I thought it would be therapeutic for me to post and share my review of The Return of the King with everyone and I hope it provides you with reasonable insight from a mildly disappointed fan who loved FOTR and TTT.
We've finally seen the trilogy in its entirety! And what can I say? These films together make the first masterpiece of the twenty-first century and I think these films will resonate for years to come and they are the archetype of fantasy films and perhaps epic films as well. I think ROTK works considerably well when placed with all three films, but as a standalone film, I don't think it works merely as well as it should and it is frankly my least favorite of the three (for now).
OVERALL: 7.5/10- This movie was very good, but it should have been phenomenal. When I finished reading the books, I found the third part was the most easily adaptable and the most cinematic. It had some of the most memorable scenes (the pyre, the Witch-king, the Battle of Pelennor Fields, the destruction of the ring, the Grey Havens, etc.) and the wonderful character of Denethor, who was dramatic enough to make an impact on me in such a short time. Unfortunately, the film was just too mediocre. I'm not a purist, and many of my problems regarding the film are from a movie perspective, as I actually think that ROTK is the most true to the book (where TTT was the least). So while I didn't like the characterization of Denethor, the forgettable score (which I think disheartens me the most), the ineffective witch-king battle and the loose ends of the majority or characters, I did like the epic visuals, the Frodo and Sam story, the surprisingly well-written screenplay and the emotional last hour. Which is why I'm so confused!! Hopefully and most likely when I read this a couple of months from now, my problems would be resolved to their full extent, as it happened with TTT.
DENETHOR: 2/5- Why PJ? WHY? Of all the characters PJ has tinkered with, Denethor was the most detrimental. So detrimental, in my opinion, that the character was absolutely ruined. I understand that he is very much a minor character. He arrives late in the trilogy and his screen time is minimal. However, his character is important for our Gondorian characters (Boromir/Faramir), and crucial for the state of Minas Tirith before Gandalf arrives. Boyens/Walsh/Jackson chose wonderful lines for him to say, many of them derived straight from the book, but chose to go the more villain, one-dimensional route. The whacking he received from Gandalf was the worst decision made in the trilogy, second to the ending of the pyre scene (discussed below). Class should have dominated the character, instead we a shoddy character, which is too bad, considering John Noble had an amazing performance. I am grateful that we got a few wonderful scenes with him, especially in the TTT EE.

DIRECTION: 3/5-One of the main reasons I conclude that FOTR and TTT were better than ROTK, was that I found that ROTK had too many simple scenes with very little flair and movie magic. And, no, I'm not crazy. Sure, ROTK had some sweeping visuals, but what impresses me are scenes that are not so epic, but have that original Jackson quality to them. I'll give you some examples: In FOTR, the moth scene was unlike anything I've ever seen before. In TTT, the Gollum/Smeagol debate scene was original and spectacular. In TTT, the arrival of the Rohirrim at Helm's Deep was wonderfully directed, as was the introduction to Rohan. In ROTK, I just felt there were too few of the type of wonderfully directed scenes. There were some, for example the beacons and Pippin's song intercepted with Faramir's suicide mission, but just not enough. And no, I can't do a better job, but I think PJ should be able to maintain the same level of directing achievement as the other two.
SCREENPLAY: 4/5- Just when I thought the screenplays would diminish after FOTR, the ROTK screenplay surprised me in how wonderful it was. Whereas in TTT I thought the screenplay, what with the ill-placed humor and cheesy lines, bogged down the directing I thought the opposite situation was the case for ROTK. Look at Denethor: wonderful lines, but crappy director choices to diminish the character. The script just brought the LOTR trilogy to an emotional height that I thought it would never reach after TTT. I cried on the spot with a couple of those wonderful lines ("For my old Gaffer", "Death", "I can't carry it, but I can carry you", etc.). Good job Boyens/Walsh/Jackson on the script!
EDITING: 3.5/5- Selkirk did an amazing job to keep us from thinking the pacing was too long or too quick, I thought. It's not easy to keep a 3 hour 20 minute movie afloat, but he managed it. In fact, I felt that this one felt the quickest and one critic said that there is "not one ounce of fat" in the film, and I agree with him/her.
Maybe at times it goes a little too fast, as was the case when the Dead arrive at Pelennor.
VISUAL EFFECTS: 5/5-Wow! WETA outdid themselves. The visual effects, especially Gollum and Shelob, were beyond what I thought they could achieve. I didn't think Gollum could look better, but in ROTK he looked absolutely real in most of the shots. Pelennor fields were spectacular and the miniatures were top notch. That Minas Tirith miniature is mind-boggling and I wouldn't mind having one of my own.

SCORE: 1.5/5-Harsh rating, I know. Shore just disappointed me so much. I didn't feel any connection to the score in this film and I think the score is a big reason why the other two films are as beautiful and rich feeling as they are. It was too grandiose. The lack of those amazing choral pieces Shore had mastered was not present here. The title piece was weak, and for the first hour I noticed there was hardly any score. And some of it was so weirdly variated or placed. For example, the scene where Eomer is rallying the Rohirrim before they set out from Edoras, Shore uses almost the same piece of music he used in TTT when Theoden agrees to ride out of keep at Helm's Deep saying, "For death and glory". It just doesn't sit well in ROTK, because this is not an emotional scene whereas the music is meant to be placed somewhere emotional. And the variated Rohan theme sounds a little weird too. But there are some good moments, for example I love the reintroduction of the Anduril theme, the Gondor theme and the Grey Havens theme (heard in Into the West).

OTHER CHARACTERS:

ARWEN: 4/5- Once again, I felt that the scenes with Arwen were appropriate and well placed. I especially like the fact that they used Arwen to introduce the reforging of Narsil, which also served as a nice little prologue for the film. Liv Tyler acted well, given that she was in it for such a short time. I could have done without the whole "sickness" thing, as they didn't really elaborate on it. I think one more scene with her would have fixed this, so maybe in the EE. But overall, well done.

FARAMIR AND EOWYN: 3/5- They got the short end of the stick. The Houses of Healing really would have made their characters so much more balanced and after their main scenes (pyre and witch-king, respectively) we see no more of them (a glance of them at the end of the film doesn't count, I'm sorry), which is a shame, because I think they needed that closure. But I guess this had to be done, because the development of other characters is more important for the story. Good performances once again from Otto and Wenham

HOBBITS: 5/5-I love the way PJ and writers fleshed out their story. This story was so much more hobbit-centric, which is good and really refreshing. I especially liked the development of Pippin into maturity. The Sam/Frodo story was the best in the whole movie, and I didn't have a problem with Frodo telling Sam to "go home." I thought it was a good addition (see, I'm not a purist). And the end scenes with them were some of the best in the trilogy, especially at the Green Dragon and Grey Havens. Astin and Boyd gave the best performances, with Wood a close second, and Monaghan third (he didn't have too much screen time).

GANDALF/ARAGORN: 4/5- I loved the role of Gandalf in this film, he reminded me of his role in FOTR. McKellen was wonderful, as usual. Mortensen was good too, and I thought that he could have had a bit more screen time, but it's alright. I think his movie to shine in and develop in the most was TTT, which he did. He could've delivered his coronation lines with a bit more nobility, but I guess it fits with the character's humble quality and Viggo's as well.

EOMER/THEODEN/LEGOLAS/GIMLI: 3/5-The one I felt was the most useless was Eomer. Why not show him grieve his uncle's death? Why not show him have a sibling moment with Eowyn? Oh well, again, some characters needed more development than others. Theoden's death scene was not as emotional as it should have been, as I felt that the score piece was terrible and there just wasn't enough pathos. Come on PJ! I felt that the mourning of Theodred by Theoden with the simbelmyne was WAY more emotional and we didn't even connect with Theodred! Legolas and Gimli were alright, and I liked how they resolved their elf/dwarf differences.

GOLLUM: 5/5-I love how they ditched the "cute" Smeagol side and Gollum took over. He was pure evil in this one and the Smeagol "cute" side was replaced with the creepy Smeagol side, best seen at the reflection scene: "My love" *shudder*. Serkis is once again phenomenal, but his performance, by nature of the character, was more prevalent in TTT.

SCENES:

OPENING: 3.5/5-I didn't like it at first, but now I think it works really well. It's kind of creepy as it is almost in the perspective of a children's fairy tale. The way the scene is over-saturated, the way that Deagol looks underwater, the little worm placed on the hook, it's all genius. The only reason why I marked it a bit lower because I think it dragged on a bit after Smeagol kills Deagol and I don't think I liked the chewing fish part. I also could have used more noticeable score to quicken it up a bit.

DENETHOR'S BLUNDER SCENES/PYRE: 2/5-Perfect scenes starting off and ending terribly is how I would describe these. Gandalf whacking Denethor with his staff really ruined the ambience of that scene (especially when the audience laughs), which was wonderfully executed as Denethor looked over the summit to see Sauron's army massed at Pelennor. The pyre was one scene I was looking forward to the most in ROTK. PJ again started if off very well with Pippin dragged out by Denethor, and the chilling 180-degree shot of Denethor with his arms out ready to be burned. Then it was ruined with Shadowfax bumping Denethor into the fire, which diminished the fact that Denethor wanted to commit suicide, and further disgraced with fireball Denethor running half a mile down the summit. And I don't think that Denethor having the palantir would have confused audiences, as it was introduced in the beginning of the film. Actually, Denethor having the palantir would have served as a wonderful example of Sauron's power of manipulating.

WITCH-KING: 2.5/5-Mediocrity at its peak this scene was. The best-written moment in Tolkien's work, the most controversial, the most un-Tolkien and most importantly, the most filmable. This, along with the dramatic arrival of the Corsair ships taken over by Aragorn, should have been so spectacular in their cinematic approach. More movie magic was needed here. We needed to see Eowyn's hair shining amidst the darkness and gloom, we needed more monumental dialogue, and we needed more terror and courage in Miranda's eyes. We needed something longer, some more score, something more stylized!!

PELENNOR: 3/5-Awe dropping visuals. Oliphaunts were great and some great action sequences here. I wished there were more scenes of heart, not so much of a hack-and-slash affair, but this is only a minor thing. I do think, however, that the pacing is a little shoddy after the Dead arrive. But again, only a minor problem

MOUNT DOOM/BLACK GATE: 4.5/5- I loved these scenes, especially seeing how vulnerable the hobbits are and the "For Frodo" scene was just phenomenal.

VOICE OF SARUMAN'S OMISSION: 4/5-Didn't miss it one bit and I'm actually glad they didn't put it in. I thought it was appropriate not to include, as the story for ROTK was tight as it is.

ENDINGS, ENDINGS, ENDINGS: 5/5-The end was perfect and I liked the editing: I have no idea why critics and audiences would think it drags on (as you can see by my review, I like in-depth analyses). In fact, I could have used more with Eowyn/Faramir's wedding, Eomer's coronation

MUSTERING PATHS OF DEAD SCENE: 3/5-It seemed a little too B movie quality for me. I couldn't help but think of Pirates of the Caribbean. Again, needed more score to set the mood.

THINGS I LIKED:

BEACON SCENE: Wonderfully cinematic!

MINAS TIRITH: Loved that set and miniature

MINAS MORGUL: Same reason as above

NARSIL REFORGED SCENE: I love anything to do with the history of Middle-earth

ROHAN EMCAMPMENT SCENES: I loved the idea that Eowyn and Merry were like the misfit soldiers

GOLLUM: I loved him in this movie, especially with what he did with the Lembas bread

GALADRIEL SCENES: I liked the dream sequence with how surreal it was. Nice contrast between elf paradise and dark Mordor landscape.

FALL OF BARAD-DUR/EAGLES: How cool is that?

DIALOGUE: Well-written, heart-wrenching lines, especially with Sam and Frodo and Gandalf and Pippin

ROHIRRIM CHARGE: Epic.

SHELOB'S LAIR: Is she gone? Did Sam take the ring? I love that. Pure PJ to keep us in suspense like that.

In conclusion, I think Peter Jackson did a great job overall. I think he ran a little out of steam in ROTK, though. I knew I should have never listened when everyone was saying it would be better than films one and two combined (those are impossible shoes to fill) and I really think it's just a cheap marketing strategy. That being said, however, I think it was possible to be better than it was, as the book was, in my opinion, the most adaptable. Oh well, we still have the EE, which I think will be great. And good luck to PJ and crew at the Oscars!