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Title
Rating : 4.5
 
 
Description
Source : Amazon.com
With The Return of the King, the greatest fantasy epic in film history draws to a grand and glorious conclusion. Director Peter Jackson's awe-inspiring adaptation of the Tolkien classic The Lord of the Rings could never fully satisfy those who remain exclusively loyal to Tolkien's expansive literature, but as a showcase for physical and technical craftsmanship it is unsurpassed in pure scale and ambition, setting milestone after cinematic milestone as the brave yet charmingly innocent Hobbit Frodo (Elijah Wood) continues his mission to Mordor, where he is destined to destroy the soul-corrupting One Ring of Power in the molten lava of Mount Doom. While the heir to the kingdom of Men, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), endures the massive battle at Minas Tirith with the allegiance of the elf Legolas (Orlando Bloom), dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) and the great wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen), Frodo and stalwart companion Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) must survive the schizoid deceptions of Gollum, who remains utterly convincing as a hybrid of performance (by Andy Serkis) and subtly nuanced computer animation.

Jackson and cowriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens have much ground to cover; that they do so with intense pacing and epic sweep is impressive enough, but by investing greater depth and consequence in the actions of fellow Hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd), they ensure that Return of the King maintains the trilogy's emphasis on intimate fellowship. While several major characters appear only briefly, and one (Christopher Lee's evil wizard, Saruman) relegated entirely to the extended version on DVD, Jackson is to be commended for his editorial acumen; like Legolas the archer, his aim as a filmmaker is consistently true, and he remains faithful to Tolkien's overall vision. If Return suffers from too many endings, as some critic suggested, it's only because the epic's conclusion is so loyally inclusive of the actors--most notably Astin--who gave it such strength to begin with. By ending the LOTR trilogy with noble integrity and faith in the power of imaginative storytelling, The Return of the King, like its predecessors, will stand as an adventure for the ages. --Jeff Shannon

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Product Information
Released on : December 17, 2003
Theatrical Release on : December 17, 2003
Running Time : 201 minutes
Publisher : New Line Home Video
Rated : PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Format : AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Full
Languages : English, Spanish, English
Aspect Ratio : 1.33:1
Studio : New Line Home Video
Actors
Noel Appleby, Alexandra Astin, Sean Astin, David Aston, John Bach
 
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Customer Review Results
RatingDateSummaryContent
5 2010-08-23 What a finish.... What a fabolous turn of events, I got all three parts to the series and enjoy them all! The first one lest to say had me holding on until the next one and then the second part I was little weird but it all came together on the third part...! Never did I think for a second that smegal would get away w/ the ring as he fell into the fire pits of hell...Sadly Froto leaves the shire and parts fare-well to his beloved frineds who he had such a great bond with, as the bond grew stronger so did strangth and of the humility friendships bring! However I am thrilled to own it for good and will repeat watching time, time again! I almost forgot to say that the movie is much better after you play the games that go with it!
5 2010-06-27 The story ends Peter Jackson's epic adaptation of "Lord of the Rings" reaches its pinnacle in "Return of the King." The stellar cast, mind-blowing special effects and heartbreaking script are all present in the third movie, which is not only the last of the "Lord of the Rings" films, but the best -- and it's a shame that this blu-ray only includes the theatrical version.

Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) are still following the treacherous Gollum (Andy Serkis) on the path to Mordor, with the increasingly strained Frodo unaware that Gollum is sowing suspicion between the two best friends. By the time he realizes his mistake, he's been dragged into the lair of Shelob, a monstrous spider, and then abducted by orcs who want the Ring he carries. Determined to find his friend, Sam heads into an orc citadel...

Meanwhile, Gandalf (Ian McKellen) takes Pippin (Billy Boyd) with him to Minas Tirith, after the hobbit has a close encounter with Sauron through a palantir. The city is under siege, and the Steward Denethor is slowly going insane, even sending his remaining son, Faramir (David Wenham), on a suicide mission. With Minas Tirith crumbling, Aragorn's (Viggo Mortensen) only hope may to be summon an army of the dead, who will only obey the King of Gondor. But even the dead won't help him if Frodo doesn't destroy the Ring...

The "Lord of the Rings" trilogy is one of those once-in-a-lifetime movie experiences. There has never been anything quite like it in movie history, and there probably never will be again. It seems somehow fitting that the book that every other fantasy has to measure up to, has now become a sweeping cinematic triumph that actually stays halfway loyal to the books. Good things come to fans who wait, I guess.

Peter Jackson really outdoes himself. You know those battle scenes in "Two Towers" and "Fellowship of the Ring," with the swooping camera and thousands of orcs, clashing with men on a gloomy battlefield? In "Return of the King," Jackson surpasses that. There's everything from volcanic eruptions to an invasion of howling ghosts to the attack of the oliphaunts (like elephants, only bigger). Each action scene a shattering ride, and there's no guarantee that all the beloved characters will make it out alive. Some of them don't.

But if Jackson manages the epic battles well, he does an even better job with the gentler, quieter moments. The action slows down, and the characters take a moment to support and comfort each other. They cry, they hug, they think about home -- such as Gandalf comforting the frightened Pippin with a description of the afterlife. Jackson and his fellow screenwriters Fran Walsh and Phillippa Boyens throw themselves into the semi-formal language of Tolkien's world, resculpting Tolkien's words into equally rich movie dialogue.

Elijah Wood gives an unparalleled performance as Frodo Baggins. Frodo's gradual deterioration is wrenching to watch, and the climactic scene at Mount Doom displays just what the Ring can do to even the pure-hearted hobbit. Sean Astin follows up with his powerful performance as Sam, who is increasingly the "strong" hobbit, rather than the follower. The final scenes between these two outstanding actors are beautiful and understated.

But all the supporting cast also give powerful performances -- Boyd and Dominic Monaghan put their characters through some intense growing pains, and the "I'm going to take care of you" scene is enough to bring tears to your eyes. Mortensen gets more kingly every moment, while Ian McKellen balances action with grandfatherly wisdom. Bernard Hill has a quietly moving final scene, while Miranda Otto makes the despairing Eowyn a strong, kick-butt heroine.

And for this blu-ray? For some insane reason, The Powers That Be just WILL NOT release the extended edition of this movie, even after all these years -- meaning that a giant chunk of the narrative is missing. Yes, it's the theatrical release... yet AGAIN. And the extras are from the theatrical version as well: spots, previews, featurettes, trailers, and some documentaries about making the movies.

"Return of the King" brings the epic "Lord of the Rings" trilogy to a close, and cements Jackson's reputation as a master filmmaker. But this edition only tells half the story, so you might want to hang tight for the extended blu-ray.
3 2010-04-20 Bored by the king "The return of the king" is the third Peter Jackson movie based on Tolkien's fantasy epic "Lord of the Rings" (LOTR).

I liked the two other movies, but by the time the third was released, I had become "bored of the rings", to use a phrase known to detractors of Tolkien and the LOTR universe. I got the same feeling when reading the novels. The second and the third novel are pretty much the same story, repeated twice! I know that's not *strictly* speaking true, but that's how I mentally felt like after digesting them.

In the same way, "The return of the king" feels like "The Two Towers" plus even more special effects, battles, monsters, and what not. I was excited by the effects in the first two movies, but started suffering from "special effect tedium" when watching the battle between the good guys and the Witch-king of Angmar outside Gondor. As usual, Gollum saves the day, but he isn't the centrepiece of attention as he was in "The Two Towers". And why is it so bloody important that Aragorn should become king of Gondor, anyway? I never got that part...

On one point, the movie version is actually worse than Tolkien's original epic. It leaves out the scourging of the Shire, which I take to be an important part of the plot. The scourging makes Frodo's decision to leave even more understandable, explains the ultimate fate of Saruman (the most visible villain in the story - Sauron never manages to rematerialize), and shows Tolkien's ecological concerns. Jackson apparently felt that the LOTR films were getting out of hand already, and decided to skip it (it's not included on the extended version either, although the fans hoped that it would be). Christopher Lee, who stars Saruman, was apparently so disappointed that he didn't even show up at the official premiere!

Only three stars for you this time, Mr. Jackson.
1 2010-04-17 No Extended Edition with Digital Download Beware this is not the Extended Edition digital download, and there are also some scenes cut from the theatrical version. You are better off buying the hard copy of this movie.
5 2010-03-07 My Precious oh, oh, frodo look out. you might get betrayed. The Return Of The King is the last movie in the series Frodo is almost about to get rid of the one ring. will he succeed and save middle earth or fail and destroy everyone. i guess you'll have to watch and find out. this is a very good movie just like the rest i love these movies. i recommend it to everyone