The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Academy Award × 11
Rent/Purchase
As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.
What critics thought
Greeted on release as a landmark achievement in epic filmmaking, the film earned near-universal admiration for Jackson's direction, the battle sequences, and the emotional weight of the conclusion — though even many positive reviews couldn't ignore the punishing running time, especially the extended epilogue. The minority of dissenting critics pushed back harder, questioning the film's racial politics, its self-important solemnity, and a lack of genuine imaginative space for the viewer.
“Never has a filmmaker aimed higher, or achieved more. The third and last instalment of the screen epic based on J.R.R. Tolkien's literary classic redefines – steeply upward – the very notion of a major motion picture.”
Joe Morgenstern·The Wall Street Journal
“If it didn't take forty-five minutes to end, it'd be my best picture of the year. As it is, it's just one of the great achievements in film history.”
Joel Siegel·Good Morning America
“[T]here's something not quite palatable about all these intrepid, largely beautiful Europeans boldly fending off the nameless, numberless hordes from the other side of the world, legions of dark-skinned sans-culottes with tribal drums. ... Aside from this, there's plenty to be offended by on an aesthetic level: the film's self-important solemnity, its hyperbolic over-insistence. ... [T]here are no empty spaces, no gaps for thought, no real stimulus to the viewer's imagination. The film has no idea when to stop, either, with its multiple codas and final dying fall into beatific cosiness.”
Jonathan Romney·The Independent
“Some story strands are crudely abbreviated; others fail to develop elements that were already well-established. Given the inordinate running time, it's hard to avoid the feeling that we've already been here, done this.”
Tom Charity·Time Out
“I started the series an atheist and finished an agnostic”
Peter Bradshaw·The Guardian
Genres
Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Cast & Crew
DirectorPeter Jackson
StarringElijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Andy Serkis
ComposerHoward Shore
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Academy Award × 11
As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.
What critics thought
Greeted on release as a landmark achievement in epic filmmaking, the film earned near-universal admiration for Jackson's direction, the battle sequences, and the emotional weight of the conclusion — though even many positive reviews couldn't ignore the punishing running time, especially the extended epilogue. The minority of dissenting critics pushed back harder, questioning the film's racial politics, its self-important solemnity, and a lack of genuine imaginative space for the viewer.
“Never has a filmmaker aimed higher, or achieved more. The third and last instalment of the screen epic based on J.R.R. Tolkien's literary classic redefines – steeply upward – the very notion of a major motion picture.”
Joe Morgenstern·The Wall Street Journal
“If it didn't take forty-five minutes to end, it'd be my best picture of the year. As it is, it's just one of the great achievements in film history.”
Joel Siegel·Good Morning America
“[T]here's something not quite palatable about all these intrepid, largely beautiful Europeans boldly fending off the nameless, numberless hordes from the other side of the world, legions of dark-skinned sans-culottes with tribal drums. ... Aside from this, there's plenty to be offended by on an aesthetic level: the film's self-important solemnity, its hyperbolic over-insistence. ... [T]here are no empty spaces, no gaps for thought, no real stimulus to the viewer's imagination. The film has no idea when to stop, either, with its multiple codas and final dying fall into beatific cosiness.”
Jonathan Romney·The Independent
“Some story strands are crudely abbreviated; others fail to develop elements that were already well-established. Given the inordinate running time, it's hard to avoid the feeling that we've already been here, done this.”
Tom Charity·Time Out
“I started the series an atheist and finished an agnostic”
Peter Bradshaw·The Guardian
Genres
Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Cast & Crew
DirectorPeter Jackson
StarringElijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Andy Serkis
ComposerHoward Shore
Rent/Purchase