I'm going to come right out and say it, The Return of the King is the best conclusion to a trilogy I have ever seen. The movie is literally overflowing with content. Full of equal amounts of action and drama, Peter Jackson absolutely nails it! He is somehow able to handle dozens of characters and multiple plot-lines. And unlike the second movie, he balances everything perfectly.

The journey is taking its toll on Frodo and Sam. Even if they rid themselves of the One Ring, and make it back to the Shire, they will never be the same. With no clear way to get into Mordor, Gollum suggests they use a secret tunnel he knows of. He is actually tricking them; in this tunnel is Shelob, a giant spider. Gollum plans let Shelob kill Frodo and then take back his "Precious". Meanwhile, a crucial battle for Middle Earth is about to be waged. But Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas need help. They venture into the Paths of the Dead to recruit an army. Sauron's army lays siege on man's last hope, Minas Tirith. Frodo escapes Shelob and presses on towards the fires of Mount Doom.

I cannot praise the story, direction, and acting in this movie enough. Starting with the acting. Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Andy Serkis, and Ian McKellen all give phenomenal performances. All of these actors are able to bring their characters story arcs to a satisfying end. Of course they are helped out by some wonderful writing, but the actor's performances cannot be taken for granted. The supporting cast members also hit all the emotional marks. Of special note are Orlando Bloom, Miranda Otto, Bernard Hill, and Liv Tyler.

But none of this would have been possible without the steady hand of Peter Jackson. How he is able to hold it all together and give us an Oscar winning movie us almost inconceivable. It's very common for the third movie in a franchise to be the worst. And almost always, if it had two great movies coming before it, the third movie will disappoint. But I honestly can't think of anything disappointing about this movie. The level of excellence that Jackson was able to maintain throughout this trilogy is staggering.

The movie is 200 minutes long. But somehow there is always something happening. There are never any dry moments. The action is intense and frequent. Jackson gives us the scale required for this to be a satisfying conclusion, but still keeps the action character driven.

Everything in this movie is executed to perfection. And The Return of the King has 11 Oscar wins to prove it. There is a bit of controversy about the ending. Did Peter Jackson really need half an hour after the action ends to tie up the loose ends? I'd say absolutely. With such a long ending, the audience doesn't feel like it's been shorted in any way. And Jackson pulls it all off flawlessly. The entire movie is so emotionally powerful. When I saw this movie for the first time about 2 years ago, I cried at the end. That was the first time I had cried during a movie in a very long time, and I haven't since then. That's how powerful the ending was for me. This movie and the entire trilogy hold a special place in my heart. Flawless!

"My friends, you bow to no one." 10/10