Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Whatever else this picture (and its two predecessors) may be--loud, bombastic, self-important, long, slow, and static come to mind--you have to give director Peter Jackson his due. That the Rings trilogy manages to remain even remotely coherent is a testimony to, if not his artistry, at least his sheer management skills. Pulling this off must have had a lot more in common with running a multinational conglomerate than with the making of anything we might normally describe as art. To the extent that art makes an appearance at all, it is due to the efforts of what must have been the hundreds of craft, special effects, and technical people who brought the admittedly striking visions to life. Is it really, as its Oscar win would suggest, the best picture of the year? No doubt you could find a range of opinions on that, but it is certainly one of the best made. If that’s good enough, then by all means, it deserves the statuette.