X
- 2003
- PG-13
- New Line Cinema
- 3 h 21 m
- 2003
- PG-13
- New Line Cinema
- 3 h 21 m
Summary Sauron's forces have laid siege to Minas Tirith, the capital of Gondor, in their efforts to eliminate the race of men. The once-great kingdom, watched over by a fading steward, has never been in more desperate need of its king. But can Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) answer the call of his heritage and become what he was born to be? In no sm...
Directed By: Peter Jackson
Written By: J.R.R. Tolkien, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson
- 2003
- PG-13
- New Line Cinema
- 3 h 21 m
- 2003
- PG-13
- New Line Cinema
- 3 h 21 m
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
9.4
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Summary Sauron's forces have laid siege to Minas Tirith, the capital of Gondor, in their efforts to eliminate the race of men. The once-great kingdom, watched over by a fading steward, has never been in more desperate need of its king. But can Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) answer the call of his heritage and become what he was born to be? In no sm...
Directed By: Peter Jackson
Written By: J.R.R. Tolkien, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson
Where to Watch
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 41 Critic Reviews
94
98% Positive
40 Reviews
40 Reviews
2% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 41 Critic Reviews
94
98% Positive
40 Reviews
40 Reviews
2% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The invisible wizard Peter Jackson makes use of every scene to show us the meaning of magnificence. Never has a filmmaker aimed higher, or achieved more.
A phantasmagorical slab of epic entertainment that satisfies on every conceivable level.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 3,071 User Ratings
9.4
97% Positive
2988 Ratings
2988 Ratings
1% Mixed
39 Ratings
39 Ratings
1% Negative
44 Ratings
44 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 3,071 User Ratings
9.4
97% Positive
2988 Ratings
2988 Ratings
1% Mixed
39 Ratings
39 Ratings
1% Negative
44 Ratings
44 Ratings
This movie is the great ending of the best trilogy of all time. Emotions, beautiful landscapes, interessant characters, everything can be found...
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As completely real on the psychological level as its up-to-the-moment visual effects have on the physical.
Those who have walked beside these heroes every step of the way on such a long journey deserve the emotional pay-off as well as the action peaks, and they will be genuinely touched as the final credits roll.
All in all, it's a fitting conclusion to the series, and yet there are disappointments built in. For one, Jackson has opted not to film Tolkien's downbeat "Scouring Of The Shire" epilogue.
In short, this Krakatoa is at once exhausting and riveting. It's a technological marvel, and for those not with the program, a bit of a bore.
Add a lot of dull acting -- except Sir Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis -- and you have an uneven movie with yawns aplenty.
A masterful close to one of the greatest trilogies ever captured on film. It manages to end with one of the best endings ever.
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For as little as this film has to work with, plot wise, there's really no excuse for its length. Really, in the grand scheme of things, what does it accomplish? A big battle scene to preserve the sacred city of Gondor, a recruitment drive in the land of the dead to facilitate the former, Frodo and Sam's arrival at Mordor and the big finale beside the lava pit. Some exposition can be expected, naturally, and in a few scattered cases it does serve to enrich the extended universe, but for those four primary points to devour over four hours of screen time seems ridiculously excessive.
The wealth of character moments in Return of the King are well done, but rarely do they feel as essential as they did in previous chapters. With very little exception, the primary cast has already worked through their individual arcs before the first scene, so there isn't much meat in that respect.
As with The Two Towers, the skirmishes (scattered liberally throughout) are appropriately epic and pulse-pounding, though these too push the limits in terms of what the viewing audience is willing to let slide. We're already suspending our disbelief a fair distance in regards to the fellowship's universal fighting prowess, but one particular scene with Legolas and an elephant seems more than a bit excessive. In fact, Legolas is granted an especially silly amount of battlefield respect throughout the series.
I could dwell on the negatives all day long - I haven't even touched on the stupid amount of slow motion in the farewell scenes - but at the end of the day, this really isn't a bad film... just a madly bloated one. It feels rewarding to finally conclude our journeys in Middle Earth, and when the plot finally gets around to waving goodbye it's a powerful experience. I just can't help but wonder how much better a slim two-hour cut, trimming half the body fat, would play to the same material. Oh, and its status as a Best Picture winner? Clearly that was a lifetime achievement award, because The King is far and away LotR's weakest installment.
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All 3 of these were a poor interpretation of the books.
Take the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, for example. In the books it's basically a showdown between the forces of Sauron with the Witch-king leading them, and the forces of good with Gandalf in command. The destruction of the Witch-king is a pivotal moment in the story, and greatly cheapened in the movie. It's impossible to know why a hobbit stabbing the Witch-king would have any great effect because they left out the Barrow-blades. They might have at least explained it afterwards, even if they just used "Elf magic" as a lame excuse.
And there's no dramatic showdown between Gandalf and the Witch-king like in the books. In the movie, Gandalf's staff breaks and that's about it.
Anyway, it's somewhat enjoyable overall, even if it's like "The Lord of the Rings" for the mentally disabled.
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Production Company
New Line Cinema,
WingNut Films,
The Saul Zaentz Company
Release Date Dec 17, 2003
Duration 3 h 21 m
Rating PG-13
Tagline The eye of the enemy is moving.
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 11 Wins & 11 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 4 Wins & 4 Nominations
Online Film & Television Association
• 16 Wins & 22 Nominations