Fresh
With The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Peter Jackson delivers a decent ending to his fantasy trilogy -- actually, about 12 endings.
David Germain, Associated Press
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The eye of the enemy is moving.
2003 · 3h 21m · PG-13
Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Directed by
Peter Jackson
Overview
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.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
94%
Tomatometer
Fresh
The Return Of The King ultimately proves up to the series' increasingly difficult task: making movies that echo legends, making legends that reflect life, and reconciling it all with the fact that both legends and lives all eventually meet their ends.
Keith Phipps, AV Club
Fresh
Yes, the running time is long, and yes, those many endings in a slow, dreamy coda left me feeling spent -- better spent than I can ever remember.
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
Fresh
Standing out amid an excellent cast is Elijah Wood, stymied by tweeness in the earlier films but here convincingly developing the character of Frodo as the embodiment of valor and self-sacrifice.
Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader
Rotten
Some story strands are crudely abbreviated; others fail to develop elements that were already well-established.
Tom Charity, Time Out
More films
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Action · Adventure · Fantasy · PG-13
After Port Royal is attacked and pillaged by a mysterious pirate crew, capturing the governor's daughter Elizabeth Swann in the process, William Turner asks free-willing pirate Jack Sparrow to help him locate the crew's ship—The Black Pearl—so that he can rescue the woman he loves.
- Runtime
- 2h 23m
- Director
- Gore Verbinski
- Cast
- Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom
IMDb
8.1
Rotten Tomatoes
79%
Metacritic
63
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Action · Adventure · Fantasy · PG-13
Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his home in order to keep it from falling into the hands of its evil creator. Along the way, a fellowship is formed to protect the ringbearer and make sure that the ring arrives at its final destination: Mt. Doom, the only place where it can...
- Runtime
- 2h 59m
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- Cast
- Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen
IMDb
8.9
Rotten Tomatoes
92%
Metacritic
92
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Action · Adventure · Fantasy · PG-13
Frodo Baggins and the other members of the Fellowship continue on their sacred quest to destroy the One Ring--but on separate paths. Their destinies lie at two towers--Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where the corrupt wizard Saruman awaits, and Sauron's fortress at Barad-dur, deep within the dark lands of Mordor. Frodo and Sam are trekking ...
- Runtime
- 2h 59m
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- Cast
- Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen
IMDb
8.8
Rotten Tomatoes
95%
Metacritic
87
Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
Action · Adventure · Drama · History · War · R
After his wife dies, a blacksmith named Balian is thrust into royalty, political intrigue and bloody holy wars during the Crusades.
- Runtime
- 2h 24m
- Director
- Ridley Scott
- Cast
- Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Jeremy Irons
IMDb
7.3
Rotten Tomatoes
39%
Metacritic
63
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
Action · Adventure · Fantasy · PG-13
Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit enjoying his quiet life, is swept into an epic quest by Gandalf the Grey and thirteen dwarves who seek to reclaim their mountain home from Smaug, the dragon.
- Runtime
- 2h 49m
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- Cast
- Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage
IMDb
7.8
Rotten Tomatoes
64%
Metacritic
58
Comments
Talk about the film with other members