A vision finally realized.

Rating: 10/10 (19 December 2003)

This was a great film.
I've slogged through comment after comment for "Fellowship" and "The Two Towers," wondering what the fuss was. I won't go into it all again here, but I was disappointed by both the first and second movies. This movie, however, not only blows away the first two movies in the series, but also stands on its own as a masterpiece.
All of the problems in the first two movies disappear, as if Peter Jackson finally realized the great vision of LOTR in one spectacular movie.
The action in this movie moves swiftly and brings the viewer right in, right from the opening scene with Smeagol. The direction captures the feel of climax immediately, and doesn't let go until Frodo accomplishes his mission of destroying the ring.
In a movie like this, special effects generally stand out over acting. But a few performances in what is a solid ensemble shine majestically over the rest. Elijah Wood and Sean Astin capture the anguish of carrying ring and the struggle between the weight of their quest and the toll it takes on their friendship. Wood's body language and facial acting say more than any dialogue could have possibly said.
The big surprise for me in this movie, though, was Viggo Mortensen's performance. Whether it was because of Mortensen himself, or because of the fact that the first two movies obliterated much of his dialogue, his performance in the first two films didn't stand out. In this movie, he takes the mantle as the title character and infuses his character with strength and courage. Almost every moment he's on the screen, he exudes charisma and strength, qualities that are hard enough to reveal in a book, let alone a movie.
The triumph of ROTK, however, is in the plotting and action itself. In some movies, characters dominate the story, while in other movies, characters are swept along by events. LOTR is clearly in the latter category, and Return of the King thrusts the viewer into the action early and doesn't stop until the ring is destroyed and Frodo and Sam are rescued. The writing team finally gives up on sticking in tons of cute Gimli lines and avoids long speeches that seem out of context and almost jarring. Every character in the movie reacts to the heft of the quest.
If you loved the first two movies, I'm sure you'll love this one. If you didn't like the first two movies, I'd still recommend "Return of the King." Unlike many of the rabid Rings fans, I'm reluctant to bestow awards left and right after walking out of the theater. However, Peter Jackson's direction is award-worthy, without a doubt. No fantasy movie has ever captured the combination of splendor and gothic darkness of the fantasy genre more than this movie did.
ROTK is clearly an epic, even though the first two movies were not. This is movie is a perfect 10 out of 10. I'll let time be the judge of whether or not this movie is an all-time great, but this is definitely the best movie I've seen in 2003.