The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King fingerprintRelentless energy, masterful craft, no humor.
Nerve-racking and epic
Fast from start to finish.
Deeply moving and cathartic
Much of it is about family and growing up.
A little humor
Not a comedy at heart.
Fantasy, war, and family
Lived-in and easy to get lost in. Holds up on a rewatch.
Standout direction, performances, and storytelling
Layered plot that rewards full attention.
Standout cinematography, score, and editing
A distinctive visual signature.
Nerve-racking and epic
Fast from start to finish.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is nerve-racking, epic, and pulse-pounding.
Deeply moving and cathartic
Much of it is about family and growing up.
Emotionally, it's deeply moving, cathartic, and awe-inspiring. Much of it is about family and growing up.
A little humor
Not a comedy at heart.
Expect a little humor.
Fantasy, war, and family
Lived-in and easy to get lost in. Holds up on a rewatch.
Its world is built around fantasy, war, and family. The setting feels lived-in and easy to get lost in. It holds up on a rewatch.
Standout direction, performances, and storytelling
Layered plot that rewards full attention.
The direction, performances, and storytelling stand out. The plot is layered and rewards full attention.
Standout cinematography, score, and editing
A distinctive visual signature.
Look and sound: the cinematography, score, and editing stand out.
Based on the GoodWatch fingerprint: our scores for 70+ attributes of every movie. Select a row to see all of them.
There can be no triumph without loss. No victory without suffering. No freedom without sacrifice.
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Quick answers from GoodWatch data.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is included with a subscription to YouTube TV and HBO Max in the United States. You can also rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, and YouTube. All links in Where to Watch go to these licensed services.
Yes. It's widely acclaimed, with a GoodWatch score of 91/100 (IMDb 9, Rotten Tomatoes 94%, and Metacritic 94). The GoodWatch score combines critic and audience ratings.
It's rated PG-13 in the United States. Content advisories: violence and disturbing imagery.
3 h 21 min
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King runs 3 h 21 min.
No. It's adapted from a novel.
Yes. Critics average 94 and audiences 90 out of 100, so both groups see The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King much the same way.
Yes, a big one. It cost about $94 million to make and earned $1.1 billion worldwide, 11.9 times its budget.
It was made in English. Produced in New Zealand, United States.
+120GoodWatch finds legal streaming, rental, or purchase options for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 134 countries. Pick any of them in Where to Watch to see the local services.
TV Tropes lists 359 storytelling tropes for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, including Please Wake Up, All Webbed Up, Wham Line.
9.0
