Well. I have to say, although I'm just reviewing the third of the trilogy here (and you can also check my reviews for The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers) that overall, I'd say Jackson deserves 90-95% overall for the three movies together...what a visual feast and labor of love! Not to mention a shot in the arm for the Tolkien family's royalties, always a good thing (says the wife of another author).

But I digress, as I am wont to do. I have to say, I was pretty pleased with Mr. Otter for suggesting we go to see this on Christmas Eve morning, only a week after it opened...I was sceptical, but indeed, there were no lines that morning, and hardly any cars in the parking lot. Bravo, Mr. Otter!

And he bought me popcorn. Bravo indeed!!

Oh, yes, the movie. Well, of course it was wonderful...after two of the darn things, I think we are all no longer stunned by their incredible beauty, attention to detail, the characters and costumes, and the unbelieveable special effects...but these things are, as always, amazing.

Truly, the whole movie, all three and a half hours of it, looked PERFECT. Everything, even if not what I had envisioned, looked exactly right. The battle scenes were incredible, the costumes and actors all fit their various personas and places, and the scenery, oh my.

I still really really hate the whole Faramir/Denethor thing...it would have been hard to convey all the nuance of that relationship, and Denethor's despair, but doggone it, he could at least have TRIED! Even a mention of the palantir that Denethor used, thereby undermining whatever shreds of sanity he had left after Boromir was gone would have helped...but no. He's just a crazy old man in this, frothing at the mouth, reminding me of some of the nutso internet users that come into the library where I work...not good. And Faramir's change of heart in the second movie (which I also hated, rewriting him into a bad guy was not good) was never explained.

The elves came out better in this one, the resolution helped...still don't agree with how they were presented, but whatever. Still a shock to see Hugo Weaving as Elrond, I keep expecting to see the dark glasses...or the ball gown...or both...he does take on some very different roles, doesn't he?

Big points for making Frodo and Sam have a deep relationship that is obvious to the moviegoer without coming off as gay. Nothing wrong with being gay, but they're not, and it's hard to show males showing emotion and caring for each other without (even inadvertantly) making the viewer add a sexual element to the relationship.

And Gollum was PERFECT. Wow. Nuf sed there, go see it just for him.

Even if you've already seen it.

Several times.

In fact, that's a good idea...see you there.