How can 200 minutes pass by so fast?

Rating: 10/10 (17 December 2003)

Return of the King is everything I wanted this Trilogy to be. It stays truer to the story than the previous two films did, the only noticeable omission being the character of Saruman, other than that, what was cut wasn't really all that missable. Mind you, I'll be the first in line to get the extended DVD when it's finally available.
This is truly an ensemble cast where no one person is more important than the other, only certain characters hold more weight. Gandalf was more prominent than ever here, and it was good to see him. Viggo Mortensen seems to be fitting the role of Aragorn better all the time, so it'll be a shame to realize that there are no further instalments coming out to enjoy him in. Gimli and Legolas play off each other so well here, while we don't get to see their friendship develops and carries on after the war, you get the feel for that part of the storyline. All of the hobbits were outstanding, particularly Pippin who really comes into his own.
The movie is a little slow to start, but once the action gets going, fasten your seatbelt and hang on for the ride. Usually by the two hour point in any movie I'm looking at my watch. Not this time.
Peter Jackson truly deserves Best Director kudos, as well as Best Picture.