The final battle for Middle-earth begins. Frodo and Sam, led by Gollum, continue their dangerous mission toward the fires of Mount Doom in order to destroy the One Ring. Aragorn struggles to fulfill his legacy as he leads his outnumbered followers against the growing power of the Dark Lord Sauron, so that the Ring-bearer may complete his quest.

Frodo and Sam, led by the treacherous Gollum, finally close in on the land of Mordor in their quest to destroy the One Ring. Meanwhile, Sauron has turned his focus upon the broken land of Gondor in his conquest of Middle-earth as Aragorn prepares himself to claim the throne of Gondor in the final battle for Middle-earth.

Quite simply a masterpiece of a film. From the action set pieces that are otherworldly in scope and a sprawling story that hits on all the proper beats, Return of the King provides the perfect conclusion to the perfect film trilogy. The performances are all top-notch and the effects still hold up relatively well to this day, and the music complements the film wonderfully. It's my favorite of the trilogy, and while it has quite the hefty running time (over 3 hours in the theatrical cut and over 4 hours in the extended cut), it more than makes up for it in the end. Definitely watch this and the rest of the trilogy; it's honestly the best film trilogy of all-time.

Content Concerns: There are tons of violent battle scenes throughout. All involve some sort of injury or death, with blood being spilled in many scenes. There's a ton of turmoil and threat of mayhem as humans and creatures alike are killed or wounded, by swords, bows and arrows, catapults flinging massive pieces of debris, or getting crushed or thrown by hulking beasts. We also catch glimpses of several severed limbs and heads, with a fair bit of blood with each instance.

(April 13, 2023) ( )

Excepting virtually everything concerning the army of the dead (and in particular the inane skull avalanche), this movie is amazing, and a beautiful, heart-wrenching end to the saga. That said, I find its extended edition perhaps a bit superfluous -- this being the only movie in the entire six film series where I'm unsure if the extended cut is superior to the theatrical. Some of the scenes added are to its benefit, but some simply make an already long and unevenly paced movie longer. ( )

Special Extended Edition

The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition) ~ Viggo Mortensen, et al. (DVD - 2004)