The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 4K Blu-ray (Theatrical) (original) (raw)

Theatrical / 4K Ultra HD Warner Bros. | 2003 | 201 min | Rated PG-13 | Dec 01, 2020

| | | VideoCodec: HEVC / H.265Resolution: Upscaled 4K (2160p)HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10Aspect ratio: 2.39:1Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1 AudioEnglish: Dolby AtmosEnglish: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps) English: Dolby AtmosEnglish: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps) (less) Subtitles English SDH, French, Spanish, DutchForced subtitles English SDH, French, Spanish, Dutch (less) Discs4K Ultra HDBlu-ray DiscSingle disc (1 BD-100) Playback4K Blu-ray: Region free | | PriceBuy on:We may earn a commission from purchases made using our links. Thanks for your support!Other editions Movie rating 2582 ratings. **17%**popularity | | - | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |

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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 4K

(2003)

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 4K Blu-ray delivers great video and reference-quality audio in this excellent Blu-ray release

The final battle for Middle-earth begins. Frodo and Sam, led by Gollum, continue their dangerous mission toward the fires of Mount Doom in order to destroy the One Ring. Aragorn struggles to fulfill his legacy as he leads his outnumbered followers against the growing power of the Dark Lord Sauron, so that the Ring-bearer may complete his quest.

For more about The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 4K and the The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 4K Blu-ray release, see the The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 4K Blu-ray Review published by Randy Miller III on November 27, 2020 where this Blu-ray release scored 4.0 out of 5.

Director: Peter Jackson
Writers: Fran Walsh

, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, J.R.R. Tolkien
Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett
Producer: Barrie M. Osborne

» See full cast & crew

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 4K Blu-ray Review

One movie, three endings.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III, November 27, 2020

NOTE: As of this writing, this title is only available as part of The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy 4K.

Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy broke new ground in the fantasy genre by shooting all three films back-to-back; in all, the entire trilogy took over eight years to complete and cost nearly $300 million. The gamble paid off, and its massive critical and commercial success makes it one of the most ambitious and fully-realized epics in film history. The Return of the King is the final chapter in the trilogy and closes things out in a big way, unleashing a torrent of epic battles and character send-offs that, multiple endings aside, is as clean a landing as most fans were hoping for.

For a synopsis of all three theatrical films, read our review of The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy.

This theatrical cut, much like its extended edition counterpart, has long been available in a variety of home video formats, both as a stand-alone release and part of a trilogy collection. Warner Bros.' 4K edition ups the A/V ante with an outstanding 2160p transfer -- which does not include any redone special effects, thank goodness -- and a terrific Dolby Atmos audio mix, both of which bring Middle Earth to life in new and unexpected ways.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 4K Blu-ray, Video Quality 4K

1080p

NOTE: This screenshots for this review are from a previous Blu-ray edition of the film.

With absolutely no expections, this theatrical cut of The Return of the King looks as great as -- or better than -- the other chapters in the trilogy. Once again, Warner Bros.' 2160p trasnfer serves up a marvelous picture that balances crisp image detail with fantastic use of HDR enhancement, which also paves the way for deep, inky blacks and brilliant whites at critical moments. From the start, Smeagol's idyllic but fateful fishing trip reveals the natural splendor that dominated Fellowship and was sprinkled through The Two Towers but, even though the film doesn't return to that type of serene atmosphere until its conclusion(s), it quickly reminds viewers of the visual experience they're in for.

Through every step of this final leg of the journey, the image remains impressive. Those stunning HDR colors -- which, again, dramatically increase mid-range contrast levels and depth -- are put to use countless times: during Arwen's dream of a life with Aragorn, Gandalf's ride to Minas Tirith and its rugged stone walls (and surprisingly well-kept lawn), the haunting emerald glow of Minas Morgul, the sunlit interior of Gondor's Tower Hall, an evening twilight meeting between King Theoden and niece Eowyn, the fiery Wolf's Head, and Mount Doom's violent eruption. These moments burst with such an immediately strong and captivating appearance that it's really hard to put into words -- the effect creates heightened realism while still feeling grounded within the trilogy's rather wide visual boundaries.

Wide swaths of the film also impress as much as singular moments, such as the palpable depth and detail of massive armies during the film's climactic centerpiece, the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, which showcases its more detailed CGI textures and expansive wide shots that attempt to organize all the chaos. Closer to the action, other elements also impress such as well-defined clothing and armor textures, including Eowyn's glittering chain mail and helmet. But everything comes full circle visually during the film's multiple endings, many of which are imbued with a soft and comforting haze that add a wonderfully light texture to a final chapter filled with so many hard edges.

While the presence of fairly obvious digital noise reduction (DNR) and mild sharpening is indeed present to a certain degree, in my opinion it's the least egregious here... or perhaps my eyes were just more used to it after watching the other films. Nonetheless, the obvious gains in other departments and more boldly represented color palette make up for these issues, although they're still enough to keep them at least a full point away from perfection.

All things considered, Return of the King looks the best -- and by that, I mean most consistent -- of the three films, which isn't surprising since its more sophisticated CGI effects are blended better with the live-action footage. It'll never be perfect but, for a film and trilogy fast approaching the 20-year mark (!), it's made a great transition to the world of 4K. Simply put, most everything looks as good on the screen now as it's always existed in your imagination.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 4K Blu-ray, Audio Quality

Once again, the Dolby Atmos track brings plenty of weight and presence to what is, pound for pound, the most action-filled entry in the trilogy. Obviously the most impressive stretch from a sonic perspective is the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, which features no shortage of discrete channel effects and strong separation, all of which cleanly establish a very wide sound stage that rarely lets up. Other moments also feed into the effectiveness of Atmos' height channels including Nazguls flying overhead, the near-silent approach of the giant venomous spider Shelob, and the foreboding scale of Mount Doom before, during, and after its violent eruption. Other scenes and moments scale back the height but are no less impressive from a surround perspective such as Gollum's tortured split personalities, the echoing rumble of distant thunder, and the Witch-King's sinister voice, not to mention Howard Shore's sweeping and dramatic music cues, which earned him an Oscar for Best Original Score (along with his work on Fellowship).

As always, dialogue remains crystal-clear with no source defects and the LFE is often thunderous, with everything balanced perfectly to really bring every element of the action and drama to roaring life. In every respect, it's another top-tier Atmos mix that, even when folded down to Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (or further still, depending on your particular setup), remains a truly impressive sonic presentation that easily surpasses earlier home video releases.

Optional dubs and subtitles (including English SDH) are included in a variety of languages listed above, while the forced subtitles for select lines of Elvish dialogue are also still present.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 4K Blu-ray, Overall Score and Recommendation

Return of the King ends the LOTR trilogy in grand fashion and, though it doesn't quite have the same consistency of the first two chapters, it features many of the most epic and memorable moments. Warner Bros.' new 4K edition boasts a mostly good new 2160p transfer with terrific color and fine detail (with DNR to contend with, unfortunately), as well as a stunning Dolby Atmos mix. It's currently only available as part of The Motion Picture Trilogy 4K set which contains no extras but, even if that changes in the future, this is still a good release of a durably entertaining film.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Other Editions

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