@@chilibreath The term "woke" wasn't around back then, either; I think the parlance of the day would have been "SJW" or something. At any rate, I don't actually remember it being a huge deal. All the book fans were HYPED to see that scene in the movies. The only drawback is that due to some of the things the films cut, you don't get the full story about that prophecy re. who can and can't kill the Witch King. But again, all the LOTR fans watching the movie knew and anticipated it.
I believe Bernard Hill (Theoden) said that riding up a line of spears with his sword and shouting ‘Death!’ at the top of his lungs was the highlight of his career!
I love the addition of shouting "death", because thats exactly what Sauron uses to hold power over men; the fear of death. He's twisted Erus Gift into something to be feared, but by embracing it and yelling "death" at Saurons army, they're showing them he holds no power over them, and they accept it as the gift it was meant to be. Its like they're shedding his power over men thats lingered for ages. Its really an excellent touch
3:48 The ring actually did try to tempt Sam but it was offering him the biggest garden in Middle Earth (or something along those lines), and Sam’s like “I cant maintain that!😅”
@@roxtechs unironically yes. The Ring focuses on temptations and desires. Hobbits are ideal bearers because they’re a lot more chill than men, elves, dwarves etc.
I will die on the hill that this is the greatest trilogy ever made. I've watched hundreds of reactions to these films and it never gets old seeing someone new enjoy their magic.
@@IdocarebutIdont It’s because Jackson’s filming all three at once makes it feel like an extremely long 11-hr movie rather than three shorter ones, the same way Tolkien considered LOTR one long book.
To give you guys some context: In the books: At the Battle of Pelennor Fields, Gondor has roughly 7,000 men protecting the city of Minas Tirith and Rohan has 6,000 riders. The Witch-King has as many as 100,000 orcs. Gondor is actually much stronger in the books than they are in the movies. The army of Gondor is actually quite spread out when the siege begins. Aragorn only uses the Army of the Dead to take over the corsair ships and then as they are sailing to Minas Tirith, they stop at several ports and pick up as many Gondorian soldiers as they possibly can. Peter Jackson made the creative decision to make the situation in Minas Tirith more desperate so that when Aragorn arrives, Aragorn arrives as the savior if the city. When Aragorn leads the Army of the Men of the West to the Black Gates, Minas Tirith is not left unprotected. The city is actually even more fortified after the siege than it was before. And the city was only being used as a military garrison, there weren't any civilians left. And as soon as the orcs break down the gates to the city, Rohan arrives. So the orcs don't actually breach the city. When the Oliphaunts arrive at the Battle of Pelennor Fields, Rohan has no choice but to charge head on at them. They can't retreat to the city because then the orcs that they just routed would be able to regroup. And they didn't really have any time to do any flanking because of how fast the oliphaunts were moving. So they did the only thing that they could do and that was take them head on. Plus, they also knew that Aragorn was on his way with reinforcements. So they just had to hold out long enough for Aragorn to arrive. When they march on the Black Gate, they have no idea if Frodo is alive or not. The last news they received was that Frodo was taking the road to the Morgul Vale. And they also knew that Sauron didn't have the ring. So they marched on the Black Gate to distract Sauron on the off chance that Frodo had made it inside Mordor. Sauron also never believed that anyone would try and destroy the ring, so when Aragorn arrives at the Black Gate, Sauron thinks Aragorn has it. Aragorn is a decesdent of the man that cut the ring off of Sauron. That is why Sauron sent his entire army to confront them. Aragorn ends up ruling Gondor for 120 years before dying at 210 years old. During his reign, he and Eomer led Gondor and Rohan on many military quests together. They conquered Corsair, destroyed the Haradrim, and any remnants of the orcs. Aragorn reestablished the Kingdom of Arnor, the shire is basically in the middle of Arnor, and became High King of the Reunited Kingdom. Aragorn also forever banned the race of men from ever entering the shire. After he died, Arwen died 1 year later from a broken heart. Sam went on to become the Thane of the Shire, basically Mayor, serving 7 7-year terms. Nearing his death, he was granted passage to Valinor and was reunited with Frodo, because he was a ring-bearer. Merry and Pippin both became very influential in the Shire, Merry was made a Knight of Rohan, Pippin was made a Knight of Gondor. When both of them died, they were buried next to Aragorn and Arwen. Gimli created a dwarf settlement in the Glittering Caves, the caves behind Helm's Deep where the women and children hid during the battle. Gimli and the dwarves of Erebor rebuilt the Deeping Wall of Helm's Deep, as well as the Gates of Minas Tirith. They rebuilt the gates with mithril. Which is stronger than dragon scales, so they would never be breached again. When Gimli was close to death, Legolis and Gimli built a boat and sailed to Valinor. Faramir ended up marrying Eowen. Aragorn made Faramir a Prince, as well as Steward of Gondor. Eomer becomes King of Rohan and marries the daughter of Prince Imrahil. In the movies Imrahil is the Gondorian with a dark cape and no helmet, he has a couple of speaking lines in ROTK. Imrahil is the Prince of Dol Amroth, which is an important port city south of Minas Tirith. The dwarves of Erebor eventually went on to resettle Khazad-dum. Tolkien envisioned our present day as like the 6th or 7th age of Man. To him, the events of Lord of the Rings happened tens of thousands of years ago. C.S. Lewis, who wrote The Chronicles of Narnia, actually helped Tolkien with creating the Lord of the Rings. Tolkien would regularly talk to Lewis about what he wanted to do in the books and Lewis would give him feedback. And funny enough, C.S. Lewis was the person that convinced Tolkien to become a Christian. I can keep going but this long enough as is. If anyone has more questions, comment and I will respond as quickly as I can.
This is a great summary! I forgot a lot of the details about the battle of Pelennor Fields, and it’s great to see such a concise explanation. However, I do have to correct you on Tolkien and Lewis: C.S. Lewis had become an atheist as a young man, but later found his faith again through his friendship with Tolkien (a lifelong Catholic) and the other Inklings. Tolkien was somewhat infamously annoyed with Lewis when he chose to join the Anglican Church instead of Catholicism. Lewis later on wrote several books of theology from a (highly studied) layman’s perspective, while Tolkien preferred to keep his faith as a private matter (mostly known to us through his letters with colleagues and friends) and as an indirect inspiration for his writings.
Love all of this, one minor correction, it was Tolkien who convinced Lewis to convert. Even dedicated the Screwtape Letters (which I highly recommend) to Tolkien because of his efforts.
1:26:18 He's proud of his daughter and he's also proud of Aragorn. In the books, he was basically his teacher and father figure until he chose exile since he was afraid he would falter as his ancestor did. So he's looking at his former student who finally accepted his fate and saved the world... and his daughter is marrying the most eligible bachelor in middle earth. You are damn right he's proud.
Not defending Denethor, but something skipped or skimmed over in the movies is that Minas Tirith also had one of those black seeing stones that Saruman used to communicate with Sauron. Denethor was influenced in the same way, but he didn't bend the knee like Saruman did. So Sauron broke his will by showing Denethor the full extent of what he was up against. Man lost hope so hard he basically went nuts and started doing everything he could to save his kingdom when he knew it was hopeless.
Came down here to the comments to mention it as well. Not all corruption turns men into evil monsters. Denethor and his line fought against the orcs and defended men for generations, and Sauron eventually broke his iill and made him feel as if he was doomed.
Also, I'm pretty sure Faramir's mother died giving birth to him, so when the worst of Denethor came out, that might be an explanation for all the "Faramir hate."
Also durning a flashback in 2nd movie from farimir showing borimir recapturing the river city. We see denathor tell them that the ring was found and a council on what do to with it was being held in Rivendell. No one told Gondor about that or the secret meeting. He saw/foresaw it from the Palentir. That’s how he actually knew of it and sent his son as a representative.
3:39 i remember hearing that when Sam has the ring in the book, the ring finds no ambition to tempt him with. The best it can come up with is turning Middle Earth into the largest, grandest garden ever, to which Sam decides it sounds nice, but it would be too much work to maintain. I love Sam
That is the single most awesome and hilarious thing to me an all powerful ring connected to an all powerful entity of sorts and all it can tempt samwise with is a massive garden and he's like pfft nah 😂
What’s cool is, Sam actually wears the ring for a time, and it’s the one time Tolkien explores what that’s like, it’s affect on senses and perceptions. There is no flaming eye, but Sam is concealed by rock from Sauron’s line of sight. Sam has enough good sense to take it off before he’s exposed to line of sight from Sauron’s tower.
Straight up denied the temptation that ruined so many, did end up with the greatest and grandest garden in the end, and had a huge family with the love of his life through his devotion and strength.
Yeah, Sam was contemplating Mordor and was like : "all the fire and ash is depressing....this place needs a little of green" and then the Ring went full "USE ME AND THE EARTH SHALL BE YOUR GARDEN". Tolkien then started lore-dumping about Mordor's Southlands, where all the food for Sauron's non-orcs servants where produce.
1:06:13 In all fairness, many today don’t understand the significance of both the Prophecy of the Witch King of Angmar or the Blade obtained at the Burrow Downs that was designed to severe the protective magic of the Witch King and his Burrow Wrights. The seer’s prophecy holds true though in the end either way. A hobbit, a being not of the race of man, severed his protective magic, while a woman delivered the final strike. Granted even an Oliphant falling on him after his protection was broken would’ve fulfilled the prophecy.
It was a very Macbeth-y thing for Tolkien to slip into the story. "No man of woman born," and the deed gets done by a guy who was removed by C-section! Literally 😆
@@kayshinae9023 there was a demon In Hinduism who has a boon where “no man can kill him”. Knowing this, Sri Krishna (who is a god) takes his wife Satyabhama to the battle “to watch”. When Sri Krishna gets knocked unconscious (or he pretends to, I don’t remember exactly) the demon gets killed by Satyabhama. And that’s the lore behind Diwali
One point of correction, the hobbits, while a distinct group in middle earth are still counted among the race of men. There are only 3 groups of humanoid beings, the 2 children of Iluvatar and those he adopted, the Elves, men and the dwarves made by Aulë. Similarly the Orcs are kind of counted among the race of elves, though neither side would much like that statement and they sure don't hold each other akin, although the lore there is a bit murkier. Pippin didn't kill the witch king, as he is a male member of the race of men, though not of the tall men, the prophecy never stated that the witch king wouldn't be made vulnerable by a man, just that he would not be killed by one. While the actual death blow came from a woman.
@@MrGBH Me too! They didn’t have any idea what they were getting into when they literally bumped into Frodo and Sam. But they saw their friends in danger and wanted to help. That’s why the extended versions are so much better because they dive way more into Merry & Pippin’s growth.
So the undying lands is basically heaven(in a really simple way( the gods live there. The reason frodo left was his wound could never fully heal and in the undying lands he could finally be at peace. Sam lived a full life with Rosie until she died, then he traveled to the undying lands himself as he was technically a ring barrier. Merry and pippen were buried next to aragorn and legolas and gimli traveled together on a ship legolas built to the undying lands (the only dwarf to do so i believe)...thank you for coming to my ted talk.
a good succinct way to describe the undying lands is in the Silmarillion: "For it is not the land of Manwë that makes its people deathless, but the Deathless that dwell therein have hallowed the land"
one difference between our heaven and the undying lands however is that also actually alive elves live there and it is still on Earth (Arda), but a place that is not reachable by man or living Noldor-Elves (Galadriel, etc) due to the actions before. Also this heaven is a place for elves to dwell in living and after death specifically. The god of Middle Earth (Eru Illuvatar) designed mankind in a way that their souls actually travel onwards and do not stay in Arda after death.
@@6666Imperator the ban of the noldor was lifted at minimum by the third age. Galadriel is a bit of an edge case, plus she wasn't willing to leave as long as the power of the rings held anyway.
@willowarkan2263 is it? I only heard of cases where they go because they are tired and without intention to going back to Middle Earth once they returned to the undying lands. Unless you factor in Rings of Power, I guess (which I don't). But maybe I overlooked or forgot something thats possible
Eowyn killed the Witch King in the books, too. They go into more detail about the prophecy about his death and why Merry's knife hurt him. The regular cut movie gives zero explanation for that and the extended version gives an explanation but it's a bit different than the books.
The extended doesn’t explain it either. The knife Merry stabs him with was given to him by Tom Bombadil in what seems like a random gift. Turns out it’s the only blade that can break the spells that protect the Witch King allowing Eowyn to kill him.
@@similarrose5811 Yeah, leaving out Tom Bombadil from the movie (which I think was the right call) really made it hard to try to tie Merry's dagger to anything.
I don’t know why, but my favorite bit of lore that comes after this story is Sam’s daughter Elanor. She’s regarded as the fairest and most beautiful of hobbits, so much so that people would often think she was an elf maiden not a hobbit girl. She also becomes personal handmaiden of Queen Arwen. And in this movie little Elanor is played by Alexandra Astin, Sean Astins daughter irl.
Yes to re-watching the series for the extended edition! It's shocking how noticeable the extra scenes are. Thank you all though for giving the series a watch! It's my favorite movies on my favorite reaction channel. It's like I got a christmas present from you, haha.
1:08:05 I love that the first thing Theoden says when he comes out of Saruman’s spell is “I know your face!” And he says it here too. Such beautiful writing
Something that I think is very touching with this story is that one of Tolkien's inspirations was his experience in war and the friends he had. The end of the movie, the hobbits return home but they still carry the weight of everything they've seen and done. The idea that you don't just get to live happily ever after; you're going to be haunted. The movie leaves some stuff out of the books, but I really appreciate them sitting at the table in the pub and the looks they exchange. They have an empty look in their eyes where you know they're somewhere else right now. No words need to be said, you just get it
I read somewhere that Tolkien had a friend who came back with him from the war but later took his own life. Idk if that’s true but if it is, Frodo being unable to find happiness back home and choosing to go to the Undying Lands takes on a whole new tragic light.
Honestly I think the change of the ending from the books to this is one where I'm not sure which I prefer because both are very impactful in different ways. Spoiler for the books With the books you have the hobbits taking everything they learned from their journey and now applying it to save their people. With the movies, as you said, they are gathered together and everything around them back home is the same as when they left but they are themselves changed.
42:02 so if my memory serves me correctly there is a TH-camr that broke down the amount of forces each side had at the battle of Minas Trith. Sauron’s forces had roughly between 75,000 - 95,000 orcs and evil men from the East. Gondor at this time since only had about 5-6k defending the city. They do have way more but Denathor in his despair and delusions refused to raise the rest of his army . If he did it’d be around similar numbers of Sauron’s ( so let’s be generous 80k). Now Rohan has roughly 6-7k Calvary army which is only half of their entire force( thanks to Saruman wreaking havoc in Rohan’s kingdom) So if we add everything up in this current battle here is the total for both sides : Gondor and Rohan: 13k-14k Sauron’s forces :75k to 95k And here’s one more piece of info that’ll really put things into perspective. This is only one battle raging right now . Sauron sent multiple armies to attack all the races of middle earth . The woodland elves(Legolas people were fighting a massive army the dwarves and men of Dale way up North at Erebor ( from the hobbit movies )were facing another huge force. All similar in size to the one happening in this film.
I can't remember where I read it but I recall reading that Saurons army was 10 times the size of the force that attacked Helms Deep so your higher end of 95K sounds correct to me
legitimately, yes!! PLEASE do a rewatch with the extended version! Especially if theres more pausing to discuss the films now that you've all seen it through once recently and can really take the time to digest the themes and life lessons presented.
^ This! He may have fallen to its corruption but so does everyone at the important moment, the ring corrupts absolutely and those who manage to snap out before the end are impressive!
20:55 my family does a marathon of the extended versions every NYE. It’s fucking fire. I’m watching this right now because my wife and I are on a train on vacation. Thank you for this treat.
1:27:25 this is physically the highest point of Gondor, so in this moment those four hobbits quite literally stood taller than anyone in the kingdom, including the king himself.
Its always a treat watching people see the extended editions, the extended loveliness of the hobbits to the everything it does for Boromir. And the heartbreak of Christopher Lee
1:27:53 2 hobbits destroyed the ring and defeated Sauron, 1 was crucial in defeating the Witch King, and the last saved the last of the Steward's line. The last 2 are also the reason Sarumon fell and were the first to charge the armies that came out of the Black Gate
Yes Especially that the extended gives us a satisfying ending to Saruman and Wormtongue as well being an homage to Christopher Lee's Dracula with having him be impaled
Except I feel for his movie the extended edition ruins the pacing and the whole plot with the ghost soldiers. There is no suspense in the final battle because we know they are coming in the extended edition
I really recommend checking out the extra features! The behind-the-scenes production is one of the most well-documented and special things to witness. The comradery and adventure of the film crew is its own movie in its own right. Sometimes I'll go back and just watch the extra features for good vibes.
My mother brought me up on LOTR; we had a dog named Frodo that was born the same day as me. The cartoons are SEARED into my memory. And going to the films in theater, including the world premiere of Return of the King, and even MEETING Andy Serkis, will always be some of the most favorite times in my life. When it came time for Andy to sign my Gollum poster, it was made out to Carol, my mother, and I framed it and gifted it to her for Christmas. Happy Holidays everyone, and thank you for the journey!
What an amazing story. I bet she was over the moon. It isn’t as epic as your story, but my best friend attended a story-telling convention a few months after I graduated. Two of the guest speakers were the Hildebrandt brothers, well known Tolkien artists back in the 70s and 80s. She had them sign a poster for me and told them I’d just graduated with an MA in English and done my thesis on Tolkien. It's a poster of the Unexpected Party from the Hobbit, and one of the brothers signed it to “The Tolkien master.” I’ve got it in a fancy frame in my living room. It still ranks as one of the best gifts I’ve ever received.
@nancyhayes9958 I think you're incorrect! I stuffed some interesting events into a fairly compact blurb, but they don't make my experience any more epic than others'. I think your thesis and mementos sound incredible and meaningful! Nothing I've ever seen or done has gotten me branded as a Tolkien Master! 😄 I'm so glad we all keep finding ways to renew our love of Tolkien.
People thought the i am no man thing was cringy because they didnt really explain the reason why a man cant kill him. The profecy said he would not be killed by a man so he would have always know that he can not be killed by a man. Another thing they dont explain about his death is if it wasnt for merry she wouldnt have been able to kill him. By stabbingg him in the leg with the elvish blade that he was given by galadriel it broke the spell that was keeping him immortal therefore stabbing him in the face would definetly kill him and it was not a man that did it.
Nerdy correction but it's not meant to be the elvish dagger its meant to be the sword aragorn gives him which is meant to be the sword they get from the barrow downs. It's a relic from the kingdom of anor and the dunedain
I know but that's a deeper part of the lore, if you watch the extended version you see him get the dagger so in the peter Jackson interpretation it was the dagger
Orlando Bloom definitely wasn’t a decently known actor when he acted in LOTR. LOTR trilogy was his FIRST movie, right after acting school. He has said in an interview that although he made so little form the trilogy, he’s forever grateful because LOTR basically changed his whole life.
Looking on the official map of Middle Earth, see how far Rohan is from Gondor. Imagine getting stuck with the punishment duty station on top of a mountain, far away from either kingdom, ALWAYS waiting for a beacon fire, to light your own...
The behind the scenes commentary is free on TH-cam and incredible! Peter Jackson really did his best to honor Tolkens story, and its why these films have held up. Loved the reactions!
If for no other reason than to watch their reaction to the scene with the Mouth of Sauron, I NEED to watch them react to the extended edition. It's such a crime that that scene was cut in the theatrical version.
1:37 For Orlando Bloom, it was about $125,000. I don’t remember if that was just for one film or all three, but he was also just starting his filming career.
He’s also said he would do the movies again for half that amount. Also if one considers the amount of money they all made in sheer exposure, it’s *a lot more.* Every person attached to these movies had their careers made by them.
As far as the actors, Sean Aston was definitely well known. He was in the Goonies like 15 years before (Rudy, etc). Orlando Bloom was an unknown…POTC didn’t come out until maybe the same year Return of the King came out? John Rhys-Davies was in Indiana Jones. Bernard Hill had been in Titanic among other things, Liv Tyler was well known. But none were considered a huge box office draw, for sure.
Fun fact after aragons death of old age his friends leave and legolas takes gimli to the undying lands as well making gimli the first dwarf to go to the elves home land and i liked that that both of them stayed with their friend to the end of his days and then went off together
Love that. Even if Gimli only has a couple months before he dies of old age, he's reunited with his Lady. I can see the elves setting up a tiny cemetery for their mortal guests and tending it.
Definitely watch the extended edition. It's a must. Well worth it. Watch all the things LOL. Read the books including The Silmarillion. The Silmarillion is a big book but ut contains so much history and lore. If youre not up for reading it, get the audiobook.
Just for fun, I wanted to share more info about this world and some details about the characters -- After the ring was destroyed: Frodo left Middle Earth, so that he may be fully healed. He was still able to feel the wound on his arm from the sword at the beginning, plus for being the ring-bearer and it nearly consuming him. Aragorn returned Gondor to its former glory, and ruled for 120 years. He had one son and two daughters. He was laid to rest in the House of the Kings in Minas Tirith with Gondor's past rulers and Arwen passed one year later. Gimli became the Lord of the Glittering Caves under Helm's Deep, as it was rich with Mithril. He kept his word to Galadriel, and encased the strands of hair within glass and treasured it. Legolas restored the woodlands of Middle-Earth that were ravaged by the war, along with adventuring with Gimli. After Aragorn's death, Legolas made a ship of his own in Ithilien, and left Middle-Earth to cross the sea to reunite with the rest of the elves in the Undying Lands. Gimli crossed the sea with Legolas, due to his close friendship with the elf, and was the only dwarf that was offered that honor. Samwise married Rosie and had 13 children. He was also elected Mayor of the Shire for seven consecutive seven-year terms (49 years.) Afterwards, Sam was given passage to the Undying Lands to reunite with Frodo, as Samwise was also a Ring-Bearer, even for a short time. Pippin became the 32nd Thane of the Shire, and held that position for 50 years. A Thane is usually the head of a clan. They own the land that their subjects live on. The land is usually granted by a king. I can't remember if Pippin was granted Thane by the Kingdom of Arnor or if they treated the Shire as a separate entity and Thane meant King of The Shire. He had one son named Faramir Took I, who later married Sam's daughter. After he retired as Thane, he traveled to Rohan and Gondor with Merry. He remained there for the rest of his life, and was entombed in the Hall of the Kings, and later moved to be laid to rest alongside Aragorn. Merry was knighted by King Eomer and become Master of Buckland. He married, and wrote a book. He had at least one son. At 102, he returned to Rohan and Gondor with Pippin, dying around the same time as Pippin. He was laid to rest in Gondor with Pippin, and later moved alongside Aragorn.
1:06:00 fun fact-Tolkien wrote Eowyn killing the Witch King as a direct response to his annoyance at Macbeth’s death, about whom it was prophesied that no man from woman born could kill. Tolkien believed it should have been a woman to kill Macbeth and so wrote Eowyn killing the Witch King, whom no man could kill.
That’s not entirely true. Merry made the witch king vulnerable with a enchanted dagger designed to hurt wraiths, literally anyone could’ve killed him at that point it just happened to be eowyn
7:31: He’s explained many times they need a guide. Also, he pities gollum partly because he is afraid that’s what he can become. I think everyone’s also forgetting he looks up to uncle bilbo who spared Gollum. Gandalf told him that bilbo’s pity “may rule the fate of many
26:37 When a feudal lord (king, governor, etc.) went to war back then, you'd follow him or be punished for treason. Those were your only choices. Refusal to fight, or even enlist, would make you a traitor; and for that crime, it was either prison (if you were lucky) or execution.
One of the scenes that didn’t make it into the movies is when Aragorn sees some of his soldiers are terrified to the point of being paralyzed. Rather than force them to continue (or to desert and lose all honor), he gives them an alternate, still important and possibly dangerous mission: free one of the Gondorian cities that has been occupied by Sauron’s troops. It’s still a battle, but they won’t be facing something that will break their minds.
The boat at the end and the elven island is a metaphor that’s actualized in the world of Middle Earth. “Sailing to the West” is the equivalent of they are dying and going to heaven. Basically, Frodo, Bilbo, and Gandalf are being rewarded for their deeds by being allowed into elf heaven. Everyone on that boat was a Ring Bearer. Frodo and Bilbo bore the One Ring, and Elrond, Galadriel and Gandalf bore the Three Rings made for the elves. When it’s his time, Sam will be awarded the same honor since he also bore the One Ring, even if only for a short while. That’s why the other hobbits didn’t know Frodo was leaving. He didn’t tell them “Hey bros, come watch me die and go to heaven.”
The advantage of reading the books, then seeing the films, is that Eowyn killing the Witch King is even better. In the books, someone called Dernhelm takes Merry along, but Merry doesn’t realise who “he” is until just after the Witch King chomps Theoden’s horse.
I am so bummed they didn't watch the extended version. The last scene of Sarumon is one of the best scenes and I was so wanting to see their reactions.
@@Commander_Shepard. I'd include the scene between Gandalf and the Witch King, too, simply because the latter doesn't really do much in the theatrical releases lol
Denethor is a POS, BUT he was corrupted by a Palentir; He wanted to gauge Mordor's army strength and what he saw mortified him. He also lost part of his sanity to his wife's death. What he did to Faramir was terrible, but he was a victim of Sauron's malice. Also Sam was not the first to willingly give up the ring; it was Bilbo, when Gandalf urged him to give it up back in Fellowship. Great reactions and I wish you doods a Happy holidays!
Yeah, Denethor is still a shit dad to Faramir, but his despair and madness is so much more nuanced in the books. But I can understand it being much easier to portray and for audiences to digest to show him just being power hungry and not wanting to give up this throne to rightful king.
Yeah, the Ring didn’t have to work too hard to corrupt him. Gollum is actually the saner aspect of that personality split. He doesn’t fall back on “the Precious made me do it” crap every time he gets called out on being murderous scum. By all means pity Smeagal, but never, ever trust him.
I dunno, to me "We cannot defeat the armies of Mordor." - "No. But we will meet them in battle nonetheless." is so epic. He's being honest with his men. They ride there to save the people they love, most likely at the cost of their lives.
I respect everyone riding for the extended edition in the comments, but how many of us saw the theatrical cut first as well? We all know the extended edition is the best, but let’s still appreciate how great the reaction is to these amazing films 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Would also still gladly watch an extended edition reaction or reaction to anything else LOTR related. There’s also a Lord of the Rings cartoon movie from the same time period as that Hobbit cartoon
Yeah, I watched them as they were first released in theaters (with a year between watches), then bought the DVDs, then the extended Blu Rays. The theatrical versions did whet my appetite to grab the extended versions as soon as they came out. Fine to watch the theatrical versions first - but they are one of the few movies that make you want to learn more so bad that you buy the extendeds (and the books).
So glad you guys finally sat Ruff down to watch this series! Always a pleasure to revisit these movies I knew he'd love them. If you guys have never heard of it you should definitely see minecraft middle earth! It's one of the longest on going minecraft projects that's been in progress for almost 14 years now recreating middle earth in minecraft to scale. It's gorgeous! their website has a photo gallery and the server is open to visitors to explore
"No man can kill me" "I am no man" Tolkien APPARENTLY wrote this plot line because, while reading Macbeth, he thought that the plot twist to "No man born from a woman will ever overpower you" was going to be a, well, a WOMAN killing Macbeth. When it's revealed that the technicality is "i was not BORN of a woman, i was a cesarean" he was pretty disappointed lol. So, he wrote Eowyn's story based on that.
Hearing the discussion of how long to wait between movies makes me giggle. I didnt see the first in theatres. I was 7, and my parents werent sure i was old enough. But my 9 year old sister got to see them and i had FOMO so bad that they relented. I was there for every in theatre moment for all the others - my parents even pulled us from school to watch the day they came out. And every year since then, at least twice, i marathon all 3 extended. When we were in highschool we would host a movie marathon over the summer at our house, showing the films. I remember my younger sister sitting in the floor next to the dvd player, ready to pull the disc out the second side a continued to flip it over. She had it down to a science. Lord of the Rings is interwoven into so much of my childhood and now adulthood.
I read the books when I was 12 in the early 70s, and they literally changed my life. I was so happy when these movies were ao well done and widely loved.
The parallels between Theoden and Denethor are brilliant! They both rule a kingdom of Men, they both lose their firstborn son, they both accept the service of a Hobbit, and they face the same dark forces. But their reactions couldn't be more different!
Sam and Gimli also are allowed to go to the undying lands. Sam because he was a ring bearer for a short time while Frodo was poisoned by Shelob, and Gimli because of the hair strands he received from Galadriel
1:13:00 he almost didn't give the ring because he knows what frodo is becoming and what the ring made him do, not because he wants it for himself, but he doesn't want frodo to suffer
Something a lot of people dont realize is that Sam was so helpful but he would not have been able to carry the ring, because Frodo had this sense of duty that made him push forward while Sam always wanted to hand it off and go back home, it was Sams loyalty to Frodo that led him all the way to Mordor and to be the most badass Hobbit in history
Eowyn and Faramir met in the infirmary at Gondor and eventually got married. The book version had Frodo and his fellow hobbits have to deal with "Sharkey" taking over their Shire. Turns out it was Saruman--banished from Isengard--trying to get himself settled into the Shire as a new overlord. He was eventually fatally stabbed by Wormwood. The extended cut had a different interpretation of Saruman's death. I hope you guys get to watch the Hobbit trilogy next.
1:06:00 The sad part of the "I am no man" line, it was in the book, from 1955 lol So moviegoers seeing it 50 years later needed to chill. Tolkien was a G
Sam deserves ALL of the praise he gets, but I always feel Frodo doesn't get enough. Granted, we never hear an internal monologue, so there's only so much to pick up on a cursory watch, but the Ring was a physical, emotional, and mental weight; for him to make it as far as he did, (yes with Sam's, Gollum's, and Smeagol's help) is a testament to his fortitude. Tolkien has stated that no living being could have dropped the Ring at that point in Mt. Doom, where the Ring's will was at its absolute strongest and most desperate. From a movie standpoint, it even shows Sam briefly struggling to hand the Ring back after having it no more than an hour, in an attempt to showcase just how powerful it had become.
Frodo is epic, partly because he doesn’t get his HEA in the Shire. There’s no earthly comfort for enduring that kind of mental and spiritual trauma, and I wouldn’t be too surprised if Frodo knew the quest would cost him everything, but he kept on going. He did what no one else could.
You HAVE to watch the extended versions. It's not just "Oh, more content, yay", the story makes more sense, the scenes make more sense, so much more is explained, and you miss some EPIC moments. Frankly, I don't get why you didn't watch them from the get go!!!
MERRY F*CKING CHRISTMAS. I'm about to finish up cooking my Christmas dinner for one, and this is exactly what I needed to have to watch while I eat- hope everyone in the reaction community has a great start to the new year.
1:13:02 I think the look Sam gives Frodo is hesitation but not for his personal desire, when presenting the ring Sam could see how influenced by the ring his dear friend had become.
The story behind the undying lands. The undying lands is basically elf heaven. Elves can’t really die, (unless they fade which is a whole thing), they get reincarnated into the undying lands. However they can also just leave for the undying lands (really complicated but shorthand). Non-elves aren’t allowed, but for Frodo and bilbo, they had poison in their mind from the ring that would never heal, and going to the dying lands would basically heal that poison (for Frodo the knife wound from the first movie especially would never heal and always be poisoning him). They are not immortal but will basically pass peacefully of without pain. Now Arwen is interesting because by choosing to stay (because she is actually half elf), she is giving up immortality and will never be allowed to go to the undying lands. She will die a mortal and not reincarnate. Which is why Elrond didn’t want her to stay.
Fun fact, the Will of the Ring is so strong that there’s not a single individual in Middle Earth, aside from MAYBE Tom Bombadill, who could throw it into the fire. So it didn’t matter who had it or what they’d done before. If they bring it to Mount Doom, the Ring WILL stop them
Cousin, not brother.So, you figured out "the eyes"? Dilated for Smeagol, pinpoint for Gollum 🙂It may help to understand Denethor to know that his beloved wife died giving birth to Faramir.
Fun fact, before there was a sun and moon in middle earth there were 2 big trees that acted as the sun and moon, and that spider things mom ate both of those trees
1:24:04 Apparently it depends on the type of lava. There is volcano in the world that has “cold” lava, because it is comprised mostly of a different mineral base. I believe it is in Africa. A tour guide had fallen in and was able to actually clamber out and live. The temperature was about what you’d experience working near blast furnaces or forges.
"An accident last August highlights the hazards of summit access. On his 21 August 2007 ascent, Chris Weber's group evacuated a local Maasai porter who had fallen into an active lava flow (around 500°C) in the crater. The porter had managed to get out of the lava, but with both legs and one arm seriously burned. Initial treatment at an Arusha hospital was financed by Weber's tour company. As of January 2008 he was bedridden in his home near Engare Sero, experiencing pain and muscle wasting." It was Carbonatic lava, the "coolest" of the lavas 😎
Keep in mind the last time Frodo saw Gandalf, he died in Moria. And he and Sam accepted they were going to die on the volcano. So the first thing he probably thought was "either I'm dead and this is the afterlife or I'm hallucinating"
Dude, seriously, if I woke up after all that and the first thing I lay eyes on is the one guy I thought was dead you'd have a hard time convincing me I wasn't dead myself.
14:20 A youtube channel called AWE Me actually talks about the reforging and how it wouldn't be strong this way. But also, its the elves, it can be chalked up to magical sorcery
The sad part about Elrond is that he's a half-elf as well. All Elves are immortal...even at death they return to the Halls of Mandos to await rebirth. They're an old, tired race but they're always promised a chance to reunite with loved ones. Half-Elves are different because they're given a choice to either live a mortal life and die a mortal death or live an eternal life. Elrond's brother chose the mortal path and he's suffered a lot of death over the years. He knows that Arwen choosing mortality means he will never, ever see her again. She'll never see her mother again (Celebrian who sailed to the West long ago) or either of her brothers, Elladan or Elrohir. It's tough, but a lot of the reason he acts hard is thousands of years of grief.
So... Sam hesitating to give the ring to Frodo IS NOT him feeling the ring's temptation or whatever, it is him finally reuniting with his friend who he has seen being driven mad by the ring and he knows giving it back will only make it worse. He does not hesitate because he desires the ring, he hesitates because of his desire to not see Frodo driven any more mad.
I don't remember a single person complaining about Eowyn. I do remember after The Fellowship some people were unhappy with Arwen riding with Frodo to Rivendell and the whole river magic because it was a different character in the book (one that does not appear in the movies at all, I think), so you could hear stuff like "yeah, they had to give the girl some action scenes" and crap like that. But Eowyn's killing Wraith King because she was no man, that's 100% faithful to the source material. Not a single person had issue with that. Also, I love how the whole thing was basically Tolkien improving on Shakespeare XD
There is a rumour that Peter Jackson and other members of the OG trilogy production team want to make a new Lord of the Rings trilogy during the time where the Witch King of Angmar was dominating the northern kingdoms.
I always thought Smeagol and Deagol had to be brothers, but apparently, their relationship was never clarified. They may have just been close friends or cousins, named similarly by parents who knew each other. Tolkien never quite fleshed that bit out.
Just some info: Frodo and Bilbo were the first to go to the undying islands mainly because they were the ringbearer's the longest and neither of them would've found peace in middle earth but eventually everyone from the fellowship save Aragorn Pippin and Merry went to the undying lands: Sam was able to go when he got old enough because even though it was brief he did bear the ring and fought off it's temptation and Gimli went because Legolas invited him out of their strong friendship after Aragorn's death making him the only dwarf to ever go there ....apparently Merry and Pippin moved to Gondor at some point and were highly respected
Sean Astin had been an actor since he was kid in the 80's. Historical note on the actor's commentary track for Goonies, Sean disappears half way through it, and at one point the other people wonder where he is. He had ducked out of the room to take the call about getting the role of Sam.
Aragorn and Arwen are the third joining of Númenóreans (the most noble race of Men) and Elves. In Lord of the Rings, Númenóreans had significantly longer lifespans than regular men, often living for around 3 times as long, while Elves are considered essentially immortal. While Elves can live for thousands of years, the Númenórean could live hundreds of years, with some roayl lifespans reaching closer to 400-500 years. The ancestors of the Númenóreans, were close allies of the Elves during the First Age; fighting alongside them against Morgoth (Sauron's master). The first King of Númenor, was half-elven, giving the Númenórean lineage a trace of Elvish blood. His father was a great human hero of the First Age and his mother was an elf princess. In the second age, the human Beren wed the elvish Lúthien (their stories are told in the Silmarillion). The second age ended when Morgoth's general, Sauron (first identified as a Necromancer) appeared and eventually had his body destroyed (seen in LoTR movies) The third age ends when Sauron's spirit is destroyed with the destruction of the one ring, the crowning of Aaragorn, and the marriage of Aragorn to Arwen. Gondor is what remains of the ancient Numenorean kingdom. The white tree of Minis Tirith mirrors the white tree of life in the Undying Lands which Morgoth destroyed in the first age. When all good in the world is gone, the white tree dies and only evil will remain.
There is plenty that happened after this. The Undying Lands are usually reserved for dieties and elves, however very few non-elves were permitted passage. Bilbo and Frodo were ringbearers, and Frodo hasn't healed fully from his wound from the first movie, and they were permitted passage to heal from the ring's influence. There was one more battle, and it was to liberate the Shire after Wormtongue took over. Sam married Rosie and had 13 children, and was elected Mayor of the Shire for almost 40 years. He passed the Book of the Hobbit to his children, and he was given passage on a ship tot he Undying Lands to be reunited with Frodo, as he was a ringbearer for a short while. Aragorn begame King Elissar and ruled for 122 years until his death at age 210. Arwen passed a year after. Merry and Pippin returned to the Shire, but they still travelled to both Gondor and Rohan. They were buried in each respective kingdom until Aragorn's passing, in which they were entombed alongside him. Gimli became Lord of the Glittering Caves - a large cave in the back of Minas Tirith (where the civilians took shelter during the battle) as it was revealed to contain a massive deposit of Mithril. He went on adventures with Legolas for many years. When Legolas boarded the final ship tot he Undying Lands, Gimli was also permitted passage, due to his close friendship with Legolas, along with the blessing that Lady Galadriel gave him when they first met.
Helm’s Deep is where the glittering caves are. I love it that Gimli takes Legolas to the glittering caves and Legolas takes him back to Famgorn after the war is over. Talk about the ultimate riad trip.
Oh, they're best buds for sure. Gimli is labelled as "Elf Friend" not only because of his friendship with Legolas, but also because of the blessing of Galadriel and her gift to him. Way back, long before Lord of the Rings or even the creation of the rings, an elf named Feanor created the Silmarils (the gems that were used in the three Elven Rings of power.) It was said that the inspiration for these gems came from Galadriel's shining silver-gold hair. Feanor begged Galadriel THREE times for a single strand of her beautiful hair, and each time Galadriel refused. Even at a young age, she had an unsurpssed ability to see into the hearts of others, and in Feanor's she only saw fire and greed. Back to when Galadriel gave her gifts to the Fellowship, she had nothing for Gimli since she didn't know what to give a dwarf. Gimli, who was also struck by Galadriel's beauty, told her no gold, and no treasure. He only wished for a single strand of her hair to remember her beauty by. She gives him THREE. That's why Gimli is named Elf Friend. Galadriel looked at Gimli and saw into his heart, and saw that he deserved what she refused the greatest elf who lived three times over. Gimli has no idea of the significance of the item that was given to him, but he encases those three hairs in crystal, preserving them as a symbol of the friendship between Elves and Dwarves, and to remind him of her beauty. And if you look during the scene in which he talk to Legolas about the gift he received, you can see Legolas smiling. He KNOWS the story between Galadriel and Feanor, and he realizes that Elves and Dwarves CAN be friends.
![The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King [EXTENDED CUT] | First time Watching | REACTION](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/L11EADPWLfo/mqdefault.jpg)
No one who read the books complained about Eowyn killing the Witch King. It was earned, and it is straight from the books. We freaking cheered.
Ye it's weird hearing ppl complain about that
Exactly. I don't remember anyone complaining at all. (Is this guy even old enough to be old enough when it came out to know?)
her hand gets burned just like marys doubt it has anything to do with being a man or woman more like just no one ever had the opportunity to try 🤷♂️
That scene was definitely in the books. Whoever called that badass scene "woke" (then and now) never read the books.
@@chilibreath The term "woke" wasn't around back then, either; I think the parlance of the day would have been "SJW" or something. At any rate, I don't actually remember it being a huge deal. All the book fans were HYPED to see that scene in the movies. The only drawback is that due to some of the things the films cut, you don't get the full story about that prophecy re. who can and can't kill the Witch King. But again, all the LOTR fans watching the movie knew and anticipated it.
I believe Bernard Hill (Theoden) said that riding up a line of spears with his sword and shouting ‘Death!’ at the top of his lungs was the highlight of his career!
Rest in Peace King.
Apparently it was also really hard, because Bernard Hill was a leftie but he had to use his right hand for the sword thing.
I love the addition of shouting "death", because thats exactly what Sauron uses to hold power over men; the fear of death. He's twisted Erus Gift into something to be feared, but by embracing it and yelling "death" at Saurons army, they're showing them he holds no power over them, and they accept it as the gift it was meant to be.
Its like they're shedding his power over men thats lingered for ages. Its really an excellent touch
It's definitely better than crashing a cruise liner into an iceberg.
He had to get a new sword after that moment because he broke one of them
Every Orc extra actor, was allowed to completely customize their appearance, given tables of random props.
That's awesome
amazing. Makes me want to be an orc extra.
Did the random props also include: 🕶🦺🧦👜🩴👠👒💄🎷🎤🪕☎📠💾 etc. ?
3:48 The ring actually did try to tempt Sam but it was offering him the biggest garden in Middle Earth (or something along those lines), and Sam’s like “I cant maintain that!😅”
Sam stays winning
Sam’s laziness out here saving the world.
He's just being realistic lol@@roxtechs
@@roxtechs unironically yes. The Ring focuses on temptations and desires. Hobbits are ideal bearers because they’re a lot more chill than men, elves, dwarves etc.
@@SpiralSine6 The Ring: "I will give you all you ever desired...."
Hobbits: "I'm already eating second breakfast bro, I'm good."
I will die on the hill that this is the greatest trilogy ever made. I've watched hundreds of reactions to these films and it never gets old seeing someone new enjoy their magic.
You will not die alone brother, right there with you.
Yeah, for sure.
It is the most complete and consistent trilogy. You could pick any movie and make valid arguments to why it's the best one out of the three.
Very easy hill to defend. I've said the same thing myself many times before.
@@IdocarebutIdont It’s because Jackson’s filming all three at once makes it feel like an extremely long 11-hr movie rather than three shorter ones, the same way Tolkien considered LOTR one long book.
the extended editions are a MUST watch. i, personally, would watch them if you uploaded them to youtube.
Same
Same same
Same same same
Same same same same
Yes, they need to!
To give you guys some context:
In the books:
At the Battle of Pelennor Fields, Gondor has roughly 7,000 men protecting the city of Minas Tirith and Rohan has 6,000 riders. The Witch-King has as many as 100,000 orcs. Gondor is actually much stronger in the books than they are in the movies. The army of Gondor is actually quite spread out when the siege begins. Aragorn only uses the Army of the Dead to take over the corsair ships and then as they are sailing to Minas Tirith, they stop at several ports and pick up as many Gondorian soldiers as they possibly can. Peter Jackson made the creative decision to make the situation in Minas Tirith more desperate so that when Aragorn arrives, Aragorn arrives as the savior if the city.
When Aragorn leads the Army of the Men of the West to the Black Gates, Minas Tirith is not left unprotected. The city is actually even more fortified after the siege than it was before. And the city was only being used as a military garrison, there weren't any civilians left. And as soon as the orcs break down the gates to the city, Rohan arrives. So the orcs don't actually breach the city.
When the Oliphaunts arrive at the Battle of Pelennor Fields, Rohan has no choice but to charge head on at them. They can't retreat to the city because then the orcs that they just routed would be able to regroup. And they didn't really have any time to do any flanking because of how fast the oliphaunts were moving. So they did the only thing that they could do and that was take them head on. Plus, they also knew that Aragorn was on his way with reinforcements. So they just had to hold out long enough for Aragorn to arrive.
When they march on the Black Gate, they have no idea if Frodo is alive or not. The last news they received was that Frodo was taking the road to the Morgul Vale. And they also knew that Sauron didn't have the ring. So they marched on the Black Gate to distract Sauron on the off chance that Frodo had made it inside Mordor. Sauron also never believed that anyone would try and destroy the ring, so when Aragorn arrives at the Black Gate, Sauron thinks Aragorn has it. Aragorn is a decesdent of the man that cut the ring off of Sauron. That is why Sauron sent his entire army to confront them.
Aragorn ends up ruling Gondor for 120 years before dying at 210 years old. During his reign, he and Eomer led Gondor and Rohan on many military quests together. They conquered Corsair, destroyed the Haradrim, and any remnants of the orcs. Aragorn reestablished the Kingdom of Arnor, the shire is basically in the middle of Arnor, and became High King of the Reunited Kingdom. Aragorn also forever banned the race of men from ever entering the shire. After he died, Arwen died 1 year later from a broken heart.
Sam went on to become the Thane of the Shire, basically Mayor, serving 7 7-year terms. Nearing his death, he was granted passage to Valinor and was reunited with Frodo, because he was a ring-bearer. Merry and Pippin both became very influential in the Shire, Merry was made a Knight of Rohan, Pippin was made a Knight of Gondor. When both of them died, they were buried next to Aragorn and Arwen. Gimli created a dwarf settlement in the Glittering Caves, the caves behind Helm's Deep where the women and children hid during the battle. Gimli and the dwarves of Erebor rebuilt the Deeping Wall of Helm's Deep, as well as the Gates of Minas Tirith. They rebuilt the gates with mithril. Which is stronger than dragon scales, so they would never be breached again. When Gimli was close to death, Legolis and Gimli built a boat and sailed to Valinor. Faramir ended up marrying Eowen. Aragorn made Faramir a Prince, as well as Steward of Gondor. Eomer becomes King of Rohan and marries the daughter of Prince Imrahil. In the movies Imrahil is the Gondorian with a dark cape and no helmet, he has a couple of speaking lines in ROTK. Imrahil is the Prince of Dol Amroth, which is an important port city south of Minas Tirith. The dwarves of Erebor eventually went on to resettle Khazad-dum.
Tolkien envisioned our present day as like the 6th or 7th age of Man. To him, the events of Lord of the Rings happened tens of thousands of years ago. C.S. Lewis, who wrote The Chronicles of Narnia, actually helped Tolkien with creating the Lord of the Rings. Tolkien would regularly talk to Lewis about what he wanted to do in the books and Lewis would give him feedback. And funny enough, C.S. Lewis was the person that convinced Tolkien to become a Christian.
I can keep going but this long enough as is. If anyone has more questions, comment and I will respond as quickly as I can.
This is a great summary! I forgot a lot of the details about the battle of Pelennor Fields, and it’s great to see such a concise explanation.
However, I do have to correct you on Tolkien and Lewis: C.S. Lewis had become an atheist as a young man, but later found his faith again through his friendship with Tolkien (a lifelong Catholic) and the other Inklings. Tolkien was somewhat infamously annoyed with Lewis when he chose to join the Anglican Church instead of Catholicism.
Lewis later on wrote several books of theology from a (highly studied) layman’s perspective, while Tolkien preferred to keep his faith as a private matter (mostly known to us through his letters with colleagues and friends) and as an indirect inspiration for his writings.
Commenting to read tomorrow in the morning
Love all of this, one minor correction, it was Tolkien who convinced Lewis to convert. Even dedicated the Screwtape Letters (which I highly recommend) to Tolkien because of his efforts.
1:26:18 He's proud of his daughter and he's also proud of Aragorn. In the books, he was basically his teacher and father figure until he chose exile since he was afraid he would falter as his ancestor did. So he's looking at his former student who finally accepted his fate and saved the world... and his daughter is marrying the most eligible bachelor in middle earth. You are damn right he's proud.
Not defending Denethor, but something skipped or skimmed over in the movies is that Minas Tirith also had one of those black seeing stones that Saruman used to communicate with Sauron. Denethor was influenced in the same way, but he didn't bend the knee like Saruman did. So Sauron broke his will by showing Denethor the full extent of what he was up against. Man lost hope so hard he basically went nuts and started doing everything he could to save his kingdom when he knew it was hopeless.
Came down here to the comments to mention it as well. Not all corruption turns men into evil monsters. Denethor and his line fought against the orcs and defended men for generations, and Sauron eventually broke his iill and made him feel as if he was doomed.
Also, I'm pretty sure Faramir's mother died giving birth to him, so when the worst of Denethor came out, that might be an explanation for all the "Faramir hate."
Palentir is the name of it.
Denethor and his line also led the city and kingdom after the last king rode out to duel the Witchking, never to return.
Also durning a flashback in 2nd movie from farimir showing borimir recapturing the river city. We see denathor tell them that the ring was found and a council on what do to with it was being held in Rivendell. No one told Gondor about that or the secret meeting. He saw/foresaw it from the Palentir. That’s how he actually knew of it and sent his son as a representative.
3:39 i remember hearing that when Sam has the ring in the book, the ring finds no ambition to tempt him with. The best it can come up with is turning Middle Earth into the largest, grandest garden ever, to which Sam decides it sounds nice, but it would be too much work to maintain. I love Sam
God I need to read the books. That sounds amazing. 😂
That is the single most awesome and hilarious thing to me an all powerful ring connected to an all powerful entity of sorts and all it can tempt samwise with is a massive garden and he's like pfft nah 😂
What’s cool is, Sam actually wears the ring for a time, and it’s the one time Tolkien explores what that’s like, it’s affect on senses and perceptions. There is no flaming eye, but Sam is concealed by rock from Sauron’s line of sight. Sam has enough good sense to take it off before he’s exposed to line of sight from Sauron’s tower.
Straight up denied the temptation that ruined so many, did end up with the greatest and grandest garden in the end, and had a huge family with the love of his life through his devotion and strength.
Yeah, Sam was contemplating Mordor and was like : "all the fire and ash is depressing....this place needs a little of green" and then the Ring went full "USE ME AND THE EARTH SHALL BE YOUR GARDEN".
Tolkien then started lore-dumping about Mordor's Southlands, where all the food for Sauron's non-orcs servants where produce.
1:06:13 In all fairness, many today don’t understand the significance of both the Prophecy of the Witch King of Angmar or the Blade obtained at the Burrow Downs that was designed to severe the protective magic of the Witch King and his Burrow Wrights. The seer’s prophecy holds true though in the end either way. A hobbit, a being not of the race of man, severed his protective magic, while a woman delivered the final strike. Granted even an Oliphant falling on him after his protection was broken would’ve fulfilled the prophecy.
It was a very Macbeth-y thing for Tolkien to slip into the story. "No man of woman born," and the deed gets done by a guy who was removed by C-section! Literally 😆
@@kayshinae9023 Both this and the Ents/Hurons were because Tolkien was disappointed with how Macbeth did "no man of woman born" and "walking trees".
Beat me to it lol
@@kayshinae9023 there was a demon In Hinduism who has a boon where “no man can kill him”. Knowing this, Sri Krishna (who is a god) takes his wife Satyabhama to the battle “to watch”. When Sri Krishna gets knocked unconscious (or he pretends to, I don’t remember exactly) the demon gets killed by Satyabhama. And that’s the lore behind Diwali
One point of correction, the hobbits, while a distinct group in middle earth are still counted among the race of men. There are only 3 groups of humanoid beings, the 2 children of Iluvatar and those he adopted, the Elves, men and the dwarves made by Aulë. Similarly the Orcs are kind of counted among the race of elves, though neither side would much like that statement and they sure don't hold each other akin, although the lore there is a bit murkier.
Pippin didn't kill the witch king, as he is a male member of the race of men, though not of the tall men, the prophecy never stated that the witch king wouldn't be made vulnerable by a man, just that he would not be killed by one. While the actual death blow came from a woman.
Merry and Pippin's growth from foolish adventurers to respected heroes may be my favourite part of these movies.
@@MrGBH Me too! They didn’t have any idea what they were getting into when they literally bumped into Frodo and Sam. But they saw their friends in danger and wanted to help. That’s why the extended versions are so much better because they dive way more into Merry & Pippin’s growth.
So the undying lands is basically heaven(in a really simple way( the gods live there. The reason frodo left was his wound could never fully heal and in the undying lands he could finally be at peace. Sam lived a full life with Rosie until she died, then he traveled to the undying lands himself as he was technically a ring barrier. Merry and pippen were buried next to aragorn and legolas and gimli traveled together on a ship legolas built to the undying lands (the only dwarf to do so i believe)...thank you for coming to my ted talk.
a good succinct way to describe the undying lands is in the Silmarillion: "For it is not the land of Manwë that makes its people deathless, but the Deathless that dwell therein have hallowed the land"
Hope the homies see this one for the complete closure
one difference between our heaven and the undying lands however is that also actually alive elves live there and it is still on Earth (Arda), but a place that is not reachable by man or living Noldor-Elves (Galadriel, etc) due to the actions before. Also this heaven is a place for elves to dwell in living and after death specifically. The god of Middle Earth (Eru Illuvatar) designed mankind in a way that their souls actually travel onwards and do not stay in Arda after death.
@@6666Imperator the ban of the noldor was lifted at minimum by the third age. Galadriel is a bit of an edge case, plus she wasn't willing to leave as long as the power of the rings held anyway.
@willowarkan2263 is it? I only heard of cases where they go because they are tired and without intention to going back to Middle Earth once they returned to the undying lands. Unless you factor in Rings of Power, I guess (which I don't). But maybe I overlooked or forgot something thats possible
Eowyn killed the Witch King in the books, too. They go into more detail about the prophecy about his death and why Merry's knife hurt him. The regular cut movie gives zero explanation for that and the extended version gives an explanation but it's a bit different than the books.
The extended doesn’t explain it either. The knife Merry stabs him with was given to him by Tom Bombadil in what seems like a random gift. Turns out it’s the only blade that can break the spells that protect the Witch King allowing Eowyn to kill him.
@@similarrose5811and you have to read the books to get that explanation. Which I should probably do. lol.
@@similarrose5811 Yeah, leaving out Tom Bombadil from the movie (which I think was the right call) really made it hard to try to tie Merry's dagger to anything.
10:50
Bad news: Sauron knows everything Pippin knows
Good news: Pippin doesn't know shit. XD
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Lmao 😂💀
I don’t know why, but my favorite bit of lore that comes after this story is Sam’s daughter Elanor. She’s regarded as the fairest and most beautiful of hobbits, so much so that people would often think she was an elf maiden not a hobbit girl. She also becomes personal handmaiden of Queen Arwen. And in this movie little Elanor is played by Alexandra Astin, Sean Astins daughter irl.
Yes to re-watching the series for the extended edition! It's shocking how noticeable the extra scenes are. Thank you all though for giving the series a watch! It's my favorite movies on my favorite reaction channel. It's like I got a christmas present from you, haha.
I’m so here for that. I love showing people the extended version to people who haven’t experienced it ❤. Please
1:08:05 I love that the first thing Theoden says when he comes out of Saruman’s spell is “I know your face!” And he says it here too. Such beautiful writing
Something that I think is very touching with this story is that one of Tolkien's inspirations was his experience in war and the friends he had. The end of the movie, the hobbits return home but they still carry the weight of everything they've seen and done. The idea that you don't just get to live happily ever after; you're going to be haunted. The movie leaves some stuff out of the books, but I really appreciate them sitting at the table in the pub and the looks they exchange. They have an empty look in their eyes where you know they're somewhere else right now. No words need to be said, you just get it
It’s such a touching tribute to those veterans who don’t die but never quite make it back.
I read somewhere that Tolkien had a friend who came back with him from the war but later took his own life. Idk if that’s true but if it is, Frodo being unable to find happiness back home and choosing to go to the Undying Lands takes on a whole new tragic light.
Honestly I think the change of the ending from the books to this is one where I'm not sure which I prefer because both are very impactful in different ways. Spoiler for the books
With the books you have the hobbits taking everything they learned from their journey and now applying it to save their people. With the movies, as you said, they are gathered together and everything around them back home is the same as when they left but they are themselves changed.
42:02 so if my memory serves me correctly there is a TH-camr that broke down the amount of forces each side had at the battle of Minas Trith. Sauron’s forces had roughly between 75,000 - 95,000 orcs and evil men from the East. Gondor at this time since only had about 5-6k defending the city. They do have way more but Denathor in his despair and delusions refused to raise the rest of his army . If he did it’d be around similar numbers of Sauron’s ( so let’s be generous 80k).
Now Rohan has roughly 6-7k Calvary army which is only half of their entire force( thanks to Saruman wreaking havoc in Rohan’s kingdom)
So if we add everything up in this current battle here is the total for both sides :
Gondor and Rohan:
13k-14k
Sauron’s forces :75k to 95k
And here’s one more piece of info that’ll really put things into perspective.
This is only one battle raging right now . Sauron sent multiple armies to attack all the races of middle earth .
The woodland elves(Legolas people were fighting a massive army the dwarves and men of Dale way up North at Erebor ( from the hobbit movies )were facing another huge force. All similar in size to the one happening in this film.
I can't remember where I read it but I recall reading that Saurons army was 10 times the size of the force that attacked Helms Deep so your higher end of 95K sounds correct to me
And wasn’t there a battle going near Lorien also?
@ I believe so . I know Galadriel led that one and leveled Dol goldur
I will be more and I mean MORE than happy to see you rewatch it in extended. Plus I rewatch them all the time
Return of the King swept the Oscars for the entire trilogy.
Back when oscars werent an open scam.
Like duh they could just look this stuff up IN the video.
nominated for 11 and won 11 including Best Picture
@@nathanielreik6617 Yes, and I remember the Oscars saying the other two should have swept them as well. They wanted to wait for the third film.
legitimately, yes!! PLEASE do a rewatch with the extended version! Especially if theres more pausing to discuss the films now that you've all seen it through once recently and can really take the time to digest the themes and life lessons presented.
Sam was not the only person to hold the ring and give it back to Frodo. Boromir did that too
^ This! He may have fallen to its corruption but so does everyone at the important moment, the ring corrupts absolutely and those who manage to snap out before the end are impressive!
@@gloomygloomstalker3878and then theres tom.
@ we don’t talk about Tom here, mans is an enigma XD
I ALWAYS bring that up when I watch this with someone that hasn’t seen it before. It’s important lol
Only in the movies, though.
(An obviously Bilbo passed the ring on to Frodo, as well.)
20:55 my family does a marathon of the extended versions every NYE.
It’s fucking fire.
I’m watching this right now because my wife and I are on a train on vacation.
Thank you for this treat.
1:27:25 this is physically the highest point of Gondor, so in this moment those four hobbits quite literally stood taller than anyone in the kingdom, including the king himself.
Its always a treat watching people see the extended editions, the extended loveliness of the hobbits to the everything it does for Boromir.
And the heartbreak of Christopher Lee
1:27:53 2 hobbits destroyed the ring and defeated Sauron, 1 was crucial in defeating the Witch King, and the last saved the last of the Steward's line. The last 2 are also the reason Sarumon fell and were the first to charge the armies that came out of the Black Gate
Pippin also has a kill assist on Gandalf.
@jacobbosecker6916 which was essential for Gandalf to become powerful enough to defeat Saruman
I always think im gonna get through return of the king without crying then i get hit with 'you bow to no one' and the end. Everytime.
Mine is “I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you.”
The bowing line triggers a flashback to the entire trilogy somehow then causes tears.
The extended editions are ,to me, THE definitive edition. It adds SO MUCH LORE and context to characters.
Yes
Especially that the extended gives us a satisfying ending to Saruman and Wormtongue as well being an homage to Christopher Lee's Dracula with having him be impaled
Except I feel for his movie the extended edition ruins the pacing and the whole plot with the ghost soldiers. There is no suspense in the final battle because we know they are coming in the extended edition
Yeah, the extended ruins the pacing and spoils a lot of the great moments. Theyre nice for a rewatch tho
After I watched the extended editions including the hobbit I refuse to go back to theatrical
I prefer the theatrical editions because they keep a better flow of pace.
I really recommend checking out the extra features! The behind-the-scenes production is one of the most well-documented and special things to witness.
The comradery and adventure of the film crew is its own movie in its own right. Sometimes I'll go back and just watch the extra features for good vibes.
My mother brought me up on LOTR; we had a dog named Frodo that was born the same day as me. The cartoons are SEARED into my memory. And going to the films in theater, including the world premiere of Return of the King, and even MEETING Andy Serkis, will always be some of the most favorite times in my life. When it came time for Andy to sign my Gollum poster, it was made out to Carol, my mother, and I framed it and gifted it to her for Christmas. Happy Holidays everyone, and thank you for the journey!
What an amazing story. I bet she was over the moon. It isn’t as epic as your story, but my best friend attended a story-telling convention a few months after I graduated. Two of the guest speakers were the Hildebrandt brothers, well known Tolkien artists back in the 70s and 80s. She had them sign a poster for me and told them I’d just graduated with an MA in English and done my thesis on Tolkien. It's a poster of the Unexpected Party from the Hobbit, and one of the brothers signed it to “The Tolkien master.” I’ve got it in a fancy frame in my living room. It still ranks as one of the best gifts I’ve ever received.
@nancyhayes9958 I think you're incorrect! I stuffed some interesting events into a fairly compact blurb, but they don't make my experience any more epic than others'. I think your thesis and mementos sound incredible and meaningful! Nothing I've ever seen or done has gotten me branded as a Tolkien Master! 😄 I'm so glad we all keep finding ways to renew our love of Tolkien.
People thought the i am no man thing was cringy because they didnt really explain the reason why a man cant kill him. The profecy said he would not be killed by a man so he would have always know that he can not be killed by a man. Another thing they dont explain about his death is if it wasnt for merry she wouldnt have been able to kill him. By stabbingg him in the leg with the elvish blade that he was given by galadriel it broke the spell that was keeping him immortal therefore stabbing him in the face would definetly kill him and it was not a man that did it.
ppl should not yap theirs gums if they are to lazy to atleast google this if not read books
Nerdy correction but it's not meant to be the elvish dagger its meant to be the sword aragorn gives him which is meant to be the sword they get from the barrow downs. It's a relic from the kingdom of anor and the dunedain
I know but that's a deeper part of the lore, if you watch the extended version you see him get the dagger so in the peter Jackson interpretation it was the dagger
@@ArturZmienko well all this information isn't in the lord of the rings trilogy books you need to dive deep to know the whole story
No, they hate women. Stop trying to sugar coat it.
People who cry "woke" do not care about nerdy sword magic explanations
Orlando Bloom definitely wasn’t a decently known actor when he acted in LOTR. LOTR trilogy was his FIRST movie, right after acting school. He has said in an interview that although he made so little form the trilogy, he’s forever grateful because LOTR basically changed his whole life.
Looking on the official map of Middle Earth, see how far Rohan is from Gondor. Imagine getting stuck with the punishment duty station on top of a mountain, far away from either kingdom, ALWAYS waiting for a beacon fire, to light your own...
The behind the scenes commentary is free on TH-cam and incredible! Peter Jackson really did his best to honor Tolkens story, and its why these films have held up. Loved the reactions!
If for no other reason than to watch their reaction to the scene with the Mouth of Sauron, I NEED to watch them react to the extended edition. It's such a crime that that scene was cut in the theatrical version.
Saruman’s scene is worst for me
1:37 For Orlando Bloom, it was about $125,000. I don’t remember if that was just for one film or all three, but he was also just starting his filming career.
He’s also said he would do the movies again for half that amount. Also if one considers the amount of money they all made in sheer exposure, it’s *a lot more.* Every person attached to these movies had their careers made by them.
As far as the actors, Sean Aston was definitely well known. He was in the Goonies like 15 years before (Rudy, etc). Orlando Bloom was an unknown…POTC didn’t come out until maybe the same year Return of the King came out? John Rhys-Davies was in Indiana Jones. Bernard Hill had been in Titanic among other things, Liv Tyler was well known. But none were considered a huge box office draw, for sure.
And Sean Astin's father (adopted when Sean was 3 years old) is John Asin, the OG Gomez Addams.
@ oh yeah - and his mom was Patti (sp?) Duke…who I watched on Nick at Nite, when they used to play all the old black and white shows in the late 80s.
@@Rmslennonloved nick at nite ❤
I’d say sir ian mckellen and sir christopher lee were the biggest names. Hugo Weaving is another mention too
Fun fact after aragons death of old age his friends leave and legolas takes gimli to the undying lands as well making gimli the first dwarf to go to the elves home land and i liked that that both of them stayed with their friend to the end of his days and then went off together
Love that. Even if Gimli only has a couple months before he dies of old age, he's reunited with his Lady. I can see the elves setting up a tiny cemetery for their mortal guests and tending it.
Definitely watch the extended edition. It's a must. Well worth it.
Watch all the things LOL. Read the books including The Silmarillion. The Silmarillion is a big book but ut contains so much history and lore. If youre not up for reading it, get the audiobook.
Lord of Lings?
Someone on TH-cam reads chapters of the Silmarillion. I haven’t checked to see if someone does this for LOTR, but they probably do.
Tolkein actually wrote it that way with Eowyn and Merry being the end of the Witch King, so it wasn't a forced scene.
Just for fun, I wanted to share more info about this world and some details about the characters -- After the ring was destroyed:
Frodo left Middle Earth, so that he may be fully healed. He was still able to feel the wound on his arm from the sword at the beginning, plus for being the ring-bearer and it nearly consuming him.
Aragorn returned Gondor to its former glory, and ruled for 120 years. He had one son and two daughters. He was laid to rest in the House of the Kings in Minas Tirith with Gondor's past rulers and Arwen passed one year later.
Gimli became the Lord of the Glittering Caves under Helm's Deep, as it was rich with Mithril. He kept his word to Galadriel, and encased the strands of hair within glass and treasured it.
Legolas restored the woodlands of Middle-Earth that were ravaged by the war, along with adventuring with Gimli. After Aragorn's death, Legolas made a ship of his own in Ithilien, and left Middle-Earth to cross the sea to reunite with the rest of the elves in the Undying Lands. Gimli crossed the sea with Legolas, due to his close friendship with the elf, and was the only dwarf that was offered that honor.
Samwise married Rosie and had 13 children. He was also elected Mayor of the Shire for seven consecutive seven-year terms (49 years.) Afterwards, Sam was given passage to the Undying Lands to reunite with Frodo, as Samwise was also a Ring-Bearer, even for a short time.
Pippin became the 32nd Thane of the Shire, and held that position for 50 years. A Thane is usually the head of a clan. They own the land that their subjects live on. The land is usually granted by a king. I can't remember if Pippin was granted Thane by the Kingdom of Arnor or if they treated the Shire as a separate entity and Thane meant King of The Shire. He had one son named Faramir Took I, who later married Sam's daughter. After he retired as Thane, he traveled to Rohan and Gondor with Merry. He remained there for the rest of his life, and was entombed in the Hall of the Kings, and later moved to be laid to rest alongside Aragorn.
Merry was knighted by King Eomer and become Master of Buckland. He married, and wrote a book. He had at least one son. At 102, he returned to Rohan and Gondor with Pippin, dying around the same time as Pippin. He was laid to rest in Gondor with Pippin, and later moved alongside Aragorn.
1:06:00 fun fact-Tolkien wrote Eowyn killing the Witch King as a direct response to his annoyance at Macbeth’s death, about whom it was prophesied that no man from woman born could kill. Tolkien believed it should have been a woman to kill Macbeth and so wrote Eowyn killing the Witch King, whom no man could kill.
That’s not entirely true. Merry made the witch king vulnerable with a enchanted dagger designed to hurt wraiths, literally anyone could’ve killed him at that point it just happened to be eowyn
@@SecretPaints i think you're missing the point in your urge to be correct
7:31: He’s explained many times they need a guide. Also, he pities gollum partly because he is afraid that’s what he can become. I think everyone’s also forgetting he looks up to uncle bilbo who spared Gollum. Gandalf told him that bilbo’s pity “may rule the fate of many
26:37
When a feudal lord (king, governor, etc.) went to war back then, you'd follow him or be punished for treason. Those were your only choices.
Refusal to fight, or even enlist, would make you a traitor; and for that crime, it was either prison
(if you were lucky) or execution.
One of the scenes that didn’t make it into the movies is when Aragorn sees some of his soldiers are terrified to the point of being paralyzed. Rather than force them to continue (or to desert and lose all honor), he gives them an alternate, still important and possibly dangerous mission: free one of the Gondorian cities that has been occupied by Sauron’s troops. It’s still a battle, but they won’t be facing something that will break their minds.
The boat at the end and the elven island is a metaphor that’s actualized in the world of Middle Earth. “Sailing to the West” is the equivalent of they are dying and going to heaven. Basically, Frodo, Bilbo, and Gandalf are being rewarded for their deeds by being allowed into elf heaven.
Everyone on that boat was a Ring Bearer. Frodo and Bilbo bore the One Ring, and Elrond, Galadriel and Gandalf bore the Three Rings made for the elves. When it’s his time, Sam will be awarded the same honor since he also bore the One Ring, even if only for a short while.
That’s why the other hobbits didn’t know Frodo was leaving. He didn’t tell them “Hey bros, come watch me die and go to heaven.”
The advantage of reading the books, then seeing the films, is that Eowyn killing the Witch King is even better. In the books, someone called Dernhelm takes Merry along, but Merry doesn’t realise who “he” is until just after the Witch King chomps Theoden’s horse.
I am so bummed they didn't watch the extended version. The last scene of Sarumon is one of the best scenes and I was so wanting to see their reactions.
Yeah that's the only scene that I wish the theatrical cut has. Other than that, theatrical cut is a good start for a newcomer.
@@Commander_Shepard. I'd include the scene between Gandalf and the Witch King, too, simply because the latter doesn't really do much in the theatrical releases lol
I don’t understand why they didn’t watch the extended if they have them, some great scenes, M. O. S. More Eowyn.
@@kcojco If one of them's already daunted by the prospect of a three-hour movie, I don't think extending it would make it more appealing lol
@@kcojcoIt's Ruff. He wasn't willing to do it at first.
Denethor is a POS, BUT he was corrupted by a Palentir; He wanted to gauge Mordor's army strength and what he saw mortified him. He also lost part of his sanity to his wife's death. What he did to Faramir was terrible, but he was a victim of Sauron's malice.
Also Sam was not the first to willingly give up the ring; it was Bilbo, when Gandalf urged him to give it up back in Fellowship.
Great reactions and I wish you doods a Happy holidays!
Yeah, Denethor is still a shit dad to Faramir, but his despair and madness is so much more nuanced in the books. But I can understand it being much easier to portray and for audiences to digest to show him just being power hungry and not wanting to give up this throne to rightful king.
The movie doesn't say it but Smeagol was not a good person before he saw the ring. He wasn't quite murderer level but a regular pos
Yeah, the Ring didn’t have to work too hard to corrupt him. Gollum is actually the saner aspect of that personality split. He doesn’t fall back on “the Precious made me do it” crap every time he gets called out on being murderous scum. By all means pity Smeagal, but never, ever trust him.
I dunno, to me "We cannot defeat the armies of Mordor." - "No. But we will meet them in battle nonetheless." is so epic. He's being honest with his men. They ride there to save the people they love, most likely at the cost of their lives.
I respect everyone riding for the extended edition in the comments, but how many of us saw the theatrical cut first as well? We all know the extended edition is the best, but let’s still appreciate how great the reaction is to these amazing films 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Would also still gladly watch an extended edition reaction or reaction to anything else LOTR related. There’s also a Lord of the Rings cartoon movie from the same time period as that Hobbit cartoon
Yeah, I watched them as they were first released in theaters (with a year between watches), then bought the DVDs, then the extended Blu Rays. The theatrical versions did whet my appetite to grab the extended versions as soon as they came out. Fine to watch the theatrical versions first - but they are one of the few movies that make you want to learn more so bad that you buy the extendeds (and the books).
The Ride of the Rohirrim will always be one of the most hype scenes ever put to film.
So glad you guys finally sat Ruff down to watch this series! Always a pleasure to revisit these movies I knew he'd love them. If you guys have never heard of it you should definitely see minecraft middle earth! It's one of the longest on going minecraft projects that's been in progress for almost 14 years now recreating middle earth in minecraft to scale. It's gorgeous! their website has a photo gallery and the server is open to visitors to explore
"No man can kill me" "I am no man"
Tolkien APPARENTLY wrote this plot line because, while reading Macbeth, he thought that the plot twist to "No man born from a woman will ever overpower you" was going to be a, well, a WOMAN killing Macbeth. When it's revealed that the technicality is "i was not BORN of a woman, i was a cesarean" he was pretty disappointed lol.
So, he wrote Eowyn's story based on that.
Hearing the discussion of how long to wait between movies makes me giggle. I didnt see the first in theatres. I was 7, and my parents werent sure i was old enough. But my 9 year old sister got to see them and i had FOMO so bad that they relented. I was there for every in theatre moment for all the others - my parents even pulled us from school to watch the day they came out. And every year since then, at least twice, i marathon all 3 extended. When we were in highschool we would host a movie marathon over the summer at our house, showing the films. I remember my younger sister sitting in the floor next to the dvd player, ready to pull the disc out the second side a continued to flip it over. She had it down to a science. Lord of the Rings is interwoven into so much of my childhood and now adulthood.
I read the books when I was 12 in the early 70s, and they literally changed my life. I was so happy when these movies were ao well done and widely loved.
The parallels between Theoden and Denethor are brilliant! They both rule a kingdom of Men, they both lose their firstborn son, they both accept the service of a Hobbit, and they face the same dark forces. But their reactions couldn't be more different!
Sam and Gimli also are allowed to go to the undying lands. Sam because he was a ring bearer for a short time while Frodo was poisoned by Shelob, and Gimli because of the hair strands he received from Galadriel
Yall! It’s not over until the end credits when legendary Annie Lennox sings Into the West.
1:13:00 he almost didn't give the ring because he knows what frodo is becoming and what the ring made him do, not because he wants it for himself, but he doesn't want frodo to suffer
Something a lot of people dont realize is that Sam was so helpful but he would not have been able to carry the ring, because Frodo had this sense of duty that made him push forward while Sam always wanted to hand it off and go back home, it was Sams loyalty to Frodo that led him all the way to Mordor and to be the most badass Hobbit in history
Eowyn and Faramir met in the infirmary at Gondor and eventually got married.
The book version had Frodo and his fellow hobbits have to deal with "Sharkey" taking over their Shire. Turns out it was Saruman--banished from Isengard--trying to get himself settled into the Shire as a new overlord. He was eventually fatally stabbed by Wormwood. The extended cut had a different interpretation of Saruman's death.
I hope you guys get to watch the Hobbit trilogy next.
1:06:00 The sad part of the "I am no man" line, it was in the book, from 1955 lol So moviegoers seeing it 50 years later needed to chill. Tolkien was a G
Sam deserves ALL of the praise he gets, but I always feel Frodo doesn't get enough.
Granted, we never hear an internal monologue, so there's only so much to pick up on a cursory watch, but the Ring was a physical, emotional, and mental weight; for him to make it as far as he did, (yes with Sam's, Gollum's, and Smeagol's help) is a testament to his fortitude.
Tolkien has stated that no living being could have dropped the Ring at that point in Mt. Doom, where the Ring's will was at its absolute strongest and most desperate.
From a movie standpoint, it even shows Sam briefly struggling to hand the Ring back after having it no more than an hour, in an attempt to showcase just how powerful it had become.
I agree my friend
Frodo is epic, partly because he doesn’t get his HEA in the Shire. There’s no earthly comfort for enduring that kind of mental and spiritual trauma, and I wouldn’t be too surprised if Frodo knew the quest would cost him everything, but he kept on going. He did what no one else could.
You HAVE to watch the extended versions. It's not just "Oh, more content, yay", the story makes more sense, the scenes make more sense, so much more is explained, and you miss some EPIC moments. Frankly, I don't get why you didn't watch them from the get go!!!
Orlando just graduated from film school when he got cast in these movies so the fellowship of the ring was his very first movie he shot ever
Im here for the extended edition!
Everyone else has already said what i would have wanted to say. Lol im so happy yall loved it! 😊
MERRY F*CKING CHRISTMAS. I'm about to finish up cooking my Christmas dinner for one, and this is exactly what I needed to have to watch while I eat- hope everyone in the reaction community has a great start to the new year.
Thank you. You, too. Christmas itself was fine, but December kind of sucked.
1:13:02 I think the look Sam gives Frodo is hesitation but not for his personal desire, when presenting the ring Sam could see how influenced by the ring his dear friend had become.
The story behind the undying lands. The undying lands is basically elf heaven. Elves can’t really die, (unless they fade which is a whole thing), they get reincarnated into the undying lands. However they can also just leave for the undying lands (really complicated but shorthand). Non-elves aren’t allowed, but for Frodo and bilbo, they had poison in their mind from the ring that would never heal, and going to the dying lands would basically heal that poison (for Frodo the knife wound from the first movie especially would never heal and always be poisoning him). They are not immortal but will basically pass peacefully of without pain.
Now Arwen is interesting because by choosing to stay (because she is actually half elf), she is giving up immortality and will never be allowed to go to the undying lands. She will die a mortal and not reincarnate. Which is why Elrond didn’t want her to stay.
Fun fact, the Will of the Ring is so strong that there’s not a single individual in Middle Earth, aside from MAYBE Tom Bombadill, who could throw it into the fire. So it didn’t matter who had it or what they’d done before. If they bring it to Mount Doom, the Ring WILL stop them
Cousin, not brother.So, you figured out "the eyes"? Dilated for Smeagol, pinpoint for Gollum 🙂It may help to understand Denethor to know that his beloved wife died giving birth to Faramir.
Fun fact, before there was a sun and moon in middle earth there were 2 big trees that acted as the sun and moon, and that spider things mom ate both of those trees
1:24:04 Apparently it depends on the type of lava. There is volcano in the world that has “cold” lava, because it is comprised mostly of a different mineral base. I believe it is in Africa. A tour guide had fallen in and was able to actually clamber out and live. The temperature was about what you’d experience working near blast furnaces or forges.
Whooda thunk it? I learned something today :) Thank you!
"An accident last August highlights the hazards of summit access. On his 21 August 2007 ascent, Chris Weber's group evacuated a local Maasai porter who had fallen into an active lava flow (around 500°C) in the crater. The porter had managed to get out of the lava, but with both legs and one arm seriously burned. Initial treatment at an Arusha hospital was financed by Weber's tour company. As of January 2008 he was bedridden in his home near Engare Sero, experiencing pain and muscle wasting."
It was Carbonatic lava, the "coolest" of the lavas 😎
Keep in mind the last time Frodo saw Gandalf, he died in Moria. And he and Sam accepted they were going to die on the volcano. So the first thing he probably thought was "either I'm dead and this is the afterlife or I'm hallucinating"
My body is ready for the extended version!
The making of lord of the rings movies are AWESOME to watch !
Dude, seriously, if I woke up after all that and the first thing I lay eyes on is the one guy I thought was dead you'd have a hard time convincing me I wasn't dead myself.
I agree, particularly since Gandalf is in his glowed up form.
The company that made the 70's animated Hobbit soon after became Studio Ghibli. This is 100% true.
14:20 A youtube channel called AWE Me actually talks about the reforging and how it wouldn't be strong this way. But also, its the elves, it can be chalked up to magical sorcery
Actually, I believe being that close to lava, it's not just the heat, but also the toxic fumes. You wouldn't be able to breath that close to it.
The sad part about Elrond is that he's a half-elf as well. All Elves are immortal...even at death they return to the Halls of Mandos to await rebirth. They're an old, tired race but they're always promised a chance to reunite with loved ones. Half-Elves are different because they're given a choice to either live a mortal life and die a mortal death or live an eternal life. Elrond's brother chose the mortal path and he's suffered a lot of death over the years. He knows that Arwen choosing mortality means he will never, ever see her again. She'll never see her mother again (Celebrian who sailed to the West long ago) or either of her brothers, Elladan or Elrohir.
It's tough, but a lot of the reason he acts hard is thousands of years of grief.
can you imagine what wouldve happened if Sam truly hadnt been dropping any eaves?
Sooo... did SOMEBODY say "...fishing is boring."? Not if you're hobbit sized...😁
So... Sam hesitating to give the ring to Frodo IS NOT him feeling the ring's temptation or whatever, it is him finally reuniting with his friend who he has seen being driven mad by the ring and he knows giving it back will only make it worse. He does not hesitate because he desires the ring, he hesitates because of his desire to not see Frodo driven any more mad.
I don't remember a single person complaining about Eowyn. I do remember after The Fellowship some people were unhappy with Arwen riding with Frodo to Rivendell and the whole river magic because it was a different character in the book (one that does not appear in the movies at all, I think), so you could hear stuff like "yeah, they had to give the girl some action scenes" and crap like that. But Eowyn's killing Wraith King because she was no man, that's 100% faithful to the source material. Not a single person had issue with that.
Also, I love how the whole thing was basically Tolkien improving on Shakespeare XD
There is a rumour that Peter Jackson and other members of the OG trilogy production team want to make a new Lord of the Rings trilogy during the time where the Witch King of Angmar was dominating the northern kingdoms.
Great reaction Billy’s! This is an amazing trilogy. But in the words of Lord Denethor “Boromir would have watched the extended editions” 😂😂
I always thought Smeagol and Deagol had to be brothers, but apparently, their relationship was never clarified. They may have just been close friends or cousins, named similarly by parents who knew each other. Tolkien never quite fleshed that bit out.
19:20 100% Watch the Extended Editions!!! We're here for it!! So much more story to soak in!!
Lesser known tidbit. Gandalf brought 3 eagles to Mount Doom to rescue 3 survivors... but there were only 2.
Absolutely insane to not watch the extended editions!
1:24:50 The third eagle with Gandalf was supposed to be for Sméagol. 😢
It's wild to hear a bunch of One Piece fans talk about putting something off because its "too long".
Just some info: Frodo and Bilbo were the first to go to the undying islands mainly because they were the ringbearer's the longest and neither of them would've found peace in middle earth but eventually everyone from the fellowship save Aragorn Pippin and Merry went to the undying lands: Sam was able to go when he got old enough because even though it was brief he did bear the ring and fought off it's temptation and Gimli went because Legolas invited him out of their strong friendship after Aragorn's death making him the only dwarf to ever go there ....apparently Merry and Pippin moved to Gondor at some point and were highly respected
57:21 Well, it's summer in the Southern Hemisphere, so technically he's not wrong.
Sean Astin had been an actor since he was kid in the 80's. Historical note on the actor's commentary track for Goonies, Sean disappears half way through it, and at one point the other people wonder where he is. He had ducked out of the room to take the call about getting the role of Sam.
I love little nuggets like t. Thank you
Aragorn and Arwen are the third joining of Númenóreans (the most noble race of Men) and Elves.
In Lord of the Rings, Númenóreans had significantly longer lifespans than regular men, often living for around 3 times as long, while Elves are considered essentially immortal. While Elves can live for thousands of years, the Númenórean could live hundreds of years, with some roayl lifespans reaching closer to 400-500 years.
The ancestors of the Númenóreans, were close allies of the Elves during the First Age; fighting alongside them against Morgoth (Sauron's master).
The first King of Númenor, was half-elven, giving the Númenórean lineage a trace of Elvish blood. His father was a great human hero of the First Age and his mother was an elf princess.
In the second age, the human Beren wed the elvish Lúthien (their stories are told in the Silmarillion). The second age ended when Morgoth's general, Sauron (first identified as a Necromancer) appeared and eventually had his body destroyed (seen in LoTR movies)
The third age ends when Sauron's spirit is destroyed with the destruction of the one ring, the crowning of Aaragorn, and the marriage of Aragorn to Arwen.
Gondor is what remains of the ancient Numenorean kingdom. The white tree of Minis Tirith mirrors the white tree of life in the Undying Lands which Morgoth destroyed in the first age. When all good in the world is gone, the white tree dies and only evil will remain.
There is plenty that happened after this.
The Undying Lands are usually reserved for dieties and elves, however very few non-elves were permitted passage. Bilbo and Frodo were ringbearers, and Frodo hasn't healed fully from his wound from the first movie, and they were permitted passage to heal from the ring's influence.
There was one more battle, and it was to liberate the Shire after Wormtongue took over.
Sam married Rosie and had 13 children, and was elected Mayor of the Shire for almost 40 years. He passed the Book of the Hobbit to his children, and he was given passage on a ship tot he Undying Lands to be reunited with Frodo, as he was a ringbearer for a short while.
Aragorn begame King Elissar and ruled for 122 years until his death at age 210. Arwen passed a year after.
Merry and Pippin returned to the Shire, but they still travelled to both Gondor and Rohan. They were buried in each respective kingdom until Aragorn's passing, in which they were entombed alongside him.
Gimli became Lord of the Glittering Caves - a large cave in the back of Minas Tirith (where the civilians took shelter during the battle) as it was revealed to contain a massive deposit of Mithril. He went on adventures with Legolas for many years. When Legolas boarded the final ship tot he Undying Lands, Gimli was also permitted passage, due to his close friendship with Legolas, along with the blessing that Lady Galadriel gave him when they first met.
Helm’s Deep is where the glittering caves are. I love it that Gimli takes Legolas to the glittering caves and Legolas takes him back to Famgorn after the war is over. Talk about the ultimate riad trip.
Oh, they're best buds for sure. Gimli is labelled as "Elf Friend" not only because of his friendship with Legolas, but also because of the blessing of Galadriel and her gift to him.
Way back, long before Lord of the Rings or even the creation of the rings, an elf named Feanor created the Silmarils (the gems that were used in the three Elven Rings of power.)
It was said that the inspiration for these gems came from Galadriel's shining silver-gold hair.
Feanor begged Galadriel THREE times for a single strand of her beautiful hair, and each time Galadriel refused. Even at a young age, she had an unsurpssed ability to see into the hearts of others, and in Feanor's she only saw fire and greed.
Back to when Galadriel gave her gifts to the Fellowship, she had nothing for Gimli since she didn't know what to give a dwarf.
Gimli, who was also struck by Galadriel's beauty, told her no gold, and no treasure. He only wished for a single strand of her hair to remember her beauty by. She gives him THREE.
That's why Gimli is named Elf Friend. Galadriel looked at Gimli and saw into his heart, and saw that he deserved what she refused the greatest elf who lived three times over.
Gimli has no idea of the significance of the item that was given to him, but he encases those three hairs in crystal, preserving them as a symbol of the friendship between Elves and Dwarves, and to remind him of her beauty.
And if you look during the scene in which he talk to Legolas about the gift he received, you can see Legolas smiling. He KNOWS the story between Galadriel and Feanor, and he realizes that Elves and Dwarves CAN be friends.