The culmination of nearly 10 years' work and conclusion to Peter Jackson's epic trilogy based on the timeless J.R.R. Tolkien classic, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" presents the final confrontation between the forces of good and evil fighting for control of the future of Middle-earth. Hobbits Frodo and Sam reach Mordor in their quest to destroy the ‘one ring', while Aragorn leads the forces of good against Sauron's evil army at the stone city of Minas Tirith.

After the galloping intelligence displayed in the first two parts of ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy, your fear may be that the director, Peter Jackson, would become cautious and unimaginative with the last episode, ''The Return of the King.'' Look at what ''The Matrix'' did to the Wachowskis; the last two were like action movies made for CNBC.

But Mr. Jackson crushes any such fear. His ''King'' is a meticulous and prodigious vision made by a director who was not hamstrung by heavy use of computer special-effects imagery. A sequence in which a number of signal fires are lighted on a stretch of mountain ranges simultaneously is a towering moment; it has the majesty that every studio's opening logo shot sprains itself striving to achieve.