The Lord of the Ringsmovies are best known for their world-building and epic lore, but like any good high fantasy series, they also have plenty of action.The original trilogy by Peter Jackson follows the source material by J.R.R. Tolkien fairly closelyand delivers on the visuals and immersive storytelling throughout each installment. When Jackson followed up his successful adaptation with a trilogy based onThe Hobbit, he had to expand the original story and take some liberties with the text. ThoughThe Hobbitmovies are not as well regarded, they still have plenty of exciting sequences.
WatchingThe Lord of the Ringsmovies in ordermeans beginning withThe Hobbitmovies since Bilbo’s epic journey came before Frodo ever set out for Mount Doom. However, even thoughthe events ofLOTRcouldn’t have happened withoutThe Hobbit,it’s universally acknowledged that the escalation of action inLOTRis more intense. LikeLOTR, it takes time for Bilbo’s adventure to become dangerous and full of action, and even then, the battles within the book never reach the level ofLOTR. However, Jackson’s updated interpretation of the story in the films changes everything.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
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As Bilbo Baggins celebrates his 111th birthday, he recounts the extraordinary journey that changed his life. Guided by the enigmatic wizard Gandalf, Bilbo joins a band of Dwarves on a perilous quest to reclaim their homeland from the fearsome dragon, Smaug. Along the way, they face treacherous foes, unearth long-buried secrets, and discover unexpected courage within themselves. With danger lurking at every turn, Bilbo’s adventure unfolds in a tale of friendship, sacrifice, and the enduring power of hope.
It surprised many audience members that Jackson decided to splitThe Hobbitadaptation into three parts,as withLOTR. Even though there isn’t as much ground to cover, Jackson managed to incorporate enough intrigue in each installment to warrant the trilogy. Unfortunately, the first outing of the series is widely considered the weakest overall, and the lack of action is a large part of why. Full of set-up about Biblo’s backstory and exposition about Middle-earth during the period before Frodo was born. Due to this, it takes a long time for the plot to get started.
It’s important to watchAn Unexpected Journeyto get context for the more exciting sequels.
There are a lot of questions aboutwhat went wrong withThe Hobbittrilogyas, despite the strong box office performance ofAn Unexpected Journey, the critical reception was mixed to poor.Since so much of the action happens later in the book, Jackson had to extend the scenes that are heavy with dialogueand leave out almost everything that could have quickened the pace and engaged the audience further. Though this isn’t a ringing endorsement of the first movie, it’s important to watchAn Unexpected Journeyto get context for the more exciting sequels.
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The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, directed by Peter Jackson, continues the journey of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) alongside Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) and his company of dwarves. As they travel to reclaim Erebor from the dragon Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch), they encounter new allies and dangers.
InThe Desolation of Smaug, the story finally reaches the point where there’s significant visual intrigue through the battle sequences. After being warned about the fearsome dragon Smaug inAn Unexpected Journey, Biblo and his allies come face to face with the cunning villain, and Jackson brings an explosive conflict to life on screen. Additionally,The Desolation of Smaugopens on a much more engaging note, with Bilbo’s fight against the giant spiders taking place not long after the beginning of the story. While Biblo continues on his quest, Gandalf’s journey makes for a compelling secondary plot.
Gandalf teams up with Radagast, another Istari, to investigate Sauron’s return, adding to the prequel’s connection to the later films and providing action and Easter eggs. ThoughSmaug is the only dragon inThe Lord of the RingsandThe Hobbitbecause the other dragons had died out by the Third Age, he’s a terrifying foe in the third act. Thanks to the final battle with Smaug,The Desolation of Smaugwas considered a greater success in terms of quality.It’s clear that Jackson listened to the critics and fans and turned the volume up on the excitement.
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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is the first film in Peter Jackson’s critically acclaimed Lord of the Rings trilogy. The movie follows Frodo Baggins (Elijah Woods) as he is tasked with destroying the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom after he inherits the ring.
IfThe Fellowship of the Ringhadn’t been a resounding success, there would be noLOTRfranchise. LikeAn Unexpected Journey,The Fellowship of the Ringbears the brunt of exposition and set-up, but it’s handled much more skillfullyin this film. Even the quiet moments in the Shire feel propulsive, as Jackson cuts to the meat of the story quickly, getting Frodo up and out the door and being chased by the Nazgûl as soon as possible. Though the stakes are lower than in the later movies,The Fellowship of the Ringkeeps the audience engaged with bated breath.
10 Biggest Changes LOTR: The Fellowship Of The Ring Makes To The Book
Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, but changed a few things.
The biggest moments of action inThe Fellowship of the Ringare Frodo’s initial chase sceneon his way to Rivendell andGandalf’s faceoff with the Balrog in Moria.Each of these are pivotal moments, as they determine the ultimate outcome of Frodo’s journey and change the course of his destiny forever. Without these comparatively smaller conflicts,The Fellowship of the Ringwouldn’t have been able to lay the groundwork for the groundbreaking battles that come later in the series. From this point on, every member of the Fellowship is on their own path with new perils ahead.
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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
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The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is the final installment in Peter Jackson’s trilogy, based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel. The film follows Bilbo Baggins and the Company of Dwarves as they face the catastrophic consequences of reclaiming the Lonely Mountain. The power struggle over the treasure leads to a climactic battle involving five armies, testing the characters' courage and alliances.
BeforeThe Rings of Powerpremiered on Amazon Prime,The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armieswas the last that fans had seen ofLOTRin film and television.The Battle of the Five Armiesis a strong conclusion, andit’s impressive that Jackson managed to make a fight sequence that takes place after the book’s climax into a feature-length movie.However, there’s little question that this movie diverges strongly from the source material and takes liberties with how action-packedThe Hobbitis in these final pages.
15 Times The Hobbit Movies Were Just As Good As Lord Of The Rings
The Hobbit trilogy is widely regarded as inferior to The Lord of the Rings, yet the former trilogy includes plenty of moments that match the latter.
Almost the entirety ofThe Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armiestakes place during the titular conflict,with Dwarves, Elves, men, and wizards battling each other for the sake of both safety and treasure. Greed is a major motivating factor behind the actions of many of the characters, as the treasure in Smaug’s mountain is incredibly tempting and places Bilbo at odds with people he considers his allies. Additionally, the movie includes the conclusion of Gandalf’s early encounters with the newly forming Sauron.
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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The final installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King concludes the epic saga of the Fellowship’s quest to destroy the One Ring and put an end to Sauron’s reign of terror. As Frodo and Sam continue on their way to Mordor and Mount Doom, accompanied by Gollom, the rest of the Fellowship work to defend Minas Tirith from Sauron’s forces. The film’s ensemble cast includes Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen, Vigo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Kingis the climax of the original trilogy, and many of its iconic moments are fast-paced and full of action. Despite this, there’s actually a good deal of time spent laying the groundwork for these battles and then tying up loose ends at the end of the narrative. Once Frodo and the Fellowship have completed their quest,Jackson takes his time showing what happens to each of the charactersand where they go in the aftermath of their journey, especially Frodo, considering his intense trauma.
Frodo and Sam’s ascent to the peak of Mount Doom and the surrounding battle in Mordor is a sight to behold.
The Return of the Kingis widely considered one of thebest fantasy movies of the 2000sand of all time. However, just because it’s arguably the best movie within the franchise, this doesn’t mean it holds the title of most action-packed. Frodo and Sam’s ascent to the peak of Mount Doom and the surrounding battle in Mordor is a sight to behold, but this doesn’t warrant the top spot for fight sequences within the six films. While Frodo’s encounter with the spider is also terrifying,much of the movie is dedicated to amassing armies for the coming fight.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
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The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is a Fantasy film by director Peter Jackson and is based on The Two Towers book by author J. R. R. Tolkien. A sequel to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, this installment continues Frodo’s journey to take the One Ring to Mount Doom to destroy it.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towersis in a tough position. It doesn’t have the gathering of forces and establishment of the first movie and also doesn’t reach the incredible climax like the last. However, many critics and audiences know thatThe Two Towersis actually the most action-packed addition to the franchise and is the film that best demonstrates Jackson’s ability to choreograph and stage an epic fight scene.From the Ents storming Isengard to the battle of Helms Deep, there’s a lot to unpackinThe Two Towers.
Part of the reason that this installment ofThe Lord of the Ringsmight not initially seem the most action-oriented is because much of Sam and Frodo’s storyline is stagnant and focuses on the development of their dynamic with Gollum. While this is psychologically exciting and does a lot for their character arcs, it simply doesn’t capture the imagination, like the swordplay and visual effects of the battles. However, it’s the quieter moments in the movie that make the incredible action sequences so memorable and the best of the franchise.
