Rating: 
Summary: Best out of the 3!
Review: The Return of the King was the best movie out of the trilogy. All loose ends were tied up, which makes everyone happy. Even though it is about 3 and a half hours long, it is entertaining the whole time. The battle is bigger and more dramatic than in The Two Towers and the special effects are amazing. I can't wait for it to come out on DVD so I can buy it and watch it over and over again! No doubt, 5 stars!
Rating:
Summary: Hail King Elessar!
Review: I was absolutely smitten by the release of this last installment. I eagerly await the release of the extended series, being a Tolkien fan, a lot of stories were left out.. such as The Halls of Healing. The only down side to this is the ending, too long.. just too long.
Rating:
Summary: Epic
Review: My wife and I saw the movie yesterday. And loved it. The themes: timeless. So much to ponder, and every bit profound. The cost of sacrifice. Loyalty. The hand of providence. The reality of evil. Discovering one's purpose. Doing the right thing no matter the consequence. The hope of eternity. The humble are exalted. The truth that war between good and evil runs through every single heart. The difference between Harry Potter and LOTR is world view. Sure, both have fantastic sequences and imaginative stories. But one drifts in relativism and self-centeredness while the other is anchored in the concept of ultimate reality guided by providence. Make no mistake, these concepts are simultaneously challenging and satisfying to consider. And I'm so very glad the ending was long. There were so many story line "debts to pay". Without each closure, we would have left the theatre, wondering "but what about...." This monumental film retains the spirit of the written trilogy -- a worthwhile accomplishment. The Lord of the Rings is the Odyssey for our generation, a parallel civilization in crisis. In a word: epic.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing compares to this...
Review: I have seen this movie twice and was disappointed the first time I watched it...but the second time was amazing since I knew what to expect. I am from NZ and Peter Jackson's trilogy has done new zealand proud. I really enjoyed all three but the second film set the third up for success with the amazing battle scenes of helms deep etc. return of the king is something special and if Peter Jackson doesn't win a major academy award out of this, then there is something seriously wrong. Check out the Elephants and Eagles in LOTR3, they rock!!!
Rating:
Summary: Tissues and Bladder Extensions Needed
Review: ... Being a lover of the books and then hearing about the development of a film based on those beloved books, sent a chill through me from head to toe. How on Earth (or Middle Earth) could someone possibly make a successful movie out of a behemoth novel like The Lord of the Rings?! Well Mr. Peter Jackson has done it, and earned a high degree of respect from me . . . and you, I hope. I'm not even going to ASSUME that you're reading this without at least seeing FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING and THE TWO TOWERS first (the two films made prior to this one which follows a sequential line from Master Tolkien's Magnum Opus). This film picks up right where we left off at the end of THE TWO TOWERS: Sam and Frodo are on their way to Mordor utilizing the wicked Gollum/Smeagol character as their guide. This film shows us more of Gollum and how he became so corrupted by the One Ring. The opening scenes of the film are devoted to Smeagol and Deagol, fishing on a boat in a river eons ago. And shows us how Smeagol started his nasty stewardship of the Ring. Merry and Pippin are sitting on the ruins of Isengard, watching Treebeard and his cohorts disassembling the evil wizards palatial surroundings. Gandalf, Gimli, Legolas, and Aragorn arrive to find the two little hobbits smoking and eating (two favorite hobbit pasttimes). Sauron soon decides to unleash Mordor's might upon Middle Earth and sends out his armies to extinguish all of mankind. But what Sauron hadn't counted on was the arrival of the King . . . Aragorn. With the power of the line of Isildur (the line of the King of men) behind Aragorn, there is still hope for mens survival. I didn't think that Peter Jackson (Director) could improve upon the battle scene in THE TWO TOWERS, the battle of Helm's Deep. But he did. The battle for Minas Tirith was phenomenal. Orcs, men, trolls, Ollalaphants, and all manner of beasts battle it out on the plains of Minas Tirith. And they do it --- unbeknownst to all except the viewing public --- with the aid of a young woman, Eowyn. And a few hobbits, too. Even with it's spectacular battle scenes and amazing direction (Hello, Mr. Oscar...are you there!), the movie still had problems for someone like me who cares so much for the books. I've heard that Mr. Jackson refused to film the scouring of the Shire because he "hated that part of the book." I don't think it is his place to make statements like that. Mr. Tolkien knew what he was doing when he wrote about this. He wanted to show us that the hobbits would be okay, that they could take care of themselves come what may. Also, Sauruman (Christopher Lee) and Wormtongue (Brad Dourf) were completely excised from the film. Most unkind. There is no battle of the wills by Gandalf and Sauruman. No throwing of the palanteer by Wormtongue at our heroes. Excised from the film also, are the healing halls where the development of Faramir and Eowyn's love blossoms (giving Eowyn a way out from under her feelings for Aragorn). There were other surgical removal of aspects from the book, but those didn't bother me as much as the aforementioned items. But even with these flaws, I think this film is about the best large screen movie I've seen in years! Had I not read the books, I feel certain that I would've loved the films. And even HAVING read the books, I still loved the films, but not as much as I COULD have. Even so, I found myself getting choked up a few times as certain scenes came onto the screen (Aragorn kneeling before the hobbits after he is crowned, and when Frodo boards the final boat leaving the shores of Middle Earth come immediately to mind!). Still, this film deserves the recognition (and top money-maker billing) at the box office that it is currently receiving. And at 3 hours and 20 minutes long, it's a fair ticket price ... Enjoy it! A+ film
Rating:
Summary: As A Film - Great - As an Adaption - Well....
Review: I heartily disliked "The Two Towers," since the liberties that Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyd took in constructing the screenplay dumbed down Tolkein's work; watching it is like reading those modern English translations of the Bible, as opposed to the King James version. When the ROTK came out, I did not rush out to see it, feeling that I would have the chance to buy the DVD in the near future, so my dismay could be contained to a small screen. Yet, I can't help myself; I went and bought the extended version of TTT, and I liked it better than the film. So, I said, well, for $4.50, I can bear anything and off to the theatre I went at 11:45 on 31 December 2003. Well, to be blunt, I was shaken by ROTK. Jackson, Boyd and Walsh, have created a great piece of cinematic art that over and above their source material, showed a world that is both familiar and frightening and pulled me into a story that bore a little resemblance to LOTR, but which I found compelling nonetheless. The effects are great, the art direction is little short of stunning. I found Andy Serkis's CGI Gollum, less irksome than before, and Shelob is the more realistic and frightening gigantic spider I've ever seen on film. I wanted to get out a can of Raid and start spraying. Also, the creation of the great steepness and heights of both Cirith Ungol and Minas Tirith gave me vertigo. The battle scenes were well done and awesome in the proper sense. Seeing the entire forces of Rohan arrayed across the screen was stunning. Are there problems? Yes, but the problems of ROTK are in keeping with the problems of all three films; the creative team read too many books on scriptwriting, and not enough Tolkein. Their sloppy habit of giving lines from one character to another is dismaying - Tolkein labored for years to make sure what a charcter said was in keeping with that character's ideals or wants, so to Grandalf talk about death (from a dream Frodo has in Tom Bombadil's house), for example, is jarring, wrong, and arbitrary. However, having said that, this is a film, and the book is the book. You can't make a perfect film of a great book - the version of Tolkein's work in my head is still the definative version, for me, although sometimes, sometimes, Jackson and his people came awfully close to the images I've seen in my head. I recommend The Return of the King.
Rating:
Summary: My Goodness !
Review: ROTK is the best of the 3. More than spectacular action scenes, it's got heart and emotion. Yet as a whole, LOTR is an excellent movie instead of a brilliant one. Simply because I wasn't sucked into the movie emotionally in the first two series. Helped by the most astonishing realization of the greatest imagination (Tolkien's that is) of all time, all in all, LOTR is a 4.5 star and i still believe this is one of the greatest achievements in movie history.
Rating:
Summary: Return of the King ends Rings saga in grand style
Review: Peter Jackson's epic three-film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings comes to a stylish and grand close with the Return of the King, surely the best fantasy film in many years and a marvelous example of moviemaking at its best. Stylish, exciting and emotionally powerful, it concludes the chronicles of the War of the Ring and Frodo's perilous quest to save Middle-Earth by destroying the evil Dark Lord Sauron's powerful magic ring. Although Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens have tinkered with the specifics of the entire three-part cycle by increasing Arwen's role and moving some events here and removing some characters there (in this film's case, Christopher Lee's Saruman and Brad Dourif's Grima Wormtongue), their screenplay captures the essence of Tolkien's beloved fantasy classic. And Jackson's steady direction results in wonderful performances from Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Orlando Bloom and the rest of the cast. The Return of the King begins where The Two Towers left off as Gollum (Andy Serkis) leads Frodo Baggins (Wood) and his loyal companion Samwise Gangee (Astin) into the evil land of Mordor, ostensibly guiding the two hobbits to Mt. Doom, the only place in Middle Earth where Sauron's One Ring can be destroyed. In reality, Gollum is taking his two charges into Cirith Ungol, where Shelob the Spider has her dark lair. Gollum, who had once been a hobbit but was corrupted by the power of the Ring, hopes the spider will kill Frodo and enable Gollum (who is, most assuredly, insane with lust for Sauron's powerful gold band) to reclaim "the precious." Meanwhile, the forces of good and evil are massing for the ultimate clash of arms as Orcs and evil men face off against the combined forces of Rohan and Gondor. Under the leadership of Aragorn (Mortensen) and with the assistance of the wizard Gandalf the White (McKellen), the last kingdoms of Men in Middle- Earth must make a last desperate stand against the forces of darkness and pin their hopes for survival on the actions of the Ringbearer and his faithful friend. Although the 340-minute running time is challenging -- theatergoing audiences would be well advised to avoid liquid refreshments unless they have to run to the rest room in mid-screening -- and there are multiple story threads that need to be wrapped up neatly, The Return of the King is the best of the three Lord of the Rings films, and definitely the best movie of 2003.
Rating:
Summary: The Ring That Ruled Them All!
Review: Return Of The King is more than the best movie of the year. It is also the best trilogy of all time! There have been some great trilogies in cinema history, but none of them were able to not only sustain the greatness of the original, but improve on it to create the greatest epic film trilogy of all time. If the first LOTR introduced and developed the characters and had amazing small moments, the second one continuing us on our journey without having a beginning or end and yet still able to keep our interest and amaze us with action, the third one shows our characters being developed into who they become and still manages to upstage the action of the second one. A third intsallment has never wrapped up so nicely and Peter Jackson should get an Oscar for his amazing work. Sean Astin and Ian Mckellan both put in great performances in a wonderfully acted and directed film. The only bad thing about this movie is that it brings a great series to an end and the only reliable franchise we have in the wake of The Matrix and other silly sequels. This film and series will be remembered forever as a classic.
Rating: 
Summary: not as good
Review: last 1/2 hr of the movie looks like they try to include all things on the books that they coul not do before, when u think the movie ended u still have 20 min to go
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