It's very good.

Lots of people will be saying similar things about this movie over the next couple of months, years, decades, centuries. Watching The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is like watching cinematic history unfold before your eyes.

In the year-long build up to the movie, Peter Jackson has often said that this is the best in the trilogy, and that the first two films exist primarily to set up the events in the third.

I admit to thinking, "Well he's got to say that, doesn't he...", but he was spot on on both counts. Because we've come to know these characters so well in Fellowship and Towers , we are so much more invested in them for the cataclysmic events of King , which only makes the events all the more powerful.

With films of this scope, it's near impossible to keep things personal (see: The Phantom Menace ), let alone gripping (see: The Matrix sequels), but Peter Jackson has done exactly that. Every moment in the film has such weight - it really gets you in your gut. More so than the first two.

It succeeds in the areas where the previous films might have been lacking - Fellowship's narrative was a tad episodic, while Towers seemed to jump around various storylines quite randomly. In King, every sequence leads naturally on to the next, and while there are still various storylines going on at the same time, they tie together much more cohesively.

The film opens perfectly with a prologue that introduces us to Smeagol/Gollum when he was still Smeagol, so we finally get so see on screen the actual face of Andy Serkis, who performed the voice and motion capture for the digital character. We learn the tragic story of how he came into possession of the ring, and are treated to his marvellously rendered physical transformation into Gollum.

Returning to current continuity, we find human warrior Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), lithe elf Legolas (Orlando Bloom), grumpy dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), commanding King Theoden (Bernard Hill), love-struck Eowyn (Mirando Otto) and solemn wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) celebrating their victory at the battle of Helms Deep.

But before too much revelling can be had, they learn of an impending assault by Sauron's armies on the Gondorian city of Minas Tirith, which is currently headed by "Steward" Denethor (trilogy newcomer John Noble, channelling Lear in his regal parenting issues).

Gandalf rushes to warn him, but Denethor (father of dead Boromir, Sean Bean and neglected Faramir, David Wenham) won't listen and is clearly mad.

Meanwhile, Sam (Sean Astin), Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Gollum are getting closer to Mount Doom, but Gollum is deviously squaring the two hobbits off against each other, exploiting Frodo's increasing devotion to the ring. Gollum's plan also involves the gigantic spider Shelob, a creature whose interpretation was clearly influenced by known-arachnophobe Jackson.

Back in Rohan, Aragorn is vainly attempting to assemble an army of the surrounding peoples to aid Gondor, and learns of some potential help in the form of the Armies of the Dead - cursed ghosts living in the mountains who answer only to the rightful king of Gondor - can you guess who that is?

Sub-plots include Arwen (Liv Tyler)'s decision on whether or not to join her fellow elves in leaving Middle Earth, or to stay with true love Aragorn; Merry (Dominic Monaghan)'s attempts to prove useful in battle; Eowyn's defiance of Theoden to join the war; and Faramir's struggles with his mean bastard of a father, which Pippin (Billy Boyd) gets caught up in.

The siege on Minas Tirith comprises the primary set-piece of the movie, but the film is only two-thirds gone when that's over. And for the benefit of those who haven't read the book, that's where my synopsis ends.

The film has many strengths, not least of which its ability to constantly stir the very cockles of your heart. The battle scenes are rousing and inventive; the emotional moments ring true; heck, even the romance works!

As usual, the performances are stellar across the board, but Sean Astin must be singled out for his revelatory performance as Samwise Gamgee. This former child actor displays heretofore unseen gravitas in portraying Sam's anguish and makes you want to jump up and cheer in his heroic moments.

Sam truly becomes the heart and soul of the trilogy in The Return of the King , embodying Tolkien's theme of the little people being able to make a difference

Hard as it is to believe, the action is actually better in this film - the battle of Pelennor fields thunders along epically, with both sides catapulting massive concrete slabs at each other. The battle benefits from occurring during the day - you can actually see what's happening.

By involving the massive elephant-like mumakil in this battle, Jackson lends it an epic scope not seen in the trilogy so far. These creatures also provide Legolas with his most crowd-pleasing moment in all three films. The Return of the King has some grittier edges than the other two movies - we are introduced to a horribly deformed Orc general named Gothmog (played by Lawrence Makaore) - a character WETA head Richard Taylor describes as "the John Merrick of Middle Earth". He is strangely reminiscent of the aliens from Jackson's first film, Bad Taste .

The head ring wraith, the Witch King (also played by Makaore), has a strong, bloodcurdling presence as well, creating all sorts of carnage with his flying Fell Beast. One oft-utilised kill method has a fell beast simply swooping down, grabbing a bunch of people, then flying up high and dropping them to their doom!

Another scene where Orcs hurl the heads of fallen humans back into Minas Tirith contains that typically Jackson-esque combination of brutal violence and black humour.

There are many moments in the film set right on the edge of vast, vertiginous cliffs that add a breathtaking scale to the world Jackson has created, and remind you of Wellington in a strange way.

But probably the best thing about The Return of the King is the fact that it actually has an ending - getting closure on this story is remarkably overwhelming.

Many films end on their climax, but Jackson is smart enough to keep the film going for a while, showing a little bit of what happens next - it's very satisfying.

There is really no overstating how powerful this film is - it's unlike any cinematic experience I've ever had.

In an age of bloated, barely watchable Hollywood epics, it would have been a remarkable achievement to simply make these films bearable. But instead, Jackson has created a trilogy for the ages, a shining beacon of light in an age of cinematic drudgery; epic films with personal resonance. And he's capped it off with the best one of all.

So yeah, it's very good.