The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

This has got to be one of the best movies of all time and one of my favorites. After all the culmination of the last two movies it finally pays off in one epic, epic finale. So good. Overall, THE BEST.

This was definitely worth the wait. This movie makes the first two look like the recent Hobbit trilogy. This movie is the longest in the trilogy, clocking in at almost four hours long. However, it feels much shorter than the first two because of how perfect the pacing is. No scene is wasted. Unlike the first movie (and the second movie a little bit), exposition in this movie is shown, not told. When it is told, it's quick and captivating. The main characters went from being boring in the first two films to being sympathetic and interesting. I understand Frodo's internal and external struggles more than I did before. Random characters that should not matter are given a suprising amount of depth. The direction, cinematography, action scenes, costumes, and makeup are at their best in this movie. This is probably the best conclusion to a trilogy I've ever seen. Every good character gets a happy ending, and every evil character is vanquished and sent to hell. The special effects are insane and flawless. Sauron, Gollum, and the giant enemy spider are great villains. The battle outside of the City of Kings is one of the best war scenes I have seen for a film. Gollum's defeat is one of the best villain defeats I have seen. Every single shot is a work of art. Every scene is iconic. This movie's themes of unlikely heroes, corruption, and good versus evil are well-communicated, as well as some Christian allegories. There is more to say, but this movie has already gotten more than enough praise. This movie is the crown jewel of not only the Middle Earth franchise, but the fantasy genre. I highly recommend it if you have time to kill. (I didn't watch the extended edition but I probably will some day).

A very dramatic finale that feels happy and sad at the same time.