In a review of the Return of the King, it is said by Roger Friedman of Fox News that:

The “Lord of the Rings” trilogy does exactly what “The Matrix” didn’t: It’s improved with each film, fleshing out the characters, simplifying plotlines and making them plausible. The human dimension of the trilogy is what has made it such an incredible hit. Jackson and everyone involved at New Line Cinema – most especially composer Howard Shore and co-executive producer Mark Ordesky – can take pride in having made three landmark movies that are instant classics.