The Academy Award-winning trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, is hailed as one of the best trilogies of all time. Peter Jackson expertly adapted the books written by J.R.R Tolkien, into three epic, spectacular films, that each rank among the greatest movies in cinematic history. These films delivered stunning and engaging world design and cinematography, impeccable writing and world-building, heart-pounding music, but most of all, truly epic battles.
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7 The Battle of Isengard - The Two Towers
New Line Cinema
Typically, the battles in the franchise will see men or elves fending off a huge army of orcs. But the battle for Isengard is unique and special, as we see the towering Ents stand against the power of Saruman, and destroy the tower of Isengard and the Uruk-Hai making factory. Fangorn Forest has faced deforestation to fuel the furnaces of Saruman’s fortress. These trees are alive, and are a species known as Ents. After dealing with the deforestation for some time, the Ents along with Merry and Pippin, finally decide to march upon Isengard after being convinced by Treebeard. It’s no surprise that they destroy the forges and end Saruman’s reign with such ease. Stomping and throwing hundreds of orcs before destroying the dam that overlooks Isengard, sending a tsunami crashing down onto the fortress and putting out the fires of Isengard out for good.
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6 Skirmish in Balin’s Tomb - The Fellowship of the Ring
This small battle sequence is the first time we see the Fellowship in action, and it doesn’t disappoint. This scene is tense and exhilarating, feeling claustrophobic, and watching the Fellowship defeat an army of goblins and a cave troll with such ease. While music in the trilogy is phenomenal, heart-pounding, and one of the many reasons The Lord of the Rings is so beloved, the scene has a refreshing lack of music, making the scene feel much more tense. Similarly, our lovable Hobbits get in on the action for the first time and prove to be fairly efficient fighters. After exploring the haunting Mines of Moria, the Fellowship comes across the tomb of Gimli’s cousin, Balin. However, the “fool of a Took” Pippin, knocks a skeleton off a well, crashing its way through the whole of the mine. This alerts an army of goblins and a cave troll, who proceed to attack our fellowship.
5 The Siege of Barad-Dur - The Fellowship of the Ring
As the film’s opening scene and our very first battle sequence, the siege of Barad-Hur may not be the most memorable in the franchise, but it’s certainly one of the most important. This sequence is just a taste of what is to come in terms of how awesome the battle scenes can be, and it is a fast, but phenomenal battle to kick off the franchise. This prolonged siege was a major event of the war of the last alliance, as the last alliance of elves and men stood against Sauron at his fortress of Barad-Hur in Mordor.
We see a younger Elrond lead his army of elves against a large army of orcs, before a mighty and towering Sauron appears, wearing the manipulative and powerful ring. Sauron then begins wailing on men and elves across the battlefield, until Sauron kills Elendil, the King of Gondor, which causes his son Isildur to take up his father’s sword and cuts off Sauron’s finger, causing the one ring to fall to the floor, finally defeating Sauron. The last alliance of elves and men become victorious and defeat the evil of Sauron, or so they thought.
4 The Skirmish at Amon Hen - The Fellowship of the Ring
This battle is equally as exciting as it is devastating for the Fellowship, as they not only separate, but we lose one of the members in a very heroic way. The scene kicks off with Aragorn proving he is one of the best characters in the trilogy, standing alone against an army of Uruk-Hai in one of his best character moments. This scene is spectacular, with some truly incredible choreography, especially from Legolas, as he deals headshot after headshot, as sort of the John Wick of Middle Earth. The scene is accompanied by gorgeous cinematography and wide shots, mixed with some exhilarating music as well. On top of this, we unfortunately lose Boromir, as he gets shot with three arrows, and still tries to protect the Hobbits, in a true feat of heroism.
An army of Uruk-Hai have followed the Fellowship to retrieve the ring from Frodo. However, once they find them, the Uruk-Hai stand no chance against our extremely skilled Fellowship. Thankfully, Frodo escapes, but this encounter proves disastrous for the rest of our characters.
3 The Battle at the Black Gate - The Return of the King
The battle at the Black Gate was the glorious final stand against the evil of Mordor, and a perfect final battle to follow the heart-racing epic battle of Minas Tirith, as well as being an amazing battle to end this spectacular trilogy. Aragon finally takes up his destiny and becomes (unofficially) the King of Gondor, giving an incredibly inspiring speech before leading human kind’s final defense into battle. This sequence is awesome, thrilling, and fueled with emotion, with spectacular special effects, thrilling action, and a tense and beautiful musical from Howard Shore. Our heroes gather the last remaining armies of Gondor and Rohan, in the last stand of humankind to defeat the evil of Mordor. This stands as a perfect distraction for the Eye of Sauron, as our heroes help Frodo and Sam finally destroy the ring.
2 The Battle of Minas Tirith - The Return of The King
The White City of Gondor resides right next to the dark and evil terrains of Mordor, and serves as a really long, but no less exhilarating battle, as all humankind rallies to defend the last city of Gondor. We have everything in this scene; Gandalf fighting off a horde of trolls and orcs, an uplifting and epic speech from King Theoden, an army of ghosts, the Legolas vs Gimli kill count, and of course, Legolas taking down an enormous Oliphant before riding down its trunk. The siege begins with the armies of Mordor raiding the city of Minas Tirith, with Gandalf and Pippin helping to defend it. Minas Tirith is about to be taken by the armies of Sauron, until we hear the horn of Rohan, as King Theoden leads the Rohirams into battle to help protect the city. All before our favorite trio, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, lead the army of the dead, to wreak havoc upon the orcs.
1 The Battle of Helms Deep - The Two Towers
No battle defines this trilogy more than the jaw-dropping battle of Helms Deep, including its exceptional action, phenomenal spectacle, tension, and incredible character moments. The battle of Helms Deep has similarly been regarded as one of the greatest battle scenes in cinematic history. Peter Jackson expertly balances the tone and spectacle of the sequence, delivering immaculate CG and gorgeous cinematography, combined with a keep full of suspense and emotion. This sequence excels and perfectly demonstrates the tolls of war, something Peter Jackson wanted to portray, as it wasn’t a major part of the book. Showing a young boy and an old man at the start of the fight, unexperienced and scared, sadly, however, they do not make it to the end. Similarly, Gimli and Legolas have hilarious back-and-fourths, as well as one of the most iconic scenes in cinematic history, with Legolas riding down a flight of stairs while using his bow and arrow to headshot Uruk-Hai after Uruk-Hai.
As Rohan’s last line of defense, King Theoden retreats his army to the heavily-fortified keep of Helms Deep, with the help from the Elves of Lothlorien as reinforcements. A massive, powerful army of Uruk-Hai march upon the keep, and after a prolonged build-up of tension, stopped by a single arrow. The raid begins as elves, men, and Uruk-Hai all begin to perish, with the Uruk-Hai seeming too much for the armies of elves and men, causing them to retreat to the inner keep. Before our final survivors ride out in their last ditch effort, they are suddenly saved by Gandalf and an army of Rohirams.
