply saying to his wife, "Well, I'm back." I'd been waiting in suspense for over three years to see if they'd use that line, possibly my favorite line from the trilogy, and I was so thankful that they did. There were several times in all three movies that I felt silly because I was a grown woman brought to tears by a fantasy tale, but that particular line always gets me.
I must admit that I always felt really sad whenever I got to the end of these books, because even though it's supposed to be an uplifting theme, the reminder of the passage of time and how it changes things just really depresses me! The movie sort of makes me feel that way too. It's a bittersweet experience. When I first heard that they were making this trilogy I was wishing they would actually have started with "The Hobbit." But now I think it will be a good thing if Peter Jackson and the studios resolve their financial dispute and Jackson makes "The Hobbit" now, because I've always felt sad at themes dealing with the passing of time, people getting old and dying (or going away forever), and it will be so nice to see a younger, revived Bilbo in a movie version of the book that is much more lighthearted than the trilogy that came after it. I'm really looking forward to what Peter and his crew will do with that one. I think the passage of time may prevent Ian Holm from being able to pick up the role of a younger Bilbo, but I think Billy Boyd would be perfect to switch into this role - he does look the part. : ) Though some might prefer an English accent to a Scottish - personally I think, once the movie got going a bit, no one would give it much thought.