Rating: 
Summary: The Hottest Movie Out There
Review: Wow was all I can say abouit this third installment. It was beyond my expectations. I knew that it was going to be good. I did not know it was going to be exceptional. I love all three Lord Of The Rings. It was a mastermind. The actors played each role as if it was them who were going through each plot and scenario. The graphics felt and looked real not just amazing but if I walked outside and saw it I would believe that it was real. The script was great. The reactions and feelings were felt by not only me but everyone in the audience. People were clapping throughout the movie. It was so funny. I really enjoyed it. It is worth every penny that they are asking for it. It is also good that the actors they picked are fine. I am glad that they are beautiful. It helped the length of the movie because you are not as anxious about the time or you are not looking at your watch every moment when you are watching the movie. The director knew what he was doing.
Rating:
Summary: The best movie from the BEST trilogy!
Review: I honestly thought that nothing could ever top the first two "Lord of the Rings" movies, but lo and behold, I was wrong. This third and final installment of J.R.R. Tolkien's phenomenal epic trilogy was the single most incredible film I have ever seen. And altogether, the entire trilogy makes for the most marvelous piece of cinematic genius ever to hit the big screen or touch the hearts and souls of its many viewers. How many films can YOU think of where an audience will willingly and even READILY sit through eleven or more hours of footage?Some key points on this particular work: Jackson's vision is incredible in this film, and it comes out so clearly that it truly makes the viewer feel like they are actually there. Jackson creates the world of Middle Earth so convincingly that you could swear you were actually there, that it actually existed. The characters have become beloved. Sam especially warms my heart; this is HIS story more than anyone else's. Merry and Pippin grow up quite a lot throughout this trilogy, and that is never made more evident than in this film. One of the most telling scenes in the film is near the end, back in Shire, where the four hobbits are surrounded by their old life, and are so much changed that they know they'll never QUITE belong there in the same way again. Smeagol/Gollum was the most amazing thing I have ever seen, that character was more real than almost any other in the film. The music is heartwrenching. In particular, the scene in which Pippin sings made me cry. That song was so beautifully haunting that it cut you right to the soul. I was left utterly breathless. The story itself IS altered slightly from that of the book, but that is hardly surprising. I challenge anyone to find a movie that EXACTLY depicts the book it is based off of...there aren't any, and if there are some somewhere, they probably didn't work, because the two forms are so different. The best you can hope for is to keep as many key plot points as possible and still keep the feel and SPIRIT of the book, and Jackson has done that most impressively. Many might be annoyed that they did not even bother filming the Scouring of the Shire, but they already had enough endings to this movie, and it flowed so perfectly as it was that the Scouring of the Shire would have unhinged it too much. There are many white-knuckle scenes, and many other tender ones. The balance between the two is excellent, and it rounds out the story quite nicely. On the whole, there has never been any film -- certainly no trilogy -- that has ever even come close to matching this one. There is so much heart, so much love, that went into this production, and you feel it. I came away from this movie absolutely astounded, not even able to put into words what I felt -- not sure there were even words INVENTED to describe this masterpiece. I sat through well over 3 hours' worth of material, but it felt like MUCH less, so absorbed was I in the happenings on the screen. Lord of the Rings is already a classic, as far as I'm concerned, and deservedly so. Fifty years from now, people will still regard these movies as among the best, most poignant, most PHENOMENAL films in cinematic history. Bravo to Jackson, his excellent cast, and his dedicated crew. They are cinematic giants
Rating:
Summary: The best of the three!
Review: I won't repeat much of what has already been said by so many. The fact that I have never been in a theater where almost everyone was in tears at the end of the movie pretty much says it all. It seriously sounded like a cold-infested daycare with all the sniffling going on. This film is an absolute work of art. I wish that many of the Tolkien purists could put aside all the nitpicking and see these films for the genius that they are. I am a huge fan of the books. I've read them over a two dozen times since I first picked them up when I was fourteen, and had my hopes dashed my the first attempt to make a movie of these fims. Jackson's movies have done the impossible. They have kept Tolkien's vision intact while tightening the story to fit the film media. A great example of this is the deletion of the "scouring of the Shire", a chapter Tolkien included to show that the four hobbits had grown out of the Shire's innocence, and had been greatly changed by their experiences. Jackson does this in one brief scene, the hobbits sitting in the Green Dragon, their favorite place, but instead of joy on their faces, they look uncomfortable and melancholy. They are no longer like the innocent and pastoral hobbits around them. There is no reason for Tolkien purists to complain about these films. In an unprecendented step designed to help satisfy these purists, Jackson and New Line have taken the extraordinary step of releasing extended finished versions of each film, with new music as a bonus. Sadly, some purists can't accept any change to this story. It's too bad, because there is so much here to enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: It was Good!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: This was a SWEET movie! It was action packed and it wasn't just action!? I saw it the second day it was out and dude it was cool!!!! The only reason I'm making it four stars is because their were five endings!!! The movie ended , and ended, and it ended agin, and again!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Besides that it was a great movie.Great job writing it Tolken!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic finale to the trilogy with only a touch of tedium
Review: You know a movie is well made when three hours twenty minutes feels like two hours! This movie brought all of the elements together to create a masterpiece: graphics/cinemtography, music, storyline and emotion. I'll let others review the actual storyline, but I'll give you my favorite movie situations and critiques. Favorites: 1)Minas Tirith! I was in awe the first time they panned into this incredible mountainside fortress...much more so than Helm's Deep, the mountainside fortress from The Two Towers. It is simply amazing and made me long to be there! 2)The very powerful scene of the death dirge "Mist and Shadows", sung by Billy Boyd as Denethor sends his son Faramir on a suicide mission to retake the garrison outside of Minas Tirith. What an emotionally charged situation. 3)The battle of Minas Tirith. I stared at the screen, mouth agape, in amazement. I couldn't believe how REAL this looked. Talk about filmmaking marvels - this is definetely one of them. 4)The princess of Rohan fighting along side her father. Her line in the movie "I am no man", as she unveiled her trueself to the leader of the flying dragon force, then stuck a dagger in his helm - a great situation. 5)The performance of Viggo Mortenson - could they have cast a better actor for this role? Simply oscarworthy. 6)The performance of Ian McKellan - a perfectly played role as Gandalf. Another oscarworthy performance. Last, but not least, Golem. What a fantastic acheivement...a technological marvel...and a masterfully thought out character. I know he was real, I know he was! Least Favorites: 1)The underutilization of Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Arwen (Liv Tyler). These two characters were so influencial in the first two films, I was sorry to see just glimpses of them in this segment. 2)The overall performance of Elijah Wood. I'm sorry, but nearly every shot has him staggering around dazed and confused. Definitely not oscarworthy. 3)The drudging on, continuing plight of the hobbits as they make their way toward the volcano. This took way too long and is heavily dotted with tedium. Bottom line: The is an AWESOME TRILOGY!! I am so antsy for the Deluxe, Special Edition that will contain a 108 hours of extra footage and wrapped in a hand-carved mahogany, numbered, autographed box...ha!!
Rating: 
Summary: YUCK, RACISM! (sorry)
Review: I can sum up my feelings about the movie in one word: YUCK. And if I had to use another word, it would be RACIST. So YUCK, RACISM! is that I am saying about this film. Why racist? One thing I noticed right away with is that evil equals BLACK and good equals WHITE. There are basically no bad white guys or good black guys. Gandalf is white (literally The White!), Gondor is the White City, hobbits are all white, all the elves are white as anything, and so on. What this movie seems to be about is defending white people against black people. Because it is a fantasy, all the black folks are ugly and, like African cannibals, try to eat each other when they get pissed. This happens in every movie. "MEat's back on the menu!" I also wish the film was slightly longer. We don't know what happened to the Ents from the second movie, nor why Gollum bites the ring off Frodo's hand. Why didn't he just put it on and escape? It makes no sense! Another thing that confuses me is the whole business with Arwen. Isn't she a warrior? Why isn't she fighting with her fiance (Aragon)? Let me first remind you by saying that I'm a big fan of Tolkien. My favourite books right now are probably the Narnia books the he co-wrote with C.S. Lewis. So I was surprised that God seems to be missing! Where is God in all this? The Gospel says that "If ye preach out into the world, carry not a sword but a hammer, not a shield but the word of God." Tolkien was a great Christian from what I have read, but at the end of the day God isn't home! We know where Satan is (his tower) but Our Lord just lets people down, which is SO inaccurate. Anyway, I can't recommend you see this film -- that's why I gave it the low ratings. Yes, it is well-made but the dual anti-Christian and racist messages make it unacceptable.
Rating:
Summary: Technically Brilliant but not True to Tolkein.
Review: This is a hard film to review. The movie is technically awe inspiring and the acting is, for the most part, extremely well done. Peter Jackson should be commended for that. However, Jackson was not able to keep to deliver the true depth of the original work found in the books. That is unforgivable. I hate to say it but I think Jackson was the wrong person to bring this story to the screen. He is a B-grade movie director and his efforts here show it. He revels in all the technical whiz-bangery that can be had but he fails in bringing any of the real depth to the story that Tolkein so meticulously included in the books. I am not talking about changing things that may need to be changed in the translation of a book (especially a long book) to the silver screen. Rather, I am talking about, for example, the totally misguided and unnecessary changing of character's personalities. Why make Gandalf have so much doubt? Isn't he the person that was sent back from the dead to finish his work on Middle Earth? In the book we know that the powers that sent him back instill much confidence in him. There was no reason to change this in the movie. This change added nothing to the story but only took away a strong character from the plot. Another problem that I have with this adaptation is the inclusion of scenes that are not needed for the telling of the story. For example, way too much was made of Arwen. Arwen does not play that big a role in the books (even including the appendices). I think a good hour between the three films could have been saved and used for building more depth into the story via, for example, better character development. Simple things that should have been in the film and would have been easy to do were not done. For example, the Pelennor Fields in the book were farm lands with homes, barns, roads, etc. Not a deserted plain as in the movie. When Mordor attacked the sky grew dark from the fires of Mt. Doom (also darkening Frodo and Sam's trek across Mordor). Adding these two things would have made the battle scenes much more interesting visually while adding a great sense of loss experienced by Gondor and increasing the sense of fear experienced by the defenders of Minas Tirith. I could go on but you get the point. Technically the movie is a 5 star movie. Good acting gets 4 stars. But, other than the technical aspects and acting, the movie is a 1 or 2 star movie. Evens out to a 3.
Rating:
Summary: Hail to the King
Review: In a quest to be a unique reviewer of the film THE RETURN OF THE KING, the Final Entry in The LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, I'll have to approach it negatively. So, it is with great regret that I report... there is no way I can be a unique reviewer. The film is truly masterful and shortcomings are minimal. I guess the biggest problem is that at 3 hours and 21 minutes, they should warn you to bring a catheter with you. There are no so spots appropriate for a bathroom run.
Of course, there are many purists who may be disappointed by changes made to the wonderful novels by J R R Tolkien. I did read the books back in seventh grade. I remembered them as well as I do the Periodic Table of Elements. (If it is not H=Hydrogen or O=Oxygen, it's been forgotten). So, I cannot acknowledge those missing elements. But I can suggest that this third screenplay moves at such a quick pace and brings such clear results, those missing things could only add detail to an already rich film. If you are still unimpressed, A Special Extended 4 hour plus edition is promised for the fall of 2004. It's the story of these hobbits that come across this enchanted ring and they... well. Just go see it. Any attempt at a summary would only prove frivolous.
All in all, the entire trilogy is a remarkable achievement. Each entry presenting a fantasy story with remarkable epic detail that brands the film as reality. The Special Effects dominate practically every frame of the film, but are used to enhance the story so it doesn't come across like an 'effects film'. Whether it be completely computer generated set designs to completely digital characters. The role of Gimli, the 3 foot tall dwarf is played on film by 6 Foot 2 John Rhys-Davies, best known as Indiana Jones' friend Sallah in 2 of the Raiders films. His performance is a special effect throughout. Similarly and most spectacular is the performance of Gollum, a completely computer generated character with a clear emotional arc and complex intentions. His appearance is truly a marvel. By films end, there is no doubt which side of the tortured soul wins out. When the Lord of the Rings was originally written, it was basically one long book. Tolkien was forced to break the story up into three separate books as 1940s sales of 1500 page fantasy stories were never strong sellers. Because of that hatchet job, only the third book brings any complete resolution. 60 plus years later, the films suffer from the same fate. Neither THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING nor THE TWO TOWERS offered up the big, definite 'Hollywood" ending we've all grown to expect. But of course, this final entry does. In fact, it has several endings. Just when you expect the closing credits begin, another ending starts up. By this point (10 hours of film... or 11 hours if you've seen the extended versions), we've become so endeared to the characters, that each ending is a satisfying one. If you have not seen he first 2 films, there is probably much to enjoy, but you will be missing out on a lot of the beautifully complex storytelling, wonderfully adapted by Director Peter Jackson.
So, as Oscar Season begins, this film, more so then the first two deserves serious acknowledgement. Not only for the screenplay adaptation, music, direction and film, but serious consideration for Sean Astin and Elijah Wood who put in strong emotional performances as their journey comes to an end.
It seems only correct that Director Peter Jackson mount the much simpler Prelude to the Lord of the Rings, THE HOBBIT. And he has shown interest, if they could only square away the production rights. In the meantime, his next project is a remake of the 1938 KING KONG.
Rating:
Summary: The greatest fantasy film ever made.
Review: With the release of "The Return of the King," it's now official: Peter Jackson's film trilogy of "The Lord of the Rings" is the greatest series of fantasy films ever made. In breadth and depth of vision, brilliance of craft and fidelity to the source material, there is nothing that remotely compares with it. And "The Return of the King" is the finest of the three individual films, combining exciting action and jaw-dropping special effects with fully-fleshed, three-dimensional characters. There are, of course, disappointments. For example, why didn't Jackson film Tolkien's "Scouring of the Shire" chapter for "Return of the King"? It seemed so clearly presaged in the scenes of hobbits in chains in "Fellowship of the Ring," and it would have brought the story of Saruman to a satisfying end. But everything Jackson DID put on screen is so wonderful that pressing the point seems churlish. The Battle of Minas Tirith--with its legions of orcs, and especially with Legolas doing battle with one of Tolkien's "olyphaunts"--alone deserves immediate ranking as one of the greatest battle scenes ever put on film. And Gollum--a collaboration between actor Andy Serkis and Jackson's special effects team--is as creepily brilliant a creation as ever. While "The Return of the King" is of course an ensemble piece like the previous two films, special mention must be made of the exquisite performances of Elijah Wood as Frodo and Sean Astin as Sam. Tolkien's chapters of Frodo and Sam alone in Mordor comprise, for my money, the most moving depiction of friendship of any novel in the last century, at some points reaching a Dickensian intensity. To say that Wood and Astin do justice to the original is very high praise indeed, but also giving them their due. The complete boxed DVD set of "The Lord of the Rings" will be a must-have for every household when it is eventually released, but "The Return of the King" is the crown jewel of the collection.
Rating:
Summary: What a movie!
Review: What can I say that hasn't been said about this movie being an achievement like no other? I seriously can't say there is another movie like it because there isn't. It isn't overrated. It has public love because it's a well made work and doesn't alienate itself or make people feel "smart" (or at the other end) "less important" because they watched it. (Excuse my clichés but...)It makes them feel good about life and takes us from a world that is primarily dark and full of vicious social ills to a world where in the end hope is not in vain, a world where it is real to believe in good triumphing over evil. This takes my vote as the truly inspiring movie of 2003!
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