The King’s Return: Explaining Book Ending Changes

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        <div class="slide-key image-holder gallery-image-holder credit-image-wrap lead-image-holder" data-post-url="https://www.slashfilm.com/1692307/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-return-of-the-king-ending-book-changes-explained/" data-post-title="How Return of the King's Ending Changed From The Book – And How It Changes Lord of the Rings" data-slide-num="0" data-post-id="1692307">
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        <p dir="ltr">Everyone wants to complain about adapations changing the source material, seemingly nowhere more than stories set in Middle-earth. Prime Video's TV series <a target="_blank" href="https://www.looper.com/1401543/magic-the-gathering-lord-of-the-rings-characters/" rel="noopener">Magic the Gathering reimagined</a> many "Lord of the Rings" characters for its recently released card expansion. "The War of the Rohirrim" anime is hyping up Helm's daughter Héra, even though she is unnamed and nearly irrelevant in the books.</p>

        <p dir="ltr">While there is always plenty to criticize as more adapations of Tolkien's world pop up, it's important to remember that Peter Jackson's trilogy wasn't flawless. Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" films are considered the adaptive gold standard, not just for Middle-earth but for all fantasy films. They capture the excitement and heart of the books and generally follow the story — but they don't do so perfectly. Arwen showing up to save Frodo, Elves at Helm's Deep, and ghostly green ghouls on the fields of the Pelennor are just a handful of the more egregious adjustments made during the transition from book to screen. (Don't even get me started on the fact that Aragorn has a beard...)</p>
        <p dir="ltr"><strong>One of the biggest changes of all, though, is what the films <em>don't</em> show, especially at the end of "The Return of the King."</strong></p>
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    <h2 class="">What happens in Peter Jackson's Return of the King movie ending</h2>
    <div class="slide-key image-holder gallery-image-holder credit-image-wrap " data-post-url="https://www.slashfilm.com/1692307/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-return-of-the-king-ending-book-changes-explained/" data-post-title="How Return of the King's Ending Changed From The Book – And How It Changes Lord of the Rings" data-slide-num="1" data-post-id="1692307">
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        <p dir="ltr">Okay, okay. If you want to be a stickler, the actual ending of Jackson's trilogy is pretty spot on. Frodo sails away into the West, and Sam returns home, hugs his fledgling Hobbit family, and says, "Well, I'm back." Beautiful and accurate.</p>

        <p dir="ltr">But the verbatim phrase — the line is literally the end of the story for both film and book — covers up a major adjustment to the end of "The Return of the King." For starters, let's point out the obvious. This story has a ton of endings. It feels like the movie is almost over several times, but it just keeps on going. This isn't a bad thing — multiple endings are a necessary part of "The Return of the King." Let's run through the menagerie of conclusions (based on the more fleshed-out extended edition).</p>
        <p dir="ltr">After the One Ring is destroyed, we get a se...</p>
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    <h2 class="">How Peter Jackson's Return of the King adaptation changed Lord of the Rings forever</h2>
    <div class="slide-key image-holder gallery-image-holder credit-image-wrap " data-post-url="https://www.slashfilm.com/1692307/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-return-of-the-king-ending-book-changes-explained/" data-post-title="How Return of the King's Ending Changed From The Book – And How It Changes Lord of the Rings" data-slide-num="3" data-post-id="1692307">
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            <img class="gallery-image " src="https://www.slashfilm.com/img/gallery/how-return-of-the-kings-ending-changed-from-the-book-and-how-it-changes-lord-of-the-rings/how-peter-jacksons-return-of-the-king-adaptation-changed-lord-of-the-rings-forever-1729275578.jpg" data-slide-url="https://www.slashfilm.com/1692307/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-return-of-the-king-ending-book-changes-explained/" data-post-id="1692307" data-slide-num="3" data-slide-title="How Peter Jackson's Return