The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

2003 Directed by Peter Jackson

The eye of the enemy is moving.

Aragorn is revealed as the heir to the ancient kings as he, Gandalf and the other members of the broken fellowship struggle to save Gondor from Sauron's forces. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam take the ring closer to the heart of Mordor, the dark lord's realm.

Elijah Wood Ian McKellen Liv Tyler Viggo Mortensen Sean Astin Cate Blanchett John Rhys-Davies Bernard Hill Christopher Lee Billy Boyd Dominic Monaghan Orlando Bloom Hugo Weaving Miranda Otto David Wenham Brad Dourif Karl Urban John Noble Andy Serkis Ian Holm Sean Bean Lawrence Makoare Marton Csokas Paul Norell Alan Howard Noel Appleby Ali Astin David Aston John Bach Show All…

Alternative Titles

The Return of the King, LOTR 3, Sagan om konungens återkomst, LotR The Return of the King, Le Seigneur des Anneaux: Le Retour du Roi, Le Retour du Roi, The Lord of the Rings 3 - The Return of the King

fantasy adventure action

201 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Lucy ★★★★★ 8

[fleabag voice] this is a love story
Review by eely ★★★★½ 5

ok but the real reason frodo fucks off to valinor is because sam married rosie instead of him and that’s the tea
Review by SilentDawn ★★★★½ 26

The end.
And with those words, Peter Jackson (you genius you) leaves me both sobbing and amazed at the utter perfection that was on display for the combined 11 hours.
I thought The Fellowship of The Ring was my favorite.
I was wrong.
The Return of the King is literally the most overindulgent and grandiose piece of cinema ever committed to celluloid. And that's not a bad thing, but a great thing. Tolkien's story is so intricately structured and detailed that to conclude the story in a couple hours would be a travesty. The Return of the King brings emotional gravitas, AWE-INSPIRING battle sequences, and pitch-perfect pacing to the table. And yes, I watched the extended edition. No matter how…
Review by Roberto_ ★★★★★

masterpiece
noun [ C ]
UK /ˈmɑː.stə.piːs/ US /ˈmæs.tɚ.piːs/
(also masterwork) a work of art such as a painting, film, or book that is made with great skill.
example: peter jackson's "the lord of the rings" trilogy is widely regarded as a masterpiece.

(not enough éowyn, though)
Review by Branson Reese 3

Everybody made fun of the bed scene but I think it’s nice to see men hug. They just destroyed the one ring, grow up.
Review by iana ★★★★ 3

i can’t talk right now i’m doing hot girl shit
Review by saber ★★★★★ 2

aragorn: my friends,
me: *sniff*
aragorn and me simultaneously: you bow to no-one
me: *UNCONTROLLABLE SOBBING*
Review by CinemaClown ★★★★★ 19

Every tale embarks us on a new journey, every journey eventually comes to its inevitable end. And for The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring was a genre-defining classic. The Two Towers astonishingly raised the bar to an even higher level. It did seem near-impossible for The Return of the King to triumph over such towering expectations but against all odds, this final journey of Middle-Earth delivers everything and accomplishes much more than what was expected from it to bring J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendary saga to an epic & magnificent conclusion.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the culmination of the wonderful journey we embarked on with The Fellowship of the Ring & picks up…
Review by Mario ★★★★★ 10

I will never not be crying during the entirety of those last 30 minutes.
Review by JB ★★★★½

Superior to the first two in every way possible. The pacing is so much better even though this one is longer than both its predecessors. I actually liked all the characters this time around too.
This is easily the most work I had to put into watching a Best Picture winner, but it was more than worth the payoff.
Gollum really said "yes i did that and you would do it too for a check.".
Review by ellie ✨ ★★★½ 4

all that epilogue and they still couldn't find time for the sam/frodo & aragorn/legolas double wedding smh
Review by Naughty aka Juli Norwood ★★★★★ 12

The Holy Grail of all films!
Peter Jackson is the dog whisperer of filmmaking! Every aspect of the film, with its numerous subplots all of which were demanding little diva's all vying for his time, talents and attention were masterfully handled, Jackson soothed the savage beasties and pulled off the most astonishing feat by delivering the most exciting, engaging, cohesive, satisfying, most beloved grand finale of all time!
Viewing this Trilogy is equivalent to participating in an Ironman Triathlon! I am physically and emotionally spent! I'm bruised, battered, and limping by the time I reach the finish line! But oh what a Glorious, Rewarding, Victorious experience this was!

Recent reviews

Review by carbom099 ★★★★★

One does not simply give this a one star review
Review by Andrew Nosal ★★★★½

The Return of the King is the pinnacle of high fantasy epics. It delivers on everything.
Review by celemarcel ★★★★★

I finally saw the extended version! The extended version is so much better as the deleted scenes made the film flow even better. It also explained some gaps between the scenes. More Eowyn too! The lead-up to the Battle of Pelennor Fields, up until the arrival of Rohan, is masterful stuff. With this version, I rank this above The Two Towers again.
Review by C.J. Potgieter ★★★★★

Greatest fantasy film ever made. Greatest trilogy ever made. One of the best film endings ever. I’ve just finished watching the trilogy in 4K and extended, and it’s been one of the best experiences I’ve ever felt.
No words, no matter how poetic, novelistic or lyrical, can ever describe how Peter Jackson managed to create this. It goes far and beyond imagination, beyond rational comprehension. Even to call it a film as I have is a great injustice. The battles are larger, more complex, the characterisation is deeper and more emotionally involved, the set pieces are grander, the fantastical creatures are more impressive, the story successfully concludes over two dozen character arcs. Howard Shore’s soundtrack and the stunning cinematography have…
Review by Mitchell ★★★★★

Every LOTR is perfect
Review by Johnny Trash ★★½

Het overdreven uitgesponnen afscheid op het einde heeft er nog halve ster afgeklopt.
En de film was al zo langdradig.
Review by Alexei Toliopoulos ★★★★½

Crazy that the film where Australian screen icons Miranda Otto and David Wenham fall for each other immediately follows Otto slaying a powerful evil being.
But I do wish Eowyn and Merry hooked up. I think they’re my two favourite characters and they’re v hot for each other.
These films are just flat out crazy.
- Elijah Wood, one of the more uniquely weird lead performances. Wild faces. Very tactile. Very slow smiles.
- when Frodo wakes up and everyone comes into the bed. One of the funniest scenes ever. He totally forgets Legolas’ name.
- legolas and gimli are like in these way less than I remembered and used to think legolas was so cool but he’s like pretty bland. …
Review by Molly 🦙 ★★★

I feel like letterboxd should have a setting for logging films which you fell asleep half way through. I managed to watch a good two hours of the 263 minute extended cut. That should be worth something.
Review by Ruhyah ★★★★★

What a trilogy
Review by Movie Watcher ★★★★½

It sticks the landing
Review by Slade Hallett ★★★★★

Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the combination of everything we built up too in the past two films. This epic finale has incredible, mind-blowing scenes of emotional and powerful fantasy elements, that would please J R.R Tolkien himself. Friendship, honor and sacrifice pays off in the finale shot that will make anyone shed a tear, because you feel like you gone on this journey with these amazing characters. I don’t see this as a third film, I see it as a finale chapter in a book. This film changed everything when it comes to adapting a book series and the fantasy genre as a whole. This is a once in a lifetime film. Please experience this world.
Review by adrianvargas ★★★★★

Perra obra maestra.