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.
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.
The film's core narrative focuses on universal themes of good versus evil, the corrupting nature of power, and the importance of courage and sacrifice, consciously balancing elements that could be interpreted by various political viewpoints without explicitly promoting a specific modern political ideology.
The film features traditional casting with a predominantly white ensemble for its human and human-like characters, without intentional race or gender swaps. Its narrative focuses on classic heroic archetypes and themes of good versus evil, rather than critiquing or explicitly centering modern DEI themes or traditional identities.
The film features Éowyn, who, disguised as a man, engages in direct melee combat during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. She successfully defeats the Witch-king of Angmar with a sword, fulfilling a prophecy.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King does not explicitly feature any identifiable LGBTQ+ characters or themes. The film focuses on a broad epic narrative of good versus evil, friendship, and sacrifice, without incorporating queer identity into its portrayal.
The film faithfully adapts J.R.R. Tolkien's source material. All major and named characters retain their established genders from the original novels, with no instances of gender swapping observed.
The film faithfully adapts the established racial portrayals of its characters from J.R.R. Tolkien's novels and the preceding films in the series, with no instances of a character's race being changed from their canonical or previously established depiction.
Combines user and critic ratings from four sources