“It’s mine. My quote. My precious.”
Juggernaut fantasy franchises are aplenty in the modern landscape of blockbuster-focused filmmaking, but Peter Jackson‘s Middle-earth Saga will forever be incredibly hard to top. Taking place in the intricately complex and richly expansive world created by J.R.R. Tolkien, these six movies are full of fascinating world-building, compelling characters, beautifully written storylines, and, of course, highly memorable and quotable dialogue.
From The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the characters of Middle-earth have a very particular way of talking. Lines of dialogue in these films are often poetic and always full of rich meaning; not a single word is wasted. Of course, though, there is always one quote in each film that stands out above the rest as the most impactful. And while each fan might have their favorite line, few can deny these quotes are the best in their respective movies.
Warning: There are spoilers ahead!
6 “All We Have to Decide Is What to Do With the Time That Is Given to Us.”
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ (2001)
The one that started it all, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is still considered one of the best-ever first films in movie franchises. It’s about Frodo Baggins, a meek Hobbit from the Shire, who sets out with eight companions on a journey to destroy the One Ring to save Middle-earth from the rise of the evil tyrant Sauron. It’s an incredible way to start a trilogy full of fascinating world-building but also riveting stories that perfectly stand on their own two feet.
One of the movie’s most powerful and thematically important scenes is a moment of rest before the relentlessly suspenseful action that takes place in the Mines of Moria. Here, Frodo is sorrowful about how the Ring has impacted his life, wishing “none of this had happened.” In one of his usual inspirational speeches, Gandalf gives him words of encouragement, delivering this insightful and poignant line. He invites him to find comfort in the prospect that, perhaps, it was fate that put him in the spot he’s in and to think of how to make his struggles worth it. The line is profound and somewhat esoterical, very much in keeping with the trilogy’s themes.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- Release Date
- December 19, 2001
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- Cast
- Elijah Wood , Ian McKellen , Orlando Bloom , Sean Bean , Alan Howard , Sean Astin , Andy Serkis , Viggo Mortensen
- Runtime
- 178 minutes
5 “There’s Some Good in this World, Mr. Frodo, and It’s Worth Fighting For.”
Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) – ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers’ (2002)
With some moments of exhilarating action and others of profound emotion, as well as one of the franchise’s most underrated scenes, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is one of the best middle films in any movie trilogy. The story sees Frodo and Sam edge closer to Mordor with the help of the shifty Gollum while the rest of the Fellowship takes a stand against Sauron and Saruman.
Some would argue (and deservedly so) that the single best moment of dialogue in the whole saga is Sam’s stirring speech at the end of the movie. Here, in a beautifully written monologue, Sam lays out the themes of the narrative and the causes that make their struggle worth the pain, ending by telling Frodo why they must keep going: Because “there’s some good in this world,” “and it’s worth fighting for.” Flawlessly delivered by Sean Astin, one of the many actors robbed of an Oscar nomination for his performance in the trilogy, it’s a terrific speech that works as the perfect transition to Return of the King.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
- Release Date
- December 18, 2002
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- Cast
- Bruce Allpress , Sean Astin , John Bach , Sala Baker , Cate Blanchett , Orlando Bloom
- Runtime
- 179 minutes
- Writers
- J.R.R. Tolkien , Fran Walsh , Philippa Boyens , Stephen Sinclair , Peter Jackson
4 “My Friends, You Bow to No One.”
Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) – ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ (2003)
One of the movies with the most Oscar nominations in history, tied as the one with the most wins, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the trilogy’s rousing conclusion. In it, Gandalf and Aragorn lead the armies of Men to fight Sauron so that Frodo and Sam may approach Mount Doom unnoticed and destroy the One Ring.
Of the movie’s numerous moments of emotion and excitement, few are as touching as the scene in the third act where Aragorn is crowned in Minas Tirith after Sauron is finally defeated and Middle-earth is in peace. Here, seeing the four Hobbits bow to him, Strider tells them, “You bow to no one,” and the entire congregation bows to them instead. It’s a beautiful moment that makes it hard not to shed a few tears, watching the praise of these four brave men who proved that their size didn’t determine their worth.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
- Release Date
- December 17, 2003
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- Cast
- Noel Appleby , Alexandra Astin , Sean Astin , David Aston , John Bach , Sean Bean
- Runtime
- 201 minutes
- Writers
- J.R.R. Tolkien , Fran Walsh , Philippa Boyens , Peter Jackson
3 “I’ve Found It Is the Small Things, Everyday Deeds of Ordinary Folk, That Keeps the Darkness at Bay. Simple Acts of Kindness and Love.”
Gandalf (Ian McKellen) ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ (2012)
Nine years after the Lord of the Rings trilogy, fans were eager to return to Middle-earth; The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey scratched that itch. Not many would call it one of the best prequels of all time, but it certainly brought lots of interesting things to the table, as well as offering the thrill of returning characters and familiar locations. Sixty years before the events of The Lord of the Rings, it’s about a Hobbit who joins a wizard and a party of dwarves on a quest to reclaim the dwarves’s home from the dragon Smaug.
When the White Council gathered in Rivendel to discuss how to handle the situation of Sauron’s supposed return, one of the old familiar faces that viewers get to see is Lady Galadriel. Here, Galadriel asks Gandalf why he chose Bilbo to join their company. Unsure, Gandalf answers that he finds tremendous power in the “everyday deeds of ordinary folk” like Bilbo and that the Hobbit gives him courage in their dark times. It’s a touching line, as well as a reminder of the core message at the heart of the whole saga: surprising amounts of courage lie in even the most unexpected of people.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
- Release Date
- December 14, 2012
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- Cast
- Martin Freeman , Ian McKellen , Richard Armitage , Ken Stott , Cate Blanchett , Ian Holm , Christopher Lee , Hugo Weaving , James Nesbitt , Elijah Wood , Andy Serkis
- Runtime
- 169 minutes
- Writers
- Fran Walsh , Philippa Boyens , Peter Jackson , Guillermo del Toro
2 “If This Is to End in Fire, Then We Will All Burn Together!”
Torin Oakenshield II (Richard Armitage) – ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ (2013)
The Hobbit trilogy is filled with memorable and iconic lines of dialogue, and The Desolation of Smaug is no exception. This sequel follows the dwarves, the hobbit Bilbo and the wizard Gandalf on the continuation of their quest to reclaim Erebor from Smaug the dragon. Meanwhile, Bilbo grows more familiar with his newly acquired mysterious ring.
In one of the film’s most pivotal scenes, after narrowly escaping Smaug’s deadly fire, the dwarves and Bilbo find themselves trapped in a room full of dead dwarves. “The last of our kin,” Balin mutters. Though the team wants to play it safe and hide in the mines, Thorin refuses to die, “clawing for breath,” instead ordering his friends to help him fight the dragon in the forges, delivering this rousing sentence that could bring chills to anyone. Despite its seemingly inspiring nature, this line speaks to the arrogance of this dwarf who shook the fate of Middle-earth and to the terrible effect that dragon sickness had on his heart.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- Release Date
- December 13, 2013
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- Cast
- Martin Freeman , Ian McKellen , Richard Armitage , Benedict Cumberbatch , Evangeline Lilly , Lee Pace , Luke Evans , Ken Stott , James Nesbitt , Orlando Bloom
- Runtime
- 170 minutes
- Writers
- Fran Walsh , Philippa Boyens , Peter Jackson , Guillermo del Toro
1 “If More People Valued Home Above Gold, This World Would Be a Merrier Place.”
Torin Oakenshield II (Richard Armitage) – ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’ (2014)
Even if it’s typically considered the weakest installment in the Middle-earth saga, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies still has an awful lot to offer those who love Tolkien’s Legendarium. Marketed as the epic conclusion of the franchise, it’s about Thorin’s company being forced to take part in a war against an array of combatants to keep the Lonely Mountain from falling into the hands of the rising darkness.
The film is fun and action-packed, particularly if one watches the R-rated extended edition. It brings the arc of all major characters to a satisfying close—including those that are poignantly tragic. This includes Thorin Oakenshield, who dies in combat against Azog, the Orc-lord. The last person he sees is Bilbo, in whose arms he takes his last breath. His last conversation with the Hobbit is deeply moving, telling him to return to the comfort of the Shire and praising his valuing of “home above gold,” which encapsulates one of the driving themes of the Hobbit trilogy.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
- Release Date
- December 17, 2014
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- Cast
- Martin Freeman , Ian McKellen , Richard Armitage , Evangeline Lilly , Luke Evans , Lee Pace , Benedict Cumberbatch , Cate Blanchett , Orlando Bloom , Hugo Weaving
- Runtime
- 144 minutes
- Writers
- Fran Walsh , Philippa Boyens , Peter Jackson , Guillermo del Toro
This article was originally published on collider.com