Totally superb. Filmmaking at its best. this movie totally deserves the oscar for picture of the year. Anyone who thinks its boring have no good taste.

boring

As I prepare to write a review for the final installment of Lord of the Rings, I have to feel like I am ripping off a band-aid, like I am leaving old friends behind. Because, in effect, the characters have become our friends these past three years. They began with an innocence as fresh as our pre-9/11 days and ended with a true feel of the world, a feel that is free and young but still a bit cynical and wary. I went into the theater with high expectations and left with those expectations well-met. I was impressed by the raw emotion injected into the story -- especially moving was the performance given by Billy Boyd as Peregrine Took. The innocence in his eyes when he is separated from his best friend Merry; the pain and fear shown so poignantly in the face of battle; the open inquisitiveness of a child when in the presence of Gandalf -- all made my heart ache and my eyes sting. Pippin becomes a different kind of hero, one who is courageous yet naive, strong-willed yet childlike. And he retains that ingenuousness even as he ages with the knowledge that he may never see the Shire again. A startling, moving paradox. Sean Astin also has some very moving moments as Samwise Gamgee, and his performance was nothing short of extraordinary in lines and actions that would have been difficult or over-the-top for an actor of lesser caliber. Astin makes Sam into a courageous hero rather than just a trusting sidekick. His talent is phenomenal. And when Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn becomes who he was born to be, there is a particular tribute to our hobbit heroes that cannot be described by any words in my vocabulary -- it simply has to be seen to be believed, to be fully experienced. The scene is poignantly punctuated with a soundtrack composed by Howard Shore, making it one of the most unforgettable Goosebump Movie Moments of all time. All in all, this film is a straightforward story about hope, friendship, courage and the battle between good and evil. Of course, good triumphs in the end, our hearts are warmed, and our minds are set at ease. It's just too bad real life can't always end like a Tolkein novel or a Jackson film.

Before I saw the Return of the King, my favourite of the trilogy was the Fellowship of the Ring. It had granduer, a sense of foreboding, and light relief to help balance the melancholy tone. The Two Towers, I felt, lacked a certain something and was hard going but this I suspect is because it was the middle film which is always going to be the hardest to portray. I wasn't sure how they would end it all. It could either be a complete flop or a piece of cinema history. Well, ROTK exceeded all my expectations and more! The pace was fast, the battle scenes exciting, but what made it for me was the very real and true friendship between Frodo and Sam. I cried with a lump in my throat when Sam sobbed at Frodo's rejection, and tears rolled down my cheeks and my heart swelled when Sam said I can't carry the ring, but I can carry you! as he slung the exhausted Frodo over his shoulder. I defy anyone not to weep at that scene. I would sit through 9 whole hours of The Lord of the Rings just to see that again. Brilliant. I only hope Elijah Wood and Sean Astin recieve the recognition they deserve. As for the rest of the cast, Aragorn was splendid, Eowyn convincingly courageous (her slaying of the fell beast and Witch King was stunning), Gimli and Legolas made the most of their short screen time and Faramir was an extremely sympathetic character. Merry and Pippin developed so as to be more than just mere comic relief. The giant Spider Shelob was terrifying, a brilliant horror scene that showed Peter Jackson's horror genre roots. But there was to me one fault and here I wholeheartedly agree with MissMellie, that a voiceover, either from Galadriel who began it, or a longer one from Frodo could have tied up the loose ends of the film more succinctly. This could have been done in ten minutes and the final scene could have been of the ship sailing for the Grey Havens. That would have been a far more satisfying ending than seeing Sam, a worthy character but not the main protagonist, shutting the door of his hobbit-hole. The first time I watched the film I didn't want it to end, the second time the ending's numerous farewells grated on me. The story already had pathos it did not need more sentimentality added. But it feels a shame to nitpick on this one thing, so congratulations to Peter Jackson and the cast members and everyone associated with the production for making my trips to the cinema so worthwhile!

I thought that this was the best movie I had ever seen until the last 30 minutes. GOOD GOD! Then I said, I have never seen a worse ending to a movie. How could they be so dumb as to put one final ending on the movie, after the elves had sailed off into the sunset? Sam was not the protagonist; it was not important for us to see that he lived on and had a family and etc. If I had it my way, every single one of the members of the Fellowship would have died to dispose of the Ring. That scene where they all jump onto Frodo's bed made my eyes roll. A 6-star movie, taken down 2 notches by its horrible ending.

Hated it. This was my favourite chapter of the LOTR books, and Peter Jackson killed it. All the major parts of the novel were missing- at the end the Hobbits return to find that Saruman is in the Shire, and without Gandalf or Aragorn they clean the Shire of the evil men and Saruman (who tried to kill Frodo)- this is all missing.. It looks like Hollywood got their claws in this one- it made the new Star Wars movies look good. Maybe if you never read the books you could be taken away by the magnificent storyline- but this was Tolkiens work- not the movies. All the time wasting they did at the end with tearful goodbyes could have been utilised by showing the Hobbits battle in the Shire. Bad job- it spoiled the series for me.

fantastic!!!!!I am waiting for more movies like this one

This is truly a masterpiece of a movie. It has the grandeur, the thrills, the excitement of a blockbuster; and yet has the beauty and heart of an independent film. A great thing about this film is, unlike other famous trilogies, Return of the King can stand on its own. It is so fabulous that you don't have to have watched the previous two or even be a Lord of the Rings fan to appreciate this film. Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Sean Astin as Samwise gave outstanding performances! Peter Jackson completed his masterpiece with vision, talent and hopefully the Academy will grace this fantastic film with some gold statues. I recommend this movie to everyone!

Watched this with a group of friends of mine and we all did really enjoy it. The effects were absolutely stunning (as per usual) and the battle sequences were executed beautifully. My only critism of this film was the 'cheese factor' - it did feel far too cheesy in places and ruined the feel of the film. Apart from that, this is a must-see film. Outstanding.

Absolutely brilliant...a stunning conclusion to a amazing trilogy. I never wanted it to end. That is the highest compliment I can give this movie. To me, the hero is Samwise Gamgee and Sean Astin gives an oscar-calibur performance. I only hope that the academy sees fit to give him his due. It is rare for a film to enrapture me...and this one has. It was worth staying up till 4:00am! I will see it again and again, I am sure. Yes, I am proudly an LOTR geek. I do have to add that I agree with Ninja Squirrel that Billy Boyd's performance was spectacular too. What a talented singer and musician. I also thought that David Wenham was able to infuse Faramir with such pathos...something that was difficult to do with such short on screen time. I still feel, having seen ROTK for a second time, that Sean Astin gave the most outstanding performance. Sam could have been a rather cardboard cutout but he turned it into a three-dimensional character...taking him from a gardener to THE hero of the plot. If it had not been for Samwise Gamgee, Frodo would never have gotten to Mount Doom. And like Gandalf and Galadriel, Sam was able to resist the pull of the ring and pass the test...something none of the others who had access to the ring were able to do. If I could give a score higher than 5 I would. Good conquered evil and did so because of the least ones. I loved how Peter Jackson showed that at the end. I agree that I would have preferred an epilogue (perhaps voice over) telling what became of the members of the fellowship...but regardless, it ended quietly, as peace should be!

best movie ever!!!!!!!! if you dont see this movie you suck!

You won't be disappointed. In fact, I believe this movie far exceeded my expectations. A perfect ending to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King, excellent performances, almost-flawless CG, and breathless cinematography complement the epic story beautifully. Like the others, it's a long movie, so it probably wouldn't be a good idea to buy the super-mega-value-sized drink for this movie. (NOTE: The following may contain spoilers; if you don't wanna know, stop reading here.) The segment that showed the evolution of Smeagol/Gollum was a great introduction. Being as I didn't read the book, I particularly enjoyed Eowyn's role in this installment--after seeing the second movie, I didn't think she'd really come into play. The battles, though didn't quite compare to the second movie's, were absolutely great. It's difficult to find flaws in this movie. An absolute work of art. (Note: I didn't read the books yet, so I don't have any comparison between the novels and the movies. This review is based solely on the movie.)

A excellently produced closer to possibly the greatest movie trilogy to ever exist. Just like the first two, The Return of the King has all around great acting, beautiful scenery, one of the best adaptation screenplays ever written, and A+ editing. This is one movie, just like the entire trilogy, that was meant to be seen on the big screen.

I saw it the second day it came out in theaters. which was yesterday. It is an awesome movie! Seriously. You have to see it! The battle scenes are amazing. All the graphics are awesome. The story is cool. Legolas is the best!!

Excellent movie. Maybe not perfect, but definitely excellent. My *first* reaction (may change my mind upon repeated viewing) is that the first third of the movie dragged *slightly*, the Frodo/Sam/Gollum rock-climbing scenes got a *little* monotonous, Denethor was annoying, I missed not seeing more of the Aragorn/Gimli/Legolas trio, and while I'm not a big Saruman fan, I think his scenes would have made a more fitting beginning to the movie than a Gollum flashback that actually belonged in Two Towers. OTHERWISE HOWEVER... EXCELLENT. The battle sequence of the middle third of the movie was intense and well executed. Some people complain about there being six endings, and others said all six endings were so good that they could have sat through six more. I could have sat through six more, and I think it's the endings that make the film as great as it is! The defining moment of the trilogy (and the moment that almost made me lose my man card and control of my tear ducts) was Aragorn's short-but-profound final comment to the four hobbits in one of the endings (I won't give away what he said). The performances were great. While everyone seems to be wishing Sean Astin an Oscar for Samwise, I was actually more impressed with Billy Boyd as Pippin, which is surpising since his character was my least favorite in the first two movies. He comes of his own in this one and steals several scenes. Another very classy moment was Gandalf and Pippin's brief conversation about death and paradise while they were sitting near one of the gates in a middle level of Minas Tirith. I'm going to have see this at least once more in the theaters (and maybe even wait till the DVD) to decide if this is my favorite movie of all time, but it is definitely in the top 10 list, it is definitely the best of the year 2003, and all together, Lord of the Rings is probably the best trilogy I've ever seen.

Brilliant! A magnificently beautiful film.

The final chapter of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movie trilogy is the best, taking, as it does, all the storylines that were sere set up and developed in the first two and tying them up in Tolkien-esque fashion. Some viewers may not care for the last twenty/thirty minutes, as Jackson plays out the post-war endings for each of the major characters, but his decision is fitting: we've spent too much time with these characters to end with a simple, It's over! With the exception of the gentleman who played Denethor, the acting is the best it's been in the series. As each of the major players has been given more to do, they have stepped up and met the challenge. This is the finest motion picture of 2003.

This is indeed Peter's crowning accomplishment, JRR would be proud! The cinematography is superb, cast is outstanding, scenery is marvelous, special effects are awesome, and gathering of three different paths in the story line is perfect. Following the lineage of the Kings/Stewards line was accurate and poignant. The other two lines of the Hobbiton folk and filled with anxiety, drama and of course warmth. Going into the theater I was concerned that a 3:20 movie might take its toll. I was quite pleased that I didnt even notice the time. I cant wait for the 5 hour box set.