"It's quite good. Nah it's fantastic! It's amazing, it's definitely the best," chirped Pippin Took.

Being a hobbit, you would expect Took, otherwise known as actor Billy Boyd, to enthuse wildly about the last of the Lord of The Rings trilogy, "The Return of the King", which premieres in the New Zealand capital, Wellington, on December 1.

But the few whispers that have escaped from the sneak previews seem unanimous that director Peter Jackson has saved the best until last.

The "Return of the King" is Jackson's favourite of the three, and features more action-packed battle scenes per foot of celluloid than the others.

Based on the novels by Oxford scholar J.R.R. Tolkien, they have become some of the highest grossing movies in box office history.

The first two movies have raked in a combined $1.8 billion, neck and neck with that other fantasy phenomenon of the big screen, the young wizard Harry Potter.

Jackson, another bespectacled, shorts-wearing character, has spent seven obsessive years on the project.

The "Return of the King" concludes the journey of hobbits Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) to destroy the magical "one ring" on which rests the future of all in Middle Earth, helped and hindered by the grotesque Gollum (Andy Serkis) wanting to retrieve his "precious" (ring).

The second film brought the two innocents abroad towards the sulphurous Mount Doom in the evil empire, Mordor, into which they intend to throw the ring, thus preventing evil wizard Sauron from gaining total power and ruling over all.

HOMETOWN HERO

It seems only fitting that the world premiere of the final part of Jackson's $300 million epic should be held in his native New Zealand, where he is a genuine hero loved for his shambling, dishevelled looks and down-to-earth approach.

The story of good and evil is a universal one, but New Zealand, better known for its 45 million sheep and All Blacks rugby team, has happily adopted the alter ego of the "home of Middle Earth".

Jackson, a former printer who cut his film-making teeth on low-budget splatter movies such as "Brain Dead", has turned Wellington, where much of the film was shot and post-production done, into "Wellywood".

Most of the film's main actors, including Liv Tyler, Ian McKellen, Mortensen and Wood, have returned for the glamorous red carpet to join 2,500 invited guests.

Perched atop Wellington's art deco Embassy Theatre, the venue for the premiere, is a 20-metre-long (72-foot) winged Fell Beast and Nazgul rider.

Jackson, who had to persuade New Line Cinema to back the audacious project then fought to have it made in New Zealand, has received wide acclaim for the first two movies which won a total of six Oscars.

He is tipped to be rewarded with the elusive best director award for the third.

His use of spectacular New Zealand scenery, the world-beating special effects, and the ability to co-ordinate a cast of thousands in separate locations for more than 15 months turned the spotlight on Jackson's suburban studios, which were converted from a disused factory.

Having wrapped the Lord of the Rings + the first time all parts of a trilogy have been filmed simultaneously + Jackson is already working on his next project, a remake of the classic movie "King Kong" which it has long been his dream to direct.

The New Zealand government has been quick to capitalise on the tourism and film-making potential of the blockbuster, even giving the film its own cabinet minister, the un-hobbitlike Pete Hodgson.

Several of the national airline's jets have been painted with Rings characters, stamps feature the sage and kindly wizard, Gandalf, and a range of commemorative coins are being issued.

"Had it not been for the brilliance of Jackson, it wouldn't have come here. Jackson is a genius masquerading as a human being..." Hodgson said.

On and off screen, Lord of the Rings has been a long journey.

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