[Madison]

My perspective is that of someone who's never read the novels and did not see either of the first two films in this trilogy in the movie theater. I just saw Return of the King this afternoon.

I liked it a lot. These three films are among the best movies I've seen in years, and I'm glad to see that the cost and allure of computer generated special effects has been diminished, such that it allows storytelling to move to the forefront once more. Overall, through the three films, I've been impressed with how many intricate plots were taking place at one time and the skill with which the filmmakers told those stories. Cutting back and forth didn't at all distract from the movies.

I'm inclined to say that this was my favorite of the three movies, but that may be solely because it's fresh in my mind. In particular, I enjoyed the scenes with those enormous elephant-like things, the giant eagles, and, for whatever reason, Legolas. I have been giving thought to some of the potential racial stereotypes that were "employed" by the film, but I'm not sure how I feel about them yet.

I didn't like Frodo or Gollum in this movie one bit. I think they were both the weakest performances.

I totally do not understand why they boarded that ship at the end. At all. I'd appreciate it greatly if someone would explain that to me.