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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Special Extended Edition)

Elijah Wood (Actor), Ian McKellen (Actor), Peter Jackson (Director) Rated:
PG-13
Format: DVD
4.8 out of 5 stars 19,343 ratings
IMDb9.0/10.0
$26.57 with 29 percent savings
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Product Description

Product Description

The WINNER of 11 Academy Awards* including BEST PICTURE is now 50 minutes longer! This extended version of the epic conclusion of The Lord of the Rings trilogy includes new score by Howard Shore and over 350 new digital effects shots.


Amazon.com

The greatest trilogy in film history, presented in the most ambitious sets in DVD history, comes to a grand conclusion with the extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Not only is the third and final installment of Peter Jackson's adaptation of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien the longest of the three, but a full 50 minutes of new material pushes the running time to a whopping 4 hours and 10 minutes. The new scenes are welcome, and the bonus features maintain the high bar set by the first two films, The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers.

What's New?

One of the scenes cut from the theatrical release but included here, the resolution of the Saruman storyline, generated a lot of publicity when the movie opened, as actor Christopher Lee complained in the press about losing his only appearance. It's an excellent scene, one Jackson calls "pure Tolkien," and provides better context for Pippin to find the wizard's palantir in the water, but it's not critical to the film. In fact, "valuable but not critical" might sum up the ROTK extended edition. It's evident that Jackson made the right cuts for the theatrical run, but the extra material provides depth and ties up a number of loose ends, and for those sorry to see the trilogy end (and who isn't?) it's a welcome chance to spend another hour in Middle-earth. Some choice moments are Gandalf's (Ian McKellen) confrontation with the Witch King (we find out what happened to the wizard's staff), the chilling Mouth of Sauron at the gates of Mordor, and Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) being mistaken for Orc soldiers. We get to see more of Éowyn (Miranda Otto), both with Aragorn and on the battlefield, even fighting the hideously deformed Orc lieutenant, Gothmog. We also see her in one of the most anticipated new scenes, the Houses of Healing after the battle of the Pelennor Fields. It doesn't present Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) as a savior as the book did, but it shows the initial meeting between Éowyn and Faramir (David Wenham), a relationship that received only a meaningful glance in the theatrical cut.

And for those who complained, no, there are no new endings, not even the scouring of the Shire, which many fans were hoping to see. Nor is there a scene of Denethor (John Noble) with the palantir, which would have better explained both his foresight and his madness. As Jackson notes, when cuts are made, the secondary characters are the first to go, so there is a new scene of Aragorn finding the palantir in Denethor's robes. Another big difference is Aragorn's confrontation with the King of the Dead. In the theatrical version, we didn't know whether the King had accepted Aragorn's offer when the pirate ships pulled into the harbor; here Jackson assumes that viewers have already experienced that tension, and instead has the army of the dead join the battle in an earlier scene (an extended cameo for Jackson). One can debate which is more effective, but that's why the film is available in both versions. If you feel like watching the relatively shorter version you saw in the theaters, you can. If you want to completely immerse yourself in Peter Jackson's marvelous and massive achievement, only the extended edition will do.

How Are the Bonus Features?

To complete the experience, The Return of the King provides the same sprawling set of features as the previous extended editions: four commentary tracks, sharp picture and thrilling sound, and two discs of excellent documentary material far superior to the recycled material in the theatrical edition. Those who have listened to the seven hours of commentary for the first two extended editions may wonder if they need to hear more, but there was no commentary for the earlier ROTK DVD, so it's still entertaining to hear Jackson break down the film (he says the beacon scene is one of his favorites), discuss differences from the book, point out cameos, and poke fun at himself and the extended-edition concept ("So this is the complete full strangulation, never seen before, here exclusively on DVD!"). The documentaries (some lasting 30 minutes or longer) are of their usual outstanding quality, and there's a riveting storyboard/animatic sequence of the climactic scene, which includes a one-on-one battle between Aragorn and Sauron.

One DVD Set to Rule Them All
Peter Jackson's trilogy has set the standard for fantasy films by adapting the Holy Grail of fantasy stories with a combination of fidelity to the original source and his own vision, supplemented by outstanding writing, near-perfect casting, glorious special effects, and evocative New Zealand locales. The extended editions without exception have set the standard for the DVD medium by providing a richer film experience that pulls the three films together and further embraces Tolkien's world, a reference-quality home theater experience, and generous, intelligent, and engrossing bonus features. --David Horiuchi

Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 2.35:1
  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 5.75 x 1.5 inches; 14.4 ounces
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ MFR794043693229#VG
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Peter Jackson
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, Dolby, Dubbed, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 4 hours and 10 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ December 14, 2004
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen
  • Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ Spanish
  • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Spanish
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English (DTS ES 6.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), English (Dolby Digital 5.1 EX), Unqualified (DTS ES 6.1)
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ New Line Home Video
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000634DCW
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 4
  • Best Sellers Rank: #7,580 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 out of 5 stars 19,343 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
19,343 global ratings

Customers say

Customers consider this movie the best in the trilogy, praising its finale as an epic saga that's worth watching multiple times. The film features spectacular visuals and intense battle scenes, with one customer noting how it keeps action both epic and personal. The extended version receives positive feedback, and customers find it excellent as a way to conclude the trilogy, with one mentioning how the 200-minute runtime feels like it flies by.

Select to learn more

Movie qualityStory tellingValue for moneyEntertainment valuePicture qualityAction contentExtended versionPacing
691 customers mention "Movie quality"668 positive23 negative

Customers love this movie, considering it the best in the trilogy and an epic film.

"Great movie, maybe not for younger children but if your in to fantasy this is the movie for you... I would give it a 10 out of 10" Read more

"...The original LotRs is and always will be a great movie with amazing scenes, great acting and a good story that shows us its not the difference that..." Read more

"Great Movie but the Amazon copy that I paid to watch is only in 2 channel AC3 STEREO! WTF? LOTR in Stereo?..." Read more

"It is a good movie. It is faith movie but they don't show church, praying, anything like that. They are just showing morals in the movie...." Read more

164 customers mention "Story telling"150 positive14 negative

Customers love the story of this movie, describing it as the finale of an epic saga with a great conclusion.

"Story is great, bought this as a Christmas gift. Worked great, would recommend to everyone. It is blue ray so be sure to have a blue ray player" Read more

"...I read all the books when I was young. I love the story and I think Peter Jackson did a fabulous job with the trilogy." Read more

"Loved LOTR and this was a great ending to the series. The battle of Pelennor Fields is outstanding and gives me chills every time." Read more

"Great scripting, acting, and storytelling. A classic that will stand the test of time" Read more

152 customers mention "Value for money"149 positive3 negative

Customers find the movie worth the price, particularly noting that the extended version is well worth it.

"Great movies, great price, what else can I say. Recommend to anyone that is a fan. Soon as I watched one movie, I was putting in the other one." Read more

"Great price and great quality! Appreciate fast delivery! This was purchased to add to my collection of Hobbit movies...." Read more

"I was looking for the LOTR trilogy in CD for a good price and this was it. My hubby was happy with it." Read more

"...This was a great deal and the family loves the movies. We watch them as a movie marathon every year or so, so we needed this one...." Read more

120 customers mention "Entertainment value"110 positive10 negative

Customers find the movie entertaining and engaging, describing it as a wonderful adventure that's worth watching multiple times.

"...series is one of the best and the movies are action packed and fun to watch." Read more

"...with the first and second "The Lord of the Rings" It is very entertaining." Read more

"Classic movie. Always a good watch" Read more

"Highly entertaining. Great action" Read more

63 customers mention "Picture quality"51 positive12 negative

Customers praise the movie's picture quality, highlighting its spectacular visuals and HD clarity, noting it won a Best Picture Oscar.

"Really enjoyed the movie, for the second time. The picture quality was great on a Samsung 32" LCD...." Read more

"...This dvd comes with Spanish and English subititles and the image quality is very good." Read more

"...This is one of those you can't get enough of. Action, quality graphics and lots of fun... Though frodo does get a bit too whiny..." Read more

"One of our favorites. Even better on Blu Ray" Read more

57 customers mention "Action content"51 positive6 negative

Customers enjoy the action content of the movie, particularly the intense battle scenes, with one customer noting that it keeps the action both epic and personal.

"This movie is full of action. Probably the second best of the trilogy. If you like sci-fi, you'll most likely love this series." Read more

"...The story is good as well as most of the action sequences but this one tends to go on and on and the final battle at the black gate of Murdor is a..." Read more

"Highly entertaining. Great action" Read more

"Great concept of a movie. Has amazing actors,action, and I love the theme the movie has. I especially love the fairies." Read more

56 customers mention "Extended version"41 positive15 negative

Customers love the extended version of the movie, with one customer noting that it is far more superior than the theatrical version.

"As a longtime fan of the LOTR series I thoroughly enjoyed the extended edition as well, and found it enhanced the movie by filling in sections of..." Read more

"extended version, with tons of bonus footage." Read more

"This is not the extended version!!!! do not order if you are expecting the extended version. it is just a blue ray version of the theater release" Read more

"Love the extended version" Read more

55 customers mention "Pacing"42 positive13 negative

Customers praise the movie's pacing, particularly how it serves as an excellent conclusion to the trilogy, with one customer noting that the 200-minute runtime feels like it flies by.

"...version of the Two Towers, this movie not only brought back the excellent pacing of the first extended film but it added some wild plot twists and..." Read more

"...What else can you say? It's three hours long, but very well paced. The effects are superb as usual, but they come second to the story...." Read more

"...I got the DVD in a timely manner. It had no scrathes and did not skip." Read more

"There were so many unexplained parts. And the movie just dragged on and on." Read more

I encourage you to buy it used
5 out of 5 stars
I encourage you to buy it used
Beautiful, what I’ve always wanted. I bought it used and whoever it belonged to prior to me sure took care of it, no scratches to the discs and the booklet and promotional offers from its original release date were found inside. I’m very happy with this purchase. (The Two Towers edition I also bought used and discs were unscratched however the booklet was missing - the booklet doesn’t contain much I just like it for the aesthetics). I’ve wanted these forever and I’m super happy with the used purchases.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Moe Lacerda
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent movie very cinematic.
    Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    This movie is excellent. It’s very cinematic and I enjoyed it very much. Would definitely recommend anyone who likes goblins or lore. One ring to rule them all!!!
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  • Jana L.Perskie
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Memorable Masterpiece & Fitting Conclusion To The Trilogy
    Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2004
    Verified Purchase
    BRAVO and thank you Peter Jackson's for your absolutely awesome adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's epic "Lord of the Ring Trilogy!" I read these extraordinary books back in the 1960s, and never thought their amazing fantasy characters and complex story could be brought to life. You seem to have pulled off a cinematic miracle with "The Fellowship of the Rings" and "The Two Towers," and your concluding piece, "The Return of the King" is near perfection. It is truly a jewel. For almost 3 years we have been waiting for the conclusion, the resolution to the saga. I got chills watching the movie - it is that vivid an experience. These three films are destined to become beloved classics, in the public's Movie Hall of Fame, if they are not already.

    The intrepid hobbits, Frodo, (Elijah Wood), Sam, (Sean Astin), and the creature Gollum, (Andy Serkis), are on the final leg of their mission to destroy the Ring in Mount Doom. Frodo is exhausted and the Ring continues to sap him of his strength with every footstep. Meanwhile, Gandalf the Wizard, (Ian McKellan), Aragorn the ranger, (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas the elf, (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli the dwarf, (John Rhys-Davies), reunite with their hobbit friends Pippin, (Billy Boyd) and Merry, (Dominic Monaghan), in the wake of the battle of Isengard. Director Jackson tracks Frodo and his two companions through the terrible dangers and betrayals which confront them in Morder. At the same Gandalf and Pippin ride to the city of Minas Tirith to warn them against coming invasion. And Aragorn makes ready to lead his people against the forces of evil, and to announce himself as Isildur's heir, the returned King of Gondor.

    The Battle of the Pelennor Fields is one of the most exciting moments in my personal movie history. I felt like I was in the midst of the battle and actually got an adrenaline rush. The film moves at such a rapid pace that I totally lost track of time. Jackson has saved some of the film trilogy's best moments for last. The Siege of Minas Tirith and the Battle of the Pelennor Fields are super superb, edge-of your seat excellent movie moments. Frodo's triumph and the return of the king, the coronation, are, for me, the crowning glory.

    Elijah Wood no longer shines as Frodo. He is a thin, waif-like, shadow of the cheerful hobbit he once was. The boy has become a man who shoulders burdens most men could not bear. Wood's change is palpable and his acting wonderful. Sean Astin's affable Sam has become Frodo's fierce protector, ready to kill to defend his companion against the treacherous Gollum, and the darkness of Mordor. Viggo Mortensen plays Aragorn with the nobility and courage befitting a king. Orlando Bloom and John Rhys-Davies provide needed comic relief from all the intense action. Miranda Otto's Eowen is beautiful, and as fierce a soldier as any man on the battlefield. All in all, the acting is magnificent - a real achievement. However, this is ensemble acting at its best. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Finally, all the characters from the earlier films reunite ar the end for a last good-bye.

    I highly recommend "The Return of the King' and the entire trilogy. I plan to rent all three over the next rainy weekend.

    JANA
    5 people found this helpful
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  • D. Mikels
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate DVD Experience
    Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2004
    Verified Purchase
    Alas. I am bleary-eyed from lack of sleep. My hair looks like an abandoned bird's nest. I've been wearing the same pair of underwear since. . .Tuesday, I think. That long-neglected salisbury steak TV dinner still resides in the microwave.

    Peter Jackson, you have successfully hijacked countless hours of my life with your extended version of THE RETURN OF THE KING. I know I should complain--complain about the insomnia, lack of appetite, mold in my undies--but can't bring myself to do it. These four DVDs are a Tolkienite's blissful nirvana, and I, after hours and hours of eager viewing, have only just begun to scratch the surface of their abundant treasures.

    For abundance is the watchword with this majestic extended version, beginning with the film itself. Well over four hours in length, we are greeted and treated with exceptional extra footabe. The violent demise of Saruman and Grima Wormtongue. A jarring exchange at the Black Gate with the "Mouth of Sauron" (oh, for a good dentist). Brief, fleeting glimpses at the blossoming romance of Eowyn and Faramir. Frodo and Samwise, clad in Orc garb and deep within the festering bowels of Mordor, suddenly absorbed into a most dysfunctional brigade.

    And those are just for starters.

    The extended version of THE RETURN OF THE KING wonderfully and successfully enhances, augments, and improves the Academy Award-winning theatrical release; its special features and enticing appendices make watching this stuff an absolutely unforgettable experience. As examples: We learn why the "Scourging of the Shire" was not included; how Tolkien himself was influenced by the wanton carnage of World War I; the overwhelming emotions of the actors as they concluded their roles after more than four furious years of filmmaking--heck, we even get to watch a gigantic prosthetic oliphant get made and then transported, piece by piece, via dozens of trucks, to some windblown pasture, where it becomes the world's largest movie prop.

    No wonder I haven't showered in days.

    This extended version is the granddaddy of its two predecessors--a shining triumph of entertainment guaranteed to enchant and delight. Pay close attention to the actors' voice-overs of the extended film; you will laugh, giggle, chuckle (what a witty group they are)--but you will learn, and absorb, a ming-boggling amount of information. Most highly recommended.

    --D. Mikels
    8 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Simon Brooke
    5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacle and courage: a magnificent conclusion/
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 14, 2004
    Verified Purchase
    In trying to write a concise review of this extended edition, one is faced with three different topics each worthy of consideration. The first is this cut of The Return of the King as a movie; the second is the package with its appendices; the third is the total achievement of the whole project, which this set completes. It's going to be very hard to do justice to all three in just a thousand words.
    So firstly: The Return of the King, or more precisely this cut, as a movie. Consistently Peter Jackson's extended cuts have been, in my opinion, better movies as movies than the 'theatrical' cuts. There's a lot of new material here - not just extending scenes, but many scenes which were left out of the theatrical cut altogether, which add to characterisation, pacing and story telling.
    So: the movie. It does not, of course, religiously follow Tolkien's text - nor could it. On the whole, however, it is reasonably true to the overall themes of Tolkien's text. The story-telling here is fine, and is worked on with great care. The acting, too, is fine. Among so many very fine performances, in this movie I particularly admired Billy Boyd's Pippin, Miranda Otto's Eowyn, Bernard Hill's Theoden. This is, however, very much an ensemble production. The general level of acting is high. People put their all into making this.
    And not just into the acting. The costumes are spectacularly gorgeous, the sets spectacular and very largely believable, the scenery very much in keeping. In particular the presentation of the city of Minas Tirith is a tour de force, achieved by actually building quite a substantial part of the city at full scale.
    But not all of that you see is real. What is particularly impressive in the CGI in this film (and there's a great deal of it) is the extent to which one simply does not notice it. Gollum, for example, is just there. The fell beasts which the Nazgul ride, and the 'great beasts' which draw Grond, are similarly so seamlessly in the piece that it is hard to believe they weren't there on the set when the camera rolled. With a critical eye you can see the CGI work in the great horse charge, and when the Rohirrim fight the Haradrim on their mumakil - but it isn't sufficiently obvious to be distracting. Indeed the one location in this book which seemed to me 'obviously' CGI - the Hall of Denethor, which seemd to me to have that hyper-reality that comes of ray-tracing - turned out to be a real (but beautifully constructed) set.
    Finally, the score and sound design are again excellent.
    In summary, this is a beautiful looking movie, telling a classic story and telling it well.
    Then the package. The Extended Edition pack comes with two disks of 'appendices', just as the extended editions of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers did; and they follow very much in the format already established in the earlier appendices, a series of documentary pieces about the background to the story and the making of the film. They don't strike me with the force that the earlier appendices did, but that is not, I think, because these are less good, simply because the format has been established and has lost its freshness. The fact remains that this is not space-filler material; for me, the 'appendices' disks of the Lord of the Rings extended editions set the standards by which all other DVD extra content is judged.
    And in this case, you don't just get four disks, you get five. The fifth is about turning the film score into a symphony. Frankly, for me, that was less value for money; it didn't really work either as documentary (too much of it was simply the music) or as music (too often interrupted with commentary). But seeing it's a thrown in extra I wasn't disappointed.
    So, finally, the whole achievement. The scale and ambition of this project are staggering. Tolkien justifiably thought the Lord of the Rings unfilmable; Jackson has filmed the unfilmable and done it well. I don't quite think it's a masterpiece, but it is a very fine work of craftsmanship, with a coherent vision which produces a believable world.
    Why not a masterpiece? Well, some aspects of the plot were clumsily handled. Jackson never really knew what to do with the character of Arwen, for example; and a number of the plot decisions in The Two Towers particularly just don't seem to make any sense (why drop the Grey Company and then import a whole bunch of Lothlorien elves? Why?). Part of this, of course, is a consequence of the need to cut the story into three chunks in order to be manageably marketable. I suspect that one of these days someone - perhaps even Jackson - will reshape this material into a single twelve hour of more movie which will correct some of the plot difficulties. But even so it will be flawed, because the plot really wallows around the problem of Arwen.
    Finally, there are too many ham bits of movie cliche. I'd be the first to admit that Tolkien himself it rather given to having things that had lasted millenia destroyed as the fellowship passes through. You can forgive Jackson the collapse of the bridge of Khazad Dum, with Gandalf literally doing a cliff-hanger off the end. It's in the book. But to then repeat the same hammy cliche with Frodo dangling over the abyss in Sammath Naur is unforgivable. And why - why? - does the floor of the causeway in Sammath Naur collapse just behind the running feet of our heroes? Because that's the way it's been done in every hammy adventure film you've ever seen, and Jackson is too in much love with the B movie genre to rise above it.
    And yet... what one remembers above all is spectacle and courage. The halls of Khazad Dum; the Argonath; Boromir's last fight on the slopes of Amon Hen; Edoras with its Golden Hall; the thunderous might of the Uruk Hai before Helm's Deep; the charge of the Mumakil; Eowyn standing alone against the Witch King of Angmar. What one remembers, despite the minor flaws, is a great piece of story-telling, telling a great story about friendship and courage.
    Report
  • Warren Olson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Family Movie
    Reviewed in Canada on February 13, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Dvd Showed up in its bubble pack, no Damages
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  • S. Frank
    5.0 out of 5 stars Einfach unbeschreiblich, das Meisterwerk unserer Zeit!!!
    Reviewed in Germany on February 7, 2004
    Verified Purchase
    Gigantisch, atemberaubend, beispiellos, überwältigend - Dieser Film hat sämtliche Superlative wirklich verdient.
    Peter Jackson und seinem Team ist es gelungen, die ersten beiden Teile noch zu übertreffen und der Trilogie einen mehr als würdigen Abschluss zu geben.
    Meine Erwartungen an diesen dritten und letzten Teil waren enorm und ich kann nur sagen, sie wurden alle erfüllt und sogar noch übertroffen.
    Die Schauspieler sind genial (allen voran die 4 Hobbits, Aragorn, Gandalf und Eówyn), die Kulissen und Landschaften wieder einmal einfach ohnegleichen, die Musik ist grandios und die Effekte übertreffen alles bisher dagewesene. Die Entfesselung von Minas Morgul und die Schlacht bei Minas Tirith lassen einem das Blut in den Adern gefrieren und der Eingriff der Rohirrim in die Schlacht ist eine der bewegendsten Filmszenen, die ich je gesehen habe. Wenn Frodo von Kankra verfolgt wird oder Gollum sich mit Frodo und Sam ein nervenaufreibendes "Psychospiel" liefert, zweifelt man trotz der Gewissheit, dass sie computergeneriert wurden, kaum an der Echtheit dieser Bilder - die Effekte fügen sich perfekt in den Film ein und wirken keinesfalls aufgesetzt. Minas Tirith ist bei weitem die schönste Kulisse der gesamten Trilogie und der Showdown am Schwarzen Tor und im Schicksalsberg bringen das Zuschauerherz zum Rasen. Gollum wirkt noch echter als in Teil 2 und man nimmt ihn gar nicht mehr als CGI-Charakter wahr.
    Das Erzähltempo ist enorm und der Spannungsbogen wird perfekt über den gesamten Film gehalten und erlebt zahlreiche Höhepunkte. Keine einzige Szene wirkt fehlplatziert oder überflüssig.
    Alle Handlungsstränge, die in den Teilen 1 und 2 begonnen wurden, werden im dritten Teil zusammengeführt und es kommen sogar noch neue dazu, aber man verliert keineswegs den Überblick, denn alles wird sehr geschickt dargestellt und aufgelöst.
    Das Ende, welches von manchen als zu lang und kitschig empfunden wurde, ist meiner Meinung nach genau perfekt gelungen. Es ist sehr emotional und schließt die Trilogie mehr als würdig ab. Ein kürzeres Ende wäre diesen dei Meisterwerken nicht gerecht geworden.
    Das einzige Problem des Films ist: Er ist zu kurz. :) Man möchte den Film am liebsten gar nicht enden lassen, denn, wenn die Worte "The End" auf der Leinwand bzw. dem Fernsehschirm erscheinen, überkommt einen eine Melancholie und traurige Gewissheit, dass es nun für immer vorbei ist. Wir werden keine neuen Abenteuer mehr mit unseren Helden aus Mittelerde erleben und das muss einen Fan einfach traurig machen.
    Noch kein Film hat es geschafft, mir so viele Gänsehautmomente zu bescheren, geschweige denn mich so stark emotional zu berühren. (Teil 1 und 2 haben dies zwar auch teilweise geschafft, aber nicht so extrem wie dieser Teil.) Ich habe noch nie bei einem Film geweint, aber bei diesem Film hatte ich in der gesamten Schlusssequenz ab dem Moment bei der Krönung Aragorns, als sich das gesamte Volk Gondors vor den vier Hobbits verneigt, Tränen in den Augen.
    Ich habe noch nie einen so bewegenden, ergreifenden, emotionalen, überwältigenden und einfach nur grandiosen Film gesehen. Es ist einfach ein Meisterwerk und noch besser als die ohnehin schon grandiosen ersten beiden Teile. Ich kann nur "DANKE!" sagen an alle, die an dieser Trilogie mitgewirkt haben und richte dabei besonderen Dank an Peter Jackson, dafür, dass er Mittelerde auf einzigartige Weise zum Leben erweckt hat. Die gesamte Trilogie hat Filmgeschichte geschrieben und ich bedaure es sehr, dass es jetzt quasi für immer vorbei ist. Doch was uns von PJ's Team gegeben wurde, werden wir nie vergessen und immer zu würdigen wissen. DANKE!
    "Die Rückkehr des Königs" ist für mich der beste Film aller Zeiten dicht gefolgt von Teil 1 und 2 und ein würdiger Abschluss für die Trilogie. Besser hätte man es nicht machen können. Die SEE im Oktober kann den Film nur noch perfekter machen und uns mit einer halben Stunde mehr Mittelerde nur mehr als glücklich machen.
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  • Neil Lambert
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent good value
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 5, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Good condition discs in good working order
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  • Philip Brown
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great end to a fantastic trilogy
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 3, 2005
    Verified Purchase
    When I came out of the cinema, I was blown away by this film. The huge battle along with the continuation of the quest by Frodo, is amazingly pieced together.
    Some Tolkien enthusiasts were annoyed about Shelob bieng put in tRotK, but it works so much better than if it was at the endo f Two Towers. Now this fantastic, oscar winning movie has been made even better.
    In the extneded edition, we get to see the Witch King and Gandalf confront. We see the Mouth of Sauron which is very strange. But most importantly we see Saruman. How you can not mention the defeat of a main baddie like him does not make sense, and my only problem with the cinema version is the fact that Gandalf simply says "and there he must remain", meaning he must stay in his tower. That as not the best of things.
    I love the start of this movie, I think it is far superior to any reminition of the Gandalf-Balrog fight. It tracks a part of the rings journey which had not yet been mentioned in the films, and it works as a great start.
    My only complaint about the extended edition is the addition of the scene with the boats and Aragorn on the bank saying "You will go no further". I'm glad we don't see too much of this, but I just don't like it and I think it was only put in because of all the cameos including director.
    The bonus material discs are, once again a bag of information. The first, tracks the design and planning of the film as well as a horse documentary anout the training involved. The second disc shows the filming and editing of the film. Including the massive tasks that Weta Digital had to undertake to produce the visual effects for the film. If Two Towers was close, this was cutting it fine.
    This disc also shows the farewells and goodbyes that everyone had to endure, including the emotional last scene for Frodo, after which Peter and Elijah Wood just hug each other and cry. It is a strange thing but after the six discs of extras from each extened edition of the film, you become familiar with everyone as if they aren't big movie guys but close friends. It feels like you now Peter Jackson and Richard Taylor etc. And it is sad to realise that this is the last one.
    A great set which completes one of the best trilogies ever made. A must for anyones collection. Buy it!!!
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