IMDb > The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) More at IMDbPro »

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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) -- The former Fellowship of the Ring prepare for the final battle for Middle Earth, while Frodo & Sam approach Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) -- ZuGuide.com - Trailer (Flash)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) -- MyMovieScripts.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 7% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Peter Jackson
Writers (WGA):
J.R.R. Tolkien (novel)
Fran Walsh (screenplay) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
17 December 2003 (USA) more
Tagline:
This Christmas the journey ends. more
Plot:
The former Fellowship of the Ring prepare for the final battle for Middle Earth, while Frodo & Sam approach Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won 11 Oscars. Another 106 wins & 68 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(216 articles)
Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin to host Oscars
 (From Filmicafe. 3 November 2009, 12:58 PM, PST)

John Rhys-Davies Has "Ruled Out" Playing a Dwarf in The Hobbit
 (From ReelzChannel. 1 November 2009, 3:39 AM, PST)

User Comments:
A monumental film more (2900 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Der Herr der Ringe - Die Rückkehr des Königs (Germany)
The Return of the King (USA) (short title)
El señor de los anillos: El retorno del rey (Argentina) (Panama) (Peru) (Spain) [es]
Le seigneur des anneaux - Le retour du roi (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
A gyrürük ura: A király visszatér (Hungary) [hu]
El señor de los anillos - El retorno del rey (Mexico) [es]
El senyor dels anells: El retorn del rei (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Gospodar prstanov: Vrnitev kralja (Slovenia) [sl]
Gospodar prstenova: Povratak kralja (Serbia) [sr]
Hringadróttinssaga: Hilmir snýr heim (Iceland) [is]
Il signore degli anelli - Il ritorno del re (Italy) [it]
O Senhor dos Anéis: O Retorno do Rei (Brazil) [pt]
O arhontas ton dahtylidion: I epistrofi tou vasilia (Greece) [el]
Pán prstenov: Návrat krála (Slovakia) [sk]
Pán prstenu: Návrat krále (Czech Republic) [cs]
Ringenes herre: Atter en konge (Norway) [no]
Ringenes herre: Kongen vender tilbage (Denmark) [da]
Sõrmuste isand: Kuninga tagasitulek (Estonia) [et]
Sagan om ringen: Sagan om konungens återkomst (Sweden) [sv]
Taru sormusten herrasta - Kuninkaan paluu (Finland) [fi]
Wladca Pierscieni: Powrót króla (Poland) [pl]
Yüzüklerin efendisi - Kralin dönüsü (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
more
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and frightening images. (also extended edition)
Runtime:
201 min | 251 min (extended edition)
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Certification:
Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Malaysia:U | USA:PG-13 (certificate #40415) | Hungary:14 | Sweden:11 | South Korea:12 | Brazil:12 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:G (Quebec) | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-11/9 (re-rating) | Finland:K-15 (original rating) | France:U | Germany:12 | Germany:16 (special extended edition) | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:12 | Ireland:12 | Israel:PG | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:12 | Netherlands:16 (special extended version) | Norway:11 (extended version) | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | UK:12A (original rating) | UK:12 (video rating) (2004) | Greece:K-13

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Cameo: [Rick Porras]The other soldier watching the beacon at Minas Tirith is the co-producer. more
Goofs:
Continuity: The sword that killed Sauron was broken into four distinct pieces - two big, two small. Yet the blacksmith who repairs the sword only takes the two larger pieces, and forges them together - and the sword is complete. Since the blacksmith didn't use all four pieces, the sword should not appear completed. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Deagol: Smeagol, I've got one! I've got a fish, Smeag. Smeagol!
Smeagol: Pull it in. Go on. Go on. Go on. Pull it in.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Captain Mike Across America (2007) more
Soundtrack:
The Edge of Night more

FAQ

How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
Is this movie based on a novel?
more
194 out of 251 people found the following comment useful.
A monumental film, 17 December 2003
9/10
Author: Chris Docker (eyeforfilm) from Scotland, United Kingdom

Feeling weary and battle-worn, I have just staggered out of the cinema after three and a half hours of special effects creatures fighting other special effects creatures. I had taken refreshments but barely touched them - probably because the film I had watched is one of the most mesmerising, evocative, inspiring, and awesome I have witnessed of any big adventure epic. Not to mention superb ensemble acting, moods that shift effortlessly between mediaeval battles of colossal proportions and convincing bloodshed, beauty and wonderment, fantastic natural and artificial landscapes and cityscapes, touches of humour, well-paced dramatic tension, and human bonding that is moving enough to just let you dry your eyes as the unassuming credits flash by.

Return of the King is the greatest of the Tolkien trilogy by New Zealand director Peter Jackson. Although I've seen the other two and read the book, I felt it would also stand alone well enough for people who hadn't done either.

The storytelling is much more professional that the first one - which maybe laboured to introduce so much information - or the second one - which has little let up from the tension of long battle scenes. In Return of the King, there is an emotional sting at the start, as we watch the transformation of Gollum from warm, fun-loving guy to murderous, mutated wretch. The movie then moves deftly between different segments of the story - the sadness of the lovely soft-focus Liv Tyler as fated Arwen whose travails and woman's love succeeds in having the Sword that was Broken mended, the comradeship of Sam and Frodo (Sean Astin & Elijah Wood) that is tested to the limits, the strong commanding presence of Gandalf (Ian McKellen) who keeps an eye on things whilst turning in an Oscar-worthy performance, the ingenious and very varied battle scenes, and the mythical cities of that rise out of the screen and provide key plot elements.

This is a fairy story of human endeavour, the defeating of power cliques and the triumph of the human spirit that could almost be compared to Wagner's Gotterdammerung. It is a fairy story without any sugary sweetness, a fairy story the likes of which hasn't been told so well before, and is even unlikely to be done so well in the future. The haunting scream of the Nasgul stays with you, the physical attractions are not airbrushed, and the battles are about as far from pantomime characters waving wooden swords as you can get. The ingenious monsters keep you on the edge of your seat. The whole narrative maintains the spirit (if not archival, detailed accuracy) of the original and makes you want to read the book (or read the book again!)

The worst I can say about it is that it is maybe a tad long - but not that you'd notice . . .

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