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Visually, I believe Cecil B. DeMille is sitting somewhere going 'YESSSSSS, HE GOT IT!!!!!!' Two scenes come to mind that show how visually powerful this movie is. The first is the obvious one; the Battle of Pelennor Fields. Seeing King Theoden leading the charge of 6,000 horse-men, and one horse-woman, was breathtaking. The second is watching the sequence as Faramir leads the over-matched cavalry of Gondor against the Orcs at Osgiliath, while Pippin is singing for Denethor while the mad steward eats. Hearing Pippin's sorrow-filled singing as Gondor's forces rush to their doom, and seeing the Orcs unleash their hail of arrows, will break your heart.
So what's the difference between these scenes and, oh, say the big battle on Geonosius in 'SW; Episode III'? Emotion. Sure, the battle on Geonosius was visually impressive with the clones fighting the spider-robots and all, lots of explosions and Jedi Knights, you get the idea. However, did we care? Well, we didn't want Obi-Wan to die, of course, but was there any true emotional impact? Compare that to what Jackson and Co. did with the charge of Gondor's knights towards Osgiliath; facing hopeless odds, following the orders of a mad Father, all so Faramir can prove his worth.
And last but not least, there is Sam. A friend of mine made an interesting observation that of all the characters in the film, Sam learns and changes the most. He is quite right. Ok, Aragorn FINALLY comes to terms with being The King at the end, but Sam's transformation from mild-mannered gardener to a brave, noble warrior is subtle, and beautiful to watch. The scene of Sam carrying the exhausted Frodo up Mt. Doom sums up the change in Gamgee and his new-found courage perfectly. The scene also reminds everyone of what the movie is really about; friendship, trust, and facing your greatest fear even when you KNOW you will lose. Oh, and Sam proposing to Rosie towards the end of the film is a wonderful way to show how much our brave Sam has come around.
Is the movie 'OMG, the greatest, most amazing, incredible movie ever made!!!!!!!' Well, I wouldn't go THAT far... although it is pretty close. Jackson has captured the spirit of a piece of literature like no one has tried in quite some time. In this trilogy, he has inspired a generation of movie-goers and future film-makers, and hopefully has won the hearts of the Academy as well. This is what makes the movie so special and why flocks of fans and rookies alike are going to see it. It's not just monsters, it's not just cool fights. It's about hope, belief, and magic.
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