The extended version must have the longest running end credits ever.
For as little as this film has to work with, plot wise, there's really no excuse for how long it clings to the screen. Really, in the grand scheme of things, what does it accomplish? A big battle scene to preserve the sacred city of Gondor, a recruitment drive in the land of the dead to facilitate the former, Frodo and Sam's arrival at Mordor and the big finale at the lava pit. Some exposition can be expected, naturally, and in a few scattered cases it does serve to enrich the extended universe, but for those four primary points to devour over four hours of screen time seems ridiculously excessive.
The wealth of character moments on display in Return of the King are generally well done, but rarely do they feel as essential as they did in previous chapters. With very little exception, the primary cast has already worked through their individual arcs before the title card, so there isn't much meat in that respect.
As with The Two Towers, the fight scenes (scattered liberally throughout) are appropriately epic and pulse-pounding, though these too push the limits in terms of what the viewing audience is willing to let slide. We're already suspending our disbelief a fair distance in regards to the fellowship's universal fighting prowess, but one particular scene with Legolas and an elephant seems more than a bit excessive. In fact, Legolas is granted an especially silly amount of battlefield respect throughout the series.
I could dwell on the negatives all day long - I haven't even touched on the stupid amount of slow motion in the farewell scenes - but at the end of the day, this really isn't a bad film... just a madly bloated one. It's thoroughly rewarding to finally conclude our journey with the residents of Middle Earth, and when the plot finally gets around to waving goodbye it's a powerful experience. I just can't help but wonder how much better a slim two-hour cut, trimming off half the body fat of the original, would play to the same material. Oh, and its status as a Best Picture winner? Clearly that was a lifetime achievement award for the trilogy at large, because The King is far and away LOTR's weakest installment.
In my opinion, this was the worst of the Trilogy. I loved the first one and I think It's the best!
I'm always sad when the end credits of The Return of the King rolls by. Not because of the content as much as the fact that I want more. Isn't that the hallmark of any good movie?!? This time it's not “only” a movie, though. It's an epic trilogy. A trilogy where the last chapter ended up being the most epic of them all.
As I have said about the first two movies, it's amazing what a man with passion for a story can do. Especially when he gathers like-minded people to the “cause”. The Return of the King is the pinnacle of a trilogy filled with excellence. Just love it!!!
The Lord of the Rings
The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-fellowship-of-the-ring-2001
The Two Towers (2002) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-two-towers-2002
The Return of the King (2003) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-return-of-the-king-2003
quote All right, look, there's only one "Return," okay, and it ain't "of the King," it's "of the Jedi.
Return of the King? More like Return of the Plot Armor. At least one hobbit should have died. Anyone of consequence really. A drawn out end to a very drawn out, and very convenient story
After years without seeing her, I see her again, and I still like the same. Looks great on the new screen
[8.6/10] The power of friendship is a cliché. Every other movie has their hero overcoming adversity, and probably the bad guy, through the bonds they’ve forged with their crew of allies and confidantes. It’s a good message; it just becomes tiresome after a while. But The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King makes that trite sentiment feel legitimate and moving again. It is a story about the power of friendship, whose crux centers less on the defeat of the great evil, or the grand triumph in battle, than on the hardship-tested love between two hobbits who literally and figuratively support one another when things seem their bleakest.
I mean “love” in every sense. The film takes care to show that, no, despite how many times Samwise gazes longingly into Frodo’s eyes, he likes girls, so don’t you dare get the wrong idea, mainstream film audiences! But however much the movie cares to sweep it under the rug, there is genuine affection between Frodo and Sam, one that makes Sam’s dismissal heartbreaking, his return stirring, and their mutual farewell poignant but blissful in its own way. Yes, by the end of the film, the big scary eye is extinguished, and the pockmarked black armies are sent into the rubble of the earth. But more importantly, the fellowship between these two unlikely heroes withstands the worst that Middle Earth could throw at them, and then some.
And yet despite that small scale story (albeit with the biggest of backdrops) Return of the King practically defines cinematic epicness. As in the first two movies of the trilogy, even when the story starts to wobble, the sheer aesthetic glory of each frame keeps the viewer engrossed in the proceedings. Sauron’s black army of the monstrous and deformed strikes fear into the heart of the Fellowship and the audience. The white alabaster castles jutting into the sky, and ash-flaked canyons where our heroes crawl and cower lend themselves to the elemental sense of the struggle. And the golden hues of Frodo’s recovery and departure convey the tone of relief and catharsis and joy after so much ventured and nearly lost.
Of course, much of the skill in special effects and production design goes toward the grand spectacle that is the film’s raging battle. Director Peter Jackson achieves a sense of scale in the skirmish nearly unmatched by any other committed to screen. The lumbering trolls who smash and ready and fall, the opposing aerial assaults of flying rocks and zipping arrows, the close quarters combat of panicked knights and blood-thirsty monsters, and the skyward clashes between scaly reptiles and winged birds all keep the heart racing and the blood pumping through the showpiece battle of the entire trilogy.
At the same time, Jackson and company take care not to let the fight descend into spectacle alone. If nothing else, Return maintains a good flow of battle, with each side gaining the upper hand and seeing it slip away in turn. The confrontation comes with three separate “the cavalry has arrived” moments -- Theoden and the warriors of Rohan, Aragorn and the army of the dead, and the aforementioned giant eagles -- and yet each of them is rousing in its own way. And the personal stakes of Gandalf and Pippin rescuing Faramir from his deranged father, and Eowyn defending her father from the Witch King, help ground the massive battle in something more individual amid the tumult and triumphs.
Of course, much of that success comes down to the performers. There are a number of action movie one-liners, grandiose statements about hope and survival, dying words and purple prose ruminations on what’s at stake in Return. And yet, when they’re delivered amid the swell of Howard Shore’s incredible score, spoken with the gravitas and sincerity delivered by the cast’s stellar array of players, and especially, imbued with that little extra twinkle in the eye that only Ian McKellan can provide, they pierce your (read: my) cynical core nonetheless.
The film needs that glue to hold it together given how spread apart and jumbled up much of its plot and declaration is. Despite having made it past the character introductions, and streamlined the various story threads into what is, more or less, one final, all-encompassing conflict, Return still finds itself jumping from place to place, dropping lore like a never-before-mentioned horde of undead warriors out of nowhere, and slipping in exposition wherever it can to try to tie things up where needed. With that, Aragorn’s ascendancy to the monarchy feels perfunctory, a trope-mandated inevitability that lacks the same depth of feeling or character as the reciprocal journey to Mt. Doom.
Despite that, the morality play and test of friendship that completes the journey through Mordor more than makes up for it. While the reunion of Sam and Frodo seems as inevitable as Aragorn reclaiming the throne, there’s more weight to it, both because of the wounded performances that Sean Astin and Elijah Wood deliver, but also because of the sense that Frodo is being corrupted here, torn away from the thing that has kept him stable and centered and able to persevere in this immense struggle for so long. Return capitalizes on the dramatic irony of the audience knowing Gollum’s plans while Frodo doesn't, to make the dissolution of their pairing one of tragedy.
But it’s the difference between Frodo and Gollum that ends up making the difference, for them and for the whole of Middle Earth. The film opens with Smeagol succumbing to the influence of the ring, giving Andy Serkis a chance to show his chops without mocap, but also showing what’s at stake, how even the strongest of friendships can fall to the wayside under the dark power of this bewitched article.
It ends, however, with an affirmation of the friendship that withstood. The most stirring scene in Return of the King is not Sauron’s tower crumbling to the ground, or the ring sinking into magma, or the victory of the villainous hordes. It’s Sam carrying his exhausted, depleted friend on his back to the point of no return. It leads to the same sort of irony, that ultimately Frodo does succumb to the ring’s wiles, but that Gollum’s pitiful avarice ends his burden (and dooms the poor, wretched creature in the process), while Sam has taken him to where he needs to be. It is that bond that led them here and that bond that saved the world.
The final cinematic chapter in The Lord of the Rings trilogy is much like its predecessors. It aims high, wows its audience with daring spectacle, and soothes them with heartfelt performances. It also stumbles through the thicket of lore and plot points, races to keep the audience up to speed with the tangled events, and can’t quite figure out when and where to wrap things up.
But Return of the King elevates itself above the first two chapters through that old cliché, made new and vital once more. Of all things, this fantasy epic -- steeped in the vanquishing of evil and the farewell too old magic and the dawning dominion of men -- turns out to be a love story. Read that love however you want, but it is the thing that breaks the power of the one ring, and cements this film as an indelible, moving piece of pop cultural history.
The Return of the King, or rather The Lord of the Rings trilogy as a whole not only defined the fantasy genre, it still stands on the pedestal as King more than a decade later.
Excellent movies. All 3 of them
I haven't seen all of them, but i love orlando bloom :)
The ending to my favorite trilogy. I love everything about these movies: the acting, setting, costumes, music, the drama, the epicness, everything. It's the Star Wars of this generation, setting new standards and creating new fans. I guess some people think it's hip not to like them, but every movie-fan who hasn't seen it out of principle should at least give it a try and start watching Fellowship of the Ring. Maybe you really won't like it of course, but chances are you'll end up watching all the way through Return of the King and wonder why didn't do it sooner.
Best trilogy ever made, return of the king best movie ever made!
Great conclusion to the saga of all sagas
Best in the trilogy and one of, if not the, best trilogy ever. Everything about this final chapter is epic. The riders of Rohan riding into battle still gives me goosebumps.
The final chapter of the LotR saga. Not as great as the first movie but really, really good anyway.
Favored for its theme of resilience which feels applicable to my personal life. How it shows Gandalf and Pippin's relationship, how it shows Gollum turn Frodo against Sam, how it executes Frodo and Sam's encounter with Shelob, how it shows the lighting of the beacons, how it executes Faramir and his knights' charge into death with "The Edge of Night" in the background, and how it introduces the Witchking of Angmar with dread and despair.
Three movies to rule them all…
Amazing !! can't say a word, I love it, each detail is a masterpiece
I will never not be crying during the entirety of those last 30 minutes.
Another well written and filmed one
Theme- 10/10
Rewatchibility- 8/10
Acting- 10/10
Kinematography- 10/10
Time- 7.5/10
Total - 45.5/5 = 9.1
The Return of the King is a cinematic masterpiece that brings the epic tale of Middle-earth to a thrilling and satisfying conclusion. The film features stunning visual effects and thrilling action sequences, but it's the emotional weight of the story that truly makes it stand out. The film also does an excellent job of wrapping up each character's story arc in a way that feels earned and satisfying. From the final battle at the gates of Mordor to the emotional climax of Frodo's journey, The Return of the King is a fitting end to the trilogy.
Tbh I find the story of all three of the LotR movies rather boring. There are definitely great moments but my main issue is that I only really like very few of the characters. I find Gollum really annoying and the painful journey of Frodo and Sam to middle-earth is frustrating and kinda depressing (speaking of the latter: there are quire many "dark" moments in these movies). And overall it feels just way too long! The story is spread across all three movies and IMO the two previous movies don't really have a satisfying ending on their own.
I'd probably rate each of the three movies around 5.5/10 and could only get myself to rewatch them as I've never seen them in 4K and The Rings of Power made me curious again.
From a production standpoint those movies seem very well produced (given that they're 20 years old now!). However, I'll be watching "The Hobbit" next and IIRC they're visually much much better even though they're "only" 10 years younger. Let's see... :) I also like their story much more, IIRC.
The atmosphere of the first movie combined with the epic battles of the second. There couldn’t be a better ending for those who have enjoyed the journey so far. Who cares if the characters keep faking their deaths every ten seconds, or if a random magical creature manages to turn the tide in a battle for the umpteenth time.
In the book the Hobbits learn to defend themselves when Saruman shows up at the Shire. Despite that being in this version or the extended edition. Return of the King is a fantastic achievement in film.
This is the one where rewatch it as much as you want and you’ll probably miss something. There’s so much detail in the big long battle.
Fantasy wise though, Fellowship is still my favorite.
An outstanding end to the trilogy.
I expected a lot from 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' so I am delighted to see it produce on so many levels. I, funnily enough, wouldn't actually say it's necessarily the most perfect execution - what with the plot coincidences and extreme character armour. But that doesn't matter one jot whatsoever, as the story wraps up in arguably the best way - at least to watch - possible. It has so much heart and feeling to it.
The story involving the characters of Elijah Wood, Sean Astin and Andy Serkis remained the most interesting to me, I was very satisfied with how it concluded in regards to them. I also enjoyed the bits we got of Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen & Co. All that added to the beautiful look and creation of the film, with the world coming alive splendidly.
If I were to nit-pick further, I would say the run time is slightly too long. The pacing is absolutely fine, very good in fact, but I coulda done without a few of the many end scenes - a lot of which are necessary and welcome, but a couple could've been left out to allow the viewer to imagine how the world continued. That's just how I feel mind, I'm sure I'm one of only a few that think that way.
Back onto the positives: how about those battle sequences? Astonishingly good. A sensational trilogy, no question about it. I look forward to seeing 'The Hobbit' films.
Me: Am I going to cry?
Aragorn: My friends, you bow to no one.
Me: Yep, gonna cry now.
It's kind of hard to believe that out of the many times I've watched the other Middle-earth films, this is only my second time watching The Return of the King (yes, I've watched the individual Hobbit movies more than this one). As a result, I feel a very slight disconnect from it, as if it doesn't quite feel like a part of the trilogy because of how unfamiliar I am with it (though I'm sure that feeling will fade the more I watch it).
This time around, I noticed how the pacing is really odd for a normal movie; instead of a steady rising action to a climax at the end, there's a steady rising action that reaches its climax at the midpoint. From there, the action falls (where the stakes are still higher than ever) then rises once again to the actual climax of the film. I totally understand the meme about this movie having so many endings, but in a movie that has two films worth of content, it kind of needs a while to wind down. The pacing is odd, but works in this movie's favour.
Most of the time throughout the trilogy, I can hardly tell what scenes are added or extended to these Extended Editions, but there were a couple of scenes that I could tell were most likely add-ons. They were fine enough additions, but ultimately didn't add much to the story. The movie didn't feel like it dragged, and yet I feel like trimming some of the excess would make for a tighter movie. I'll have to watch the Theatrical Version and see if my wishes come true.
Extended Edition Review
Me: Am I going to cry?
Aragorn: My friends, you bow to no one.
Me: Yep, gonna cry now.
It's kind of hard to believe that out of the many times I've watched the other Middle-earth films, this is only my second time watching The Return of the King (yes, I've watched the individual Hobbit movies more than this one). As a result, I feel a very slight disconnect from it, as if it doesn't quite feel like a part of the trilogy because of how unfamiliar I am with it (though I'm sure that feeling will fade the more I watch it).
This time around, I noticed how the pacing is really odd for a normal movie; instead of a steady rising action to a climax at the end, there's a steady rising action that reaches its climax at the midpoint. From there, the action falls (where the stakes are still higher than ever) then rises once again to the actual climax of the film. I totally understand the meme about this movie having so many endings, but in a movie that has two films worth of content, it kind of needs a while to wind down. The pacing is odd, but works in this movie's favour.
Most of the time throughout the trilogy, I can hardly tell what scenes are added or extended to these Extended Editions, but there were a couple of scenes that I could tell were most likely add-ons. They were fine enough additions, but ultimately didn't add much to the story. The movie didn't feel like it dragged, and yet I feel like trimming some of the excess would make for a tighter movie. I'll have to watch the Theatrical Version and see if my wishes come true.
Wow just wow an amazing ending to the best trilogy in film history
Legolas is still flawless since the first time we meet him, despite the long journey that he gone thru in this trilogy. One accomplishment Peter Jackson should not forgot.
one of the greatest pieces of cinematic history EVER
I have watched the Blu-Ray Extended Edition, 15 years after the premiere of the film. It's still in the category of epic fantasy finals unrivaled!
21st centuries masterpiece. The Lord of The Ring trilogy!
Beautiful made, another classic from Pete Jackson
Truly a great movie. Best of the series through better production but also as a perfect ending to the series. The only issue was he picked the wrong girl!!
One of the most epic films ever made. The LOTR trilogy might really be the best high fantasy saga ever! Everythings on point here: the story, the actors, the visuals...and the ending gets me every time!
Dem white folks show is crazy bout dey rings
Not only the best of the "Lord of the Rings" series, but sets a new standard of epic filmmaking.
what can i say. Won 11 Oscars. must be the greatest film ever made. the battle, sound effect, graphics and directing done perfectly well.
“my friends, you bow to no one ”
For all its qualities, and there are undoubtedly many, that fact is that much of what makes Return of the King such a great film is the rich character development and world-building of the prior two films that are all brought to a head here. But that is not to suggest for one minute this was a guaranteed home-run regardless of what was put up on screen, rather that the nature of the development of the trilogy suggested and indeed produced a final chapter containing all the qualities and very minor flaws of its predecessors - stunning design and locations, spot-on casting, beautiful score and occasional mis-step in story development (Denethor's final demise and the unnecessary conflict set up between Frodo and Sam being the chief problems, though ultimately forgettable in the larger picture of the film).
Yet this is a stronger film than the last - with the plot threads largely reduced to the more personal struggle of Frodo and Sam and the larger epic battles being fought by the remaining members of the Fellowship, the opening scenes flow much much better than in Towers. As the film develops, Jackson handles the build-up to the inevitable battle brilliantly, intercutting brief skirmishes and poignant character moments that help to build the tension before unleashing a cinematic spectacle that is vastly different to Helm's Deep in its scale, but is still deeply involving despite the visual effects overload, thanks to all the hard work done before and even in the midst of this battle, Jackson never forgets to remind us of the characters - whether it's Gandalf reassuring Pippin, Faramir's despair at his father, Eowyn taking to the field of battle and Legolas being...well, Legolas! Bernard Hill is again particularly good throughout the build-up and battle and his rallying cry to his troops is a punch-the-air moment that is worth savouring.
Had this been the ultimate resolution to the film, however, it might have come across as underwhelming, given its ultimate resolution, but Jackson recognises that amidst all the carnage and CGI mayhem, it is the more personal quest of Frodo and Sam that drives the end. Notwithstanding the unnecessary conflict created between Frodo and Sam, Sean Astin get his chance to shine here. The bond shown between Frodo and Sam throughout the films could have induced sniggers, but Sean Astin's portrayal of Sam, with his wide eyed innocence, unfailing devotion to his friend and child-like naiveté lend a strong emotional backbone to their quest and in the end it is their struggle that lends the conclusion it's intensity and the epilogue it's poignancy.
Indeed, the film and the trilogy has earned its right for a lengthy epilogue, which is beautifully handled. Is it necessary ? Probably not, but these scenes are filled with a plethora of emotional moments that deserve their place in the greater story as much as in this film.
What in the name is this ap all about
Rise of the planet of the apes
Great story. Awesome. Two thumbs up!!
It was ok I'm not a fan
I haven't seen this yet. Pls remind me
The best film I ever saw ;
Shout by KatnerysBlockedParent2018-09-12T13:28:03Z
The last movie of a masterpiece. Everything is extraordinary, the music, the acting, the costumes, the story, the battles... The epilogue is a little bit long but who cares ? You don't want something like this to ever end and every little moment spent with the characters is more than welcome.