This movie definitely rocks. Why? Because it just does. Peter Jackson's attempt at making this movie has gone successfull. He has stayed as loyal to the book as he can, the special effects are unlike anything seen before, the music is extremely moving, and in my opinion, this is the greatest cinematic epic ever. Period.

All right.. I believe no movie can be a 10 because of the high prices of movie tickets. But here we go....This movies is a great ending to probably the greatest trilogy so far. Peter Jackson has definitely risen the bar when it comes to movie making. He has practically done the impossible. He has satisfied the die hard Tolkien fans and the main stream fans while keeping ever single person in the theatre entertained which is a difficult balancing act. Also a special thanks to New Line for having the "balls" to make this movie and having enough sense in letting Jackson do his thing. Jackson continues to improve on his movies through his Extended Edition DVD. Finally I 'd like to thank Mr. Jackson for entertaining us and for being a dreamer that makes his dreams come true and in the process showing us all that through hard work dreams can come true.… Expand

A great movie that deserves a lot of credit. The only disappointment is Saruman's sudden disappearance.

Shining proof that SOMEONE out there still gives a damn about filmmaking. With the majority of movies (equally mainstream and independent if you ask me) getting crappier every year as we speak, this Kiwi is looking more and more like part of a dying breed indeed, by my reckoning. Good thing he was able to contribute one last hopeful muster - Middle-Earth will be sorely missed.

I really enjoyed the lord of the rings movies. There are so many themes and characters in these movies that there is something for everyone. I really love the ending except for the fact that i don't understand it. When Froddo, Bilbo, Gandalf and the elves sail away on the boat are they simply leaving Middle Earth or are they dying in a sense and going to heaven?

The end, or should I say ends, were a little drawn out, but overall the movie was excellent. I love Aragorn!

A very, very, very good movie, one of best of the all time.

What is wrong with the people that give this a 1? You have to have no taste at all just to give this masterpiece of touching editing and wonderful acting, combined with the best effects of all time, in a true Tolkien-worthy style, anything less than a 6. Perhaps this movie is too deep for those shallowminded slapsticklovers who are cursed with a mind-numbing superficiality (if that's a word, and if it means what I think it means) to not recognize true perfection when it's playing right in front of them. Thanks, Illya Z, for ruining my day.… Expand

The acting by many of the characters was excellent and the cinematography was unparalleled. Congrats to Peter Jackson for accomplishing such an amazing epic in film especially with such a difficult series of books to convert to screen. While I would not call it the greatest movie of all time, I definitely would say that it holds its own against a vast majority of films. Oh and to Taco M...if you took the time to view any of the documentaries on the film, it would become evident to you that they read all three of Tolkien's books (including the Silmarrion) multiple times and in great detail in order to get as much as they could out of the stories. To include every minute detail and story within the books would result in at least three 6 hour movies (which no one would watch). The trilogy was an adaptation of the books, not a visual representation of them.… Expand

Deserves a 9. why? ... it missed some important scenes that were in the book, endings should have somehow been merged into one, and finally the evolution in character of aragon, gimli, legolas should have been portrayed onscreen rather than off. If gandalf can get a scene from grey to white, why cant aragon? .. nevertheless, the movie is a work of art. Although the emphasis on battles is more than I expected, it is something i can't complain about. … Expand

Awesome. if a bit long...

It was a good clear visual interpretation of the book. The book is a big story to fit into 3.5 hours and some stuff was left out. The themes of fall, redemption and hope were clear. Also a theme of the need for help from the others and perhaps from beyond what men alone can do.

It's interesting to see these people vote 0-3 on this movie. Makes you wonder how they'd rate truly bad movies. This is an excellent movie, and I think criticism falls into 2 areas: 1) wasn't faithful enough to the book or 2) was too long. Those people who thought it was boring, probably didn't see the first 2, they'd know what to expect. If you enjoy the first two, you will LOVE this movie.… Expand

Long live the King! Great fun. I expect to feel a little empty this year when I don't get a new LOTR movie for Christmas.

I don't know if this series of movies were true to the books. I don't read fiction. However, I watch fiction and this movie involved so much effort on the part of the people involved in it that you would have to give them "A" for effort in any case. Great special effects, lots of action. A keeper.

If "Fellowship" and "Towers" were considered epic filmmaking, "The Return of the King" is super-epic. The battles are bigger, the emotions are stronger, the scenery is grander. You don't want the story to be over quite yet, and Jackson does his best to stretch it out as long as he possibly can! It's a culmination right to follow the previous two films and worthy of the awards bestowed on it.… Expand

To everyone who rated this at 0 or 1(and used the word hoopla)I physically shudder to think of the movies you rate highly.White chicks springs to mind.

Amazing! I am the 41st reviewer of a movie that has 5 more days to be released! This is almost like Minority Report - we find you guilty of being about to see this movie and rate it with a 9. Remarkable - What'll they think of next?

This is a better adaptation than Two Towers. Return of the King actually picks up where the Two Towers book ends. The scene with Shelob is covered in the Two Towers book. I had hoped we would see more of Saruman at Isengard and the Shire, as we do in the books. I really wanted to see Saruman get his staff taken from him by Gandalf, which is also covered in the Two Towers book. Those reservations aside, I enjoyed watching this last enstallment of the trilogy. It's more true to the source material than Two Towers and it's dramatic action sequences have the purpose of bringing the main character full circle to realizing their destinies. There are a lot of high spots. The climax at Mount Doom, what I had been waiting for throughout the entire movie, was slightly different than the book but true to the spirit of the ending of the book. I really like Gollum fitting the ring onto to his finger in his last moment of life. I liked what they did with Eowan, making her a kind of Joan of Arc of Middle Earth. I really enjoyed the descent of Denethor into madness and his son Faramir's suicidal ride into Gondor. Lots of high spots in this film. Its scale and special effects are awesome. … Expand

Wow! The third LOTR movie is definitely the best. Battle scenes are amazing, the acting is near perfect and the runtime is just okay (doesn't feel like 3+ hours). I'll be waiting for The Hobbit, Mr. Jackson!

The biggest testament to this movie's success is that it took a source that many might consider "dorky" or "fringe" and made it appealing to nearly 100% of people in a way tha doesn't sell out using typical Hollywood-style tricks. Go see it, but not before seeing the first two!

The thinking man's (or Hobbit's!) pop-corn flick! Huge, sprawling epic serves as a fitting end to one of the moost remarkable achievements in film history - and it shows what magic can occur when moovies actually have a STORY to work with. Superb elements from all; still have problem with the whole Arwen-thing, and they denegrated poor Denethor's character w/out explaination, but over-all still a wonderful undertaking. I never though I would live to see this put on film, on a quality film in any case, and I am glad to see cow wrong I was. Hope "The Hobbit" is next! :=8D… Expand

While most I've spoken with have said that this is their favorite in the trilogy, mine was definitely The Two Towers. However, this movie does a great job of wrapping up the story. My main complaints are that battle scenes went too quickly and there wasn't a more rewarding finale. However, for the purposes of brevity, I understand why this was the case. An awesome movie overall, but I'm waiting for it to come out on video with the extra hour of footage.… Expand

Overall, the third installment was incredibly crafted and visually stunning. Unfortunately after the first two movies and 3 hours of the third, Mr. Jackson chose to trash the ending in the final 30 minutes. The cinematography/direction of the final scenes in Gondor were horrible and the blatant omission of the 'Scouring of the Shire' left me extremely disappointed. I just hope it was filmed and be added to the inevitable extended version DVD.… Expand

This was movie was extremely well done. Jackson stayed true to the novel as well as he could and made sure that the film was engaging at all times. The only thing that disappointed me was the fact that they cut out Saruman's part in the movie at the very end. If they had left that in, I would have given it a ten.

Beautiful camerawork, breathtaking shots, majestic action and a perfect fantasy enviroment make up this conclusion. It's really long though, and I still believe it's overrated.

So this is how it ends... (sigh) Well, we can only hope that Pete Jackson hands the franchise off to someone just as talented for the fourth movie. (But just between you and me, I think the fourth one is gonna TANK. We'll just have to hope for a solid comeback with the fifth one...)

A great end to a truly great trilogy.

All you people who gave this film a 0 need to understand that people aren't going to a movie like ROTK to see Oscar-worthy performances, they're going to be entertained...and as far as that is concerned, this film was one of the most entertaining that I have seen. If you don't like CG, then you may as well never go to an "entertaining" movie again...'cause that's the way it's gonna be from now on! Great film!… Expand

LOTR:ROTK is grand cinema; telling well the story of redemption.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The book could very easily have been made into two films; there is such a lot that happens and so many twists in the plot that it might have benefitted if that were the case. But we… Expand

You guys who gave this a 0 are trolling, right? I've read the books, watched the films, both are amazing, really can't see how people are giving this 0s and 1s.. that's about all.

I agree that the film is a masterpiece and not only shows Peter Jackson's direct skills at full blast but it shows that even now we can still produce a film that will stun you in the way that Return Of The King has.

The only problems with the film I have are this - The acting ,will solid through out, is no where near as good as any other part of the film and it is a bit disapointing. Also there are parts with the CGI and special effects look painfully obvious (usually when the actors are on the screen when they occur). Besides that, Its a great film.… Expand

Not as good as people made it out to be. Visually, It's the best the series has been but story-wise it's rather stupid. The whole relying on ghosts thing just irks me for some reason. Action is suprisingly even better then the previous film and it's very satisfying to watch as well. A satisfying ending to the trilogy.

To be honest, "The Return of the King", is truly a spectacular movie, however I can see why people dislike it, due to it's fantasy based story-line, and it's slight differences between the novels. However, it is still truly a stunning movie, both visually and mentally. It does an amazing job in capturing the sense of both dread and hope, particularly in the siege of Minas Tirith. However I have to admit that it's epilogue is almost 20 minutes too long, and slightly "cheesy". But the main kill for this movie not being a 10, is the placing of the climax, the movie flows almost perfectly throughout the first half of the movie, then a truly amazing scene takes place, and due to the length of the scene and the emotions flowing through the audience, one really does feel that "this is it... that's the climax, the best part of the whole film", however it isn't and the rest of the hour was just looked at as a epilogue, which makes it boringly dull afterwards, also the true climax is nowhere close to the power shown in the previously mentioned scene. And this kills the movie's epilogue for me.… Expand

A terrific ending to one of cinema's greatest movie series'. A nearly flawless installment. The battles are terrific and done in superb detail that only Jackson can do. My only complaint is I wish there was a little more talking and a little less fighting, but really, being an action freak, that statement is hardly anything at all.

"The Return of the King" is the best of the trilogy. It's passionate, and grand in scale and scope. An unforgettable conclusion to an already impressive series.

This is easily one of the greatest movies of all time. Stays true to the book, and in some areas, outdoes it. The speech at the black gate is also one of the most epic, chilling scenes in history. Considering I watched the extended edition, which fills in gaps and adds humor and story not seen in theaters, the movie was well over 3 hours. I had to watch in 2 sittings to get through it. I am glad the producers went this route instead of cutting hours and story off the final cut. If you are a fan of the books, or just like epic fight scenes and a good story (recommended you watch the first two or have at least read the books beforehand though) this a movie that is well worth the time you will out into watching it.… Expand

Act ionized version of the great book. Where Tolkien merely mentions of violence, Jackson expands upon it but with excellent results. He also expands on the roles of some of the characters, none the less its quiet awesome to see this unfold. It is a first of its a kind, a fully realized fantasy movie that delivers in every sense of the word. The themes are all there, the cast is great, and the sweeping score is amazing to the battle scenes that arise. When I saw this in the theatre in 2003 I couldn't believe what I was seeing on the screen.… Expand

The best of Jackson's middle earth epics is also the longest, and rightfully so. Return of the King is a wonderful and gripping tale with ups and downs that despite its fantasy, make it seem almost relatable.

Rounding off a trilogy on the right note is no easy task, but Peter Jackson and co. pull it off with ease in this third and final installment of their adaptation of the classic Tolkien tale - it's bursting with marvelous set pieces, heart-wrenchingly emotional drama, and that same plethora of charming characters that rightfully bring it all home.