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IMDbPro

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

  • 20032003
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 3h 21m
IMDb RATING
9.0/10
1.8M
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
369
4
Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, and Andy Serkis in 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.
Play trailer1:41
12 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Action
  • Adventure
  • Drama
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.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.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.
IMDb RATING
9.0/10
1.8M
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
369
4
  • Director
    • Peter Jackson
  • Writers
    • J.R.R. Tolkien(novel "The Return of the King")
    • Fran Walsh(screenplay)
    • Philippa Boyens(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Elijah Wood
    • Viggo Mortensen
    • Ian McKellen
Top credits
  • Director
    • Peter Jackson
  • Writers
    • J.R.R. Tolkien(novel "The Return of the King")
    • Fran Walsh(screenplay)
    • Philippa Boyens(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Elijah Wood
    • Viggo Mortensen
    • Ian McKellen
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 4KUser reviews
    • 340Critic reviews
    • 94Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #7
    • Won 11 Oscars
      • 209 wins & 124 nominations total

    Videos12

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:41
    Official Trailer
    The Lord of the Rings Trilogy on Blu-ray
    Trailer 2:02
    The Lord of the Rings Trilogy on Blu-ray
    Everything We Know About "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power"
    Clip 3:27
    Everything We Know About "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power"
    Does Andy Serkis Know How Many Times He's Played Gollum?
    Clip 3:01
    Does Andy Serkis Know How Many Times He's Played Gollum?
    A Guide to the Films of Peter Jackson
    Clip 1:33
    A Guide to the Films of Peter Jackson
    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    Clip 1:09
    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    Clip 1:15
    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    Clip 0:26
    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    Clip 0:57
    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    Clip 0:47
    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    Clip 1:14
    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    Who Else Almost Starred In The Lord of the Rings?
    Video 3:08
    Who Else Almost Starred In The Lord of the Rings?

    Photos990

    Liv Tyler in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
    Liv Tyler and Jarl Benzon in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
    Orlando Bloom in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
    Ian McKellen in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
    Sean Astin in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
    Peter Jackson in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
    Dominic Monaghan in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
    Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, and Orlando Bloom in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
    Liv Tyler and Hugo Weaving in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
    Sean Astin in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
    Billy Boyd in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
    John Noble in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Elijah Wood
    Elijah Wood
    • Frodoas Frodo
    Viggo Mortensen
    Viggo Mortensen
    • Aragornas Aragorn
    Ian McKellen
    Ian McKellen
    • Gandalfas Gandalf
    Orlando Bloom
    Orlando Bloom
    • Legolasas Legolas
    Noel Appleby
    • Everard Proudfootas Everard Proudfoot
    Ali Astin
    Ali Astin
    • Elanor Gamgeeas Elanor Gamgee
    • (as Alexandra Astin)
    Sean Astin
    Sean Astin
    • Samas Sam
    David Aston
    David Aston
    • Gondorian Soldier 3as Gondorian Soldier 3
    John Bach
    John Bach
    • Madrilas Madril
    Sean Bean
    Sean Bean
    • Boromiras Boromir
    Cate Blanchett
    Cate Blanchett
    • Galadrielas Galadriel
    Billy Boyd
    Billy Boyd
    • Pippinas Pippin
    Sadwyn Brophy
    • Eldarionas Eldarion
    Alistair Browning
    Alistair Browning
    • Damrodas Damrod
    Marton Csokas
    Marton Csokas
    • Celebornas Celeborn
    Richard Edge
    • Gondorian Soldier 1as Gondorian Soldier 1
    Jason Fitch
    Jason Fitch
    • Uruk 2as Uruk 2
    Bernard Hill
    Bernard Hill
    • Theodenas Theoden
    • Director
      • Peter Jackson
    • Writers
      • J.R.R. Tolkien(novel "The Return of the King")
      • Fran Walsh(screenplay)
      • Philippa Boyens(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    Could Jake Gyllenhaal Save Middle-earth?

    Could Jake Gyllenhaal Save Middle-earth?

    It's been 15 years since the Lord of the Rings trilogy ended, but we still can't get enough. Let's look at the stars who missed out on adventures in Middle-earth.
    Find out
    Image caption not available
    3:08

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Andy Serkis and Elijah Wood were each given prop rings by Peter Jackson used in the movie. They both thought they had the only one.
    • Goofs
      When Denethor catches fire, he is in the Hallows of Minas Tirith, yet he plummets off the prow of the city, which is "... about a mile..." away. Peter Jackson admitted this in the DVD commentary.
    • Quotes

      Aragorn: Hold your ground, hold your ground! Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you *stand, Men of the West!*

    • Crazy credits
      Peter Jackson's and Fran Walsh's children are listed in the credits as 'Cute Gondor children'. In the Fellowship of the Ring, they were 'Cute Hobbit children' and in The Two Towers, they were 'Cute Rohan children'.
    • Alternate versions
      When Aragorn reveals Anduril to the King of the Dead, some prints of the film has his reply as "That blade was broken", while in other prints his response is "That line was broken."
    • Connections
      Edited from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
    • Soundtracks
      Into the West
      Words and Music by Howard Shore, Fran Walsh, and Annie Lennox

      Performed by Annie Lennox

      Annie Lennox appears courtesy of BMG Ariola Munchen GmbH

    User reviews4K

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    All Good Things come to an End!
    All the threads of Tolkien's magnum opus come together in the most elegant of fashions in the final part of Peter Jackson's adaptation. Humanity makes a last stand at Minas Tirith, the Hobbits travel through Mordor, our heroes try to by time for Frodo to complete his mission and the Evil Sauron gets tired of the whole game and lashes out with all his might and fury.

    "Return of the King" is 4 hours of payoff, a third act in a gigantic epic rather than a mere film of its own. As such it is intensely dramatic and dynamic and you can very much sense that though peter Jackson spared no effort on the previous episodes, this is clearly his favorite. the film floats by at a thunderous pace, taking us through unforgettable moments such as the battle of Minas Tirith itself, a marvel of seamless animation and epic film-making, it demands to be seen, as it has too many jaw-dropping moments to choose from. The quieter character moments keep gaining in potency and the full weight of the stakes and their heartbreaking consequences is never in doubt.

    The cast of these films have played their parts to perfection and again Jackson deserves overall credit for choosing actors that so perfectly match Tlolkien's creations: Ian McKellen and Christopher Lee are their own usually excellent selves, and the hobbits remain endearing, but of all the uniformly great cast, the true standouts are Viggo Mortensen and David Wenham as the tragic Faramir, whose relationship with his brutish father is the most traumatic of the film. Jackson pushes them even further by having them sing at a few key moments (a practice employed to powerful effect by Tolkien in the books), a daring undertaking that works wonders. And though he may offer one ending too many, he does have the decency to show off each surviving character with the appropriate screen time and respect.

    Now that the trilogy is complete, it can be viewed as one big film, as it should be. After 8 years, Jackson has done the impossible: he has taken Tolkien's huge legend and made films that stand on their own and have revolutionized film-making, setting the new benchmark for cinematic epics. Changes have been made to Tolkien's source novels, but they make for better, more fluid films, more faithful in spirit to Tolkien's myth than anyone had the right to hope for.

    A masterpiece, whether as part of a bigger whole or on its own. Well deserving of all the high praise thrown at it, and then some...
    helpful•90
    7
    • OttoVonB
    • Nov 22, 2006

    FAQ39

    • In the beginning of this movie, Smeagol says to Deagol "Give us that, Deagol, my love". So, are they gay lovers in the book?
    • Is this movie based on a book?
    • Who is the Lord of the Rings?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 17, 2003 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • New Zealand
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
    • Languages
      • English
      • Quenya
      • Old English
      • Sindarin
    • Also known as
      • The Return of the King
    • Filming locations
      • Hinuera Valley, Matamata, Waikato, New Zealand
    • Production companies
      • New Line Cinema
      • WingNut Films
      • The Saul Zaentz Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $94,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $378,251,207
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $72,629,713
      • Dec 21, 2003
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,146,436,214
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      3 hours 21 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS-ES
      • Dolby Digital EX
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Atmos
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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