Although it's only been a couple of weeks, it seems an eternity since The Return of the King came out, so I feel compelled to add "finally" when I say we saw it last night. I am still trying hard to get my head around such a huge slab of cinema so I will give what can more rightly be called "impressions" rather than a review proper.

First, the trilogy is a truly great and extraordinary work of cinemagic: Peter Jackson has captured the grandeur and essence of the epic and lovingly given it screen life. For this we should be eternally grateful: the production values, the layers of meaning, the solidity of the many characters, the sheer scope of the entire enterprise ring true and speak of reverence for Tolkien's mythic fable - or fabulous myth - without being hamstrung by slavish adherence to the trilogy's every word. The achievement is staggering. Bravo!

Having said all that, though, I came away from last night's marathon feeling satisfied but slightly troubled by the vaunted third installment. Some of my apprehension may be due to the difficulty of digesting so much in one sitting - by comparison I have watched the extended part 1, The Fellowship of the Ring, several times now on DVD, and part 2, The Two Towers, perhaps four times (although not the extended version yet, which we just picked up New Year's Eve) and my appreciation for each has grown with every viewing.

But there are specific comparisons between part 3 and parallel scenes in parts 1 and 2 that lead me to believe that perhaps Jackson and company were running out of steam and powering through on adrenaline and momentum rather than inspiration and freshness of vision, to wit: I no longer felt any sympathy for Gollum - I just wanted the treacherous little scum offed for once and for all.

I felt little or no sense of the individuality and personality of any of the bad guys, unlike stand-out evildoers in both one and two. I especially missed towering vile human traitor Saruman, and none of the Orcs or similar minions of Mordor stood out in my mind as individuals - well, I do remember the spider, but she seemed to be a free agent.