The Lord Of The Rings - The Return Of The King (DVD 2004)

I must say that The Lord of the Rings is an amazingly powerful visual experience. Not even just a visual experience. Peter Jackson has crafted one of the finest written pieces of our era into THE quintessential epic. He supplements the brilliant storytelling of JRR Tolkien with one of the most awe-inspiring collection of films ever created.
The 7 hours of film that leads up to the Return of the King is only precursor though, when you sit and watch this film. It's just plain brilliance. Everything about the film is wonderful. The manner in which Jackson has arranged the scenes, detracting slightly from the original flow of the novel really helps to keep the suspense strong in all three story branches. The Tolkien humor is intact perfectly and the gallantry and just plain coolness of these heroes is plain amazing. (Check out Legolas in the BIG battle) It's all just too much for words.
If one were to gripe, and I suppose there will never be a film made that one cannot find a point at which to grip, it is painfully long running time here. I personally believe that this is the only way such a film could be made, true to the source material and completely engrossing, but I found myself more worried about the pain in my posterior than the emotional final minutes after 4 hours that I had spent in a cramped seat.
As a film though, this is amazing. A true lasting legacy in story telling and now cinema. Bravo Mr. Jackson....

Excellent *****

And so we come to the final part of this momentous trilogy, as the story begins to draw to a close our heroes find themselves facing insurmountable odds with the chances of overthrowing the evil Sauron looking bleaker by the hour.

Frodo and Sam continue their quest to bring the One Ring to Mount Doom, where they hope to destroy it by casting it into the fires. Though having joined forces with Gollum, who is guiding them on their perilous journey, they also find themselves facing a danger from within.

The rest of the Fellowship now face the task of helping to fight Sauron's seemingly infinite army who are marching on Minas Tirith. Though the fellowship know they face an unstoppable army, they fight not for victory but to allow Frodo as much time as possible to complete his quest.

I already owned the extended versions of The Fellowship Of The Ring and of The Two Towers so purchasing The Return Of The King and completing the set was a must.
This film picks up right where the last one finished off, scenes at Isengard depicting the death of Saruman which were edited from the theatrical release have been reinstated, giving this version a better flow and helps better explain some of the following events. And those are not the only new scenes, in total this re-edit is forty eight minutes longer than the standard DVD edition.
This is, in my opinion, the best of the trilogy. Firstly it looks fantastic, the new zealand landscapes are again perfectly transformed into Middle Earths varied locations. Again its well acted by its perfect cast but what lifts this above the other two installments is the special effects and battle sequences. The battle that takes place on the Palennor fields looks absolutely convincing despite mostly having been created with computers.
At four hours long the third installment in the Lord Of The Rings is somewhat longer than the other two chapters, but despite its viewing time it will keep you entertained throughout.
In total Return Of The King won 11 Academy Awards, including Oscars for best picture and best director.

If you have not seen this movie, then you have to see it. If you have not seen the first two, then see them first. The final masterpiece in this epic trilogy. No wonder Peter Jakcson got so many Oscars.

Brilliant performances all around and some very tense moments. No amount of word can describe the feelings when watching this movie.

It simply beckons you to watch this movie.

The film is a very exciting conclusion to the Lord of the Rings trilogy and this particular 'special edition' provides not only superb quality viewing of the film but also an amazing collection of extras on the bonus DVDs.

What can i say the whole film is totally amazing, the special effects are so good its like your in the film with them. I found this abit long for my liking but well worth it at the end.

This four-disc extended version of the Return of the King contains numerous extras (including, for true die-hard fans, a full running commentary by the director and writers). However, I bought it mainly to see the scenes that were cut from the cinema release, in particular the final confrontation with Saruman and Wormtongue at Isengard.

Apart from this excellent scene, I did not feel the extended version added as much to the theatrical release as did the extended version of the Fellowship of the Ring, which provided quite a lot more background to the story. In fact, I think the editing of the cinema version was better with regard to Aragorn's recruitment of the Oathbreakers of Dunharrow, as the outcome was left ambiguous until the last possible moment.

Unfortunately, the Scouring of the Shire did not make it into the script at all (for reasons explained in an interview with the director), although it was quite important in the book. I think this is the main criticism I would make of any of the three Lord of the Rings films.

Overall, though, a terrific conclusion to an amazing trilogy, and well worth getting if you haven't already bought the original cinema release version.

i liked the lord of the rings because its got adventure in it. its exciting, moving and powerful. amzing and wonderful at the same time. a must see.

Sir Ian McKellen - take a bow.
The acting on his behalf in this film simply blew me away.

The one thing to wait for in this film is the epic battle scene at the end.
It is without doubt, one of the best single scenes in a film that I have ever seen. The screenplay, directing, casting, acting, colour, fighting everything about it is perfect, and who comes to save the day................

But it, you'll find out, and you won't be disappointed.

100,000%

Great film to end the trilogy. Not actually bought for myself but as a birthday present for somebody. They were made up as it completed their collection.

The extended version of this film is definatley worth a watch!!! You would be missing out on the extra 48 minutes of fun if you didn't!

Fantastic film. Really related to the book Peter Jackson did a fantastic job of directing it to as close to the book as possible.

i got this DVD for a great price and delivery time was as described to me.there was a problem with the DVD however this ebay had such good communication and instantly refunded me in full including the postage costs and didnt expect me to post the DVD back. all in all an excellent ebayer!!!

Excellent DVD Box Set! Has four DVD Disc's and is jam packed full of extras, tours and guide on every stage of the movie. Also has commentary selection from the Cast or from Director and crew - You Choose!

The Last in the Trilogy in the Lord of the Rings Set. Most enjoyable and well worth the money. Hope Tolkien would have enjoyed it too!

So go ahead - get that drink, some popcorn and settle down to one of the best movies ever made!

When I watched the movie at the cinema I thought that there was no way it could get any better, once again I was proved wrong. The extended cut adds more character material such as Merry and Eowyn and extra bits the battle at Minas Tirith.
We also get to see what happened to Saruman and the love between Faramir and Eowyn that was never in the origonal. The one added scene that is a bit stupid is when Frodo and Sam are caught up in an orc regiment in Mordor. It dosn't do anything except make the orcs look stupid (especially the leader with a witch nose).
That however is the only bad thing about the film. Moments in the film can sometimes well you up and have you on the edge of the seat. Elijah Wood is brilliant in Mordor and Sean Astin perfectly portrays the role as Sam when he fights the giant spider Shelob.
The music is great as well especially when Gollum FINALLY takes the ring and a wonderful piece of music plays that was worthy of winning an oscar by itself.
And then there are the endings. This part of the film has recieved the most critisism but all of them were nessicary. If they didn't have them, then the fans would be saying "why didn't we see Aragorn become king or kiss Arwen, and what happened to the grey havens." It just that the filmakers had to put them in too tie up the remaining storylines and it had to take a while.
The commentaries range from the interlectual in Mr. Jackson's to the fun cast's. Especially hearing the cast's comments on their respective helmets.
This is one of the greatest films ever made and with the amount of extras on display it is probably the greatest DVD ever as well.

The films are fantastic, and should be mandatory watching. Big Film experience like they used to make - think Ben Hur, Think Gone with the Wind. Just bleedin Awsome!

Superb ending to a truely epic film.
all the different story lines are finally brought together in some
great climatic scenes.
The battle scenes are extremly well filmed and the charecters are
quite beliveable, great film all round Peter Jackson did a wonderful job
to brieng this classic to life.
The casting for the main players could not have been better.
Will watch again and again.

There is nothing to dislike about this film!
It is the best out of all 3 films and if you see it you will know what I mean.
Not only is there a HUGE spider that tried to eat Frodo, but there is a ghost army, huge elephants and orcs. Just to mention a few.
Frodo and Sam finally get to Mordor to distroy the ring, but all sorts of problems get in their way before they can get to Mount Doom.
I did think it was funny that Legolas and Gimli continue their little compitition of who can kill the most orcs in one battle. Legolas kills one of the elephants and Gimli just says "That only counts as one!" You have to watch it to laugh, believe me, it's the best out of all 3 films. You do not want to miss this one.

Peter Jackson did it – where others crashed before him – he has brought Tolkien’s world to life. Hence The Lord of the Ring is not a film trilogy, it is an epic, it is a legend.

There were, in ancient times, epics and legends that were sung and played by bards and poets traveling from town to town. Those stories were full of heroes and adventures, and their purpose was to give people a sense of good and evil, a sense of honor, dignity, loyalty, honesty and righteousness. The Lord of the Ring is a modern version of such epics. It serves the same purpose, and in a society where we have lost the sense of enchantment and magic (not to speak about righteousness), it deserves the same attention.

The naïve innocence of some heroes (the Hobbits) can be arguable in credibility: one has to be sly to defeat evil, naivety hardly pays in any society, and it does not protect against evil. As for the script, in spite of the narrative inherited from the book it seems the films constantly need to create new villains, challenges and battles to keep you out of breath. But the mastery with which all this is crafted and directed is a flawless enchantment all throughout. The universe of Tolkien recreated in CGI is like a long stream of dazzling sceneries and creatures that can beat the wildest imaginations – that in itself shouldn’t be missed. (And when Liv Tyler in immortal Elvish Princess tells Viggo ‘I would rather share a lifetime with you than face all the Ages of this world alone,’ Oh boys! have a wish she says that to you.)

So, you’re in for a deep journey across a world of fantasy and enchantment, with the most spectacular effects and battles you’ve ever seen. And if you like the genre, the three parts are to be seen as one to make sense – they gain in intensity and rival in quality.

As our little friend reaches closer to his destination the perils mount, his help dwindles and he is left in increasingly vulnerable situations, will he achieve his goal? And at what personal cost?
The third and final chapter in this epic trilogy is yet again a film beautifully and dramatically shot, the artistry is breathtaking and the effects spectacular. There are consistent performances from the main characters, with lots of drama, anguish and heartache, will our heroes remain triumphant to the end or will the price for success be too high.
The bonus features are fascinating and the ‘behind the scenes’ well worth a look.
My only criticism would be that perhaps the film does run a little long and perhaps a few minutes edited from some of the fights would not have gone amiss, but if I had to choose one phrase? A fantastic climax, sorry that its all over.

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Very good quality of product and delivery.
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Great film, perfect end to the trilogy, shame about the christopher lee ommissions and would love to see that rectified in a later special edition. So many endings but not the one Tolkien chose, strange decision. However loved the rest of the film