The Return of the King (Extended Edition)

Fathom Entertainment

(dir. Peter Jackson)

By: Tarek Fayoumi

There is more Victory Before the Journey Ends:

From New Line Cinema, Warner Bros, and Fathom Entertainment, The Lord of the Rings trilogy is back in cinemas to celebrate 25-years of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). I had the opportunity to see The Lord of the Rings: the Return of the King (2003) in its re-release. It was an extended cut. Frodo is played by Elijah Wood (The Good Son, The Ice Storm) and Sam is played by Sean Astin (The Goonies, Courage Under Fire). In their final journey, the extended cut has more moments of battles and long journeys. There are also more deep conversations before the battle to destroy the ring is continued. The extended cut brings a longer path with more accomplishments. The dynamics of falling and getting up again have a stronger purpose in the extended cut version of The Return of the King. Audiences see that through the eyes of Legolas (Orlando Bloom), Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), and Gandalf (Ian McKellen). 

Words from Peter Jackson:

Before the movie starts. Audiences will get a pre-recorded tribute from Peter Jackson himself.  He talks about the performances of Christopher Lee (The Wicker Man, Jinnah) and goes deep into detail about the technologically and moments re-written with The Return of the King. Audiences get to revisit The Return of the King with an idea as to why the film had cuts with particular endings. He also elaborates on why some did not make it into the theatrical cut, but made it into the extended cuts. The meaning of the trilogy has a deeper emphasis before the film begins in the re-release with Fathom Entertainment.

Worth the Time?

For those who love this franchise, this is well worth the time and money. That is because the moments of reaching the conclusion have more moving parts that feel exhilarating. There are also visuals that are spectacular. Ultimately, the storyline feels stronger. The Return of the King is one for the ages with the most monumental conclusion. The whole trilogy in the extended versions plays through February 5th at many cinemas. Tickets can be purchased at the link below.

https://www.fathomentertainment.com/releases/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-return-of-the-king-2026