The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) movie poster

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

"The eye of the enemy is moving."
ThumbScore
๐Ÿ‘ 85%Google users liked it archived
Critics Score
๐ŸŽฌ 94% (RT: 94%, MC: 94) โ„น๏ธRT = Rotten Tomatoes (critic reviews). MC = Metacritic (weighted critic average). Critics Score is the average of both.
AdventureFantasyAction

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Director
Runtime
3h 21m
Country
New Zealand, United States of America
Language
English
TMDB Rating
8.5/10 (26,174 votes)
Rotten Tomatoes
94%
Metacritic
94
Cast
Elijah Wood as Frodo
Ian McKellen as Gandalf
Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn
Sean Astin as Sam
Andy Serkis as Gollum / Smeagol
Billy Boyd as Pippin
John Noble as Denethor
Yes. 85% of real audiences liked it based on 26,174 votes. Critics agree, scoring it 94%.
Overview
As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.โ€‹ Wikipedia โ†—
Fun Facts
  • To accurately portray their role in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Elijah Wood spent weeks conducting hands-on research and rehearsing directly with director Peter Jackson.
  • Despite initial studio skepticism, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King went on to gross over $1,148,000,000 worldwide.
Audience Consensus

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 epic fantasy film directed by Peter Jackson, the concluding chapter of his acclaimed adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's literary masterpiece. The film follows multiple storylines to their climactic resolutions: Frodo and Sam make their final harrowing approach to Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring while resisting its overwhelming corrupting influence, Aragorn embraces his destiny as the rightful King of Gondor and leads the forces of Men against Sauron's armies, and the people of Middle-earth make their desperate last stand at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields and the Black Gate of Mordor.

The Return of the King became one of the most honored films in Academy Award history, winning all 11 Oscars for which it was nominated โ€” tying the record held by Ben-Hur and Titanic. Its wins included Best Picture and Best Director, making it the first and only fantasy film to win the Academy's highest honor. The film earned $1.14 billion worldwide.

Peter Jackson's battle sequences, particularly the Siege of Minas Tirith, set new standards for digital effects and large-scale action filmmaking. The film's extended edition, running 263 minutes, is widely considered the definitive version and became a cultural event in home video. The trilogy as a whole is frequently cited as one of the greatest achievements in cinema, having transformed public perception of fantasy from a niche genre into mainstream epic entertainment.

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