THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (extended edition) [2003]

Peter Jackson & co. deliver an emotionally powerful, visually breath-taking grand finale to The Lord Of The Rings film trilogy with The Return Of The King.
Clocking in at over 4 hours it feels like no time is put to waste with it's satisfying character moments, terrifying battle scenes and beautiful backdrops courtesy of New Zealand.  So much care and love was put into every single element of the film you know it's a film for the fans made by fans.  Many might complain about the overly long conclusion but I find it more than suiting to wrap up everything while never wanting to let the characters go.  This trilogy as a whole is a fine achievement in film-making that has already found it's place in cinema history and with good reason.

4½ drinking games out of 5

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS (extended edition) [2002]

With The Fellowship Of The Ring being a huge success, Peter Jackson & co. would have a lot to live up to with the second Lord Of The Rings film, The Two Towers.
Unfortunately it doesn't quite live up to the adventure of the first film.  It actually tends to drag in several moments with drawn out scenes of character interaction that does nothing to move the story forward or further develop any personality.  There's still several moments that are quite engaging, including the Helms Deep battle and anything involving Andy Serkis' fantastic performance as the demented Gollum.  In the end it's a mess of a film even Jackson & co. admitted to having great difficulty trying to assemble but still worth the time if you're a fan of the series.

3½ fat hobbits out of 5

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (extended edition) [2001]

They said it couldn't be with much doubt but Peter Jackson & co. brought J.R.R. Tolkien's classic epic fantasy novel The Lord Of The Rings to the screen with smashing success both financially and creatively.
The expanded edition of the first instalment The Fellowship Of Ring is easily the definitive version as it smooths out some of the rough skips and bumps in the original edit.  Fleshing out the vivid characters just a bit more added so much to the rich details Jackson gave the world of Middle Earth and it's inhabitants.   With a perfectly rounded out cast, dazzling special effects, beautifully intricate set design, dizzying photography and a powerful score from Howard Shore the film is a milestone in modern film-making.  At the heart of the razzle dazzle lays a wonderfully woven tale about love, friendship and hope in increasingly dark times set within a world of adventure, fantasy and horror.

5 2nd breakfasts out of 5