How others will see it. All three 'Ring' films (odd that The Hobbit wasn't adapted first) made a box office killing, and received thundering critical praise. And why not? The cast, production, and special effects are first rate. Memorable characters, lots of action, and suspense. And a happy ending that drags on too long, which the audience will note but not be bothered too much about.
How I felt about it. It is an entertaining three hours, no doubt about it. And it's a pretty good film, far better than most box office dreck. But let's not pretend that this high budget entertainment represents greatness.
For example. Gollum and mad would-be king Denethor (John Noble) are patently untrustworthy, yet each is left in a position time and time again where they can gum up the works.
Why does Sauron bother to raise armies of ugly (equals evil, of course) trolls to fight our handsome heroes, when the latter prove invincible in battle? Albino elf Bloom, Jesus-like Aragorn, and bleached septuagenarian Gandalf can single-handedly slaughter any number of orcs. Trust me on this one.
Besides the interminable post-battle ending, which tidily wraps up the loose ends of most major characters (even Sam gets married to the perfect woman and has two perfect kids), there are other slow moments as well. Liv Tyler gets several long, languid close-ups. The remarkably similar Merry and Pippin may be small and childlike, but they get to prove their manhood (even if they're hobbits). A woman who fights with the men (Blanchett) gets to show her mettle, too, predictably enough. And Gandalf makes wise pronouncements about death, which turns out to mean a vacation to white beaches and green forests. Speaking of Gandalf, I'm happy to inform him that the Home Shopping Network offers bathrobes in colors other than white.
The Return of the King is the sort of movie where green luminous ghosts sulk in a mountain for eternity, waiting for a man king to come with a special sword to summon them for battle. Where eagles come out of nowhere to fight flying monsters the size of jet airlines. Where ponderous elephants are either terrifying agents of death, or have been lifted from The Empire Strikes Back.
Again, what we have here is neither a bad movie nor a great one, but a sort of good movie that provides grand entertainment to the credulous looking for escape. That's certainly enough for studios and their accountants, but something is missing. Perhaps it is a philosophy beyond simply pitting good against evil.