The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

2003, Fantasy/Adventure, 3h 20m

274 Reviews 250,000+ Ratings

critics consensus

Visually breathtaking and emotionally powerful, The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King is a moving and satisfying conclusion to a great trilogy. Read critic reviews

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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Videos

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Movie Info

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.

Rating:

PG-13 (Intense Epic Battle Sequences|Frightening Images)
Genre:

Fantasy, Adventure
Original Language:

English
Director:

Peter Jackson
Producer:

Barrie M. Osborne, Fran Walsh
Writer:

Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh
Release Date (Theaters):

Dec 17, 2003 wide
Release Date (Streaming):

May 25, 2004
Box Office (Gross USA):

$377.8M
Runtime:

3h 20m
Distributor:

New Line Cinema
Sound Mix:

Dolby A, Dolby Digital, Dolby Stereo, Dolby SR, Surround
Aspect Ratio:

Scope (2.35:1)
View the collection:

Lord of The Rings

Cast & Crew

Elijah Wood
Frodo Baggins

Ian McKellen
Gandalf

Liv Tyler
Arwen

Viggo Mortensen
Aragorn (Strider)

Sean Astin
Samwise 'Sam' Gamgee

Cate Blanchett
Galadriel

Show all Cast & Crew

News & Interviews for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

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Critic Reviews for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

All Critics (274) | Top Critics (65) | Fresh (256) | Rotten (18)

Full Review… Jonathan Romney Independent on Sunday

Full Review… James Christopher Times (UK)

Full Review… Antonia Quirke London Evening Standard

Full Review… David Stratton sbs.com.au

Full Review… David Germain Associated Press

Full Review… Keith Phipps AV Club

Full Review… Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand

Full Review… Film Companion Staff Film Companion

Full Review… Mike Massie Gone With The Twins

Full Review… Rachel Wagner Rachel's Reviews (YouTube)

Full Review… Kaleem Aftab The List

Full Review… Sr. Rose Pacatte Sister Rose at the Movies

View All Critic Reviews (274)

Audience Reviews for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Jul 21, 2016

A fantastic ending to the amazing adaptation of the Lord of the Rings books. This final chapter in the trilogy easily surpasses the previous entries with amazing battle scenes, amazing oscar winning performances, and very beautiful scenery. The best features in this movie are its emotional depth and its battle sequences. This emotional epic ends the trilogy on a very satisfying note that will leave you in tears and applause.

Tyler H Super Reviewer
Jun 08, 2014

As I was watching a NBA Playoffs game with my dad the other night, a commercial for the Warcraft movie came on. He asked me "Why is your generation so obsessed with the fantasy movie genre?" This is why. Return of the King is my personal favorite of the LOTR franchise. It has the same strengths as its predecessors - powerful film score, solid performances across the board from an ensemble cast, and incredible visual effects that still hold up to this day. What sets this movie apart from the others is the finality of it all. Yes, there are 3 or 4 end scenes in the last 20 minutes, but I look at that as a celebration of the accomplishments of this series. Not only is this movie solid from beginning to end, but it has some of my favorite moments in cinema history (SPOILER WARNING): the shot of Aragorn leading the undead army into battle, Faramir's troops charging into battle with Pippen singing in the background, and, of course, "You bow to no one." If you haven't seen LOTR, you're doing yourself a disservice!

Ben B Super Reviewer
May 25, 2013

Wonderful on every level. Love the characters and special effects. One of the biggest, most massive battle scenes ever put on the silver screen. A great end to a monumental epic.

Christian C Super Reviewer
May 24, 2013

An epic masterpiece that runs long, but holds sufficient attention.

Jason 123 D Super Reviewer

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