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Ranking the 60 LOTR Moments That Made Us Cry

Too True SMEG Reviews

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From quiet moments that bring a few tears to the scenes that completely break us, The Lord of the Rings trilogy is filled with emotion. In this video, I’m ranking 60 of the most tear-jerking moments across all three films.

Some of these moments have hit me since I first watched the movies as a kid, while others have only grown more powerful as I’ve gotten older and experienced more of life. From Sam and Frodo’s journey to Théoden’s charge, Boromir’s death, the Grey Havens, and so many more, these are the moments that make The Lord of the Rings such an unforgettable story.

Let me know which scene makes you cry the most, and which one you think should have ranked higher.

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19 Comments

@StuartKoehl 8 days ago

Don't worry about Haldir and all the other slain elves. When their bodies die, their souls are taken to the Halls of Mandos, where they await reincarnation after reflection on the life they have led so far. Sooner or later, they return. Tolkien names at least two elves who have done so: Glorfindel, slain by a Balrog in the fall of Gondolin, returns to Middle Earth and is the one who (in the books) finds Aragorn and Frodo, and gives Frodo his horse Asfaloth for the dash to the Fords of Bruinen. And the other was Galadriel's brother, Finrod Felagund, who is slain by a werewolf saving Beren son of Barahir. In an almost throwaway line, Tolkien states, "But Finrod walks under the trees of Valinor with Finarfin his father".

@rhusradicans2122 2 weeks ago (edited)

Theoden's death is #1 for me - Miranda Otto's acting is superb: real tears, contorted face, the way people truly cry, not simply a single tear dropping while the actress still looks pretty. I learned on another YouTube channel, that Bernard Hill and Miranda Otto became quite close during filming, he mentoring her - an almost fatherly relationship. So that was probably why Miranda was able to convey her profound grief at loosing her beloved uncle Theoden so realistically. This scene gets me more than any other, perhaps because the acting was so convincingly real.

@JohnJohnsonIII-v2z 2 weeks ago

Honestly it didn't matter to me where you put each of them until maybe the end. It was just your perfect descriptions of all of them making me cry all over again.

@StuartKoehl 8 days ago

In the Fellowship of the Ring, about to embark on the journey to Mordor, Frodo says to Sam, "I am glad that YOU are with ME", but, in Return of the King, as they sit on that rock surrounded by lava, Frodo says to same, "I am glad to be with YOU, here at the end of all things". The reversal of emphasis shows Frodo's deep and final awareness that he has been dependent on Sam through the whole quest.

Something similar happens with the imagery of the hands: In Fellowship, Frodo's hand reaches down into the water to save Sam from drowning. In Return of the King, in a recapitulation of the same shot, Sam's hand reaches down to pull Frodo from the Crack of Doom. This kind of foreshadowing and fulfillment occurs repeatedly throughout all three films.

@sadiyarabia2496 2 weeks ago (edited)

You were able to create a list of these tearful moments?! Not me! I wouldn’t even know where to start 🥹🥺

@JonnaDiaz-x1k 2 weeks ago

Seeing #2 and #3 back to back like that is such a great contrast. And in a way, because of the pain of #2, the emotional payoff of #3 is profound and moving.

@boshman11 2 weeks ago (edited)

Merry & Pippin's farewell is like, top 7 for me. The music, the EMOTION.

Okay, and You bow to no one is my number 1 😮

@StrangeMachines1 11 days ago

Elronds proud dad face was indeed a good one.

@РоманЧерепанов-я8г 2 weeks ago

I don't remember the first time watching this trilogy as I was too young. But the older I get, the more I cry watching them, because the immersion gets deeper and tragic moment become more relatable.

The best films I've ever seen.

@jerimotta919 2 weeks ago

Gosh what a tough list to make! Every single one I was like “yep 100%!”

@lancepeterson7997 2 weeks ago

Great video - it's clear you put a lot of effort into the script and considering the list. That being said, I personally would have preferred to just see the scenes, with original audio, and maybe a short, one or two sentence description. These are all super powerful, and although you have a great voice for narration, you can't compete with the acting job these incredible people did for this movie. Often the delivery of the lines is the most impactful poart of the scene.

Great video either way, still get a like from me!

@Babu_Brick 5 days ago

One of the neat things about that moment between Galadriel and Gimli (#44) is that instead of saying "Moria" (which is an Elvish word), Galadriel calls Moria by its Dwarvish name, "Khazad-dûm." When Gimli hears that word in his own native tongue spoken by this great Elvish lady, it really helps to bring him peace.

As always, great video! All of these scenes are amazing. I think I'd have "For Frodo" and "You Bow to No One" higher up on my list, though! 😄

@SethZerangue-x2g 2 weeks ago

60 perfect reasons why they won all those Oscars

@GenTwEeK 1 day ago

even in recaps like this i have to cry about the the first place... everytime im watching lotr i always skipping the end after the scene at the peak of minas thirith. everytime there is to much grief for me to finish it the way it deservs

@StuartKoehl 8 days ago

Sam, at least, WILL see Frodo again, for, as a Ringbearer (albeit for a short while), he, too has earned a spot on the White Ships, and, after the death of Rosie, he hands off the Red Book to his daughter Elanor the Fair, and departs for the Blessed Realm.