Only 3 Movies Have More Epic Battles Than The Lord of The Rings
Spears shall be shaken, shields shall be splintered! As The Lord of the Ringstrilogy celebrates the twenty-fifth anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring, Peter Jackson’s epic fantasy films are still rightfully remembered for their tremendous battle sequences. From the Battle of Helm’s Deep to Pelennor Fields, The Lord of the Rings has some of the greatest action sequences ever put to screen, which still haven’t been topped by any other fantasy franchise in the decades since.
While The Lord of the Rings has the best battle sequences of the fantasy genre, a select few films deliver even better action. Some do so by leaning into gritty realism to adapt real-life battles, while others eschew historical accuracy in favor of exhilarating military clashes. Whatever the strategy, these films are among an elite few that surpass The Lord of the Rings.
Saving Private Ryan Thrives on Gritty Realism For a Massive Opening Battle
Tom Hanks with Vin Diesel and Tom Sizemore in Saving Private RyanImage via DreamWorks
Directed by Steven Spielberg, Saving Private Ryan is one of the hardest-hitting and most gruesome World War II movies ever made. The 1998 film takes place in the aftermath of the D-Day invasion on the beaches of Normandy, during which U.S. troops successfully made landfall despite heavy shelling from the entrenched German forces. A group of soldiers led by Tom Hanks’s Captain John H. Miller embark on a dangerous journey across enemy territory to track down the eponymous Private James Ryan (Matt Damon) after his brothers are all killed in combat. The film also stars Tom Sizemore, Vin Diesel, Edward Burns, Ted Danson, and more familiar faces.
While most of Saving Private Ryan takes place in the aftermath of the battle, the film’s opening scene explores the invasion of Normandy in explicit detail. In an extended battle sequence, U.S. soldiers are shown raiding the beach while sustaining heavy fire from their German adversaries. Spielberg doesn’t shy away from the carnage of the day, depicting the violence and bloodshed in extreme detail, remembered as one of the most gruesome battle sequences ever put to film.
Saving Private Ryan is acclaimed as one of the best war films ever made, and a favorite in Spielberg’s already amazing filmography. The film holds an impressive critical score of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. This corresponds with its audience approval score of 95% and average IMDb rating of 8.6/10. Adding to its acclaim, Saving Private Ryan earned an impressive $482 million at the worldwide box office against a budget of $70 million. Nearly thirty years later, the film is still considered one of the most successful historical epics ever made, and rightfully so.
Saving Private Ryan‘s opening sequence is a difficult watch, but it accurately portrays what the storming of Normandy would have been like for the U.S. soldiers on the battlefield. While viewers may cheer at the epic, cinematic battles in The Lord of the Rings, Saving Private Ryan delivers a much more sobering depiction of warfare that leaves its audience with a pit in their stomach. Even so, the film’s gritty realism delivers on its premise and sets up the dramatic events to follow.
Braveheart Delivers an Epic David vs. Goliath Rebellion
Mel Gibson prepares for war in BraveheartImage via Paramount Pictures/Everett Collection
Mel Gibson’s 1995 historical epic, Braveheart, is still remembered as one of the most exciting films ever made thirty-one years after its release. The film depicts a highly dramatized version of the exploits of William Wallace, a Scottish freedom fighter who led a resistance against the British regime during the First War of Scottish Independence. Gibson stars and directs the film, with Sophie Marceau, Catherine McCormack, Brendan Gleeson, and Angus Macfadyen in supporting roles.
Braveheart includes several epic battle sequences during its staggering nearly 3-hour runtime. While the battles depicted in the film are panned by historians for their inaccuracy, they are conversely lauded by movie fans for their epic scale and heart-pounding action. A direct opposite to the historical authenticity of films like Saving Private Ryan, Braveheart ignores the details of textbooks to give audiences a good show.
Despite a poor rating from historians, Braveheart was generally well-regarded by critics. Today, it holds an impressive 74% on Rotten Tomatoes. As is often the case with similar films, Braveheart is more popular with audiences, holding an 85% Popcornmeter and an average IMDb rating of 8.3/10. It was an overwhelming box office success, earning a worldwide total of $209 million against a meager budget of $53 million. Like The Lord of the Rings before it, Braveheart catered to its target audience and emerged victorious in the end.
Anyone who enjoys a classic underdog story is sure to find themselves engrossed in the story of William Wallace and the war for Scottish independence. Braveheart includes multiple military crashes, bloody swordfights, fast-paced chases, and more. Truly, it is everything that someone could want from a historical epic, so long as viewers aren’t overly concerned with authenticity. More than thirty years after its release, Braveheart is still remembered as one of the most exciting war films ever made.
CBR Exclusive · Quiz WHICH LORD OF THE RINGS CHARACTER ARE YOU? One Quiz to Find Them All From the rolling hills of the Shire to the fires of Mount Doom, every soul in Middle-earth carries a destiny. Twenty questions stand between you and the truth. Answer honestly. The shadow does not lie.
💍Frodo
🌿Samwise
⚔️Aragorn
🧙Gandalf
👀Gollum
01
You are asked to carry a terrible burden that no one else can bear. What do you do? The first step into darkness reveals everything.
02
Your closest companion is walking into grave danger. You: Loyalty is forged in the fires of the hardest moments.
03
You possess knowledge that could change the fate of many. You: What we do with knowledge shapes the world.
04
How do you make important decisions? A character’s choices reveal their deepest nature.
05
You are offered something you deeply desire — at a moral cost. You: Temptation is the test every soul must face alone.
06
How do you see yourself in the world? Self-knowledge is the beginning of all true power.
07
When darkness closes in, your instinct is to: Crisis strips away pretense and reveals the true self.
08
Your greatest personal flaw is: Even the wisest are not without shadow.
09
Others look to you for guidance in a desperate moment. You: How we lead in darkness defines us entirely.
10
What drives you more than anything else? The heart’s true desire is the root of all journeys.
11
You have reached your lowest point. The road ahead seems impossible. You: The darkest hour is the truest test of character.
12
You discover a great power that could be used for good — in the right hands. You: The wise know that the road to ruin is paved with good intentions.
13
What do you fear most? Our deepest fears map the shape of our souls.
14
Those who meet you for the first time would say: First impressions in Middle-earth carry great weight.
15
Where do you feel most yourself? A soul’s true home reveals its deepest nature.
16
What do you believe about hope? In the darkest ages, hope is the most radical act.
17
When your journey is over, what do you want to leave behind? The end of a tale gives meaning to all that came before.
18
You must give up something precious to save others. You: Sacrifice is the truest measure of what we value.
19
What does friendship mean to you? In Middle-earth, the bonds between souls are the greatest magic of all.
20
At the end of all things, when everything is on the line, you: This is the question that decides everything.
THE SHADOW KNOWS YOUR HEART YOUR MIDDLE-EARTH SOUL
Your scores are shown below. The character with the highest number is your match. Read their description to discover which soul of Middle-earth the darkness chose for you.
💍 Frodo
🌿 Samwise
⚔️ Aragorn
🧙 Gandalf
👀 Gollum
You carry more than anyone knows, and you carry it quietly. You did not choose your burden — but you accepted it when no one else would, and you bore it further than anyone thought possible. Your courage is not the loud kind. It is the kind that keeps moving when every step costs something. Gentle, introspective, and tested to the very edge of yourself.
Steadfast, warm, and quietly extraordinary. You are not driven by glory or destiny — you are driven by love, plain and simple. Your loyalty is absolute, your heart is vast, and your courage runs deeper than anyone who underestimates you will ever expect. You show up for the people you love without being asked, without keeping score, without ever wavering. The world needs more of you.
You have long walked in the shadows of a destiny you were not sure you deserved. Duty-bound, weathered by experience, and deeply principled — you lead not because you sought it, but because others needed you to. You carry old burdens with quiet dignity, and when the moment finally demands everything from you, you do not flinch. The crown was always yours. You simply had to be ready for it.
Ancient, perceptive, and capable of both great warmth and terrible wrath. You see the shape of things others cannot, and you guide more than you command — nudging, trusting, occasionally arriving precisely when you mean to. You have known grief and persisted through it. Your wisdom is hard-won and your faith in others, even when they falter, is your greatest strength and your most defining quality.
You are a soul divided — pulled between who you once were and what you have become. You have been shaped by loss, obsession, and a wound that never healed. What others see as your weakness was once your innocence. There is tragedy in you, and perhaps still a flicker of something salvageable. You are a reminder that the road to darkness is walked one small compromise at a time.
Kingdom of Heaven Is One of the Most Underrated Historical Epics Ever Made
Orlando Bloom as Balian on the cover of Kingdom of HeavenImage via 20th Century Fox
From acclaimed director Ridley Scott, who also directed Alien and Gladiator, the 2005 historical epic, Kingdom of Heaven, may be one of the most underrated films ever made. The movie stars Lord of the Rings icon Orlando Bloom as Balian de Ibelin, a lowly blacksmith who finds himself caught up in a much bigger adventure than he ever would have anticipated. After his wife’s death, Balian joins his father, Baron Godfrey, on a crusade that leads him to Jerusalem. There, he finds himself caught in the middle of a bloody conflict between Christians and Muslims that took place during the Third Crusade. The film also stars Liam Neeson, Eva Green, Edward Norton, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, and David Thewlis in supporting roles, as well as several other familiar faces.
Today, Kingdom of Heaven is somewhat controversial based on its depiction of Christian and Muslim relations. Even so, the 2005 historical epic can’t be denied its flowers for delivering some of the best action sequences of the early 2000s. Kingdom of Heaven includes multiple action setpieces, including the Siege of Kerak and the Battle of Hattin. Ultimately, it climaxes with the remarkable Siege of Jerusalem, which may be one of the most exhilarating action sequences ever put to film.
Kingdom of Heaven was not adored by critics, as the other entries on this list were. It holds a tenuous 39% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite its critical failure, the 2005 film struck a chord with audiences, who awarded it an impressive 72% Popcornmeter and a commensurate 7.3/10 average rating on IMDb. Perhaps as a result of its poor critical reception, however, Kingdom of Heaven was a box office disappointment, only earning $218 million against a budget of $130.
Like Braveheart, Kingdom of Heaven isn’t renowned for its historical authenticity. However, audiences who go into the film looking for an intense, action-heavy story with epic battle sequences won’t be disappointed. Kingdom of Heaven delivers on the promise of its premise, with battles that are even bigger and more complicated than those in the epic Lord of the Rings trilogy. While it is far from a perfect movie, Kingdom of Heaven at least deserves credit for its tremendous battles.
