LOTR - The Return of the King EE (2003) - 10/10

LOTR Return of the King has been labeled by many as the greatest cinematic achievement of all time and I find it hard to argue when you experience what Peter Jackson and his team have put on screen to finish off this epic trilogy. Watching it with the director's commentary this time around was a treat, not just because you get the in depth account of how they filmed this massive undertaking but I realized how much the project meant to everyone involved who didn't know the importance of what they were creating. From the massive battle scenes to the detailed close ups of the actors, this movie uses every cinematic technique in the book to create an emotional depth so many movies nowadays lack. The responsibilty PJ and Weta took upon themselves to outdo the previous films and give the fans what they wanted seems to have paid off as when you see everything put together, the music, the sets, and matte paintings, etc, you feel like you yourself have gone on this journey with them and are rewarded in going along for the ride. What I took most out of this commentary viewing was the passion that the filmmakers had for sticking so close to the books and the troubles they faced with filming all three movies at at once by using what actors were there that day to film scenes that might not even have happened yet. It was interesting to get a sense about the editing of the film and how the intercutting of battle scenes with character interaction really strengthened the digital shots they needed to underscore the hardships and scope of the world around them to make the audience believe it was as real as anything they could have imagined. From the huge helicopter shots to the green screen effects and mo cap work, this movie is unlike anything that has been created before it and I believe we all should be glad that something as cool as movies can give us so much. I"ll definitely be watching this again when the Hobbit comes out and hope I learn even more the next time around.