The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Play trailer

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

PG-13

2003

4h 10m

Fantasy

Adventure

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

306 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

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 Critics Reviews

Richard Corliss

TIME Magazine

Jan 14

Here is an epic with literature's depth and opera's splendor -- and one that could be achieved only in movies. What could be more terrific?

Go to Full Review

Christopher Kelly

Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com

Jan 14

C+

If you liked the first two, by all means, go forth and experience rapture. But for those of us who remain unconvinced, well, The Return of the King feels like an especially slow swim through especially slow mud.

Go to Full Review

Joe Williams

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Jan 14

3.5/4

It turns out that the movie is a worthy heir to the throne. The Return of the King is the darkest and richest film in the trilogy, a morally satisfying epic that redeems the adage that size equals gravity.

Go to Full Review

Sheraz Farooqi

CinemaDebate

Apr 2

5/5

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: The Return of the King is a perfect finale. Majestic sequences, epic battles, cathartic payoffs, and poignant, colossal storytelling come together to deliver a breathtaking conclusion

Go to Full Review

Mark Jackson

Epoch Times

Jan 29

5/5

The ultimate question posed by LOTR is whether we choose to remain cell-phone enslaved Gollums or become Frodo and cast the One Ring of addictions and attachments into the fire.

Go to Full Review

Bob Ross

Tampa Tribune

Jan 14

A

Fantasy adventure epics don't get any more powerful than this.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Jamie B

Mar 30

I'm a huge LOTR fan and desperately wanted to see the extended edition in theaters. It was absolutely incredible. I'd see this in theaters every year if they put them in! 3 My favorite film series ever!

See more

Avian C

Mar 22

It's Lord of the Rings

See more

Wanda N

Mar 19

A full and fabulous weekend of LotR

See more

Raul

Mar 11

And 10 stars more, CLASSIC!!!

See more

Ryan P

Feb 28

One of the greatest movies ever made. That's really all I need to say.

See more

Brandon

Feb 26

One of the few examples of the last movie in series being arguably the best! Nearly 25 years later and this film still holds up in every way. If you haven’t seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy, please do, the series balances action, humor, despair, and hope beautifully. There will never be an adventure on film that will come close to what all involved achieved here.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Peter Jackson

Director

Elijah Wood

Frodo Baggins

Ian McKellen

Gandalf

Liv Tyler

Arwen

Viggo Mortensen

Aragorn (Strider)

Sean Astin

Samwise 'Sam' Gamgee

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

95%

95%

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Watchlist

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

91%

95%

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

74%

85%

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Watchlist

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

64%

83%

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Watchlist

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

88%

74%

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The 50 Highest-Grossing Movies of All Time: Your Top Box Office Earners Ever Worldwide

The Biggest and Best Movies of the Last 25 Years

Know Your Critic: Bilge Ebiri, Movie Critic at Vulture

What We Know About Amazon's Lord of the Rings Series

3:08

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

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.

Director: Peter Jackson
Producer: Barrie M. Osborne, Fran Walsh
Screenwriter: Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Production Co: New Line Cinema, Saul Zaentz Company
Rating: PG-13 (Frightening Images|Intense Epic Battle Sequences)
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 3, 2003, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Jan 18, 2026
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 6, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA): $377.8M
Runtime: 4h 10m
Sound Mix: Surround