The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

In this grand finale to the iconic trilogy, more props and costumes were built than what the other two movies offered, with more CGI utilized in ways never seen before. The most beautiful setting in this movie, or any of the three movies, is Minas Tirith, with its exterior made mostly out of a miniature set piece, and scenic designs that are of the finest artistic craftsmanship. Settings like that, along with the epic musical score, help make the film feel every bit as huge as Middle Earth should be. While Gollum returns as viciously cunning as ever, more digital creatures make a proper debut to showcase all that CGI had the potential for.

​The Mûmakil set the stage for one of the most complex war battles in cinema’s entire history, while Shelob the giant spider is animated in a way like no other CGI creature up until that point. Even the Army of the Dead, which wasn’t even necessary for the plot in the first place, was present to run the extra mile in showcasing how much could be done in combining digital effects with innovative costume design. It’s so stunning how every single scene in this final movie of the trilogy is its own visual effects showcase, proving why The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, along with its two predecessors, are perhaps the most influential films of the 2000s.

PG-13 (V)
Fantasy/Action
3 hr. 21 min.

Watch it for FUN.
Watch it to feel HAPPY and AFRAID.