The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The backstory that opens the finale of Peter Jackson's trilogy showcases that anyone can be corrupted by a simple thing. It's a running theme throughout the film, but don't focus strictly on that. There's so much more.

It's interesting because usually the final film of a trilogy is the weakest of the three. (Remember The Godfather Part III?) Once again, Jackson blows that theory out of the water, and gives us perhaps the best of the three. (Though The Fellowship of the Ring probably ranks as my favorite.)

Again, the actors are great. (What else is new?) Though my personal favorites among the cast for this one are Sean Astin and Miranda Otto. (Hey, favorites change with each progressing film. It's a known fact.)

Oh, and those battle sequences are amazing. They rival those in a war film (yeah, I went there) because they are just gorgeously choreographed. The blending of live-action and special effects is lovely. If only battle scenes in other films were like this.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is bloody amazing. I honestly never would have thought it got better with each film. And oh, did I tear up from that ending. And I got four little words to solidify my opinion: bring on The Hobbit.

My Rating: *****