Review of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) by Larry H — 06 Aug 2017

Return of the King is 4 hours of payoff, a third act in a gigantic epic rather than a mere film of its own. As such it is intensely dramatic and dynamic and you can very much sense that though Peter Jackson spared no effort on the previous episodes, this is clearly his favorite.

The film floats by at a thunderous pace, taking us through unforgettable moments such as the battle of Minas Tirith itself, a marvel of seamless animation and epic film-making, it demands to be seen, as it has too many jaw-dropping moments to choose from.

The quieter character moments keep gaining in potency and the full weight of the stakes and their heartbreaking consequences is never in doubt.