The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Name: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Released: December 17, 2003
Duration: 201 min
Rating: 94
Cast: Andy Serkis, Orlando Bloom

2003

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 41 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 3370 Ratings

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8.9

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8.9	User Score Universal acclaim based on 3370 Ratings

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The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King

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Movie Details & Credits

New Line Cinema | Release Date: December 17, 2003 | PG-13

Starring: Andy Serkis, Orlando Bloom

Summary: Sauron's forces have laid siege to Minas Tirith, the capital of Gondor, in their efforts to eliminate the race of men. The once-great kingdom, watched over by a fading steward, has never been in more desperate need of its king. But can Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) answer the call of his heritage and become what he was born to be? In no smallSauron's forces have laid siege to Minas Tirith, the capital of Gondor, in their efforts to eliminate the race of men. The once-great kingdom, watched over by a fading steward, has never been in more desperate need of its king. But can Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) answer the call of his heritage and become what he was born to be? In no small measure, the fate of Middle-earth rests on his broad shoulders. [New Line Cinema]… Expand

Director: Peter Jackson

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 201 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Joe Morgenstern

The invisible wizard Peter Jackson makes use of every scene to show us the meaning of magnificence. Never has a filmmaker aimed higher, or achieved more.

100

Lisa Schwarzbaum

The conclusion of Peter Jackson's masterwork is passionate and literate, detailed and expansive, and it's conceived with a risk-taking flair for old-fashioned movie magic at its most precious. Read full review

100

William Arnold

First and foremost, it soars because its grand design and numerous story problems were worked out half a century ago by a guy named Tolkien, and Jackson was smart enough to realize this. Read full review

100

Michael Wilmington

Like all great fantasies and epics, this one leaves you with the sense that its wonders are real, its dreams are palpable. Read full review

100

Empire Alan Morrison

Those who have walked beside these heroes every step of the way on such a long journey deserve the emotional pay-off as well as the action peaks, and they will be genuinely touched as the final credits roll. Read full review

Roger Ebert

There is little enough psychological depth anywhere in the films, actually, and they exist mostly as surface, gesture, archetype and spectacle. They do that magnificently well, but one feels at the end that nothing actual and human has been at stake. Read full review

David Sterritt

Add a lot of dull acting -- except Sir Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis -- and you have an uneven movie with yawns aplenty. Read full review

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User Reviews

kaneturner

Nov 3, 2018

I treat all three instalments of the Lord of the Rings trilogy as one film, because that's how they play. The sense of adventure and the enormity of the story is something that no other film has ever done.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

thomasljogues

Nov 13, 2014

This is the defining movie of Peter Jackson's career. Though it strayed quite far from the book at times, it worked the miracle of remaining true to the book's spirit and not striving for the random flamboyance that the Hobbit films today fall to.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JawsPapi87

Aug 9, 2011

It's a perfect epic. There's not one false step. The battles are incredible, the characters just as fun as ever. This movie is basically flawless. One of the best ever

52 of 60 users found this helpful528

ereleon

Oct 25, 2021

One of the most satisfying and stellar final films in history, it deserved every single award it got,

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

SamX

Apr 1, 2006

Flawless CGI really brings Tolkien's creatures to life in this film. Peter Jackson has done it again, he was made for adapting long books to long films. With King Kong the plot had to be stretched because Jackson obviously wanted another long film, like one of these LotR movies. ButFlawless CGI really brings Tolkien's creatures to life in this film. Peter Jackson has done it again, he was made for adapting long books to long films. With King Kong the plot had to be stretched because Jackson obviously wanted another long film, like one of these LotR movies. But with Jackson working with Tolkien's books he couldn't have gone wrong. He filled the cinematic Middle Earth with almost everything Tolkien described, and followed Tolkien's sequence of events quite closely. At some points the film sores to give a feeling that you're watching a true legend unfold before your eyes, like the scene where the Witch King gets killed by Eowyn. Sir Ian McKellen is a terrific actor and some of the lines which actors say carry real wisdom in them. The musical score was absolutely beautiful, the best of any movie I've ever seen and probably ever will see. The plot was the most engaging and interesting ever, with fight-scenes all over the place to keep the less taken-in among us in our seats. Even the fight scenes have their own emotional beauty to them. And although the ending of the film was heavily criticized for being too long, I feel it was necessary as it was not a case of ending the film, but ending the film for each character in turn. The film deserves all the 10/10s it recieves, and is truly a masterpiece.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful

Abdiel

Dec 12, 2011

I had to rate this movie because is my all time favorite, I mean, with 12 oscars you can't go wrong, the feeling I get everytime I watch it is epicness, the music, the effects, the acting, everything is perfect and is a must see for any medieval/fantasy fan. 100/100 Best movie ever

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

LegionODorkS

Dec 19, 2003

This ZERO is for the pinheads rating this movie as 'BEST MOVIE EVER'. Yes, if you've seen only three movies in your life-- including the first two installments of this outrageously overrated series-- than yes, FANBOY, this is the best picture ever. If, on the other hand,This ZERO is for the pinheads rating this movie as 'BEST MOVIE EVER'. Yes, if you've seen only three movies in your life-- including the first two installments of this outrageously overrated series-- than yes, FANBOY, this is the best picture ever. If, on the other hand, you're over 3 years old, you may have seen... oh... I don't know... 200 better films, conservatively? Let me guess: George W. Bushole.. best President EVER?!? I thought so...… Expand

0 of 18 users found this helpful

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1	#1 Best Movie of 2003
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