While The Return of the King features Aragorn’s coronation (Viggo Mortensen’s iconic "My friends, you bow to no one") and the tragic charge of the Rohirrim, the 2003 film’s soul belongs to Samwise Gamgee.
In the age of streaming franchises and multiverses, The Return of the King feels almost alien. It was a film where the heroes bled, where victory cost everything, and where the villain was a giant flaming eye. It had no post-credits scene teasing a sequel. the lord of the rings return of the king -2003-