The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
91%RT Audience Score: 86%
Awards & Nominations: NA
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.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the ultimate fantasy movie that will make you forget about your boring reality. With epic battles, stunning visuals, and a cast of characters that will make you want to join their fellowship, this movie is a must-watch for anyone who loves adventure. Sure, it may take a few hours to get through, but trust me, it’s worth it. Plus, who doesn’t love a good excuse to order takeout and have a movie marathon? So grab your popcorn, sit back, and get ready to be transported to Middle Earth.
Production Company(ies)
Walter Shenson Films, Proscenium Films,
Distributor
New Line Cinema
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
TV-14
Year of Release
2003
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Stereo
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:3h 20m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 17, 2003 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 25, 2004
Genre(s)
Fantasy/Adventure
Keyword(s)
starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, directed by Peter Jackson, written by Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh, fantasy, adventure, box office success, budget, reviewed by Jonathan Romney, James Christopher, Antonia Quirke, David Stratton, David Germain, Keith Phipps, Film Companion Staff, Mike Massie, Rachel Wagner, Kaleem Aftab, Sr Rose Pacatte, Alex Casey, PG-13, Barrie M Osborne, Fran Walsh, New Line Cinema, Dolby A, Dolby Digital, Dolby Stereo, Dolby SR, Surround, Scope (2.35:1), Lord of The Rings, Middle-earth, Frodo Baggins, Gandalf, Arwen, Samwise ‘Sam’ Gamgee, Galadriel, intense epic battle sequences, frightening images, epic, trilogy, conclusion, good vs evil, Sauron’s evil army, stone city of Minas Tirith, emotional, satisfying, visually breathtaking, Peter Jackson’s monumental, J.R.R Tolkien classic, timeless, final confrontation, forces of good and evil, future of Middle-earth, culmination, 10 years’ work, conclusion, moving, satisfying, critic reviews, audience score, streaming, rent/buy, sound mix, distributor, aspect ratio, runtime, cast & crew, critic reviews, audience reviews, horror movies, MCU movies, Netflix series, TV premiere dates, worst horror movies, renewed & cancelled TV shows, careers, newsletter, Fandango
Worldwide gross: $1,140,682,011
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: $377,027,325
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Ian McKellen – Gandalf
Liv Tyler – Arwen
Viggo Mortensen – Aragorn (Strider)
Sean Astin – Samwise ‘Sam’ Gamgee
Cate Blanchett – Galadriel
Director(s)
Peter Jackson
Writer(s)
Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh
Producer(s)
Barrie M. Osborne, Fran Walsh
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (274) | Top Critics (65) | Fresh (256) | Rotten (18)
This atavistic Christians-vs-Moors narrative doesn’t belong in the present day, and that’s no doubt why so many people are addicted to it: it’s so ideologically overstated that it can easily be brushed off as harmlessly quaint escapism.
February 28, 2018
Jonathan Romney
Independent on Sunday
TOP CRITIC
The sense of closure is exquisite, but I’m not sure I’m able to forgive Peter Jackson for the three years that he has taken to put it on the screen. The wait has been excruciating.
February 27, 2018
James Christopher
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Viggo Mortensen’s Aragorn is the good king of the title, and while the actor may look fetching in a crown and cloak, he doesn’t have half of the gravitas of Sean Bean’s Boromir in the first film.
December 14, 2017 | Rating: 2/5
Antonia Quirke
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
The third part of Peter Jackson’s monumental Lord Of The Rings trilogy fully lives up to its predecessors.
December 8, 2014 | Rating: 5/5
David Stratton
sbs.com.au
TOP CRITIC
With The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Peter Jackson delivers a decent ending to his fantasy trilogy — actually, about 12 endings.
November 19, 2013
David Germain
Associated Press
TOP CRITIC
The Return Of The King ultimately proves up to the series’ increasingly difficult task: making movies that echo legends, making legends that reflect life, and reconciling it all with the fact that both legends and lives all eventually meet their ends.
November 19, 2013
Keith Phipps
AV Club
TOP CRITIC
…one of the greatest good vs evil stories ever told…
October 27, 2020
Film Companion Staff
Film Companion
The massive scope of this climactic chapter is once again awe-inspiring, entailing exceptional use of computer graphics, prosthetics and makeup, costuming, and sets.
October 9, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
For 2004 [the special effects] look great.
June 18, 2019 | Rating: A+
Rachel Wagner
Rachel’s Reviews (YouTube)
Peter Jackson’s place in cinematic history is cemented with The Return of the King and now Star Wars seems like a film made a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
April 17, 2019 | Rating: 5/5
Kaleem Aftab
The List
The Return of the King is really the heart of this cinematic masterpiece.
February 19, 2019
Sr. Rose Pacatte
Sister Rose at the Movies
At a whopping, hilarious, 4.20 duration for the extended version, Return of the King is the Oscar-winning, magnum opus of the franchise.
January 14, 2019
Alex Casey
The Spinoff…
Plot
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King presents the final battle between good and evil as Frodo and Sam journey to destroy the One Ring while Aragorn leads the forces of good against Sauron’s army.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Viggo Mortensen’s portrayal of Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King earned him critical acclaim and solidified his status as a leading man in Hollywood.
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