The Hobbit: 10 Best Moments From The First Two Films

10. The River Battle

There are few scenes of spectacle in The Hobbit films as good as this one. Prior to the scene in which Thorin and his company of Dwarves rapidly barrel (pun intended) their way down a river, the rather stout group are held captive by the Elves in the wood realm by their leader, Thranduil. The Dwarves' captive status serves as a expertly-placed tension builder, and as we're also made aware of an impending Orc attack around the same time of the Dwarves' prison break, the action scene that follows is made all the more entertaining. Peter Jackson clearly wanted to make the scene one of the film's most memorable set pieces, and he easily achieved that ambition. Each shot and cut of the camera is used to make the audience feel as disoriented as the characters feel, and when that's coupled with an excellent tracking shot of the obese Bombur as he comes ashore, twirls about in his barrel and hacks a few Orcs to pieces only to promptly return to the gushing river, audiences are treated to a fun, fast-paced pay-off. The choreography and framing of the entire scene is brilliant, and definitely one of the highlights of the second film.