Rating: 
Summary: The limits of film
Review: I agree with many reviewers that the Lord of the Rings Trilogy was a tour de force for Peter Jackson. I also agree that he did his best with a very difficult mission: To put such a seminal and detailed work on the screen is a daunting task.That said, part of the fun of fandom is qibbling. In general I liked the musical score, but one of the main atmospheric elements of Tolkien's work was lost: poetry and song. I admit, American audiences would have gotten bored with long lays and ballads, but some of the shorter works are quite within the ability of audiences to enjoy. Too bad he couldn't get some of the Donald Swann arrangements to use. But I suppose he felt it would slow the story. As Treebeard would say "Hoo hom. Hasty." I think it was a mistake too to eliminate the Scouring of the Shire. This defines the Shire hobbits' character applying what they've learned and giving it ultimate meaning. Without it, the establishment of Aragorn as king becomes the central resolution, and marginalizes the hobbits. One also loses the lesson that nothing is immutable and that, as Merry says it in the book "you won't change anything by being shocked and sad." Now that my quibbles are out of the way, I was impressed with how much was kept in. I have to admit, I've never been able to visualize the Paths of the Dead. Now I can. I was also impressed with the rendering of the warrior elves. One is so used to thinking of them wandering around in the woods or leading the contemplative life at Rivendell, that it is stunning to see them as crack soldiers. Well, when you have forever to practice, I guess you get that way. I recommend the movie, for all I have said, wholeheartedly. It is a master work. I have only one other recommendation: when you have seen it, read the original book.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Wonderful.....
Review: To the loyalists amongst us let me just say that while some liberties were taken with the original text, they were certainly not enough to keep anyone from enjoying this masterpiece of fantasy cinema. What Peter Jackson his writing staff, producing staff and gloriously underrated and underappreciated cast have proven with this film is that good writing, excellent acting and wonderful pacing can take a film from being just another movie to a cinematic event. One filled with awe inspiring heroism, angst, loyalty, love, and a fierce sense of purpose. While at the same time making the events and emotions relatable bringing them back down to human scale so that we may examine them more closely. The heroism, angst, loyalty, love and a sense of purpose isn't without its price and the price is high. It's paid in lives and a sense of longing that permeates the whole film. Yes there are a lot of special effects in the film, some that are so grand and wondrous that one is wont to describe them but words fail. There are effects that level the viewer leaving them gasping for breath at the beauty and brilliance of them, while others are nearly invisible because of their subtlety. But if the trilogy has taught us anything it is that effects don't make a film, they may enhance it but the driving force behind any film of merit is the direction, the performances and the story being told. Return of the King deals with good and evil on a grand scale, while bringing it down to a level of the everyday. Frodo and Sam are still on their journey to Mount Doom, being led by the horribly conflicted Smeagol/Gollum, who has been so tortured by the Ring and want of the Ring that basically all he is at this point is an addict. Who is willing to do whatever he has to do in order to get the Ring back into his possession even leading Frodo and Sam to Shelobe's lair. You see the disease of addiction being played out in one of the most brilliant performances of the film. Merry and Pippin are given a much larger role to play in the final battle then in the previous two films. They are separated due to Pippin insatiable curiosity. Both are faced with choices that test who they are, while demonstrating the strength of their bond. Gandolf's metal is also tested once he arrives in the kingdom of Gondor. He must lead the people into battle until Aragorn can get there and take on his role as King. Aragorn finally comes to terms with who he was always meant to be, who he is. He is the King of Men, who must lead his people against the forces of Mordor and take the battle for Middle Earth to the Black Gates in order to buy time for Fordo and Sam to reach the fires in the heart of Mount Doom. His uncertainty is palpable as he takes on the heavy mantel being given to him. And yet he does so, with a grace that speaks to his nobility and his sense of what is right. At the Black Gates he is tested one last time and find that he is his own man, that the blood that runs through his veins does not dictate what he will do. He is his own man. He is the King of the people of the West.
Rating:
Summary: Waiting for the Whole Package
Review: Twice now I have bought the LOTR DVD, only to feel like a chump when, 4 months later, the REAL package, with all the good stuff, appears. Just wait: they will offer The Return of the King, then 4 months later it will be the super-duper Return of the King, then 4 months later they will release a boxed set, then, finally, in about a year, the marketeers will release the super-duper all-in-one boxed set (SDAIOBS). Until the SDAIOBS is released, you're wasting your money; or would you rather make EIGHT Seperate purchases totaling, what, $320?
Rating:
Summary: worth the purchase
Review: i'm sure this has been said, but i'll say it again... thie dvd is certainly worth buying because it is the only way to get the original theatrical release. if you buy the extended edition, you get only the directors cut. for almost any other movie, this wouldn't matter. but this series is something different. it'll be nice to have both versions twenty years from now to be able to contrast and compare. also, the bonus features that are this dvd will most likely not be on the extended edition, so there is a full disc of bonuses that you will miss out on if you don't purchase it. (...)
Rating:
Summary: The best of them all!
Review: I was crying when the movie ended and for so many reasons. This movie is easily the greatest and most powerful of the three movies in Peter Jackson's future classic legacy "Lord Of The Rings" and will go down into the same category as "Wizard Of Oz", "The Godfather" and "Citizen Kane" as one of the greatest movies that has ever been made. Perfectly picking up where "The Two Towers" left off, Frodo, Sam and Gollum are approaching ever closer to Mt. Doom in Mordor but Frodo is falling further and further into despair as the power of the Ring is increasing. Meanwhile, Gollum has some nefarious plans of his own that they aren't aware of yet. Meanwhile Minas Tirith, the capitol of Gondor, is under seige by massive armies loyal to Sauron and the dark powers are spreading all over Middle Earth, causing death and destruction in the process. Time is running out, friendships are tested, powers both good and evil, start breaking down, armies start moving, and the days are growing darker as the fate of Middle Earth hangs by a thread. This movie is extremely intense. Arguably the darkest of the three, this brings the epic trilogy to a powerful and tearjerking end. I cried not only because of the powerful ending but because a great era in moviemaking has come to a conclusion. But we will someday see this again on the big screen someday and perhaps the extended editions back to back. We'll see.... Until then, go and see this movie right away. You will never experience anything like this again.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: ...wow. That's all I can really say for this film. It was inspirational, beautiful, heartrenching, and captivating, making this film amazing. Jackson truly outdid himself for Return of the King. The hopelessness and pain Sam and Frodo are experiencing as they struggle to destroy the Ring is so wonderfully done that you truly feel as if you are with Sam and Frodo as they struggle to climb up the mountain. The love and friendship between the two is so moving that it seriously brought tears to my eyes, and I *rarely* cry. The acting was simply superb in this film, especially Sean Astin (Sam) and Viggo Mortenson (Aragorn). As always, Miranda Otto was wonderful as Eowyn, as were Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan as Pippin and Merry. The movie flowed exceptionally, and despite its lengthy time, there was not a moment that I wasn't captivated by Tolkien's vision of Middle-earth. One of the lines that stands out the most to me is during the moment when Sam and Frodo believe they are going to die while Mt. Doom is erupting is, "I'm glad to be with you, Sam. Here, at the end of all things." Another beautiful scene is when Aragorn, crowned as the King of Gondor, bows down to the hobbits, telling them, "You bow to no one." The heartfelt emotion expressed really does make this film the greatest of all three. As always, the everpresent rivalry between Gimli and Legolas is there, providing comic relief. Surprisingly, Merry and Pippin do not provide any humour other than at the beginning of the film, and are a very chief point in the plot. The two are separated for the first time since the triligy began and must mature, which largely develops their character. The lovable Smeagol has now once more become the treacherous Gollum; though in the beginning Smeagol pleads against his darker side, the Ring takes control of him, adding to the list of enemies. Fans of the book will happy to find that Shelob is in this movie; in the books it was originally in the second. Also, the Sword that was Broken is in the film as well, while in the book it is carried by Aragorn in all three. Peter Jackson also remains faithful to the warrior side of Eowyn, which is touched upon in the second film. Though the Houses of Healing were cut out, hopefully they will be in the extended DVD version of the film. I really can't do this movie justice. It's impossible to explain how I felt both times I saw the movie as I saw the struggle of Frodo and Sam. This movie isn't just a war-movie, or a fantasy movie; it's a movie about love and trust, finding hope in a world that has none, about companionship and fighting until the very end. All three and a half hours of this film is exceptional, and will surely be a classic for years to come.
Rating:
Summary: Stellar but Extras Are Weak.
Review: I just bought this last week and have to say, of course, the movie is immaculate but the extras on the second DVD are low quality. The documentaries included are poor and you might just be better off waiting to buy the Platinum and renting this one.
Rating:
Summary: The Lord of the rings- the return of the king
Review: If any of you are fans of battles and stuff, The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King is a movie you absoulutely cannot miss. It is better to be seen after watching the 1st 2 parts of the movie, but anyway, it cannot be described in another word-- just awesome.
Peter Jackson use not only high-technology computer skills to create a mass battle field at Minas Tirith, but also, most of those who fight are real in person. Also, it reveals the true side of a person in the most desperate situations: love for one another, and friendship- the strongest bond between each and every one of the characters; bravery, to die for others; loyalty for one's country, and the triumph of victory.
All the actors are newly casted, peter jackson giving them chances to reveal their hidden talents.
Go on and enjoy the film... you will difinately say it's a masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Praise, praise, praise!
Review: A really well-done adaptaion of Tolkien's book. Enough action and authenticity to belie the 3+ hour length and let you enjoy a really good movie. Two Thumbs up!
Rating:
Summary: So much missing ...
Review: Okay, so I started reading JR Tolkein when I was 14, and have read the LOTR trilogy at least 20 times since (I'm 42 now). I also managed to force my way through The Silmarillion once, The Hobbit a couple of times (my 12yo son is reading it now), but the various other short stories didn't engage me at all. So .. I have to admit that, although I have loved the series, I am deeply disappointed at how much has been left out/changed etc. Even little things that made me just say "why oh why?" like the struggle between Frodo and Gollum at the end of the movie. That is just incorrect. I don't have the book here with me, but I clearly recall that Gollum bit Frodo's finger, off, danced around crying "my precious, my precious", lost his balance, then plunged into the depths of Mount Doom. What dramatic purpose did it serve for Frodo to struggle with Gollum? Similarly, why was Arwen far too visible in The Fellowship .. and pretty much disappeared for the rest of the movie. I won't go into how wrong it was to put her in the role of rescuing Frodo from the Ringwraiths! Gosh, it makes me wish that I had millions and millions of dollars and could make about 5 movies - and include Tom Bombadill, and Glorfindel, and the VERY important scene between Gandalf and Saruman where Gandalf breaks Saruman's staff of council, showing that he has lost his power and Gandalf has taken his place. The thing with the Palantir was just thrown in so messily - and having Treebeard say "There is a wizard to deal with here" and then ... wot, no confrontation!? That was just plain weird. Even my husband, who hasn't read the books, felt that something went astray there. I also deeply regret that the Scouring of the Shires disappeared. That was vitally important. It truly evidenced how much changed the four Hobbits were by their journeying, and how they had matured and grown. Their final confrontation with Saruman was excellent in the book .. entirely missing in the movie. Ah well. Still, beautiful scenery, good acting (although was I alone in being a little tired of Elijah Wood's "constipated" expression), fabulous sets and battles, and pretty good subtitles too.
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