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

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.5

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

All three theatrical films were later released on home video as extended editions, each adding new or expanded scenes that broaden the scope and journey of its characters. Most fans view them as the definitive experience. This extended version of The Return of the King has already been released on Blu-ray, and 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 Movie, Video Quality 

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

Clocking in at over four hours, this extended edition of The Return of the King looks as great as the other chapters in the trilogy in every conceivable way. Once again, Warner Bros.' 2160p transfer 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. Right from the start, Smeagol's idyllic but fateful fishing trip -- which looks much more bold and colorful than the Blu-ray screenshot above, honest -- 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, it immediately reminds viewers of the visual experience they're in for.

Through every step of this final leg of the journey, the image remains bold and extremely impressive. Those stunning HDR colors -- which, again, dramatically increase mid-range contrast levels and depth -- are put to excellent 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 his niece Eowyn, the fiery Wolf's Head, the hideous yellow-green teeth of the Mouth of Sauron, the glowing Palantir, 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.

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 Movie, 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 an extremely 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 Movie, Special Features and Extras 

No bonus features are included on these 4K movie-only discs.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 4K Blu-ray Movie, 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 an excellent new 2160p transfer with terrific color and fine detail, 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 an outstanding presentation of a very durable and entertaining film.