The hype will die down

Rating: 2/10 (18 April 2004)

The conclusion to what has been a seriously overhyped trilogy. As of the time of writing, this movie was rated #4 in IMDB's top 250. However, I suspect that much of that rating is due to overexcited fanboys (I hate that word but couldn't think of a substitute), and the film will slip a considerable number of places in subsequent years.
Return of the King is probably the second best of the three films, surpassing the lackluster "Two Towers" but nowhere near as good as "The Fellowship". I enjoyed the first half of the film considerably and was prepared to accept it as a good final installment.
Unfortunately, like "The Two Towers", the film moves from the sublime to the ridiculous with the introduction of the battle scene.
I'm afraid I am not a fan of CG animation in live films. While the character of Gollum was well produced, the CG in the battles in lackluster and obvious. It is like being slapped in the face whenever it appears.
Even leaving out the CG however, the biggest insult I find is that the main characters have to do everything. This was a particular problem in "The Two Towers", where the three heroes held off a whole army of orcs, but it is also prevalent in the battle in this movie.
Sure, I've heard of suspension of disbelief, but it can only go so far.
Unlike most people, I didn't mind the long ending with Sam and Frodo but the film had already been ruined for me before that.