3 out of 5

Director: Peter Jackson

Big battle between Sarumon and the united kingdoms. Aragorn returns as the king of man. Frodo, Sam and Gollum get to Mount Doom and do some ring-destroying. It won the most awards, and should be the most satisfying (what with a conclusion and all), but I felt this to be the most scattered of the Rings films, and also the most poorly paced, with so many characters and moments jammed into its already jam-packed 200 minute runtime that… it becomes apparent that this is not an original fantasy film (meaning written exclusively for the screen) but rather taking from its outside source. Which it did, of course, and to this does Mr. Jackson deserve immense praise: Im evaluating this as a film, which I felt was hard to connect with and, for all the spectacle, melodramatic and dragging at times, with battles blending into battles and the end of the world happening every few minutes. But as an adaptation of a classic book, a book that attempted to create an entire world over its 3 main installments and satellite books, the trilogy, and this film, is a GREAT success, along with its smart use of editing, and special effects. This was a scary task, and Peter Jackson did it better than anyone could have expected. That it ends sort of unfulfilling was, probably, part of its destiny, as noted by Roger Ebert, since the going-ons are inherently without import and sort of silly. But that it can carry a viewer through most of 9 hours is an accomplishment some films cant muster through 90 minutes. Anyhow: my main issue here is that nothing much made me care beyond watching with fascination. None of the story lines really drew me in. And, unfortunately, that strikes this concluding piece as worst than the first two (hence the lower rating), as that should be the job of the conclusion after all.