Your introduction: As written, The Lord of the Rings was one large book with 6 parts, so a six-part reaction more or less fits the story. Most publishers printed it as three volumes due to size. For film purposes they moved around and deleted bits from the book version, but the film trilogy is one story, not three stories with three endings. 1:40 - Bilbo's jump scare - hobbits are a happy people, and have few desires for the Ring to exploit. So it affects them less than other races. But the Ring corrupts everything eventually. Having had it for 60 years, Bilbo is addicted to it, and it turns him ugly as he reaches for it. Gollum had it much longer and is more fully corrupted in mind and body. 3:40 - The Mimes of Moria - silent but deadly 😛 5:00 - There is low pitch thrumming sound, like a slow heartbeat, whenever the Ring is exerting its power. 12:55 - Andy Serkis did the voice and motion capture for Gollum. He modeled the distinctive "gollum cough" for which Smeagol was named after his cat coughing up a hairball. Outro - I'm sure you know about the quest for the Holy Grail in Arthurian literature. These films are also a quest, but to get rid of and destroy something - the One Ring. In other respects there are similarities - a heroes journey, an elf princess (Arwen), monsters to defeat, a sage wizard (Merlin, Gandalf), etc. Tolkien didn't invent the heroic quest. Instead he invented languages and a fantasy world and drew from older myths and legends to create a new story.
Yeah, it's important to remember that The Lord of the Rings is all one story that was broken into three books. And the films won't tell you this, but Galadriel and Celeborn of Lothlorien are the maternal grandparents of Arwen (and therefore Elrond's in-laws).
Wirmish Apparently Eric Roberts (Julia's brother) has the record for the most acting credits. But that may be because he was a regular on at least one television show, and I'm guessing that each episode counts as a credit. But if that's the case, it's surprising that the actors from The Simpsons don't have the record.
@@Wirmish Christopher Lee might also have been an inspiration for James Bond. Mr. Lee knew what a knife should sound like when it is thrust through a man's back.
The gift that Lady Galadriel to Gimli really is a special one, if you know the lore. A very powerful elf lord, who placed material above spiritual, asked Galadriel for a single hair, for material value. He asked her 3x, and knowing this guy was pretty much a jerk, she refused his request each time. When Gimli asked her for a single hair from her hair, so he could set it in crystal to preserve its beauty for all eternity and to remember Galadriel and the time he spent in her home, she gave him 3 hairs instead, because she could see that he was a kind, and fair person. When Gimli tells the group about it, Legolas smiles, with him being an elf, he knows the story and the special meaning behind it.
@@chadbennett7873definitely. It was probably at that moment that Legolas started to view Gimli differently and the friendship was able to start to form.
Another thing to point out, her hair was said to appear like the light of the two trees, which was "holy" and untainted. It was her hair which inspired Fëanor to make the Silmarils, which actually did contain the light of the two trees.
Boromir wasn't weak, he was a fierce warrior. However, the ring easily leveraged fear and ambition, and Boromir was very afraid for his people. That's why the ring affected him so greatly.
He also was used to being the Leader of those around him. That's Another factor that the one ring uses to manipulate those around it. Boromir fully expects to follow in his Father's footsteps to be Steward of Gondor. The more powerful your Ego, the easier the One Ring can winkle it's way into your mind.
@@feldweibleI don't really think that plays into it for Boromir at all actually. The books go into a lot more detail about just how much despair he felt over the hopelessness of the plight of his people. He's never described as even really wanting the throne at all, merely wanting to defend his people.
The entire trilogy was filmed in New Zealand. The forests, valleys, mountain ranges, pastures (the Shire) and rivers are all in New Zealand. The cities, such as Brie, Rivendell, and Loth Lorian are all artificial settings filmed on soundstages with green screens and stage props
Gandalf was Aragorn's closest friend. Seeing not only a wizard (one of only five in the entire world) but his best friend fall to his death was devastating to Aragorn. Frodo was not the only one who suffered deeply at losing Gandalf. Aragorn, however, was made of stern stuff, and as a leader put his personal feelings aside to lead the Fellowship after that--but realize he was deeply hurt as well by losing Gandalf.
"How is he (Boromir) still fighting?" Boromir was always a skilled and hardened soldier from a genetic lineage of noble warriors, but in his last moments he was primarily motivated to atone for his moment of weakness when the ring corrupted him into attacking Frodo. He knew he was dying. He knew he wasn't going to survive. But he kept going anyway to offset the shame he felt in himself for attempting to take the ring from Frodo
He was fighting not only for honor, but to restore the honor he felt he'd stained in trying to take the Ring from Frodo. He had every reason to give his best and take as many enemies with him as possible, knowing it would lessen the odds his friends had to face.
At 4:50, Sean Bean (Boromir) was terrified of helicopters, so every morning he would get up super early, get into his costume and makeup, and hike from the foot of the mountain to where the filming was going on, a walk of several miles up a steep mountain.
At 11:20 Gandalf says: "For here alone in the world was found Moria-silver, or true-silver as some have called it: *mithril* is the Elvish name. The Dwarves have a name which they do not tell. Its worth was ten times that of gold, and now it is beyond price; for little is left above ground, and even the Orcs dare not delve here for it...All folk desired it. It could be beaten like copper, and polished like glass; and the Dwarves could make of it a metal, light and yet harder than tempered steel. Its beauty was like to that of common silver, but the beauty of *mithril* did not tarnish or grow dim..."
I visited Christchurch several times before the earthquake. So sad to see the devaststion. NZ is beautiful, both north and south island has its own charm.
Christopher Lee was the single person from the cast and crew who actually met J.R.R. Tolkien. He auditioned for the role of Gandalf, but was eventually cast as Saruman due to age. The role did not require as much physical work, and he was 17 years old than Ian McKellan. Lee was a true student of the book, and had Christopher Tolkien's blessing to be cast as Gandalf.
At 20:20, many reactors I've watched feel that Gandalf should be able to use his magic to deliver the Company from their various dangers. This is the essential dilemma of any author of fantasy: What are the limits of magic? There have to be some limits--if Gandalf were arbitrarily powerful, he could have used his magic to teleport the Ring straight to Mount Doom and save everyone a lot of trouble. We have already seen that there are degrees of magical power. Saruman has demonstrated several times that he is a more powerful wizard than Gandalf, for example. The working of magic also has physical and psychic effects on the worker. Remember the fight between Gandalf and Saruman--both wizards were exhausted as a result of their magical exertions. The magic of Middle-earth has limits.
These are vague recollections from my memory, so I may be a bit off on some of the details. The Wizards were sent to Middle-earth to complete a task, but they were limited by the Valar. They were not allowed to use their full powers, and they were not allowed to lead like kings, only provide guidance and counsel. Saruman obviously did not follow the path, while Gandalf, in my mind, may have sometimes overstepped the rule about leading a bit from time to time, but not excessively so to the point of angering the Valar.
Essentially the Istari (Gandalf and Saruman) were only allowed to match power with power. If you are fighting orcs, just bonk them on the head with your staff. Against a Balrog, it's shields-up and stone-shattering destruction.
The confrontation between Gandalf and the Balrog is even more epic when you learn the backstory of both. You see, both are part of a race called the Maiar who can be best explained as the “angels” of Tolkien’s world, albeit the Balrog is a corrupted member of their race due to the influence of Morgoth/Melkor (the Satan of Middle-Earth). The Balrogs have existed since the first age (LotR takes place in the third age) and fought an ancient war against the elves (covered in Tolkien’s The Silmarillion). Legolas’ father actually fought in said war and I think that’s reflected in the sheer terror we see on Legolas’ face as he realises what they’re up against, no doubt from stories his father told him. As to Gandalf’s age, he has technically been around since the dawn of time but he’s been in Middle-Earth for around 2,500 years. The gods of this world, named the Valar, sent him and the other wizards (known as the Order of the Istari) to help guide the free people in the war against Sauron but they were expressly forbidden from directly intervening with their powers. We get a small glimpse into Gandalf’s immense power here when he faces the Balrog, who you may notice pauses a moment when he learns who Gandalf is (“I am a servant of the secret fire, wielder of the flame of Anor”) and his light bubble even blows up the Balrog’s sword on impact, which is why it gets the whip out. So not only is this confrontation epic, it is quite literally a duel between good and evil that goes back thousands of years.
Wonderful synopsis! I will say that Melkor is, as you know, the first Dark Lord of Middle-earth, since he actually was physical, unlike the mythological/mythical satan.
@@genghisgalahad8465 Thank you and very accurate description! I think for the purposes of the synopsis I simplified Melkor’s role a tad to make it easier to imagine, but you’re quite right in saying he was the first Dark Lord with a complex story in itself.
@LeCroke I think Tolkien would balk at describing the Valar as gods. Not only due to his personal beliefs but in Arda there is only one true god: Eru. I describe the Valar as archangels and the Maiar as lesser angels.
@@scottdean2199 Tolkien mentioned in one of his writings that he based the Valar on a combination of an Olympus-like pantheon and archangels, but Eru Illuvatar is the only true God of Middle-Earth.
Galadrial can sense all living beings. So she can sense Gandalf the grey. When she says "he has fallen into shadow" she's saying she cant sense him on her internal radar. He's gone. Aragorn is a descendant of Isildur, but Isildur was never the king of Gondor, he was the king of the Kingdom of Arnor, north of the shire, which was destroyed by the witch king of angmar - one of sauron's nazgul. Thats why aragorn patrols the destroyed kingdom and protects the shire and everything south of the shire. Isildur's elder brother was the king of gondor and when the last king of gondor disappeared in the Morgul Vale, while trying to take on the witch-king (again), the line of isildur became heirs to the throne of gondor, through isildur but also through the wife of the then last king of arnor who was a princess of gondor. That claim was rejected in Gondor and that last king of arnor was killed soon after. The line of kings of arnor then became chiefs of the dunedain - the remnants of the nobles of arnor. And aragorn is the last of them. Boromir, in his last living action, getting Aragorn to pledge himself to save Gondor - in the book and the movie - is the incident that cements Aragorn's relationship with Gondor and sets his path forward. Its a hugely significant moment that most people miss. Up until that moment, Aragorn is still strider - a ranger of Arnor. After that moment his outlook has shifted in a huge way.
Elendil and Isildur were kings of Gondor and Arnor. Isildur was the older brother of Anárion (Anárion fell earlier in the Sige of Barad-dûr). Elendil the tall was their father (High king of the fatithfull Númenóreans who escaped the downfall of Númenór. Isildur should have been high king of Arnor and of Gondor, after his father, but then he died. So we got the sons of these brothers to rule the kingdoms separately (Meneldil in Gondor and Valandil in Arnor, the Arnorian kings were titled High kings to mark that they decended directly from Isildur).
@user-lv5bt3nt3r The High King ruled both Arnor and Gondor. Elendil ruled from Arnor, but was still over Gondor and named Isildur (his son and heir) to be King of Gondor under him. Isildur felt that it would only be fair to share the throne with his brother Anarion, so they ruled together. The Argonath (the huge statues on the river) are these two brothers. Isildur, in the books, was a really good dude.
It was all filmed in New Zealand as far as I know, One of the consequences of the country being far too geologically active is that we have a wide range of environments in a small area. Not only is Elrond cool but his Dad is a star (mentioned in passing by Galadriel) (he wasn't always one but he was given the job of sailing a ship bearing the light of the Silmarils over the world since he was barred from returning to Middle Earth. He and his wife were half-elven - one son, Elrond chose to be numbered among Elves and the other, Elros, chose Men and became Aragorn's very distant ancestor. But it's why Arwen has a choice, The lore goes very deeo) It's not a question of different breeds of Elves so much as different populations and realms, just as with Men. They're not dogs or cats. Oh, and Galadriel is Arwen's grandmother.
The dragon, Smaug, was a big part of Bilbo's adventure in The Hobbit. The opening of Fellowship of the Ring takes place about 60 years after The Hobbit. Side note: there is about 17 years between when Bilbo leaves and when Frodo leaves. In that time Gandalf visits several times. It is during this time that he sends Aragorn to find Gollum and they learn about his torture.
I was first introduced to the Lord of the Rings books around 1968, a few years after the paperback edition was published. So it has been a part of my life for a very long time.
"The only way out is through" I say this all the time and so true. Curious how the Dwarf password is in Elvish. Boromir more than redeemed himself before the end. "I would have followed you my brother. My captain. My king"
As shown in Rings of Of Power (of which I have watched only season 1) there was great friendship between Elves and Dwarves at one time and the area where the gate stands - Hollin- was occupied by Elves a good while ago, hence the wording on the door. Needless to say the relationships soured a great deal since those days.
"Oh, it's Ned Stark..." How many times have we heard that now? 😆 I'm getting a bit tired of everyone just seeing that character in Sean Bean. He wouldn't have got that part if he hadn't done such a epic job as Boromir. Whenever I will watch Games of Throne I will se Boromir. Hehe... He was a perfect choice for Boromir who in himself is one of the greatest characters in this story and probably was honored as a great Hero in Minas Tirith after the war.
@RD-dt7us True. 😊 I heard one reactor (is that the right word?) who said without thinking that it was cool that he landed this role after GoT. She later remembered when FOTR was made and laughed at herself. 😁
"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor." The Secret Fire is referring to the Flame Imperishable, the power to create souls, which belongs to Eru Iluvitar (God) alone. Anor is the elvish word for Sun, and in this universe the Sun was created from the last fruit of Laurelin, one of the two trees containing the holy light of the world. So Gandalf is basically saying, "I am a servant of God, and I wield holy magic." "The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun!" Udun was the first main stronghold of Melkor (aka Morgoth), the original dark force in the universe. This is backed up by Legolas when he says Gandalf was taken by "shadow and flame. A Balrog of Morgoth." Since the beginning of time, Melkor opposed the other Valar, creating discord in their melodies and sabotaging their plans. In the void before Creation, Melkor even tried to find the Flame Imperishable in order to wield it himself, but that power could only ever belong to Eru. So ultimately it's just a fancy light vs dark speech, but I thought it was cool to learn what the lines meant after reading the Silmarillion.
Also you cannot just pull someone up, just the sheer weight of Gandalf, and not to mention the Balog itsef (which is huge), would be way to heavy for the Fellowship.
@@argantyr5154What? Gandalf weighs as much as any other a normal man. They could have easily lifted him up. And all the Balrog did was pull him off the ledge as it continued to fall. It wasn’t hanging on to Gandalf with the whip.
Yes. I assume they didn’t go back for him because a large amount of goblin archers were fast approaching to shoot at them. Also, they may have thought the bridge was too unstable? In the books, Gandalf is almost immediately pulled off the bridge and yells back to the group to run as he is falling.
@@Gunnar001 The bridge is breaking, there are goblin archers who are pelting them with arrows (you can see Aragorn dodging them even from the exit) and they had about 10 seconds to help him after seeing him fall. There's zero way they get there, pull him up, and bring him back before he falls, the bridge breaks, or someone gets stuck with an arrow.
2:49 I don't know where it was filmed but I know Tolkien described this place in the books after he traveled through Switzerland in 1911. Rivendell is the village of Lauterbrunnen (meaning: Deeply Cut Valley). A beautiful valley with 72 waterfalls flowing down into it. Nearby are three huge mountains: the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, which Tolkien described as the Misty Mountains.
The wizards were not sent to directly confront Sauron, but chiefly to persuade and encourage his enemies. Middle Earth was devastated the last time the Valar intervened directly.
The fight scene between Aragon and that Uruk-hai at the end was more real than you'd think. The scene where Aragon deflects the knife wasn't scripted but it looked so cool they kept it in film.
They could not have saved Gandalf. The orcs were right there and they would have been slain by arrows. That’s why Gandalf says ‘fly you fools’…. He knows they need to run.
The backstory to Galadriel's gift to Gimil is one of my favourite things: at the beginning of time (well shortly after that) the world was lit by the light of two trees, one gold and one silver. Ages ago Fëanor the greatest elven craftsman wished to capture the light of the trees, to preserve it in jewels. He went to Galadriel whose hair had absorbed the light of the trees and so was silver yet gold. Three times he asked and three times she denied him. In the end he created the jewels, his Silmarils but evil destroyed the light of the two trees and stole away the Simlarils. Galadriel had seen into his heart, he was great but also wrathful and vain. His personality flaws and his pursuit of the Silmarils led to the Kin-slaying at Alqualondë - the first time an elf had ever killed another elf. Galadriel denied Fëanor three times and for each time she denied the great, proud, and cruel Fëanor she gave one hair to the humble, kind, and loyal Gimli. The film doesn't address it but Gimil spent the rest of his time in the books pondering how best to display the gift she had given him because he felt that no metal or gem was precious enough to contain it. As for the three silmarils one fell into a fiery cavern beneath the earth, one into the sea and the final one was born on the crown of Eärendil the Mariner as he sails the sky each night on his flying ship Vingilot. It is the light of the silmaril that has been captured in that phial that Galadriel calls the light of Eärendil. Oh, also Eärendil and Elwig were the parents of Elros half-elven, the first king of Númenor, and Elrond half-elven who you've already seen. 👀 Sorry got carried away there.
22:06 Yeah, those goblins shooting arrows is why they didn't let him go. That's why Boromir was shouting at Aragorn. They were being overwhelmed by arrows and he was just standing there, mouth agape.
Yes another part! WAs so fun seeing your reactions to this movie and can't wait for the next 2 movies as well! Also as others have said, the entire trilogy was filmed over the course of a few years in New Zealand and Rivendell was filmed just a 40min drive from Wellington in Kaitoke Regional Park (I've been there)
These movies are great at gauging/creating a persons personality profile. Kurt and terse reactions to impactful scenes let people know where your heart really is.
For those interested in more LotR movie magic, Enya's song "May it Be" plays during this film's credits. It was the perfect tone for the afterglow of the cliffhanger in theaters. Many artists cover the song to this day. She wrote two songs for the films, the other is "Aniron" during Aragon / Arwen's love scene.
Plus it echoes the final lines of the movie. Frodo says, "I don't suppose we'll ever see them again, will we Sam?" To which Sam replies, "We may yet, Mr. Frodo." And then "May It Be" plays, as if the song is encouraging us to hope that they may one day be reunited with the rest of the Fellowship.
A lot of languages have the same word for speak and say but when translating, Speak friend, and Say friend have an obvious difference to English speakers so when translating Gandalf erred on the side of suspicion that the doors had a secret password when in the days the door was made there was no such distrust between the elves of Hollin and the dwarves of Moria. Gandalf comments on that translation eror in the book but it is also one a linguist like Tolkien would be well aware of when he made that a point of the story here.
Yeah uruk-hai (saruman's orcs) are pretty wild, even more so than the average 'normal' orcs. They're basically fighting machines with no regard/care for their own life. As you're going to see soon... 😅
All 3 movies were filmed in New Zealand, they basically filmed all 3 at the same time. The actors that were in all 3 films basically lived in New Zealand for 16 months. I remembered John Rhys-Davis saying if the first one wasn't received well, it would've felt like we wasted our time with the following films. Well it was far from being a flop.
It is a shame that the movies could not explain all the lore and importance of small things in the story. The movies honestly did not have time and had to change and let go of so much from the books. The strands of Galadriel's hair is huge. Galadriel is like the superhero of all elves who has been alive longer than the sun or moon. You could say her hair and someone's love of it is the source of all the things that have happened in Middle Earth. Tolkien is also a writer that is very subdued with magic. Gandalf's power is in inspiring people not direct attack. The gods of this world actually sent Gandalf but put restrictions on his power which is why he is in the body of an old man. They don't want another Sauron created which is what is happening to Saurman but his powers are also restricted. Fantasy writing is all about the rules of the world to the writer. This story in the books is more about explaining how mythology and words are changed depending on who is interpreting the story and less about elves and dragons and magic. In fantasy writing after LOTR writers wanted more and were inspired to create the worlds of elves and dragons that we are more use to in modern stories. Tolkien's story is a fairy story and a study of philology. Orc and goblin are the same thing but it is interesting how both readers and people in the story separated them. This is what Tolkien wanted people to get from his writings. What the movie does not do is explain the different types of elves. There are only two types. The idea of wood elf is more modern and not really part of Tolkien. Noldor and Sindarin are the two in the LOTR story people should worry about. There are more that date back to the creation of the world but Tolkien does not really refer to them in his writings that were published. Think of elves as angels that walk Middle Earth. Other writers have changed our view of elves from where Tolkien was writing from. Wood elves, dark elves and whatever else is more what people who have written more modern fantasy novels try to describe. Lord of the Rings is the template for modern fantasy story telling but it uses older definitions of mythical creatures that we modern readers have not really seen unless you have studied ancient mythology.
I've seen this movie like twenty times and the first time you watched it you noticed some back gound story that I hadn't noticed yet... I'm really surprised by your attention to detail, i only can say to you... tank you very much!
To explain the whole Gimli / Galadriel hair thing: in the novels, Gimli gets into an ongoing disagreement with someone about "who is the finest lady in the land", either the lady Gimli had met previously, or Galadriel, who THIS person insisted was the finest, but he hadn't yet met. When he met Galadriel, he conceded that disagreement, so he asked a simple thing, a single hair from her golden head, and she proved her worthiness, by giving him three. From then on, he'd declare that Galadriel is indeed the finest lady in the land.
Gimli gets into a disagreement with Eomer over the innate distrust of Elves amongst the Rohirrim, later , when Eomer actually MEETS Galadriel , Gimli confronts him about her beauty, and Eomer says "Alas I cant say she is the Fairest Lady of All" and Gimli replies "Then I must send for my Axe" and Eomer says "But first I must plead this: Had I first seen her in other company, I would have said all you wish, But my vote is given to Queen Arwen Evenstar, and I am ready to send for my sword to do battle on my part" to which Gimli replied "Nay, you are forgiven for my part, for you have declared love for the Evening, and my love is given to the morning, which I fear is soon to pass away forever"
BTW, Galadriel is Arwen's Grandmother - her daughter married Elrond. Also BTW, I know the Sculptor that carved the "Miniatures" for the statues of the Kings (The Argonath). It is a bit difficult to call them 'miniatures' when they were 7 feet tall....
The wizards are actually immortal spirits that have taken human forms. A number of the elves are thousands of years old but Galadriel wasn't in the first generation of elves.
Welcome to the Lord of the Rings fandom. We will argue over the most obscure interpretations of the lore sometimes, but you will never find a more passionate fan base. Tolkien built a world that we all wish was real. It's true high fantasy in its purest form.
A big part of it is spouting endless trivia and spoilers, acting snobbish, claiming every other work someone might like is inferior and owes everything to Tolkien, saying people can't reference other works, that the reactor didn't react right, and that you HAVE to read the books just because you enjoy the movies. But other than that the fanbase is pretty cool.
The books go into so much more detail. The screenplay was skillfully written for a visual presentation but leaves out the characters thoughts, and additional parts of the story.
The Balrog was one of the "Maiar" much like Gandalf - there were just no limits placed on it by the "Valar" and it's easier if you think of Valar as sort of Demigods and Maiar as their "angel" servants / students. The evil beings had no restrictions on their power but the good ones did from that supernatural world. In the books, Gandalf is extremely exhausted at this point too and Gimli and Legolas are literally dropping their weapons and crying, they know what it is. Only Aragorn and Boromir charge forward to help Gandalf
I’m sure others have said, but the whole thing was filmed in New Zealand , and all 3 movies filmed at once over a year. Enjoyed watching with you & looking forward to the next 2
You should go online and look for a map of middle earth and print one up so you can follow everyone's journeys throughout the next two films. It'll give you an idea of where everyone is situated during the movies. :)
It'll also give you an idea of where The Shire is , and Bree, and Rivendale, The Misty Mountains (The Gap of Rohan and Moria), Loth Lorien, and the rest of the cool areas.
It was not destiny. It was providence. Faith. Hope. Mercy. Pity. Love. Fellowship. These are all themes of this legendarium. Very Christian themes I might add.
Greetings from Poland. Tolkien has been the greatest fantasy writer and one of the greatest in history for well over half a century, and nothing will change that, whose work has had a huge impact on the work of other writers, creators of films, games, etc. George Lucas wouldn't have made Star Wars (and certainly not this version) if it weren't for Tolkien. J.K. Rowling wouldn't have written Harry Potter if she hadn't read Tolkien first. It's obvious who she had in mind when creating the character of Dumbledore and the Dementors. George R.R. Martin wouldn't have written Game of Thrones without having first read Tolkien. In one of his interviews, he once told how he came up with the idea of killing the characters of his books. When he read The Lord of the Rings for the first time and came to the scene where Gandalf dies with the Balrog by falling off a bridge Khazad Dum was in total shock because he didn't think Tolkien would dare to kill such an important character. Later, when writing Game of Thrones, he said that since Tolkien had no qualms about killing off characters, he wouldn't have any problems either. One of Tolkien's greatest advantages as a writer, apart from creating the most "real" fantasy world in the history of literature, is writing in such a way as to leave as much room for the reader's imagination as possible. That's why adapting the book to the screen was so difficult, because the filmmakers had to meet the imagination of millions of readers in order to accurately represent this world. But Peter Jackson did the impossible. He made a faithful adaptation, which is considered a model. The three parts of the trilogy won a total of 17 Oscars and many other awards. But it doesn't change the fact that the book is better. But The Lord of the Rings, although an iconic book, is not Tolkien's best book. In my opinion (but I suspect that also of many other fans of the Professor's work) it is The Silmarillion. Tolkien divided the history of his imaginary world into three eras. The action of The Lord of the Rings takes place in the third era. The Silmarillion describes the first two eras, starting from the creation of the world (Arda, of which Middle-earth is a part). Silmarillion is not only the best fantasy book, but the greatest story ever created by man.
Great reaction! Just remember JRR Tolkien basically invented modern sword & sorcery “fantasy” with The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. So it’s best to not try to compare it to other fantasy, but rather consider that those other fantasy stories exist only because LOTR essentially did it first.
I'll try to be simple with a far more complicated subject, but here it goes... There are three main groups of elves, each originally led by a king. Two groups passed into the West to Valinor (the land of the Valar, who are like arch-angels), and one stayed behind. Those that stayed behind are the Sindar. Legolas is a Sylvan elf - elves that left the Sindar before they reached the Blue Mountains. Galadriel is part of a group called the Noldor (the "Noldorin" are mentioned when she gifts the daggers) who left Valinor on a quest of vengeance, though her mother is from the group that stayed in Valinor. Noldor are often referred to as "high elves" in the books. Elrond is special. He is also called Elrond Half-Elven and descended from all three elven houses AND all three houses of Men. Aragorn is actually a descendant (by several hundred generations) of Elrond's brother. Caras Galadhon, the city where they meet Galadriel, is a city made by the Sylvan elves. Rivendell was built by the Noldor. Galadriel is also one of the oldest elves in Middle-Earth second only to Cirdan - a character not shown in the movies but important to the lore. Again, there is a lot more to this lore as Tolkien is one of the most prolific writers of backstory.
I finally read the Silmarillion a year or so ago. It hadn't occurred to me since then that Galadriel name-dropped the Noldor when she gave them the daggers in the movie. Thanks!
I think the Silmarillion will be a much easier narrative to track then this byzantine tale of the Elves. I'm outta here like the Elves sailing to Valinor! 😅
I won't comment on my expectations as I knew the story from the books it was more a case of seeing how it was portrayed here and what the left out. There are a few added bits, but mostly they were trimming Tolkien's work down to the essentials and important story lines. I always enjoy seeing these films through fresh eyes though so enjoying your reaction.
15:40 Congrats! You found a flaw that hadn't occurred to anyone else that I know. The light from the window should have turned the cave troll to stone.
An excellent reaction (in 2 parts) to the first movie of what may be the most EPIC movie trilogy ever. You did great. You caught several things few catch...and have "cyphered" out a few things in the lore and upcoming story. Speaking of lore...once you are done with all 3 movies, check out the TH-cam channel Men of the West. It's a channel dedicated to all things Tolkien...and one of the best on the net. There are SO many aspects of these films that set them apart. The casting (a wonderful mix of established and new actors), the setting (yes...pretty much everything is filmed in New Zealand), the musical score (it gets even better), the use of practical effects that shouldn't work but DO. Hang on. You've only began your journey. Peace.
A piece of lore: The ring that Aragorn wears at 40:45 has a story of its own. It is far older than the One Ring, in fact older than Sun and Moon. It had been forged by Elves in the Lands of the West, and they brought it with them when they came to Middle-earth. The ring was given by Finrod Felagund, Galadriel’s brother, to the mortal Barahir, father of Beren. That is exactly the same Beren about whom Aragorn sang at Midgewater Marshes during the way from Bree to Rivendell, and the one who married the elven princess Lúthien (and both died tragically). The fragment Aragorn song is from the “Lay of Lúthien”, a long epic poen written by Elvish poets about the fate of the couple. Sauron also appears in the poem, and Lúthien actually duels him (and wins). Aragorn is descended from Dior, son of Beren and Lúthien. While it has no special powers, the ring was handed down generation by generation for almost 7000 years out of reverence for its extreme antiquity. There is one description of in the “Lay of Lúthien”: Beren gives a proud speech to the elves demanding the hand of Lúthien, and shows his ring: Proud are the words, and all there turned to see the jewels green that burned in Beren's ring. These [Elves] had set as eyes of serpents twined that met beneath a golden crown of flowers, that one upholds and one devours. There will be another short mention of that ring in an upcoming movie, and I hope you will enjoy the moment.
On reading the books... There are a lot of differing opinions on Tolkien's writing style. He is very descriptive of nearly every detail. It can be hard to get through for some. I compare it to candy. Tolkien is like taffy - it's sticky and chewy and hard to munch through if you try to eat it too fast, but if you take your time to enjoy it it's very sweet and pleasurable.
Sean Bean (Boromir) fulfils the destiny of almost every screen character he portrays - he dies. It's almost an industry in-joke that if a character is played by him, that character isn't going to make it to the credits.
Have you noticed that when you see everyone else's eyes there is a singular point of light reflected in them. But looking at Galadriel's eyes you see a multitude of points of light. (When filming her they had a cluster of Christmas lights in front of her to create that effect)
Also "I wonder if there'll be maybe 1-2 more new characters in the next movies" :) Uh-huh. One, maybe two at most. I mean there's only about 8h of narration left, you can hardly fit that many in there. :)
Full uncut reactions and early access for all future LOTR films available on Patreon 🤍 check it out if you're interested 👉 www.patreon.com/IcedQuokka
Your introduction: As written, The Lord of the Rings was one large book with 6 parts, so a six-part reaction more or less fits the story. Most publishers printed it as three volumes due to size. For film purposes they moved around and deleted bits from the book version, but the film trilogy is one story, not three stories with three endings.
1:40 - Bilbo's jump scare - hobbits are a happy people, and have few desires for the Ring to exploit. So it affects them less than other races. But the Ring corrupts everything eventually. Having had it for 60 years, Bilbo is addicted to it, and it turns him ugly as he reaches for it. Gollum had it much longer and is more fully corrupted in mind and body.
3:40 - The Mimes of Moria - silent but deadly 😛
5:00 - There is low pitch thrumming sound, like a slow heartbeat, whenever the Ring is exerting its power.
12:55 - Andy Serkis did the voice and motion capture for Gollum. He modeled the distinctive "gollum cough" for which Smeagol was named after his cat coughing up a hairball.
Outro - I'm sure you know about the quest for the Holy Grail in Arthurian literature. These films are also a quest, but to get rid of and destroy something - the One Ring. In other respects there are similarities - a heroes journey, an elf princess (Arwen), monsters to defeat, a sage wizard (Merlin, Gandalf), etc. Tolkien didn't invent the heroic quest. Instead he invented languages and a fantasy world and drew from older myths and legends to create a new story.
Yeah, it's important to remember that The Lord of the Rings is all one story that was broken into three books. And the films won't tell you this, but Galadriel and Celeborn of Lothlorien are the maternal grandparents of Arwen (and therefore Elrond's in-laws).
Christopher Lee _(Saruman in this movie)_ has starred in 266 films.
Wirmish Apparently Eric Roberts (Julia's brother) has the record for the most acting credits. But that may be because he was a regular on at least one television show, and I'm guessing that each episode counts as a credit. But if that's the case, it's surprising that the actors from The Simpsons don't have the record.
@@Wirmish Christopher Lee might also have been an inspiration for James Bond. Mr. Lee knew what a knife should sound like when it is thrust through a man's back.
The gift that Lady Galadriel to Gimli really is a special one, if you know the lore.
A very powerful elf lord, who placed material above spiritual, asked Galadriel for a single hair, for material value. He asked her 3x, and knowing this guy was pretty much a jerk, she refused his request each time.
When Gimli asked her for a single hair from her hair, so he could set it in crystal to preserve its beauty for all eternity and to remember Galadriel and the time he spent in her home, she gave him 3 hairs instead, because she could see that he was a kind, and fair person.
When Gimli tells the group about it, Legolas smiles, with him being an elf, he knows the story and the special meaning behind it.
@@robbiecook6530 it went a long way to Gimili and Legolas’s undying friendship.
@@chadbennett7873definitely. It was probably at that moment that Legolas started to view Gimli differently and the friendship was able to start to form.
Another thing to point out, her hair was said to appear like the light of the two trees, which was "holy" and untainted. It was her hair which inspired Fëanor to make the Silmarils, which actually did contain the light of the two trees.
Boromir wasn't weak, he was a fierce warrior. However, the ring easily leveraged fear and ambition, and Boromir was very afraid for his people. That's why the ring affected him so greatly.
He also was used to being the Leader of those around him. That's Another factor that the one ring uses to manipulate those around it. Boromir fully expects to follow in his Father's footsteps to be Steward of Gondor. The more powerful your Ego, the easier the One Ring can winkle it's way into your mind.
@@feldweibleI don't really think that plays into it for Boromir at all actually. The books go into a lot more detail about just how much despair he felt over the hopelessness of the plight of his people. He's never described as even really wanting the throne at all, merely wanting to defend his people.
Boromir was also, shall we say, under a fair bit of pressure from a certain someone back home to bring the Ring there.
The entire trilogy was filmed in New Zealand. The forests, valleys, mountain ranges, pastures (the Shire) and rivers are all in New Zealand. The cities, such as Brie, Rivendell, and Loth Lorian are all artificial settings filmed on soundstages with green screens and stage props
Aragorn seeing Gandalf falling was like seeing an angel dying. It's something he thought he'd never see.
@@Iceman-135 well, Gandalf is a Maia, so he was watching an angel fall.
Gandalf was Aragorn's closest friend. Seeing not only a wizard (one of only five in the entire world) but his best friend fall to his death was devastating to Aragorn. Frodo was not the only one who suffered deeply at losing Gandalf. Aragorn, however, was made of stern stuff, and as a leader put his personal feelings aside to lead the Fellowship after that--but realize he was deeply hurt as well by losing Gandalf.
"How is he (Boromir) still fighting?"
Boromir was always a skilled and hardened soldier from a genetic lineage of noble warriors, but in his last moments he was primarily motivated to atone for his moment of weakness when the ring corrupted him into attacking Frodo. He knew he was dying. He knew he wasn't going to survive. But he kept going anyway to offset the shame he felt in himself for attempting to take the ring from Frodo
He was fighting not only for honor, but to restore the honor he felt he'd stained in trying to take the Ring from Frodo. He had every reason to give his best and take as many enemies with him as possible, knowing it would lessen the odds his friends had to face.
The reason the credits are so long is because they included the entirety of the Lord of the rings fan club.
At 4:50, Sean Bean (Boromir) was terrified of helicopters, so every morning he would get up super early, get into his costume and makeup, and hike from the foot of the mountain to where the filming was going on, a walk of several miles up a steep mountain.
At 11:20 Gandalf says: "For here alone in the world was found Moria-silver, or true-silver as some have called it: *mithril* is the Elvish name. The Dwarves have a name which they do not tell. Its worth was ten times that of gold, and now it is beyond price; for little is left above ground, and even the Orcs dare not delve here for it...All folk desired it. It could be beaten like copper, and polished like glass; and the Dwarves could make of it a metal, light and yet harder than tempered steel. Its beauty was like to that of common silver, but the beauty of *mithril* did not tarnish or grow dim..."
All three films were made in Newzealand. All landscapes you see in these movies...so beautiful.😊
I visited Christchurch several times before the earthquake. So sad to see the devaststion.
NZ is beautiful, both north and south island has its own charm.
New Zealand is geographically varied!
At 0:30, Aragorn was raised in Rivendell from the age of 2 to 20. Elrond was his foster father.
Christopher Lee was the single person from the cast and crew who actually met J.R.R. Tolkien. He auditioned for the role of Gandalf, but was eventually cast as Saruman due to age. The role did not require as much physical work, and he was 17 years old than Ian McKellan. Lee was a true student of the book, and had Christopher Tolkien's blessing to be cast as Gandalf.
I love that Galadriel looks at Sam when she says “yet hope remains, while company is true”
💯🔥
No one truer than Samwise Gamgee.
2:48 the entire trilogy was shot in New Zealand.
isnt she Australian?
Be at peace, son of Gondor. They will look for his coming from the White Tower, but he will not return.
At 20:20, many reactors I've watched feel that Gandalf should be able to use his magic to deliver the Company from their various dangers. This is the essential dilemma of any author of fantasy: What are the limits of magic? There have to be some limits--if Gandalf were arbitrarily powerful, he could have used his magic to teleport the Ring straight to Mount Doom and save everyone a lot of trouble. We have already seen that there are degrees of magical power. Saruman has demonstrated several times that he is a more powerful wizard than Gandalf, for example. The working of magic also has physical and psychic effects on the worker. Remember the fight between Gandalf and Saruman--both wizards were exhausted as a result of their magical exertions. The magic of Middle-earth has limits.
These are vague recollections from my memory, so I may be a bit off on some of the details. The Wizards were sent to Middle-earth to complete a task, but they were limited by the Valar. They were not allowed to use their full powers, and they were not allowed to lead like kings, only provide guidance and counsel. Saruman obviously did not follow the path, while Gandalf, in my mind, may have sometimes overstepped the rule about leading a bit from time to time, but not excessively so to the point of angering the Valar.
@@ucheehQ He only acted as a leader when he was left with no other choice... so did not breach the Valar's instruction and guidelines.
Essentially the Istari (Gandalf and Saruman) were only allowed to match power with power.
If you are fighting orcs, just bonk them on the head with your staff.
Against a Balrog, it's shields-up and stone-shattering destruction.
The outdoor scenes in Rivendell were filmed just north of the Capital city of NZ, Wellington. All of the movie was shot in Aotearoa
.
The confrontation between Gandalf and the Balrog is even more epic when you learn the backstory of both. You see, both are part of a race called the Maiar who can be best explained as the “angels” of Tolkien’s world, albeit the Balrog is a corrupted member of their race due to the influence of Morgoth/Melkor (the Satan of Middle-Earth).
The Balrogs have existed since the first age (LotR takes place in the third age) and fought an ancient war against the elves (covered in Tolkien’s The Silmarillion). Legolas’ father actually fought in said war and I think that’s reflected in the sheer terror we see on Legolas’ face as he realises what they’re up against, no doubt from stories his father told him.
As to Gandalf’s age, he has technically been around since the dawn of time but he’s been in Middle-Earth for around 2,500 years. The gods of this world, named the Valar, sent him and the other wizards (known as the Order of the Istari) to help guide the free people in the war against Sauron but they were expressly forbidden from directly intervening with their powers. We get a small glimpse into Gandalf’s immense power here when he faces the Balrog, who you may notice pauses a moment when he learns who Gandalf is (“I am a servant of the secret fire, wielder of the flame of Anor”) and his light bubble even blows up the Balrog’s sword on impact, which is why it gets the whip out.
So not only is this confrontation epic, it is quite literally a duel between good and evil that goes back thousands of years.
Wonderful synopsis! I will say that Melkor is, as you know, the first Dark Lord of Middle-earth, since he actually was physical, unlike the mythological/mythical satan.
@@genghisgalahad8465 Thank you and very accurate description! I think for the purposes of the synopsis I simplified Melkor’s role a tad to make it easier to imagine, but you’re quite right in saying he was the first Dark Lord with a complex story in itself.
@@LeCroke what we wouldn't do for a cinematic Fingolfin v Melkor/Morgoth showdown!
@LeCroke I think Tolkien would balk at describing the Valar as gods. Not only due to his personal beliefs but in Arda there is only one true god: Eru.
I describe the Valar as archangels and the Maiar as lesser angels.
@@scottdean2199 Tolkien mentioned in one of his writings that he based the Valar on a combination of an Olympus-like pantheon and archangels, but Eru Illuvatar is the only true God of Middle-Earth.
Galadrial can sense all living beings. So she can sense Gandalf the grey. When she says "he has fallen into shadow" she's saying she cant sense him on her internal radar. He's gone.
Aragorn is a descendant of Isildur, but Isildur was never the king of Gondor, he was the king of the Kingdom of Arnor, north of the shire, which was destroyed by the witch king of angmar - one of sauron's nazgul. Thats why aragorn patrols the destroyed kingdom and protects the shire and everything south of the shire. Isildur's elder brother was the king of gondor and when the last king of gondor disappeared in the Morgul Vale, while trying to take on the witch-king (again), the line of isildur became heirs to the throne of gondor, through isildur but also through the wife of the then last king of arnor who was a princess of gondor. That claim was rejected in Gondor and that last king of arnor was killed soon after. The line of kings of arnor then became chiefs of the dunedain - the remnants of the nobles of arnor. And aragorn is the last of them.
Boromir, in his last living action, getting Aragorn to pledge himself to save Gondor - in the book and the movie - is the incident that cements Aragorn's relationship with Gondor and sets his path forward. Its a hugely significant moment that most people miss. Up until that moment, Aragorn is still strider - a ranger of Arnor. After that moment his outlook has shifted in a huge way.
Yup. Bruh died. That's a story fact. "Shadow" in this case being a euphemism for the afterlife.
Elendil and Isildur were kings of Gondor and Arnor. Isildur was the older brother of Anárion (Anárion fell earlier in the Sige of Barad-dûr). Elendil the tall was their father (High king of the fatithfull Númenóreans who escaped the downfall of Númenór. Isildur should have been high king of Arnor and of Gondor, after his father, but then he died. So we got the sons of these brothers to rule the kingdoms separately (Meneldil in Gondor and Valandil in Arnor, the Arnorian kings were titled High kings to mark that they decended directly from Isildur).
@user-lv5bt3nt3r The High King ruled both Arnor and Gondor. Elendil ruled from Arnor, but was still over Gondor and named Isildur (his son and heir) to be King of Gondor under him.
Isildur felt that it would only be fair to share the throne with his brother Anarion, so they ruled together. The Argonath (the huge statues on the river) are these two brothers.
Isildur, in the books, was a really good dude.
"Kind of like the shirt he gave frodo" yes exactly like that shirt.
And that shirt is worth more than the entire Shire.
It was all filmed in New Zealand as far as I know, One of the consequences of the country being far too geologically active is that we have a wide range of environments in a small area.
Not only is Elrond cool but his Dad is a star (mentioned in passing by Galadriel) (he wasn't always one but he was given the job of sailing a ship bearing the light of the Silmarils over the world since he was barred from returning to Middle Earth. He and his wife were half-elven - one son, Elrond chose to be numbered among Elves and the other, Elros, chose Men and became Aragorn's very distant ancestor. But it's why Arwen has a choice, The lore goes very deeo)
It's not a question of different breeds of Elves so much as different populations and realms, just as with Men. They're not dogs or cats.
Oh, and Galadriel is Arwen's grandmother.
The dragon, Smaug, was a big part of Bilbo's adventure in The Hobbit. The opening of Fellowship of the Ring takes place about 60 years after The Hobbit.
Side note: there is about 17 years between when Bilbo leaves and when Frodo leaves. In that time Gandalf visits several times. It is during this time that he sends Aragorn to find Gollum and they learn about his torture.
I was first introduced to the Lord of the Rings books around 1968, a few years after the paperback edition was published. So it has been a part of my life for a very long time.
my first reading was at age 7 in 1976 and I was captured by Fantasy literature forever
I first read the 'Hobbit' and the 'Lord of the Rings' in 1968 as well and have reread them almost every year since then.
Knewing the books well before hand, for me, the extended cuts are all 10/10.
"The only way out is through" I say this all the time and so true. Curious how the Dwarf password is in Elvish. Boromir more than redeemed himself before the end. "I would have followed you my brother. My captain. My king"
As shown in Rings of
Of Power (of which I have watched only season 1) there was great friendship between Elves and Dwarves at one time and the area where the gate stands - Hollin- was occupied by Elves a good while ago, hence the wording on the door. Needless to say the relationships soured a great deal since those days.
"Oh, it's Ned Stark..." How many times have we heard that now? 😆 I'm getting a bit tired of everyone just seeing that character in Sean Bean. He wouldn't have got that part if he hadn't done such a epic job as Boromir. Whenever I will watch Games of Throne I will se Boromir. Hehe...
He was a perfect choice for Boromir who in himself is one of the greatest characters in this story and probably was honored as a great Hero in Minas Tirith after the war.
If you watched Game of Thrones first you'd say the same. And don't claim you wouldn't :)
@RD-dt7us True. 😊 I heard one reactor (is that the right word?) who said without thinking that it was cool that he landed this role after GoT. She later remembered when FOTR was made and laughed at herself. 😁
"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor." The Secret Fire is referring to the Flame Imperishable, the power to create souls, which belongs to Eru Iluvitar (God) alone.
Anor is the elvish word for Sun, and in this universe the Sun was created from the last fruit of Laurelin, one of the two trees containing the holy light of the world. So Gandalf is basically saying, "I am a servant of God, and I wield holy magic."
"The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun!" Udun was the first main stronghold of Melkor (aka Morgoth), the original dark force in the universe. This is backed up by Legolas when he says Gandalf was taken by "shadow and flame. A Balrog of Morgoth." Since the beginning of time, Melkor opposed the other Valar, creating discord in their melodies and sabotaging their plans. In the void before Creation, Melkor even tried to find the Flame Imperishable in order to wield it himself, but that power could only ever belong to Eru.
So ultimately it's just a fancy light vs dark speech, but I thought it was cool to learn what the lines meant after reading the Silmarillion.
I think "wielder of the Flame of Anor" is also referring to owning one of the elven rings of power, given to him by Celebrimbor
21:50 Unfortunately, they couldn't go and help Gandalf because orcs were still trying to shoot at them, I believe.
Also you cannot just pull someone up, just the sheer weight of Gandalf, and not to mention the Balog itsef (which is huge), would be way to heavy for the Fellowship.
@@argantyr5154What? Gandalf weighs as much as any other a normal man. They could have easily lifted him up. And all the Balrog did was pull him off the ledge as it continued to fall. It wasn’t hanging on to Gandalf with the whip.
Yes. I assume they didn’t go back for him because a large amount of goblin archers were fast approaching to shoot at them. Also, they may have thought the bridge was too unstable?
In the books, Gandalf is almost immediately pulled off the bridge and yells back to the group to run as he is falling.
@@Gunnar001 The bridge is breaking, there are goblin archers who are pelting them with arrows (you can see Aragorn dodging them even from the exit) and they had about 10 seconds to help him after seeing him fall. There's zero way they get there, pull him up, and bring him back before he falls, the bridge breaks, or someone gets stuck with an arrow.
@@Qaztar44 Which is what I said.
2:49 I don't know where it was filmed but I know Tolkien described this place in the books after he traveled through Switzerland in 1911. Rivendell is the village of Lauterbrunnen (meaning: Deeply Cut Valley). A beautiful valley with 72 waterfalls flowing down into it. Nearby are three huge mountains: the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, which Tolkien described as the Misty Mountains.
It was all filmed in New Zealand!
The wizards were not sent to directly confront Sauron, but chiefly to persuade and encourage his enemies. Middle Earth was devastated the last time the Valar intervened directly.
Part 1 didn't show in my feed, but I'm glad I saw this. I just went back and watched part 1 - now on to the the rest!
Ayyyy noice!! Hope you’re enjoying 🤍🤍
The fight scene between Aragon and that Uruk-hai at the end was more real than you'd think. The scene where Aragon deflects the knife wasn't scripted but it looked so cool they kept it in film.
35:35 What are the chances she said this about the Jewels? Those who has read "The Silmarillon" will understand how crazy this is LOL
"Devilry! Goodness, me!" 18:42
Buahahahahahahahaa
They could not have saved Gandalf. The orcs were right there and they would have been slain by arrows. That’s why Gandalf says ‘fly you fools’…. He knows they need to run.
The backstory to Galadriel's gift to Gimil is one of my favourite things: at the beginning of time (well shortly after that) the world was lit by the light of two trees, one gold and one silver.
Ages ago Fëanor the greatest elven craftsman wished to capture the light of the trees, to preserve it in jewels. He went to Galadriel whose hair had absorbed the light of the trees and so was silver yet gold. Three times he asked and three times she denied him. In the end he created the jewels, his Silmarils but evil destroyed the light of the two trees and stole away the Simlarils.
Galadriel had seen into his heart, he was great but also wrathful and vain. His personality flaws and his pursuit of the Silmarils led to the Kin-slaying at Alqualondë - the first time an elf had ever killed another elf.
Galadriel denied Fëanor three times and for each time she denied the great, proud, and cruel Fëanor she gave one hair to the humble, kind, and loyal Gimli. The film doesn't address it but Gimil spent the rest of his time in the books pondering how best to display the gift she had given him because he felt that no metal or gem was precious enough to contain it.
As for the three silmarils one fell into a fiery cavern beneath the earth, one into the sea and the final one was born on the crown of Eärendil the Mariner as he sails the sky each night on his flying ship Vingilot. It is the light of the silmaril that has been captured in that phial that Galadriel calls the light of Eärendil.
Oh, also Eärendil and Elwig were the parents of Elros half-elven, the first king of Númenor, and Elrond half-elven who you've already seen. 👀
Sorry got carried away there.
22:06 Yeah, those goblins shooting arrows is why they didn't let him go. That's why Boromir was shouting at Aragorn. They were being overwhelmed by arrows and he was just standing there, mouth agape.
do you have a schedule on when you're gonna watch and post the other 2 movies? i hope you do them very very soon ♥
16:15 - "They have a cave pug." 😅
Every on site scene is shot is New Zeland, no exceptions.
Gandalf is not just "old", he is as old as the entire world. 55k+ years old.
Yes another part! WAs so fun seeing your reactions to this movie and can't wait for the next 2 movies as well!
Also as others have said, the entire trilogy was filmed over the course of a few years in New Zealand and Rivendell was filmed just a 40min drive from Wellington in Kaitoke Regional Park (I've been there)
These movies are great at gauging/creating a persons personality profile. Kurt and terse reactions to impactful scenes let people know where your heart really is.
Yes mithril is a metal which was extremely valuable because it was extraordinarily light and practically Unbreakable.
For those interested in more LotR movie magic, Enya's song "May it Be" plays during this film's credits. It was the perfect tone for the afterglow of the cliffhanger in theaters. Many artists cover the song to this day. She wrote two songs for the films, the other is "Aniron" during Aragon / Arwen's love scene.
* May It Be
Plus it echoes the final lines of the movie. Frodo says, "I don't suppose we'll ever see them again, will we Sam?" To which Sam replies, "We may yet, Mr. Frodo." And then "May It Be" plays, as if the song is encouraging us to hope that they may one day be reunited with the rest of the Fellowship.
@@dininelbourneyou are correct I'll edit my answer.
@@danielj6897yes exactly. I've yet to hear a reactor mention it, since it's in the credits.
A lot of languages have the same word for speak and say but when translating, Speak friend, and Say friend have an obvious difference to English speakers so when translating Gandalf erred on the side of suspicion that the doors had a secret password when in the days the door was made there was no such distrust between the elves of Hollin and the dwarves of Moria. Gandalf comments on that translation eror in the book but it is also one a linguist like Tolkien would be well aware of when he made that a point of the story here.
Yeah uruk-hai (saruman's orcs) are pretty wild, even more so than the average 'normal' orcs. They're basically fighting machines with no regard/care for their own life. As you're going to see soon... 😅
All 3 movies were filmed in New Zealand, they basically filmed all 3 at the same time. The actors that were in all 3 films basically lived in New Zealand for 16 months. I remembered John Rhys-Davis saying if the first one wasn't received well, it would've felt like we wasted our time with the following films. Well it was far from being a flop.
I don't trust anyone who doesn't cry or at least tear up at Boromir's death.
It is a shame that the movies could not explain all the lore and importance of small things in the story. The movies honestly did not have time and had to change and let go of so much from the books. The strands of Galadriel's hair is huge. Galadriel is like the superhero of all elves who has been alive longer than the sun or moon. You could say her hair and someone's love of it is the source of all the things that have happened in Middle Earth. Tolkien is also a writer that is very subdued with magic. Gandalf's power is in inspiring people not direct attack. The gods of this world actually sent Gandalf but put restrictions on his power which is why he is in the body of an old man. They don't want another Sauron created which is what is happening to Saurman but his powers are also restricted. Fantasy writing is all about the rules of the world to the writer. This story in the books is more about explaining how mythology and words are changed depending on who is interpreting the story and less about elves and dragons and magic. In fantasy writing after LOTR writers wanted more and were inspired to create the worlds of elves and dragons that we are more use to in modern stories. Tolkien's story is a fairy story and a study of philology. Orc and goblin are the same thing but it is interesting how both readers and people in the story separated them. This is what Tolkien wanted people to get from his writings.
What the movie does not do is explain the different types of elves. There are only two types. The idea of wood elf is more modern and not really part of Tolkien. Noldor and Sindarin are the two in the LOTR story people should worry about. There are more that date back to the creation of the world but Tolkien does not really refer to them in his writings that were published. Think of elves as angels that walk Middle Earth. Other writers have changed our view of elves from where Tolkien was writing from. Wood elves, dark elves and whatever else is more what people who have written more modern fantasy novels try to describe. Lord of the Rings is the template for modern fantasy story telling but it uses older definitions of mythical creatures that we modern readers have not really seen unless you have studied ancient mythology.
Yesssss I wanted you to watch the extended
Yup, Extended is basically required to actually follow and understand all the character arcs etc.
I've seen this movie like twenty times and the first time you watched it you noticed some back gound story that I hadn't noticed yet...
I'm really surprised by your attention to detail, i only can say to you... tank you very much!
Frodo usually calls “Aragorn” Aragorn while Sam usually calls him Strider
To explain the whole Gimli / Galadriel hair thing: in the novels, Gimli gets into an ongoing disagreement with someone about "who is the finest lady in the land", either the lady Gimli had met previously, or Galadriel, who THIS person insisted was the finest, but he hadn't yet met. When he met Galadriel, he conceded that disagreement, so he asked a simple thing, a single hair from her golden head, and she proved her worthiness, by giving him three. From then on, he'd declare that Galadriel is indeed the finest lady in the land.
Gimli gets into a disagreement with Eomer over the innate distrust of Elves amongst the Rohirrim, later , when Eomer actually MEETS Galadriel , Gimli confronts him about her beauty, and Eomer says "Alas I cant say she is the Fairest Lady of All" and Gimli replies "Then I must send for my Axe" and Eomer says "But first I must plead this: Had I first seen her in other company, I would have said all you wish, But my vote is given to Queen Arwen Evenstar, and I am ready to send for my sword to do battle on my part" to which Gimli replied "Nay, you are forgiven for my part, for you have declared love for the Evening, and my love is given to the morning, which I fear is soon to pass away forever"
@justinhephner2117 It's been a while since I read it, it's vague. Thanks for the correction.
@ np, its a particularly favorite interaction of mine in the text so I know it well lol
BTW, Galadriel is Arwen's Grandmother - her daughter married Elrond.
Also BTW, I know the Sculptor that carved the "Miniatures" for the statues of the Kings (The Argonath). It is a bit difficult to call them 'miniatures' when they were 7 feet tall....
Bigatures :)
I’m no expert, but the wizards and elves are thousands of years old. Galadriel existed before the first dawn.
The wizards are actually immortal spirits that have taken human forms. A number of the elves are thousands of years old but Galadriel wasn't in the first generation of elves.
Welcome to the Lord of the Rings fandom. We will argue over the most obscure interpretations of the lore sometimes, but you will never find a more passionate fan base. Tolkien built a world that we all wish was real. It's true high fantasy in its purest form.
A big part of it is spouting endless trivia and spoilers, acting snobbish, claiming every other work someone might like is inferior and owes everything to Tolkien, saying people can't reference other works, that the reactor didn't react right, and that you HAVE to read the books just because you enjoy the movies.
But other than that the fanbase is pretty cool.
Great reaction, loved the after reaction analysis x
It is famously all filmed in New Zealand
The books go into so much more detail. The screenplay was skillfully written for a visual presentation but leaves out the characters thoughts, and additional parts of the story.
The Balrog was one of the "Maiar" much like Gandalf - there were just no limits placed on it by the "Valar" and it's easier if you think of Valar as sort of Demigods and Maiar as their "angel" servants / students. The evil beings had no restrictions on their power but the good ones did from that supernatural world. In the books, Gandalf is extremely exhausted at this point too and Gimli and Legolas are literally dropping their weapons and crying, they know what it is. Only Aragorn and Boromir charge forward to help Gandalf
First than all, Love your react, second also love the way that your armchair makes U look like a Lady in a High Medieval Painting
I’m sure others have said, but the whole thing was filmed in New Zealand , and all 3 movies filmed at once over a year.
Enjoyed watching with you & looking forward to the next 2
The only reactor I’ve seen to cop the chain mail before the reveal. 😂
I enjoyed this movie reaction a lot! Looking forward to the next one! Yaay!
Yayyyyy!! 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍
The scene where Frodo grabbed Sam's hand and pull him out of the water was quite significant.Please remember that.😊
All three films were shot back to back on location in New Zealand. New Zealand is Middle earth!!
You should go online and look for a map of middle earth and print one up so you can follow everyone's journeys throughout the next two films. It'll give you an idea of where everyone is situated during the movies. :)
It'll also give you an idea of where The Shire is , and Bree, and Rivendale, The Misty Mountains (The Gap of Rohan and Moria), Loth Lorien, and the rest of the cool areas.
Galadriel is Arwen's grandmother and Elrond's mother-in-law.
The ring preys on your wants to corrupt Boromir wants to ultimately protect people from Sauron and uses his fear of letting them down.
Just to let you know, there will be a HUGE number of new characters in the two remaining movies - but I won't spoil it by telling you about them
It was not destiny. It was providence. Faith. Hope. Mercy. Pity. Love. Fellowship. These are all themes of this legendarium. Very Christian themes I might add.
It was all filmed in NZ. Im so jealous of Kiwis😂
Greetings from Poland.
Tolkien has been the greatest fantasy writer and one of the greatest in history for well over half a century, and nothing will change that, whose work has had a huge impact on the work of other writers, creators of films, games, etc.
George Lucas wouldn't have made Star Wars (and certainly not this version) if it weren't for Tolkien.
J.K. Rowling wouldn't have written Harry Potter if she hadn't read Tolkien first. It's obvious who she had in mind when creating the character of Dumbledore and the Dementors.
George R.R. Martin wouldn't have written Game of Thrones without having first read Tolkien. In one of his interviews, he once told how he came up with the idea of killing the characters of his books. When he read The Lord of the Rings for the first time and came to the scene where Gandalf dies with the Balrog by falling off a bridge Khazad Dum was in total shock because he didn't think Tolkien would dare to kill such an important character. Later, when writing Game of Thrones, he said that since Tolkien had no qualms about killing off characters, he wouldn't have any problems either.
One of Tolkien's greatest advantages as a writer, apart from creating the most "real" fantasy world in the history of literature, is writing in such a way as to leave as much room for the reader's imagination as possible. That's why adapting the book to the screen was so difficult, because the filmmakers had to meet the imagination of millions of readers in order to accurately represent this world. But Peter Jackson did the impossible. He made a faithful adaptation, which is considered a model. The three parts of the trilogy won a total of 17 Oscars and many other awards. But it doesn't change the fact that the book is better.
But The Lord of the Rings, although an iconic book, is not Tolkien's best book. In my opinion (but I suspect that also of many other fans of the Professor's work) it is The Silmarillion. Tolkien divided the history of his imaginary world into three eras. The action of The Lord of the Rings takes place in the third era. The Silmarillion describes the first two eras, starting from the creation of the world (Arda, of which Middle-earth is a part). Silmarillion is not only the best fantasy book, but the greatest story ever created by man.
Great reaction! Just remember JRR Tolkien basically invented modern sword & sorcery “fantasy” with The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. So it’s best to not try to compare it to other fantasy, but rather consider that those other fantasy stories exist only because LOTR essentially did it first.
Apparently there’s different types of trolls. Not all turn to stone in the sun
I'll try to be simple with a far more complicated subject, but here it goes...
There are three main groups of elves, each originally led by a king. Two groups passed into the West to Valinor (the land of the Valar, who are like arch-angels), and one stayed behind. Those that stayed behind are the Sindar. Legolas is a Sylvan elf - elves that left the Sindar before they reached the Blue Mountains. Galadriel is part of a group called the Noldor (the "Noldorin" are mentioned when she gifts the daggers) who left Valinor on a quest of vengeance, though her mother is from the group that stayed in Valinor. Noldor are often referred to as "high elves" in the books. Elrond is special. He is also called Elrond Half-Elven and descended from all three elven houses AND all three houses of Men. Aragorn is actually a descendant (by several hundred generations) of Elrond's brother.
Caras Galadhon, the city where they meet Galadriel, is a city made by the Sylvan elves. Rivendell was built by the Noldor.
Galadriel is also one of the oldest elves in Middle-Earth second only to Cirdan - a character not shown in the movies but important to the lore.
Again, there is a lot more to this lore as Tolkien is one of the most prolific writers of backstory.
I finally read the Silmarillion a year or so ago. It hadn't occurred to me since then that Galadriel name-dropped the Noldor when she gave them the daggers in the movie. Thanks!
its 68 generations between Elros and Aragorn II
I think the Silmarillion will be a much easier narrative to track then this byzantine tale of the Elves. I'm outta here like the Elves sailing to Valinor! 😅
@justinhephner2117 sorry for that. I forgot and did some dubious math in my head that, now that I think about it, makes no sense.
@ def quite alright, was just clarifying
Filmed entirely in New Zealand . All three movies .
I won't comment on my expectations as I knew the story from the books it was more a case of seeing how it was portrayed here and what the left out. There are a few added bits, but mostly they were trimming Tolkien's work down to the essentials and important story lines.
I always enjoy seeing these films through fresh eyes though so enjoying your reaction.
That was a great reaction :) Love these movies. To be fair Ian McKellen's Gandalf does look a lot like Richard Harris's Dumbledore.
All of the films were shot in New Zealand
15:40 Congrats! You found a flaw that hadn't occurred to anyone else that I know. The light from the window should have turned the cave troll to stone.
i don't know if anyone has mentioned yet but it is all filmed in new zealand ✌
mostly every landscape you see was filmed in New Zealand!
All filmed in NZ.
I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure almost the entire thing was filmed in New Zealand
The whole movie was filmed in NZ.
An excellent reaction (in 2 parts) to the first movie of what may be the most EPIC movie trilogy ever. You did great. You caught several things few catch...and have "cyphered" out a few things in the lore and upcoming story. Speaking of lore...once you are done with all 3 movies, check out the TH-cam channel Men of the West. It's a channel dedicated to all things Tolkien...and one of the best on the net. There are SO many aspects of these films that set them apart. The casting (a wonderful mix of established and new actors), the setting (yes...pretty much everything is filmed in New Zealand), the musical score (it gets even better), the use of practical effects that shouldn't work but DO. Hang on. You've only began your journey. Peace.
New Zealand for all of it. ON site- very little with enclosed sets.
Just a point of interest.....Galadriel is in fact Arwen's Grandmother
It was filmed in New Zealand ...
Its all filmed in New Zealand
A piece of lore: The ring that Aragorn wears at 40:45 has a story of its own. It is far older than the One Ring, in fact older than Sun and Moon. It had been forged by Elves in the Lands of the West, and they brought it with them when they came to Middle-earth. The ring was given by Finrod Felagund, Galadriel’s brother, to the mortal Barahir, father of Beren. That is exactly the same Beren about whom Aragorn sang at Midgewater Marshes during the way from Bree to Rivendell, and the one who married the elven princess Lúthien (and both died tragically). The fragment Aragorn song is from the “Lay of Lúthien”, a long epic poen written by Elvish poets about the fate of the couple. Sauron also appears in the poem, and Lúthien actually duels him (and wins).
Aragorn is descended from Dior, son of Beren and Lúthien. While it has no special powers, the ring was handed down generation by generation for almost 7000 years out of reverence for its extreme antiquity. There is one description of in the “Lay of Lúthien”: Beren gives a proud speech to the elves demanding the hand of Lúthien, and shows his ring:
Proud are the words, and all there turned
to see the jewels green that burned
in Beren's ring. These [Elves] had set
as eyes of serpents twined that met
beneath a golden crown of flowers,
that one upholds and one devours.
There will be another short mention of that ring in an upcoming movie, and I hope you will enjoy the moment.
Wait and see. Fun times.
Gandalph is over 5000 years old
Gandalf
On reading the books...
There are a lot of differing opinions on Tolkien's writing style. He is very descriptive of nearly every detail. It can be hard to get through for some.
I compare it to candy. Tolkien is like taffy - it's sticky and chewy and hard to munch through if you try to eat it too fast, but if you take your time to enjoy it it's very sweet and pleasurable.
Sean Bean (Boromir) fulfils the destiny of almost every screen character he portrays - he dies. It's almost an industry in-joke that if a character is played by him, that character isn't going to make it to the credits.
IQ: "I'm not crying..."
uh.... 👀
Have you noticed that when you see everyone else's eyes there is a singular point of light reflected in them. But looking at Galadriel's eyes you see a multitude of points of light. (When filming her they had a cluster of Christmas lights in front of her to create that effect)
Also "I wonder if there'll be maybe 1-2 more new characters in the next movies" :)
Uh-huh. One, maybe two at most. I mean there's only about 8h of narration left, you can hardly fit that many in there. :)
also they're pretty far from gandalf by the time they get there he still would've fallen and the orcs were still shooting