The Return of the King, the third and final chapter in Peter Jackson's THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, finds Middle-earth in the midst of upheaval. Our fearless hobbits Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) are nearing Mordor to destroy the Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. Meanwhile Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) are sparring with Denethor (John Noble), and Merry (Dominic Monaghan) joins the Riders of Rohan to hold back the forces of Sauron. All this, plus Aragorn's (Viggo Mortensen) rise to his destiny, with Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) battling for Middle-earth. Spectacular visuals complement Jackson's sharp focus on the characters and their emotional battles, in this adaptation of JRR Tolkien's classic novel. While the special effects help to create huge battles and frightening creatures on a previously unseen scale, they never outshine the excellent ensemble of actors who bring the heart of the story home. A truly astounding work of filmmaking, The Return of the King skillfully concludes one of the greatest trilogies in cinema history.
POSITIVE CONTENT: Themes of friendship, providence, the distinction between good and evil, prejudice, stewardship of the land, heroism, temptation and addiction, personal sacrifice, fulfilling one's calling, the wages of sin, servant-leadership and more. In a moving example of devoted loyalty, Sam picks up an exhausted Frodo and says, "I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you".
NEGATIVE CONTENT: Very minor. Middle Ages military violence is frequent and intense, but, in the depiction, never crosses the line to being gratuitous. Some viewers will cringe at creepiness of Smeagol's transformation into Gollum. The hard PG-13 content relegates this to no one younger than preteen.
SPIRITUAL CONTENT: Gandalf and Pippin talk about death and the afterlife in a way that invites comparison to the Christian understanding of heaven. When their battle seems lost, Pippin says, "I never thought it would end like this," to which Gandalf replies, "End? No, the journey doesn't end here. There's another path we all must take...". Although Tolkien insists that his stories are not allegorical, it's easy to see his Christian views at work. On a more minor note, marriage and family are noble rewards for at least two characters.
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