The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (PG-13, 2003)

common sense media says

Outstanding, but much violence and scariness.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that violence in this fantasy spectacle includes countless battle casualties with death by arrows, spears, swords, monster-stomping, fatal plunges, and explosions. Horses as well as elephant-like beasts are killed violently (sure, sure, they're CGI). There is quite a lot of glorification of bladed weaponry, as well as nightmarish imagery of ghoulish creatures, including a zombie-like ghost army and a hideous giant spider. Heroic characters smoke, drink and get drunk. The story starts right where the previous Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers left off. Viewers not familiar with the first film (or J.R.R. Tolkien's novels) will be very confused. Not only is this Oscar winner a long movie, the DVD "Special edition" is even longer.

Positive messages: Powerful message of friendship among the hobbits and the other allies (including different species). The seemingly meek hobbits earn Middle-Earth-wide respect through battle and heroism. Theme throughout of sacrifice made in an immense struggle, including fighting against seemingly impossible odds and overwhelming numbers, and trying to be brave against inevitable death.
Positive role models: Heroes are valiant types who combat against evil even when everything looks hopeless. A sword-wielding princess is a strong female warrior, even though males (like her kingly father) try to discourage her from fighting. On the other hand, there is a subplot acknowledgment that not all royalty behaves royally; an aristocratic regent mistreats his younger son to the point of nearly causing the character's death. And just as in the Tolkien novels, a foreign army who are the only nonwhite, non-Celtic-type races are on the side of the bad guys.
Violence: Violence is savage and intense for a PG-13. Thousands of creatures and humans are speared, slashed, hit fatally with arrows, crushed, decapitated, impaled on large spikes and in the opening scene, painfully strangled to death. There is a catapult-shower of severed human heads, venom-stings from a monster spider, and characters burning to death. A key character's finger is bitten off.
Sex: Mild romance.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Hard to ignore the original Tolkien books, not to mention a plethora of video games, movie tie-in action figures, role-playing games, plus the movie sequels and other existing adaptations.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Joyous drinking to the point of inebriation in a celebration. Pipe smoking.

More on The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about why they think Frodo was charged with carrying the ring.

  • You can also talk about the modern-day parallels to these stories since Tolkien wrote the books as parables. And how were Tolkien's parables different from C. S. Lewis', Tolkien's longtime friend and colleague?

What's the story?

What's the story?

One of the most ambitious projects in the history of filmmaking 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?

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's 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 themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: New Line
Director: Peter Jackson
Cast: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen
Genre: Fantasy
Run time: 200 minutes
Theatrical release: December 19, 2003
DVD release: May 25, 2004
MPAA Rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: intense epic battle sequences and frightening images

This review was written by Nell Minow
 
 

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What parents & educators say

12

Most useful reviews by all members

KScottA
teen, 16 years old
 
This, The Fellowship of the Ring, and Two Towers are my favorite movies. It is so great, you won't want to miss it. You need to watch the series. They are amazing! The battle scenes are great, because... they aren't dull, or boring or anything, but they aren't horrible either! It's just perfect!

Justagirl
teen, 15 years old
 

bkid
teen, 14 years old
 

Mi3
adult
 
good for mature 14 year olds and older
really good! graphic intese violence, not good for anyone 14 or under

jesusismyhero
teen, 13 years old
 
BME! Best Movie Ever!
I LOVED THIS MOVIE!!!!!! i think everyone in the world should watch it! it had the best epic battle scenes in the world and the characters were well-developed and good role models! the only part in the whole movie that was mildly disgusting was when the orks chucked the heads of the good guy's soldiers at gondor's army. and the part w/ the spider was gross but kinda fun to watch. I am a girl, and I think this movie is great!

Spielberg00
teen, 14 years old
 
The best of the trilogy; the last of the trilogy; the most scary, bloody, intense, and violent of the trilogy.
My rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of epic battle violence, disturbing images and a brief scene involving drinking.

hking134
teen, 15 years old
 
Good for anyone.
Really? This movie is a classic, and should be watched (and read) by everyone. It has war. Big whoop. It's about as bloody as Poke'mon. That is to say: no blood, no language, no sex, no nudity. The violence in this film is watered down by the amount of stuff going on during the scene. There is so much violence, but it's like Super Mario Bros. style. No blood, but "ugh, I got stabbed. I'm dead." Also, the entire movie is about good triumphing over evil.

dalek123456
kid, 12 years old
 
Great movie
It's very good and exiting but has a lot of violance.

MovieGuy23
teen, 14 years old
 
The final Lord of the Rings is spectacular as always
Jackson concludes The Lord of the Rings with a bang as the quest comes to its epic finish. The cast, direction, visuals, cinematography, and sound are all top notch. Need I say more? Note to parents: Plenty of violence in this one as well. Long battle scenes, fierce looking creatures, and dark sets may be enough to frighten most young kids. A great ride for teenagers and up.

J-Yo
teen, 17 years old
 
It deserves its Oscar.
This movie is very violent, first of all. Some of the battle sequences are long and gory, and at times they can make people cringe. Hey, its a war. This war, however, realistically describes the toll it can take on the characters and what each side is willing to do in order to achieve victory. Overall, though, this movie is filled with spectacular imagery and complex characters. The straightforward story is easy and still entertaining to follow. It's so artistic and magical it deserves its Oscar.

Jadenp
teen, 15 years old
 
Suggested MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences including strong graphic violence, disturbing images, and frightening sequences.

CrazyBlu4Eva
kid, 10 years old
 
You have to watch it,for realz!
Hey,wait a minute......OHMYCOW! I really love the part where the ghost army attacks!But before the ghost army attacked the orcs they attacked another army of enemies!Peter Jackson was also included in that army!And he was the one who was shot and killed by an arrow from Legolas!It was funny that Peter Jackson included himself in the movie.And at least that Gollum is dead now.Sad that Frodo won't be seeing his friend hobbitsies(Lolz).

BennyY
teen, 15 years old
 
A great story. I wouldn't reccomend letting a little brother sister stay in the room for battle sequences though. The graphics are pretty strong.

Weeklybob
parent of 13 year old
 
I haven't watched the entire movie, but at my nephews' house,we watched the extended edition(seperated on two discs). We watched the beginning, the end, and a few battles in between. I only watched those parts and I could tell what was going on.(I also watched the first one, so that helped me.) The Only parts that really disturbed me were smeagol eating the fish, somebody falling from about 300 feet above the ground into a spike and drowing, and Frodo's finger getting bitten off. (Getting bitten off is the scariest part). There is one part in which they cut off someone's head, but there was no blood.(But he has pretty mean lookin' teeth). The only other part you might find objectionable, is they have a drinking game.(The last one standing up wins,)and they smoke. But that's what they did back then. But overall it was a wonderful, beautiful movie.

 
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

Viffer
adult
 
Perfect for 11+
Love this film, very accurate to the books. The film lotr trilogy is aimed at a younger audience than the books, I'd be happy with my kids watching it from age 11, but not any younger. The Hobbit (prequel to lotr) book is perfect for this age.

 
Awesome
Love this movie. It's a great tale, and I would watch it with anyone who loves fantasy. A lot of battle scenes, too violent for young kids. But very good movie for teens and their parents.

litmom123
parent of 10 and 12 year old
 
Know what your kids can handle
My two children watched this when they were only 8 and 9 and had absolutely NO negative repercussions. We did read the novels together first, so they knew where the story was going and nothing was a huge surprise. The only negative came from them being angry when the story deviated from the novels. As with all films and books, know your kids. It is one of our favourite movies of all times. We watch the trilogy once every year. :)

 
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!

qt208
teen, 17 years old
 
This movie is simply amazing, just as long as you're mature enough to handle all the violence. An epic fantasy. There's an error in the "Role Models" section of the official review here: The description of Theoden as Eowyn's "kingly father" makes no sense, because first, he's her uncle, and second, he is an actual king, not just kingly.

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