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The Lord Of the Rings: The Return of the King [Extended Edition]

Actor(s): Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom
Director(s): Peter Jackson
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Movie Details

DVD Synopsis

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King brings Peter Jackson's mammoth adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic to a close in suitably epic fashion. Instead of starting just where the previous film left off, however, it goes far back in time to the moment the tormented creature Gollum first came to possess the One Ring. In this flashback, actor Andy Serkis (who voiced Gollum and performed his movements onset prior to the final CGI effects) finally gets to appear onscreen, portraying Gollum's former self, Sm�agol. This disturbing scene serves as a potent reminder that the Ring seeks to corrupt even the well-intentioned Frodo (Elijah Wood), who is increasingly struggling with the dark power of the Ring himself. Thus, the film returns to the present, following Frodo, Sam (Sean Astin), and Gollum as they journey ever closer to the foreboding land of Mordor. They pass by the terrifying dark city of Minas Morgul, watching as the dreadful army of the Witch King sets out for the human strongholds in Gondor, and move on to the rocky stairs to Cirith Ungol, where an even darker enemy lies in wait. Meanwhile, the rest of the Fellowship reunites in Rohan, having defeated the wizard Saruman on two different fronts, at Helm's Deep and Isengard. They are not together for long, though, since the hobbit Pippin (Billy Boyd) gets into trouble, making it necessary for him and Gandalf (Ian McKellen) to hastily depart for Minas Tirith, capital of Gondor. Once there, they find the steward of Gondor, Denethor (John Noble), in an unstable mental state and the city preparing for battle against the amassing forces of Sauron. Denethor unwisely sends his only remaining son, Faramir (David Wenham), back into bloody battle to prove himself. He returns nearly dead, sending Denethor over the edge of sanity.

In another realm, elf Arwen (Liv Tyler) begins her journey to immortal life in the Grey Havens, on her way to leave Middle-earth -- and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) -- forever, but has a vision that causes her to once again reconsider her decision. Back in Rohan, the men are preparing to ride to Gondor's aide. �owyn (Miranda Otto) desperately wants to join the men in battle, but her uncle, King Th�oden (Bernard Hill), orders her to stay and defend Rohan if necessary. The hobbit Merry (Dominic Monaghan) also desires to ride with the men, but is denied due to his small size and inexperience. Aragorn is met there by the elf Elrond (Hugo Weaving), who brings him the re-forged Sword that was Broken (in the ancient battle with Sauron) and urges him to take a different route to Gondor. Heeding Elrond's advice, Aragorn, along with elf Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), takes a cavernous path through the mountains, where they meet ghoulish ghosts who betrayed Aragorn's ancestors and are doomed to eternal unrest unless they fulfill their broken oaths by aiding him. All but Frodo, Sam, and Gollum will meet on the massive battlefield of the Pelennor before the gates of Minas Tirith. The former three instead engage in a battle of wills between each other and the One Ring as they head toward the fires of Mount Doom to destroy it. Released in December 2003, The Return of the King topped even its massively successful trilogy predecessors at the box office, and went on to garner a whopping 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture -- winning in all the categories in which it was nominated and tying the record of total awards won with Ben-Hur and Titanic. ~ Dana Rowader, All Movie Guide

Actors

Elijah Wood - Frodo Baggins
Ian McKellen - Gandalf
Viggo Mortensen - Aragorn
Sean Astin - Samwise Gamgee
Orlando Bloom - Legolas

Editorial Review of DVD

By the time of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King's theatrical release, audience members who had already experienced extended DVD editions of the previous two films in the trilogy were gossiping on just what would be included on the third chapter's eventual extended version. While the original theatrical cut of the film, which made a clean sweep at the 2003 Academy Awards ceremony, was pretty close to being perfect, this extended edition from director Peter Jackson improves on that perfection. The now over four-hour-long film is split between two discs and is presented in a gorgeous 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio. While the small-screen presentation makes some of the film's many digital matte paintings look even more like digital matte paintings, the transfer features brilliant colors and rich blacks. Make sure nothing is placed on top of your speakers, as the rumble of the disc's supersonic booming audio mix, presented in Stereo Surround Sound, Dolby Digital EX 5.1 Surround Sound, and DTS ES 6.1 Surround Sound, will likely make anything up there come crashing to the floor. The film also features four different and surprisingly lively audio commentaries, which are split up between Jackson and his co-screenwriters and various members of the cast and crew. Actor Andy Serkis even lets the characters Gollum and Sm�agol get a few nasty words in occasionally. The real highlights of the first two discs are, without a doubt, the additions made to the film itself. The first disc alone contains 22 scenes that feature additional or entirely new footage, while the second disc offers 17 more. Long-awaited moments like seeing the fates of characters like Christopher Lee's Saruman or Brad Dourif's Grima Wormtongue are likely be embraced by fans. Overall, the new cut is better paced, more dramatic, more suspenseful, and far less rushed than the theatrical version. As with the other extended editions, it feels as if the theatrical release was the Cliffs Notes version of the film, while the extended DVD feels like the actual full, fleshed-out Lord of the Rings experience.

The first disc of extras, titled "The Appendices Part Five -- The War of the Ring," contains six documentaries that begin with an in-depth look at Lord of the Rings creator J.R.R. Tolkien and carry on to Peter Jackson discussing how the book was converted into a screenplay and how that screenplay was finally designed and filmed. Also included on the disc are a series of abandoned storyboard concepts including a sword fight between Aragorn and Sauron, two interactive Middle-earth maps, and several art and photo galleries that include over 2,000 images. As if that wasn't enough, the fourth disc, titled "The Appendices Part Six -- The Passing of an Age" includes over three hours of footage on the film's many award-winning effects, the musical score by Howard Shore, the film's multiple Oscar wins, and reflections from the cast and crew on their years bringing Tolkien's books to the screen. A massive gallery of candid production photos closes out the disc. While fans who have already sat through the six hours of previous supplemental materials from the other films will find some repetition of footage and information here, it is a rather small amount. Still, New Line Home Entertainment and the film's creative staff have once again raised the bar for DVD presentations, and this is certainly a film and a DVD, for newcomers or Lord of the Rings fans, that is an absolute must to own. ~ Jason Gibner, All Movie Guide

Member Movie Reviews

Alex P. (x3iv) from FAIRLAWN, VA wrote on 1/30/2009...

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

For my movie, one of the greatest movies ever made. Certainly got one of the biggest buildups ever.. two incredible movies before, incredible acting, incredible effects, and of course, Tolkien's story didn't hurt anything. This movie has it all, though... heartbreak, action, love, deception... and elves. Certainly one I could watch over and over.