My God, could this movie have possibly had any more endings??? Just when I thought it was over, oops, nope, not over yet, there's still a few more endings. Here's another one! Not since "A.I." have I sat through a movie with more endings.
Uh-oh, I can hear the grumbling already. In the world of Geekdom, a world where I'm a proud citizen, saying anything even remotely negative about "The Lord of the Rings" borders on blaspheme. The thing is, I don't like "The Lord of the Rings," neither the movies nor the books by J.R.R. Tolkien. I lose a lotta geek points by admitting this, but it's true. I'm not into it. I've tried, believe me, but each time, it was to no avail. The stories bore me, and I have no interest in them whatsoever. I have now seen all three films of "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy" and I can honestly say that I wasn't very entertained watching them. That being said, I have a tremendous amount of respect for what Peter Jackson has done in adapting the three cherished books into movies. He's made three astonishing, impressive, beautifully made films, and even if I found the stories boring, I was constantly amazed by what was on the screen. Still, not my cup of tea.
While watching the first film in the trilogy, "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," I remember feeling much the same way I felt watching this third film. I was bored a lot of the time, but I liked the action scenes, and visually, it was awesome. Still, I couldn't say I was entertained. The second film, "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," was more entertaining to me, probably because there seemed to be a lot more action. I wasn't bored as much, that much I remember. I also figured that maybe I was starting to get into the stories. After watching this third film, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," I now know that I was mistaken. I'm really not into it. I didn't like the third film as much as the second. The first film and the third are probably about even in my eyes, but my opinion shouldn't matter. There are millions of people out there who love the films, who would be bewildered by my reviews of the films, and some might even want to stone me to death because of them. But all I can do is speak the truth, and the truth is that it's not my thing. However, I can't say that they're bad movies. On the contrary, all three films are excellent, and for the intended audience, all three of them are masterpieces. But the movies weren't made for me.
It seems like I'm in the minority when I say that I don't like "The Lord of the Rings." At the same time, there's another trilogy that I really like, but it seems like I'm in the minority there, too. I'm referring to "The Matrix Trilogy." Sure everybody likes the first film, "The Matrix," but the two films that followed, "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions," have their fair share of haters. I'm not the type to purposely go against popular opinion, but I really liked all three films, including the religious/philosophical stuff that the Wachowski Brothers were trying to do in the two sequels. I was entertained by all three films in "The Matrix Trilogy," and more importantly, I was thinking about each film long after the credits rolled. I can't say that about any of the films in "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy." Please understand that I'm not saying that the movies are bad, because like I said, they're not. I can objectively that the films are brilliant, and they deserve all the Oscar nominations that they've been getting (and some believe that this film will win some of the really big Oscars, like Best Picture and Best Director... I probably wouldn't disagree with those wins).
This is the third time that I write a review for "The Lord of the Rings," and each time, it seems more like a long, drawn out apology than a movie review. I guess it's because I can sympathize with those who passionately disagree with me, and I also feel some guilt for not liking movies that a subculture I'm a part of totally adores. I tellya, it ain't easy being a geek.
Usually when I write a review, I write about the actors and actresses, the director and the writer(s), and I mention the work they've done in the past. I won't do any of that in this review because you can get most of that information from my reviews of the two earlier films. However, I will say that everyone involved went above and beyond the call of duty, there is no weak link. I guess if I had to name standouts, I'd say director and co-writer Peter Jackson for all the obvious reasons, and actor Sean Astin for simply acting his ass off. Whoever thought that the kid who played "Mikey" from "The Goonies" would be such a talented actor? Then again, anyone who saw him in "Rudy" knows that he's got it in him. Really, everyone involved in "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy" needs a serious pat on the back for taking part in such an incredibly ambitious project, and turning it into something bigger than anyone could have possibly expected.
I know that almost all of you disagree with this review, but at least you can feel better knowing that even someone who doesn't like the movies has a ton of respect for them, and can still say that they deserve all the accolades that they get. The same goes for Peter Jackson, the captain of the ship. The way I see it, the three films in "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy" are three of the best films ever made, I honestly feel that way. It just so happens that none of them are movies I really like.
Scale of 1-10: 6