There is a lot of the same old violence--decapitating, stabbing, dismembering, shooting etc. But also, a character catches on fire, and some heads are catapulted. Wait until teens.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Outstanding, but much violence and scariness.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 12 and Up
The good stuff
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was written by Nell Minow
Parents need to know that this movie has intense and graphic battle violence on par with the other movies. Characters are frightening and if your kids can't handle suspense, these movies aren't for them. A strength of the movie is the way its diverse characters learn to trust each other and work together. Some critics have accused the original books of racism, with dark-skinned, slant-eyed bad guys fighting pale-skinned good guys, but there is no evidence of this here.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about why they think Frodo was charged with carrying the ring. You also might want to talk about the modern day parallels to the Fellowship stories since Tolkien wrote the books as parables.
Have you seen it? Review It!
More on The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
What’s the Story?
One of the most ambitious projects in the history of film-making comes to a heart-poundingly thrilling conclusion in RETURN OF THE KING, the last episode in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy directed by Peter Jackson. The second installment opened in the middle of the action, but this one begins with a flashback, in which we learn more about Gollum, the twisted, tortured creature who is supposed to be leading Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) to Mount Doom. We also learn more about the power of that ring to make anyone willing to give up all he has to possess it. After that very brief prologue, we are back where we left off, a literal cliff-hanger. Frodo, Sam, and Gollum are crossing the stark peaks on the way to the volcano in the heart of Mount Doom. That is where the ring was forged and the only place where it can be destroyed. Meanwhile, the other remaining members of the Fellowship of the Ring prepare for battle with the forces led by Sauron.
Is It Any Good?
As with the first two chapters, Peter Jackson's rendition of the J.R.R. Tolkien classics is astonishing. Every detail is just right, and from the struggles of three very small creatures to stay alive as they scale sheer rock to the huge battles with hundreds of thousands of warriors, every moment is vivid, exciting, and moving. That means not just Middle earth citadels, a giant spider, and thousands of phantom combatants, but also smaller moments of equal power. Sam and Gollum each try to make Frodo mistrust the other. There are villains, grotesque and powerful, weak and greedy. And there are heroes, loyal, brave, devoted, honorable.
The tone is epic and majestic, the battles brilliantly staged, the vistas magnificently conceived. But it is still all about the story. Characters learn and deepen. Even little Pippin and Merry go from cute comic relief to genuine heroes. There is so much going on that some characters feel like not much more than cameo guest appearances, especially Arwen (Liv Tyler) and Galadriel (Cate Blanchette). And the post-ending endings, after more than three hours, may seem a bit too much. But this is still an epic to satisfy the most devoted Tolkien fans, and viewers who are new to Middle Earth. In its own way, it is as thrilling an adventure in story-telling on film as the quest it portrays.
Movie Details
Studio: New Line Cinema, Director: Peter Jackson
Run time: 200 minutes
Theatrical release: 12/19/2003, DVD release: 5/25/2004
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and frightening images
Run time: 200 minutes
Theatrical release: 12/19/2003, DVD release: 5/25/2004
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and frightening images
Our Members Say
See all 86 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
Good for teens, but not for any younger.
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I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
The Greatest Achievement in Fantasy and in Grand Epics in Movie History.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is the single greatest achievement in film making of the new millenium. The acting: superb! The direction: outstanding! The story: breathtaking! The special-effects: mind-blowing! The battles: utterly moving and, quite frankly, awesome! PARENTS: Although this film, in my opinion, is a must-see, it is extremely violent for a PG-13. Battles include, fire, lots of gore, and scary images of monsters and orcs. Simply put, this is a great movie. I loved it and many others I know enjoyed it highly, and they don't usually like these types of films. I very highly recommend it! Thanks for reading - Movie Man
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I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
I true masterpiece and a beautiful finale to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Peter Jackson will surley go down in movie history as the god of Fantasy.
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I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it
Boring, overlong, confussed, emotionally empty, and lacking in any creativity beyond the amzing visual, the only thing saving this from being a total disaster.
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I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
AWESOME
I think lord of the rings is awesome!!!!!! it is perfect for tweens and up but no younger. Lot of violence but still a great movie it tells kids about how to work together
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
the movie is not as scary as lord of the rings 2 and not all battles in lord of the rings it I do not agree with a PG 13 rating I agree that it has to be rated PG but not G it sall not be G because of its war battles and mild language
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
a heart warming film for ages 13 and up
an outstanding finish to an amazing trilogy. my only concerns were the gore,(many impaled bodys, severed limbs, much ) it had great role s and an amazing plot. at one scene, smeagle bites of frodos finger in a y, gory way. lots of peril and shed. characters screaming for lost ones, and the aftermath of a huge battle is shown explicitly. some scenes can be skipped to make it great for your young ones.
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I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
lord of the rings
violent wars
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I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
best of the series
is violent though
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I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
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I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Epic, Brilliant and all other words to describe an awesome film!
This film was really awesome!! Very epic and brilliant, but perhaps it isn't wise for little kids to watch it, unless they can handle seeing some gore and icky-looking orcs. The story line was very good, specially since it's based on a great book trilogy. I think those who plan to watch this film, should watch all 3 movies instead-because seeing it all gives more magic and brilliance to the whole thing. I highly recommend this film, among the entire trilogy, because it would blow your brains out! Every one acted really well, and the directing of Peter Jackson was very well done. I give it 5 stars all in all, but I must warn again about some gore.
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Awesome!!!!!!!
The Lord of the Rings are the best books I've ever read, and while the movies cut a lot out and gave different personnas to characters, they ROCK!!! I love them!!! As long as you can handle a little violence, I definitely recommend them!!!
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I rate this title iffy for age 16 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
CONATINS STRONG GRAPHIC VIOLENCE AND DISTURBING IMAGES
This has to be the best film I have ever seen. It also happens to be WAY to violent for a PG-13, much more than the others. CONTAINS SPOILERS: Gollum slowly chokes Deagol, about 30 seconds; (Saruman is stabbed twice, then falls hundreds of feet and lands on a pike, spraying blood everywhere; his murderer is shot by an arrow); Sam beats Gollum over the head with a frying pan, blood oozes out; (a man is shot by an arrow, then rolls down a flight of stairs); a large battle follows, hundreds die, Nazgul lift up soldiers and smash them against walls; a man is mortally wounded, he is coughing up blood when Gothmog takes a spear and smashes it brutally into his chest (not shown, but the tearing flesh and dripping blood sound and the man's gagging and sputtering is just as bad); hundreds are slaughtered on a suicide mission; the largest movie battle of all time begins, contains bloody violence throughout; severed, mutilated, gory heads fly over the wall; (a man is shot); trolls smash men into pieces; Frodo is stabbed, he foams at the mouth; Sam stabs Shelob, drenching his hands in blood; orcs eat alive men (and even women and children), very graphic and disturbing; a massive cavalry charge, the largest ever captured on film, decimates an entire army; a man burns himself alive, and jumps of a thousand foot cliff while on fire; Theoden is ripped in half when the Witch King throws his horse on top of him; his beast is slaughtered by Eowyn, blood and gore splatter everywhere; Eowyn suffers a bloody wound; (Gothmog gets mained 4-5 times before getting axed to death) all the orcs and there allies are wiped out, millions are dead after the battle, the field littered with blood and body parts; the orcs in the tower all kill themselves (in graphic yet creative ways); (Frodo is brutally whipped); another gigantic battle occurs; tens of thousands are killed in a giant earthquake; Gollum bites Sam on the neck and nearly kills Frodo by choking him, Sam slices his gut, Gollum knocks out Sam and bites Frodo's finger off, TONS of blood comes out; he later melts in Mount Doom along with the One Ring. PHEW! Other than that, its an awesome, incredible film that everyone should watch!
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I rate this title iffy for age 15 and give it
Violent, brutal and scary.
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Lives in GeorgiaI rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
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I rate this title off for age 15 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
violent
violent
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I rate this title off for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Great Movie and very well done but excessive violence and grissly images should make the R rated range
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I rate this title off for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Best of the Best, but exceptionally intense violence and scarriness
Great Movie and very well done but excessive violence and grissly images should make the R rated range
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I rate this title on for age 15 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
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Ratings at a Glance
| 70% | of parents say it's too violent |
| 30% | of parents say there are good role models |
| 30% | of parents say it gives kids positive messages |
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For Your Family
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