The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
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As the war against Sauron reaches its climax, Frodo and Sam must navigate the dangers of Mordor to destroy the One Ring while the rest of the fellowship unites to defend the realm.
The story
Continuing the plot of the previous film, Frodo and Sam follow Gollum towards Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring, unaware of Gollum's intentions to betray the duo to take the Ring for himself, while Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and their allies join forces against Sauron and his legions from Mordor. The film serves as the final installment in the trilogy, culminating in a massive confrontation to decide the fate of Middle-earth.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Frodo and Sam travel toward Mount Doom with Gollum as their guide, who secretly intends to steal the One Ring. Meanwhile, the rest of the fellowship and their allies, including Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, join forces to defend the kingdoms of Men against Sauron's overwhelming armies. Key events include the siege of Minas Tirith, the defense of the Pelennor Fields where Théoden leads the Rohirrim, and the ultimate confrontation at the Crack of Doom. Frodo and Sam eventually reach the mountain, where a struggle with Gollum leads to the Ring's destruction and the annihilation of Sauron's forces. Following the victory, Aragorn is crowned King of Gondor and marries Arwen. The hobbits return to the Shire, where Sam marries Rosie Cotton. Four years later, Frodo, still scarred by his journey, departs for the Undying Lands with Bil1bo, Gandalf, and the Elves.
- First release year
- 2003
- Runtime (minutes)
- 201
- Production countries
- New Zealand; Germany; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Peter Jackson
- Writers
- Fran Walsh · screenplay; Philippa Boyens · screenplay; Peter Jackson · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Elijah Wood · Frodo Baggins; Ian McKellen · Gandalf the White; Liv Tyler · Arwen; Viggo Mortensen · Aragorn; Sean Astin · Samwise Gamgee; Cate Blanchett · Galadriel; John Rhys-Davies · Gimli; Billy Boyd · Peregrin Took; Dominic Monaghan · Meriadoc Brandybuck; Orlando Bloom · Legolas; Hugo Weaving · Elrond; Miranda Otto · Éowyn
- Genres
- fantasy; adventure
- Themes
- sacrifice; heroism; friendship
- Tone and mood
- epic; heroic; emotional
- Setting
- Middle-earth during the War of the Ring.
- Premise and plot tags
- high fantasy; epic; war
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien
- Franchise connections
- The Lord of the Rings
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 94% · scale: percentage · review count: 304; Metacritic · score: 94 · scale: 100 · review count: 41; CinemaScore · score: A+ · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Picture · win; Academy Award · Best Director · win; Golden Globe · Best Picture for Drama · win; Golden Globe · Best Director · win; New York Film Critics Circle · Best Picture · win; Nebula Award · Best Script · win
- Production trivia
- The film was the first fantasy film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.; It was the highest-grossing film of 2003.; The film's production was the first where three separate entries were written and shot simultaneously.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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