Now that the hype has finally died down in my mind, I can give a fair review for RotK that doesn't rant on and on about scenes in the movie that were done to perfection. I apologize if my former review came off as a tad biased, but at the time that I wrote it, it could not be helped. But after all these many months, I can still honestly say that RotK is one of the most amazing films ever created. From the moment Gollum chokes the life out of his best friend for the Ring, to the moment Sam utters that classic line back in the Shire, I was held in awe at this masterpiece that Peter Jackson has created. I feared that some of the scenes not containing som incredible feat of heroism would become boring, but this is not the case. Every single scene in the movie is just as powerful as it was in December.
At the end of The Two Towers, Sam and Frodo were making their way into Mordor to destroy the Ring of Power, being lead by the villainous Gollum. Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas and Gandalf had joined forces with Theoden King of Rohan, and defeated Saruman's forces at a brutal battle at Helm's Deep. Merry and Pippin had convinced the Ent Treebeard to attack Isengard, leaving Saruman stranded in his tower. At the opening of RotK, Merry and Pippin have been united with Aragorn and company, but not for long. Sam and Frodo begin their trek into Mordor, which takes them past the dead city of Minas Morgul, and through a dark and dangerous tunnel. Merry rides with Rohan, while the Three Hunters take another rode to battle in hopes of summoning a long dead army. Pippin and Gandalf ride to Minas Tirith, where the great battle is fought.
And what a battle it is. Never before has a battle been so fully realized in its absolute chaos and destruction. Orc catapults send chunks of rock flying at the 7-tiered city, splintering towers and crushing homes. The city responds by flinging the chunks of their own towers right back at them. The Nazgul wreak havoc on the archers, throwing men from their perches as the camera follows them from dynamic and almost impossible angles. A great army mounted on horsback plunge into ranks of orcs, stampeding over everything in their way, creating one of the most amazing shots I've ever seen.
RotK has a combination of everything that the first two films had. There are powerful scenes between two characters, and there are the biggest battle scenes to date. When it all comes down to it, it's the character dialogue and emotions that really make this movie as special as it is. It wouldn't mean anything to me if I didn't love the characters. And this movie makes sure that you do, which is much more than other big action movies can say.