50 Most Rewatchable Movie Scenes - 16. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Gandalf's Promotion: Theoden's Exorcism

YouTube - Gandalf Frees Theoden

I already did The Hobbit, but that was quite a bit different as those were all songs. Lord of the Rings Extended Edition is 12 hours of footage wrapped into 3 movies. I am able to pick my most rewatchable scene, but I love the whole thing. I don't know if I could give it much criticism if I tried. Gandalf and Frodo are awesome characters. Sam and Aragorn are real heroes. It's hard to fully understand what Sauron is truly capable of but the stakes are made very clear throughout from the first few lines, the Ring has gots to go.

We hear little about Rohan in the first Fellowship movie. Theoden is not mentioned that I can remember nor the riders of Rohan, Eowyn, Grima. This introduction of Gandalf the White to Grima and Saruman controlled Theoden is the first glorious victory brought by the remains of the Fellowhip. Boromir died, Merry and Pippin were captured, Frodo was stabbed multiple times already and took off with Sam and Gollum behind them. Saruman was finally caught off guard and eventually it became his downfall.

For fun, I will do a list within a list. My top 10 favorite LOTR scenes.

10. YouTube - Arwen Rescues Frodo - I don't care that it's not Glorfindel. My cousin described it well the night after we saw Fellowship for the first time back in 2001. It has to be a long descriptive book or this part would just be summed up like they were chased, they rode, they escaped.

9. YouTube - Gandalf the White's Turn of the Tide - We find out what happens to Gandalf post falling into the pit of khazad dum.

8. YouTube - Battle Of Weathertop - 5 Nazgul vs 4 Hobbits and one Fire Strider. We get to see what Aragorn is made of for the first time.

7. YouTube - You Shall Not Pass - Maybe the most famous scene from any of the movies. Not exactly a fight scene, but the first show of true magic and the biggest bad guy we get outside of maybe Grond.

6. YouTube - Gandalf vs the Witch-King of Angmar - A short and extended edition scene, but it's powerful. Your staff is broken, he has Gandalf beaten only to have his attention lost at the sound of horns. 

5. YouTube - Eowyn vs the Witch King of Angmar - Eowyn succeeds where Gandalf fails due to a technicality.

4. YouTube - The Ride of the Rohirrim - I think this is the popular pick for people's favorite scene. It does give goosebumps.

3. YouTube - The Council of Elrond - Quite a bit going on here. It's all good stuff though. One of you must do this... toodles.

2. YouTube - You Bow To No One - This coronation can tear you up for so many reasons, you have to pee because you have been sitting there for 3 hours with only 4 more endings in sight, Arwen seeing Aragorn, Aragorn getting the crown, the tree restored, none better than everyone bowing to the Hobbits. 

1. YouTube - Gandalf Saves Faramir and Gondor Riders - Something beautiful and majestic to me about Gandalf riding out with a Pippin on his wing, blasting flying Nazgul with a ray of light. Simple but effective. If this was Game of Thrones, they would all be dead and Pippin would have stabbed Gandalf with his own staff.