The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 fantasy-adventure film directed by Sir Peter Jackson that is based on the second and third volumes of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. It is the concluding film in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, following The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) and The Two Towers (2002). As Sauron launches the final stages of his conquest of Middle-earth, Gandalf the Wizard, and Théoden King of Rohan rally their forces to help defend Gondor's capital Minas Tirith from the looming threat. Aragorn finally claims the throne of Gondor and summons an army of ghosts to help him defeat Sauron. Ultimately, even with full strength of arms, they realize they cannot win; so it comes down to the Hobbits, Frodo and Sam, to bear the burden of the Ring and deal with the treachery of Gollum. After a long journey they finally arrive in the dangerous lands of Mordor, seeking to destroy the One Ring in the place it was created, the volcanic fires of Mount Doom. Released on December 17, 2003, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King received rave reviews[2] and became one of the greatest box-office successes of all time. As of 2008 it had won more cultural awards (79) and nominations (117) than any other single film in history.[3] Notably, it won all eleven Academy Awards for which it was nominated,return of the king product key. which ties it with only Titanic and Ben-Hur for most Academy Awards ever won. It is the only one of these three to win all of its nominations, however, as it won 11 out of 11 Academy Awards whereas Ben-Hur won 11 out of 12, and Titanic won 11 out of 14. It also won the Academy Award for Best Picture, the only time in history a fantasy film has done so. It is the third highest grossing film of all time worldwide, behind Avatar and Titanic, and it is the fifty-first most successful film in North America once adjusted for inflation. The film begins with a flashback of how Sméagol recovered the One Ring, before forwarding to him as Gollum, taking Frodo and Sam to Minas Morgul. Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, Théoden and Éomer meet up with Merry, lord of the rings return of the king code,Pippin and Treebeard at Isengard, now under the Ents' control, where Gandalf concludes Saruman will pose no further threat. They also recover the palantír from the ruins. The group return to Edoras, where Theoden holds a feast in celebration of the victory at Helm's Deep. Pippin's curiosity gets the better of him at Edoras, and he looks into the palantír, where he sees a vision of a white tree burning, as well as being seen and mentally interrogated by Sauron, though Pippin tells him nothing regarding Frodo and the Ring. From this, Gandalf deduces Sauron is planning to attack Minas Tirith, and he rides off there with Pippin. In the meantime, Arwen, on her way to the Undying Lands, has a vision of her son by Aragorn and convinces Elrond to reforge the sword Narsil that cut the Ring from Sauron's finger long ago. Sam also overhears Gollum's treacherous plans to murder them and take the Ring for himself, but Frodo does not believe him. Gollum plays on this, trying to turn Frodo and Sam against each other. Gandalf and Pippin arrive at Minas Tirith to find the steward Denethor mourning Boromir, and Pippin swears loyalty to him, as he owes Boromir a life debt for his heroic actions at Amon Hen.lord of the rings return of the king key. Gandalf warns Sauron is now ready to strike and urges Denethor to call Rohan for aid. Denethor refuses, knowing Aragorn is there, and fearing Aragorn and Gandalf plan to depose him. That night, Gandalf and Pippin witness a pillar of green fire rise from Minas Morgul, where the Witch-king sends off his army, heralding the start of the war. Frodo, Sam and Gollum also begin climbing the stairs nearby. The Morgul army, led by the Nazgûl, drives the Gondorians out of Osgiliath. Denethor, who has no love for his younger son, orders him out on a doomed ride to reclaim the city. Faramir and his brave knights are seemingly killed by the masses of Orcs waiting in the ruined city. In the meantime, Gollum convinces Frodo to send Sam home on the belief he wants the Ring. Fortunately, Pippin has begun the long line of beacon signals to Edoras, where Theoden and Aragorn lead the Rohirrim to Dunharrow for a muster. At Dunharrow, Legolas and Gimli learn the legend of the haunted mountain Dwimorberg, which overlooks the camp, from Eomer. Aragorn also meets Elrond, who informs him of what Arwen has done and warns him they are outnumbered by Sauron's army. Elrond presents Aragorn with the newly reforged Andúril and tells him to brave the Paths of the Dead, where he may acquire the help of the cursed Army of the Dead, who owe allegiance to the Heir of Isildur. Éowyn tries to convince him not to go, confessing her love for him, but Aragorn -knowing Arwen has chosen her love for him over the immortal life of the elves- presses on. return of the king serial,Together with Legolas and Gimli, Aragorn gains the loyalty of the King of the Dead and his men. The trio then capture the ships of the Corsairs of Umbar, who Sauron had intended to launch a surprise attack on Minas Tirith. At Dunharrow, Théoden rides off to war with over 6,000 Riders, unaware Éowyn and Merry are part of the army too.