Rating: 
Summary: The best was saved for last
Review: I am not a LOTR freak. I never read the books. I enjoyed the first movie in the trilogy and slept through most of the second one. I saw the finale on Dec. 19 and it was GREAT. It was exciting, well paced, inspiring, and I even cried (when Sam carries Frodo up the side of the mount). This was a great movie about the triumph of good over evil, good people over evil tyrants, etc. Now I want to see the first two again. I see now the full sweep of this work. It isn't really three movies; it is one long movie and the division into three parts was more of a publishing decision than an artistic one. SEE THIS MOVIE! Forget the vulgar comedies, violent blood feasts, special effects heavy (and script light) sci-fi moves, and dumb romances starring overpaid spoiled divas and brats. See LOTR once, twice, three times!
Rating: 
Summary: Yes, it's very, very good. But calm down.
Review: The Return of the King is the best installment of Peter Jackson's extraordinary adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkein's trilogy. It has all of the high points of the first two films, but few of their problems. Sure, it's long. But unlike Fellowship of the Ring and the Two Towers, there's little chance of falling asleep in this one. Return of the King grabs you quickly, with a gruesome opening scene (certainly PG-13 stuff, if not R), and pulls you into plot threads that wind and weave with just the right balance of each, building incredible power and momentum along the way. Indeed, the greatest achievement of this film is its story orchestration, creating a symphony out of what could have been a chaotic mess.No review of Return of the King would be complete without mentioning the special effects. Never have effects been used so well. Never. Jackson and his team have created an amazing fantasy world, against the exotic backdrops of New Zealand, that so far surpasses any other film (including the first two films in this series) as to impress even the most dulled senses. And the realization of Gollum in this film borders on perfection. The scene where Gollum talks to his own rippling reflection is mind-boggling. The acting is fine. Ian McKellen's mumbling is by and large not in evidence (thankfully), but Elijah Woods small collection of facial expressions started wearing thin after a time. The rest of the case is in fine form, but without any real stand-outs. If not for it's length, I might be tempted to see this film several times. At my age, though, three hours and twenty minutes is too much to repeat.
Rating:
Summary: TimeLess
Review: Enchanting, Exciting, Enthralling and Saddening... these are just a few terms, which describe Peter Jackson masterpiece, "The Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King". "Return of The King" is the last in a Trilogy of brilliance. In this final chapter, Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gammchi (sorry if the name is misspelled), bring their epic adventure to an end. The characters, which so many have become fond of, have now truly begun to fulfill their role. With this last movie, the inner struggle of Frodo can be seen, and the outer struggle for Mankind reaches its climatic ending. Weakened from the ring, Frodo now has trouble fighting its dark power, while Samwise fights to prove the disloyalty of Gollum. While Frodo and Samwise fight for there very survival, a similar fight is happening at Minas Tirith; mankind's last stand against the armies of Sauron. This final chapter of the trilogy, brings the story to a closure, and ensures itself as a timeless classic. The movie is brilliant, and captures all the essences, which make an amazing movie. The "Return of The King" brings the struggles of Good vs. Evil and Life vs. Death to full boil. The movie, albeit being 3 1/2hrs long (be sure to visit the bathroom first, and bring lots of popcorn), keeps you at the edge of your seat the entire time. What keeps you on the edge of your seats? Well, the struggles above really pull that off. Throughout the movie, you are in constant wondering, to what will happen to Frodo/Samwise and the other companions (fighting at Minas Tirith). The battle scenes are amazing, and most of the graphics are breathtaking. For example, just about everyone in the audience were in awe over the shear size of Minas Tirith. It was amazing, and gave you a sense of power making you think, "Man!!! Maybe mankind has a chance within the walls of Minas Tirith". Gollum is yet again an amazing graphical feat of the movie. Although one realizes Gollum is nothing but a 3d model, the life that is given to him is amazing. The facial features are excellent, and the inner struggle of Smegal and Gollum, bring this character to life. Watching the discussions between Gollum and Smegal unfold, one may feel amusement/pity towards him (or them for that matter). The only factor, which may anger some, is the artistic license on the movie. The movie, for the most part, follows the book however; Jackson takes some artistic licensing and changes some things, and leaves out other. I understand why Jackson left out some, if he did not, the movie would have been much longer. Although there are slight changes, they are not nearly enough to disrupt the greatness of the movie. There has been debate to whether this ending/trilogy will surpass that of "Star Wars" or "The Godfather". Personally, I cannot tell you if it does surpass them or not. Whether it is proven to be or not, this movie will be a timeless classic, shared and watched throughout the years. This is the best movie of 2003, and I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoyed the other movies to this Trilogy. I give "Return of The King" a solid 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Every Emotion Possible!!!!!!
Review: I've already seen ROTK 3 times in 4 days. Each time I watch it; I begin to realize more and more that this is the end of the Trilogy but now a new road is forming and I shall take another path. This Trilogy will always be a part of my life until the day that I die. I've cried, laughed and felt every emotion that a person could possibly feel. I don't want it to end but we must all move on, yet it's scary thinking that we will never get to see Frodo and Sam again or to hear Merry and Pippin sing. I think that for everyone who has followed the story from day one we have all changed and will never be the same. Thank you Peter Jackson, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Liv Tyler, Hugo Weaving and the rest of the Cast. These 4 have stolen my very heart and I have changed because of you. Kathy
Rating:
Summary: The best epic out there
Review: I went to a showing last night (the evening of the 17th) and my goodness... it is a masterpiece... my breath was taken away. To tell you the truth, first impressions for movies of this length and greatness don't come to me immediately (this happened with me when I first saw The Two Towers). I walked out of the theater pleased, but the impression had still not come. But the day after, I was filled with the greatest satisfaction and happiness imaginable from this movie. This is the greatest movie, which is apart of the greatest epic trilogy out there. I read the books (The Hobbit to The Return of the King) in a year after I saw Fellowship. These movies have given me a great appreciation for J.R.R. Tolkien's work, The Lord of the Rings. I loved the movie. I'm not exactly a "purist" who demands everything to be exact with the books. I perfectly understand the changes made in this movie (which really weren't too many) and the changes in the first two. Translating books this complex to movies is really like translating a complex language to something you want many to understand. PJ's target audience was both fans of the books and people who haven't read the books. PJ was translating the book to a movie so that readers and non-readers alike can understand and enjoy it. When translating a complex language to another language that is totally different (books to movies entertain differently for sure), it doesn't translate exactly word for word. It doesn't work like that. If someone tried to do something like that word for word, then it would just be grammatically messy. And if PJ tried to do everything exactly like the books in the movies, it would be a big mess. He was able to get the language of the books and translate it to the language of the movies. Though they aren't exact, the message still gets across in a general view. This trilogy (especially the third part) will set a new standard for movies. It is the next level. Anyway, now onto my thoughts for this movie in specific. I thought it was awesome. No complaints save one. Some of the editing. It is really fast paced in a few parts of the movie. And of course for one who has read the books, I want to see as much as I can! There didn't seem to be enough in some parts of the movie. Three things that I desperately wanted to see the most that they left out was Saruman's demise (which I had already known had been taken out), the Faramir and Eowyn story, and the Mouth of Sauron. And I also found it a bit awkward how you don't see a single Easterling! You see a bunch of them marching through the Black Gate, but I didn't see them in the Pellenor Fields, or the Black Gate. But hey, you get plenty of Southron action. Besides that, I love the movie! I'm glad they put in the Smeagol and Deagol scene. Anyway, the battle scenes were fairly ultimate! I loved them! Eowyn and the Witchking was great! Very realistic in a way because fights like that usually last from four to fourteen seconds. And Legolas single handedly taking down a Mumakil was quite pleasing. The dead were pretty cool. When they were surrounding Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas, it sort of reminded me of Michael Jackson's Thriller music video. Anyway, the movie ended really well. That wasn't rushed. It was a great conclusion. Some people complain about the ending (or endings) being too long but little do they know that this ending is not only just concluding the third film, but the entire story. Peter Jackson has done an excellent job of translating these books to the big screen. The extended edition will be the best. But as for the theatrical edition, it is the most pleasing out of the first two theatrical editions. And on a final note, I couldn't help but notice that the one Orc captain who took Osgiliath and who was participating in the siege of Minas Tirith looked a lot like Sloth from The Goonies. That was pretty humorous. The extended edition for this movie will be one of the most painful waits I'll have to endure.
Rating:
Summary: Epic conclusion to the trilogy
Review: Peter Jackson has done a rare thing; he's managed to translate a work loved by millions into an effective, affecting and rich motion picture experience. The third film in the trilogy is no exception. While The Return of the King isn't perfect (and what movie adaption could ever be?), it sticks closely to Jackson's unique view of Tolkien's work. It's also about as close to perfection as one can get without making the film themselves (and very few would be up to the task). Jackson gambles a bit here; he doesn't drastically reduce or rearrange the last book of the trilogy. Instead, he structures the film so that it's dramatically viable. The continuing thread of three interrelate stories works well--we see what's happening to our divided heroes and the impact what they do has on the other. Jackson's added bits and pieces for dramatic clarity and to improve the visual drama but, on the whole, everything is as it should be. While I felt that some of the battle sequences went on a bit too long (just too many shots of giant elephants trampling the riders on horseback), on the whole the film is a huge success. After a brief glance back that helps us understand Gollum a bit better, we spring forward to exactly where we left our heroes. Aragorn and his compatriots are preparing for the final battle in hopes that Frodo is successful in destroying The Ring. While Frodo and Sam begin to have their doubts about their chance of success they trudge on led by Gollum. Meanwhile, the seeds of distrust between the uneasy trio. The visuals are stunning, the action vivd and the performances are strong. Kudos to the entire cast but particularly to Sean Astin who finally gets to shine as Sam becomes the hero he always hinted he would become. Viggo Mortensen's smoldering intensity as Aragorn reaches new heights and his character grows signficantly. When he finally accepts who he is and what he must do, his character comes alive in a new way in this film. Jackson, Fran Walsh and his other collaborators have done a rare thing; translated a great work of art and literature without pandering. The film's narrative richness is what makes Return a film of substance. You care about these characters and their fates. I have heard some complaints about the film having "too many conclusions" but, in reality, the film ends when Frodo achieves his goal. The rest of the film acts as a coda giving us an idea as to what awaits our characters later down the line. While it does seem to drag on a bit after the intensity of the last battle, it provides necessary closure to the film. It was a brave choice and the right one regardless of naysayers. Don't let anyone tell you too much about the film and go and enjoy it this holiday season!
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Movie
Review: This movie brings closure. I was anxiously waiting to see what was going to happen to Frodo and Sam as well as the rest of the fellowship. The ending will surprise you. Since I read the book, I already knew what was going to happen, but the movie was very enjoyable nonetheless. There were some let downs from the book. As one reviewer pointed out earlier Aragorn goes into the ghost mountain to summon up a ghost army. The way this scene is portrayed in the movie does not seem too scary. You can tell the director tries his best to make it seem a seriously imposing task, but I think he comes up short. To tell the truth, (for me) this was one of the scariest moments in the book. In fact, after they come out of the mountain I think it was Gimli that says something to the effect of "if I knew what I know now what was inside that mountain I would never have gone in there no matter what the cause". He never says that in the movie though. Also coming up short was the portrayal of the Nazgul. The way these creatures were portrayed on the screen made it look like they were being nuisances, swooping down and picking people up here and there and dropping them to their deaths. It was not made clear to the audience that these creatures were not just physically imposing but they were also extremely powerful wizards of evil. That was why Eowyn became so ill after killing the Lord of the Nazgul. He never touched her directly, but anyone who dares kill or maim the Lord of the Nazgul would suffer terrible consequences simply because of their tremendous magical powers (they would be cursed). One of the scenes in the book was breaking down the gates of Minas Tirith. That gate is supposed to be so strong as to be unbreakable. After attempts to break it open with their battering ram, Sauron's army was unable to open it. However, the Lord of the Nazgul swooped down, and with one magical flash he brought the door crashing down and then they were able to enter into the city. This was portrayed totally differently in the movie where Sauron's army used a battering ram (shaped like a pig or something) and rammed the door down. This was yet another opportunity lost to show the power of the Nazgul. There was only one other major change made in the movie and it deals with the very end but I don't want to spoil it for anybody so you'll just have to watch the movie. :)
Rating:
Summary: Frodo, Sam and the rest of us come to the end of all things
Review: I am sure I am by no means alone in having arranged my day to enjoy the entire trilogy, watching both of the special edition DVDs of "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers," taking a break only to go to the theater to buy tickets for the late night showing so I could end the day seeing "The Return of the King." After the disappointments of "The Return of the Jedi," "The Matrix: Revolutions," and even "The Godfather: Part III," we come to a world in which "The Trilogy" will now refer to Peter Jackson's films in the world of cinema the same way it does to J.R.R. Tolkien's novels in the realm of literature. Things I am savoring the morning after: The ride of the Rohirrim at the Battle of the Pelennor Field. This ends up being the greatest cavalry charge in cinematic history, as well as the biggest battle scene of all time. Not only do you have the attack, but the counter-attack, and then the Lord of the Nazgul. I wish such scenes did not rely so much on hand-held cameras and jump cuts, but that is the way of the cinematic world. However, it was especially gratifying that the biggest cheer of the night came in my favorite scene from the trilogy, when Eowyn faces the foul dwimmerlaik, although I think Jackson really could have heightened the drama of the moment a lot better and I missed hearing her laugh and speak in a clear voice like the ring of steel. The army of Sauron laying siege of Gondor. The oliphants were impressive, but so were the catapults flings rocks and pieces of masonry at each other, and the great trolls working the machines of war. For that matter, the first sight of Minas Tirith was as grand as our first look at Rivendell. The emergence of Pippin as a strong character. My only serious complaint early on was that Merry and Pippin were the comic relief, a role that was passed on to Gimli (but really belongs to Sam if anybody), and in his service to the Steward of Gondor we finally see Pippin, well, grow up. And who would have expected that a particularly poignant moment in the film would be Pippin singing a song? Getting to see Andy Serkis as a non-computer generated Smeago. This is a nice cameo for someone who put on one of the greatest vocal performances in movie history. The Smeagol-Gollum argument in "The Two Towers" actually created sympathy for this sad little creature, and the credit goes to what Serkis did with his voice, so it seems right that we get to see his face. The idea that in the end, this really is Sam's story. Not only because he gets the last line in the movie as he does the book, but also because when all is said and done he is the most heroic figure of them all, fighting on for the best of reasons. In the end I was most impressed by how Jackson changed the pivotal moment at Mount Doom, which was a brief scene in the book, into something much more in keeping with the characters and their situation. Jackson not only sets this up with the flashback that opens the film, but even after the final fate of the ring, where it echoes in a conversation between Bilbo and Frodo. Overall Jackson's tinkering with the sacred text worked well, with expanding the role of Arwen Undomiel so that she was more than King Elessar's Midsummer bride and having Eowyn fix her eye upon Aragorn. I always appreciated the scouring of the Shire as being appropriate to the sensibilities of an English audience that had endured the Blitz and World War II, but times have changed and the characters clearly bear their own physical and emotional scarring. Yes, devotes of Tolkien's work will all have quibbles with what has been omitted (e.g., Gandalf's confrontation with the Lord of the Nazgul), but hopefully for most of us that just means waiting eleven months for the special edition DVD to be released. Maybe they will do it sooner next year since it will not have to prime us for the next movie.
Rating:
Summary: ...grumble grumble grumble...
Review: I liked the movie. However I think it's the least successful of the ***THEATRICAL*** releases. Peter Jackson, boosted by his previous successes, is more willing to edit out key elements of the story to trim down the running time. Unfortunately, most of those moments seemed to be character beats (the Houses of Healing, for example). The result is a head-on action movie. Focusing more on battle than character development. For non-book fans, this will no doubt result in an entertaining and satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. But for ***some*** of us (I can't speak for all!) who know and love the books, the ultimate result is severely lacking. Aragorn, for example, is a mere supporting player, with no real emotional scenes in the film. Eowyn, Faramir, Eomer and Merry are reduced to virtual cameo appearances and plot points from the previous films (not to mention from the film itself) remain unresolved (all, not surprisingly, are emotionally driven). Sean Astin, Elijah Wood and Billy Boyd give standout performances. Ian McKellan and Bernard Hill are also notable. The other actors (who all proved themselves in the previous installments) aren't given enough material to really "act" with. The film feels rushed. Most of the scenes FEEL trunkated - patchy dialogue, missing moments, over before you really grasp what the scene was all about anyway. No doubt the extended edition with remedy all my above complaints and this review will then seem whiney! For now, The Return of the King is an excellent (but ultimately typical) action movie, that lacks the warmth and heart that made the book so great. It seems Peter Jackson forgot what they were fighting for! -------------------- PS: I have to say the end of the film (after Frodo and Sam's rescue) in particular, lacked the emotional punch I was expecting (again, probably due to severe editing - I hope!) It felt like the soppy ending some block-headed action-flick director would concoct in attempt to garner some emotional response (very unlike Gandalf's fall and Boromir's death from the first film). Peter Jackson could have done (and is capable of) much more. PPS: The Witch King's voice is embarrasingly laughable!!!
Rating:
Summary: Must See Movie of the year!!!!!!!
Review: This movie rocks. the digital effects will blow you away.
I think that this is the greatest movie of the year.
If Hollywood wern't such [jerks] then this movie would get
15 Academy Awards.
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