Lord of the Rings: Return of the King – All Unforgettable Moments

The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King brings the conclusion to the film trilogy. Frodo and Sam arrived at Mordor for their quest to destroy the One Ring. Meanwhile, Aragorn leads the alliance against the huge battalion of Sauron to the Stone City of Minas Tirith. Let us have a look back at all the unforgettable moments of the movie (extended edition) adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic.

Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The Return of the King Extended Edition roughly adds another hour to the film which totals to a running time, including the credits, of 4 hours and 12 minutes. HBO MAX will release the Lord of the Rings Series: The Rings of Power this coming 2nd of September 2022. Before that, these are the best and most unforgettable moments of the Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

Smeagol and Deagol: Cousins and Bestfriends

In LOTR fashion, the movie started off strong. Smeagol later known as Gollum shows how the One Ring can easily corrupt anyone. Filled with greed, lust, and power, the ring transformed Smeagol into an unrecognizable creature.

Saruman: Death of the Corrupted Wizard

King Théoden, Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, and the hobbits, Merry and Pippin confronted Saruman, a great wizard consumed by the One Rings’ power. However, Grima Wormtounge, a traitor of men, stabbed  Saruman in the back when felt betrayed during the confrontation. The traitor bled out and died as well due to Legolas’ arrow.

Peregrin “Pippin” Took: The Fool and The Brave

Pippin Took has a lot of memorable moments in the film. Just in this sequence, there are already three which caused major turning points for the film.

  • The Palantir: Saruman’s Crystal Ball – The foolish hobbit cannot resist peeking into the Palantir which almost costs his life. However, this foolish act led to the discovery of where Sauron will send its military forces.

  • The Lighting of Amon Din – Amon Din is the oldest and the most symbolic warning beacon in Gondor. Pippin Took, with the instructions from Gandalf, lit the war beacon which signals the lighting of Amon Din and the other beacons in Minas Tirith to signify to Rohan that city needs help.

  • Song For Faramir, the Second Son – Pippin pledged his service to King Denethor II. Upon doing so, the Mad King asked the hobbit to sing a song while his son is on the way to reclaim The Ruined City of Ogilith from the Orcs.

Aragorn: Ranger of the North

Aragorn, during the march to Minas Tirith, had memorable moments. The future king received his sword and convinced an army of the dead to join the fight for Middle-Earth.

  • Narsil reforged to Anduril – Narsil is the sword of King Elendil and used by his son Isidel to cut the One Ring from Sauron in The Fellowship of the Ring. Elrond reforged Narsil and delivered it to Aragorn as a new sword named Anduril.

  • Man, Elf, Dwarf, and the Undead – Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli visited the undead King in hopes of convincing the Army of the Undead to join the fight. Aragorn imposes his will and the Anduril on the undead army to join the fight for Middle Earth.

March of Mordor to Minas Tirith

The enormous troops of the Dark Lord are displayed in comparison to the horsemen of Rohan. The troops from Mordor outnumbered the troops of Rohan, not to mention the humongous Orcs pushing big catapults.

Fellbeasts Flying over Minas Tirith

Aside from the ground troops of Mordor, Fellbeasts flew over the sky led by the Witch-King of Angmar. The sight is haunting as the Fellbeasts fly over Minas Tirith while the soldiers and inhabitants squander into hiding.

Gandalf: The Warchief

Denethor II the Mad King reaches his breaking point and loses all hope. He told his men to run for their lives without a fight. Gandalf, rightfully so, hit his mighty staff at the King as if trying to bring him back to his senses. The wizard became the war chief inside the towers of Minas Tirith.

Gothmog, Orc-General: Catapult Rock

This scene shows the angst of the secondary antagonist when a catapult rock send sent flying its way and casually sidesteps it.

Galadriel: The Lady of Light

Frodo collapsed after fighting his way out of Shelob, the Shadow Spider’s lair. Galadriel, the most beautiful Elven Queen, showed up in his dream to wake him up and continue his journey.

Samwise “Sam” Gamgee: The Loyal and Persistent Hobbit

Smeagol outsmarted Sam and planted distrust on Frodo’s head. The One Ring aggravated the situation which resulted in Frodo telling Sam to not continue with the journey. At this point, Shelob followed and stung Frodo with its venom. Luckily, Sam did not listen to Frodo and saved him from Shelob.

The Arrival of Rohirrims

King Theoden, King of Rohan, arrived along with his men to reinforce the losing fortress of Minas Tirith.

“Arise, arise, Riders of Theoden! Spears shall be shaken, shields shall be splintered! A sword-day, a red day… ere the sun rises! Ride now! Ride for ruin and the world’s ending!”

-King Theoden, King of Rohan

Denethor II: The Mad King

Thinking that Faramir is dead, Denethor tried to burn himself along with his supposed deceased second son. But, Pippin Took is certain that Faramir is alive. Along with Gandalf, Pippin Took saved Faramir from the flames that were lit by the Mad King. Unfortunately, during the struggle with the Mad King, Gandalf thru Shadowfax stomps the Mad King into the fire which ultimately leads to his demise.

The Arrival of the Haradrims and their Oliphaunts

The army of men gains momentum after the arrival of Rohirrim. In this turn of events, Haradrims, a race of men, along with their Oliphaunts arrived in the battle to reinforce the forces of Mordor.

Gandalf and Pippin Took:
White Shores, Green Country, Swift Sunrise

Pippin and Gandalf along with a handful of soldiers are pinned down by the orcs in a castle door. Gandalf tries to console Pippin that death is not the end.

End? No, the journey does not end here. Death is just another path. One that we must all take. The grey rain curtain of this world rolls back and all turns to silver glass. And then, you see it. … The white shores and beyond. A far green country under a swift sunrise.

-Gandalf, The Wizard

Eowyn with Merry Brandybuck vs Witch-King of Angmar

Eowyn tried to save King Theoden and ended up fighting the Witch-King of Angmar, second in command of Sauron. With the help of Merry Brandybuck, Eowyn killed the Witch-King.

The Arrival of the Undead Army

In another change in the tide of events, Aragorn along with Legolas, Gimli, and the Undead Army finally arrived at Minas Tirith to close out the battle. After, the Undeads of Dunharrow vanished as Aragorn releases them from their curse.

Legolas, Oliphaunt Slayer

While some say Eomer, Rider Leader of Rohan, killing (their riders) two Oliphaunt with 1 spear is more impressive. I would say, Legolas, as a marksman, navigating his way up on a bulldozing Oliphaunt while killing a bunch of Haradrims is way better. Truly an epic moment.

Aragon: The Heir of Isildur

Aragorn gave his speech before the final stand for the Middle-earth. The heir of Isildur delivered his speech to the demoralized troops at the Morannon, the Black Gate of Mordor. This is after killing the Mouth of Sauron, the herald and messenger of the Dark Lord Sauron.

Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers! I see in your eyes… the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of man fails… when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day. AN hour of wolves and shattered shields when the Age of Men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good earth. I bid you stand, Men of the West!

-Aragorn, The Heir of Isildur

Samwise “Sam” Gamgee: To Mount Doom!

After escaping the lair of the orcs, Frodo and Sam arrived at the foot of Mount Doom. However, the journey has exhausted most of Frodo’s will and stamina. Sam, unable to resist the power of the ring, carried Frodo to Mount Doom in their last effort to destroy the One Ring.

Then let us be rid of it… once and for all. Come on Mr. Frodo. I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you! Come on!

-Samwise “Sam” Gamgee, Shire Hobbit

The Great Eagles of Arda

Unlike the Battle of Minas Tirith, the Great Eagles of Arda gave men a chance against the Fellbeasts in the Battle of Morannon. The Great Eagles along with Gandalf also played a significant role in transporting the hobbits to safety.

Frodo Baggins: The Fight for the One Ring

Hobbits are naturally basic-thinking and do not get easily affected by the One Ring. However, the power of the One Ring is stronger as it came close to Mordor. The ring consumed Froddo who wore the ring, but Gollum bit it off his finger. In their final struggle for the ring, Froddo chose to hold on to his life while Gollum fell to Mount Doom with the Ring.

New Adventures

After the coronation of the new king, the Elves, Bilbo, Frodo, and Gandalf left the Middle-Earth and let Men rule over.

RELATED: Lord of the Rings Characters

Did I miss your favorite scene? If you have any questions or you feel that we missed something, please feel free to let us know in the comments below. 

Make sure you also subscribe to our push notifications and never miss an update from the world of video games, cinema, and sports. You can also follow us on Twitter @spieltimes for the latest PS5 restock and drop. Until next time, Stay Safe and Happy Gaming!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *