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

Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.

Director:

Peter Jackson

Writers:

J.R.R. Tolkien (novel), Fran Walsh (screenplay)

Stars:

Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen

Top Rated Movies #7 | Won 11 Oscars. Another 198 wins & 124 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Noel Appleby	...	Everard Proudfoot
Ali Astin	...	Elanor Gamgee (as Alexandra Astin)
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

Storyline

The final confrontation between the forces of good and evil fighting for control of the future of Middle-earth. Frodo and Sam reach Mordor in their quest to destroy the One Ring, while Aragorn leads the forces of good against Sauron's evil army at the stone city of Minas Tirith.

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Plot Keywords:

epic | orc | hobbit | ring | battle | 

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Taglines:

There can be no triumph without loss. No victory without suffering. No freedom without sacrifice.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and frightening images

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the extended edition, Eowyn tell to Aragorn she had a dream about a great wave. In a 1964 interview, J.R.R. Tolkien had talked about this, a nightmare he had many times, the dream of an ineluctable wave coming in over the country. He named this his "Atlantis complex".

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Goofs

When Gandalf and Pippin are in Minas Tirith, and Gandalf is outside he starts coughing on his pipe smoke. On this wide shot, Pippin is tucked into bed. Then, in the next shot, he is up standing by his bed looking at his new Gondorian armor. He then gets Gandalf some water from the pitcher.

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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.

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Crazy Credits

There's a text written in maori: Me mahara tonu taatou nga Uri- aapakura noo tuaanuku nei, noo te waaotuu te tu kekehua ana o ngaa Eldarin kua hohouu mai i te Uru-moana. Which is in english: Let us dedicate our memories to the spirits of the Eldar who came to us from the Ocean that lies to the West.

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Alternate Versions

In some prints, the subtitles during Aragorn and Elrond's conversation (I give hope to men, I have kept none for myself) are missing.

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Connections

Featured in The Lord of the Rings: The Quest Fulfilled (2003)

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Soundtracks

The Green Dragon
Music by David Donaldson, David Long, Steve Roche (as Stephen Roche), and Janet Roddick
Lyrics by Philippa Boyens
Performed by Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan
Courtesy of Mana Music

User Reviews

Great

Wonderful on every level. Love the characters and special effects. One of the biggest, most massive battle scenes ever put on the silver screen. A great end to a monumental epic.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Country:

New Zealand USA

Language:

English Quenya Old English Sindarin

Release Date:

17 December 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Return of the King

Filming Locations:

Dry Creek Quarry, Wellington, New Zealand

Box Office

Budget:

$94,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$72,629,713, 21 December 2003

Gross USA:

$377,845,905

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,142,630,912

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, WingNut Films, The Saul Zaentz Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

201 min 263 min (Blu-Ray Extended Edition) 254 min (Special DVD Extended Edition) 192 min (DVD Widescreen Edition)

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES Dolby Digital EX SDDS Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1