Awesome / The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

"By all that you hold dear on this good Earth. I bid you stand, Men of the West!"

Moments pages are Spoilers Off. You Have Been Warned.

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This is a long movie so we've put the different scenes into folders.

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Preparing for Battle

• Gandalf and company confronting Saruman in the Extended Edition. Gandalf attempts to reason with Saruman and get him to surrender himself to questioning. Saruman doesn't play ball and casts a fireball onto Gandalf. It doesn't take.
  Gandalf: Saruman. Your staff is broken.
  [Saruman's staff promptly explodes in his hands.]
• Saruman may be cornered and defeated but he still has the gift of eloquent speech:
  Saruman: You are all going to die! But you know this, don't you Gandalf? You cannot think that this Ranger will ever sit upon the throne of Gondor. This exile, crept from the shadows will never be crowned King! Gandalf does not hesitate to sacrifice those who are closest to him, those he professes to love! Tell me, what words of comfort did you give the Halfling before you sent him to his doom? The path that you have set him on can only lead to death... What is the house of Rohan but a thatched barn where brigands drink in the reek and their brats roll on the floor with the dogs? The victory at Helms Deep does not belong to you Theoden Horse Master. You are a lesser son of greater sires!
• Theoden is offered peace by Saruman, but tells him how it's going to happen.
  Saruman: You have fought many wars and slain many men, Theoden King, and made peace afterward. Can we not take council together as we once did, my old friend? Can we have peace, you and I?
  Theoden: (quietly) We shall have peace... (louder) We shall have peace when you answer for the burning of the Westfold... and the children that lie dead there! We shall have peace when the lives of the soldiers whose bodies were hewn even as they lay dead against the gates of the Hornberg ARE AVENGED! (quiet and serious) When you hang from a gibbet for the sport of your own crows... we shall have peace.
• Faramir and his soldiers are retreating from Osgiliath and riding for their lives as the Nazgul pick them off one by one. Then Gandalf appears riding Shadowfax, accompanied by Ben del Maestro’s clear high voice, and blasts the Nazgul back with a beam of light from his staff, single-handedly bringing most of the soldiers home safely.
• The entire "Gondor Calls for Aid" beacon sequence. Awesome Music just makes it that much better. Also, probably the awesomeness of New Zealand terrain.
  Théoden: And Rohan will answer! Muster the Rohirrim!
  • This after Théoden had said in an earlier scene, "What do we owe Gondor?" adding doubt that Rohan would go to aid their one-time ally.
  • Gandalf trusting Pippin to light the beacon is one for both of them.

The Siege of Gondor

• Pippin singing the Hobbit song "Home Is Behind" while Faramir rides to his death.
• Gandalf kicking the Squishy Wizard trope in the balls during the siege of Gondor, Dual Wielding his staff and sword, killing Uruks left and right while also trying to get Pippin out of danger and also motivating the troops of Gondor to fight. Culminates in one for Pippin too: "Guard of the Citadel indeed!"
  • Gandalf alone manages to motivate and rally the soldiers of Gondor after Denethor's mad call for them to abandon their posts.
• Faramir's CMoA is when he leads a suicidal charge against the Orcs simply because his father and duty demand it. This is even though he knows it will almost certainly be his death and has to go and prepare so he has plenty of time to think about it. All in an attempt to win the respect of his father.
• The Gondorians catapulting massive stone blocks into the masses of orcs serves to show just how powerful their military is. In fact, it goes to show just why Sauron wants Gondor taken down; they're probably the only military force capable of opposing his.
  • Before this, the Orcs taunt the Gondorians by launching the heads of their fellow soldiers at them with catapults. Think that sends them running? Hell no. When Gandalf gives the order to fire back, you can practically feel the rage he, and likely the Gondorians, are feeling at the atrocious act.
    Gandalf: Send these foul beasts into the abyss!
• The Witch-king of Angmar when he confronts Gandalf.
  With-king: Do you not know death when you see it, old man? This is my hour.
  • He then raises his sword to make Gandalf's staff explode.
• Denethor's death during the battle of Minas Tirith — he, near-out of his mind with emotion, runs out onto the great pinnacle while on fire, and throws himself off. Then the camera pulls back, and back, and back.... revealing his insignificance in the grand scheme of things.
  • The judges gave him a 10.0 for the execution, but that dismount was going to sting a bit.
  • A minor one for Pippin during that sequence, leaping without hesitation from the back of Shadowfax onto a burning funeral pyre, heaving Faramir out of the flames, and putting him out before he can burn to death.
  • Shadowfax himself shows his Cool Horse credentials, rearing up in front of a blazing fire (which most steeds would find terrifying) to deftly knock Denethor away as he's trying to strangle Pippin. Any normal horse would've either shied away from the flames or trampled them both, probably to death in the hobbit's case.
• Gothmog, the leader of the Mordor Orcs gets one at the beginning of the Siege of Minas Tirith, when his response to a car-sized peice of masonry being flung at him is to wait until the last moment, then casually side step it, completely avoiding harm. Then, just to show his superiority over the humans, he spits on it in disdain. To clarify, he'd told all his Orcs to "Stay where you are," as the masonry comes at them. All the Orcs around Gothmog don't bother to listen, and run about twenty feet in all directions, just to be sure. Gothmog freaking sidesteps the projectile at the last minute, moving all of three feet in the process. The "Damn," look a battle troll gives him is the icing on the cake.
  • In the Extended Edition, the orcs first try breaking down the gate to Minas Tirith with a battering ram much like that one the Uruk-Hai used at Helm's Deep. This time however, not only doesn't it work, but the Gondorian archers above the gate shoot down so many orcs that their corpses block the gate.
  • Another moment for Gothmog comes when his second in command falls back after failing to open the main gates of Minas Tirith with a battering ram.
    Gothmog: Get back there and smash it down!
    Murgash: But nothing can breach it!
    Gothmog: [calm smile] Grond will breach it. Bring up the Wolf's Head!
  • Grond, the Wolf's Head.◊ Forged in Mordor, made of rune-enchanted steel, pulled by giant rhinoceros-like beasts. Manned by Mountain Trolls.
    Orcs: "GROND! GROND! GROND! GROND!"

• Pippin arrives with soldiers to fight as the orcs start entering the city walls via siege towers. Gandalf tells him to get back to the citadel. His response, despite being clearly scared?
  Pippin: You called us out to fight.
  • Followed by Pippin taking out an orc that was about to get Gandalf from behind, leading Gandalf to compliment him with a sincere, "Guard of the citadel indeed!" He still sends Pippin back, but that is what allows Pippin to see Faramir's situation and help save him.
  • This is Pippin's Took a Level in Badass moment as, just a couple of days before, he was hoping that his position was ceremonial and he wouldn't have to do any actual fighting. Come the actual call to battle, he throws himself into the fray.
  • As Galadriel promised him, Pippin found his courage.
• One for the Forces of Mordor occurs when, after Faramir is brought back to Denethor and the steward, realizing just what kind of a fool he's been, rushes out and stares in horror as the camera pans back and we see the army of Minas Morgul literally covering the entire Pelennor Fields as they chant in the Black Speech, All hail Sauron, Lord of the Rings, Lord of the World!

Charge of the Rohirrim

• The entire teamup of Éowyn and Merry in battle. Merry steers the horse through a charging oliphaunt's legs as Éowyn hamstrings it - with her own sword and one she plucked from an Orc like it was an apple. Another one falls and knocks them both off the horse, so they get off and take down at least ten orcs in the next thirty seconds. Éowyn beheads a Nazgûl steed like it was nothing, and then they work together to kill Sauron's second-in-command and most powerful warrior, gigantic flail and all. The cinematography of Éowyn's takedown of that oliphaunt makes it even more awesome. As she and Merry ride at this huge monster elephant, possibly bigger than any elephant or mammoth in the entire geological history of our planet, we get a feel for just how fucking gigantic this thing is as it sweeps its tusks around, tossing Rohirrim and their horses left and right. And Éowyn still takes it down. By herself.
  • And if you look closely, the sword that Éowyn took from the Orc was raised for a killing blow against what appeared to be a fallen horseman. She managed to gain a new weapon, disarm an enemy, and save one of her allies from certain death in one fell swoop. She couldn't have timed that one any better!
• That thing Éomer did with the spear. Two oliphaunts down without breaking a sweat.
  • And an associated one for Karl Urban, after his statement on the commentary that he practiced the spear flip for days just for that shot.
  • Eomer also shows brains by specifically targeting the Haradrim who was driving the oliphaunt; not only would this confuse the creature, but it would deprive the others of a commander. The dead man's weight+harness pulling on the oliphaunt's ear, painfully forcing it to crash into another and bringing them both down was just the icing on the cake.
• In keeping with the theme of the Rohirrim: Théoden's speech to his riders on the Pelennor Fields and the subsequent charge.
  Eomer. Take your Èored down the left flank. Gamling, follow the King's banner down the center. Grimbold, take your company right, after you pass the wall. Forth, and fear no darkness! Arise! Arise, Riders of Theoden! Spears shall be shaken, shields shall be splintered! A sword day... a red day... ere the sun rises!
• "DEATH!!!!"
  • The weight of this statement just has to be stated: in Middle-earth, death was always considered as a blessing by those who had access to it. It meant going to a place of eternal happiness, and that no matter how hard your lot was in life, all your hardships would pay off once you reached the other side. However, when Sauron and Morgoth began to rise, they twisted the concept of death into something that men should fear. So when the Rohirrim proudly scream "DEATH!!!" at the top of their lungs, they're practically throwing Sauron's fear-mongering back into his face, and with a massive '''FUCK YOU!!!!''' to boot. Beautiful.
• Théoden tapping his men's spears with his sword was Bernard Hill's own idea, and was very difficult for him to do, as he's left-handed.
• The way the music was used. The typical theme of the Rohirrim, together with their battle cries and actually scared looking Uruks is just amazing. Then, the moment the two armies meet, the music cuts for a few seconds which leaves only the sounds of battle, and then changes to a darker tune. Pure epic-ness. Also, the fact that the Orks are scared proves that the Riders of Rohan are seriously terrifying when they want to be. They just keep coming no matter how many arrows the Uruks fire and that is not something they've seen before. The fury of the Rohirrim terrifies and demoralizes the Orcs, causing them to break ranks and flee rather than stand their ground and meet the massive cavalry charge with their pikes. Before the battle was even joined the Orcs had already lost.
• Gothmog's Oh, Crap! face, considering he's the same guy who barely broke a sweat about having a car-sized peice of masonry being flung at him.
• Just before the Rohirrim arrive in the Extended Edition: Gandalf has seemingly been overpowered by the Witch King, the Lord of the Nine bragging over how Gandalf has failed and that the world of Men is doomed to destruction before pulling his sword back for the deathblow...and then a horn sounds in the distance, causing the Witch King to turn his head, before storming off with a shriek of rage to face this new threat. The horn blast is almost a wordless rebuke to the Ringwraith's Evil Gloating, reminding the followers of Sauron there are more kingdoms of Men than Gondor...and they're not going down without a fight.
• One small detail: had all of the riders been real, it would have been one of the largest cavalry charges in history. Our history (and even then, it made for the largest cavalry charge since the 19th century). And they brought only half of what they hoped to bring! "Half what they hoped to bring" equals 6000 riders. Tolkien's notes make it known that Rohan can muster a total of 12,000 riders at full strength. In other words, Théoden wanted to bring every last warrior in his land to one final charge before the ending of the world.
• It's been stated in Tolkien's works that while Elves were blessed with near-immortality, Men were given a different kind of gift. Their onslaught is a testament to that. They've accepted that even if they survive this war, they'll no doubt die at a later point, so they choose to go out in a blaze of glory, something the forces of Sauron were not prepared for.
• The Haradrim deserve a mention for their intro alone. The charge of the Rohirrim is brought to a complete halt as they witness a line of about twenty oliphaunts charging towards them, each one carrying a tower full of Haradrim warriors shouting an intimidating Black Speech Battle Chant. Topped off by the lead rider sounding a particularly menacing war horn to formally announce their arrival.
  • And the Rohirrim get yet another in response. For context, the orcs have basically been routed at this point, scared so shitless by the furious charge of the horsemen that the Rohirrim are practically doing a victory lap already. And then everything goes quiet except for some ominous bellows in the distance and, as the orcs retreat, we see that no less than twenty oliphaunts loaded up with Haradrim warriors are approaching to join the battle on Mordor's behalf, and mind you, these oliphaunts are bigger than any elephant that still exists in real-life, and are probably bigger than the extinct ones, too. Theoden's response, after taking a few moments to register what he's seeing? "Reform the line! Sound the charge! Take them head on! Charge!" Absolutely fearless.
• A small moment of awesomeness also occurs for Theoden just as the Rohirrim arrive. The horn blows undoubtedly brought some feeling of relief for Gandalf, Pippin, and the besieged Gondorians as they knew help had finally arrived, but for Theoden, Eomer, Merry, and Eowyn, they are greeted by the sight of a burning city and a massive horde of Orcs, far exceeding that of the force that attacked them at Helm’s Deep. Eowyn tries to comfort Merry, but it’s clear that she’s just as scared as he is at the thought that their friends might be dead, but for Theoden, it’s equally clear for a moment he believed he was too late, and that every second he had spent debating on whether or not he would even come to Gondor’s aid and every second spent just trying to muster enough riders may have ultimately given Sauron a victory over Minas Tirith. But instead of fully succumbing to despair at the sight of the Orc horde before him, as Denethor did, he chooses to hope the city and his allies within could still be saved, and orders the Rohirrim to cut off the Orcs from the city once they breach the Orcs’ ranks.

The Cursed Army

• "They will answer to the king of Gondor!" (unveils sword to Aragorn)
• Aragorn drove off a gang of immortal Nazgûl with a sword and a torch on Weathertop. Outweighed by his later moments, but it allowed for a true anticipation of the badassery to come. Such as the scene where Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas, standing openly on the shores of Gondor's borders, towards the pirates of Umbar:
  Gimli: Right. We warned ya! Prepare to be boarded!
  Corsair Leader: Boarded!?! By you and whose army?
  Aragorn: This army. (Cue ghost army swarming over entire pirate fleet at once).
• Aragorn parrying the dead king's blade.
  • Aragorn grabbing the dead king by the neck and telling him straight up that he is the new king of Gondor and the ghost army will obey him.
    Dead king: That line is broken!
    Aragorn: It has been remade.
  • Also:
    Dead king: The dead do not suffer the living to pass.
    Aragorn: You will suffer me!

Battle with the Witch-King

• Éowyn: "I am no man."
  • It was unfathomably moving in the films because the fact that she would not face away from this embodiment of black sorcery despite being visibly horrified was far more courageous and awesome than simply not being afraid in the first place (which was what happened in the books, although that is mostly because she seems to be a bit unhinged). One is merely an ability, the other is a heroic choice. The fact that she was scared out of her wits, stood her ground, and still delivered a Pre-Mortem One-Liner quadruples the sheer Badassery.
• "Do not come between the Nazgûl and his prey! Or he will not smite thee in thy turn. He will bear thee away to the Houses of Lamentation, beyond all darkness; where thy flesh shall be devoured and thy shriveled mind left naked before the Lidless Eye." Nuff said.
• Let The Duke say it: "Courage is being scared to death—but saddling up anyway." In the movie, she's showing real courage by looking at something she fears (and, let's face it, anyone in their right mind ought to fear him) and refusing to back down. It's easy to stand your ground against something you don't fear. It takes a lot more, and says more about your character, to stand your ground when you're terrified. That is badass.
  • If you watch the scene, Éowyn is clearly pants-browningly terrified of this creature in front of her, and stares at Its flail with horror. But she stands there, between it and her King, because she is that badass.
  • The fact that she is that scared and still has the courage to stand firm and scream "I will kill you if you touch him!" shows that you do not fuck with Théoden when Éowyn is around.
• And in the Extended Edition, after she downs the Witch King, Eowyn is lying on the ground, arm broken and visibly freaked out by what she just did. Then she spots the Orc captain Gothmog coming her way — after she wounded him earlier — and starts crawling, going for a weapon. She doesn't manage to get a hold of one, but she does hold his attention long enough for Aragorn and Gimli to catch him off guard and cut him to pieces like he was nothing, turning him into an Anti-Climax Boss done awesomely.
• Also the fact that Merry sees the lord of the Nazgûl choking his close friend and, despite being a tiny Hobbit, goes up behind him and freaking stabs him in the leg. The films don't mention that Merry's dagger broke the spell that protected Angmar, but nonetheless Eowyn would have been killed if Merry hadn't interrupted. It was a team effort between the two of them.

Cirith Ungol

• That ultimate, badass normal gardener, Samwise Gamgee. "Then let us be rid of it! Once and for all! Come on, Mr. Frodo. I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you! Come on!" [Awesome Music] The whole film trilogy is literally the best defining point of Sean Astin's career.
  • That was very badass of Sam, but his Crowning Moment came when he challenged a truck-sized spider who (if you read the books) you knew was in fact no ordinary monster, but an unkillable demi-goddess that even Sauron can't control, as the narration mention that Shelob gives zero fucks about Sauron, all she cared about is her own hunger - armed with nothing more than a magic dagger and a magic lantern - and won. Sure, it was a fluke, but still. Just as Frodo is being webbed up by Shelob (the spider) and the music is descending lower and lower, it suddenly raises to a triumphant chorus, and Sam advances, weapons in hand. Let him go, you filth. Ooh, that's Awesome. Watch it here.
    • In the book, the orcs that take Frodo away are terrified that some powerful elven champion or man-warrior of Minas Tirith is still in the area because that's the only thing that comes to their minds when they realise that Shelob was defeated and driven away from her prey.
  • Samwise owned those films, no two ways about it. Taking over the world, enslaving mankind, killing everyone and everything on the planet, sure. But you even think about hurting Frodo, and Samwise Gamgee will cut you. Of course, Tolkien did write Sam as basically the ultimate normal person, just a loyal, down-to-earth man who wants nothing more than to work in his garden and start a family. A whole Aesop about the everyday courage of the average person being equal to those of the heroic sagas.
  • This exchange:
    [stabs orc]
    Sam: That's for Frodo.
    [stabs second orc]
    Sam: And for the Shire.
    [stabs final orc]
    Sam: And that's for my old Gaffer!
  • The Lord Of The Rings should just be called, "Samwise Gamgee Is Better Than You: The Movie."
    • The extras of the movie had a vid about Sam and what he and, by extension, the Hobbits represents. The vid's title? Samwise the Brave. Even the moviemakers knew that Samwise Gamgee is the real hero of the story.
  • Much has been said (by many people) about Tolkien's apparent love for the old pre-industrial classist social system where you had folks who were the well-to-dos and you had the folks who were the faithful servants. That said, Samwise Gamgee's role in the story was to show how Tolkien felt about those faithful servants, a badass Determinator who is solely responsible for his master surviving, let alone succeeding in his mission. He was based on the soldiers and batmen^note Officer's servants. Think of what Alfred does for Batman, but in uniform. of World War I, who faced terrible conditions, and who Tolkien thought of as far superior to himself. In one of his letters, Tolkien describes Samwise as nothing less than The Hero of the saga, despite being the designated sidekick.
  • Although not as awesome as some of his other moments, Sam gets a truly awesome and heartwarming scene even before he confronts Shelob. After Frodo dismisses and ditches him, Sam initially starts to climb back down the stairs only to stumble. When he looks up, the hobbit finds the missing bread that Gollum had accused him of eating. In less than thirty seconds, Sam figures out what really happened and realizes that Frodo is now in mortal danger. Crushing the bread angrily, Sam determinedly looks back at the stairs, and it's perfectly obvious what he's thinking. Badass normal and devoted friend, thy name is Sam!
• Sam is the only character (other than Bilbo) in the entire history of Middle Earth able to willingly give up The One Ring. Where kings and monsters failed... two humble Hobbits had the willpower to surrender the ring without any outside influence forcing them to do so.
  • Adding to the moment of awesome: never in his requests does Sam request the Ring for himself, it's always to lighten Frodo's load, because Master Frodo is hurting and in pain and that's the only way he can think of and not any desire for it. The book hints that the Ring has to grasp at straws when Sam has it and it's clear in the movies that Sam has little to zero desire for the Ring, a point where he ups even old Bilbo.
• Sam gets another one when he starts a civil war on the outskirts of Mordor to rescue Frodo from Cirith Ungol.
• When the Orcs and Uruks get into a fight over Frodo's mithril shirt, Gorbag dropkicks an Uruk out of the tower.
• This moment when Gorbag decides to get some petty revenge by torturing Frodo:
  Gorbag: Stop your squealing, you dung hill rat! [pulls out a knife] I'm gonna bleed you like a stuck pig! [Suddenly, the glowing blade of Sting erupts through Gorbag's chest as the Orc goggles in horror. Sam appears over his shoulder]
  Sam: Not if I stick you first!

Storming the Black Gate

• Gimli, just before the Fellowship decides to storm the Black Gate to provide Frodo with a distraction:
  Gimli: Certainty of death. Small chance of success. What are we waitin' for?
• In the extended version of the Return of the King, Aragorn literally uses himself as bait for Sauron by taking the palantír, staring down the Great Eye, showing Andúril to it, then taunting it by saying, "I don't fear you!" This taunt is actually based on his earlier quiet scene with Gandalf, at Meduseld. Ever since the One Ring was found, Sauron has been terrified that somebody on the other side will have the necessary will to bend the Ring to his purposes. (It would only create a replacement Dark Lord in the end, but Sauron has no desire to be replaced.) Aragorn flaunts himself, his sword, and his ability to match his will against Sauron in order to convince Sauron that the One Ring is... on Aragorn's finger. This is why the Nazgul stop combing the land and unite at Osgiliath, and why the armies of Mordor go marching to intercept Aragorn's assault: Sauron has switched from defense to offense - too soon - because of Aragorn's taunting.
• "For Frodo."
  • A moment that could only be capped by the soundtrack's choir repeating (in Sindarin) Aragorn's vow to Frodo:
    If by my life or death
    I can protect you,
    I will.
    I give you my sword
• When the Mouth of Sauron comes out to meet Aragorn and offer to spare them if Aragorn surrenders, as the fight is hopeless (showing the clothing that Frodo and Sam had discarded earlier, to say they were dead), Aragorn replies by chopping off his head. Gimli notes that negotiations seem to be over.
• Who are the first to follow Aragorn into the fray? Merry and Pippin. Gandalf, Legolas and Gimli, and all the other warriors twice their size follow after them. With such bravery and loyalty outshining all of the stronger races of middle earth, it's small wonder that Merry and Pippin, just like Frodo and Sam, bow to no one.
  • Directly before this, we are treated to an awesome speech by Aragorn:
    "Sons of Gondor! Of Rohan! My brothers. I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come, when the courage of men fails, and we forsake our friends, and break all bonds of fellowship — but that is not this day! A hour of wolves, and shattered shields, as the age of Men comes crashing down — but it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear, on this good earth, I bid you STAND! MEN! OF THE WEST!"
  • And to top it off, it's paraphrased from the Poetic Edda ("Voluspa", verse 45: Axe-time, sword-time, | shields are sundered, || Wind-time, wolf-time, | ere the world falls; || Nor ever shall men | each other spare.)
  • To make it even more Awesome - when the horse rears up after his speech? All done by itself, that wasn't part of the script. The horse did it all on its own.
  • While Aragorn's making his speech, you can see several soldiers looking terrified of what they're up against, but when Aragorn wraps it up, they all pull out their swords at once.
• When all the armies stand outside the Black gates of Mordor preparing for battle and almost certain death, They stand frozen in fear for a moment. Then Pippin, who has been treated as a fool by most, and Merry, who many dismissed as being unable to fight, are the first following Aragorn to battle, letting out truly epic battle cries. If ever one needed a visual definition of Awesome, there it is.
• This brief exchange between Fire-Forged Friends Legolas and Gimli, who have spent much of their time with cheerful banter during the second and third films while in combat. Yet here they know this isn't the best time for joviality. Despite this, they find time to have a brief moment of awesome and heartwarming all at once as this scene, more than anything else, cements that they are, indeed, friends.
  Gimli: Never thought I'd die side by side with an elf.
  Legolas: What about side by side with a friend?
  Gimli: ... Aye. I could do that.
• "Eagles! The eagles are coming!" And they're dogfighting the Nazgûl!
• In the Extended Edition, the Mouth of Sauron appears before the party and viciously mocks them, claiming Frodo is dead and holds up his chainshirt to prove it, then laughs about it to their faces. Aragorn's response? Shut the bastard up via decapitation. "I do not believe it! I will not!" It's arguably even more badass in the original novel where, instead of decapitation, Aragorn delivers a Death Glare that makes the Mouth shit his pants out of fear.

The Destruction of the Ring

• Frodo's intellectual Moment of Awesome: When in the midst of an orc regiment, tired and starving and dehydrated and PARANOID FROM THE FREAKING EYE LOOKING OVER HIS SHOULDER! and about to be discovered, he somehow has the idea to distract the officer by starting a fight. This may seem simple, but when you consider how hard it was to even breathe by this point, it's pretty amazing.
• A little bit before that, when both hobbits are lying at the bottom, Frodo - already in terrible shape - wearily looks up at the top of the mountain, gets this really determined expression on his face, and then attempts to reach the top by crawling forward on his hands and knees.
• Visual effects, acting, and music combine for one massive awesome moment when The Ring is finally destroyed; Sauron's shriek of pain driving the dark army into retreat, the Fellowship slowly realizing that Frodo has done the impossible, the music building to a crescendo as the dark tower crumbles, Merry calling out "FRODO!"...then the Mood Whiplash as Mount Doom erupts, and the heroes fear that Frodo and Sam are lost, all topped off by a very cool shot of Frodo and Sam scrambling for safety to avoid the rising lava...awesomeness on all levels.
• One that had people cheering their lungs out in the theater: when first Frodo claims the One Ring and Sauron finally realizes where the Ring actually is, followed by what happens to the Lidless Eye when the Ring is finally destroyed. In the Extended Edition the scene is called "Sauron Defeated", which is named for the ninth volume of The History of Middle-earth. The name says it all: Sauron begins screaming in what can only be described as mortal terror. At first, it seems like an overreaction. Then... Sauron is undone. Barad-dur starts collapsing under its own weight, the Lidless Eye begins to shrink until it explodes. This destroys the Dark Tower, and when the shock wave reaches the Black Gate of Mordor, the very earth opens up and swallows not only the gate but The Legions of Hell that were manning them, just narrowly avoiding the Army of the West. At the same time, the clouds that had blanketed Mordor for aeons finally part, allowing light (the one thing that weakens Sauron's forces) to filter through for the first time in centuries. Watching it makes the whole three hours worth it.
• Expanding on the points above: The way the Eye of Sauron, formerly a symbol of great evil power and dominion, twitches and shudders pathetically as the tower collapses is incredibly satisfying. There's also the fact that Sauron's death-scream sounds initially monstrous and inhuman, but if you listen carefully just before the tower collapses, it sounds like the agonised scream of a man, symbolising that all his power has been ripped away from him, and he has been obliterated; transformed into not even a man, but something far less - something weak and intangible that can never do evil unto others ever again.
• Another expansion: It's not just Sauron that is terrified either. The moment the Dark Lord starts screaming, the forces of both light and darkness stop fighting and look around to see what is happening. When the legions of Barad-Dur realise what is happening they turn tail and run for their lives. Without their master, their purpose and reason for fighting is gone. Since the ground opened up beneath them, few of them made it.

Miscellaneous

• A small one by comparison to all that's gone before, but still sweet: when the hobbits are finally home, having a friendly drink together, and Sam visibly decides that after all he's been through, literally going to (and through) Hell on Middle-Earth and back, he will be damned if he's too intimidated to go talk to a girl.
• Aragorn singing his lines in the coronation ceremony. Freaking awesome.
• "My friends. You bow to no one."
• From an effects standpoint, the shot where Andy Serkis' made-up face morphs into Gollum's CGI face at the end of the prologue.