I have expanded upon and improved this video for my new film/TV channel, 2 Left Frames. I highly recommend watching that "Extended Edition" instead. th-cam.com/video/0KrUarrx-UA/w-d-xo.html It's better organized, much clearer on several points, and I added an entire section praising Howard Shore's soundtrack!!
@@geraintthatcher3076 I did not. This video was entirely motivated by my love for these movies. I've never felt the compulsion to revisit and/or talk about The Hobbit movies :(
@Anon Anon #3 Quite a few of the cast was unproven at the time. Who the hell was Viggo Mortensen? Sean Astin was really only known for The Goonies. Elijah Wood was mostly a commercial actor at the time. Orlando Bloom was literally just out of acting school when he started LOTR. #4 The video went over PJ's career before LOTR. Not really someone you'd bank on making one of the best movie franchises of all time. #5 Howard Shore was associated with dark, horror films at the time and only scored a handful of successful films. #6 Obviously very bias. New Zealand wasn't a special film location before LOTR
@@cjtrules1 Just because they were unproven and/or unknown at the time doesn't mean they weren't still the best casting possible for the trilogy, because they most likely were, the films themselves are the proof in the pudding so to say.
Proud I was an elven warrior extra in Helm’s Deep when I was 17 years old in 2000. Had the blonde wig, helmet, armour, tunic, long bow and rubber elven sword, but spent most of the shoot laying dead and being hacked with a large meat cleaver by an overly enthusiastic orc 😆 . Folks in Wellington knew at the time the films were going to be great but we had no idea that our local eccentric director living down the road, who we saw at weekends filming low budget horror scenes around the neighbourhood, was going to be responsible for such cinematic classics. Around 1998 they constructed the set of Bree at the old naval base near my home and it was essentially a small village of wooden buildings. From my house I could see the bright flood lights lit up at night and action taking place. I recall the construction and filming seemed to go on for months but it was all so mysterious and shrouded in secrecy. Great memories of that time and the anticipation for the films was really exciting.
When the films where being made, people who stumbled across the sets where allowed to be extras so they would hopefully not spoil where it was or whatever. Keep in mind im not talking about full on sets but smaller things.
Jesus man I jizz myself everytime I hear those Elven horns and the sheer majesty of the Elven army coming to the aid of their younger brothers. Thank you for making my childhood great
My favorite anecdote is from Bernard Hill on the actors’ commentary of TTT. He’s talking about how difficult it was to get comfortable sitting down in full armor when not on camera. One day, he left the set and passed by a garage sale on the way back to his rental house. He stopped to see what they had and saw two hip-height metal spikes with bicycle seats on top, to push into the ground and take a seat while fishing, etc. He thought they’d be perfect for him to rest his bum while in armor and took them to his trailer the next day. After a few days, a props person saw them, noticed the rather tatty appearance of the seats’ leather, and asked Bernard if he would like to have the seats reupholstered over the weekend. He gratefully agreed, expecting just new leather to be used. What he got instead were two seats, expertly crafted with Rohirric designs embossed into the leather so that they were truly fit for a king!
That's incredible! I'm actually thinking, I may have never listened to the commentary for these movies?! So that's a new one for me! Thank you so much for sharing, that's so fun and heart warming :D
@@2leftthumbs Oh, you really have to listen to the commentaries!! The actors’ ones are great, but my favorites are the director/writers ones (with Peter, Fran, and Phillipa) and the post-production ones with Howard Shore and a few of the producers. I really like the FotR director commentary, especially the bit where they were talking about Fran being the source of the Ringwraiths’ scream. I think it’s Phillipa who jokes that, to get her to scream in the recording studio, Peter told her he got the rights to The Silmarillion!
One of my most striking memories, I a dark theatre, hearing my mum (in her 40s) saying with absolute wonder "it looks just like I imagined it" when the scene opens on Hobbiton
@@pscar1 That we were "all on the same page", is a tribute to the power of Tolkien to describe effectively and beautifully, exactly what he meant and saw in his mind.
I think it was partly because they used the illustrations from some of the most amazing Tolkein artists as their base for those scenes. We'd all seen the illustrations and watercolors and it was like they'd come alive.
And don't forget the music! Howard Shore made an eternal masterpiece. Those melodies and motifs are forever etched into my brain. I get chills just thinking about the ring theme.
The new TV-Show that comes out this year will suck! It looks like its 90% CGI.... LOTR was so good because they didn't use much CGI (if you compare it to the Hobbit)
I’m a senior citizen baby boomer , sci fi fantasy fan & retired music teacher & I totally agree. I saw all the LOTR movies and all of the Star Wars movie originals in the theaters when they first came out and was an immediate fan of John Williams’ wonderful scores which I often used in teaching my students. But the Howard Shore’s score is absolute perfection in its relationship to the events portrayed in the movie and adds to the overall emotional impact. I have watched all three in succession on TV several times And these three movies are an absolute masterpiece.
I worked on both trilogies. A significant amount of the difference can be attributed to the whole approach to the production due to constraints and edicts coming from the top. LOTR was an absolute labour of love for the whole cast and crew. One big family, everyone 110% invested in creating to the utmost of their (considerable) ability. Heck, I worked with many crew who would likely have worked on it for free. All this somehow comes through in the films in an indefinable quality that can’t be replicated no matter how much money and insistence you throw at a project. For me, that’s the difference. The heart. LOTR has it in spades, inside and out. Hobbit has rare flashes of it but just became a massive machine ( despite the hard work, talent and dedication of all involved). I’m just grateful to still be living here in “Middle Earth” ( a stones throw from Edoras 😬).
Thanks for sharing! It's a shame The Hobbit didn't meet its potential. Like you said, it has flashes of heart that show what could have been! Maybe if the big wigs didn't insist on a trilogy, and if everyone were given more time, those movies would match the standard set by the LOTR. I'm very jealous you got to be a part of it all. Cheers!
@@2leftthumbs Happy to share, it was an awesome time for all involved. I have some comments you may be interested in on the Nerdstalgic vid “Why they Fired Aragorn”
What you all accomplished was awe inspiring and changed the way movies could be made. I love the LOTR trilogy because it’s obvious that you all had extreme love and reverence for the project. Thank you for your work, helping create something timeless that is loved by millions of people around the world.
One of my favorite facts about the movies is that they were made with the assumption that this was real. Peter told them to consider this a historical epic and that's why it's gritty and takes itself "seriously" by not winking to the audience
That’s the major flaw of most MCU films. There’s too much wink-wink pseudo-breaking of the fourth wall dialogue to the audience. I think the only movie that doesn’t have that nonsense was The Winter Soldier
it all comes down to one word. this was filmed with love. and every bit of it got the passion of that love, at every stage. to include the love of the fans who had been disappointed time and time again with people trying to do adaptations of it on the cheap. the trilogy will likely never have an equal.
I just listened to one of the actors, Gimli, I think, talk to Nerd of the Rings and he kept thinking this was a terrible idea, he was dealing with family issues and would rather be home but, after he saw how serious everyone took it, how hard they were trying, how Jackson and the crew were giving it their all, he found himself during their first press junket saying this would be bigger than Star Wars!
Agreed. Thankfully, that love of the subject does show up occasionally still - Dune definitely qualifies, and Arcane for a small screen equivalent. Both immediately stand out for obvious passion and quality that went into them.
@@TheJestersGhost People commissioning both Dune and Arcane were far more heavily motivated by profit, though; pushed by Legendary and Riot respectively Whereas LOTR was a grassroots campaign spearheaded by Jackson, in desperate need of a studio to adopt his entire vision. Passion was Jackson’s primary motive, whereas profit is the primary driver for Dune and Arcane’s shareholders (both giant Chinese corporations) I think Jackson’s trilogy was simply the perfect storm. A once-in-a-generation pioneering effort which came out of nowhere to place its creator’s achievement and homeland into cinematic history forever
@Stormer248 "each and every one has at least one film that falls short of the other two; in most cases the 3rd." Yeah and LOTR's has two, fellowship and TT falls short of ROTK and even it is extraordinarily overrated, anyway there is other highly acclaimed trilogies which are considered to have all three around the same level of quality, in reality LOTR's doesn't.
@Stormer248 Who said they were "mid" what the heck does "mid" even mean? I never said they were average or anything, I said ROTK was on a higher level than the other two, I think the other two are below mid and ROTK is above it.
This trilogy has impacted my life directly. I fell in love with the costumes soooooo much (I was 15 when Return of the King came out) that I thougt: "You can make costumes like that? 😲 I want that!" So after school I trained as a dressmaker and am now making costumes for theatre and opera in my german hometown Leipzig. The trilogy will always have a special place in my heart. 💓
Part of what made the miniatures look so amazing is that the team building them didn’t just draft master Hollywood miniature makers but they also recruited a lot of people in the table top gaming industry who had years of experience making Tolkien-like miniature for Mia the war games and RPGs.
Being 11-13 when these came out, and living in Wellington, New Zealand I really look back at these movies with such happiness. Seeing the sets on my daily walks, seeing the cast walking in the city, going to every red carpet and premieres, they are all memories I’ll treasure for the rest of my life. LOTR inspired me to get into film, and I got to work on the Hobbit, while not quite the same as LOTR, it was still a wonderful moment. Jackson changed the trajectory of my life, and I will always be grateful to him. PS: Weta is pronounced wetah like it rhymes with feta ;)
Amazing memories you hold! I was the same age as you when these movies came out and changed my life as well! now at the age I am embarking on an original fantasy film because I am so sick of seeing awful fantasy movies/series since LOTR came out!
I was 50 years old when they were released and had long since given up hope of the film EVER being made. I'd seen a couple of earlier attempts but they were nothing to get excited about. Then I heard of this production and thought to myself that , as usual, hollywood would butcher the story. When I first saw the Fellowship I was gobsmacked with the brilliance of it. My thanks go to Peter and, of course, Mr J.R.R. himself .
I also loved the dedication of Peter Jackson to find the 2 prominent LOTR book artists John Howe and Allan Lee to hire for the film. That journey alone for finding them really amazed me.
This trilogy is beyond compare. It maintains an incredible quality standard through all three films AND is ageing exceptionally well. This was proven to me recently on an IMAX LotR marathon. It's easy to believe that something like this will never come again.
@@Dr.HowieFeltersnatch In the movie, no, hobbits are just hobbits. IRL they were played by different actors: for some shots like the rotating table scene, normal size actors Elijah and Ian who appeared differently sized due to forced perspective, and for long shots like Gandalf's wagon rolling into Hobbiton shot from some distance behind, where the faces could be hidden or disguised, actors with dwarfism.
I have actually seen and touched some of the the costumes and props from LOTR and I have never seen costumes and props so meticulously crafted. There is so much detail that doesn't even show on film. The coat of King Theoden has the Rohan emblem all over the INSIDE which you obviously never get to see! The Hobbit cloaks are made of absolutely amazing fabric and everything is perfect down to a T. Frodo's blade Sting - a true work of art. Usually props tend to look somewhat crappy since they are not shown as prominently. A WETA workshop employee told me Peter Jackson felt he was doing more of a documentary so everything had to be perfect. I agree we may never see anything like this again.
Calling it a documentary is hilarious and amazing! That man was in the ZONE when making these. The fact that they were spending so much time on things many would likely never see is unbelievable!
Yes. The whole LOTR period was a special one. So many memories of it. I was studying in Wellington at the time. From the first days there was an understanding that something important was happening. Knowing actors and extras and hearing their stories of what they did last week. A workmate telling me stories of this crazy night shoot he just did for weeks in a Quarry and telling me "Yeah we are doing helms deep out there". A guy I worked with called Tala (or maybe it was Sala - was a long time ago) even turned out to be the Uruk that killed Boromir (then got his head cut off by Aragorn) - I have so many experiences from that time that I couldnt retell them all. It was a special time and everyone here put a lot of love and passion into it.
I'm just glad the LOTR trilogy came out in my lifetime. Going to see them in the theater was better than any amusement park. Being absolutely transfixed and transported by what was on the screen has never happened with any other movie I've ever seen. It was magic.
When I was in high school I was pretty dorky. I used my own money to buy me my friends and my dad and brother tickets to the Return of the King. We all went together and I still think about it. I still talk to some of those friends.
I manage an independent movie theater and we screened the LOTR trilogy over a 3 week period at the beginning of 2021 when studios weren’t releasing hardly any new films to fill our screens. It was epic, though very few people were going to movie theaters back then.
I saw Jurassic park in the theater when I was about 14, and I thought, there will never be a more exciting theater experience. I was wrong. Now, I am a dyed in the wool Tolkien nerd, so as a college sophomore, junior, and senior, while there was much excitement and much anticipation leading up to each year's theater experience, I was always bringing a lot of arrogant criticism about this line got wrong or that sequence being added or taken away. BUT, the intro to the Fellowship is the most badass, the most METAL SAURON thing that was more exciting than any other theater experience ever. And as I've aged and brought my kids up to love beautiful things, the movie trilogy has grown and grown on me and I see it now as a truly beautiful labor of love. Phenomenal films.
After watching The Fellowship, as I was leaving the cinema, I turned to my wife and said, 'Well, I definitely need to make sure I live 2 more years now.'
@Spiderman no way home there will be another lord of the rings remake, wait and see... i doubt Amazon bought the rights for fun? To much money to be made.
Honestly it's almost miraculous these films were made. The amount of thought, creativity and also to stay as true as possible to Tolkien's works is unbelievable
I can even watch the entire extended trilogy in a row. That’s how you know a trilogy is perfect, when you have about 12 hours of your life you can dedicate to three masterpiece films.
You can tell just how much heart was put into this trilogy. “We had no interest in putting our messages into this movie. But we thought we should honor Tolkien by putting his message into It” -Peter Jackson, 2002 Edit 2023, this is still a masterpiece of a trilogy :D
@@nihilist1680 Thats the bane of almost all big movies today... They make movies not to tell a story, but to transmit a message almost noone wants to hear.
@Ebola Well, you better damn well believe if someone is going to put $300 million into a project, they're going to want their message in it. The thing is, with PJ's LotR trilogy, he had an original story that was unique in its being beloved by key people from top to bottom in New Line. There are very few novels that elicit that kind of devotion. Do you really think Jeff Bezos or any of his second in commands love The Silmarillion the same way?
You must mean artstyle wise. Quality-wise? Not really. Havving watched the 4k remasters they just dont hold up as well as my memory thinks of em, and they rely heavily on the darkness and low quality footage to not make their CGI and slower action be revealed. I mean the slower action part is mostly more to do with 24fps than resolution etc, but you can see that in the 60fps versions of the hobbit; You can see its slow and coreographed there. That said its the best trilogy by far, and the talent+effort+time put into puts it vastly above everything else.
@@7PlayingWithFire7 I think the person meant better production, screenplay, characters choice and the direction+ cinematography. You can watch these films years later and yet they feel like you're watching them for the first time. It's a complete visual Masterpiece.
And I'm feeling old now. I remember I watched it in cinema and even my boss, who could never think of anything else than work, talked about the books and that he liked to read them as a student.
Not only will we likely never see anything like this again, these movies and these books will probably NEVER be successfully remade or readapted in our lifetimes; any attempt will undoubtedly fall short of this masterpiece. It would be like trying to paint a modern version of the Mona Lisa - whatever resulted would never be better than the original.
I truly hope they never try. MAYBE someday, the Hollywood machine will change, and there will be an opportunity to do something new. But as it stands, it's impossible to think of them topping Peter Jackson's version
I think the movies worked so brilliantly because of the amazing casting but also because of Howard Shore’s soundtrack. It elevates every single scene and is just such a crucial and memorable part of the storytelling. This trilogy is timeless.
Absolutely! On top of the insane work that was put into producing, portraying and filming these movies, they then went and capped it off with what is likely the greatest film soundtrack of all time!!
I completely agree! Listening In has some great videos that break down just how brilliant Howard Shore’s score is that I’d recommend. Here’s the link to one if you’re interested th-cam.com/video/Azd7lyJ4918/w-d-xo.html
This was the first movie score I ever bought, my entry ticket into symphonic music and kick-started my appreciation for choirs, too. I remember awkwardly playing the CD for my friends with this boy's choir singing... It's such a shame Shore stooped to recycling this phenomenal score for the dumpster fire that is The Hobbit, tainting all my fond memories.
Every single person who worked on this trilogy absolutely loved what they were doing, I watched another documentary about the animators and how they animated every single muscle in Golum's face which took them days and sometime weeks working even after hours to complete one take .. i'm so glad this movie happened
Yeah and then Andy Serkis goes on live tv and wont stop spouting about how the animators did "absolutely nothing" and "every single piece of Gollums success was because of me and my performance." The dude is such a stuck up jerk. My dad's a Disney animator of high acclaim so the name of Andy isnt very accepted in our house given his childish reponse to "his" success from lotr...
@@Glorfindel_117 I graduated college in March of 1999 with a graphic design degree from a very challenging and cutting edge university. One of the classes I took was learning how to create a 3D CGI animation project using the same software that had just been used for the first of the new Star Wars movies that came out in the 90s... It was by far the most demanding art class I ever took - the amount of time it would require to do the littlest of things can’t be understated. It was extremely _TEDIOUS_ work, and because it was so time consuming, we were spending endless all nighters in that computer lab, and even when I got sick with the flu, I had to work through it and continue doing all nighters in order to have the project finished by the end of the quarter. It was wretched. It was my senior year and by then I was very used to doing all nighters for a variety of classes every so often, but they were nothing compared to that insane level of just how little sleep I got that entire quarter because of that one class. I lost my sanity for a spell there. You ever get such little sleep for too many days in a row that you just start getting giddy? That happened quite often. I invented something I called “figure chairing” to release some steam every now then so I wouldn’t break and completely lose my mind. I’d sit in a chair with rollers and push myself around in figure 8s and such, arms outstretched gracefully, like I was figure skating. Lol. I learned an enormous amount and was very proud of my finished project, but I knew right then and there that I wouldn’t care how much a career in that industry paid, I would never work in it because of how just how grotesquely time demanding the medium was. One simply doesn’t have a life in that field of work. That class gave me soooo much respect for the artists that work in that field, getting to know first hand what all goes into it. It takes a _LOT_ of heart and fortitude! At least the software and computer hardware has come a _VERY_ long ways since then, so maybe it’s not _AS_ rough on the artists as it used to be. One can only hope. All this to say, that really is f’d up of Andy Serkis to dismiss the incredibly hard work and _ARTISTRY_ that goes into modeling and animating cgi! What absolute nerve of him to talk like that about the computer artists that created lotr, including his gollum character. You sure he wasn’t being 100% sarcastic and joking?? I can’t imagine him not recognizing what a feat that was for the team!
The more time passes and we look back on LOTR, the more we begin to realize just how fucking insane and how fucking LUCKY we all were to have both a phenomenal book series and an equally phenomenal film trilogy that matches the literary work it comes from. There truly never will be another film trilogy like Lord of the Rings
"truly never will be another film trilogy like Lord of the Rings" I think it is CERTAIN to come other film trilogies that are even better than Lord of the Rings. It just takes a while to let ideas bloom out into a masterful implementation.
@@Keplaris not with modern entertainment. Good ideas get squashed so they can push political agendas. There's a reason Hollywood is bleeding money and most of what they produce doesn't even break even these days. We'll have to wait for hollywood to die and a new version to rise before we have the next chance.
@@buzzwithdrip6347 First, I disagree, but second, even if there were, they wouldn't have existed without LOTR. LOTR literally (forgive the pun) wrote the book on fantasy. The two other fantasy series spoken in the same breath are the Wheel of Time, which became a meandering mess before Jordan died and Sanderson had to fix, and A Song of Ice and Fire which will sadly never get an ending unless GRRM relents on letting someone finish his work after he dies. Neither live up to what LOTR is as a complete volume/series/whatever you want to call it. Maybe in time, other series will receive a similar following to what Tolkien has given us, but I tend to doubt it. I understand why some people would not be keen on LOTR. It spends a good deal of time on world building which tends to bore a lot of people. However, some people really like that aspect of fantasy writing, and few, if any, have done it better than Tolkien. Fantasy has evolved into more of a character centric genre instead of world building with popular series like Mistborn or ASoIaF.
To me, what makes the LOTR so special is the use of sets and miniatures. In the Hobbit, you got a CGI mountain with CGI armies fighting around it and that spoiled the experience. LOTR you got a miniature, life like looking Minas Tirith or Helms Deep with CGI armies to compliment. The depth of realism is what makes this trilogy so special and helps it stand the test of time.
i was already floored seeing FOTR for the first time where it was just amazing shock the first 30min on. When it showed the pan over the model of Dol Goldur, the sudden thought came to my mind that I hadn't seen something this great and impressive in efx and visuals and pacing in this genre story since the "Empire Strikes Back"!
A well made miniature is unparalleled in its ability to be timeless. This is why even today those scenes are still as breathtaking as they were decades ago.
In many ways the LoTR is the same perfect blend of mostly practical effects, animatronics and models with CGI that Terminator 2 is. Filmed right when CGI was just good enough to look real on screen but still expensive and hard enough to do that it would only really be used for shots that physically cannot happen on camera. Meanwhile the Hobbit films look like a cinematic sequence in a video game. Well, up until that point during the stupid barrel sequence when everyone just gave up and it just looks like video game gameplay. You can see the quality of the CGI drop 10 years back in an instant right after that log cutting shot.
What Viggo said about the slow creep towards CGI really resonates with me. Fellowship has always stood out to me as the most organic, with the least amount of "immersion breaking" moments. But we were lucky, because the entire trilogy held onto that "real" feeling, and much of the necessary CGI holds up pretty well. Gollum for example is still incredible. It's all the unnecessary stuff, like Deagol being pulled by the fish, the wispy green spirits of the mountain... nothing super offensive like we see in the hobbit, but you can recognize a growing reliance on CGI shortcuts, in places where it might not have been needed. With the Hobbit trilogy, as much as I tried to love them, these excessive moments just started happening more frequently. It just feels...cold.
@@R0551-h2d Ive never heard of this before, thank you for pointing me in this direction! i just read the list of changes and edits the creator made, what a dedicated project. I cant wait to see the result.
@@EntreriSeraph you’re welcome! Happy to spread the word that there is a great version out there! And he made subtle edits to the clips. Eg removes the Bards son from the Smaug/Lake Town scene when he fires the bow and makes larger holes to show how the orcs arrived at the battle of the 5 armies. Nice details :)
The only moment I can think of in Fellowship that looks bad is when Legolas jumps off the trolls back after his arrow didnt pierce its skull at point blank. Looked bad back then. Looks even worse today. Other than that I really cant think of much else.
If you ask me the LOTR films are the greatest trilogy of films ever made. Even 20 years on the cgi still holds up, the acting is top notch and the casting is a bullseye.
The cgi used in LOTR is better than the cgi used in any new films even though LOTR was 20 years ago. You’d think that cgi would be better now but it only got worse
while the CGi might hold up, what turned me down where the 2 dimensional characters and some of the very obviously tiny studio locations. That „Mirror of Galadriel“ scene was an atrociously tiny studio. It looked like the old Jules Verne stuff, only in color.
In The Return of the King (2003), during the scene of the Rohirrim Charge Peter Jackson requested that only extras who have read the novel and could recite the scene, to be placed in the front lines as they are aware of the importance of this moment. It's how he ended up with this epic rider. This is my favourite fact about the trilogy.
I’ve watched LotR trilogy twice this month. I did because movies nowadays suck 2022 and I needed to watch a real passion project like LotR and also 2005 King Kong.
What really made this movie trilogy stand out is in my opinion... balance. As a hardcore Tolkien fan let me tell you, these movies are by no means perfect portrayals of the books, nor do they even cover all plot points, some things are even made up. But the balance between these things is extraordinary. I feel like so much genuine love and care went into the creation of this trilogy, and you can see that in every scene. The acting is fantastic, the costumes, perspectives, the props and backgrounds, it's all so REAL for a movie THAT old. These movies are proof that true, while you can never portray a book 100%, you can still do it to a level of perfection if only you put legit thought into it. Sad is only that they did not accomplish the same with the hobbit.
Why do book readers always bring up the issue of not being a perfect portrayal of the books? That's literally the whole point, it's a movie, not a book. A movie can not represent all the information in a book in the same way and THAT'S OKAY
@@Sartheris I think you missed my point there a little bit, that was the core I wanted to get at, a perfect 1:1 portrayal isn't really possible, it needs balance, and that balance was perfect in the case of the original trilogy. What needs to be perfectly portrayed for movies to work however is the core message of the book, the intention, the feeling, and most movies fail horrendously at that and that's why book readers hate them.
I still say the movies are better than the books. They're closer to a drama, with much more characterization, rather than hectic plot ploints. The strength of the Lotr book series was 100% the world, not the prose or dialogue or even characters. Like I think objectively that movie Aragorn, Borimer, Faramir, Eowyn are more fleshed out and nuanced than the original books.
Yes the hobbit movies weren’t as good but they got pretty damn close, closer than some when trying to squeeze that last little bit of juice out a franchise.
@@Sartheris No if some characters are stupid or weird only because the director thinks that will be hilarious (the dumb dumb Gimli comic relief cringe) or the acting as Frodo, Jezus fucking christ what a 2/10 performance
I swear I was crying almost every time watching this video. TLOR Trilogy is my favorite film of all time and is the reason I started reading fantasy books and wanting to write books. Now I'm trying to be a writer, but the point of this comment is that I can't stretch enough how grateful I am to all the crew, all the people that worked tirelessly to make this trilogy happen. Have to admit that I'm not someone who knows everything about Tolkien books, but these movies... the changed me forever. For me, they aren't movies, they are an experience to be lived.
The last great movie I watched with my Dad before he passed away was The Fellowship Of The Ring. He really enjoyed the movie, and every time I watch it I get a comforting feeling I'm not watching it alone. Thanks for making this 👍
Seems to be a pattern there. We watched the whole trilogy on my dad‘s birthday in 2004. It was getting late and I proposed to watch RotK the next day. Dad said he wasn‘t tired and wanted to continue. He was 85 then and my Mum was 80. They both wanted to continue and so we did. We probably went to bed around 2am, happy and full of the great story once again. Around 8am those two were up making tea and I was just coming down from my room when I heard Mum calling. In the middle of reliving the previous day, Dad had given a groan and simply crumpled to the floor. Heart attack. Swift and at a moment when he was really happy. I love these films and can never watch them without remembering that day and the morning after. Mum passed on 11 years and several more LoTR ‘watches’ later. Like you I never feel alone with those films.
similar too me. LOTR is my most vivid memory of watching something together with my father, before he passed away. so, it only adds more to my love for these movies.
The notion that the LoTR will never be done again echoes with another epic of the Tolkien s legendarium. In the Silmarillion it is clearly stated that the two Trees, the 3 jewels, the swan-ships and the beauty of Luthien will never be done or seen again. As it is the nature of true masterpiece, whether it is accomplished by supernatural beings or humans.
LotR is one of the few series where I don't feel like 2.5-3 hours of movie is a lot. You just enjoy the story because the pace, plot and actors are great. Meanwhile I ACTUALLY though that Avengers Endgame took too long to start moving the plot (about 30-40min) and I actually realised I was watching a movie in a theater during several moments, which is not a good sign of engagement.
And to think it was directed by a guy famed for his 7second peaks. To have 3 well paced and well toned movies is amazing. I quite agree by the way. I'm a big fan of marvel and others. But these hollywood branded movies bore me. Every other studio follow suit these days. They are unable to create tension if something isn't blowing up. Most memorable scenes from lotr were the slower paced ones imo.
Endgame was a letdown. The fellowship of the ring was slow but still better and during the two towers and return of the king I was dreading that the movies would end, basically wanting to live in the world lol
@@randomdude189 Nah, I disagree 100%. The long ending was necessary to provide sufficient closure to all the characters. Look no further than Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for an ending so short so as to rob an audience of a good closure.
The Lord of the Rings is about the only series for me, that checks off EVERY single box: The story and world building is incredible, the character development is unparalleled, the writing(book) is encapsulating, the visuals(movie) is some of the most influential and impressive SFX in cinematic history. And don't forget the soundtrack, it is right up there with Star Wars as being the greatest soundtrack ever. The shire theme brings tears to my eyes, every time. It is simply timeless. I hope hundreds of years from now, students in school are analyzing Lord of the Rings like we do with Macbeth, today.
@@coolnamebro woah what.....LOTR soundtrack is perfection and is better than any other blockbuster soundtrack by miles....But that doesn't mean it's better than Star Wars...Better than Sequel soundtrack..Okay I get it...But it's not better than Prequel or the Original soundtrack.... You may like it more but it isn't better
Howard Shore did a truly amazing job when he wrote those soundtracks. They're so supportive of the films, and many of the themes are quite evocative on their own.
@@geetadhumane5793 I disagree completely lotr soundtrack is far beyond star wars. Star wars has a very generic soundtrack bar 1 or 2, the whole damn soundtrack for lotr is near perfect.
Yes, these films were made with otherworldly artistry and talent, but try watching them without Howard Shore's score :). Seriously though, as many times as I have watched the trilogy, I probably listened to the score 10 times as many. It's perfection itself and I will never stop tearing up when I hear it.
I have always thought Tolkien's ghost was somehow influencing everyone! I bought a soundtrack for the first time since Star Wars (Empire)!! Howard Shore is a f*cking genius! Its funny how all the pieces came together for this movie! But you are right, Howard Shore's music is a masterpiece that totally goes with LOTR!
There's also a parallel universe where all this work didn't wirk out and the film was a failure. But instead Jack and Jill by Adam Sandler is the first film to achieve 1 billion.
The story isnt even that good though After Fellowship of the Ring there is literally and objectivelly 0 reason to follow Aragorn's Arc. He's literally irrelevant to the story, yet he has the only fun scenes.
@@magicbrownie1357 But if you'd agree with him, you'd both be wrong :) After maybe even 10 years, I recently re-watched trilogy on a huge 4k TV, blu-ray extended edition, all by myself so I could cry when need be. I do agree it's the greatest story ever told on film and, furthermore, I'd say it's the greatest movie ever made, once and future, absolutely unsurpassable.
I was 30 years old when The Lord of the Rings debuted...it was the most exciting time in my movie life, I wish I could go back in time to re-live it again. Best trilogy for me ever.
This is extremely well broken down. And Viggo Mortensen’s quote is a great summary of why films now lack that rooted feeling of believability. I knew in the first 10 minutes of “the Hobbit’ that we wouldn’t be visiting the same middle earth I fell in love with. It would be a bloated exaggeration, a broken reflection of it. The grittiness and natural beauty of LOTR was lost in all that shine and gloss. LOTR took it’s time to convince you of it’s world, to draw you in to it’s beautiful storytelling. The Hobbit didn’t take a single breath.
The (first) Hobbit feels more like a fairytale and I really like the vibrant and even magical feel to it. For me it didn't have to be at all the same compared to LOTR. However, the two other movies unfortunately didn't hold up and the magic wore off more and more, trying to be more like LOTR while not understanding what made LOTR what it is.
Well, the Hobbit trilogy was adapting source material that is extremely different in tone. I personally think those first 20 minutes of the first Hobbit movie are the best thing that managed to come out of that entire trilogy, because it's obviously its own thing and sets a more light-hearted whimsical tone and the story hasn't yet gotten to the more grandiose setpieces where everything becomes an ugly over-the-top CGI fest. I'd argue The Hobbit turned out so bad because it was trying too hard to just be Lord of the Rings all over again, but that didn't jive at all with the fairytale-like premise and tone.
I always wonder what we would have gotten if Del Toro had gotten a chance to direct his vision, for the hobbit. There's a lot I enjoyed about the Hobbit movies, even if the magic wore off super quickly compared to lotr but the need to tie everything in to the prior lotr films always dragged it down for me.
the lord of the rings movies spoiled me so much, that, after them, almost every movie felt like a disappointment. i always watched a lot of movies in my life, when lord of the rings came out, i was 17 and it felt like the whole ruler was readjusted. it showed me, how good a movie can be, what can be done and that set the bar so damn high
The book did that to me. After finishing reading LOTR, I didn't read anything for four years afterwards. Even now I still struggle with focusing on a book for any period of time.
Same. I was both incredibly unlucky for these movies to set the bar of cinema so high early in my life, yet also lucky that I was alive to witness them myself. The sheer triumph of the success of these movies embodies the spirits of Tolkien’s stories of hope. These stories are truly a light in dark places for me.
@@VaryaEQ I love the books and have read them multiple times. They were the first and the original fantasy books. But that also means that there's room to evolve. The fantasy genre has incredible worlds and stories that I would definitely claim are better than LotR. I don't mean to make this a competition or something, just nudge you to go read other series so you don't miss out.
Every single person worked in those movies were simultaneously a geek and a nerd, who didn't care about profit. Something that is missing in Disney, Sony, Warner Bros etc.
I think the Nolan Batman Trilogy is the only other geek flick I can think of where it didn't feel like it was commercialised or made for teens or kids but a serious movie for adults that want to see realistic world that isn't generated by CG. Mad Max Fury Road is one other example where they used practical effects like in the old days and it makes you feel like the world is a real one. Maybe over time there will be a reawakening for more realism again. I know that The Joker did commercially well despite being small budget so perhaps this is an indication that as long as great artists/actors/visionaries give a crap about the material they will make quality. It's only when they are not fans of the material that they don't give their A game. There are still low budget Sci-fi movies like Dredd (the one with Karl Urban) that are cult faves amoung genre fans. Why? Because they are gritty and realistic still and you can tell the actor involved are fans of the comic. The moral of the story is if the people involved in creating the work are not fans of the material, then do not expect them to pay attention to detail that only other fans would appreciate. Autistic nerds who make stuff they like will always go the extra mile to please other nerds because they are OCD on things they are into. (lots of value is obtained from the worker if they are detail freaks who live and breath the fantasy universe they want to create - this is the definition of what a fan is: a religious fanatic that devotes their life to making it work even at the expense of health to get it done. Find these people and you have struck gold)
@@Supermanfan99 Maybe people are like that because the entertainment industry is insanely exploitative and people want change. Yikes dude, but I get you just want to be entertained you don't want to have to think about the world around you.
My parents were hardcore fans of the books, and they literally took me out of school early to go see these films on the opening day...all three of them. Honestly, I went in thinking it was going to be like any other fantasy thing at the time. I left that theater like my life had been changed forever. Nothing before or since has ever been so masterfully adapted from a book to a screen than these movies, and the sheer love and work put into it resonates in every scene. To this day, I have yet to see a film given this much love and devotion by everyone involved. It truly is a once in a generation masterpiece and I feel privileged to have been here for it.
can't believe it's been 20 years... I still remember seeing each one of these films in the theater when they were brand new. Doesn't seem that long ago
I only saw Return of the King in theater, I think, I was only 9 and we lived in Hamilton, not far from Hobbiton at the time. It was extra special because my dad was with me. I'll never forget it
The trilogy was cinematic perfection. The effects still hold up, the physical production values are incredible, the music is memorable and inspiring, the story is one of the greatest of all time, and the casting is perfect.
Yep, I saw ROTK again in theaters in early 2021, man talk about night and day between watching at home & on the big screen... Really brings out the horrors of the flying nazgul, the mighty courageous charge of the rohirrim, among other great things we rarely see in films And overall I hate fantasy / people's addictions to stuff that's not reality. But Lotr in literature and film does it Right. And it certainly wasn't alone back in the early 00s, Spiderman, Harry Potter, and Star Wars (as much hate as they started getting post R.O.S., they were still huge back in the day) so it was easy to find your perfect niche and easy to love fantasy back then, borderline Cool even...
@@jamiecottrell2347 Yup spoiled us and we didn't even know it... The hobbit trilogy (minus some portions, I'm sure the heavily edited versions are much better) & Star wars sequels especially were always crap imo, at least going in as an adult... [ ^^ To each their own if they were somebody's/ your childhood.... (Sw prequels always hold a spot in my heart, not just for the video games/ nostalgia... Sure plenty of cringe but at least it had plenty of heart & soul, or at least legit tried lmao... At the end of the day it's just fiction man.. idk why people get so dam cutthroat over not enjoying a film hah, so many insufferable souls out there....)
Just watched two towers extended edition last night. Still looks fantastic. The practical effects were so phenomenal, the immersion they give you is incomparable to any other fantasy film. Even the CGI was top notch, and has aged more gracefully than some movies. Peter Jackson will always be a legend for actually pulling it off. How lucky we were.
I went to the museum exhibit of all of the costumes and props, then saw the 2nd movie at the Embassy Theatre in Wellington where all the premiers were. It's an old building that used to be a stage theatre and has been converted into a movie theatre and it's pretty nice. Good times. :)
@@jeremybeavon4476 That's so awesome. You're making me jealous :D When the movies released I was a kid and in bad circumstances. I never got to see them in theaters. TBH I'm so used to the extended cuts, I would probably be disappointed.
I always found that the theatrical release of TTT did Faramir dirty compared to the books--but the extended version at least (if not fully) fixed that by giving the explanation/excuse of the father dynamic.
@@Sure0Foot Yah, that's the compromise you have to make with films though. As fans we would be willing to sit and watch a 5 hour cut of any of the trilogy, but the average mouthbreathing theater goer? I think what they did with Saruman in the theatrical cut was flawed though. He was the primary villain and just disappears. That would work if they had set up Murazor as a stronger villain, but as cool as the witch king is, he's barely in ROTK. Sauron is of course the main bad guy, but obviously he is more of a feeling/presence than an actual character. They should have either kept the cut Saruman stuff, actually filmed his arc from the book, or setup the witch king more and had a more climactic fight/end to him. Maybe a flashback to the high fells and angmar stuff when Gandalf was telling pippin about him.
A few people in the comments think that this video is a pessimistic look at Hollywood. Either you missed the point, or I failed to communicate it! So allow me to clarify here, rather than replying to each comment that read the video this way: Hollywood has made, and will continue to make incredible movies since The Lord of the Rings released! It'd be pretty bleak to think good movies died 20 years ago. That is NOT my stance! This video is more about gushing over the LOTR trilogy, and explaining why the conditions that produced this movie will never be seen again. It is an insane product of it's time, and a miraculous intersection of 1000 equally important pieces. Movies will continue to awe, amaze, and inspire us! They are just unlikely to be funded 3 movies at a time, with 2 years of pre-production, and this precise combination of practical and digital effects. So my intended message is simply, "I love this trilogy, and here is why they are so amazing". It's an entirely optimistic look at how love, care, talent, and affection for a source material can be honed into the craft of filmmaking.
You did a great job in this review! You communicated just how brilliant and ambitious Peter Jackson was, and the amazement that this movies had on us. The detail... the absolute detail and effort that went into each scene and the 1000s of people that made each scene what it was (without the lazy and quick reliance on CGI), is WHY like you, we watch these films over and over again. You did a great job mate, this wasn't a knock at Hollywood; but more an appreciation for the passion that Jackson and the actors had for LOTR and the amount of people that worked on pre-production. Sadly, it's very unlikely that a studio will ever commit to such resources again, and that's a shame. Cheers.
I wouldnt say it will definitely NEVER occur again but I do find it unlikely we'll such a feat again in our lifetimes. We still have brilliant movies that come out with excellent combinations of practical and computer generated effects portraying events occurring on large scales. One need look no further than the film 1917. We also have film series that give us action on an epic scale. But it is true that the degree of craftsmanship that went into the LOTR films combined with the budget and quality foundational writing may not be repeated for many many years to come if ever.
I disagree, studios know that it's franchises that are the money makers, though not made exactly like LOTR, Marvel movies are approved and planned MORE than 3 movies at a time and will continue to be, The Hobbit and Star Wars were also approved 3 at a time, I think if the right book/director combination comes along we'll see many more back to back movies, LOTR isnt the only movie made back to back with its sequel, though yes its usually only the 2, like the Matrix sequels or Kill Bill.
Lord of the Rings are by far the most perfect movies ever made. they are not perfect but they are as near to perfect as possible. each scene unapologetically oozes with an air of passion and i love to watch every single second of it,
LOTR was lightning in a bottle, truly a perfect intersection of the moment it was made and a production that was allowed the time and resources to actually be left alone to do its own thing without constant middling. That kind of thing is just not possible nowadays, even if filmmakers are as dedicated as the LOTR team, they’d still never have the kind of freedom that I’m still honestly shocked to this day that the LOTR team got to have. And that freedom to do what they needed honestly shows in the finished product being as good as it is. Not to say that every film production should just be left alone with no supervision but it’s clear that the freedom worked in LOTR’s favor, and we see in the Hobbit production how the studio’s rather tight grip ultimately contributed to harming what those films could have been.
I'll likely never know what kind of deal with the devil Jackson made to be allowed so much slack, and freedom to make the movie he wanted! I genuinely hope that someday, someone takes that sort of chance again to give us anther movie wonder on this scale!
@@thewildcardperson Dune was the next most obvious answer. From there, I'm not really certain! I'm maybe not as well read as I wish to be. Certainly not when it comes to the classics
The only part I disagree with is that the effort that went into this production is unlike anything that came before. This isn't intended to throw shade on LOTR, but George Lucas and his teams had to invent modern cinema in order to create Star Wars. There was no special effects house in the world, Lucas created the first. They invented visual and sound technologies and methodologies that became staples in cinematography and all grand successes that came after, including LOTR.
A few commenters have given examples of other impressive productions. Surprisingly nobody's mentioned Star Wars, and that really is a great example! Maybe someday I could make this a series, and pivot the presentation to simply be revolutionary productions!
I was literally about to comment about the chainmail guys. The sheer amount of love and care people dedicated to the trilogy is just one of the things that make these films my favourites of all time. I rewatch all of the extended editions each year and I saw them all again in IMAX this year, simply the greatest cinema experience I’ve ever had watching the best films ever created
I think this is a fitting parallel to the books. Groundbreaking. Endlessly copied with varying success. Helped pave the way for other stories to do what they did.
My only complain is that the world seems pretty empty - no villages at all in a fantasy land, only cities and empty fields, looking like in the whole kingdom only these large cities exist and their kings of falling kingdoms... it has certain atmosphere but book lands seemed more alive
@@buzzwithdrip6347 Yeah, well, I mean cities are still big out there and really there isn't that much focus on random villages like in Warhammer or Eragon, in Lotr this aspect is more developed into stories from Shire rather than showing such villages from Gondor or Rohan I quess, a lot of middle earth would fit into these desolate visions from movies but you can catch small hints, for example under Edoras I think there were big plains where horses were eating grass... Not just empty grass without any roads, horses or people etc... Or I remember few sentences talking about some villages in Gondor and dol amroth, so I quess one might not find it as important but I like fantasy world building :p
I like that for example, when something is mentioned, it is very complex like Shire but when the story progresses into different, more heroic scenario we got background more open for interpretation
Anyway, in my fantasy world I like to add a lot of small villages, their general shape, design, inhabitans, dramas, relationship with nearby watchower Guards, usual paths, worldview
Also can I just say how intensely dedicated Serkis is. Like damn, there’s a guy who just throws himself into a role and often was in motion capture. Respect
CGI tech was right on the cusp of becoming "good enough" as the LOTR movies were being made. Naturally, practical effects were at their all time high in quality and scale. LOTR just so happened to be shot at the right time in this transition.
More importantly, the people making these films cared enough to spend years, sometimes decades, getting everything as good as they could possibly make it. That’s what really sets this trilogy apart; not that it hit some magic balance of different types of VFX. CGI, models, animation, compositing; all of those can look bad and detract from a film if the artists don’t care, are rushed, aren’t given clear direction, etc.
the guys making the mail actually rubbed off their finger-prints... one of the inside jokes is that they would be the perfect criminals after that. I absolutely adored all the behind the scenes making of material. It was like an episodic walk through on how the movie you just watched was put together... and I appreciated every second of it.
I am a 32 year old American, and this movie could not have come out at a better time for us. At age 10 I was sat down in a crowded room of my peers and watched images of planes flying into buildings, fireballs of destruction, people jumping to their death, and hundreds of people die in collapsing towers. I felt like I was in a daze until about a year later when I was walking through SAMS club and saw images of a man jumping off a tower and fly away on an eagle. I asked my mom about it and she rented the movie for the family. It was amazing and promised we could see the sequel. We showed up to the midnight release and for over two hours I watched the characters go from absolute hopelessness and despair to courage and purpose. After we left the theatre, I realized that "the two towers" could now mean what I wanted it to mean. And finally when the nation was being torn about and engaged in foreign wars, i didnt worry that i was a young reenager incable of contributing to the world, because Return of the King reminded us all that its the little acts of love that matter and the acts of global destruction arent really as powerful as people are led to believe. I cannot think of a movie to have ever come out when it was more relevant or needed. Absolutely historical film.
@Spiderman no way home there will be another lord of the rings remake, wait and see... i doubt Amazon bought the rights for fun? To much money to be made.
You know that the LOTR movies are your favourite ones when you lost count on how many times you've watched them. The skill of everyone involved and the dedication is truly astounding.
Just before I started my second semester of college, I sat down to watch the trilogy with my parents, since my dad owns all the films on DVD. I gotta admit, this beats the MCU by a long shot. Never seen anything like it, and I’m thankful that it exists. Also, I was born the same year Return of the King came out, so that’s an added bonus.
I was fortunate enough to be able to see them all in theaters. I was about 12 when the first one came out and I was hooked from the opening battle in Fellowship. I'd seen some cool stuff in movies by then, but NOTHING compared to the sheer scale of conflict that battle promised us. The following 2 years, those releases were all I cared about and I doubt I'll ever see something as mind blowing ever again short of a real meteor crashing into earth.
When he talked about how fantasy adaptations where pretty bad and rarely attempted before LotR I couldn't help but think about how similar this is to the state video game adaptations find themselves today. Makes me wonder when this one movie series will hit that changes the game forever like we saw 20 years ago with Jackson's Films.
The part with Hobbit was heartbreaking for me. I love Peter Jackson and his work so much that I simply cannot hate Hobbit. I know it's a mediocre movie as such, and doesn't even stand close to LOTR, I know that the CGI wasn't great even though it was shot 10 years after... I just still love those movies regardless, because I know he tried his best. It's like you had 2 kids, older one, an A student, perfect in everything, and a younger, less talented, but still doing his best. It's how I feel about The Hobbit and LOTR.
Damn, that's a good analogy. Hobbit tried but it just can't live up. I don't hate the Hobbit but I rarely watch it. I like the first film but the other 2 not really. I still believe it should've been a duology and should've alloted a good bunch of the budget to practical effects rather than CGI. After all, the book was pretty short and condensed whereas the films felt so, hmm as Bilbo would say it "butter scraped over too much bread". I don't like the look of orcs and goblins in it at all either. And lastly, wtf was up with that made up character to romance Fili (or Kili I forgot)?
@@Walamonga1313 Yeah we could go on and on with all the flaws... I am aware of them. The romance was a total bs, killing Smaug within the first 5 minutes of the 3rd movie was also bad, it really should be a duology with Smaug dying in the end, or they should have him killed at the end of the 2nd movie. As I said, we could go on and on. But I still watch the entire Hobbit & LOTR saga almost every year (usually around Christmas, as even Elijah Wood said that LOTR is a Christmas movie for him lol). I just cannot hate the Hobbit bearing in mind that the "father" of this creation is the same person who stands behind the absolute masterpiece which is LOTR. I was born in 1992 so when the movies came out I was around 10 and I begged my siblings to go to the cinema with me as parents wouldn't let me take a bus to the city alone. For me, this whole franchise is like a half of my childhood. Hence I cannot simply say "yeah Hobbit sucks lol not gonna watch ever again". For me it's kinda personal.
The problem was that Jackson was brought in to salvage the project when it was about to fail and there was constant studio meddling. They had no pre-production time and had to rely on insane crunch. Jackson was sleeping on set and was awake 20 hours at a time and then sleeping for a few hours before getting up to work again. That along with the insane demands from to studio to include certain scenes such as the entire Tauriel romance plotline and it's an absolute wonder the movies are as good as they are. The first one is easily the best one.
For how much time and room PJ was given he still made a damned good trilogy out of The Hobbit. I remember being 14 yo when the first movie came out, I bought the DVD and while on holiday for 7 days, I watched the whole movie every single day 7 days straight.
26:52 Viggo is correct. It is the attention to detail that I love about these films and one of my favorite stories from the commentaries is from Viggo himself. He requested to use a real sword in filming. Viggo wanted to always have to deal with the actual size and weight of the blade in his delivery of the action scenes. He carried it with him everywhere he went and relates the tale of being questioned by the police because people complained of a man walking around with a sword.
Also, when they threw a dagger at him, the orc-stuntman accidentally aimed it right at his head (he wasn’t supposed to) and Viggo deflected it from midair anyway :) Plus apparently they hadn’t even found an actor for Aragorn by the time they started filming, and yet Viggo’s accidentally happened to be one of the most memorable performances in all of fantasy cinema He’s … sort of magical to me at this point lol
The practicality is what keeps me coming back. It feels real because most of it is. Seeing the Hobbit trilogy on screen makes me appreciate LOTR more and more. Peter Jackson’s practical background is one of the reasons of the success of this masterpiece trilogy. The films have created so many memes, memorable and emotional moments. The characters, the music, the sets, costumes, the bigatures, the craftsmanship of the entrie team. I love many movies from the 90s because most of them have practical effects. The Lord Of The Rings is one of the last ones that combined practical with CGI. (The other movies I can think of are the ones from Christopher Nolan - Inception and his Dark Knight Trilogy.) I could go on forever with the praise and how much these 3 films mean to me but your video said it best. Thank you for sharing your passion in form of an informative and entertaining video.
I think practical effects need to be used in conjunction with cgi. Practical effects are not perfect for everything, especially things like monsters and scifi/fantasy effects. There is a difference between good and bad cgi and often people hold up poor cgi in conjunction with good practical effects to prove the point. IMO the reason the hobbit failed was not due to effects etc, rather the fact the hobbit does not translate to a movie. The original novel is a short story aimed at kids, so most of the events in the hobbit movies are made up, something which was easily noticed by tolkien fans and the general audience who just saw a shitty cashgrab banking on the original LOTR movies.
@@checker297 Practical effects enhanced with CGI is the way to go, I agree. Of course not everthing can be achieved with practical effects but it adds weight believablity to it. The orcs and Uruk-hai (especially leader Lurtz from Fellowship) feel so much more real and scary and threatening than the CGI white guy from Hobbit. I like the Hobbit story but it is a bit stretched too much. Two movies would have been enough in my book. My main critique is the heavy CGI and the visual esthetics. I don’t like to watch the movies because they look weird to me. To me personally all the practical effects (Truck flip in the Dark Knight, the hallway fight in Inception, the sets in LOTR are so much more memorable then the new Sequel Star Wars trilogy, and most of the modern super-hero movies (Marvel and DC). Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate CGI, but I miss the proper use of it. Worlds are so much more believable when filmed in a set and with practical effects. (It is my personal preference because I grew up with it. People that are 20 years and younger probably cringe when they watch older (90s, early 2000s) movies because they are used to everything they watch is CGI.) I agree, The Hobbit is a cashgrab.
I completely agree. The restrained use of CGI with mostly practical effects lends the LOTR movies a weight and substance that the Hobbit films simply do not come close to. IMHO, the major problems with the Hobbit films are 1: The 'scraping of butter over too much bread' effect of trying to get a full movie trilogy out of a book you can read in an afternoon (which Jackson didn't have any choice about) and 2: The overuse of CGI, coupled with the high frame rate for extra clarity (which was TOTALLY his own choice). (And also), KNOWING that what made LOTR work was stripping down the edit to make the movies FRODO-cenrtric, but not keeping the Hobbit films BILBO-centric. Again, I know---- studio interference. He really had no choice. But it makes the Hobbit movies a bloated, overwhelming mess both visually and thematically, compared to the earlier films. It IS a true miracle that The Lord of the Rings was ever made at all, in the way that they WERE made.
They lost me on the second Hobbit movie when they just had to insert a new character (Tauriel) that never appeared in the novel. I really have very little complaint about Tauriel as a character...Tolkien only rarely put females in as warriors, but I can get past that. And Ms. Lilly did a credible job of playing a female warrior and an Elf. But the insistence on including a "romance" between an Elf and a Dwarf...it just JARS! At the period "The Hobbit" is set, Elves and Dwarves are more likely to fight one another than fall in love and that ignores the social societies that separated Elf and Dwarf. That a Dwarf could look at an elf female with awe was not inconceivable, as Gimli is clearly in awe of Galadriel...but NOT on a romantic level. He recognizes her beauty and power. But Galadriel is a Major Power in Tolkien's world...few people, male or female would NOT view Galadriel with awe. But a relatively common Dwarf and a relatively common Elf who mystically and magically sort of BOND instantly? All so some suit can demand a "romance" as a prerequisite? Gandalf falling in love with an Orc would be on par with this really bad decision. Not to mention it drags the viewer laterally aside from the primary "Bilbo Story."
I was 22 in 2000. One of the things I have always envied my previous generation is that they had the opportunity to see the original Star Wars trilogy in the theatres, when they came out. I tried to capture that feeling when I went to see the prequel trilogy, but I just couldn't find it. However, I did see the LotR trilogy in the theatres, and I just wish I could have appreciated that _that's_ where it was at. The previous generation were lucky to see Star Wars in the theatres - _my_ generation was lucky to see Lord of the Rings.
Same! There are the occasional haters in the comments who seem to want to cause trouble. But I've never been happier to block and ignore people, while the rest of us dance around and bask in our enjoyment of this series :D
@@2leftthumbs "There are the occasional haters in the comments who seem to want to cause trouble." It is very sad that you cannot take criticism and choose to censor people who disagree with you. There are legitimate reasons not to like the films, many do not, and I'd venture that people like Tolkien's son, who devoted his entire life to his Father's work and who was very critical of the films, has a more valid opinion than you.
@@thelawenforcerhd9654 I haven't blocked a single person who criticizes this video, or these movies. People are more then welcome to those opinions! I had a great discussion elsewhere in the comments with someone about Christopher Tolkien's opinions. It's was enlightening for me, and a very civil discourse. The "troublemakers" I've been blocking are people who have dropped in without watching the video, and started rambling, ranting, and attacking others about "woke culture" ruining everything. Whenever I see that lazy, regurgitated take I delete and block it. Nobody needs to be subjected to that. There are entire channels dedicated to that where they can go hang out.
@@2leftthumbs Fair enough, forgive my understanding-I thought I saw some innocuous comments removed that were critical of the films, but I now can see it was youtube's own censorship system.
Just seeing the footage of Andy Serkis acting in the motion capture suit alongside Elijah and Sean makes me wonder how they weren't all laughing the entire time, further goes to show just how great they all were at holding their characters.
I'm gonna be honest, I've probably seen every documentary about this trilogy over the years. It was a huge gamble for them to produce and make the trilogy possible, but after seeing Jackson working with the cast and crews on site, I feel like at the time Jackson never thought of it that way. In his heart, he knew the films would succeed, because the stars aligned for him with what he had to work with. In a way, these films were an absolute MIRACLE. Very rarely does something this good collate itself by design. They came out at the right time, in the right place, with the right people, in the right economy, and before social media. My hope is that Denis Villeneuve can do something miraculous with the Dune films. He is by far the best filmmaker working today, and the quality of his films are the only thing which rivals what LOTR was to me.
This perfectly outlines my adoration for the trilogy as well as my fear for the Rings of Power - everything that worked so well in the LoTR was practical effects and either pulled outright or only lightly adapted from the books, which worked to make everything shine. In the Hobbit trilogy, I think everyone can agree the best parts were Riddles in the Dark and Bilbo's talk with Smaug - again, parts taken directly from the book. In the Rings of Power, Amazon doesn't have near enough material and lines to pull from to recreate the perfect Tolkien prose and they're in an era where CGI trumps all in terms of budget and ease of use. I know we'll get at least something great, because Howard Shore is back and I'll eagerly take anything he gives us, but I'm worried for the show, both with effects and with the writing.
I 100% agree on the Riddles in the Dark, and Bilbo + Smaug were the best part of those Hobbit movies! The 3 best things I've heard about The Rings of Power that give me hope: 1. That teaser was entirely done with practical effects! 2. Howard Shore's return (like you said) 3. Supposedly this time period of Sauron first rising to power is what superfans consider to be the most interesting era of Middle Earth, next to the Lord of the Rings plot itself
And they got rid of Tolkien scholars. They are adding diversity quotas for multiracial hobbits in an age where hobbits didn't exist in. An intimacy coordinator for sex scenes. That's not what Tolkien is about. All the red flags are here and I think it will much worse than the hobbit. I think the only thing that might be good are the breaking bad and better call saul writers who are fucking incredible.
@@2leftthumbs Well. For me, the Rise of Sauron is one of the most important events in the Second Age but there are way as anticipated (or even more) events that fans were excited to see especially those that took place in the First Age or the Creation itself. But no adaptation for the First Age.
I don't know yet if you will also say it in this video for I'm only halfway through right now, but I also love the fact that Peter Jackson hired people who read the books and knew the importance of the scene for the Rohirrim charge scene in the third movie and put them in the front lines. That's why the riders look so dedicated, they are not only playing a role, they really feel that moment because they're actual LotR fans...
a lot of it as i understand is New Line wasn't doing to well and they needed a miracle, in comes Peter Jackson with a really strong concept and they decided it was worth going all in on after all it was that or not try basically, you can see a lot of the time the best work of companies come at this point and it makes sense they aren't just throwing money at something they dont care about, their selective knowing if the company goes this may be the last chance they ever have to make a movie or game and it makes them more appreciative of it and choose something they're willing to put all their love into
Today it would never be made. They would never let an Anglo-Eurocentric epic of western white Christian/Scandinavian pagan origin be produced… it would be shot down, and if it was made independently it would be decried as white supremacy Europeans are not allowed to display and celebrate their heritage and themselves. It’s antisemitic racist etc
Beautiful video! If I had known the direction Hollywood was going to take I would've gone to the theater to see this trilogy 10 times over. It's a shame what special effects have become...lifeless and hollow, but the biggest travesty is that modern media would rather recycle and destroy without regard, all the while ignoring that the most successful movies and stories of all time revolved around passion and love for the source material. Thank you for your love of something timeless. I remain hopeful that I will feel again what you felt when the big screen still captivated and did not frustrate.
The trilogy is the closest thing to on screen perfection we will ever see. I have watched many many movies and nothing comes close to these movies. I'm glad I witnessed it in my lifetime. There are in a class all by themselves.
This trilogy will always have a special place in my heart, especially after watching the behind the scenes. You could sense the passion they had while making those films ❤🙏🏿
Quite right. A true cinematic marvel these movies were, the kind of artistic genius the MCU wishes it could have. So many people, ideas, efforts and technologies combined to produce these, it's just amazing and it's why I commit to re-watching these films still to this day. They will always hold up. It's unlikely we'll ever see something like this again (at least, it probably won't be in any of our lifetimes).
I feel like you’re comparing apples and oranges though. LOTR is a complete story with concrete character and story growth, it’s a story with a definitive ending and thus leaves a certain kind of impact, whereas the MCU is a continuously changing and ever growing and expanding story that is not definitive and can ebb and flow. They are each representative of the unique qualities of source material that they are based on, books and comics. LOTR has artistic genius but it also doesn’t mean the MCU doesn’t have its own, and LOTR having many peoples and ideas and efforts and tech to create doesn’t mean that the MCU doesn’t also require those things. LOTR is lightning in a bottle but so is the MCU in its own way, both are creative products that will never likely be repeated to the grand scales each have reached. I think you can appreciate the work that went into creating the majesty of LOTR without diminishing the MCU. Both LOTR and the MCU were at one point considered impossible and doomed to fail and both rose beyond expectations. And both should be commended for their efforts.
@@CaptainPikeachu Of course they're apples and oranges, that's the point. The MCU wishes it could be what the Lord of the Rings trilogy was (I don't mean literally of course). But really, nothing ever has been and probably ever will be. Lord of the Rings is on a level by itself. People really underestimate what the Lord of the Rings achieved. No one since has been able to produce 3 effectively perfect movies (basically, outside of the superfluous, there isn't much you can find wrong with them), which tell one story (in essence) that are showered with critical and general acclaim, every award from every guild you can think of (something like 800 nominations and 400 wins, it's completely bonkers), roaring financial success, being universally considered a cultural milestone. Hasn't been repeated and won't be repeated.
As someone who is a big sucker for superhero movies, and still really enjoys the MCU (I have some planned video on that coming up) I am enjoying this conversation a lot :)
The difference between LotR and the MCU is the evolvment of cnematic technology. What makes LotR look so real is that most of it was real, they built the set because green or blue screen technology was not yet up to task. I was in NZ in 2002 and I saw some of the glasware that was made for the movies, the windows of Bags End, the goblets from Rivendell etc. I had in my hands the chainmail, helmet and swords of an orc. I could touch the foot prostetics for the hobbits etc. None of this would be done today, today it would be cheap replacements or done completely digital. I remember sitting in the Odeon at Leicester Square on the 21st December 2001 to watch Fellowship for the first time. At that time I had read the book the last time almost 20 ago and I could only remember bits and pieces, but that night in the cinema Middle-Earth came to life right before my eyes. PJ and his crew invented a lot of the technology that is used in todays blockbusters. Back then it was so new that no one could tell which part was real and what part was done by a computer. 2000/2001 were the yeare when the Internet started to become the world wide web we know today and it was the first time "normal" people had widespread access to international informations without dial ups and they could exchange informations in real time which we used extensively to discuss and disect every aspect of these movies. The "problem" with todays movies is that studios are not willing to risk money on something which could be special. They want guarantees that their shareholders don't lose money, but make a huge profit, this is why so many innovative scripts land on the reject pile. PJ was at the right place at the right time for LotR. When he made The Hobbit a decade later he used all the technology that was avbailable, which means extensive use of green screen and CGI and the people ripped the movies into shreds over being "soul-less". Sir Ian McKellan cried on set because he was supposed to shot a scene with the dwarves in Bags End but he was the only one on set and nothing was real, he was surroundes by green screen with no actor with him, he said to PJU that he can't do it, he can't work like this. I love LotR, in fact this 3 movies got me in touch with people that are now my extended family of "adopted" nieces, nephews, sister, brothers, sons and daughters. For that alone will this trilogy always have a very special place in my heart. I adore the MCU the same I adore LotR, because both made it possible that i can watch my childhood heros on the big screen. It is possible to like/love both without beating the other one to the ground. In some ways both are the same, but they are also very different. LotR is a vast, rich history of a fictional country, crearted almost 100 years ago by a man who poured all his trauma in the story he wanted to tell, while the MCU are short, but interconnected stories to entertain. They don't have the deep meaning LotR has and that is okay. The MCU never wanted to be LotR because it can't be, because they are different, but that does not make one better than the other. There will be people who say LotR is the u7ltimate cinema experience, others will argue that it is the MCU. I have seen both in the cinemas and both had me in awe at one point or the other. There is enough space in the history of the cinema for both franchises and they will both stay on top of the list of "Best Franchises" for a very long time. So, now I have rambled enough, I go and enjoy some MCU movies and wait for the Amazon LotR show in the hope that they did not mess it up.
LoR has many things that make it great but I think to compare it better or say it could never be done again is compared to the MCU or the Harry Potter franchise not true. 1. LoR hat the advantage of filming in an environment that it just could take one by one with some expectations. Compared to that the MCU has by just story points create certain things like space, planets etc. To tell how realistic LoR looked is just silly when it didn't need that much more cgi than other projects. So it could focus more time on the things it needed to do. 2. LoR was nearly a story that could be adapted one by one with some small changes, of course, it feels more coherent compare it to the hobbit which needed to be stretched to make it 3 movies and this was still more or less copy of the framework. This makes the MCU even more impressive 3. LoR where all 3 films were filmed together is an impressive task in a way but it is administrative and from an organizational standpoint easier than if you have multiple different acters, sets storylines to coordinate over and over again, change it by replacing stuff adding stuff instead of having everything in one go. 4. Furthermore I would not even the MCU but put the Harry Potter franchise against it that did the same task too. So the argument that this never happens again is for me not working. Yes, LoR was impressive from an organization and technical standpoint but not something that is or will be unique.
I was also 8 when FOTR came out. My mom recalls a time when they had to limit the times I could watch a LOTR movie to once a month because I would watch 1 or 2 of them every weekend and they became tired of hearing me watch the same movies over and over. To this day I've watched the extended versions more times than I can count and still enjoy them as the first time. PS: Great video, I'm really really thankful that this movies came to me in that point of my life too.
I had the opportunity to watch all three extended versions in one go at a theatre in Vancouver earlier this month. Was a wonderful experience being able to see them back-to-back-to-back on the big screen.
I watched the extended edition of the 1st and 2nd movies at the cinema followed by the midnight premier of the 3rd movie back in the day. That took about 12 hours and finished at about 4am or something.
When I was a child, my dad and I had a tradition of watching the LOTR trilogy every Sunday while making crepes. After seeing it over and over again, I never got tired of watching it and I look back on those memories fondly ❤️
@@Walamonga1313 Yep we would pick one of the movies and change it each week, so not the whole thing at once 😆 That’s awesome though, we watch the extended addition as well! I think I’m due for a yearly watch with my family as well!
This joyful enthusiasm in narrators voice kept me smiling throughout the video. Great job! I think i ll never get enough of somebody s talking about LotR, movies and production respectively.
hmm, you haven't seen Villenueve's Dune yet? And there will be a forthcoming part 2, and a possible part 3 in Dune : Messiah, a potential great genre trilogy, hopefully.
@@deitpep6629 Ehhh....Wouldn't really get hopes too high. I really liked the first film, but it didn't really strike me in awe in the same way LOTR did.
My god I love these movies so much. The amount of effort that went into such simple things as falling leaves and background orcs making weapons is amazing. It’s clear that PJ and everyone involved really cared about making these movies. I’m so glad that I got the opportunity to live through these movies being released in real time.
The fact that jackson choose an actor that dedicated with their job rather than “mega star” are one of the best decision. That way he can focus on place and props
I was 14 when the first movie came out. My mom was excited about it, telling me how she loved the book and wanted to see the movie with me. (my younger brother also wanted to come, but he was only 8 back then and wasn't allowed in.) I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by the first one. I instantly became a huge fan. Such an amazing piece of cinema! And then the second and third movies came out as well! I've never before or after been so excited to see a movie, than with those two. LoTR is basically my Star Wars. Which is funny because then the hobbit prequels were also made into movies. Which, just like the prequels for Star Wars, were also kinda bad in comparison. The only thing that has even come close to the scale of LotR since then is the MCU avengers movies. And that was 22 movies in total.
I was turned onto the books in the '70s by a guy who had a perfect rendition of Gollum's "precious" characterisation. I read the books and could not get into any other fantasy novels after that. They just weren't able to suspend imagination like LOTR. People do compare it to Star Wars but that story started as a screenplay and was designed to spin off merchandise to supplement earnings from the film. It is necessarily compromised by that format.
During convalescence after a surgery, I re-watched the trilogy last summer. Was the highlight of my recovery. Fellowship, in particular, REALLY holds up. Just an amazing feat of creativity all around.
@@tryangle587 There was a dichotomy. Where Jackson's interview where said he was making the films for Tolkien (in regards to the wokeness controversy re: the upcoming "Rings of Power"), it was mainly Fran Walsh who was the die hard purist of Tolkien, then Jackson a high second who self-controlled his wacky tendencies to make the films more pure, then they had to reign in Phillpa Boyens who kept saying things to "improve on Tolkien". You can tell she had more sway in TTT with the stupid Aragon cliff scenes and other stuff, but it could have been Jackson that let Legolas surf down the stairs...hmm. At least they stopped filming the scenes of Arwen joining the helm's deep battle, because they were reading the lotr-related forums back then and knew the backlash when book fans heard of the rumor of Arwen getting more involved outside the story of the book in the TTT.
I have expanded upon and improved this video for my new film/TV channel, 2 Left Frames. I highly recommend watching that "Extended Edition" instead.
th-cam.com/video/0KrUarrx-UA/w-d-xo.html It's better organized, much clearer on several points, and I added an entire section praising Howard Shore's soundtrack!!
The Hobbit trilogy was many more-times better than you gave it credit for.
Did you do a separate review on the Hobbit Trilogy ?
@@geraintthatcher3076 I did not. This video was entirely motivated by my love for these movies. I've never felt the compulsion to revisit and/or talk about The Hobbit movies :(
The trilogy is the absolute BEST because of 2 things
#1- True love for movie making
#2- Respect for the author and the lore he created.
@Anon Anon #3 Quite a few of the cast was unproven at the time. Who the hell was Viggo Mortensen? Sean Astin was really only known for The Goonies. Elijah Wood was mostly a commercial actor at the time. Orlando Bloom was literally just out of acting school when he started LOTR.
#4 The video went over PJ's career before LOTR. Not really someone you'd bank on making one of the best movie franchises of all time.
#5 Howard Shore was associated with dark, horror films at the time and only scored a handful of successful films.
#6 Obviously very bias. New Zealand wasn't a special film location before LOTR
@@cjtrules1 Just because they were unproven and/or unknown at the time doesn't mean they weren't still the best casting possible for the trilogy, because they most likely were, the films themselves are the proof in the pudding so to say.
@@MugenHeadNinja well said!
#7 No black people
Yup… we don’t see that type of ambition or passion in films anymore.
The two chainmail makers were the true lords of the rings.
Yes
The plasticmail
*E P I C C O M M E N T ☝️⬆️*
My thought exactly at 17:00
Weren't they the fellows that literally wore the fingerprints off of their fingers doing this?
Proud I was an elven warrior extra in Helm’s Deep when I was 17 years old in 2000. Had the blonde wig, helmet, armour, tunic, long bow and rubber elven sword, but spent most of the shoot laying dead and being hacked with a large meat cleaver by an overly enthusiastic orc 😆 .
Folks in Wellington knew at the time the films were going to be great but we had no idea that our local eccentric director living down the road, who we saw at weekends filming low budget horror scenes around the neighbourhood, was going to be responsible for such cinematic classics.
Around 1998 they constructed the set of Bree at the old naval base near my home and it was essentially a small village of wooden buildings. From my house I could see the bright flood lights lit up at night and action taking place. I recall the construction and filming seemed to go on for months but it was all so mysterious and shrouded in secrecy. Great memories of that time and the anticipation for the films was really exciting.
Awesome to hear from someone with such a direct, personal experience with these movies.
Thanks for sharing!
🎶orcs just wanna have fun un🎶
When the films where being made, people who stumbled across the sets where allowed to be extras so they would hopefully not spoil where it was or whatever. Keep in mind im not talking about full on sets but smaller things.
That's crazy yo
Jesus man I jizz myself everytime I hear those Elven horns and the sheer majesty of the Elven army coming to the aid of their younger brothers. Thank you for making my childhood great
all the stars aligned with this trilogy. You can tell when a film, cast and crew just have that… magic… and this has it
it wouldn't work in today's society.... everyone was white back then too.
Absolutely!
My favorite anecdote is from Bernard Hill on the actors’ commentary of TTT. He’s talking about how difficult it was to get comfortable sitting down in full armor when not on camera. One day, he left the set and passed by a garage sale on the way back to his rental house. He stopped to see what they had and saw two hip-height metal spikes with bicycle seats on top, to push into the ground and take a seat while fishing, etc. He thought they’d be perfect for him to rest his bum while in armor and took them to his trailer the next day. After a few days, a props person saw them, noticed the rather tatty appearance of the seats’ leather, and asked Bernard if he would like to have the seats reupholstered over the weekend. He gratefully agreed, expecting just new leather to be used. What he got instead were two seats, expertly crafted with Rohirric designs embossed into the leather so that they were truly fit for a king!
That's incredible! I'm actually thinking, I may have never listened to the commentary for these movies?! So that's a new one for me! Thank you so much for sharing, that's so fun and heart warming :D
@@2leftthumbs You absolutely must listen to at least some of the commentaries. They are just as unique and outstanding as the movies themselves.
@@2leftthumbs Oh, you really have to listen to the commentaries!! The actors’ ones are great, but my favorites are the director/writers ones (with Peter, Fran, and Phillipa) and the post-production ones with Howard Shore and a few of the producers. I really like the FotR director commentary, especially the bit where they were talking about Fran being the source of the Ringwraiths’ scream. I think it’s Phillipa who jokes that, to get her to scream in the recording studio, Peter told her he got the rights to The Silmarillion!
@@kathyastrom1315 That's gold!! All these years later, and I apparently have dozens more hours if behind the scenes left to consume!!
I think that illustrates how the desire for perfection animated the entire crew!
One of my most striking memories, I a dark theatre, hearing my mum (in her 40s) saying with absolute wonder
"it looks just like I imagined it"
when the scene opens on Hobbiton
I said the same thing! It was like they had peered inside my mind.
That's beautiful.
@@pscar1 That we were "all on the same page", is a tribute to the power of Tolkien to describe effectively and beautifully, exactly what he meant and saw in his mind.
I love that
I think it was partly because they used the illustrations from some of the most amazing Tolkein artists as their base for those scenes. We'd all seen the illustrations and watercolors and it was like they'd come alive.
And don't forget the music! Howard Shore made an eternal masterpiece. Those melodies and motifs are forever etched into my brain. I get chills just thinking about the ring theme.
The new TV-Show that comes out this year will suck!
It looks like its 90% CGI.... LOTR was so good because they didn't use much CGI (if you compare it to the Hobbit)
he's a genius. those motifs for Shire, Ring, elves, Gondor, etc. are nothing short of musical genius
I’m a senior citizen baby boomer , sci fi fantasy fan & retired music teacher & I totally agree. I saw all the LOTR movies and all of the Star Wars movie originals in the theaters when they first came out and was an immediate fan of John Williams’ wonderful scores which I often used in teaching my students. But the Howard Shore’s score is absolute perfection in its relationship to the events portrayed in the movie and adds to the overall emotional impact. I have watched all three in succession on TV several times And these three movies are an absolute masterpiece.
I worked on both trilogies. A significant amount of the difference can be attributed to the whole approach to the production due to constraints and edicts coming from the top. LOTR was an absolute labour of love for the whole cast and crew. One big family, everyone 110% invested in creating to the utmost of their (considerable) ability. Heck, I worked with many crew who would likely have worked on it for free. All this somehow comes through in the films in an indefinable quality that can’t be replicated no matter how much money and insistence you throw at a project. For me, that’s the difference. The heart. LOTR has it in spades, inside and out. Hobbit has rare flashes of it but just became a massive machine ( despite the hard work, talent and dedication of all involved). I’m just grateful to still be living here in “Middle Earth” ( a stones throw from Edoras 😬).
Thanks for sharing! It's a shame The Hobbit didn't meet its potential. Like you said, it has flashes of heart that show what could have been! Maybe if the big wigs didn't insist on a trilogy, and if everyone were given more time, those movies would match the standard set by the LOTR. I'm very jealous you got to be a part of it all. Cheers!
@@2leftthumbs Happy to share, it was an awesome time for all involved. I have some comments you may be interested in on the Nerdstalgic vid “Why they Fired Aragorn”
What you all accomplished was awe inspiring and changed the way movies could be made. I love the LOTR trilogy because it’s obvious that you all had extreme love and reverence for the project. Thank you for your work, helping create something timeless that is loved by millions of people around the world.
@@dallaspoll Please share these comments
From the bottom of my heart... Thank you.
One of my favorite facts about the movies is that they were made with the assumption that this was real. Peter told them to consider this a historical epic and that's why it's gritty and takes itself "seriously" by not winking to the audience
That's how it was written as well
That’s the major flaw of most MCU films. There’s too much wink-wink pseudo-breaking of the fourth wall dialogue to the audience. I think the only movie that doesn’t have that nonsense was The Winter Soldier
@@Bingo_the_Pug Bro, Lex Luther stole your cakes.
@@Bingo_the_Pug Completely agree. I'm sick of the constant fucking 'gags' in MCU movies
Ya Tolkien wrote it to be a myths and history of England because they didn’t have any
it all comes down to one word. this was filmed with love. and every bit of it got the passion of that love, at every stage. to include the love of the fans who had been disappointed time and time again with people trying to do adaptations of it on the cheap. the trilogy will likely never have an equal.
I just listened to one of the actors, Gimli, I think, talk to Nerd of the Rings and he kept thinking this was a terrible idea, he was dealing with family issues and would rather be home but, after he saw how serious everyone took it, how hard they were trying, how Jackson and the crew were giving it their all, he found himself during their first press junket saying this would be bigger than Star Wars!
Agreed. Thankfully, that love of the subject does show up occasionally still - Dune definitely qualifies, and Arcane for a small screen equivalent. Both immediately stand out for obvious passion and quality that went into them.
@@TheJestersGhost People commissioning both Dune and Arcane were far more heavily motivated by profit, though; pushed by Legendary and Riot respectively
Whereas LOTR was a grassroots campaign spearheaded by Jackson, in desperate need of a studio to adopt his entire vision. Passion was Jackson’s primary motive, whereas profit is the primary driver for Dune and Arcane’s shareholders (both giant Chinese corporations)
I think Jackson’s trilogy was simply the perfect storm. A once-in-a-generation pioneering effort which came out of nowhere to place its creator’s achievement and homeland into cinematic history forever
It’s why the Wheel of Time show failed. The people making it didn’t truly love that story and wanted to tell their own.
@@the_well-known_stranger2275 exactly and why as much as i want to see the pern series it needs to be a very special creater to bring it to life
It's not "one" of the best trilogies ever made. It's THE best trilogy ever made.
@Stormer248 "each and every one has at least one film that falls short of the other two; in most cases the 3rd." Yeah and LOTR's has two, fellowship and TT falls short of ROTK and even it is extraordinarily overrated, anyway there is other highly acclaimed trilogies which are considered to have all three around the same level of quality, in reality LOTR's doesn't.
@Stormer248 Who said they were "mid" what the heck does "mid" even mean? I never said they were average or anything, I said ROTK was on a higher level than the other two, I think the other two are below mid and ROTK is above it.
@@Mr.Goodkat mid is basically just another word for mediocre
@@Pepperoni10125 And I never said they were mediocre.
@@Pepperoni10125 buddy all three movies were perfect no questions asked
This trilogy has impacted my life directly. I fell in love with the costumes soooooo much (I was 15 when Return of the King came out) that I thougt: "You can make costumes like that? 😲 I want that!" So after school I trained as a dressmaker and am now making costumes for theatre and opera in my german hometown Leipzig.
The trilogy will always have a special place in my heart. 💓
That is awesome, well done!
Good job. You found a passion, chased after it, and are now doing what you love. That is more important than anything. Really inspirational!
Urgh, Leipzig. Widerlich
As a person who moved to Leipzig couple of month ago, it is wild to see this message. I will make sure to visit the theater to admire your work 🥰
How much for an elven cloak?
Part of what made the miniatures look so amazing is that the team building them didn’t just draft master Hollywood miniature makers but they also recruited a lot of people in the table top gaming industry who had years of experience making Tolkien-like miniature for Mia the war games and RPGs.
Being 11-13 when these came out, and living in Wellington, New Zealand I really look back at these movies with such happiness. Seeing the sets on my daily walks, seeing the cast walking in the city, going to every red carpet and premieres, they are all memories I’ll treasure for the rest of my life. LOTR inspired me to get into film, and I got to work on the Hobbit, while not quite the same as LOTR, it was still a wonderful moment. Jackson changed the trajectory of my life, and I will always be grateful to him.
PS: Weta is pronounced wetah like it rhymes with feta ;)
that's really nice. it kind of made my night, reading this
Long live Weta Workshop!
@@Mrkti aww that's so nice to hear, thank you, Lord of the Rings is just the greatest!
Amazing memories you hold! I was the same age as you when these movies came out and changed my life as well! now at the age I am embarking on an original fantasy film because I am so sick of seeing awful fantasy movies/series since LOTR came out!
I was 50 years old when they were released and had long since given up hope of the film EVER being made. I'd seen a couple of earlier attempts but they were nothing to get excited about. Then I heard of this production and thought to myself that , as usual, hollywood would butcher the story. When I first saw the Fellowship I was gobsmacked with the brilliance of it. My thanks go to Peter and, of course, Mr J.R.R. himself .
I also loved the dedication of Peter Jackson to find the 2 prominent LOTR book artists John Howe and Allan Lee to hire for the film. That journey alone for finding them really amazed me.
Another amazing example!
The fact Amazon hired John (sadly not Alan) is the copium that is keeping afloat my feelings this series might not suck
@@MollymaukT just embrace it now, you wont be as disssapointed
@@MollymaukT I hate to say it, but it will suck. When they say they're making it similar to GoT, you know it's already over.
@@LordVader1094 I love GoT (the first four seasons at least) but it’s nothing like LotR?? God I have no hope for this new adaptation
The one thing I'm missing in this video: The music. It's the soul of the trilogy and just spot on perfect.
Howard Shore scored the crap out of this series! Truly remarkable
This trilogy is beyond compare. It maintains an incredible quality standard through all three films AND is ageing exceptionally well. This was proven to me recently on an IMAX LotR marathon. It's easy to believe that something like this will never come again.
@@frankgrimes7388
The hobbits in the movie don’t have dwarfism.
@@Dr.HowieFeltersnatch In the movie, no, hobbits are just hobbits. IRL they were played by different actors: for some shots like the rotating table scene, normal size actors Elijah and Ian who appeared differently sized due to forced perspective, and for long shots like Gandalf's wagon rolling into Hobbiton shot from some distance behind, where the faces could be hidden or disguised, actors with dwarfism.
@@frankgrimes7388 why do you like the smell of your own farts so much my guy?
@@frankgrimes7388 Tolkien literally created Tom Bombadil. Be careful what you wish for
And “best” doesn’t mean “perfect”. Massive distinction
I saw some of it on tv recently, and I thought it had aged poorly
I have actually seen and touched some of the the costumes and props from LOTR and I have never seen costumes and props so meticulously crafted. There is so much detail that doesn't even show on film. The coat of King Theoden has the Rohan emblem all over the INSIDE which you obviously never get to see! The Hobbit cloaks are made of absolutely amazing fabric and everything is perfect down to a T. Frodo's blade Sting - a true work of art. Usually props tend to look somewhat crappy since they are not shown as prominently. A WETA workshop employee told me Peter Jackson felt he was doing more of a documentary so everything had to be perfect. I agree we may never see anything like this again.
Calling it a documentary is hilarious and amazing! That man was in the ZONE when making these.
The fact that they were spending so much time on things many would likely never see is unbelievable!
Where did you get to see that?
With the 4k releases you can really see how crazy detailed everything was, and seemingly how long it would take to make all of that on that scale.
Yes. The whole LOTR period was a special one. So many memories of it. I was studying in Wellington at the time. From the first days there was an understanding that something important was happening. Knowing actors and extras and hearing their stories of what they did last week. A workmate telling me stories of this crazy night shoot he just did for weeks in a Quarry and telling me "Yeah we are doing helms deep out there". A guy I worked with called Tala (or maybe it was Sala - was a long time ago) even turned out to be the Uruk that killed Boromir (then got his head cut off by Aragorn) - I have so many experiences from that time that I couldnt retell them all. It was a special time and everyone here put a lot of love and passion into it.
Every costume, prop and location looked real. They somehow lost that with The Hobbit films.
I'm just glad the LOTR trilogy came out in my lifetime. Going to see them in the theater was better than any amusement park. Being absolutely transfixed and transported by what was on the screen has never happened with any other movie I've ever seen. It was magic.
When I was in high school I was pretty dorky. I used my own money to buy me my friends and my dad and brother tickets to the Return of the King. We all went together and I still think about it. I still talk to some of those friends.
I manage an independent movie theater and we screened the LOTR trilogy over a 3 week period at the beginning of 2021 when studios weren’t releasing hardly any new films to fill our screens. It was epic, though very few people were going to movie theaters back then.
I saw Jurassic park in the theater when I was about 14, and I thought, there will never be a more exciting theater experience. I was wrong. Now, I am a dyed in the wool Tolkien nerd, so as a college sophomore, junior, and senior, while there was much excitement and much anticipation leading up to each year's theater experience, I was always bringing a lot of arrogant criticism about this line got wrong or that sequence being added or taken away. BUT, the intro to the Fellowship is the most badass, the most METAL SAURON thing that was more exciting than any other theater experience ever. And as I've aged and brought my kids up to love beautiful things, the movie trilogy has grown and grown on me and I see it now as a truly beautiful labor of love. Phenomenal films.
After watching The Fellowship, as I was leaving the cinema, I turned to my wife and said, 'Well, I definitely need to make sure I live 2 more years now.'
@Spiderman no way home there will be another lord of the rings remake, wait and see... i doubt Amazon bought the rights for fun? To much money to be made.
Not only did he create the best movies ever made, but he also created, on the side, the best Behind the scenes ever made! what a team of people
Favts. I also love Game of Thrones behind the scenes as well!!
It's so wild to see Andy Serkis portraying Gollum without being CGI.
The first version, before the tech was really refined, and he's just running around in a white morph suit are extra funny to see
For a few years it seemed like he was the motion capture guy ,but now I see him in more and more traditional acting roles.
@@glennross85 I'm glad he's no longer pigeon holed, even though he was always incredible in his mo cap work!
You don’t realize how athletic some of his movements are until you see him
you have to watch it with his audio. it's so good
Honestly it's almost miraculous these films were made. The amount of thought, creativity and also to stay as true as possible to Tolkien's works is unbelievable
I can even watch the entire extended trilogy in a row. That’s how you know a trilogy is perfect, when you have about 12 hours of your life you can dedicate to three masterpiece films.
I watched all 3 extended versions a few years ago in dublin in one day
Long day but amazing
You can tell just how much heart was put into this trilogy. “We had no interest in putting our messages into this movie. But we thought we should honor Tolkien by putting his message into It”
-Peter Jackson, 2002
Edit 2023, this is still a masterpiece of a trilogy :D
''Our only interest is putting our message into the series and we thought we shouldn't honor Tolkien by putting his message into it.''
-Amazon 2022
@@nihilist1680 pretty much
@@nihilist1680 Thats the bane of almost all big movies today... They make movies not to tell a story, but to transmit a message almost noone wants to hear.
@Ebola Well, you better damn well believe if someone is going to put $300 million into a project, they're going to want their message in it. The thing is, with PJ's LotR trilogy, he had an original story that was unique in its being beloved by key people from top to bottom in New Line. There are very few novels that elicit that kind of devotion.
Do you really think Jeff Bezos or any of his second in commands love The Silmarillion the same way?
*Ahem* Lauren Hissrich and the Witcher...
It amazes me that this trilogy first came out 20 years ago, and they still look better than most movies coming out nowadays.
You must mean artstyle wise. Quality-wise? Not really. Havving watched the 4k remasters they just dont hold up as well as my memory thinks of em, and they rely heavily on the darkness and low quality footage to not make their CGI and slower action be revealed. I mean the slower action part is mostly more to do with 24fps than resolution etc, but you can see that in the 60fps versions of the hobbit; You can see its slow and coreographed there.
That said its the best trilogy by far, and the talent+effort+time put into puts it vastly above everything else.
@@7PlayingWithFire7 I think the person meant better production, screenplay, characters choice and the direction+ cinematography. You can watch these films years later and yet they feel like you're watching them for the first time. It's a complete visual Masterpiece.
And I'm feeling old now. I remember I watched it in cinema and even my boss, who could never think of anything else than work, talked about the books and that he liked to read them as a student.
Not only will we likely never see anything like this again, these movies and these books will probably NEVER be successfully remade or readapted in our lifetimes; any attempt will undoubtedly fall short of this masterpiece. It would be like trying to paint a modern version of the Mona Lisa - whatever resulted would never be better than the original.
I truly hope they never try.
MAYBE someday, the Hollywood machine will change, and there will be an opportunity to do something new. But as it stands, it's impossible to think of them topping Peter Jackson's version
@@2leftthumbs same here man, i hope they let these gems be.
I really wonder what the Amazon series will be like. If it will capture the magic of Tolkiens world in a different age
@@2leftthumbs the benefit of it being tried though is that it should be easier to read the books without seeing the film in your mind.
@@chrisklappich5998 Not even close lol
I think the movies worked so brilliantly because of the amazing casting but also because of Howard Shore’s soundtrack. It elevates every single scene and is just such a crucial and memorable part of the storytelling. This trilogy is timeless.
Absolutely!
On top of the insane work that was put into producing, portraying and filming these movies, they then went and capped it off with what is likely the greatest film soundtrack of all time!!
I completely agree! Listening In has some great videos that break down just how brilliant Howard Shore’s score is that I’d recommend. Here’s the link to one if you’re interested th-cam.com/video/Azd7lyJ4918/w-d-xo.html
Indeed. It cannot be stressed enough how important and magnificent the soundtrack really is. One of the most recognizable soundtrack of all time.
I still have goosebumps everytime I hear music from LotR, no matter which one.
This was the first movie score I ever bought, my entry ticket into symphonic music and kick-started my appreciation for choirs, too. I remember awkwardly playing the CD for my friends with this boy's choir singing... It's such a shame Shore stooped to recycling this phenomenal score for the dumpster fire that is The Hobbit, tainting all my fond memories.
Every single person who worked on this trilogy absolutely loved what they were doing, I watched another documentary about the animators and how they animated every single muscle in Golum's face which took them days and sometime weeks working even after hours to complete one take .. i'm so glad this movie happened
Yeah and then Andy Serkis goes on live tv and wont stop spouting about how the animators did "absolutely nothing" and "every single piece of Gollums success was because of me and my performance." The dude is such a stuck up jerk. My dad's a Disney animator of high acclaim so the name of Andy isnt very accepted in our house given his childish reponse to "his" success from lotr...
@@Glorfindel_117
I graduated college in March of 1999 with a graphic design degree from a very challenging and cutting edge university. One of the classes I took was learning how to create a 3D CGI animation project using the same software that had just been used for the first of the new Star Wars movies that came out in the 90s...
It was by far the most demanding art class I ever took - the amount of time it would require to do the littlest of things can’t be understated. It was extremely _TEDIOUS_ work, and because it was so time consuming, we were spending endless all nighters in that computer lab, and even when I got sick with the flu, I had to work through it and continue doing all nighters in order to have the project finished by the end of the quarter.
It was wretched. It was my senior year and by then I was very used to doing all nighters for a variety of classes every so often, but they were nothing compared to that insane level of just how little sleep I got that entire quarter because of that one class.
I lost my sanity for a spell there. You ever get such little sleep for too many days in a row that you just start getting giddy? That happened quite often. I invented something I called “figure chairing” to release some steam every now then so I wouldn’t break and completely lose my mind. I’d sit in a chair with rollers and push myself around in figure 8s and such, arms outstretched gracefully, like I was figure skating. Lol.
I learned an enormous amount and was very proud of my finished project, but I knew right then and there that I wouldn’t care how much a career in that industry paid, I would never work in it because of how just how grotesquely time demanding the medium was. One simply doesn’t have a life in that field of work. That class gave me soooo much respect for the artists that work in that field, getting to know first hand what all goes into it. It takes a _LOT_ of heart and fortitude!
At least the software and computer hardware has come a _VERY_ long ways since then, so maybe it’s not _AS_ rough on the artists as it used to be. One can only hope.
All this to say, that really is f’d up of Andy Serkis to dismiss the incredibly hard work and _ARTISTRY_ that goes into modeling and animating cgi! What absolute nerve of him to talk like that about the computer artists that created lotr, including his gollum character. You sure he wasn’t being 100% sarcastic and joking?? I can’t imagine him not recognizing what a feat that was for the team!
The more time passes and we look back on LOTR, the more we begin to realize just how fucking insane and how fucking LUCKY we all were to have both a phenomenal book series and an equally phenomenal film trilogy that matches the literary work it comes from. There truly never will be another film trilogy like Lord of the Rings
"truly never will be another film trilogy like Lord of the Rings"
I think it is CERTAIN to come other film trilogies that are even better than Lord of the Rings.
It just takes a while to let ideas bloom out into a masterful implementation.
@@Keplaris not with modern entertainment. Good ideas get squashed so they can push political agendas. There's a reason Hollywood is bleeding money and most of what they produce doesn't even break even these days. We'll have to wait for hollywood to die and a new version to rise before we have the next chance.
@@Keplaris . . . Welp no one’s gotten even close yet!
@@Keplaris you live under a rock
@@zarroth bruh Dune came out this year, and LOTR isnt even the best thing to come out of Hollywood
The Lord of the Rings is the greatest thing ever written by a human. And the movies don't disappoint. That in itself is a miracle.
Yo I'm a big fan of yours!
For Me Also the Greatest thing Ever Filmed
Lol there are far better fantasy books than lord of the rings
@@buzzwithdrip6347 First, I disagree, but second, even if there were, they wouldn't have existed without LOTR. LOTR literally (forgive the pun) wrote the book on fantasy. The two other fantasy series spoken in the same breath are the Wheel of Time, which became a meandering mess before Jordan died and Sanderson had to fix, and A Song of Ice and Fire which will sadly never get an ending unless GRRM relents on letting someone finish his work after he dies. Neither live up to what LOTR is as a complete volume/series/whatever you want to call it.
Maybe in time, other series will receive a similar following to what Tolkien has given us, but I tend to doubt it. I understand why some people would not be keen on LOTR. It spends a good deal of time on world building which tends to bore a lot of people. However, some people really like that aspect of fantasy writing, and few, if any, have done it better than Tolkien. Fantasy has evolved into more of a character centric genre instead of world building with popular series like Mistborn or ASoIaF.
@@buzzwithdrip6347 Could you give some examples? I would love to read them.
To me, what makes the LOTR so special is the use of sets and miniatures. In the Hobbit, you got a CGI mountain with CGI armies fighting around it and that spoiled the experience. LOTR you got a miniature, life like looking Minas Tirith or Helms Deep with CGI armies to compliment. The depth of realism is what makes this trilogy so special and helps it stand the test of time.
i was already floored seeing FOTR for the first time where it was just amazing shock the first 30min on. When it showed the pan over the model of Dol Goldur, the sudden thought came to my mind that I hadn't seen something this great and impressive in efx and visuals and pacing in this genre story since the "Empire Strikes Back"!
A well made miniature is unparalleled in its ability to be timeless. This is why even today those scenes are still as breathtaking as they were decades ago.
In many ways the LoTR is the same perfect blend of mostly practical effects, animatronics and models with CGI that Terminator 2 is. Filmed right when CGI was just good enough to look real on screen but still expensive and hard enough to do that it would only really be used for shots that physically cannot happen on camera. Meanwhile the Hobbit films look like a cinematic sequence in a video game. Well, up until that point during the stupid barrel sequence when everyone just gave up and it just looks like video game gameplay. You can see the quality of the CGI drop 10 years back in an instant right after that log cutting shot.
Agreed 109%
@@deitpep6629 When do they show Dol Goldur?
What Viggo said about the slow creep towards CGI really resonates with me. Fellowship has always stood out to me as the most organic, with the least amount of "immersion breaking" moments. But we were lucky, because the entire trilogy held onto that "real" feeling, and much of the necessary CGI holds up pretty well. Gollum for example is still incredible.
It's all the unnecessary stuff, like Deagol being pulled by the fish, the wispy green spirits of the mountain... nothing super offensive like we see in the hobbit, but you can recognize a growing reliance on CGI shortcuts, in places where it might not have been needed.
With the Hobbit trilogy, as much as I tried to love them, these excessive moments just started happening more frequently. It just feels...cold.
I LOATHED what was done to "The Hobbit". I'll NEVER watch it again. ugh! but I will re-read The Hobbit when the mood chances by, lol
Watch the M4 4 hour cut. Super loyal to the book and cuts out all the unnecessary and bad CGI scenes!
@@R0551-h2d Ive never heard of this before, thank you for pointing me in this direction! i just read the list of changes and edits the creator made, what a dedicated project. I cant wait to see the result.
@@EntreriSeraph you’re welcome! Happy to spread the word that there is a great version out there! And he made subtle edits to the clips. Eg removes the Bards son from the Smaug/Lake Town scene when he fires the bow and makes larger holes to show how the orcs arrived at the battle of the 5 armies. Nice details :)
The only moment I can think of in Fellowship that looks bad is when Legolas jumps off the trolls back after his arrow didnt pierce its skull at point blank. Looked bad back then. Looks even worse today.
Other than that I really cant think of much else.
If you ask me the LOTR films are the greatest trilogy of films ever made. Even 20 years on the cgi still holds up, the acting is top notch and the casting is a bullseye.
The cgi used in LOTR is better than the cgi used in any new films even though LOTR was 20 years ago. You’d think that cgi would be better now but it only got worse
That's just nostalgia speaking, we have so much better cgi nowadays.
@@zeogamingmc No, it is a fact, specialists say that. It is a great CGI and really holds up to today standard.
while the CGi might hold up, what turned me down where the 2 dimensional characters and some of the very obviously tiny studio locations.
That „Mirror of Galadriel“ scene was an atrociously tiny studio.
It looked like the old Jules Verne stuff, only in color.
I guess the star wars 2.0 our great kind dreams
In The Return of the King (2003), during the scene of the Rohirrim Charge Peter Jackson requested that only extras who have read the novel and could recite the scene, to be placed in the front lines as they are aware of the importance of this moment. It's how he ended up with this epic rider.
This is my favourite fact about the trilogy.
I’ve watched LotR trilogy twice this month. I did because movies nowadays suck 2022 and I needed to watch a real passion project like LotR and also 2005 King Kong.
What really made this movie trilogy stand out is in my opinion... balance.
As a hardcore Tolkien fan let me tell you, these movies are by no means perfect portrayals of the books, nor do they even cover all plot points, some things are even made up. But the balance between these things is extraordinary. I feel like so much genuine love and care went into the creation of this trilogy, and you can see that in every scene. The acting is fantastic, the costumes, perspectives, the props and backgrounds, it's all so REAL for a movie THAT old. These movies are proof that true, while you can never portray a book 100%, you can still do it to a level of perfection if only you put legit thought into it.
Sad is only that they did not accomplish the same with the hobbit.
Why do book readers always bring up the issue of not being a perfect portrayal of the books? That's literally the whole point, it's a movie, not a book. A movie can not represent all the information in a book in the same way and THAT'S OKAY
@@Sartheris I think you missed my point there a little bit, that was the core I wanted to get at, a perfect 1:1 portrayal isn't really possible, it needs balance, and that balance was perfect in the case of the original trilogy. What needs to be perfectly portrayed for movies to work however is the core message of the book, the intention, the feeling, and most movies fail horrendously at that and that's why book readers hate them.
I still say the movies are better than the books. They're closer to a drama, with much more characterization, rather than hectic plot ploints. The strength of the Lotr book series was 100% the world, not the prose or dialogue or even characters. Like I think objectively that movie Aragorn, Borimer, Faramir, Eowyn are more fleshed out and nuanced than the original books.
Yes the hobbit movies weren’t as good but they got pretty damn close, closer than some when trying to squeeze that last little bit of juice out a franchise.
@@Sartheris No if some characters are stupid or weird only because the director thinks that will be hilarious (the dumb dumb Gimli comic relief cringe) or the acting as Frodo, Jezus fucking christ what a 2/10 performance
I swear I was crying almost every time watching this video. TLOR Trilogy is my favorite film of all time and is the reason I started reading fantasy books and wanting to write books. Now I'm trying to be a writer, but the point of this comment is that I can't stretch enough how grateful I am to all the crew, all the people that worked tirelessly to make this trilogy happen. Have to admit that I'm not someone who knows everything about Tolkien books, but these movies... the changed me forever. For me, they aren't movies, they are an experience to be lived.
The last great movie I watched with my Dad before he passed away was The Fellowship Of The Ring. He really enjoyed the movie, and every time I watch it I get a comforting feeling I'm not watching it alone.
Thanks for making this 👍
Same for me.
Seems to be a pattern there. We watched the whole trilogy on my dad‘s birthday in 2004. It was getting late and I proposed to watch RotK the next day. Dad said he wasn‘t tired and wanted to continue. He was 85 then and my Mum was 80. They both wanted to continue and so we did. We probably went to bed around 2am, happy and full of the great story once again. Around 8am those two were up making tea and I was just coming down from my room when I heard Mum calling. In the middle of reliving the previous day, Dad had given a groan and simply crumpled to the floor. Heart attack. Swift and at a moment when he was really happy. I love these films and can never watch them without remembering that day and the morning after. Mum passed on 11 years and several more LoTR ‘watches’ later. Like you I never feel alone with those films.
similar too me. LOTR is my most vivid memory of watching something together with my father, before he passed away. so, it only adds more to my love for these movies.
The notion that the LoTR will never be done again echoes with another epic of the Tolkien s legendarium. In the Silmarillion it is clearly stated that the two Trees, the 3 jewels, the swan-ships and the beauty of Luthien will never be done or seen again. As it is the nature of true masterpiece, whether it is accomplished by supernatural beings or humans.
LotR is one of the few series where I don't feel like 2.5-3 hours of movie is a lot. You just enjoy the story because the pace, plot and actors are great. Meanwhile I ACTUALLY though that Avengers Endgame took too long to start moving the plot (about 30-40min) and I actually realised I was watching a movie in a theater during several moments, which is not a good sign of engagement.
And to think it was directed by a guy famed for his 7second peaks. To have 3 well paced and well toned movies is amazing. I quite agree by the way. I'm a big fan of marvel and others. But these hollywood branded movies bore me. Every other studio follow suit these days. They are unable to create tension if something isn't blowing up. Most memorable scenes from lotr were the slower paced ones imo.
I love the movies, but the Aragorn-Arwen romance in number 2 is a bit of a drag.
Best movie I've seen in a while and one that had me as involved in the story as LOTR was dune. Highly recommend
Endgame was a letdown. The fellowship of the ring was slow but still better and during the two towers and return of the king I was dreading that the movies would end, basically wanting to live in the world lol
@@randomdude189 Nah, I disagree 100%. The long ending was necessary to provide sufficient closure to all the characters. Look no further than Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for an ending so short so as to rob an audience of a good closure.
The Lord of the Rings is about the only series for me, that checks off EVERY single box:
The story and world building is incredible, the character development is unparalleled, the writing(book) is encapsulating, the visuals(movie) is some of the most influential and impressive SFX in cinematic history. And don't forget the soundtrack, it is right up there with Star Wars as being the greatest soundtrack ever. The shire theme brings tears to my eyes, every time.
It is simply timeless. I hope hundreds of years from now, students in school are analyzing Lord of the Rings like we do with Macbeth, today.
@@coolnamebro it's debatable, I agree personally but I know many prefer Star Wars.
@@coolnamebro not even close
@@coolnamebro woah what.....LOTR soundtrack is perfection and is better than any other blockbuster soundtrack by miles....But that doesn't mean it's better than Star Wars...Better than Sequel soundtrack..Okay I get it...But it's not better than Prequel or the Original soundtrack.... You may like it more but it isn't better
Howard Shore did a truly amazing job when he wrote those soundtracks. They're so supportive of the films, and many of the themes are quite evocative on their own.
@@geetadhumane5793 I disagree completely lotr soundtrack is far beyond star wars. Star wars has a very generic soundtrack bar 1 or 2, the whole damn soundtrack for lotr is near perfect.
Yes, these films were made with otherworldly artistry and talent, but try watching them without Howard Shore's score :). Seriously though, as many times as I have watched the trilogy, I probably listened to the score 10 times as many. It's perfection itself and I will never stop tearing up when I hear it.
Hes amazing
I have always thought Tolkien's ghost was somehow influencing everyone! I bought a soundtrack for the first time since Star Wars (Empire)!! Howard Shore is a f*cking genius! Its funny how all the pieces came together for this movie! But you are right, Howard Shore's music is a masterpiece that totally goes with LOTR!
There is a parallel universe out there where this level if planning, writing, work and love were put into the Star Wars sequels.
Let me know when when you get that portal opened. I'm in.
There is a parallel universe out there where this level of planning, writing, work and love is put into every film and series.
There's also a parallel universe where all this work didn't wirk out and the film was a failure. But instead Jack and Jill by Adam Sandler is the first film to achieve 1 billion.
Do you mean,,, Star Wars 🤣
@@breakerdawn8429 in this universe there are people who love Sandler films and absolutely hate Star Wars or LOTR or Indiana Jones or Ghostbusters...
I do believe it is the greatest story ever told on film. Simply a triumph in every way.
The story isnt even that good though
After Fellowship of the Ring there is literally and objectivelly 0 reason to follow Aragorn's Arc.
He's literally irrelevant to the story, yet he has the only fun scenes.
@@GetOverHer3 well, the movie would be a bit crap if just followed through the hobbit lense like the book.
@@GetOverHer3 If you were right, I would agree with you.
@@magicbrownie1357 But if you'd agree with him, you'd both be wrong :)
After maybe even 10 years, I recently re-watched trilogy on a huge 4k TV, blu-ray extended edition, all by myself so I could cry when need be. I do agree it's the greatest story ever told on film and, furthermore, I'd say it's the greatest movie ever made, once and future, absolutely unsurpassable.
J.R.R. Tolkien's work and his son's work are the greatest stories ever created.
I was 30 years old when The Lord of the Rings debuted...it was the most exciting time in my movie life, I wish I could go back in time to re-live it again.
Best trilogy for me ever.
This is extremely well broken down. And Viggo Mortensen’s quote is a great summary of why films now lack that rooted feeling of believability. I knew in the first 10 minutes of “the Hobbit’ that we wouldn’t be visiting the same middle earth I fell in love with. It would be a bloated exaggeration, a broken reflection of it. The grittiness and natural beauty of LOTR was lost in all that shine and gloss.
LOTR took it’s time to convince you of it’s world, to draw you in to it’s beautiful storytelling. The Hobbit didn’t take a single breath.
The (first) Hobbit feels more like a fairytale and I really like the vibrant and even magical feel to it. For me it didn't have to be at all the same compared to LOTR. However, the two other movies unfortunately didn't hold up and the magic wore off more and more, trying to be more like LOTR while not understanding what made LOTR what it is.
Well, the Hobbit trilogy was adapting source material that is extremely different in tone. I personally think those first 20 minutes of the first Hobbit movie are the best thing that managed to come out of that entire trilogy, because it's obviously its own thing and sets a more light-hearted whimsical tone and the story hasn't yet gotten to the more grandiose setpieces where everything becomes an ugly over-the-top CGI fest. I'd argue The Hobbit turned out so bad because it was trying too hard to just be Lord of the Rings all over again, but that didn't jive at all with the fairytale-like premise and tone.
I always wonder what we would have gotten if Del Toro had gotten a chance to direct his vision, for the hobbit. There's a lot I enjoyed about the Hobbit movies, even if the magic wore off super quickly compared to lotr but the need to tie everything in to the prior lotr films always dragged it down for me.
the lord of the rings movies spoiled me so much, that, after them, almost every movie felt like a disappointment. i always watched a lot of movies in my life, when lord of the rings came out, i was 17 and it felt like the whole ruler was readjusted. it showed me, how good a movie can be, what can be done and that set the bar so damn high
same here dude..i enjoyed avengers :endgame, but nothing else came close. lotr 3 is still my favorite
The book did that to me. After finishing reading LOTR, I didn't read anything for four years afterwards. Even now I still struggle with focusing on a book for any period of time.
Same. I was both incredibly unlucky for these movies to set the bar of cinema so high early in my life, yet also lucky that I was alive to witness them myself. The sheer triumph of the success of these movies embodies the spirits of Tolkien’s stories of hope. These stories are truly a light in dark places for me.
@@VaryaEQ I love the books and have read them multiple times. They were the first and the original fantasy books. But that also means that there's room to evolve. The fantasy genre has incredible worlds and stories that I would definitely claim are better than LotR. I don't mean to make this a competition or something, just nudge you to go read other series so you don't miss out.
Agreed, I'm now 42 and every time I watch a movie I subconsciously compare it to the LOTR trilogy and I'm disappointed
Every single person worked in those movies were simultaneously a geek and a nerd, who didn't care about profit. Something that is missing in Disney, Sony, Warner Bros etc.
I think the Nolan Batman Trilogy is the only other geek flick I can think of where it didn't feel like it was commercialised or made for teens or kids but a serious movie for adults that want to see realistic world that isn't generated by CG. Mad Max Fury Road is one other example where they used practical effects like in the old days and it makes you feel like the world is a real one. Maybe over time there will be a reawakening for more realism again. I know that The Joker did commercially well despite being small budget so perhaps this is an indication that as long as great artists/actors/visionaries give a crap about the material they will make quality. It's only when they are not fans of the material that they don't give their A game. There are still low budget Sci-fi movies like Dredd (the one with Karl Urban) that are cult faves amoung genre fans. Why? Because they are gritty and realistic still and you can tell the actor involved are fans of the comic. The moral of the story is if the people involved in creating the work are not fans of the material, then do not expect them to pay attention to detail that only other fans would appreciate. Autistic nerds who make stuff they like will always go the extra mile to please other nerds because they are OCD on things they are into. (lots of value is obtained from the worker if they are detail freaks who live and breath the fantasy universe they want to create - this is the definition of what a fan is: a religious fanatic that devotes their life to making it work even at the expense of health to get it done. Find these people and you have struck gold)
Warner Bros. produced this lmao
The problem nowadays is everyone working in the entertainment industry is an activist first and everything else is secondary.
@@Supermanfan99 Maybe people are like that because the entertainment industry is insanely exploitative and people want change. Yikes dude, but I get you just want to be entertained you don't want to have to think about the world around you.
@@jonahsingh5645 Or maybe what I’m saying is I want well written shows instead of poorly written shows built around an agenda.
My parents were hardcore fans of the books, and they literally took me out of school early to go see these films on the opening day...all three of them. Honestly, I went in thinking it was going to be like any other fantasy thing at the time. I left that theater like my life had been changed forever. Nothing before or since has ever been so masterfully adapted from a book to a screen than these movies, and the sheer love and work put into it resonates in every scene. To this day, I have yet to see a film given this much love and devotion by everyone involved. It truly is a once in a generation masterpiece and I feel privileged to have been here for it.
can't believe it's been 20 years... I still remember seeing each one of these films in the theater when they were brand new. Doesn't seem that long ago
Bro, it feels like a few months back. Insane, isnt it
lucky!!!!! i was just 5 years old at the time 😅
I only saw Return of the King in theater, I think, I was only 9 and we lived in Hamilton, not far from Hobbiton at the time. It was extra special because my dad was with me. I'll never forget it
The trilogy was cinematic perfection. The effects still hold up, the physical production values are incredible, the music is memorable and inspiring, the story is one of the greatest of all time, and the casting is perfect.
Yup!
Yep, I saw ROTK again in theaters in early 2021, man talk about night and day between watching at home & on the big screen... Really brings out the horrors of the flying nazgul, the mighty courageous charge of the rohirrim, among other great things we rarely see in films
And overall I hate fantasy / people's addictions to stuff that's not reality. But Lotr in literature and film does it Right. And it certainly wasn't alone back in the early 00s, Spiderman, Harry Potter, and Star Wars (as much hate as they started getting post R.O.S., they were still huge back in the day) so it was easy to find your perfect niche and easy to love fantasy back then, borderline Cool even...
Still holds up? These movies still look better than a good portion of recent blockbusters.
@@jamiecottrell2347 Yup spoiled us and we didn't even know it... The hobbit trilogy (minus some portions, I'm sure the heavily edited versions are much better) & Star wars sequels especially were always crap imo, at least going in as an adult...
[ ^^ To each their own if they were somebody's/ your childhood.... (Sw prequels always hold a spot in my heart, not just for the video games/ nostalgia... Sure plenty of cringe but at least it had plenty of heart & soul, or at least legit tried lmao...
At the end of the day it's just fiction man.. idk why people get so dam cutthroat over not enjoying a film hah, so many insufferable souls out there....)
Just watched two towers extended edition last night. Still looks fantastic. The practical effects were so phenomenal, the immersion they give you is incomparable to any other fantasy film. Even the CGI was top notch, and has aged more gracefully than some movies. Peter Jackson will always be a legend for actually pulling it off. How lucky we were.
I went to the museum exhibit of all of the costumes and props, then saw the 2nd movie at the Embassy Theatre in Wellington where all the premiers were. It's an old building that used to be a stage theatre and has been converted into a movie theatre and it's pretty nice. Good times. :)
@@jeremybeavon4476 That's so awesome. You're making me jealous :D When the movies released I was a kid and in bad circumstances. I never got to see them in theaters. TBH I'm so used to the extended cuts, I would probably be disappointed.
I always found that the theatrical release of TTT did Faramir dirty compared to the books--but the extended version at least (if not fully) fixed that by giving the explanation/excuse of the father dynamic.
@@Sure0Foot Yah, that's the compromise you have to make with films though. As fans we would be willing to sit and watch a 5 hour cut of any of the trilogy, but the average mouthbreathing theater goer? I think what they did with Saruman in the theatrical cut was flawed though. He was the primary villain and just disappears. That would work if they had set up Murazor as a stronger villain, but as cool as the witch king is, he's barely in ROTK. Sauron is of course the main bad guy, but obviously he is more of a feeling/presence than an actual character. They should have either kept the cut Saruman stuff, actually filmed his arc from the book, or setup the witch king more and had a more climactic fight/end to him. Maybe a flashback to the high fells and angmar stuff when Gandalf was telling pippin about him.
This trilogy means so much to so many.
It’s not one of the best trilogies ever made.
It IS THE BEST trilogy EVER made…period.
agreed
A few people in the comments think that this video is a pessimistic look at Hollywood. Either you missed the point, or I failed to communicate it! So allow me to clarify here, rather than replying to each comment that read the video this way:
Hollywood has made, and will continue to make incredible movies since The Lord of the Rings released! It'd be pretty bleak to think good movies died 20 years ago. That is NOT my stance! This video is more about gushing over the LOTR trilogy, and explaining why the conditions that produced this movie will never be seen again. It is an insane product of it's time, and a miraculous intersection of 1000 equally important pieces.
Movies will continue to awe, amaze, and inspire us! They are just unlikely to be funded 3 movies at a time, with 2 years of pre-production, and this precise combination of practical and digital effects. So my intended message is simply, "I love this trilogy, and here is why they are so amazing". It's an entirely optimistic look at how love, care, talent, and affection for a source material can be honed into the craft of filmmaking.
Extremely well put. There are good, and truly great movies being made today. But LOTR is on a completely different level.
You did a great job in this review! You communicated just how brilliant and ambitious Peter Jackson was, and the amazement that this movies had on us. The detail... the absolute detail and effort that went into each scene and the 1000s of people that made each scene what it was (without the lazy and quick reliance on CGI), is WHY like you, we watch these films over and over again. You did a great job mate, this wasn't a knock at Hollywood; but more an appreciation for the passion that Jackson and the actors had for LOTR and the amount of people that worked on pre-production. Sadly, it's very unlikely that a studio will ever commit to such resources again, and that's a shame. Cheers.
Very well said 👍
I wouldnt say it will definitely NEVER occur again but I do find it unlikely we'll such a feat again in our lifetimes. We still have brilliant movies that come out with excellent combinations of practical and computer generated effects portraying events occurring on large scales. One need look no further than the film 1917. We also have film series that give us action on an epic scale. But it is true that the degree of craftsmanship that went into the LOTR films combined with the budget and quality foundational writing may not be repeated for many many years to come if ever.
I disagree, studios know that it's franchises that are the money makers, though not made exactly like LOTR, Marvel movies are approved and planned MORE than 3 movies at a time and will continue to be, The Hobbit and Star Wars were also approved 3 at a time, I think if the right book/director combination comes along we'll see many more back to back movies, LOTR isnt the only movie made back to back with its sequel, though yes its usually only the 2, like the Matrix sequels or Kill Bill.
Lord of the Rings are by far the most perfect movies ever made. they are not perfect but they are as near to perfect as possible.
each scene unapologetically oozes with an air of passion and i love to watch every single second of it,
Peter Jackson's LOTR movies are perfect.
LOTR was lightning in a bottle, truly a perfect intersection of the moment it was made and a production that was allowed the time and resources to actually be left alone to do its own thing without constant middling. That kind of thing is just not possible nowadays, even if filmmakers are as dedicated as the LOTR team, they’d still never have the kind of freedom that I’m still honestly shocked to this day that the LOTR team got to have. And that freedom to do what they needed honestly shows in the finished product being as good as it is. Not to say that every film production should just be left alone with no supervision but it’s clear that the freedom worked in LOTR’s favor, and we see in the Hobbit production how the studio’s rather tight grip ultimately contributed to harming what those films could have been.
I'll likely never know what kind of deal with the devil Jackson made to be allowed so much slack, and freedom to make the movie he wanted! I genuinely hope that someday, someone takes that sort of chance again to give us anther movie wonder on this scale!
@@2leftthumbs can you think of any book series or story that would be as impact full or deserving of a film as LOTR
@@thewildcardperson Dune was the next most obvious answer. From there, I'm not really certain! I'm maybe not as well read as I wish to be. Certainly not when it comes to the classics
For me that would be the Earthsea Cycle by Ursula Le Guin. All existing tries to make a movie or show out of it are a pure pre-LOTR era shame.
The only part I disagree with is that the effort that went into this production is unlike anything that came before. This isn't intended to throw shade on LOTR, but George Lucas and his teams had to invent modern cinema in order to create Star Wars. There was no special effects house in the world, Lucas created the first. They invented visual and sound technologies and methodologies that became staples in cinematography and all grand successes that came after, including LOTR.
A few commenters have given examples of other impressive productions. Surprisingly nobody's mentioned Star Wars, and that really is a great example! Maybe someday I could make this a series, and pivot the presentation to simply be revolutionary productions!
I was literally about to comment about the chainmail guys. The sheer amount of love and care people dedicated to the trilogy is just one of the things that make these films my favourites of all time. I rewatch all of the extended editions each year and I saw them all again in IMAX this year, simply the greatest cinema experience I’ve ever had watching the best films ever created
I think this is a fitting parallel to the books. Groundbreaking. Endlessly copied with varying success. Helped pave the way for other stories to do what they did.
My only complain is that the world seems pretty empty - no villages at all in a fantasy land, only cities and empty fields, looking like in the whole kingdom only these large cities exist and their kings of falling kingdoms... it has certain atmosphere but book lands seemed more alive
@@olgagaming5544 even books are like this but cities are big
@@buzzwithdrip6347 Yeah, well, I mean cities are still big out there and really there isn't that much focus on random villages like in Warhammer or Eragon, in Lotr this aspect is more developed into stories from Shire rather than showing such villages from Gondor or Rohan I quess, a lot of middle earth would fit into these desolate visions from movies but you can catch small hints, for example under Edoras I think there were big plains where horses were eating grass... Not just empty grass without any roads, horses or people etc... Or I remember few sentences talking about some villages in Gondor and dol amroth, so I quess one might not find it as important but I like fantasy world building :p
I like that for example, when something is mentioned, it is very complex like Shire but when the story progresses into different, more heroic scenario we got background more open for interpretation
Anyway, in my fantasy world I like to add a lot of small villages, their general shape, design, inhabitans, dramas, relationship with nearby watchower Guards, usual paths, worldview
I don’t think I would want to see anything like it ever again. It really was a *once* in a lifetime experience. That’s what makes it so special.
His experience in making low budget movies is one of the things that made this soooo good. He knew tricks that dc filmmaker’s will never know or use
Also can I just say how intensely dedicated Serkis is. Like damn, there’s a guy who just throws himself into a role and often was in motion capture. Respect
It hurts my ribs and legs watching him crawl through that rocky river trying to catch that fish. What a professional.
CGI tech was right on the cusp of becoming "good enough" as the LOTR movies were being made. Naturally, practical effects were at their all time high in quality and scale. LOTR just so happened to be shot at the right time in this transition.
More importantly, the people making these films cared enough to spend years, sometimes decades, getting everything as good as they could possibly make it. That’s what really sets this trilogy apart; not that it hit some magic balance of different types of VFX. CGI, models, animation, compositing; all of those can look bad and detract from a film if the artists don’t care, are rushed, aren’t given clear direction, etc.
the guys making the mail actually rubbed off their finger-prints... one of the inside jokes is that they would be the perfect criminals after that. I absolutely adored all the behind the scenes making of material. It was like an episodic walk through on how the movie you just watched was put together... and I appreciated every second of it.
I am a 32 year old American, and this movie could not have come out at a better time for us. At age 10 I was sat down in a crowded room of my peers and watched images of planes flying into buildings, fireballs of destruction, people jumping to their death, and hundreds of people die in collapsing towers. I felt like I was in a daze until about a year later when I was walking through SAMS club and saw images of a man jumping off a tower and fly away on an eagle. I asked my mom about it and she rented the movie for the family. It was amazing and promised we could see the sequel. We showed up to the midnight release and for over two hours I watched the characters go from absolute hopelessness and despair to courage and purpose. After we left the theatre, I realized that "the two towers" could now mean what I wanted it to mean. And finally when the nation was being torn about and engaged in foreign wars, i didnt worry that i was a young reenager incable of contributing to the world, because Return of the King reminded us all that its the little acts of love that matter and the acts of global destruction arent really as powerful as people are led to believe. I cannot think of a movie to have ever come out when it was more relevant or needed. Absolutely historical film.
Really great video. Encapsulates why I love these movies so much. The behind the scenes features as well.
Didn't expect to see you here Vinny. By the way, these shrimp fresh?
Vinto Vinesauce approved.
This comment now has one hundred and eleven likes to symbolize Bilbo’s one hundred and eleventh birthday 🧙🏻♂️🎉
Hello vinny vinesauce
@Spiderman no way home there will be another lord of the rings remake, wait and see... i doubt Amazon bought the rights for fun? To much money to be made.
You know that the LOTR movies are your favourite ones when you lost count on how many times you've watched them. The skill of everyone involved and the dedication is truly astounding.
I watched the 3 parts each 7-8 times with my children in the cinema, crying each time at the beginning
Just before I started my second semester of college, I sat down to watch the trilogy with my parents, since my dad owns all the films on DVD.
I gotta admit, this beats the MCU by a long shot. Never seen anything like it, and I’m thankful that it exists. Also, I was born the same year Return of the King came out, so that’s an added bonus.
Me too! Its because of that that RotK is my favorite fantasy film of all time.
In all fairness to the MCU, you’re comparing a fantasy series to a superhero series
@@knightmare5097 Superhero is fantasy as well.
I was fortunate enough to be able to see them all in theaters. I was about 12 when the first one came out and I was hooked from the opening battle in Fellowship. I'd seen some cool stuff in movies by then, but NOTHING compared to the sheer scale of conflict that battle promised us. The following 2 years, those releases were all I cared about and I doubt I'll ever see something as mind blowing ever again short of a real meteor crashing into earth.
Jesus Christ I've got shoes and underwear older than you!!!
When he talked about how fantasy adaptations where pretty bad and rarely attempted before LotR I couldn't help but think about how similar this is to the state video game adaptations find themselves today.
Makes me wonder when this one movie series will hit that changes the game forever like we saw 20 years ago with Jackson's Films.
Imo league of legends arcane kinda did that for me
@@skya6863 yeah that was legit but I never played lol
@@wesleyowens4089 no one needs to play LoL to enjoy Arcane, that's why is an amazing adaptation
The part with Hobbit was heartbreaking for me. I love Peter Jackson and his work so much that I simply cannot hate Hobbit. I know it's a mediocre movie as such, and doesn't even stand close to LOTR, I know that the CGI wasn't great even though it was shot 10 years after... I just still love those movies regardless, because I know he tried his best. It's like you had 2 kids, older one, an A student, perfect in everything, and a younger, less talented, but still doing his best. It's how I feel about The Hobbit and LOTR.
Damn, that's a good analogy. Hobbit tried but it just can't live up. I don't hate the Hobbit but I rarely watch it. I like the first film but the other 2 not really. I still believe it should've been a duology and should've alloted a good bunch of the budget to practical effects rather than CGI. After all, the book was pretty short and condensed whereas the films felt so, hmm as Bilbo would say it "butter scraped over too much bread". I don't like the look of orcs and goblins in it at all either. And lastly, wtf was up with that made up character to romance Fili (or Kili I forgot)?
@@Walamonga1313 Yeah we could go on and on with all the flaws... I am aware of them. The romance was a total bs, killing Smaug within the first 5 minutes of the 3rd movie was also bad, it really should be a duology with Smaug dying in the end, or they should have him killed at the end of the 2nd movie. As I said, we could go on and on. But I still watch the entire Hobbit & LOTR saga almost every year (usually around Christmas, as even Elijah Wood said that LOTR is a Christmas movie for him lol). I just cannot hate the Hobbit bearing in mind that the "father" of this creation is the same person who stands behind the absolute masterpiece which is LOTR. I was born in 1992 so when the movies came out I was around 10 and I begged my siblings to go to the cinema with me as parents wouldn't let me take a bus to the city alone. For me, this whole franchise is like a half of my childhood. Hence I cannot simply say "yeah Hobbit sucks lol not gonna watch ever again". For me it's kinda personal.
The problem was that Jackson was brought in to salvage the project when it was about to fail and there was constant studio meddling. They had no pre-production time and had to rely on insane crunch. Jackson was sleeping on set and was awake 20 hours at a time and then sleeping for a few hours before getting up to work again. That along with the insane demands from to studio to include certain scenes such as the entire Tauriel romance plotline and it's an absolute wonder the movies are as good as they are. The first one is easily the best one.
For how much time and room PJ was given he still made a damned good trilogy out of The Hobbit. I remember being 14 yo when the first movie came out, I bought the DVD and while on holiday for 7 days, I watched the whole movie every single day 7 days straight.
I still can't help but feel robbed of whatever kind of movies the Hobbit would have been had Guillermo Del Toro been the one to direct it...
26:52 Viggo is correct. It is the attention to detail that I love about these films and one of my favorite stories from the commentaries is from Viggo himself. He requested to use a real sword in filming. Viggo wanted to always have to deal with the actual size and weight of the blade in his delivery of the action scenes. He carried it with him everywhere he went and relates the tale of being questioned by the police because people complained of a man walking around with a sword.
Also, when they threw a dagger at him, the orc-stuntman accidentally aimed it right at his head (he wasn’t supposed to) and Viggo deflected it from midair anyway :)
Plus apparently they hadn’t even found an actor for Aragorn by the time they started filming, and yet Viggo’s accidentally happened to be one of the most memorable performances in all of fantasy cinema
He’s … sort of magical to me at this point lol
The practicality is what keeps me coming back. It feels real because most of it is. Seeing the Hobbit trilogy on screen makes me appreciate LOTR more and more. Peter Jackson’s practical background is one of the reasons of the success of this masterpiece trilogy. The films have created so many memes, memorable and emotional moments. The characters, the music, the sets, costumes, the bigatures, the craftsmanship of the entrie team.
I love many movies from the 90s because most of them have practical effects. The Lord Of The Rings is one of the last ones that combined practical with CGI. (The other movies I can think of are the ones from Christopher Nolan - Inception and his Dark Knight Trilogy.) I could go on forever with the praise and how much these 3 films mean to me but your video said it best. Thank you for sharing your passion in form of an informative and entertaining video.
I think practical effects need to be used in conjunction with cgi. Practical effects are not perfect for everything, especially things like monsters and scifi/fantasy effects. There is a difference between good and bad cgi and often people hold up poor cgi in conjunction with good practical effects to prove the point. IMO the reason the hobbit failed was not due to effects etc, rather the fact the hobbit does not translate to a movie. The original novel is a short story aimed at kids, so most of the events in the hobbit movies are made up, something which was easily noticed by tolkien fans and the general audience who just saw a shitty cashgrab banking on the original LOTR movies.
@@checker297 Practical effects enhanced with CGI is the way to go, I agree. Of course not everthing can be achieved with practical effects but it adds weight believablity to it. The orcs and Uruk-hai (especially leader Lurtz from Fellowship) feel so much more real and scary and threatening than the CGI white guy from Hobbit. I like the Hobbit story but it is a bit stretched too much. Two movies would have been enough in my book. My main critique is the heavy CGI and the visual esthetics. I don’t like to watch the movies because they look weird to me.
To me personally all the practical effects (Truck flip in the Dark Knight, the hallway fight in Inception, the sets in LOTR are so much more memorable then the new Sequel Star Wars trilogy, and most of the modern super-hero movies (Marvel and DC). Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate CGI, but I miss the proper use of it. Worlds are so much more believable when filmed in a set and with practical effects. (It is my personal preference because I grew up with it. People that are 20 years and younger probably cringe when they watch older (90s, early 2000s) movies because they are used to everything they watch is CGI.) I agree, The Hobbit is a cashgrab.
I completely agree. The restrained use of CGI with mostly practical effects lends the LOTR movies a weight and substance that the Hobbit films simply do not come close to.
IMHO, the major problems with the Hobbit films are 1: The 'scraping of butter over too much bread' effect of trying to get a full movie trilogy out of a book you can read in an afternoon (which Jackson didn't have any choice about) and 2: The overuse of CGI, coupled with the high frame rate for extra clarity (which was TOTALLY his own choice).
(And also), KNOWING that what made LOTR work was stripping down the edit to make the movies FRODO-cenrtric, but not keeping the Hobbit films BILBO-centric. Again, I know---- studio interference. He really had no choice. But it makes the Hobbit movies a bloated, overwhelming mess both visually and thematically, compared to the earlier films.
It IS a true miracle that The Lord of the Rings was ever made at all, in the way that they WERE made.
They lost me on the second Hobbit movie when they just had to insert a new character (Tauriel) that never appeared in the novel. I really have very little complaint about Tauriel as a character...Tolkien only rarely put females in as warriors, but I can get past that. And Ms. Lilly did a credible job of playing a female warrior and an Elf. But the insistence on including a "romance" between an Elf and a Dwarf...it just JARS! At the period "The Hobbit" is set, Elves and Dwarves are more likely to fight one another than fall in love and that ignores the social societies that separated Elf and Dwarf. That a Dwarf could look at an elf female with awe was not inconceivable, as Gimli is clearly in awe of Galadriel...but NOT on a romantic level. He recognizes her beauty and power. But Galadriel is a Major Power in Tolkien's world...few people, male or female would NOT view Galadriel with awe. But a relatively common Dwarf and a relatively common Elf who mystically and magically sort of BOND instantly? All so some suit can demand a "romance" as a prerequisite? Gandalf falling in love with an Orc would be on par with this really bad decision. Not to mention it drags the viewer laterally aside from the primary "Bilbo Story."
I was 22 in 2000. One of the things I have always envied my previous generation is that they had the opportunity to see the original Star Wars trilogy in the theatres, when they came out. I tried to capture that feeling when I went to see the prequel trilogy, but I just couldn't find it. However, I did see the LotR trilogy in the theatres, and I just wish I could have appreciated that _that's_ where it was at. The previous generation were lucky to see Star Wars in the theatres - _my_ generation was lucky to see Lord of the Rings.
Makes me so happy to see so many people in the comments who love these stories just as much as I do!
Same! There are the occasional haters in the comments who seem to want to cause trouble. But I've never been happier to block and ignore people, while the rest of us dance around and bask in our enjoyment of this series :D
@@2leftthumbs "There are the occasional haters in the comments who seem to want to cause trouble." It is very sad that you cannot take criticism and choose to censor people who disagree with you. There are legitimate reasons not to like the films, many do not, and I'd venture that people like Tolkien's son, who devoted his entire life to his Father's work and who was very critical of the films, has a more valid opinion than you.
@@thelawenforcerhd9654 I haven't blocked a single person who criticizes this video, or these movies. People are more then welcome to those opinions! I had a great discussion elsewhere in the comments with someone about Christopher Tolkien's opinions. It's was enlightening for me, and a very civil discourse.
The "troublemakers" I've been blocking are people who have dropped in without watching the video, and started rambling, ranting, and attacking others about "woke culture" ruining everything. Whenever I see that lazy, regurgitated take I delete and block it. Nobody needs to be subjected to that. There are entire channels dedicated to that where they can go hang out.
@@2leftthumbs Fair enough, forgive my understanding-I thought I saw some innocuous comments removed that were critical of the films, but I now can see it was youtube's own censorship system.
Incredible action. Amazing acting. Best score of all-time. Perfect pacing. Satisfying ending.
Couldn't agree more!
Yet kind of boring. Weird.
@@lurr33 wrong
@@lurr33 You must have been dropped as a baby
Just seeing the footage of Andy Serkis acting in the motion capture suit alongside Elijah and Sean makes me wonder how they weren't all laughing the entire time, further goes to show just how great they all were at holding their characters.
I'm gonna be honest, I've probably seen every documentary about this trilogy over the years. It was a huge gamble for them to produce and make the trilogy possible, but after seeing Jackson working with the cast and crews on site, I feel like at the time Jackson never thought of it that way. In his heart, he knew the films would succeed, because the stars aligned for him with what he had to work with. In a way, these films were an absolute MIRACLE. Very rarely does something this good collate itself by design. They came out at the right time, in the right place, with the right people, in the right economy, and before social media.
My hope is that Denis Villeneuve can do something miraculous with the Dune films. He is by far the best filmmaker working today, and the quality of his films are the only thing which rivals what LOTR was to me.
This perfectly outlines my adoration for the trilogy as well as my fear for the Rings of Power - everything that worked so well in the LoTR was practical effects and either pulled outright or only lightly adapted from the books, which worked to make everything shine. In the Hobbit trilogy, I think everyone can agree the best parts were Riddles in the Dark and Bilbo's talk with Smaug - again, parts taken directly from the book. In the Rings of Power, Amazon doesn't have near enough material and lines to pull from to recreate the perfect Tolkien prose and they're in an era where CGI trumps all in terms of budget and ease of use. I know we'll get at least something great, because Howard Shore is back and I'll eagerly take anything he gives us, but I'm worried for the show, both with effects and with the writing.
I 100% agree on the Riddles in the Dark, and Bilbo + Smaug were the best part of those Hobbit movies!
The 3 best things I've heard about The Rings of Power that give me hope:
1. That teaser was entirely done with practical effects!
2. Howard Shore's return (like you said)
3. Supposedly this time period of Sauron first rising to power is what superfans consider to be the most interesting era of Middle Earth, next to the Lord of the Rings plot itself
And they got rid of Tolkien scholars. They are adding diversity quotas for multiracial hobbits in an age where hobbits didn't exist in. An intimacy coordinator for sex scenes. That's not what Tolkien is about. All the red flags are here and I think it will much worse than the hobbit. I think the only thing that might be good are the breaking bad and better call saul writers who are fucking incredible.
@@ghxstleader485 "An intimacy coordinator for sex scenes."
Lol, imagine putting on that your resumé!
@@2leftthumbs
Well. For me, the Rise of Sauron is one of the most important events in the Second Age but there are way as anticipated (or even more) events that fans were excited to see especially those that took place in the First Age or the Creation itself.
But no adaptation for the First Age.
still, I know I will love it, because I love fantasy and pretty much loathe superhero zzZzZZz stuff :P.
I don't know yet if you will also say it in this video for I'm only halfway through right now, but I also love the fact that Peter Jackson hired people who read the books and knew the importance of the scene for the Rohirrim charge scene in the third movie and put them in the front lines.
That's why the riders look so dedicated, they are not only playing a role, they really feel that moment because they're actual LotR fans...
Knowing Hollywood, it's astounding to me that TLOTR was allowed to be made in the first place.
a lot of it as i understand is New Line wasn't doing to well and they needed a miracle, in comes Peter Jackson with a really strong concept and they decided it was worth going all in on after all it was that or not try basically, you can see a lot of the time the best work of companies come at this point and it makes sense they aren't just throwing money at something they dont care about, their selective knowing if the company goes this may be the last chance they ever have to make a movie or game and it makes them more appreciative of it and choose something they're willing to put all their love into
Today it would never be made.
They would never let an Anglo-Eurocentric epic of western white Christian/Scandinavian pagan origin be produced… it would be shot down, and if it was made independently it would be decried as white supremacy
Europeans are not allowed to display and celebrate their heritage and themselves. It’s antisemitic racist etc
Beautiful video! If I had known the direction Hollywood was going to take I would've gone to the theater to see this trilogy 10 times over. It's a shame what special effects have become...lifeless and hollow, but the biggest travesty is that modern media would rather recycle and destroy without regard, all the while ignoring that the most successful movies and stories of all time revolved around passion and love for the source material. Thank you for your love of something timeless. I remain hopeful that I will feel again what you felt when the big screen still captivated and did not frustrate.
The trilogy is the closest thing to on screen perfection we will ever see. I have watched many many movies and nothing comes close to these movies. I'm glad I witnessed it in my lifetime. There are in a class all by themselves.
This trilogy will always have a special place in my heart, especially after watching the behind the scenes. You could sense the passion they had while making those films ❤🙏🏿
Quite right. A true cinematic marvel these movies were, the kind of artistic genius the MCU wishes it could have. So many people, ideas, efforts and technologies combined to produce these, it's just amazing and it's why I commit to re-watching these films still to this day. They will always hold up. It's unlikely we'll ever see something like this again (at least, it probably won't be in any of our lifetimes).
I feel like you’re comparing apples and oranges though. LOTR is a complete story with concrete character and story growth, it’s a story with a definitive ending and thus leaves a certain kind of impact, whereas the MCU is a continuously changing and ever growing and expanding story that is not definitive and can ebb and flow. They are each representative of the unique qualities of source material that they are based on, books and comics. LOTR has artistic genius but it also doesn’t mean the MCU doesn’t have its own, and LOTR having many peoples and ideas and efforts and tech to create doesn’t mean that the MCU doesn’t also require those things. LOTR is lightning in a bottle but so is the MCU in its own way, both are creative products that will never likely be repeated to the grand scales each have reached. I think you can appreciate the work that went into creating the majesty of LOTR without diminishing the MCU. Both LOTR and the MCU were at one point considered impossible and doomed to fail and both rose beyond expectations. And both should be commended for their efforts.
@@CaptainPikeachu Of course they're apples and oranges, that's the point. The MCU wishes it could be what the Lord of the Rings trilogy was (I don't mean literally of course). But really, nothing ever has been and probably ever will be. Lord of the Rings is on a level by itself.
People really underestimate what the Lord of the Rings achieved. No one since has been able to produce 3 effectively perfect movies (basically, outside of the superfluous, there isn't much you can find wrong with them), which tell one story (in essence) that are showered with critical and general acclaim, every award from every guild you can think of (something like 800 nominations and 400 wins, it's completely bonkers), roaring financial success, being universally considered a cultural milestone.
Hasn't been repeated and won't be repeated.
As someone who is a big sucker for superhero movies, and still really enjoys the MCU (I have some planned video on that coming up) I am enjoying this conversation a lot :)
The difference between LotR and the MCU is the evolvment of cnematic technology. What makes LotR look so real is that most of it was real, they built the set because green or blue screen technology was not yet up to task. I was in NZ in 2002 and I saw some of the glasware that was made for the movies, the windows of Bags End, the goblets from Rivendell etc. I had in my hands the chainmail, helmet and swords of an orc. I could touch the foot prostetics for the hobbits etc. None of this would be done today, today it would be cheap replacements or done completely digital. I remember sitting in the Odeon at Leicester Square on the 21st December 2001 to watch Fellowship for the first time. At that time I had read the book the last time almost 20 ago and I could only remember bits and pieces, but that night in the cinema Middle-Earth came to life right before my eyes. PJ and his crew invented a lot of the technology that is used in todays blockbusters. Back then it was so new that no one could tell which part was real and what part was done by a computer. 2000/2001 were the yeare when the Internet started to become the world wide web we know today and it was the first time "normal" people had widespread access to international informations without dial ups and they could exchange informations in real time which we used extensively to discuss and disect every aspect of these movies.
The "problem" with todays movies is that studios are not willing to risk money on something which could be special. They want guarantees that their shareholders don't lose money, but make a huge profit, this is why so many innovative scripts land on the reject pile. PJ was at the right place at the right time for LotR.
When he made The Hobbit a decade later he used all the technology that was avbailable, which means extensive use of green screen and CGI and the people ripped the movies into shreds over being "soul-less". Sir Ian McKellan cried on set because he was supposed to shot a scene with the dwarves in Bags End but he was the only one on set and nothing was real, he was surroundes by green screen with no actor with him, he said to PJU that he can't do it, he can't work like this.
I love LotR, in fact this 3 movies got me in touch with people that are now my extended family of "adopted" nieces, nephews, sister, brothers, sons and daughters. For that alone will this trilogy always have a very special place in my heart.
I adore the MCU the same I adore LotR, because both made it possible that i can watch my childhood heros on the big screen. It is possible to like/love both without beating the other one to the ground.
In some ways both are the same, but they are also very different. LotR is a vast, rich history of a fictional country, crearted almost 100 years ago by a man who poured all his trauma in the story he wanted to tell, while the MCU are short, but interconnected stories to entertain. They don't have the deep meaning LotR has and that is okay.
The MCU never wanted to be LotR because it can't be, because they are different, but that does not make one better than the other.
There will be people who say LotR is the u7ltimate cinema experience, others will argue that it is the MCU.
I have seen both in the cinemas and both had me in awe at one point or the other.
There is enough space in the history of the cinema for both franchises and they will both stay on top of the list of "Best Franchises" for a very long time.
So, now I have rambled enough, I go and enjoy some MCU movies and wait for the Amazon LotR show in the hope that they did not mess it up.
LoR has many things that make it great but I think to compare it better or say it could never be done again is compared to the MCU or the Harry Potter franchise not true.
1. LoR hat the advantage of filming in an environment that it just could take one by one with some expectations. Compared to that the MCU has by just story points create certain things like space, planets etc. To tell how realistic LoR looked is just silly when it didn't need that much more cgi than other projects. So it could focus more time on the things it needed to do.
2. LoR was nearly a story that could be adapted one by one with some small changes, of course, it feels more coherent compare it to the hobbit which needed to be stretched to make it 3 movies and this was still more or less copy of the framework. This makes the MCU even more impressive
3. LoR where all 3 films were filmed together is an impressive task in a way but it is administrative and from an organizational standpoint easier than if you have multiple different acters, sets storylines to coordinate over and over again, change it by replacing stuff adding stuff instead of having everything in one go.
4. Furthermore I would not even the MCU but put the Harry Potter franchise against it that did the same task too.
So the argument that this never happens again is for me not working. Yes, LoR was impressive from an organization and technical standpoint but not something that is or will be unique.
I was also 8 when FOTR came out. My mom recalls a time when they had to limit the times I could watch a LOTR movie to once a month because I would watch 1 or 2 of them every weekend and they became tired of hearing me watch the same movies over and over.
To this day I've watched the extended versions more times than I can count and still enjoy them as the first time.
PS: Great video, I'm really really thankful that this movies came to me in that point of my life too.
I had the opportunity to watch all three extended versions in one go at a theatre in Vancouver earlier this month. Was a wonderful experience being able to see them back-to-back-to-back on the big screen.
I'd love to see them on the big screen but I don't think I'd be able to make it through 9+ hours of non stop sitting haha.
@@kbg12ila you wouldn’t have to, the three extended additions combined would be closer to 12 hours
I watched the extended edition of the 1st and 2nd movies at the cinema followed by the midnight premier of the 3rd movie back in the day. That took about 12 hours and finished at about 4am or something.
Showed my Gf the extended trilogy last weekend. It was like her mind woke up to what cinema and storytelling could really be. I was proud.
When I was a child, my dad and I had a tradition of watching the LOTR trilogy every Sunday while making crepes. After seeing it over and over again, I never got tired of watching it and I look back on those memories fondly ❤️
Every week? Lol that's hardcore. I still watch the extended movies every year with my family
@@Walamonga1313 Yep we would pick one of the movies and change it each week, so not the whole thing at once 😆
That’s awesome though, we watch the extended addition as well! I think I’m due for a yearly watch with my family as well!
So good what a rad tradition ✌
I’m just glad I lived in the time of the greatest cinematic trilogy mankind will ever make. The Lord of the Rings is the one movie to rule them all.
This joyful enthusiasm in narrators voice kept me smiling throughout the video. Great job! I think i ll never get enough of somebody s talking about LotR, movies and production respectively.
I'm glad that came across in my commentary!
I agree, I would mainline LOTR movie facts into my bloodstream if I could
Tears come to my eyes with the thought there will never be anything to match LoTR trilogy during my lifetime
agreed.
hmm, you haven't seen Villenueve's Dune yet? And there will be a forthcoming part 2, and a possible part 3 in Dune : Messiah, a potential great genre trilogy, hopefully.
@@deitpep6629 Ehhh....Wouldn't really get hopes too high. I really liked the first film, but it didn't really strike me in awe in the same way LOTR did.
i am stunned by the immense improbability of these films being made AND being as completely amazing as they are in all aspects.
My god I love these movies so much. The amount of effort that went into such simple things as falling leaves and background orcs making weapons is amazing. It’s clear that PJ and everyone involved really cared about making these movies. I’m so glad that I got the opportunity to live through these movies being released in real time.
I'm feel honored to have experienced watching fellowship on cinema and having that anticipation build up every year until ROTK.
The fact that jackson choose an actor that dedicated with their job rather than “mega star” are one of the best decision. That way he can focus on place and props
For what it's worth: Mumakil is plural. The Haradrim brought many mumakil to the battle; Legolas killed one mumak.
Cool! I never knew. I'm always down to learn interesting new details about this world
I absolutely love the "special features" and detailed behind the scenes look at how the movies and shows we love are made. So much talent.
I was 14 when the first movie came out. My mom was excited about it, telling me how she loved the book and wanted to see the movie with me. (my younger brother also wanted to come, but he was only 8 back then and wasn't allowed in.) I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by the first one. I instantly became a huge fan. Such an amazing piece of cinema! And then the second and third movies came out as well! I've never before or after been so excited to see a movie, than with those two. LoTR is basically my Star Wars. Which is funny because then the hobbit prequels were also made into movies. Which, just like the prequels for Star Wars, were also kinda bad in comparison.
The only thing that has even come close to the scale of LotR since then is the MCU avengers movies. And that was 22 movies in total.
I was turned onto the books in the '70s by a guy who had a perfect rendition of Gollum's "precious" characterisation. I read the books and could not get into any other fantasy novels after that. They just weren't able to suspend imagination like LOTR.
People do compare it to Star Wars but that story started as a screenplay and was designed to spin off merchandise to supplement earnings from the film. It is necessarily compromised by that format.
During convalescence after a surgery, I re-watched the trilogy last summer. Was the highlight of my recovery. Fellowship, in particular, REALLY holds up. Just an amazing feat of creativity all around.
@@tryangle587 There was a dichotomy. Where Jackson's interview where said he was making the films for Tolkien (in regards to the wokeness controversy re: the upcoming "Rings of Power"), it was mainly Fran Walsh who was the die hard purist of Tolkien, then Jackson a high second who self-controlled his wacky tendencies to make the films more pure, then they had to reign in Phillpa Boyens who kept saying things to "improve on Tolkien". You can tell she had more sway in TTT with the stupid Aragon cliff scenes and other stuff, but it could have been Jackson that let Legolas surf down the stairs...hmm. At least they stopped filming the scenes of Arwen joining the helm's deep battle, because they were reading the lotr-related forums back then and knew the backlash when book fans heard of the rumor of Arwen getting more involved outside the story of the book in the TTT.
Jackson had an almost impossible task bringing this story to screen. It’s such an accomplishment that I can forgive the parts I think he got wrong.