I thought that the extent of the change in Bilbo at the end of the movie reflected the extent to which the ring had power over him. I mean, the ring was the only thing that was keeping him from aging, and once it was gone, he started to age at an accelerated rate. He was supposed to be in his 120s at that point, and you have to admit, that's pretty old. So yeah, he looked shockingly different, so you almost didn't recognize him, but I thought that just illustrated the effects of losing the ring and how, without it, age caught up to him pretty fast.
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Above all shadows rides the Sun and Stars forever dwell:
I will not say the Day is done, nor bid the Stars farewell.
-- Samwise Gamgee
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