The Bottom Line
- Provides satisfying ending to nine-hour story
- Best of the three movies comprising “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy
- Technically superb and a fantastic spectacle, with more emotional impact than the first two movies
- I would have preferred even more psychological depth and character development
- Length may tax some viewers’ patience, especially during action sequences
- Despite the overall technical virtuosity, some unconvincing special effects were distracting
Description
- Two-disc DVD set containing movie “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003)
- Film won 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director (Peter Jackson)
- Movie is 3rd installment in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy
- Two-disc DVD set contains over 2 hours of special features, but provides no audio commentary track
- DVD set with extended version of movie and probably more extras expected later in 2004
- Excellent picture and sound quality
- MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and frightening images
- Feature run time: 3 hours 21 minutes
- DVD release date: May 25, 2004
Guide Review - "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" DVD
"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003) won 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director (Peter Jackson). "Return of the King" is the third and final installment in a fantasy action-adventure that began with "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" (2001) and continued in "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" (2002).
"Return of the King" picks up where "The Two Towers" left off, with Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) traveling to Mount Doom with Gollum (computer-generated, but voiced by and modeled on Andy Serkis). Meanwhile, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and Gandalf (Ian McKellen) get involved in monumental battles.
I don’t think fans of the first two "Lord of the Rings" films will be disappointed in "Return of the King." It has more emotional impact than the first two movies, and I would rate it slightly higher than the earlier films. In addition, it provides a satisfying ending to the series.
Although this two-disc DVD set provides over two hours of bonus materials, I found them a disappointment. There's no audio commentary track, and the features seem either promotional or didactic. I rate the feature film itself highly, but I recommend this two-disc set only as a rental, given that an extended version of the movie is expected to be released on DVD later in 2004. Details are not yet available for that future DVD release, but if history is any guide, one might expect it to contain more.
