The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Movie, 2003, The Lord of the Rings, Set in T.A. 3019
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is #3 of 9 in release order and #9 of 9 in chronological order in the Middle-earth.
The story
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.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King recap
Centuries before, Smeagol murders his friend Deagol for the Ring and becomes Gollum. Now Gollum turns Frodo against Sam on the climb into Mordor. With Isengard fallen, Pippin looks into Saruman's palantir and glimpses Sauron's plan to attack Minas Tirith. Gandalf rides there with Pippin, while Merry stays with Rohan. Denethor, steward of Gondor, sends Faramir on a hopeless charge and then tries to burn himself and his wounded son alive; Pippin and Gandalf save Faramir, and Denethor dies. Aragorn takes the Paths of the Dead and wins the oath-breaking ghosts to his side. At the Pelennor Fields, Rohan charges, Theoden dies, and Eowyn and Merry kill the Witch-king. Gollum leads Frodo into the lair of the giant spider Shelob, and Sam fights her off and rescues Frodo from orcs at Cirith Ungol. Aragorn leads an army to the Black Gate to draw Sauron's eye.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ending explained
At the Crack of Doom, Frodo cannot let go and claims the Ring, but Gollum bites off his finger and falls into the fire with it. Sauron is destroyed and the eagles rescue Frodo and Sam. Aragorn is crowned king and marries Arwen. The hobbits go home, but Frodo never heals, and he leaves Middle-earth from the Grey Havens with Bilbo, Gandalf and the Elves, giving Sam the Red Book to finish. Sam returns to his family. The story is over; later films go back in time.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is streaming on YouTube TV, TNT, TBS, tru TV, and HBO Max in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 9.0/10, Rotten Tomatoes 94%
Where it fits
- Release order: after The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, before The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
- Chronological order: after The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the last.
What to watch before The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
In release order, the essentials before The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) are The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002).
Cast
- Elijah Wood as Frodo
- Ian McKellen as Gandalf
- Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn
- Sean Astin as Sam
- Andy Serkis as Gollum / Smeagol
- Dominic Monaghan as Merry
- Billy Boyd as Pippin
- John Noble as Denethor
- David Wenham as Faramir
- Miranda Otto as Éowyn
- Bernard Hill as Théoden
- John Rhys-Davies as Gimli
Directed by Peter Jackson.