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The beginning of the journey, or the dramatic climax of an epic, decade-defining trilogy? This is a film series that did seemingly no wrong in adaptation or execution, a miracle we might never see replicated in our lifetimes, and it's fitting that it would have an extra entry in the Madness leagues.
My vote must go somewhere, and it goes to Fellowship for one simple reason; Hobbiton. In a series with so many epic locales and iconic action scenes, this idyllic village remains the most beloved and recognized, and it is a perfect way to begin the series and honor Tolkien's vision. If the beginning hadn't been executed so flawlessly, the danger would be less felt and Frodo's arc would be less palpable. When darkness encroaches, when the sun sets on Hobbiton and when Frodo has to leave it all behind, you feel his nostalgia for the sunny afternoons, feasts, fireworks and pipeweed-smoking. If this trilogy hadn't started so well, the ending would not have been half as satisfying.
While I decided to go Fellowship, I must say that Two Towers is probably the best of the three. (all three should have probably been in the play-in vote)
"Best" is hard to qualify (I guess that's what Filmspotting Madness is for), but the magical epiphany that Fellowship seemed to give was only solidified for me (and I think the world) when Two Towers continued to deliver with more action and development in the characters and the world of middle earth. Return of the King is also great, but seemed to double down a little too much on the visual spectacle at the expense of the dramatic story.
A great trilogy. But I think the middle carries a lot of the weight.
Fellowship! The other two left a few bad tastes in my mouth due to Peter Jackson making IMO bad decisions. Like others have said, I think Fellowship is nearly perfect. Plus it has the Moria scene. And they call it a mine... a mine!
Came here to say that Fellowship deserves it hands down and thanks Erin Teachman already wrote what needed to be said about it compared to the other films. Fellowship is the best of the three as an adaptation and a movie, with the cinematography and lack of wargs as special stand-outs.
Clearly FELLOWSHIP is better as it is 23 minutes shorter.
Thinking back on my childhood I probably watched Two Towers the most of the trilogy, which was so important in my childhood the way Star Wars or Indiana Jones was for kids in the 80s. But now when I go back to them Fellowship stands out as the most well-rounded, paced, and has a stand out Sean Bean performance so it gets my vote.
This here is, for me, like trying to decide between the Three Colours where my favorite is Red but I know intellectually that Blue is the best. Personally, my favorite is Two Towers, but oh well, I must admit that Fellowship is the more rounded and best-made and structured movie while Return presents some of the highest highs but also the lowest lows of the series.
Fellowship, to Return: "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"
I voted for the shorter one.
The Lord of the Rings movies were the first movies I truly loved, deep in my soul. (I was *that* kid in high school who spoke Elvish and read The Silmarillion and wore a One Ring replica on a chain around my neck.) I had the extended editions practically memorized. Picking between these two is like choosing a favorite child, but I went with Fellowship, because it does the difficult work of establishing the world of Middle-Earth and the conflict of the story, and it makes us feel the dread of this old evil returning to the world in a way that the other two movies don't quite capture. It's genuinely scary, especially the shot of the Ringwraith crouching over the tree root the Hobbits are hiding under. We have an idea of the stakes already, but the Hobbits don't understand them until this moment, and I think the looming black shape over these innocent characters who have no idea what they're getting themselves into is an excellent distillation of the series in one single, simple sequence that we don't quite get in Return of the King.
Ooof, both great. Watching Return of the King at an almost packed theater with everyone applauding the hell out of it still remains one of my favorite movie-going experiences. However, I can admit there are some flaws, minor, but flaws nonetheless. Fellowship is pretty much perfect.
Two Towers has always been my pick for the best of these three movies. But if your making me choose I choose between 1 and 3 I pick Return of the King and all of its endings that I really don’t mind and kind of enjoy.
I voted for Fellowship... But only because Two Towers wasn't on the ballot...
Whoa. Strong feelings abound on Lord of the Rings. Once upon a time, I really wanted to have strong feelings about these movies and that was because Fellowship of the Ring was so so so good. I was upset that we lost Tom Bombadil and all that good stuff from the books, but so be it. Every other film in this trilogy makes much more aggressive decisions on shaping Tolkien's text, many of which I dislike (don't get me started on Faramir). The Oscar for Return of the King was a justified reward for a monumental achievement, but FoTR is still, for me, the film at the top of that achievement.
FOTR is more memorable than either of the two sequels - and for good reason. I think I've seen all three the same amount and could name scene after iconic scene from the first, whereas the other two movies just don't have that "classic" quality that the first movie does. I love the trilogy - all three movies - but FOTR is the one for me.
The ending of King automatically makes Fellowship better and the winner here.
"I am no man"
The sacrifice (and funeral) of faramir
Shelob's Lair
The Army of the Dead
The Black Gate
Mount Doom
(if the eagles can fly them home, why didn't they ****ing fly them there in the first place?!)
Tremendous sequences after which I can forgive and forget the multiple endings.
I'll go with one great beginning of the series over the messy multiple-endings in The Return of the King. It is bizarre how it is dragging on and on and on. And who like the green "slime" that is the army of dead? Lazy filmmaking all of a sudden. Nothing as sloppy as that can be found in the first installement. Maybe Peter Jackson got bored after the first one? It seems so to me. Fellowship of the Ring is the best of the three, there's no denying! ;-)
I could join the chorus of Two Towers here, but between these two options I'm gonna go with Fellowship of the Ring for it's pitch perfect pacing and balanced narrative to serve as the introduction to Tolkien's rich fantasy. It's likely the one film of the trilogy I've seen the most, and I will always stop whatever I'm doing to watch it when it's on, no matter what part.
There is no film scene that guarantees I'll tear up quite like the the end of the coronation scene at the end of Return of the King. My friends, this film bows to no one.
I'm also here to say Two Towers.
Two Towers is the worst. Down with Two Towers! Long live Return Of The King!
Two Towers is hands down the best of the three films. No set up or drawn out beginning. No need for the 10000 endings. Just the best battle of the whole franchise (Helms Deep) and the best monologue from a Hobbit (Sam's speech at the end), also.....Ents! So, my vote is for Two Towers the one film out of the trilogy to rule them all.
Please don't do this.
This is ridiculous and wrong. Fellowship of the Ring has a beginning but no end; Return of the King has no beginning and, like, five or six endings; Two Towers — which I'd agree is the best of the trilogy — has NEITHER! I'm not saying they're not good cinema, because they are, but THEY ARE ONE MOVIE, NOT THREE! To separate them like this is a violation of how they were conceived, written, filmed, and intended to be seen. It's also cruel and unusual.
Anyway, I voted for Return of the King. I have no idea why. But I repeat: Please don't do this. Please.
Another vote for Two Towers.
I'm also on team Two Towers... but if I have to choose one of these, I'll go for the finale, if only for the unexpected otherworldly sadness of how Frodo's story ends.
Against all odds, Return of the King manages to stick the landing of this enormous series in a way that is not only satisfying but incredibly emotional, and so it gets my vote. I can't even THINK about the scene where King Aragorn says to the hobbits, "My friends, you bow to no one," without majorly tearing up.
[from Sherwood, AR]
"Missed the boat. Like the original Star Wars trilogy, the 2nd installment is the best."
Amen.
"Casting a write-in vote for Two Towers here"
Make that two...
Missed the boat. Like the original Star Wars trilogy, the 2nd installment is the best. The other two are fantastic, but Two Towers is the best. As good as ROK is, it felt like they were just trying to take the battle scenes and make them bigger by throwing in more CGI. Don't have the same intimate intensity.
I also agree that Two Towers is the best. The Battle of Helm's Deep is the best part of the LotR trilogy in my opinion. And Theoden is possibly the best character.
Two Towers is superior to both!
I also want Two Towers! Helm’s Deep is the battle that all future battle scenes wish they could copy! Andy Serkis as Gollum also needs all the love!
Casting a write-in vote for Two Towers here