Rating: 
Summary: The Return of the King ROCKS
Review: The Return of the King, Director Peter Jackson's adaptation of the Tolkien classic is unsurpassed in drama and special effects. Our little Hobbit Frodo finally completes his mission to Mordor, but it is his close friend and companion Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) that steals the show! Personally, I would have liked to have seen more of Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and a little less of majestic horses being thrown about in battle. The close-up shots and schizoid deceptions of Gollum, are a tribute to computer animation. The backgrounds and panaramic scenes were amazing! In every way the movie Rocks!
Rating: 
Summary: 10 STARS!!!
Review: Oh my God! This final close to the trilogy was absolutely awesome! I was silly enough to think that I could see it without reserving tickets. I had to go to two places to see it on opening night, but it was well worth it! Even though I got in on a late showing, the theater was packed, the audience cheered, me and my family cried...a little. I already own the first two parts, and am just waiting to add the best of them all to my DVD shelf! A definite MUST-SEE! This is one movie I will NEVER FORGET! Inspiring, brilliantly-depicted, very emotional, one of the greatest movies of all time!
Rating:
Summary: Critics don't need titles
Review: It's weird, after seeing the first two films and being dissappointed by their profound lack of anything Tolkien other than character names, their melodramatic acting and their outright massacre of something many deem sacred. it is true these first films had beautiful scenery, gorgeous camera angles and above par cinematography but when you're busy being bored to death by Frodo crying for the sixth hundredth time it gets difficulty noticing those things. So as you can probably see, one would think I had low expectations for this, the third chapter in Peter Jackson's so-far far from epic trilogy. But I didn't, the screen rendition of the classic novel now weighed soley on The Return of the King, and it didn't fail to impress. For the first time Peter Jackson sucked me in and controlled my life for a full three hours and a half hours. He depicted the best battle scenes ever commited to film, managed to spark life into characters by adding the subtleties they so sorely missed in the first two and created the epic that he set out to. Return of the King more than warrants the spending of eight movie tickets, and you should see it at least eight times. RotK is not without it's cheesy moments but they're not as bad as those in the first two. Peter Jackson finally left Tolkiens detail as it was. He left stuff out, that's to be expected, but he didn't change decisions or motives, he was for the first time truely magical. If reviewers are fair, they will give this film the five stars it deserves and then seeing how it makes the first two films pale to nothingness go back abd change those reviews to ones.
Rating: 
Summary: A very good movie...
Review: Don't get me wrong or take the wrong idea from my rating, it's a very good movie indeed. The special effects are eye candy and the climax of Sauron's fall is satisfying in its payoff. It has a little something for everyone -- large scale battles, humorous deaths, monsters, romance, etc. Having never read any of the books, I was pleased with the overall trilogy. However...I find it very irritating, unnerving and unacceptible that Saruman's final scene in this movie was CUT. Yes, CUT. All you are treated to is a miniscule explanation of all of maybe two sentences, and then he disappears from the entire plot. Ridiculous to the point of stupidity. It is a simpering, stupid move by Jackson to build up this villain as a major threat to the Fellowship in the first two movies, then just drop anything involving him in the conclusion to the triloy. It would be like Legolas (sorry all you teenybopper fans, I had to pick on someone) suddenly not appearing anywhere in the third film and their only in-story explanation is, "He couldn't come with us." You know how many people would be rioting over that? That's how I feel about Saruman's end being cut. The audience is left with absolutely no payoff or feeling of retribution against the villain second to none but Sauron. This villain climatically betrayed Gandalf and nearly killed him, but favored torturing him instead. He created a massive army of Uruk-Hai that marked the eventual death of Boromir and the attack on Helms Deep. He forced the Fellowship through Khazad-dûm which marked the battle between Gandalf and the Balrog, consequently exiting Gandalf out the plot for the rest of the first installment of the trilogy. That, plus possessing Theoden... How can you not keep this character's finale in the final version of the movie? I don't care if it'll be released on the Extended DVD, it belonged in the theatrical version. From what I have researched, the scene was seven minutes long. Seven minutes. You mean to tell me they couldn't have cut out some of the rehashed, useless dialogue echoed from "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "Two Towers"? I fail to believe that. For that reason, I deduct two stars from this movie for the blatant disregard of one of the more interesting villains of the saga. For shame.
Rating:
Summary: A great finale of an epic trilogy
Review: For the most part, the essence (if not the minor details) of Tolkien's great tale remains intact throughout the final movie in Peter Jackson's trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. In fact, this film seems to recapture, mostly, the brilliance of the first movie, The Fellowship of the Ring. The seamlessly flowing story and compelling characters, which were what made the first movie so great, and the lack of which made the second movie mediocre at best, are back in this final installment. This film features a vast array of important characters, too numerous to mention, and yet somehow manages to maintain the dignity of the story without becoming bogged down in the several simultaneous plotlines. There is a lot going on at once in this movie, and many threads of story, but somehow it all comes together seamlessly at the end.
As always, the acting is very well done, with spectacular performances by the entire cast, who seem to truly believe in what they are acting. The special effects are also very good, as are the battle sequences and overall cinematography. It is unfortunate that so many great elements of the book were not included in this film, but this is to be expected when, at nearly 3 1/2 hours, the movie is so action-packed that little else could be cut. Still, I hated to see Saruman ignored in this film--I think this detracted a little from the overall effect. Despite the discrepancies, however, this film is an exciting and climactic conclusion to an epic trilogy, a movie that will put you on the edge of your seat and leave you with a satisfying sense of completion when it's all said and done.
Rating:
Summary: I have never dreamed this beautifully.
Review: When I read the the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, a mental picture found its way into my heard. In it were spellbinding images conveyed by the descriptions of Tolkien. Then I saw this film tonight. The images on film were directly in line with the thoughts that magically danced through my head upon reading the series - if not better, MUCH better. This world I witnessed tonight, it is nowhere to be found in our world. Not the mesmerizing landscapes and distant horizons of dark fire and majestic gray and green skies, not the glorious castles or the SCREAMING Nazgul that seem to be flying right over your very head as you stuff a handful of popcorn into your astonished mouth. This world can only be dreamed - the type of dream that you relish and cling to as a dying man would cling to his soul. This world caught on film, is wonderful. You looking for that child-like feeling of magically blissful mystery and intrigue - knowing something is there, FEELING and living it one more time? That feeling can be found here. Do you want to feel as if you can TASTE the mood of a series of desperate battles, the armor beating upon your shield, the site of dead warriors combating a never ending sea of Orks and trolls as the last brave army of men look on in shock and wonderment? Look no further. This is all the glorious feeling of magic and mystery that you ever could imagine, all rolled into one film. This is light years ahead of the previous two films, and those films, light years ahead of any other fantasy/epic. And Gollum, ah, Gollum. He will haunt you and burn a mental image into the confines of your memory for years to come. Upon viewing this dream, chances are you'll never want to wake from this dream, but rather, hit the snooze and go back for another round.
Rating:
Summary: Perfectly executed
Review: Not much to be criticized here - in fact nothing. I sat in the theater and watched a 3 hr 20 min film and felt like it went way too fast. There is SOOOO much about all these films to love. Not since the original Star Wars was released have I felt this kind of joy about the great medium of cinema. Peter Jackson, if you ever read this, Thank You. I know I speak for millions when I say a very sincere THANK YOU! Films of this quality are TOO rare! You have created the greatest film trilogy of all time.
Rating:
Summary: Waiting for the extended cut version
Review: My review may be coloured by these 3 points.
-I saw Fellowship of the Ring before I read it.
-I saw Two Towers before I read it.
-I read Return of the King before I saw it. The problems with 2 Towers were to do with plot & character changes, and these were wiped away in my opinion by the fabulous extended cut. Hopefully the problem of this 3rd film will be fixed with the DVD next year, these are the omissions. The weakness of this film stems from the minor character Denethor, had he revealed his palantir stone before his death, and told of Saurons power, the climax of the film may not have been so awkward. Instead it seems that the goodies will win regardless of the rings destruction or not, and this is a major mistake by the director. The movie is noticeably fragmented, which I did not notice in the first 2 installments, it seems there are many scenes cut here and there throughout the film. As a result the pacing is very fast, it seems rushed, and certainly this will be fixed by the extended version in 2004. Effects, setting,acting and dialogue are all incredible, just like the first two, a testament to completing a trilogy all at the same time and under the same writers and directors. A must-see fantasy epic. But how glad am I to have read the books!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: After seeing the first two films, I had high expectations for this final chapter in the trilogy. These were far exceeded, however, when I saw it for the first time on opening day (Dec. 17th, 2003). Jackson's adaptation of the Return of the King is probably the closest to the original book plot of all the movies yet, with relatively few big deviations. Scenes such as Faramir riding to what he thinks is his death to try to gain a tiny bit of respect from his father Denethor, Sams courageous fight with Shelob (a giant spider) in order to save Frodo, or Eowyn standing up to the King of the Nazgul (the ringwraiths) to protect Theoden, struck me as being nearly perfect adaptations of the scenes in the books, and where both emotionally stirring and visually appealing. Sure there were a few minor aspects that seemed a little corny, like the spotlight effect to show where Sauron's eye was looking, but the positive aspects of the film outwieghed these drastically. Needless to say, the special effects in this film are completely astounding. Everything, from Shelob, to Gollum/Smeagol, to the battle of the Pelennor Fields, is incredibly detailed and believable, which really allows you to be sucked into the story. In fact, when I was watching the Return of the King in theaters, a man nearby was so utterly absorbed in the film that when Frodo was being stalked by Shelob, he cried "Watch Out!" before realizing that he was actually in a theater, and Frodo couldn't hear him. An especially impressive CGI shot is a scene on the Pelennor Fields where Legolas (the elf archer) climbs up a charging mumakil (basically a giant elephant) to get to one of the Haradrim leaders (a force of men that is fighting for Sauron). This is probably the best film of the trilogy, since it is more emotionally driven than the others, while still having the great plots and special effects that made the other ones wonderful. Though it is nearly three and a half hours long, the whole film goes by amazingly quickly except at the very end (the movie only felt like it was a little over an hour for me), which shows how absorbing the movie really is. Jackson has done a wonderful job writing and adaptation for this classic series, keeping most of Tolkien's themes alive while making changes to the plot (as any film adaptation most do). In fact, Tolkien himself even said that if a movie were ever to be made of his works, the plot would have to be completely changed from his writing! How nice to find that he was mistaken in this aspect. This is definitely one of the great movie trilogies of all time and I would recommend that everyone see it (except, please, please don't bring your small children to see it in theaters as it can be frightening at some parts and it is 3 and a half hours long after all).
Rating:
Summary: The return of the PRECIOUS Tolkien franchise!
Review: What a crazy and jumpy two years this has been for me. Since 2001, I've seen 'The Fellowship of the Ring' fighting against the Uruk Hai, and they were on their feet when they're at raging battles against Sauron's minions from 'The Two Towers'; Man, and to think all these spectacular moments were authorized by an englishman with a sharp mind and a sense of imagination, but known little by the general audience back in the days, even I didn't known about his work if it wasn't for the first film. And now, there's the finale. The big cheese, the cream de la creme, the tip of the blade, "The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King." If many people think this last installment of the whole trilogy would be just as disasterous as 'The Godfather: Part III' and 'The Matrix Revolutions', well, they're wrong! The story continues after 'The Two Towers' where Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam continue on a journey to destroy the Ring of Power at the fiery Cracks of Doom with Gollum, that creepy, lovable, schizophrenic, morbid hobbit with a fetish for the Ring of Power, as their guide. Meanwhile, Gandalf (Ian McKellen), Aragon, Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and my favorite, Gimli, have found the other hobbits, Mary and Pippin, at Orthank Tower where the hobbits, with the help from the animatronical trees, stop Saruman's plans for the constant attempts to corrupt their journey. Later when the fellowship retrived the Orb of Sauron's eye and Pippin touching the orb when no one's looking, he just visualize a predicament of the city of the kings, Minus Tirith, surrounded by the inferno. Gandalf and Pippin then decides to go to Minus Tirith to tell the downfall that awaits the people of Minus Tirith, and a long-winded but glorious battle that awaits them as well, all prolonging the true battle that bring the people from different nations and the fellowship together--the decisive battle. Shock...and awe. I was shocked with the surprising dramatic moments and the interesting character development of the whole storyline and awed when I see the impressive visual direction of the convoluted battles and fictional atmosphere. "The Return of the King" relives everything that occur in the first two installments: the return of the fellowship, the return of of Narsil, the sword that defeated Sauron in the beginning, the return of family greivances, and the return of battles that are more gruesome that the Battle of the Last Great Alliance! I might be going ahead of myself, but to put it simply: This movie is excellent! The special effects, the CG animation and the Maya-inspired background of places, all are impressively well-done. I actually had my eyes open wide and 'oohing' over these visuals at certain scenes. Sure, the visuals make the movie fatigued, but at least New Line doesn't make it the overall focus of the film like in most of action films I've seen. It's good that New Line continues to not insult my intelligence with the book-to-film transition. I may not have read J-dubba-R's books, but I believe New Line did a good job on the transition, with how the story progress and how the characters are very convincing with their emotions. I'm surprised that this movie would have a back story of Gollum in the beginning, back when he's called himself Smeagol, though somehow the back story seems a bit rushed. Execution is the first thing the movie company does best with the first two "Lord of the Rings" movies, and "Return of the King" is no different: Great acting, a musical score that bring tears of mixed feelings, a sense of adrenaline during battle sequences, and to the point, something that everyone can love about this movie, not matter if they're into action, drama, romance, or comedy; yes, there is some comedic moments in this movie. It's hard to figure out why I shouldn't give "The Return of the King" five stars. Maybe because this is not true to the book, or maybe 3 1/2 hours is just too long of a movie to see, or maybe it ain't 'urban' enough for all homies to check out, or myabe just too surrealistic. For me, personally, these are just petty personal flaws. "The Return of the King" is great from beginning to end, and it's a wonderful end to a wonderful trilogy; heck, even this movie alone is better than the last two 'Matrix' films put together. A deeply embracive and heart-warming film like this should fare no less than five stars.
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