The Lord of the Rings trilogy kicked off in 2001 and ended shortly after in 2003, but the impact it had on the world of filmmaking was massive. Director Peter Jackson's movies ended up winning 17 out of its 30 Academy Award nominations, and grossed nearly $3 billion at the worldwide box office.
Ahead of Prime Video's prequel series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power this September, we've decided to look back at the best moments in The Fellowship of the Rings, The Two Towers, and Return of the King, counting down the twenty standout sequences from a trilogy that boasted dozens of them.
Earlier this week, we looked at moments 20 - 11, but it's now time to wrap things up by recapping our 10 all-time favourite moments from this trilogy, and we're sure you guys will have plenty to say about them.
The Lord of the Rings still hasn't been rivalled for many film fans, and Jackson definitely set a high bar for blockbuster filmmaking. So, to check out these best moments, hit the "Next" button below!
10. Balin's Tomb
Moria played a huge role in The Fellowship of the Ring, but just topping "You shall not pass!" as this part of the movie’s standout scene is the battle which saw the titular team fighting together for the first time.
They had expected to find something else altogether in the caves, but instead had the odds stacked against them with a swarm of goblins on the way (with an enslaved troll in tow).
Gimli channelling his grief into rage as he set out to avenge his slaughtered kin was particularly exciting, as was seeing The Hobbits getting involved. Once again, Jackson even tricked us into thinking that Frodo may have met his demise...
9. The Fall Of Sauron
It sometimes feels like Howard Shore’s score for The Lord of the Rings Trilogy doesn’t get the credit it deserves. If you need one example of just how amazing it is, look no further than this epic moment from The Return of the King.
It reaches a triumphant peak as we witness the fall of Barad Dur and Sauron’s Eye blinking out of existence at last. Mordor collapses in on itself, the Orcs are wiped out, and the relief of our heroes is clear to see as they realise that Frodo managed to succeed on his quest to destroy the ring.
Gandalf’s reaction is particularly touching as he realises that his faith in the Hobbit was entirely justified.
8. Smeagol vs. Gollum
After the teasing glimpse we mentioned a little earlier in this feature, The Two Towers held nothing back when it came to how much screen time Andy Serkis’ Gollum (deservedly) received.
He’s compelling from start to finish, but it’s the scenes where we see Gollum battling with Smeagol that really stand out as being the most memorable. This is an inner struggle which effectively shows off his insanity and that there is at least still some good within him.
It’s a credit to Jackson and Serkis that they were also able to inject some humour into these scenes, and his ultimate fate is made all the more tragic by them in some ways.
7. The Final Battle
As we’ve already mentioned, it wouldn’t be at all difficult to single out twenty individual moments from the epic final battle in The Return of the King, and props to Peter Jackson for both having the guts to try to top the Battle of the Helm’s Deep from The Two Towers, and for sending out this franchise in style.
There’s so much to praise here, whether it’s Legolas taking on the Oliphaunt or the breathtaking sight of the Rohan arriving and riding into battle. The filmmaker struggled to top this in The Hobbit movies, even if the technology had advanced, and the final film was basically one big fight sequence.
It’s hard to say, but we have no doubt that he’ll once again have tremendous fun delivering an awe-inspiring final fight.
6. Sam's Speech
It’s no wonder that Sam’s monologue at the end of The Two Towers is regarded as one of the best moments from the entire trilogy.
It’s a wonderful speech which works perfectly with what we’re seeing on screen as he’s saying it, and the fact that we can so easily relate to its message even though Sam is talking about events in such a drastically different world says a lot about just how human these characters are.
As a result, this is a beautiful, touching, and uplifting moment which serves to remind the viewer that they’re sitting there watching something truly very special and magical. It’s stuff like this which makes these movies great.
5. The Darkness Within Bilbo Baggins
At the time these movies were released, the scenes in which we caught just a fleeting glimpse of the negative effects keeping the ring had had on Bilbo Baggins over the years were shocking enough.
After all, just how many years away was he from becoming Gollum? Not only that, but this was also a devastating look ahead at what might be to come for poor Frodo.
Of course, watching them again after seeing The Hobbit means they take on an altogether more tragic feel, as we see just how much an impact his adventures and the discovery of the ring had on the Bilbo who was once content to stay in Bag End.
4. Gollum’s Death
It seemed like there was always a chance that Gollum might be somehow redeemed, but just as the darkness inevitably consumes Frodo, he simply can’t escape the lure of the ring. Doing everything and anything he can to finally regain his precious, the look of pure joy on Gollum’s face as he finally gets his hands back on it is a great but obviously very short-lived moment.
It’s ultimately hard not to be both sad and glad about his death, but there’s no denying that it’s almost heartbreaking to see what the ring has done to him as he plunges into the fiery chasms of Mount Doom. Thankfully Frodo doesn’t join him, but we’ll get to that soon...
3. The Fellowship Forms
The first hour of The Fellowship of the Ring focused almost entirely on The Hobbits and their quest to reach The Council of Elrond, and when they finally did, we were introduced to all the different cultures of Middle Earth.
This scene helped to set up the event and themes which would continue throughout the trilogy, as well as the formation of the Fellowship, of course. However, perhaps the best moment was when Frodo interrupts the heated debate and volunteers to carry the ring to Mordor to destroy it.
It’s a powerful moment for the character and is the key moment that kicked off one of cinema’s most epic quests.
2. Battle of Helm’s Deep
This is one of those scenes which will live forever, and is undoubtedly one of the greatest large scale battle sequences to ever grace the big screen. To squeeze this entire battle into a single moment may seem like a bit much, but bear with us...
What’s not to love about this one? You have a ton of really cool action beats, but also some fantastic character moments (particularly between Legolas and Gimli). All of this culminates in Gandalf’s appearance – "Look to my coming on the first light of the fifth day" – topping off this breathtaking and action-packed sequence in a satisfying and exciting fashion.
It doesn’t get much better than this!
1. Sam Carries Frodo
The relationship between Frodo and Sam was the heart of the trilogy, and the bond between these two was perhaps never better demonstrated than in this touching moment from the final act of The Return of the King.
The simple gardener struggles to lift his master and friend up the searing slopes of Mount Doom, but manages to achieve the impossible, showing that you should never truly doubt someone. Seeing Sam’s heartbreak when he realises that Frodo can’t give up the ring is also particularly moving, as is what follows when it’s finally destroyed.
With sweeping battles of the powerful fight between good and evil to quicken the blood it is the smallest moments which truly touch the heart.