I've seen people saying it's scientifically inaccurate for Gandalf to catch his sword falling at that speed, but an easier explanation for that would be that it's a movie and he's a fucking _wizard_

Gandalf slays the balrog. Gimli: That still only counts as one.

I love how the Balrog's roar isnt that of an animal, but the roar of a blast furnace.

Gandalf catching his sword and fighting the Balrog mid-air is probably one of the most epic and crazy action scenes of all time. Very under-appreciated for how well executed it is.

Fun fact, none of this is CGI, they actually hired a Balrog

Can we admit Gandalf fighting the Balrog while falling is one of the most epic scenes ever

I love how the camera very purposefully show us Legolas’s reaction to the Balrog. For movie enjoyers it shows that even the stoic and wise elf is beyond terrified. For Book readers and nerds its basically Peter Jackson and his crew acknowledging they did their homework of the lore and knew Legolas would have DEF heard about the Balrogs from the elves around him who survived the first age

To this day, the "you shall not pass" scene still remains as spectacular and iconic as ever, and no one could have ever pulled off that delivery of this line as perfect as Sir Ian Mckellen. Absolutely perfect scene.

I always loved that the Balrog's roar didn't sound beastial. It just sounded like a roaring inferno.

It’s fitting that Gandalf slew the Balrog with the sword “Glamdring the Foehammer”. Since it was the sword of the king of Gondolin, and this Balrog took part in the sack of Gondolin. It’s like the sword itself took its revenge on its ancient enemy.

5:10 this shot still gives me chills, the sheer size of the cavern they're in.

5:09, as they fall into the water: In Dwarvish the chorus chants: "To the End, Servant of Fire, For you must Fight....... To the End". Goddamn that is so fucking epic

Gandalf: *defeats Balrog* Gimli: that still only counts as one!

In order to make the scene convincing Peter Jackson Made Ian fall in an actual pit while fighting an actual balrog. Respect

When the balrog first roared at 2:13 in the cinema, the whole room shook. It was awesome. I'd love to see the LOTR series make a comeback to theatres. It was a really awesome moment.

This scene is the only time I’ve seen Legolas genuinely afraid in the whole series. And Gandalf’s sorrow and acceptance of doom, perfect acting!

i love how everyones confused except legolas whos in sheer terror

“I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountain side” is the most hardcore shit anybody has ever said in a movie lol

It is only mentioned in the films, but Gandalf fights that Balrog for days and many times the Balrog just tries to escape from him, but Gandalf is determined to bring an end to this threat to middle earth.

It's beautiful how faithfully this was adapted from the source material. You can feel the respect for the story from everyone involved in these movies. Something that has sadly become very rare in recent years.

Gandalf falling: "Call an ambulance!" *grabs sword* Also Gandalf: "But not for me!"

*"A Balrog. A demon of the Ancient World. This foe is beyond any of you...RUN"!!!!* Chills. The delivery of this line is epic.

Probably my favorite depiction of any demon in film. No excessive detail, just a smoldering and smoky mass of stone and fire, and no voice, only the sound of the inferno within exhausting through its stone-gullet.

"Moria. You fear to go into those mines. The dwarves delved too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dûm: Shadow and Flame." Christopher Lee's delivery was perfect.

This movie is almost 20 years old and the Balrog looks more real than some CGI villains from modern film

You know that a movie is good when, after 21 years, it still can get people to have goosebumps watching it.

I think a lot of people don’t know how much lore, symbolism and even character development there is in Gandalf’s speech. Let’s break it down: ”I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Arnor.” The Secret Fire is another name for the Flame Imperishable: The omnipotent power of creation, which was placed in the heart of Ea by the supreme deity Eru Illuvatar. The Flame Imperishable is a power that can only be used by Eru Illuvatar himself and no one else. This is shown when the Valar Aule creates the Dwarves. When Aule first creates the Dwarves, they lack free will and independent thought, because they were not created with the Flame Imperishable. It is only after Eru grants them the Flame Imperishable that they become capable of such. As such, when Gandalf calls himself a servant to the Flame Imperishable, he means that he is a champion of the omnipotent supreme being of Eru Illuvatar himself. Gandalf being the wielder of the flame of Anor, however, is not just a declaration of strength. It is mainly a threat meant to intimidate the Balrog. The flame of Anor is not a power like the Flame Imperishable, it’s actually just a word. The word ’Anor’ is the Sindarin word for ’Sun’, therefore the ’flame of Anor’ is actually the ’flame of the sun’. This holds great significance, because after the sun was created from the last fruit of the Two Trees of Valinor, Morgoth would come to have an eternal fear of the Sun and would forever be terrified of the Maiar Arien, who controlled it. He was so afraid of the sun, in fact, that he would even imprint that fear onto each and every single one of his corrupted creations. That’s why the Orcs don’t move in the sunlight and why the Balrog dwells underground, because they have the same fear of the sun that Morgoth had. As such, Gandalf being the ’wielder of the flame of Anor’ is an extremely great threat to the Balrog. ”The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun!” The Flame of Udun, similar to the ‘Flame of Anor’, has a different meaning in Sindarin. Udun is a less commonly used name for Utumno, the first fortress of Morgoth and the place where the Umaiar were first transformed into the Balrogs. Not only that, but the words Udun and Utumno both mean dark hell, underground or dark pit. As such, Gandalf refers to not just the Balrog’s birthplace, but also refers to his dark and corrupted nature. As for the rest of it; here, the contrast between the Balrog and Gandalf is made clear. Gandalf is the Maiar Olorin, a direct servant of the King of the Valar himself, who travelled to Middle-Earth and became one of the five Istari at the behest of Manwe, despite actually not wanting to go because he feared Sauron. He remained true to his duty and did as Eru Illuvatar willed. Meanwhile, the Balrog is an Umaiar - one of the Maiar corrupted by Melkor - who betrayed the Ainur and turned his back on the will of Eru Illuvatar. He wields the malevolent dark fire of Morgoth, the polar opposite to Gandalf, who wields the benevolent fire of the sun. Here, Gandalf is telling Durin’s Bane that the dark fire cannot help the Balrog defeat him, because Gandalf - since he never fell to the corruption of Melkor and did as he was asked by the Valar, despite being afraid of Sauron - remained true to his purpose as a servant of the Secret Fire and wielder of the Flame of Anor. Therefore, the Flame of Udun is ultimately no match for him, as Gandalf will inevitably prevail in the end, either by defeating the Balrog or by having fulfilled his duty to Eru Illuvatar and returned to his creators side after giving his life to protect the Fellowship - which the Balrog will never be able to do after his death. This battle is one of the most epic battles of the Tolkien legendarium. It is a battle between light and darkness, between good and evil, between the faithful and the treacherous. It is a battle for the ages between two of the most powerful beings in Middle-Earth; two divine beings who sang the world into existence alongside each other during the Ainulindale, two ancient beings beings who bore witness to the entire history of Ea itself, two opposing beings who likely previously faced each other in battle during the War of Wrath. This battle perfectly symbolizes everything that the Tolkien legendarium is all about. It carries the same weight as Glorfindel’s own battle with a Balrog, as Fingolfin’s battle with Morgoth himself. It holds the same themes of sacrifice, of hope fighting back in the face of fear, of legends battling one another and good triumphing over evil.

5:11 is one of the coolest and most beautiful shots I’ve seen in cinema. There’s something so awesome in how it looks like a fireball or a meteor falling. Every time the I rewatch the trilogy it gets better - truly ahead of its time

Valar: "So what happened?" Gandalf: "Sauron has reemerged, Saruman has betrayed us and joined him, and a hobbit is taking the one ring to Mordor to be destroyed." Valar: "How did you die?" Gandalf: "Oh I fought and killed a Balrog." Valar: "You're promoted."

This trilogy is a fucking masterpiece

How fitting that Gandalf's sword, Glamdring, was forged in the Hidden City of Gondolin many ages past for King Turgon, one of the sons of Finwë, and had already been wielded against Balrogs when that city fell. Perhaps even Durin's Bane itself was present for that battle. Gandalf slaying Durin's Bane is all the more meaningful if you think of how many ancient battles in Beleriand that it probably participated in, which are now avenged.

Always loved the face of Legolas showing such utter fear at Gandalf saying it was a Balrog. If I remember right he is too young to have witnessed one before this scene but as an elf he would have heard all the stories and legends about how terrifying and dangerous they are. The rest of the fellowship have no idea what a Balrog is so only have a slight fear compared to Legolas and Gandalf.

The balrog's roar doesn't sound like a normal sound. It literally sounds like the gates to hell opening up and the explosion of heat that comes with it. These movies are irreplaceable.

That Balrog fight for opening "The Two Towers" is one of the best best movie intros of all time. Still get goosebumps after years.

4:23 till this day, that blade sound effect slicing the wind is still so epic to me 5:12 and this shot is just... wow

Props to the camera man jumping after Gandalf and the Balrog so he can film the fight from the best angle!

"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass! The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow! You shall not pass!" Gandalf is making three very specific references as both warning and challenge to the Balrog. By identifying himself as a servant of the secret fire (or Flame imperishable), Gandalf is identifying himself as a Maia, an embodied angelic servant of the Valar protecting the light of Creation that Eru Iluvatar (or God) has set to burn at the centre of Arda (Earth). Wielder of the flame of Anor is a reference to his ability to draw on the power of the sun possibly through the Ring of Fire Narya but maybe also through his own divine origins. Finally as he refers to the Balrog as the Flame of Udun, he informs the Balrog that he knows it to be a corrupted Maia in the service of Morgoth from the earliest time when he resided as Melkor in his dark fortress of Utumno broken by the Valar at the awakening of the Elves. He orders it to retreat (go back to the shadows) or face the consequences of divine conflict and final judgement before the Vala Mandos, the fate of all slain creatures.

No amount of oscars can merit the performance of Sir Ian Murray McKellen as gandalf, the way he delivered each lines give me chills down my spine every time

Harry Potter weeps in a corner: "No fight I ever did was this grand".

1:24 the look on Legolas says it all. His father lived through the First Age and all its wars, and no doubt told his son of his stories. He knows exactly what is coming for him.

Fun fact the sword glamdring gandalf uses is also the sword of a legendary elven king of the first age Name Turgon who also fought many balrogs in his times during the fall of gondolin the sword's body language is enchanting a battle cry for the revenge of it's former master

4:22 still gives me chills to this day, the way he catches the sword as hes falling is so badass

"This foe is beyond any of you." That is the moment that the audience and the Fellowship realized just how fucked the situation was. If Gandalf was scared, they really should be.

"Until at last, I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside" Gandalf, Original Gangster.

I can Watch this scene over and over again and I’m still thrill by it, a complete jewel.

Frodo: i wish the ring had never come to me. Balrog: i wish this old man would stop stabbing me.

"I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountain side" Most badass line ever.

My late grandfather was one of those ancient legends of geekdom who was highly educated and well-versed in literature, already an adult when the LotR books came out, and he loved the books so much that til the day he died, he was worldbuilding and inventing languages of his own in his mini library at home. I remember attempting to grind my small-vocabularied mind through the Silmarillion at 11 years old, just to try and impress him. He was the uber-LotR nerd. Grandpa was so curmudgeonly about all movies being stupid and a waste of time that he literally _never_ watched them. But... when the Fellowship of the Ring came out... we all managed to drag him to the theater _just this once._ He went in making sure we all knew he expected the worst. Who wouldn't be worried that this enormous chunk of his identity and nostalgic soul would be trampled on by Big Hollywood idiots with no care for what The Lord of the Rings truly _means_ to the world of literature and high fantasy? And of course, he left the theater running off the full list of inaccuracies, changes, omissions, etc. But when we asked him if he regretted it... he said no. And that was huge. When The Two Towers came out... he joined us again. And once more with Return of the King. I won't lie or be melodramatic and say I saw him shed a tear during the final end credits, or anything like that... I'll just say that in the early 2000s, one old man chose to get up from his armchair and go to the theater 3 times in his entire adult life... and it was to see these movies. And to me, that is magical.

The dread and anticipation when the party suddenly stands all alone, with that orange glow coming closer. The deep resonating noises and the growling. The look in their eyes, speaking volumes. Must have looked the same watching this. Rarely, if ever, felt a movie scene on such a visceral level. Absolute masterpiece.

I remember watching this in theaters back in 2002 with my dad… there was just nothing like I’ve ever seen before and even watching it now at 28 I’m still in awe of how amazing this scene is

Also, can we all just appreciate Ian McKellen's facial acting here. He truly conveys the feeling of "this was the one thing I really feared would happen in Moria and it is coming our way".

Imagine how terrifying Morgoth’s Army must’ve been composed of orcs, balrogs,and dragons.

Making the Balrog’s roar sound like a blast furnace was such a nice touch.

Something I've noticed about this scene is that, when they're at the bridge, it looks like Gandalf is gearing up for an all-out brawl with the Balrog...and he just sabotages the bridge so it'll fall in the chasm. Clean, no fuss, and ensures he doesn't have to waste any more time and energy fighting an extremely dangerous battle. You can even tell by his expression he's somewhat relieved. Not his fault that he got snagged by the whip, really. I can only imagine him thinking 'oh for heaven's sake' when he realizes that no, he's going to have to kill the thing properly anyway.

Legolas' face whenever Gandalf says "Balrog". He has to have known how many great elves have died in battle with Balrogs throughout history.

Gandalf reached Level 50 Skill unlocked: clean clothes

I saw LOTR when I was 7, with my parents in theaters. I still remember feeling terrified when the Balrog appeared, it felt so real! & then sobbing when Gandalf died b/c he was my fave. My family rewatches the trilogy for our Christmas movies almost every year :)

When you realize Gandalf had to kill one of his brethren

Gandalf falling into the abyss while fighting the Balrog has to be one of the most epic scenes in cinema to this day.

It's like Gandalf got so many experience points defeating the Balrog so he leveled up to Gandalf the white.

5:11 - With all its biblical influences, it's amazing how Peter Jackson captured this scene to resemble the fall of Lucifer.

Nothing will ever compare to this. And I’m happy about it.

There's so much beautiful depth and history to this entire scene. The existence of the Balrog, a creature which realistically fought and killed Feanor, helped level Gondolin, experienced the War of Wrath, potentially saw Eonwe himself annihilate Morgoth's forces, potentially saw a fucking air battle between Earendil and Ancalagon The Balrog pulling out a whip which was used to rescue Morgoth from Ungoliant The Balrog was also possibly there for the destruction of Utumno and saw Tulkas beat the shit out of Morgoth and drag him back to Valinor Gandalf, a Maiar who reluctantly went to Middle Earth, the literal embodiment of hope, fighting this creature to death, a creature that he sang the Music of the Ainur with at the beginning of time. This battle is a follow up to literally thousands of years of divine warfare, long after Morgoth himself has been defeated.

The LOTR trilogy is almost TWO decades old yet the effects are still incredible. A timeless and epic masterpiece with no doubt.

Love how each character genuinely looks exhausted and filthy, and their clothes are worn, like they really have been travelling and fighting

Can we all admit that the Balrog's growl sends chills down our spines? Cause it still does to me😨

"This foe is beyond any of you." In other words, they're too low level to fight it.

Literally Fallen Angel vs an Angel. BADASS and Glorious.

God I remember seeing this in theaters as a 9 year old, the tension in the room was unreal! You could almost feel the heat coming from the Balrog. Felt like you were the 10th member of the group running through Moria.

The year is 2024. This was not in your recommendations. You searched for this epicness.

I just love how at first on the bridge, when Gandalf turns around and shouts "You cannot pass!" the Balrog seems kinda... confused. He stands up and turns up his flame, it nearly feels like his body language expresses "Hold up, that little thing isn't scared?" Then Gandalf makes his declaration: "I'm a servant of the secret fire [..]", revealing himself as a fellow maia, a loyal servant of Eru/God, and the Balrog just IMMEDIATELY goes into attack mode and draws his fire sword and slashes at him. That Balrog did NOT expect to enter into a death match with a servant of Eru himself when he woke up that morning 😂

It would’ve been so easy for the roar of the Balrog to be a standard monster roar and none of us would’ve cared. But the sound design is unique and impeccable. The roar sounds like the roar of a blazing fire. It sounds like heat. Like hell. The sound is of burning and destruction. You can even hear crackling, like a log on a fire. So unique, fitting, and perfect. These movies are perfect.

_How much can you still love this trilogy after decades?_ Everyone: *YES*

I saw all three of the LotR movies multiple times in theaters, every one was better than the one before. I specifically remember going to a midnight showing with my brother at the movie theater when The Two Towers came out. And the opening scene where Gandalf fell and was fighting the Balrog was the PERFECT opening for an incredible ride. They just don't make them like that anymore.

The special effects in this film though... nearly twenty years later and this somehow still looks incredible.

So this man fought the Balrog the whole way down, fought him underwater in the giant lake, pursued him through tunnels dug at the at the dawn of time, dug by things even Sauron can't comprehend, for TEN DAYS, all the way BACK UP to the TOP of the mountain, and then fought him at the snow capped peak for ANOTHER TWO DAYS, before killing it. That does it. Gandalf is the official archetype for Fantasy world badass.

Aragorn's "It cannot be!" Almost gets me everytime 👌🏻

5:09 that wide shot of Gandalf and the Balrog falling together in that chasm, with that music playing, is one of my favorite shots in any movie ever

- *"Swords are no use here."* - (Starts stabbing the sh*t out of the balrog with a sword)

4:22 they had no right making the sword sound this badass

0:48 I love that part where Legolas tries to pinpoint the creature that makes rumble the air and the ground. and he realizes it's coming from behind the giant enormous hall far away from them & ITS VERY HUGE !!

4:26 😂 Gandalf like “you want to fight, so let’s fight!”

It's interesting to think that during the creation of middle earth, Gandalf and this Balrog probably knew each other

This entire comment section is a flexing challenge of Tolkien lore knowledge

“This foe is beyond any of you” Gandalf low-key flexing his strength I know people think this is weird, but i have to say its nice to see so many people with a similar opinion to mine. Thanks for the likes =P

“Swords are no more use here” kills the balrog with a sword

4:43 the way Gandalf just swings the sword into the Balrog is such a badass moment.

Ian McKellen brought So much life and personality into this character it's insane!

The fact Gandalf fought a literal demon of fire, an immortal being on an equal level of power to him, for ten straight days without tiring, after falling deep underground into a pit of icy water and chasing him twice the height of a mountain, the finally killing him by flattening the peak of the mountain with lightning is fucking wild. Probably the biggest example of how much power he really had hidden away

I remember my grandfather reading this book to me and the line was "I am a servant OF the secret of fire" meaning that Gandalf was fighting to KEEP the secret of fire in mans knowledge, the ability to stay warm during winter and everything else man had accomplished throughout his existence. the battle is well captured just as I remember the book being read to me.

'Until at last I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin up the mountainside' - Wow, Tolkien really had a way with words.

After extensively watching and reading more about Gandalf's origins and the Balrogs, this scene becomes more and more epic. The Balrog seems like a large, unintelligible beast. But he is in fact, an equal to Gandalf the Grey and very much so understands exactly what Gandalf is shouting at him. 2:56 After Gandalf announces himself as a Maiar, the Balrog acknowledges his power and shortly after draws his sword, knowing full well that Gandalf is a great foe.

Everybody gangsta until Gandalf starts saying his titles

I just love the sheer implied *history.* like, none of it is ever explained or elaborated on in the movies. But you know that Gandalf and the Balrog have some serious personal **beef.**

1:23 fantastic attention to detail. Legolas has heard all the stories. He knows EXACTLY what Gandalf is talking about.

1:45 “Lead them on Aragorn...i want all the loot and XP for myself”

4:13 props to the cameraman for jumping after gandalf just to bring us this epic fight scene.

This sequence (from bridge to end of fall) is in my top 3 most epic movie scenes ever, and luckily I got to watch it in theaters opening day in 2002 when I was 14. A cinema experience that still hasn't been topped to this day. Peter Jackson is a genius, and it's the little touches that make it all the better. Like the sound of the balrog's whip cracking, the subtle sound of Gandalf's aura surrounding him, the sound of Glamdring whirring in the air before he catches it. Freakin amazing. I consider LOTR to be the very last great movie to come out of Hollywood.

The score in this is fantastic! Especially as he's descending into the depths and reunites with his sword, the choir and orchestra come together brilliantly to highlight a truly epic moment

The Balrog having a furnace for a mouth is to this day one of the coolest visual decisions an art team has ever made. That shit terrified me at 9 and it terrifies me today.