The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) poster

4.5

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Adventure, Fantasy, Action • 3h 21m

Director: Peter Jackson

Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Andy Serkis, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, John Noble, David Wenham, Miranda Otto, Bernard Hill, John Rhys-Davies, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett, Karl Urban, Ian Holm, Sean Bean, Lawrence Makoare, Marton Csokas, Paul Norell, Noel Appleby, Sarah McLeod, Ali Astin, Maisy McLeod-Riera, David Aston, John Bach, Sadwyn Brophy, Alistair Browning, Richard Edge, Jason Fitch, Bruce Hopkins, Ian Hughes, Bret McKenzie, Bruce Phillips, Shane Rangi, Todd Rippon, Thomas Robins, Harry Sinclair, Peter Tait, Joel Tobeck, Stephen Ure, Sala Baker, Robert Pollock, Ross Duncan, Pete Smith, Jed Brophy, Lee Hartley, Billy Jackson, Katie Jackson, Alan Howard, Jane Abbott, Gino Acevedo, Aidan Bell, Jarl Benzon, Jørn Benzon, Emma Deakin, Michael Elsworth, Clint Elvy, Zo Hartley, Peter Jackson, Sandro Kopp, Andrew Lesnie, Joseph Mika-Hunt, Henry Mortensen, Craig Parker, Rick Porras, Christian Rivers, Michael Semanick, Howard Shore, John Stephenson, Richard Taylor, Royd Tolkien, Sam Kelly, Christopher Lee, Bruce Spence, Brad Dourif

4.5

Best English-friendly & video release

Video notes:

4K Blu-ray caveat: mostly great video but the 4K Blu-rays have had additional DNR applied in some scenes on top of the DNR that had been applied in post-production and was already present on the DVDs & Blu-rays

The 2020 Blu-ray may be better than the 4K Blu-ray?

Updated 5 months ago

Best audio release

New Line Blu-ray

New Line Blu-ray have the original 6.1 mixes

Additional info

4K Blu-ray set is missing extras from the old Blu-ray/DVD releases

UHD tiers

WB:

caveat: mostly great video but the UHDs have had additional DNR applied in some scenes on top of the DNR that had been applied in post-production and was already present on the DVDs & BDs

About the film

As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.

Featured Lists: Lord of the Rings
Oscar Best Pictures
TSPDT: 2026: #959
2025: #949
2024: #971
2023: #976
2022: #976
Alternative Titles: The Return of the King, The Lord of the Rings 3: The Return of the King, The Lord of the Rings III: The Return of the King, The Lord of the Rings The Return of the King, LOTR3 - The Return of the King

Part of Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Director: Peter Jackson

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Video Notes:

Caveat: mostly great video but the 4K Blu-rays have had additional DNR applied in some scenes on top of the DNR that had been applied in post-production and was already present on the DVDs & Blu-rays

The 2020 Blu-ray (the one without the green tint) may be better than the 4K Blu-ray?

Best Audio:

New Line Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

New Line Blu-ray have the original 6.1 mixes

Additional Info:

4K Blu-ray set is missing extras from the old Blu-ray/DVD releases

The 2011 Blu-ray notoriously had a green tint, the 2020 one removes it.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Director: Peter Jackson

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Video Notes:

Caveat: mostly great video but the 4K Blu-rays have had additional DNR applied in some scenes on top of the DNR that had been applied in post-production and was already present on the DVDs & Blu-rays

The 2020 Blu-ray may be better than the 4K Blu-ray?

Best Audio:

New Line Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

New Line Blu-ray have the original 6.1 mixes

Additional Info:

4K Blu-ray set is missing extras from the old Blu-ray/DVD releases

Featured in Oscar Best Pictures

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Director: Jonathan Demme

4K · Excellent

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray > Criterion 4K Blu-ray > Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1991 Orion LaserDisc vs 2024 Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Criterion Blu-ray has exclusive extras

The Apartment (1960)

Director: Billy Wilder

4K · Excellent

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray > Kino Lorber > Capelight Germany

Audio Notes:

(transfer of the 1989 MGM LaserDisc, without problems plaguing Kino Lorber's release)

Additional Info:

Arrow UHD is an update of the original 4K scan done for their BD. It is also visually far superior to the Kino version and adds Dolby Vision HDR. The Arrow UHD uses a new LD mono capture and has none of the issues or processing found in the Kino UHD which also used an LD mono capture and somehow mucked it up. Short of a brand new scan, the Arrow UHD is as good as it possibly can be.

Forrest Gump (1994)

Director: Robert Zemeckis

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray

The Deer Hunter (1978)

Director: Michael Cimino

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

2020 Shout! Factory 4K

Video Notes:

2020 Shout! Factory 4K slightly better than StudioCanal in HDR10. Similar in DV

Best Audio:

35mm mix: 1991 Universal LaserDisc

70mm mix: StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

35mm mix: 1991 Universal LaserDisc marginally better than StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray. Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray is downmix.

70mm mix: StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray. Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray is remix.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Director: David Lean

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Additional Info:

The 5.1 on Sony 4K Blu-ray is from the 1989 70mm mix. The original is 4-track. not on the disc.

Director: John G. Avildsen

4K · Excellent

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Bros 2024 Ultimate Knockout Collection 4K Blu-ray/ Warner Bros 2023 Knockout Collection 4K Blu-ray (replacement disc)

Upcoming Release:

Capelight 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Original Mono: Ultimate Knockout Collection/Knockout Collection replacement disc

Audio Notes:

Original Mono: Ultimate Knockout Collection/Knockout Collection replacement disc > Knockout collection original.

The Mono mix on the initial release of the Knockout Collection is a stereo fold-down of the 5.1, it also has a missing piano cue. The replacement disc and the ultimate knockout version fixed the error.

Additional Info:

The Steelbook and UK standard edition is the same disc as the 2023 knockout collection.

Parasite (2019)

Director: Bong Joon Ho

4K · Excellent

Best English-Friendly:

UK Artificial Eye 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray releasing January 2027

Best Video:

France The Jokers 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

France The Jokers 4K Blu-ray has the least DNR (UK Artificial Eye might be similar? Both better than Universal 4K Blu-ray)

Criterion even though doesn’t have 4K, it has the B&W version and a lot of extras.

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

Director: John Schlesinger

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Imprint 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

2027 Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Included Imprint Blu-Ray also has markedly better image compression than the Criterion Blu-Ray, though do note the Imprint has some adjusted color grading within roughly the first five minutes of the film

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=16775595&postcount=450

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=24237074&postcount=73

Moonlight (2016)

Director: Barry Jenkins

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Upcoming Release:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray announced by director Barry Jenkins

Director: Sian Heder

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Italy Eagle Pictures 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Has full and forced English subtitles

See caps comparing Italy vs US release

Best Audio:

Apple TV 4K Blu-ray with Atmos

Audio Notes:

(Eagle Pictures is 5.1)

More from Peter Jackson

The Frighteners (1996)

Director: Peter Jackson

4K · Excellent

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Arrow US/UK 4K Blu-ray or Turbine Germany 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Both will look identical in motion but the Turbine looks marginally better due to a higher bitrate allocation by each cut being given its own disc, whereas Arrow had FiM seamlessly branch the two onto one. However, Arrow has both cuts in Open Matte (on Blu-Ray) and corrected the opening Universal logo's aspect ratio. https://slow.pics/c/McvVcYDG

Best Audio:

King Kong (2005)

Director: Peter Jackson

4K · Worse Than BD

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Old Universal Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Old Universal Blu-ray is better than new 4K Blu-ray which has excessive DNR

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

Director: Peter Jackson

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Video Notes:

WB 4K Blu-ray is significant upgrades compared to the BDs, but has noticeable artificial sharpening

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

Director: Peter Jackson

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Video Notes:

WB 4K Blu-ray is significant upgrades compared to the BDs, but has noticeable artificial sharpening

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Director: Peter Jackson

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Video Notes:

WB 4K Blu-ray is significant upgrades compared to the BDs, but has noticeable artificial sharpening

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tyyuxvanshadyJojoTheMovieOtterHydra Spectre

· last reviewed 5 months ago

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