The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Director:

Peter Jackson

Writers (WGA):

J.R.R. Tolkien (novel)
Fran Walsh (screenplay) &
Philippa Boyens (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

17 December 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

Tagline:

The eye of the enemy is moving.

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.

Plot Keywords:

Ring | Battle | King | Middle Earth | Journey

Awards:

Won 11 Oscars. Another 106 wins & 68 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. Sept. 12	8:00 PM	TNT
Sun. Sept. 12	11:50 PM	TNT

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Noel Appleby	...	Everard Proudfoot
Alexandra Astin	...	Elanor Gamgee
Sean Astin	...	Sam
David Aston	...	Gondorian Soldier 3
John Bach	...	Madril
Sean Bean	...	Boromir
Cate Blanchett	...	Galadriel
Orlando Bloom	...	Legolas
Billy Boyd	...	Pippin
Sadwyn Brophy	...	Eldarion
Alistair Browning	...	Damrod
Marton Csokas	...	Celeborn
Richard Edge	...	Gondorian Soldier 1
Jason Fitch	...	Uruk 2
Bernard Hill	...	Theoden

Also Known As:

"The Return of the King" - USA (short title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and frightening images. (also extended edition)

Runtime:

201 min | 251 min (extended edition)

Country:

USA | New Zealand | Germany

Language:

English | Quenya | Old English | Sindarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES | Dolby Digital EX | SDDS

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

Filming Locations:

Camperdown Studios, Camperdown Road, Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

Most of the lines Legolas says in the Extended Edition scene of the Paths of the Dead are direct quotes from the book.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the Army of the Dead enters Minas Tirith, one of the battlements on the city's outer wall (near the bottom of the frame) changes its shape and position, losing a portion of its tower.

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.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Frodo Is Great... Who Is That?!! (2004)

Soundtrack:

Aragorn's Coronation

A Brilliant Conclusion

As a movie watcher, I tend to become bored with the constant, overdone, overdrawn, underplayed, overdramatized performance and production quality of most Hollywood films. It's a trait that in recent years has sadly driven me away from most big budget American films. A decent idea will become mangled by the money making machine that is Hollywood, hoping to pump the most raw cash they can out of it before it drops dead in the street.

We all saw the catastophre of a failure that arose from the Matrix Franchise. Such immense hype and professed genius only made the failure all the more poignant for those of us that really wanted and expected more from the franchise.

That all being said, I must say that The Lord of the Rings is an amazingly powerful visual experience. Not even just a visual experience. Peter Jackson has crafted one of the finest written pieces of our era into THE quintessential epic. He supplements the brilliant storytelling of JRR Tolkien with one of the most awe-inspiring collection of films ever created.

The 7 hours of film that leads up to the Return of the King is only precursor though, when you sit and watch this film. It's just plain brilliance. Everything about the film is wonderful. The manner in which Jackson has arranged the scenes, detracting slightly from the original flow of the novel really helps to keep the suspense strong in all three story branches. The Tolkien humor is intact perfectly and the gallantry and just plain coolness of these heroes is plain amazing. (Check out Legolas in the BIG battle) It's all just too much for words.

If one were to gripe, and I suppose there will never be a film made that one cannot find a point at which to grip, it is painfully long running time here. I personally believe that this is the only way such a film could be made, true to the source material and completely engrossing, but I found myself more worried about the pain in my posterior than the emotional final minutes after 4 hours (including ads and previews) that I had spent in a cramped seat. As such, this will be all the better (at least for me) when it's release on DVD (can't wait for the extended...get to see the Sauroman scenes that they cut out).

As a film though, this is amazing. A true lasting legacy in story telling and now cinema. Bravo Mr. Jackson.