History YMMV / TheReturnOfTheKing

** '''"[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am-piARxy4U#t=2m23s BEHOLD! THE GARDENS OF MY DELIGHT!!]]"''' ''Aww...'' [[ThisIsYourBrainOnEvil Dark Lord Samwise]] is ''so cute''. Samwise's blackest desires of despotic tyranny involve turning the [[{{Mordor}} Plains of Gorgoroth]] into a lush garden paradise and Sauron's army of orcs into raccoons and tropical birds. Hardly the stuff to crush Middle Earth beneath his Hobbit-sized heel... which is the point - Samwise very much isn't Dark Lord material, and that's a major reason why he can resist the Ring's temptations.

** The Eye of Sauron, unlike the [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings film version that portrays it as an unambiguously fiery reptilian slit eye]], it's very subtle. It's portrayed [[LightIsNotGood as a reddish-orange sun like object with subtle outward expanding ripples covered in an aura of flames]], which on closer inspection resembles a [[WingdingEyes rippling]], hyper-realistic eye [[EldritchAbomination of something incomprehensible entity]]. It even stares at you on the cover of the UsefulNotes/{{CED}} videodisc release!

** The orcs' VillainSong "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdXQJS3Yv0Y Where There's a Whip, There's a Way]]" features the lyrics "We don't want to go to war today, but the lord of the lash says nay nay nay!" Thirty-five years later, the rapper Silentó gave us the hit single "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)."

* WTHCastingAgency:
** ''Creator/RoddyMcDowall'' as Samwise Gamgee!? Roddy was a fine character actor but he played Samwise with his usual posh voice instead of a more working-class accent one would accept from a humble gardener.
** ''Creator/CaseyKasem'' as Meriadoc Brandybuck, not really for his performance but rather for his really recognizable voice as it's impossible to unhear [[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDoo Shaggy.]]
** John Stephenson as the Witch-King of Angmar...using the same voice he did for Dori in WesternAnimation/TheHobbit. Difficult to take him seriously when he sounds like a dwarf.

** The Watchers of Cirith Ungol are unsettling vulture-like statues. Introduced with a ScareChord, the way they [[DeathGlare silently follow Sam with their eyes]] builds the tension of their scene, and right when the viewer thinks [[HopeSpot Sam is safely past them,]] they unleash a [[JumpScare terrifying]] [[HellIsThatNoise scream]].

** The Eye of Sauron, unlike the [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings film version that portrays it as an unambiguously fiery reptilian slit eye]], it's very subtle. [[https://musingsfromus.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Return-Of-The-King-Rankin-Bass-ScreenShot-53.jpg It's portrayed]] [[LightIsNotGood as a reddish-orange sun like object with subtle outward expanding ripples covered in an aura of flames]], which on closer inspection resembles a [[WingdingEyes rippling]], hyper-realistic eye [[EldritchAbomination of something incomprehensible entity]]. It even stares at you [[https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/HV4AAOSwQOdfouO5/s-l1600.jpg on the cover of]] the UsefulNotes/{{CED}} videodisc release!

** In the "Sauron's defeat" scene, Aragorn tells Gandalf that they're doomed, because the earthquake destroying the area can't tell good from evil. In this film, the good guys are only saved by the arrival of the Eagles. When Creator/PeterJackson redoes the scene in [[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing his own film]], the earthquake that destroys Baradur crumbles most of the ground out from under the villains' feet before stopping ''just'' short of the heroes' army.

* CompleteMonster: [[TheHeavy The Lord of the Nazgul]], [[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsSauron Sauron]]'s right-hand, is a supernatural phantom leading Sauron's armies on the field to overrun Middle-earth. Overseeing the attempted slaughter of countless innocents, the Nazgul Lord personally leads the charge to Minas Tirith and the collapse of the gates to have everyone within killed, before personally confronting Gandalf and [[TheKingslayer causing the death of King Theoden]].

** It's also hard to take the Witch-King seriously due to his bizarrely high-pitched, distorted voice, which has been compared to [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers Starscream]], [[WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983 Skeletor]], and Mr. Slate from ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones''. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWjt6LGhHsI Watch here.]] It's even worse if you saw ''The Hobbit'' since John Stephenson is doing the same voice he had as Dori. You half expect him to go "Bilbo!"

** The entire film, even more so than the original ''Hobbit''. Especially the random songs.
** Special mention goes to the scene where Gollum bites off Frodo's finger, which is hilariously narrated by choir: "Frodooooo, of the niiiiine fingers, where is the Ring of Dooooooooom?"

** The Eye of Sauron, unlike the [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings film version that portrays it as an unambiguously fiery reptilian slit eye]], it's very subtle. [[https://musingsfromus.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Return-Of-The-King-Rankin-Bass-ScreenShot-53.jpg It's portrayed]] [[LightIsNotGood as a reddish-orange sun like object with subtle outward expanding ripples covered in an aura of flames]], which on closer inspection resembles a [[WingdingEyes rippling]], [[UncannyValley hyper-realistic eye]] [[EldritchAbomination of something incomprehensible entity]]. It even stares at you [[https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/HV4AAOSwQOdfouO5/s-l1600.jpg on the cover of]] the UsefulNotes/{{CED}} videodisc release!

* {{Sequelitis}}: Generally considered to be not as good as ''WesternAnimation/TheHobbit'', which was a decent AdaptationDistillation of a much shorter book while this comes off more as a CompressedAdaptation of one of three longer books, the first two not even completely covered by the earlier Bakshi film. Also the original folk-y songs fit ''The Hobbit'' better since it was a children's book to begin with, while this was based on a more complex and epic work.

*** Sauron himself in this adaptation compared to the [[WesternAnimation/TheLordOfTheRings Ralph Bakshi]] and especially [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Peter Jackson films]], is given no information of his background or form. It just states he's the BigBad, which makes his UnseenEvil aspect all the more terrifying [[NothingIsScarier due to the lack of information about him in this adaptation]].

** The entire film, even more so than the original Hobbit. Especially the random songs.
*** Special mention goes to the scene where Gollum bites off Frodo's finger, which is hilariously narrated by choir: "Frodooooo, of the niiiiine fingers, where is the Ring of Dooooooooom?"

---> '''Aragorn''': ''[[Film/TheDarkKnight Why so glum, wizard]]?''
--->And the very un-Tolkienesque line:
---> '''Pippin''' (about Denethor): ''He's gone loony I tell you!'':