Summary
Peter Jackson’sThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy is a masterpiece that brought new generations of fans to Middle-earth. The movies are full of breathtaking vistas of New Zealand’s beauty and detailed handcrafted sets. Combined with unforgettable music and outstanding acting, it is no wonder that this rendition of the most famous fantasy booksearned so many awards.
The series broke into mainstream culture in a way that no other high fantasy series had managed before. Some of thescenes featured throughout the trilogyhave reached even higher fame to where avid fantasy fans and casual movie watchers alike can recognize them.
Updated July 29, 2025 by Matthew Weideman:The Lord of the Rings remains one of the most beloved fantasy stories, and audiences love returning to Middle-earth when they get the chance. With many exciting projects for the franchise coming up, like War of the Rohirrim and the recently announced Gollum movie, this list was expanded to include five more iconic scenes from Peter Jackson’s trilogy.
1Smeagol Banishes Gollum
Smeagol Yells At His Alter-Ego To Leave And Never Come Back
Gollum was once a hobbit-like creature named Smeagol. After finding the One Ring, he fell under its corruption and ended up developing a second personality. This second personality was named Gollum after the awful coughing sound he often made. Gollum dominated the pair for most of the centuries that the creature spent in the caves of the Misty Mountains.
At the start ofThe Two Towers, Smeagol finally begins to make a comeback because Frodo is the first person to show genuine kindness and compassion towards him in hundreds of years. Smeagol eventually finds the strength to stand up to Gollum and banishes him so that Smeagol can be happy with his new master. The scene is cleverly shot by having the two personalities shown at different camera angles, and Andy Serkis' performance as Gollum/Smeagol is incredible.
2The Battle Of Helm’s Deep Begins
The Tension In The Atmosphere Is Palpable
After Saruman’s treachery was fully understood, King Theoden ordered Rohan’s people to retreat to the fortress of Helm’s Deep. While it was the nation’s mightiest stronghold, it was also what Saruman was hoping would happen. The White Wizard unleashed his army of thousands of uruk-hai to the fortress, seeking to end Rohan in service to the Dark Lord Sauron.
Tensions grow between characters as they realize that they are trapped in the fortress, and will have to survive against an army that is better prepared, better equipped, and more numerous than them. The men and elves take their places on the walls of Helm’s Deep and watch the evil army approach. Rain begins to fall as the battle for a nation begins.
3A Ringwraith Searches For The Hobbits
The Stakes Are Raised For The Unarmed Hobbits
Shortly after leaving the Shire, Frodo and Sam run into Merry and Pippin. The four hobbits end up standing on a road when Frodo urges the group to hide. Moments latera Nazgul, or Ringwraith, shows up on horseback.
The hobbits crouch out of sight under a large root sticking out of the ground as the wraith stops to search for the Ring. The Ring nearly succeeds in getting Frodo to put it on, but Pippin throws a bag of mushrooms to distract the wraith before he gives in. Seeing the Nazgul inches away from the Ring is a suspenseful image so iconic that it was recreated from the animated movie.
4Bilbo’s Birthday Party
The Jollity Of Hobbits Is Shown Off
In contrast to much of the rest of the trilogy, the scenes showing the Shire and its small inhabitants are filled with joy and laughter. Hobbits, as Bilbo says, love good food, brewing ales, gardening, and sharing company with one another. Nowhere is that more apparent than Bilbo’s 111th birthday party, to which nearly every hobbit in the Shire was invited.
The happiness in this scene shows off the character of the hobbits in addition to setting up the contrast to the struggle that will be faced for the rest of the trilogy. It is also the scene with Bilbo’s unforgettable quote about how he likes less than half the hobbits half as much as they deserve. The audience and Frodo also get to see the One Ring’s invisibility power, as Bilbo disappears mid-speech.
5The Last March Of The Ents
Nature Overtakes The Industrious Saruman
TheLord of the Ringstrilogy is full of inspirational speeches and emotional moments. The ents had remained neutral throughout the conflict between good and evil, stating that nobody was on their side. Pippin, however, had plans to push them into attacking Isengard, which would ultimately help save all of Middle-earth.
Treebeard, upon seeing part of his forest laid to waste by Saruman, roared out in anguish to summon his fellow ents. He gives a rousing speech declaring his intention to fight one last time before leading his people to destroy all of Saruman’s forces.
6Sam Fights Shelob
The Giant Spider Is Defeated
While climbing the treacherous Winding Stair carved into the cliffs of Mordor, Gollum tricked Frodo into forcing Sam to turn around and leave him. Neither of the hobbits knew that at the top of the cliff was a giant spider named Shelob’s lair. After struggling against the great beast, Frodo was eventually overpowered, and Shelob wrapped him in webbing to be eaten later.
Sam, having discovered Gollum’s plot, had turned around and climbed up the stairs alone. Armed with the Phial of Galadriel and the sword Sting, Sam confronted the great beast in a harrowing battle. While the spider was not killed, Sam did manage to stab out one of her eyes and wound her enough that she retreated into her labyrinth of tunnels.
7The War Of The Last Alliance
A Grand Telling Of The One Ring’s History
Audiences need to be at least somewhat familiar with thousands of years of mythical history to truly grasp the importance of Frodo’s quest to destroy the One Ring, and the opening scenes ofThe Fellowship of the Ringtell the story in an epic way. Galadriel narrates the Ring’s creation as the audience gets glimpses of characters that are revered by the main cast of the films.
At the end of the sequence, the men of Númenor ally with the elves of Middle-Earth to confront Sauron in the land of Mordor. The battle could easily serve as a climactic action sequence, and so seeing the huge armies clash within the first minutes of the opening film truly sets the tone for the trilogy.
8Rohirrim Charge At Helm’s Deep
Victory From The Jaws Of Defeat
The Battle At Helm’s Deep is one of thegreatest fantasy battlesto appear on the big screen. Rohan’s mightiest fortress had never been breached before, so it was a natural choice for Theoden to trust in it to keep his people safe from Saruman’s army.
There was no way for him to know that the white wizard had concocted gunpowder bombs in addition to the perfected orcs that served as his foot soldiers. With the outer wall reduced to rubble, the forces of Rohan were forced to retreat to the innermost keep. Just as defeat looked inevitable, the sunlight covered the valley, revealing Gandalf, Eomer, and 2,000 fresh riders. Their triumphant charge down the hill blinded and killed the remaining Uruk-hai and won the day.
9"That Still Only Counts As One"
Legolas Shows Off His Skills, And Gimli Reminds Him Of The Rules
Sauron’s armies appeared at theBattle of Pelennor Fieldsoutside the walls of Minas Tirith in several waves. The first wave was the army of orcs with siege towers and battering rams. The second, showing up just as the Rohirrim wiped out the orcs, were men from the East riding giant elephant-like beasts called mumakil.
Platforms with archers rested on the rampaging beasts' backs, wreaking havoc on Rohan’s line of cavalry. Legolas, seeing the opportunity to take one out, climbs on top of a mumakil and cuts the ropes holding the platforms steady. After killing the remaining riders, he shoots the beast in the head and slides off its trunk only to be met with Gimli’s famous quip, “That still only counts as one!”
10The Council Of Elrond
A Key Turning Point For The Quest
When the Council of Elrondbegan in Rivendell, Frodo was convinced that his part in the Ring’s story was over. He had only originally agreed to meet Gandalf with it in Bree and had gone significantly further by getting to Rivendell with help from his fellow hobbits and Aragorn.
It became clear to Frodo that the leaders of the races gathered in Rivendell would never be able to agree on who to trust with the Ring itself, however, and so he volunteered to bear it further. Frodo’s impactful decision, along with many well-remembered lines uttered by the soon-to-be Fellowship members, immortalized this scene for fans.
