⭐J. R. R. Tolkien created such an incredible piece of work!! And Peter Jackson completely brought it to life. We loved this!!! Here is a playlist of our Lord of the Rings journey for the first time: th-cam.com/play/PLA6WuU8DE2LaIZXT4NAncX7WqhoTndW9P.html. Also, here is a link to our FULL reaction: www.patreon.com/tktopmovies
According to Tolkien: Smeagol was River Folk, "Not unlike a hobbit". Hobbits are from Hobbiton, within which is the Shire, but Riverfolk lived along side the river. Simular people groups, but distinguished from Hobbits.
Oh. You’re going to need to add this to the poll: Behind The Scenes Documentary. They are literally the length a film would be. It’s a true passion project never before seen before. Even today! Bringing together several teams and groups. And the thing is all the way down to WETA workshop and the actors were all lovers of the source material and truly revered and honoured Tolkien. ❤
@@autonomouspublishingincorp8241 not exacly :) though it was similar to what you said. Hobbits at first, in their "prahistory" got 3 groups or clans - Fallowhides (most adventurous and nomadic forest dwellers, archers and hunters, most similar to elves in looks and friends with elves), Harfoots (avoiding adventures, more settled, villagers and farmers with some skills of craft, friends with dwarves and most "dwarvish" in looks), Stoors (living around lakes and rivers "Riverfolk", fishermen but also farming) mostly trades with men. Gollum was from Stoors. When the hobbit migrated from the east of the continent (from the areas south of Mirkwood, which is the homeland of Legolas) to the west of continent - to the Shire (in Arnor kingdom - they were given the Shire by Argeleb II, king of Arnor), they mixed up, intermarried during this journey. And this migration was long - it was not less than 3 centuries before they established their own land. Some of them tried to settle in Dunland - the place where in TTT we can see those men who allied with Saruman and attacked Rohan, but the Dunlendings probably did not want them there and this group of hobbits migrated north to the Shire in 11th century of 3d age. the Shire was established about 15 century of 3d age and the LOTR is set in 3019 of 3d age, so at this point Shire exists already for 15 centuries. And so when they established Shire those 3 groups were mixed and got the new family names according to who was settled where. For example the Brandybucks family (Merry's family) settled on the banks of river Baranduin (in elvish) which the hobbits called Brandywine and so Brandy in their name is from this river. Brandywine is main river in the Shire. Thats why such name as Brandyfoot in Amazon TV show is totaly absurd - these nomadic hobbits from this show can not have such names becouse they are not settled yet on the banks of Brandywine :)
One of the best lines in the movie for me was Gimli and Legolas dialog: - Never thought I'd die side by side with an elf... - What about side by side with a friend? - Yes, I cound do that. Think of how their relationship started, deep hatred and mistrust and how it ended. Amazing.
Definitely action-packed and emotionally moving at many points... but I always felt it was more of the Return of the Jedi of thid trilogy, and the Two Towers was The Empire Strikes Back. There was just so much more tension and complexity in the Two Towers. And better dialogue. RotK was basically one long climax. In all honesty though, I don't even consider them separate films at the end of the day.... it's really one long 9+ hour movie.
@@CoryGasaway in no way shape or form should return of the Jedi ever be in the same sentence. Return of the king is in another stratosphere. The only thing good in RoTJ is Palpatine Vader Luke stuff. Every second of return of the king is awesome.
@@mattrasp1615 I agree that RotK outclasses RotJ but that's because of the source material. Every second? The Extended Edition of RotK contains some of Peter Jackson's most aggravating changes from the book. Eg the skull avalanche on the Paths of the Dead is totally unnecessary and tonally out of place, more Indiana Jones than Tolkien. In canon terms, it's ridiculous, there weren't millions of Oathbreakers. I also dislike Gandalf falling off Shadowfax when confronting the Witch King in Minas Tirith - in the book Gandalf holds his ground because he's a Maia, more than a match for the scariest ghost in Middle-earth. Then there's Aragorn freaking out when he confronts Sauron through the Palantir, an encounter he wins in the book. Gandalf hitting Denethor violates the high code of honour that all Tolkien's good guys live by, as does Aragorn beheading the Mouth of Sauron. Denethor, a complex and difficult man in the book, is turned into a one-dimensional villain in the film, and his tragic suicide becomes an ugly farce. But the absolute worst is Frodo believing Gollum over Sam and sending Sam away. It's the climax to Peter Jackson's trashing of Frodo throughout the whole trilogy. 😥 I don't mind omissions and compressions. I think that PJ truly did an amazing job on so many levels. It's because he did such an amazing job that character assassinations like the above hurt the more.
I laugh every time Treebeard greets Gandalf as "young master Gandalf." In England, the term Master refers to a young unmarried male, the equivalent of Miss. It's a witty mechanic to show Treebeard's ancient age.
@@tktopmovies His name is Fangorn and the forest is named after him. He’s over 15,000 years old. ;) you’ll love to react to the immersive lore videos (some have interactive maps too) omarioRPG did the same thing and loved it so much. Wish he continued though. Moviejoob did the same as well. It’s already becoming a theme and I wish to continue inspiring people to dive deeper. You’ll never regret it ❤ I’ll provide links to wherever you desire to start with. Heck. I’ll even create a playlist for you of videos and just watch from top to bottom. How’s that?
Due to reading Tolkien in original (but at first in translation) I m also aware of the fact that "master" means two things - unmarried male ( in earlier times it was a person of higher class ), but also "master" as master of art or master scholar or master of craft. Thats why Elrond is called (by Bilbo) Master - not becouse Elrond is young and unmarried (as he is old and married of course) but becouse he is greatest loremaster in the area :) Its the medieval equivalent of professor I guess :) becouse "magister" in Latin means the same - "master of craft" or "master of lore".
In the book Gandalf tells Theoden, "When you see Treebeard, you will learn much. For Treebeard is Fangorn, and the eldest and chief of the Ents, and when you speak with him you will hear the speech of the eldest of all living things." "Fangorn" is the Elvish (Sindarin) for "Beard (of) Tree."
42:23 Fun fact: When Aragorn was hidden in Rivendell as a child, he was known as "Estel" which is Elvish for "Hope" Also some of the last words of Aragorn's mother before she died was "I gave Hope (an obvious reference to her son's nickname) to the Dúnedain, I have kept no hope for myself."
"I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you!" and "My friends, you bow to no one" after 20+ years, those two scenes still make me ugly cry every time I see them. 😭 I hope you will give The Hobbit trilogy a watch soon. It is Bilbo's famous adventures (during which he found the one ring) that took place 60 years before Frodo & Sam's epic journey. We get to meet a bevy of new characters (the dwarves are very fun to watch), visit new locations of Middle Earth, & see a few familiar faces too. 😊
There's much more celebration of the Hobbits in the book. An honor guard of all the various forces that fought in the War lined the road leading up to Minas Tirith greeted them as they entered the city & an honest to God minstrel of Gondor recited the Tale of Nine Fingered Frodo & the Ring of Doom. Only a few words were recorded by Tolkien but with a poem that lasted most of a day surely there were verses about Samwise the Brave in there.
Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that has a large collection of original manuscripts and drawings from Tolkien. I had the absolute pleasure of getting to chance to see a selection of them that were on public display last year (one of the greatest days of my life, if we're being totally honest), and one of the pages was a handwritten draft of the "you bow to no one" scene. The ink was smudged in places because Tolkien himself cried while writing it. If that's not proof of how emotional that scene is, I don't know what is ❤
Tolkien was traumatised by his experiences in the first world world. He was at the battle of the Somme, which was horrendous. During the war Tolkien noticed soldiers carrying their injured friends, risking their lives to save their comrades. This was the inspiration for the scene where Sam carries Frodo up Mount Doom! 😢
Actually it was 77 years from the Hobbit. 60 years to the party of bilbo and 17 years between bilbos party and Frodo and Sam's departure on the fellowship of the ring
I always think about how nuts it is, realistically, that Théoden agrees to help Gondor. Not even political, etc. but his people literally just went through the Helm’s Deep battle and he still makes the impossible decision to put his people in danger, again, because it’s what has to be done. Oof, what an incredible character. Also, incredibly performed by Bernard Hill.
that's the beauty of Tolkien's stories, he created a universe where these values such as loyalty, friendship and doing the good deeds just for the sake of good are a key component of the characters
Rohan is bound by oath to aid Gondor. The land was granted to the Rohirrim 500 years before the War of the Ring, by Cirion, the Steward of Gondor, after Eorl the Young led the Rohirrim out of the north and saved Gondor in a major battle. Each swore to always aid the other. So Theoden is honouring that alliance, regardless of whether Gondor had been able to honour their side of the oath.
Someone else already mentioned the oath both nations swore to each other, but another reason was logic. If gondor falls, there is no one else that can stand against the might of sauron. Théoden had the choice to risk dying now or face certain death in the future. He was also an old man who wanted a glorious death. He rode out of edoras expecting to die charging the orcs in the westfolds, but was told the battle there was already lost and to head to helms deep. He then planned to die in the seige but he survived. Finally he was given another chance to die with honor, so the he could dine with his ancestors, "in whose mighty company he need not now be ashamed."
I love this full story, but the thing I find so ironic about it is that everyone on the battlefield things Frodo’s the hero. But if Frodo had his way, the ring would’ve been his, and the ending to the story would be completely different. Not that I’m blaming him, one of the reasons why he couldn’t let go of the ring is mount doom is where the rings power is the strongest and Frodo carrying the ring for so long was at his weakest. If it weren’t for Gollum, stealing the ring and falling into the lava with the ring in his hand, things would’ve been different. I actually see Gollum as a tragic character. He was a decent being until the ring got to him. The evil of the ring took over. but it’s the best ending ever, everybody has a happy ending. That’s what I love the most about it.
Here's something even deeper, that most people who haven't read the books yet often miss in the movies. In the 1st one, inside the mines of Moria Frodo says "It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill Gollum when he had the chance" . Gandalf replied to him "It's pity that stayed Bilbo's hand... ...Many who live deserve death, many who die deserve life. Can YOU give it to them? Don't be hasty dealing judgement, not even the wisest can know everything before the end " As we all saw, without Gollum the ring couldn't have been destroyed and that says something about being merciful. Also, Frodo knew the moment he fell into the crater that he had failed the mission a few seconds ago. He momentarily looked down into the lava, but Samwise urged him to "Don't let go!". Later, when everyone bowed down to them, during the coronation, you can see the bitterness in his face, feeling he was somewhat undeserving of all that, as he couldn't do it on his own. That was part of the reason he had to leave for Valinor, The Undying Lands at the end, he was deeply scarred both physically and mentally after his journey and that was the only way to heal. This I think speaks a lot to the veterans of war and everyone who has gone through very traumatic events. Tolkien's books are indeed very deep and the movies managed to showcase this brilliantly, even though they had to cut and change several stuff.
What's funny is that all three movies are about a journey to destroy the ring. And only one character ever actually TRIES to destroy the ring and fails. And it's not even Frodo. It's Gimli, way back at the Council of Elrond, before the quest even started.
@@Mcvthree3 Gimli is my favorite character from the fellowship. He just sort of trudges along in the shadows behind Aragorn and Legolas, but at the same time he goes on more of a personal journey than the others. His story arc is more varied.
@@manicmsRegarding PTSD... Tolkien fought in the Battle of the Somme in WWI, where 3 million men fought(both sides) with 1 million casualties(dead and wounded)... I think he was VERY familiar with PTSD! 😳
Hey Jeremy! Thanks for watching with us :) And you're so right about that---people need to experience the films to truly know what it's about! I'm so glad we did!!! All the love
The ring caused great physical and emotional damage to Frodo and Bilbo the undying lands were the only place for them to heal...many years later even Sam joined them for he was a ringbearer for a short time... 🌿🌿🌿
It is said that Frodo and Bilbo didn’t get to the Undying Lands itself, cause they couldn’t bare to se the Maiar and Valar in person without getting an instakill. So they stayed in an island close enough to there
A nice bit of info you may not have noticed, but remember when Eomer was basically ripping into Merry because of his size and how he would flee from battle when the horror takes hold? Well, because he helped Eowyn kill the Witchking and saved her in the process, Eomer ended up letting Merry ride on his own personal horse alonside Eomer at the battle of the Black Gate. Shows how much he respects Merry after the battle of Pellenor fields.
Yeah so Frodo left because he was forever scarred by the ring, and so the elves granted him and Bilbo a very special privilege of traveling to the undying lands with them.
It's a lovely bit of symmetry that the first thing Theoden saw when he awoke from Saruman's spell and the last thing he saw before passing was his niece, Eowyn.
And also the naming itself where Theoden and Denethor are anagrams and they represent the two types of "rulership" where Theoden is recognized his own flaws but did everything for his people while Denethor was the corrupted weak ruler only wanting to rule for himself without any conciderations of the people.
"They're all reunited, the fellowship! ALL of em!" *cries in Boromir* But in seriousness, I really enjoyed your reaction! This movie throws so much at you that it's easy to miss stuff, but you guys paid attention to all the details. This story is so important to me and so many fans and it's always a joy to see others fully connect with it emotionally. Thanks for sharing with us!
The fact that in the beginning the group of hobbits was dancing, singing, cheering and having fun, but by the end they are sitting quietly drinking. The journey changed them forever.
One overlooked line that kills me every time is Elrond telling Aragorn that Arwen is dying. I always found it poignant because being immortal Elrond knew that regardless of the outcome of the war his daughter would die in what an immortal elf would precieve as a very short time but losing the war would mean her death would come much sooner. A choice he fully understood as he had to make a similar choice - he and his brother made a similar choice years prior. He chose the immortal life of an Elf. His brother chose the mortal life of man. This is the second time he lost a loved one in this manner.
Arwen’s life being tied to the life of the ring at this point was not in the books, this was a story device to increase the tension in the movie only & I didn’t like it. Just as I didn’t like what they did w/Faramir’s character (Boromir’s brother). PJ & co were so worried the ring needed to enslave everyone they couldn’t let Faramir keep his honor. Biggest pet peeve in all the movies for me, lol!
Great reaction! And I guarantee you'll cry even more if you watch it again. The storytelling was epic. There's another reacter, Magic Magy, she was bawling at the end because she so loved the universe Tokien created, she didn't want it to end. She cried for a long time after the movie ended. These movies do stay with you as each character was richly done, and imagine the depth of each of them with their own backstory.
If you watch The Hobbit movies (not nearly as epic as this trilogy but still good) I hope you react to the end credits song which is sung by Billy Boyd. This song and Annie Lennox's Into the West are perfect closures to Peter Jackson's work.
That feeling of uncontrollable sobbing is universal. I don't think I've ever seen someone invest the time to watch this trilogy and NOT cry/tear up at the ending. Absolutely adored this reaction trilogy from y'all ❤️
I believe the line of the Stewards began in 2050 when the last king didn't return from a battle with the Witch King of Angmar. and left no heir. The war of the ring took place in 3019. Denethor had one of the Palantiri (seeing stones) and, just as Sauron showed Arwen dead to Aragorn, he showed Denethor only utter defeat. It drove the Steward to despair and to madness.
17:58 so you got a good understanding that Denethor is the Steward. There’s a nice detail when Gandalf and Pippin enter his hall, he’s not sitting on the throne. He sits on a humble wooden chair at the foot of the throne. Even though for long now Stewards were essentially de facto kings, they still observed the ceremonial niceties of being subordinate to a true king.
Yes!!! So glad the comments on the last movies helped us out with that! Denethor was like the "placeholder" until there was a King. Gosh, this movie was awesome. Thanks for watching with us!
Your reaction was amazing and I cried right a long with you! I'm so glad you loved it! Thank you so much for taking us all with you on this journey! The very first time I read J.J.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings Trilogy, was when my father handed me the books when I was 11 years old. So I sprawled on my bed and began to read, with no expectations or idea of what was to come. I have no memory of the passage of time for next three days...I don't even remember food or daylight or dark. All I knew was the Road I was on and the gentleness of the Shire and the horror of the Ringwraiths. And the ease and peace of Rivendell contrasted with the desperate, hopeless plans they laid there. The long dark of Moria, and the time spent out of time in Lothlorian... The deep sonorous voices and the endless depths in the eyes of the Ents. And the leap of the flames of the watch towers across the mountains. And the charge of the Rohirrim, and the desperation of the last battle in Mordor. The heartbroken failure and stunning redemption of one small hobbit... And the lesson that you cannot always go home, and that sometimes you can only save things for others, but not for yourself... And then the gentle shock of the ending - "Well, I'm back." And then I sat back down and read it straight through all over again. And that is Love. So, decades later, a group of friends and I went to see a random movie, which to this day I have no memory of what it was. Because as we walked across the foyer, heading for the popcorn concession, I glanced up and saw one of the giant banners that advertises movies yet to come, suspended from the ceiling...and my heart stopped. It was a single, simple image. A somber young face under dark curly hair, holding up a gold ring in the palm of his hand. I was across the floor standing under the banner, and gazing up at it with tears starting in my eyes and my heart pounding. I knew it was Frodo holding the One Ring before I ever saw the words "The Lord of the Rings" across the bottom. I swear my heart stopped. I knew instantly from the power of that image, that whoever was the director, the studio, the driving minds behind the production, they were going to get it right. My friends had to circle back - having acquired my popcorn, bless them - to drag me into the movie we had come to see. Which I haven't the faintest memory of to this day, because I was actually off in Middle Earth, instead of a darkened theater. So when day FINALLY came that I was sitting in the opening of The Fellowship of the Ring, and we came to the scene where all Hobbiton opened out before Gandalf's horse and cart, green and golden in the light, with the rolling hills of the Hobbit Holes... I started crying right then and there. I was home. And my heart knew it. That is my home. It always will be.
Ditto. But I was the one who had read the book to my elder daughter as her bedtime story for a year. When we learned that Peter Jackson was going to direct - I said "Peter who?". I so wanted these movies to be done right. And from the first moment, I knew that that they were going to be. And they were. I cried. A lot.
Oh, hon, you expressed my feelings so beautifully. In times of trouble and stress, I would always return to the Shire for comfort, feeling each character’s journey with renewed insight, and always weeping unashamedly at the end- not all tears are an evil. There were so many lessons that I could apply to my own life and I always left the Shire with renewed hope.
I believe it is the best story ever told. All these different races united against evil...that's a powerful message! And as Galadriel says even the smallest person can change the course of history. I cried with you guys! Love your reaction! ❤😭
Well let's be real, the painting of Eastern men is problematic. Even with Faromir's speech in the Two Towers, the visuals and characterization of Eastern culture is very poor. And even though Tolkien didn't mean for the Dwarves to come across as antisemitic, it still does in some aspects. Such as them liking precious gems.
@@ooiiooiiooii Bro wtf are you talking about? What part of this story is eastern in culture? This is a FICTIONAL story, about FICTIONAL characters, and FICTIONAL places. Are you ok??
@@ooiiooiiooii Look, I found the person who doesn't understand Tolkien. Seriously, whatever ideology is rotting your brain like this, do yourself a favor and quit it, it's unhealthy.
@@SapperSapperSapper fictional story predicated on prejudiced and racist beliefs. Tolkien himself said he wrongly compared the greedy dwarves to Jews. Get your head out of your rump , sweetie 😂
"It's all about love and loyalty, and hope. That even in dark times, there's hope." You two have perfectly summed up my favorite story. I've spent a large chunk of my life devoted to storytelling because of this feeling that you're sharing. I'll never achieve anything like this, but that's okay, because of what it taught me, and what you've now learned anew. There's always hope. Good job.
32:58 gotta say the book was more clever with sending Merry and Eowyn to the war. When Merry was hoisted onto a horse, he didn’t recognize the rider. The rider called himself Dernhelm, and Merry thought it was just a clean-shaven young man. That remained the case for a long while. Merry and the reader don’t find out who “Dernhelm” is until the climax with the Witch King in the battle.
But admittedly, this works better in a book than in a movie. You can get away with pretending that Merry doesn't recognise Éowyn. Fooling the audience into thinking this is not her is a lot harder, especially given the fact that she didn't really have the time to come up with a disguise. Like, if she had been able to stick on a false beard, they might have been able to pull this off.
@@jahu5440Jackson also made the correct choice in having Theoden’s final conversation as he dies be with Eowyn and not Merry. Like I get Merry is awesome, but Eowyn deserves that conversation and goodbye to her beloved uncle more.
After the movie is over, 2 minutes of straight speechless, uncontrolled laughter. That is how you know a movie was simply magnificent. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to relive our first watches through you guys. I really enjoyed yalls reaction because it just seemed so sincere.
People overlook merrys story as well. He always had that fighting spirit to fight for his friends. But he was always looked upon as the small little hobbit who had no place in a battlefield. He was never able to show how much he cared until Eowyn who saw herself in merry believed in him and took him into battle. They were both always turned down the chance to fight and show how much everything mattered to them, because they were seen as small or weak. But in the end they took down the greatest threat on the battlefield, the witch king of angmar, which was prophecised that no man could kill. The prophecy obviously came to be true because like Eowyn said "I am no man". Even if in people's eyes you are seen as weak, or small and that you don't have anything to offer if you believe in yourself and keep going you can achieve greatness.
While what you said is true but I think another reason they both weren’t allowed on war was because with Eowyn she needed to take care of people left behind. This was simply not just the war of two kingdoms but it was the war of mankind, their whole species. Eowyn had to look after her kingdom in case something happened to her uncle and brother in war. In case of Merry, while Theoden did accept his blade but he just saw an innocent foreign land fella and a foreign species child at that in him that he didn’t have a heart to sacrifice in ‘his’ kind’s war.
One of my favorite cinematic parallels is the two shots of Frodo looking back over his shoulder at the camera. The first one is after they escape Moria and after Gandalfs death, Frodo is wandering off by himself, this is when the journey gets real for the party and Aragorn calls to him and he does that slow turn towards the camera and just has this painful sorrowful look on his face. The second as at the end of this movie where he's boarding the ship to the undying lands, after saying goodbye to everyone, he does that same slow turn over his shoulder back at the camera, he has matured with the pain he endured, and wants his friends to remember the smile he gives them one last time, but the smile doesn't reach those same exhausted sorrowful eyes. Amazingly subtle acting and such gorgeous shots, I always make note of the two every time I watch the movies.
This reaction had me enchanted, seriously there’s nothing more incredible than seeing people watch and fall in love with these movies for the first time. 😄 And it’s amazing how it just never gets old. What hurts the most is that the journey ends, but we’re happy that it happened. Can’t thank you both enough for bringing us this amazing reaction! 👏👏👏
Another great reaction guys and with all due respect to Peter Jackson and his team you’re correct, there is more to Middle Earth than this movie. Saruman was not always bad, Gandalf mentions it in The Fellowship, “my old friend” and “when did Saruman the wise abandon reason for madness?” If you both need more of Middle Earth, The Hobbit is the prequel and will shows how Bilbo finds the One Ring. Ma te wa (until next time) from me and mine in NZ🇳🇿, to you and yours, take care and be safe always 🔥🔥🔥
I just discovered these reactions yesterday. This is so great seeing the reaction from people that knew nothing about the story. It shows me that Peter Jackson translated the books better than I thought. The pacing of the book is different, Frodo is older in the books (not old, but older), and there were a number of other changes. But the themes, for the most part, came through…and it’s great to see you pick them up. Poor Gollum. If not for Gollum, the ring would not have been destroyed. Years before, Bilbo had the chance to kill Gollum but showed him mercy, having pity on him. If Bilbo had not shown mercy…the ring wouldn’t have been destroyed. Note the mercy theoden showed wormtongue also led to Saruman’s fall. The books (and films) showed the power of mercy, hope, and humility. There is SO much backstory to these tales….so much history. Tolkien said that middle earth was our earth, the place is not imaginary. The history is.
I love how you picked so many times where hope is the theme. A thing I miss a little from the books is how one of Sauron's greatest power is the spreading of despair, which makes Hope one of the best weapons against him. The thing about Denethor (Boromirs and Faramirs father) is, that he too had a palantir (like the "crystal ball" that pippin looks in). And just like Saruman he at first used it to try and spy on Sauron, to figure out his next move etc. But Sauron knew this and showed them things that made them lose hope. It made Saruman decide that the only way forward was to join Sauron, and Denethor went mad with despair. Gondor was the kingdom closest to Mordor and thus they have been fighting Saurons orcs for longer than anyone else. Sauron kept feeding Denethor information about how hopeless the situation was, and in the end Denethor believed it. He has lost all hope. The reason he is going to burn Faramir and himself alive, is that he feels it is the better way to die, since he "knows" that Sauron will win and they are all going to die anyway.... Denethor might never have been a particularly warm and likeable guy, but he too was corrupted by Sauron and his power of despair... I feel the movies does him a bit dirty by not explaining that... As a teenager that struggled a lot with my mental health it made a huge impact on me how Hope wins over Despair in this story ❤ Such a comfort. ❤ It was my comfort read during all my teenage years, and sort of still is (it's been a few years since I read them now though).
Yeah the movies definitely didn't do justice to Denethor. Probably one of my least favorite things about the trilogy is how contemptible they made his character instead of showing him as a stoic leader who had tragically lost hope through decades of continuous fighting with the forces of mordor and brainwashing from Sauron.
I love how Tolkien described Sam fighting shelob (giant spider) in the book; No onslaught more fierce was ever seen in the savage world of beasts; where some desperate small creature armed with little teeth alone, will spring upon a tower of horn and hide that stands above its fallen mate.
Me: Surely I won't cry while watching your reaction, I have seen the trilogy like twenty times. Also me: Crying like a granny at her granddaughter's wedding.
One of the things that always gets brought up in the Return of the King. Pippin and Faramir became very good friends after The War of the Ring, Pippin eventually marrying and calling his eldest son Faramir Jr. There are some changes to Faramir from Film to Book, and the Theatrical version of the film really does not do his character justice at all. This is somewhat alleviated with the extended and definitive editions of the films. However i still hold him in such a high regard after reading the original books.
Your subtle reaction to the bowing scene was amazing man. I could see the tears beginning in your eyes. All men feel the emotional impact of that scene
Something that should be understood about Frodo claiming the Ring at the Cracks of Doom rather than casting it to the fire: Tolkien explained in a letter to one of his readers that there, at the place of the Ring’s creation, its power and its will were so absolute that nobody, not even Sauron himself, would have been physically capable of destroying it on purpose. The Ring would overrule their desire to destroy it completely. It’s why Gandalf told Frodo that Gollum still had a part to play in the story of the ring; in the book more so that the movie, Gollum destroys the Ring and himself with it through a divinely influenced accident, he leaps for joy at the edge of the chasm and trips into it.
I have to mention that my daughter pointed out that Gandalf brought three eagles, in case Smegal had been saved, too. Broke me! LOL😅 Also, Sam knew that Frodo didn't destroy the One Ring...Gollum did...going back to Gandalf in the Mines of Moria talking about Bilbo's pity and that Gollum may have some part to play...so much, so deep...
@@tktopmovies Their names were: Gwaihir "Windlord", Landroval "Broad Wing" and Meneldor "Heaven". It was Gwaihir who saved Gandalf from Saruman 's tower, but even he The Great Eagles of Manwë could not bear Frodo while he was in possession of The One Ring.
Gandalf with three eagles, just in case Sméagol survived. He knew Sméagol would play a significant role before the end. In the books, there is so much more story after Frodo leaves for the “Undying Lands”, the rebuilding of Middle Earth and friendships however, the final scene of Sam, Rosie and the children is what makes the ending the most appropriate and satisfying from an audience and movie standpoint.
@@di3486 yes 3, I’m sure that’s what I said? Gandalf rode the eagle that carried Frodo, the second eagle carried Sam and the third eagle was for Sméagol. Thanks for clearing that up.
@@di3486 of course all the fans can’t be right, it’s a fantasy film (make believe) that definitely explains why Gandalf ONLY took 3 eagles and not all 8? I guess you’re the expert
Aw, I absolutely love seeing you both on such a high when the credits started rolling, just letting it all sink in and appreciating what a beautiful, epic journey you just went on. There truly isn't another cinematic experience that compares to these films, and that becomes more clear every time I watch someone new reacting to them for the first time. I really enjoyed these reaction videos, thank you guys!
The Edge of Night uses Tolkien's lyrics & Billy Boyd's original composition to create a song that's both beautiful in its own right & a counterpoint to Denethor's disgusting table manners. One of the finest scenes in the trilogy, a tribute to the Professor.
And in the third Hobbit movie, battle of the five armies, Billy even sings the end credit song, "the last goodbye". In fact Billy Boyd is mainly a singer and musician rather than an actor.
you are both such wonderful, empathetic reactors. I like that instead of cracking jokes like other reactors do to get clout you chose to be sensitive to the meaning and themes of lotr. sending you both love ❤
What a joy it is to watch two people who really get it. It's like watching it with friends. This is by far my favorite all-time movies and you two gave it the respect and love it deserves. Subscribed.
Hey Coreo! Ooooh, I bet it was so loud with the speakers in the theater. We saw that Return of the King is coming to theaters very soon for a 20th Anniversary showing??? We would love to check it out!
@@tktopmoviesI was so thankful that my hubby and I could go! We were both too young too see it in theaters when it originally released. But our very first date was Hobbit: The Battle of the 5 Armies in IMAX-3D (tells ya who we were 😂). After 7 yrs of Long-Distance dating (lots of "there and back again" driving trips for visits), we got married in 2021. Seeing ROTK on the big screen this year is one of our favorite and most meaningful dates we've been on since "I do"! 🎉 Did y'all get to go????
1:06:10 - notice that there are three eagles in total. One for each hobbit. Gandalf still held hope, that Smeagol would redeem himself, all the way from the first movie. Gandalf is just too pure....
This series used to make me cry so much. I've seen it so many times that I don't cry as much but the emotion is still there. Such an amazing trilogy. ♡
I love these books/movies and it is always a delight to see other delight in them. You two had such a great response ! A note about when Pippen looks in the palaltir... Sauron was waiting for a hobbit to be found. When Pippen saw Sauron in the stone, Sauron presumed that THE hobbit with the ring was captured by saruman, but saruman stopped communicating at that point (the stone was taken but he lives a bit longer in the books). He presumed saruman was a traitor and sent a nazgul to find out. When he arrives he finds isengard destroyed by men and ents. The next day Aragon looks into the stone, and so sauron thinks the heir to the throne has taken the ring for himself, and before he is ready to attack feels that he must before Aragorn can use the ring against him. pippen actually helps out so much with his curiosity! A major theme for Tolkien is the constant suspicion of evil that destroys itself. The victor is not some greater strength than evil, but loyalty, as you said. Fidelity is the ultimate power for tolkien. So glad you were moved by it!
Your whole breakdown into tears and laughter at the end had me right there with you!! It's such an overwhelming experience when you finish the trilogy, there is just so much emotion to work through and reflect on! You guys really should give yourself such props for how insightful you both have been. Over these reactions you've picked up on some of the subtlest themes that Tolkien wrote into his work. Not just the value of the bonds of friendship and loyalty, but also how redemption was a transforming arc for everybody. Not just for those that had been tempted by the ring like Boromir or Galadriel, but for characters like Pippin who went from a careless FOOL OF A TOOK to a bad-ass Nazgul slayer! He grows a lot after his conversation with Gandalf about what lies after death and I think that the hope he is given allows him to shed his fear and become the brave hobbit he was always too scared to be. Like Merry said, Pippin had always followed his lead, but the battle forces him to become his own Hobbit and the results were spectacular! Pippin often takes a lot of slack so its great to see you guys appreciate how much he truly grew through the journey! I'm sad that we're at the end of the Trilogy but I look forward to seeing what else you guys put out in the future! Amazing reactions! Subscribed!
That's right, Frodo couldn't throw the ring into the volcano. No one could do that. Sauron knew that because the Ring has its greatest power here. In the book, Gollum "tripped" and fell into the volcano with the Ring. Some claim the God of Arda Eru Ilúvatar personally intervened here.
You guys deserve WAY more subscribers. The way you get invested in the story and the characters is very refreshing compared to other react’rs and I genuinely wish you both the best in growing your lovely channel. Thankyou for allowing us to go on this journey with you. I look forward to whatever’s next. ✌🏻
42:22 You're not far off when you say Aragorns the hope. The name given to him by the elves, Elessar literally means hope. Hope is a huge theme throughout the story,im glad you picked up on.
Smeagol and Deagol are cousins and a pair of ne'er-do-wells. Smeagol in particular was a sneak thief. They are Stoor Hobbits who lived by the River Anduin
I think strictly speaking Tolkien never identifies them as cousins, only friends. Could be wrong, maybe I missed some detail in the lore. Then again in their small community everyone would be related, like my best childhood friend is also my 2nd cousin haha.
That was an epic reaction to an epic story. I have seen this many times, but whenever I watch with someone whose never seen this before I start crying again too. I really enjoyed this with you.
Sorry for two posts but it was long…and it will help the algorithm (for the algorithm!): Tolkien viewed Denethor as a grey character, not a villain. Faramir’s father was a noble man who fell into fear and despair (especially after Boromirs death, which was really just a week earlier. In the films he’s almost a cartoon villain.
1:11:54 - I watched this in the cinema several times. On every occasion the theatre emptied in absolute silence. We were all so moved by what we had seen.
Galadriel's Phial(Frodo’s Gift) is something really special. light & dark have a spiritual dimension in Tolkien. way back before the First Age Valinor was lit by two very special Trees that waxed & waned in opposition to each other. a master craftsman Elf named Feanor fashioned three gems that captured their light, the Silmarils. everyone who saw them was captivated by them, even the Valar & Morgoth the first Dark Lord. wars were fought over them called the Kinstrife. after Morgoth had the Trees destroyed; the Silmarils were the only light from them left. they changed hands a few times & eventually one was left after one fell into the sea & another was lost in a pit of magma. a Half Elf named Eärendil (the first true halfelven. And Elrond’s father!) came into its possession & sailed it to Valinor as a gift to the Valar to ask for their help in defeating Morgoth, which they did. the Valar turned it into a star & hung it in the sky with Earendil as its guardian. the fountain of Galadriel's Mirror is lit by light captured from the star Eärendil & her Phial has water from the fount. I've left out about 90% of the story but it's quite important & central to the story of Middle Earth. for her to give the Phial to Frodo is quite extraordinary. its light does burn & blind Shelob (that's the spider's name) but doesn't kill her outright. oh also, before he was put in the sky to guard the last Silmaril Earendil had two children, Elrond & his brother Elros the first King of Numenor. Tolkien's lore is deep & vast & the Silmarils are at the center of it. The Star of Eärendil is the light that shines in the horizon both in the morning and the evening. It consists in a boat raised by the Valar and led by Eärendil, who carries a shining Silmaril while watching the Doors of Night. The Door of Night was a portal in the distant Uttermost West that leads to heaven, and/or the Void. Eärendil's ship Vingilot was taken by the Valar from the rim of the world, passed through the Door and was lifted into the "oceans of heaven". PS: Eärendil is ELROND’s half Vanyar Elf father. His father was the great Tuor of the great stories of The Children Of Húrin! ❤️ To understand a bit more about Eärendil we must now look at Elrond(Eärendil’s SON) To clarify things about Elrond & his daughter Arwen and therefore we must look at Elrond’s Twin Brother Elros, they both were half-elven brothers who can choose to be mortal or immortal because of their parents(Eärendil and Elwing) both half elven made a great sacrifice and went to Valinor to ask for help which lead to the greatest events in the early first and second age. Instead of being punished, the valar listened to them, that led to a great hosts of Valar and Maiar And Vanyar Elves went to Middle Earth that laid waste to Beleriand. After the War Of Wrath, the valar rewarded them for their sacrifices. They can choose to be elf or men, including their children. They chose immortally, but never return to Middle Earth because they thought that their twin sons had died. But they didnt die. Elrond chose to be immortal while his twin brother Elros chose to be mortal. He founded the Kingdom of Numenor. He lived in Numenor Island and blessed with a long life that include his descendants Those men who fought for the war were rewarded a long life but not their families or children. Only the family of Elrond can choose to be immortal or mortal in which Arwen did. Aragorn is the direct descendant of Elros, thats why he has a long life. The average lifespan of a Numenorean at their height was a few thousand years maximum! Now remember too that half elves are a common thing and whenever they did come together it was always significant !❤❤❤ & the neat thing about this is that it’s essentially a purer version of the silmarils even though they were always holy objects with a sort of life of their own which as much of history moved around them so to speak ❤️ Remember this is the SHORT version, there are so many moving parts that will make you want to dive into the books or the audio books or even do reaction videos to the famous lore videos by the biggest lore channels out there! When you’re done the trilogy try doing reaction videos just like Moviejoob did now with the lore recently as well as OmarioRPG. I recommend videos by GirlNextGondor and The Red Book, and Tolkien Untangled and especially Men Of The West. Many other cool ones I’ll recommend in the comments section of those reaction videos you do from Tolkiens Legendarium lore videos. They are super engaging. You’ll be in love. Nothing would have existed if Tolkiens works never hit the light of day as they were meant to stay private and sometimes be shared with his children and so on. No Game Of Thrones. No Skyrim. No ElderScrolls, No World Of Warcraft, no Dungeons&Dragons. None of it. Not even Star Wars. Not even Harry Potter! They took inspiration from his works which were souly to give back a forgotten history of the Anglo Saxons that had their culture & history destroyed as the larger empires were riding around them. His works reflect the Elder Edda(Norse) The Kalevala(Finnish) and the Welsh people from Wales as well as Irelands cultures of the Tuatha De Danaan as well! His languages are fully fleshed out too resembling Finnish & Welsh • By the way Elrond is around 6870-8000 years old AND nearly a full Elf year (as they age very very differently to Men) is close to 144 man years (solar years for them) they experience the TIME and the way men experience it but their clock is different! They live as long as the world/Arda/Ëa does. Essentially. Which is why they are so I synch with the world around them and the nature responds to them ! Think of when Legolas walked ontop of all that snow on the Mountain of Caradhras!! They continue to endure as long ad the world itself does. (Arda) The Star of Eärendil is the light that shines in the horizon both in the morning and the evening. It consists in a boat raised by the Valar and led by Eärendil, who carries a shining Silmaril while watching the Doors of Night. The Door of Night was a portal in the distant Uttermost West that leads to heaven, and/or the Void. Eärendil's ship Vingilot was taken by the Valar from the rim of the world, passed through the Door and was lifted into the "oceans of heaven". PS: Eärendil is ELROND’s half Vanyar Elf father. His father was the great Tuor of the great stories of The Children Of Húrin!❤❤❤❤
Considering how much you enjoyed this amazing trilogy (when you're ready) you ought to check out the extensive footage on the making of this masterpiece.
Thank you for seeing this trilogy and appreciating it. For those of us that saw it back in the day in the movie theaters, we enjoy watching the first-timers experience this masterpiece, and we cry along you in this journey.
Glad you guys enjoyed these movies. It’s always great to see people love these movies. I’m sure it’s been mentioned that the two children at the end of the movie are Rosie and Sam children in real life. Recently they posted a picture of them all grown up.
Tolkien's middle earth is - without a doubt - the greatest fantasy world of all time. All of it was created by one man, a genius Oxford professor, and he worked on his tales, for most of his adult life. The Lord of the Rings is the most beloved of all of his tellings. I remember, when the first trailer for the movies was published. I guess it was 1999...or even the year 2000. They showed a view moments of the first movie and a narrators voice promised that "The greatest story - ever told - will come to life!"
Thank you so much for watching with us, Chris! That is so great to hear that you love the story as well. Tolkien wrote and created such an incredible piece of work!! And Peter Jackson completely brought it to life. We LOVED the movies!
@@tktopmovies If u loved these movies I sinscerely recomend the BBC radio drama version of LOTR from 1981 with Ian Holm (Jackson's Bilbo) in the role of Frodo. Its so classy radio theatre and in the terms of adaptation the radio got it much better than Jackson - the radio adaptation is not as epic as this but its much more faithful to the book events and dialogues - esp at the final chapters after the destruction of the Ring - these chapters were completely erased from the movies due to film composition reasons I guess. But they were much important becouse of whats happened to the Shire, and to Frodo. Much Love :) Tal
Very, very few movies hit as hard and as deep as this trilogy does and I'm glad to see you two recognize its cinematic mastery and its timeless themes. This is what it looks like when every person involved has a deep love for the source material and wants only to faithfully translate it to film as honorably as they can. A thing of beauty.
Fun Fact: The One Ring is impossible to destroy. You can be the most dedicated person to wanting to destroy it and you would fail. You adopt the love for the ring at the same intensity Sauron does, and you want no harm to it. So if you stood there at the edge ready to destroy it, YOU would always fail. The only reason it got destroyed was by accident because of Frodo and Gollums wrestle for it.
Your reaction was so heartwarming and perfect, that I subscribed immediately. No matter how many times I watch this movie, I still get the post LotR depression. (I watched them many times, I saw them in theater when they came out 20+ years ago) There is no greater story than this. Welcome to the fandom ❤
Interesting facts about LOTR: Arwen is the granddaughter of Mrs. Galadriel. The pirates who can be seen arriving at the ships are actually Peter Jackson himself and his producing crew and not actors. Peter Jackson was already seen in Bree in the first part. He is the person who comes out in the dancing Pony when the hobbits arrive and bites the carrot.
Your reactions are exactly right for this film. In my opinion you have felt what you're meant feel during the ending part of such a deep film. I still cry even seeing just one of these emotional scenes.
Frodo leaving at the end is even more heartbreaking when you understand the context of what was happening and why. J.R.R. Tolkien was a veteran of the trenches of World War 1, and he included many of his own experiences as a shell-shocked veteran returning home when he wrote this series. When Frodo talks about how he's having trouble picking up the threads of his old life, he is echoing a sentiment millions of veterans from around the world express. When their experiences and their pain always seem to set them apart from the ordinary life around them, and so many of them don't know how to cope. Then comes taking the ship to leave Middle Earth. In the lore, the place they are sailing to is known as the Undying Lands (among other names). It is basically Elf Heaven. So when Frodo says that the Shire was saved but not for him, he is saying that the trauma was too much and that he can't go back to the way things were before, so he is choosing to go on to Heaven instead. The whole thing is a metaphor for traumatized veterans committing suicide when they are unable to cope with life after war. Sam represents those who bear the scars of war, but manage to reach some semblance of peace with their experiences, who carry forward the memory of those who couldn't.
Love your emotional reaction at the end. This is why this trilogy of movies and the books live in people’s hearts forever. A lie down in darkened room might be required now, just to mull things over and think about what Bilbo and Frodo experienced when they arrived at the Undying Lands.
What many people tend to forget is that this is not a story where Good triumphs over evil...infact it is Evil that is more powerful, but in its own power lies its destruction, in this case the Ring's pull on both Frodo and Gollum was so strong that their struggle, right there inside Mt. Doom was something Sauron could not forsee. And I always feel for Boromir, when people tend to forget him at the 'reunion scene'. The more I watch the extended the more I feel for his character. Mankind personified. I'll leave you with Boromir's Lament from Clamavi de Profundis, who set Tolkien's poem to song as Aragorn and Legolas sang it in the book. They will look for him from the White Tower, but he will not return from mountain or from sea. Aragorn sang: Through Rohan over fen and field where the long grass grows The West Wind comes walking, and about the walls it goes. ‘ What news from the West, O wandering wind, do you bring to me tonight? Have you seen Boromir the Tall, by moon or by starlight? I saw him ride over seven streams, over waters wide and grey, I saw him walk in empty lands until he passed away Into the shadows of the North, I saw him then no more. The North Wind may have heard the horn of the son of Denethor O Boromir! From the high walls westward I looked afar, But you came not from the empty lands where no men are. Then Legolas sang: From the mouths of the Sea the South Wind flies, from the sandhills and the stones, The wailing of the gulls it bears, and at the gate it moans. What news from the South, O sighing wind, do you bring to me at eve? Where now is Boromir the Fair? He tarries and I grieve. Ask not of me where he doth dwell - so many bones there lie, On the white shores and the dark shores under the stormy sky, So many have passed down Anduin to find the flowing Sea. Ask of the North Wind news of them the North Wind sends to me! O Boromir! Beyond the gate the seaward road runs south, But you came not with the wailing gulls from the grey sea's mouth. Then Aragorn sang again: From the Gate of the Kings the North Wind rides, and past the roaring falls, And clear and cold about the tower its loud horn calls. What news from the North, O mighty wind, do you bring to me today? What news of Boromir the bold? For he is long away. Beneath Amon Hen I heard his cry. There many foes he fought, His cloven shield, his broken sword, they to the water brought. His head so proud, his face so fair, his limbs they laid to rest, And Rauros, golden Rauros-falls, bore him upon its breast. O Boromir! The Tower of Guard shall ever northward gaze, To Rauros, golden Rauros-falls, until the end of days.
Smeagol & Deagol are cousins I believe. Pardons if this has been mentioned but Smeagol's eye pupils are large while Gollum's pupils are very small. Cool effect when they converse back and forth.
I really enjoyed following you both watching these films. Great to see they still have an impact on someone watching for the first time 20 years on. And they actually get better the more you watch them, and you'll blub even more knowing what's coming. Miraculous film-making.
There is the movie "Tolkien" which stars Nicolas Hault as adult Tolkien and Lily Collins (Phil Collins daughter) as his wife Edith. It tells his story growing up, his WW1 experience in the Battle of the Somme, and how he took all of that and created his Middle Earth world. Very excellent and highly recommended.
One thing about Frodo's shoulder wound from waaay back in the first movie, from the nazgul blade... Tolkein knew that battle damaged some people in ways that were purely in the soul, and that is echoed in Frodo's permanent ache and soul draining agony when the anniversary of that wound occurred. He claimed there was no allegory, but that wound is a very poetic echo of PTSD, or 'shell shock' as he would have known it.
Thank you guys so much for your reactions. I glad that you guys were so touched by the lord of the rings. After reading the books 3 times and watching reactions and watching the movies over a thousand times, the emotion is still there.
I have a huge THANK YOU to PJ & Co for all those years and all the talent that went into these films and to New Zealand for showing us Middle Earth. And thanks to you two for going on these journeys.
The attention to detail is what makes these so good. The third eagle coming at the end just in case Smeagol survived, the look on Pippin's face of "yep, this seems right" when everyone is bowing, & so many of the tiny things that might have easily been overlooked is just so incredibly well done. Shows how much of a labor of love these films are for everyone involved rather than just being a big blockbuster for the sake of trying to make a big blockbuster.
You two were spot on.. No other possibilities but just sobbing.. I did it while I was reading so many years ago this brilliant underappreciated book...
@@hoofhearted1955 you are right underappreciated is the wrong word.. when I was asked about my favorite book it was and still is lotr... Before the films came out a lot of people just heard that it was some kind of a fantasy story and never gave a chance to learn (read) what an Epos it is.
I always get kinda emotional and full whenever I see the whole trilogy… This is the end of a Greta journey guys and there’s a new one! The stories of Bilbo are explained in the Hobbit trilogy! That is another great story!!! The Lord of the Rings is Frodo’s story, Frodo’s adventures in Middle-Earth and the story of the destruction of the Rings. Frodo added this part to Bilbo’s book called “A Hobbit’s tale” which says his adventures in Middle-Earth. The Hobbit trilogy is Bilbo’s adventures: •An unexpected journey •The desolation of Smaug •The war of five armies Some insights for this film: These dark crystal spheres were called palantíri. Palantir (singular) palantíri (plural) These were made by the High Elves of the Ñoldor and they were gifted to the Númenórian Kings. The Númenórians were the most noble race of Men in the First Age. Later various events happened that I cannot explain (if you decide to read the books one day, it takes some effort and dedication to dive into Tolkien lore) so, the Númenórian kings left form there place and came to Middle-Earth. They took the 7 palantíri with them and after some ages these 7 crystal spheres were all across Middle-Earth. Elves, Men, wizards like Saruman and later Sauron had one. They used them to communicate with each other! Because of the long distances they couldn’t move all the time so, whoever had one of these spheres in his possession it could see and hear the others. That’s why Gandalf told to Saruman we don’t know who else is watching through them. Most of them were lost and during the events of the Lord of the Rings only two were known, one in the possession of Saruman the white wizard and the other in the possession of Sauron. Deagol was not only the best friend of Sméagol but they were also cousins! Sméagol killed his cousin to take the Ring! The army of the dead also known as Oathbreakers, were a group of Men from the Misty Mountains. They swore to Isildur that they would fight for him but when the War of Last Alliance began they didn’t help Isildur and Gondor. You remember the first scenes where Elves and Men marched against Mordor. These men had to be at Isildur’s side but the betrayed him. Isildur cursed them to remain forever to Middle-Earth roaming this world being forever cursed. Aragorn being Isildur’s heir was able to touch them and make this deal with them and finally release them for their torture! Again, it’s a bit in vein to try to explain things like that but, Aragorn’s song was in Elvish and it’s called Elendil’s Oath. After surviving the fall of Númenor (that’s a separate book in Tolkien’s storyline) the King Elendil landed in Middle-Earth and said these words: *Et Eärello, endorenna utúlien. Sinomë maruvan ar Hildinyar tenn’ Ambar-metta* Out of the Great Sea to Middle-Earth I am come. In this place I will abide, and my heirs, unto the ending of the World. Aragorn or King Elessar as it’s his name said the same words when we took up the Crown of Gondor at the end of the Third Age and the beginning of the Fourth Age. You need to see a map of Middle-Earth so understand the distances, to see the places, the Great Sea between Middle-Earth and the Undying Lands. The Valinor aka the Undying Lands were once part of this world but after some time it was “separated” from this world/universe and to go there were almost impossible. Only the Elves could go there. We also see Elrond crying when Arwen reunited with Elessar/Aragorn. He was of course happy with his daughter’s happiness but he was also sad because as we saw at the end, the Elves along with Gandalf, Bilbo and Frodo left the Middle-Earth for ever and went to the Undying Lands. Arwen gave up on her immortality, as Elrond said many times “she died” not literally died because she was there alive but her fair-divine side died / abandoned her. After their death only the spirits of the Elves could travel to the Undying Lands. But because Arwen gave up on her Elvish-divine nature to be with Aragorn, that means that her spirit/soul will never go to the Undying Lands… So, Elrond was sad because that the last time seeing his daughter! He also left for the Undying Lands and mortal Arwen’s spirit couldn’t go there so they will never going to see each other again… 😢
There is always hope, with everything in life- no matter where you are, or what you are going through. There is hope and love in this world, and there will always be hope and love.
Rewatching and remembering how well the movie captured the symbolism in the books. Gandalf scaring the Nazghul away with a beam of light. The single white flower blossoming back. So amazing! These books are so wonderful.
I have watched these movies like 30 times and I ugly cry every time. When I read the books as a teen I had to just sit for like an hour to breathe after finished the last one. Masterpiece as books and movies.
I don't know if anyone has said this, but the ending scene of Frodo sailing to the west was the first scene the Hobbits shot together ever. First shoot together, Billy, Sean, and Dominic had to cry, but they had nothing to really cry about, so it was a struggle, lol.
Sentry fires were common in the old days..as in England..to send warnings of invasion..generally along the coast...to the inland cities and a call for help... 🌿🌿🌿
Great series of reactions to this story guys. Your empathy and attentiveness was top tier and up their with the big channels. Still managed to find humor in there as well. I was tearing up(yet again) right there with you throughout. You guys are truly great for that ending part crying and trying to give your final thoughs lolol, I hope ya'll do some more, movies, anime, tv shows... Keep it going, ya'll are great, truly 🤙🏾💙
⭐J. R. R. Tolkien created such an incredible piece of work!! And Peter Jackson completely brought it to life. We loved this!!! Here is a playlist of our Lord of the Rings journey for the first time: th-cam.com/play/PLA6WuU8DE2LaIZXT4NAncX7WqhoTndW9P.html. Also, here is a link to our FULL reaction: www.patreon.com/tktopmovies
According to Tolkien: Smeagol was River Folk, "Not unlike a hobbit". Hobbits are from Hobbiton, within which is the Shire, but Riverfolk lived along side the river. Simular people groups, but distinguished from Hobbits.
Hey! Check out my comments!
Oh. You’re going to need to add this to the poll: Behind The Scenes Documentary. They are literally the length a film would be. It’s a true passion project never before seen before. Even today! Bringing together several teams and groups. And the thing is all the way down to WETA workshop and the actors were all lovers of the source material and truly revered and honoured Tolkien. ❤
There is another film to also watch before the hobbit titled “Tolkien”
@@autonomouspublishingincorp8241 not exacly :) though it was similar to what you said. Hobbits at first, in their "prahistory" got 3 groups or clans - Fallowhides (most adventurous and nomadic forest dwellers, archers and hunters, most similar to elves in looks and friends with elves), Harfoots (avoiding adventures, more settled, villagers and farmers with some skills of craft, friends with dwarves and most "dwarvish" in looks), Stoors (living around lakes and rivers "Riverfolk", fishermen but also farming) mostly trades with men. Gollum was from Stoors. When the hobbit migrated from the east of the continent (from the areas south of Mirkwood, which is the homeland of Legolas) to the west of continent - to the Shire (in Arnor kingdom - they were given the Shire by Argeleb II, king of Arnor), they mixed up, intermarried during this journey. And this migration was long - it was not less than 3 centuries before they established their own land. Some of them tried to settle in Dunland - the place where in TTT we can see those men who allied with Saruman and attacked Rohan, but the Dunlendings probably did not want them there and this group of hobbits migrated north to the Shire in 11th century of 3d age. the Shire was established about 15 century of 3d age and the LOTR is set in 3019 of 3d age, so at this point Shire exists already for 15 centuries. And so when they established Shire those 3 groups were mixed and got the new family names according to who was settled where. For example the Brandybucks family (Merry's family) settled on the banks of river Baranduin (in elvish) which the hobbits called Brandywine and so Brandy in their name is from this river. Brandywine is main river in the Shire. Thats why such name as Brandyfoot in Amazon TV show is totaly absurd - these nomadic hobbits from this show can not have such names becouse they are not settled yet on the banks of Brandywine :)
"My friends, you bow to no one" murders me every time even after all these decades.
Murder death kill. Every time. Viggo delivered that line to absolute perfection.
THIS... also can't believe they didn't include that in this edit ffs!
@@wibblewobble1934 Alright, they'll keep their secrets.
Who's cutting onions
Every! Single! Time! 😭
One of the best lines in the movie for me was Gimli and Legolas dialog:
- Never thought I'd die side by side with an elf...
- What about side by side with a friend?
- Yes, I cound do that.
Think of how their relationship started, deep hatred and mistrust and how it ended. Amazing.
The most epic of the Trilogy. Theoden's speech before the charge... Ah, always chills
Similar to Shakespeare's Henry 5th speech at Agincourt
Definitely action-packed and emotionally moving at many points... but I always felt it was more of the Return of the Jedi of thid trilogy, and the Two Towers was The Empire Strikes Back. There was just so much more tension and complexity in the Two Towers. And better dialogue. RotK was basically one long climax.
In all honesty though, I don't even consider them separate films at the end of the day.... it's really one long 9+ hour movie.
This movie had so many awesome lines that will always stay with us
@@CoryGasaway in no way shape or form should return of the Jedi ever be in the same sentence. Return of the king is in another stratosphere. The only thing good in RoTJ is Palpatine Vader Luke stuff. Every second of return of the king is awesome.
@@mattrasp1615 I agree that RotK outclasses RotJ but that's because of the source material. Every second? The Extended Edition of RotK contains some of Peter Jackson's most aggravating changes from the book. Eg the skull avalanche on the Paths of the Dead is totally unnecessary and tonally out of place, more Indiana Jones than Tolkien. In canon terms, it's ridiculous, there weren't millions of Oathbreakers. I also dislike Gandalf falling off Shadowfax when confronting the Witch King in Minas Tirith - in the book Gandalf holds his ground because he's a Maia, more than a match for the scariest ghost in Middle-earth. Then there's Aragorn freaking out when he confronts Sauron through the Palantir, an encounter he wins in the book.
Gandalf hitting Denethor violates the high code of honour that all Tolkien's good guys live by, as does Aragorn beheading the Mouth of Sauron.
Denethor, a complex and difficult man in the book, is turned into a one-dimensional villain in the film, and his tragic suicide becomes an ugly farce.
But the absolute worst is Frodo believing Gollum over Sam and sending Sam away. It's the climax to Peter Jackson's trashing of Frodo throughout the whole trilogy. 😥
I don't mind omissions and compressions. I think that PJ truly did an amazing job on so many levels. It's because he did such an amazing job that character assassinations like the above hurt the more.
I laugh every time Treebeard greets Gandalf as "young master Gandalf." In England, the term Master refers to a young unmarried male, the equivalent of Miss. It's a witty mechanic to show Treebeard's ancient age.
Hahahah aww that is so true!! Love that!
@@tktopmovies His name is Fangorn and the forest is named after him. He’s over 15,000 years old. ;) you’ll love to react to the immersive lore videos (some have interactive maps too) omarioRPG did the same thing and loved it so much. Wish he continued though. Moviejoob did the same as well. It’s already becoming a theme and I wish to continue inspiring people to dive deeper. You’ll never regret it ❤ I’ll provide links to wherever you desire to start with. Heck. I’ll even create a playlist for you of videos and just watch from top to bottom. How’s that?
Due to reading Tolkien in original (but at first in translation) I m also aware of the fact that "master" means two things - unmarried male ( in earlier times it was a person of higher class ), but also "master" as master of art or master scholar or master of craft. Thats why Elrond is called (by Bilbo) Master - not becouse Elrond is young and unmarried (as he is old and married of course) but becouse he is greatest loremaster in the area :) Its the medieval equivalent of professor I guess :) becouse "magister" in Latin means the same - "master of craft" or "master of lore".
In the book Gandalf tells Theoden, "When you see Treebeard, you will learn much. For Treebeard is Fangorn, and the eldest and chief of the Ents, and when you speak with him you will hear the speech of the eldest of all living things." "Fangorn" is the Elvish (Sindarin) for "Beard (of) Tree."
Which is hilarious since Gandalf is older than arda itself 😂
42:23 Fun fact: When Aragorn was hidden in Rivendell as a child, he was known as "Estel" which is Elvish for "Hope"
Also some of the last words of Aragorn's mother before she died was "I gave Hope (an obvious reference to her son's nickname) to the Dúnedain, I have kept no hope for myself."
"I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you!" and "My friends, you bow to no one" after 20+ years, those two scenes still make me ugly cry every time I see them. 😭
I hope you will give The Hobbit trilogy a watch soon. It is Bilbo's famous adventures (during which he found the one ring) that took place 60 years before Frodo & Sam's epic journey. We get to meet a bevy of new characters (the dwarves are very fun to watch), visit new locations of Middle Earth, & see a few familiar faces too. 😊
There's much more celebration of the Hobbits in the book. An honor guard of all the various forces that fought in the War lined the road leading up to Minas Tirith greeted them as they entered the city & an honest to God minstrel of Gondor recited the Tale of Nine Fingered Frodo & the Ring of Doom. Only a few words were recorded by Tolkien but with a poem that lasted most of a day surely there were verses about Samwise the Brave in there.
Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that has a large collection of original manuscripts and drawings from Tolkien. I had the absolute pleasure of getting to chance to see a selection of them that were on public display last year (one of the greatest days of my life, if we're being totally honest), and one of the pages was a handwritten draft of the "you bow to no one" scene. The ink was smudged in places because Tolkien himself cried while writing it. If that's not proof of how emotional that scene is, I don't know what is ❤
"Don't go where I can't follow" 😭
Tolkien was traumatised by his experiences in the first world world. He was at the battle of the Somme, which was horrendous. During the war Tolkien noticed soldiers carrying their injured friends, risking their lives to save their comrades. This was the inspiration for the scene where Sam carries Frodo up Mount Doom! 😢
Actually it was 77 years from the Hobbit. 60 years to the party of bilbo and 17 years between bilbos party and Frodo and Sam's departure on the fellowship of the ring
I always think about how nuts it is, realistically, that Théoden agrees to help Gondor. Not even political, etc. but his people literally just went through the Helm’s Deep battle and he still makes the impossible decision to put his people in danger, again, because it’s what has to be done. Oof, what an incredible character. Also, incredibly performed by Bernard Hill.
that's the beauty of Tolkien's stories, he created a universe where these values such as loyalty, friendship and doing the good deeds just for the sake of good are a key component of the characters
Apparently, on the last day of filming for Bernard Hill, who played Theoden, Peter Jackson gave him Theoden's helmet and sword to keep.
Rohan is bound by oath to aid Gondor.
The land was granted to the Rohirrim 500 years before the War of the Ring, by Cirion, the Steward of Gondor, after Eorl the Young led the Rohirrim out of the north and saved Gondor in a major battle.
Each swore to always aid the other.
So Theoden is honouring that alliance, regardless of whether Gondor had been able to honour their side of the oath.
Someone else already mentioned the oath both nations swore to each other, but another reason was logic. If gondor falls, there is no one else that can stand against the might of sauron. Théoden had the choice to risk dying now or face certain death in the future. He was also an old man who wanted a glorious death. He rode out of edoras expecting to die charging the orcs in the westfolds, but was told the battle there was already lost and to head to helms deep. He then planned to die in the seige but he survived. Finally he was given another chance to die with honor, so the he could dine with his ancestors, "in whose mighty company he need not now be ashamed."
I love this full story, but the thing I find so ironic about it is that everyone on the battlefield things Frodo’s the hero. But if Frodo had his way, the ring would’ve been his, and the ending to the story would be completely different. Not that I’m blaming him, one of the reasons why he couldn’t let go of the ring is mount doom is where the rings power is the strongest and Frodo carrying the ring for so long was at his weakest. If it weren’t for Gollum, stealing the ring and falling into the lava with the ring in his hand, things would’ve been different. I actually see Gollum as a tragic character. He was a decent being until the ring got to him. The evil of the ring took over. but it’s the best ending ever, everybody has a happy ending. That’s what I love the most about it.
Sam's "I can carry you" line shoulda been an Oscar right there
Here's something even deeper, that most people who haven't read the books yet often miss in the movies. In the 1st one, inside the mines of Moria Frodo says "It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill Gollum when he had the chance" . Gandalf replied to him "It's pity that stayed Bilbo's hand... ...Many who live deserve death, many who die deserve life. Can YOU give it to them? Don't be hasty dealing judgement, not even the wisest can know everything before the end "
As we all saw, without Gollum the ring couldn't have been destroyed and that says something about being merciful. Also, Frodo knew the moment he fell into the crater that he had failed the mission a few seconds ago. He momentarily looked down into the lava, but Samwise urged him to "Don't let go!". Later, when everyone bowed down to them, during the coronation, you can see the bitterness in his face, feeling he was somewhat undeserving of all that, as he couldn't do it on his own. That was part of the reason he had to leave for Valinor, The Undying Lands at the end, he was deeply scarred both physically and mentally after his journey and that was the only way to heal. This I think speaks a lot to the veterans of war and everyone who has gone through very traumatic events.
Tolkien's books are indeed very deep and the movies managed to showcase this brilliantly, even though they had to cut and change several stuff.
What's funny is that all three movies are about a journey to destroy the ring. And only one character ever actually TRIES to destroy the ring and fails. And it's not even Frodo. It's Gimli, way back at the Council of Elrond, before the quest even started.
@@Mcvthree3 Gimli is my favorite character from the fellowship. He just sort of trudges along in the shadows behind Aragorn and Legolas, but at the same time he goes on more of a personal journey than the others. His story arc is more varied.
@@butnooneshome Gimli Elf-Friend, the only Dwarf to be welcomed into the Undying Lands
Tolkien understood PTSD well, which is basically what Bilbo, Frodo, and eventually Sam needed relief from.
@@manicmsRegarding PTSD... Tolkien fought in the Battle of the Somme in WWI, where 3 million men fought(both sides) with 1 million casualties(dead and wounded)... I think he was VERY familiar with PTSD! 😳
So glad you guys enjoyed it. It's hard to explain how good these movies are to someone who's never experienced them. Now you two are LotR vets. ❤
Hey Jeremy! Thanks for watching with us :) And you're so right about that---people need to experience the films to truly know what it's about! I'm so glad we did!!! All the love
The ring caused great physical and emotional damage to Frodo and Bilbo the undying lands were the only place for them to heal...many years later even Sam joined them for he was a ringbearer for a short time...
🌿🌿🌿
It's, debatable, if Sam ever met Frodo again. Some argue that the Undying lands are not suitable for mortal beings, they actually die faster there.
It is said that Frodo and Bilbo didn’t get to the Undying Lands itself, cause they couldn’t bare to se the Maiar and Valar in person without getting an instakill. So they stayed in an island close enough to there
@@mantovaniflpnot the instakill 😭
Ya there was the island of tol eraessa where they stayed
A nice bit of info you may not have noticed, but remember when Eomer was basically ripping into Merry because of his size and how he would flee from battle when the horror takes hold? Well, because he helped Eowyn kill the Witchking and saved her in the process, Eomer ended up letting Merry ride on his own personal horse alonside Eomer at the battle of the Black Gate. Shows how much he respects Merry after the battle of Pellenor fields.
Watching you guys having a mixed reaction between crying and giggling at each other after the ending was so unbelievably sweet 😂❤
Awww haha thank you for being on the journey with us!
Yeah so Frodo left because he was forever scarred by the ring, and so the elves granted him and Bilbo a very special privilege of traveling to the undying lands with them.
It's a lovely bit of symmetry that the first thing Theoden saw when he awoke from Saruman's spell and the last thing he saw before passing was his niece, Eowyn.
And also the naming itself where Theoden and Denethor are anagrams and they represent the two types of "rulership" where Theoden is recognized his own flaws but did everything for his people while Denethor was the corrupted weak ruler only wanting to rule for himself without any conciderations of the people.
Yes, and both times he says the same thing. "I know that face".
"They're all reunited, the fellowship! ALL of em!"
*cries in Boromir*
But in seriousness, I really enjoyed your reaction! This movie throws so much at you that it's easy to miss stuff, but you guys paid attention to all the details. This story is so important to me and so many fans and it's always a joy to see others fully connect with it emotionally. Thanks for sharing with us!
Aw Boromir :( :( :( Thank you so much for watching with us, Dan!!! This was such a wonderful journey that we absolutely loved!!
The fact that in the beginning the group of hobbits was dancing, singing, cheering and having fun, but by the end they are sitting quietly drinking. The journey changed them forever.
One overlooked line that kills me every time is Elrond telling Aragorn that Arwen is dying. I always found it poignant because being immortal Elrond knew that regardless of the outcome of the war his daughter would die in what an immortal elf would precieve as a very short time but losing the war would mean her death would come much sooner. A choice he fully understood as he had to make a similar choice - he and his brother made a similar choice years prior. He chose the immortal life of an Elf. His brother chose the mortal life of man. This is the second time he lost a loved one in this manner.
I always felt bad for Elrond in that aspects. His daughter would die sooner any normal elf would do.
Arwen’s life being tied to the life of the ring at this point was not in the books, this was a story device to increase the tension in the movie only & I didn’t like it. Just as I didn’t like what they did w/Faramir’s character (Boromir’s brother). PJ & co were so worried the ring needed to enslave everyone they couldn’t let Faramir keep his honor. Biggest pet peeve in all the movies for me, lol!
Great reaction! And I guarantee you'll cry even more if you watch it again. The storytelling was epic. There's another reacter, Magic Magy, she was bawling at the end because she so loved the universe Tokien created, she didn't want it to end. She cried for a long time after the movie ended.
These movies do stay with you as each character was richly done, and imagine the depth of each of them with their own backstory.
Just so touching and moving! Love the themes in the story
If you watch The Hobbit movies (not nearly as epic as this trilogy but still good) I hope you react to the end credits song which is sung by Billy Boyd. This song and Annie Lennox's Into the West are perfect closures to Peter Jackson's work.
That feeling of uncontrollable sobbing is universal. I don't think I've ever seen someone invest the time to watch this trilogy and NOT cry/tear up at the ending. Absolutely adored this reaction trilogy from y'all ❤️
I believe the line of the Stewards began in 2050 when the last king didn't return from a battle with the Witch King of Angmar. and left no heir. The war of the ring took place in 3019. Denethor had one of the Palantiri (seeing stones) and, just as Sauron showed Arwen dead to Aragorn, he showed Denethor only utter defeat. It drove the Steward to despair and to madness.
"i will not say: do not weep! For not all tears are an evil"
great reaction!!!! genuine...thank you for sharing
What I tell people before their first viewing of this trilogy.
And now you know why this movie won a record 11 Oscars.
17:58 so you got a good understanding that Denethor is the Steward. There’s a nice detail when Gandalf and Pippin enter his hall, he’s not sitting on the throne. He sits on a humble wooden chair at the foot of the throne. Even though for long now Stewards were essentially de facto kings, they still observed the ceremonial niceties of being subordinate to a true king.
Yes!!! So glad the comments on the last movies helped us out with that! Denethor was like the "placeholder" until there was a King. Gosh, this movie was awesome. Thanks for watching with us!
Your reaction was amazing and I cried right a long with you! I'm so glad you loved it! Thank you so much for taking us all with you on this journey! The very first time I read J.J.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings Trilogy, was when my father handed me the books when I was 11 years old.
So I sprawled on my bed and began to read, with no expectations or idea of what was to come.
I have no memory of the passage of time for next three days...I don't even remember food or daylight or dark.
All I knew was the Road I was on and the gentleness of the Shire and the horror of the Ringwraiths.
And the ease and peace of Rivendell contrasted with the desperate, hopeless plans they laid there.
The long dark of Moria, and the time spent out of time in Lothlorian...
The deep sonorous voices and the endless depths in the eyes of the Ents.
And the leap of the flames of the watch towers across the mountains. And the charge of the Rohirrim, and the desperation of the last battle in Mordor.
The heartbroken failure and stunning redemption of one small hobbit...
And the lesson that you cannot always go home, and that sometimes you can only save things for others, but not for yourself...
And then the gentle shock of the ending - "Well, I'm back."
And then I sat back down and read it straight through all over again.
And that is Love.
So, decades later, a group of friends and I went to see a random movie, which to this day I have no memory of what it was.
Because as we walked across the foyer, heading for the popcorn concession, I glanced up and saw one of the giant banners that advertises movies yet to come, suspended from the ceiling...and my heart stopped.
It was a single, simple image.
A somber young face under dark curly hair, holding up a gold ring in the palm of his hand.
I was across the floor standing under the banner, and gazing up at it with tears starting in my eyes and my heart pounding.
I knew it was Frodo holding the One Ring before I ever saw the words "The Lord of the Rings" across the bottom.
I swear my heart stopped. I knew instantly from the power of that image, that whoever was the director, the studio, the driving minds behind the production, they were going to get it right.
My friends had to circle back - having acquired my popcorn, bless them - to drag me into the movie we had come to see.
Which I haven't the faintest memory of to this day, because I was actually off in Middle Earth, instead of a darkened theater.
So when day FINALLY came that I was sitting in the opening of The Fellowship of the Ring, and we came to the scene where all Hobbiton opened out before Gandalf's horse and cart, green and golden in the light, with the rolling hills of the Hobbit Holes...
I started crying right then and there.
I was home. And my heart knew it.
That is my home.
It always will be.
Ditto. But I was the one who had read the book to my elder daughter as her bedtime story for a year.
When we learned that Peter Jackson was going to direct - I said "Peter who?".
I so wanted these movies to be done right. And from the first moment, I knew that that they were going to be. And they were.
I cried. A lot.
So beautifully said, Cameron! So glad you enjoyed!!!!! Love hearing your story of discovering this masterpiece!
Oh, hon, you expressed my feelings so beautifully. In times of trouble and stress, I would always return to the Shire for comfort, feeling each character’s journey with renewed insight, and always weeping unashamedly at the end- not all tears are an evil. There were so many lessons that I could apply to my own life and I always left the Shire with renewed hope.
I believe it is the best story ever told. All these different races united against evil...that's a powerful message! And as Galadriel says even the smallest person can change the course of history. I cried with you guys! Love your reaction! ❤😭
Well let's be real, the painting of Eastern men is problematic. Even with Faromir's speech in the Two Towers, the visuals and characterization of Eastern culture is very poor. And even though Tolkien didn't mean for the Dwarves to come across as antisemitic, it still does in some aspects. Such as them liking precious gems.
@@ooiiooiiooii Bro wtf are you talking about? What part of this story is eastern in culture? This is a FICTIONAL story, about FICTIONAL characters, and FICTIONAL places. Are you ok??
Hi Marie! Thank you so much for watching with us :)
@@ooiiooiiooii Look, I found the person who doesn't understand Tolkien. Seriously, whatever ideology is rotting your brain like this, do yourself a favor and quit it, it's unhealthy.
@@SapperSapperSapper fictional story predicated on prejudiced and racist beliefs. Tolkien himself said he wrongly compared the greedy dwarves to Jews. Get your head out of your rump , sweetie 😂
"It's all about love and loyalty, and hope. That even in dark times, there's hope." You two have perfectly summed up my favorite story. I've spent a large chunk of my life devoted to storytelling because of this feeling that you're sharing. I'll never achieve anything like this, but that's okay, because of what it taught me, and what you've now learned anew. There's always hope. Good job.
Hi Vaughn!!! Thank you so much for your kind comment
32:58 gotta say the book was more clever with sending Merry and Eowyn to the war. When Merry was hoisted onto a horse, he didn’t recognize the rider. The rider called himself Dernhelm, and Merry thought it was just a clean-shaven young man. That remained the case for a long while. Merry and the reader don’t find out who “Dernhelm” is until the climax with the Witch King in the battle.
But admittedly, this works better in a book than in a movie. You can get away with pretending that Merry doesn't recognise Éowyn. Fooling the audience into thinking this is not her is a lot harder, especially given the fact that she didn't really have the time to come up with a disguise. Like, if she had been able to stick on a false beard, they might have been able to pull this off.
@@sailiealquadacil1284 yeah they wouldn’t have been able to conceal the identity of tiny little Miranda Otto 😝
I still prefer books, but I think Jackson did amazing job to deliver Middle Earth to wide audience, not only to books lovers.
@@jahu5440Jackson also made the correct choice in having Theoden’s final conversation as he dies be with Eowyn and not Merry. Like I get Merry is awesome, but Eowyn deserves that conversation and goodbye to her beloved uncle more.
Disagree. The scene in the movie is better. When Merry says, "My Lady", that exemplifies her honour.
After the movie is over, 2 minutes of straight speechless, uncontrolled laughter. That is how you know a movie was simply magnificent. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to relive our first watches through you guys. I really enjoyed yalls reaction because it just seemed so sincere.
Hey Drew!!! That is so nice to hear :) Thank you so much for watching!!
People overlook merrys story as well. He always had that fighting spirit to fight for his friends. But he was always looked upon as the small little hobbit who had no place in a battlefield. He was never able to show how much he cared until Eowyn who saw herself in merry believed in him and took him into battle. They were both always turned down the chance to fight and show how much everything mattered to them, because they were seen as small or weak. But in the end they took down the greatest threat on the battlefield, the witch king of angmar, which was prophecised that no man could kill. The prophecy obviously came to be true because like Eowyn said "I am no man". Even if in people's eyes you are seen as weak, or small and that you don't have anything to offer if you believe in yourself and keep going you can achieve greatness.
While what you said is true but I think another reason they both weren’t allowed on war was because with Eowyn she needed to take care of people left behind. This was simply not just the war of two kingdoms but it was the war of mankind, their whole species. Eowyn had to look after her kingdom in case something happened to her uncle and brother in war. In case of Merry, while Theoden did accept his blade but he just saw an innocent foreign land fella and a foreign species child at that in him that he didn’t have a heart to sacrifice in ‘his’ kind’s war.
One of my favorite cinematic parallels is the two shots of Frodo looking back over his shoulder at the camera.
The first one is after they escape Moria and after Gandalfs death, Frodo is wandering off by himself, this is when the journey gets real for the party and Aragorn calls to him and he does that slow turn towards the camera and just has this painful sorrowful look on his face.
The second as at the end of this movie where he's boarding the ship to the undying lands, after saying goodbye to everyone, he does that same slow turn over his shoulder back at the camera, he has matured with the pain he endured, and wants his friends to remember the smile he gives them one last time, but the smile doesn't reach those same exhausted sorrowful eyes.
Amazingly subtle acting and such gorgeous shots, I always make note of the two every time I watch the movies.
I absolutely agree 💯
It gets me every time 😢❤
This reaction had me enchanted, seriously there’s nothing more incredible than seeing people watch and fall in love with these movies for the first time. 😄 And it’s amazing how it just never gets old. What hurts the most is that the journey ends, but we’re happy that it happened. Can’t thank you both enough for bringing us this amazing reaction! 👏👏👏
This is such a kind comment
Another great reaction guys and with all due respect to Peter Jackson and his team you’re correct, there is more to Middle Earth than this movie. Saruman was not always bad, Gandalf mentions it in The Fellowship, “my old friend” and “when did Saruman the wise abandon reason for madness?” If you both need more of Middle Earth, The Hobbit is the prequel and will shows how Bilbo finds the One Ring. Ma te wa (until next time) from me and mine in NZ🇳🇿, to you and yours, take care and be safe always 🔥🔥🔥
John, that is so nice of you to say! Thank you so much for watching!!! The story is genius. We really loved it!!
I just discovered these reactions yesterday. This is so great seeing the reaction from people that knew nothing about the story. It shows me that Peter Jackson translated the books better than I thought. The pacing of the book is different, Frodo is older in the books (not old, but older), and there were a number of other changes. But the themes, for the most part, came through…and it’s great to see you pick them up. Poor Gollum. If not for Gollum, the ring would not have been destroyed. Years before, Bilbo had the chance to kill Gollum but showed him mercy, having pity on him. If Bilbo had not shown mercy…the ring wouldn’t have been destroyed. Note the mercy theoden showed wormtongue also led to Saruman’s fall.
The books (and films) showed the power of mercy, hope, and humility.
There is SO much backstory to these tales….so much history. Tolkien said that middle earth was our earth, the place is not imaginary. The history is.
I love how you picked so many times where hope is the theme. A thing I miss a little from the books is how one of Sauron's greatest power is the spreading of despair, which makes Hope one of the best weapons against him.
The thing about Denethor (Boromirs and Faramirs father) is, that he too had a palantir (like the "crystal ball" that pippin looks in). And just like Saruman he at first used it to try and spy on Sauron, to figure out his next move etc. But Sauron knew this and showed them things that made them lose hope. It made Saruman decide that the only way forward was to join Sauron, and Denethor went mad with despair. Gondor was the kingdom closest to Mordor and thus they have been fighting Saurons orcs for longer than anyone else. Sauron kept feeding Denethor information about how hopeless the situation was, and in the end Denethor believed it. He has lost all hope. The reason he is going to burn Faramir and himself alive, is that he feels it is the better way to die, since he "knows" that Sauron will win and they are all going to die anyway....
Denethor might never have been a particularly warm and likeable guy, but he too was corrupted by Sauron and his power of despair... I feel the movies does him a bit dirty by not explaining that...
As a teenager that struggled a lot with my mental health it made a huge impact on me how Hope wins over Despair in this story ❤ Such a comfort. ❤ It was my comfort read during all my teenage years, and sort of still is (it's been a few years since I read them now though).
"Hope wins over despair" YES!!!!! Thank you for watching with us, Anne!
Yeah the movies definitely didn't do justice to Denethor. Probably one of my least favorite things about the trilogy is how contemptible they made his character instead of showing him as a stoic leader who had tragically lost hope through decades of continuous fighting with the forces of mordor and brainwashing from Sauron.
I love how Tolkien described Sam fighting shelob (giant spider) in the book;
No onslaught more fierce was ever seen in the savage world of beasts; where some desperate small creature armed with little teeth alone, will spring upon a tower of horn and hide that stands above its fallen mate.
Me: Surely I won't cry while watching your reaction, I have seen the trilogy like twenty times.
Also me: Crying like a granny at her granddaughter's wedding.
LOL
One of the things that always gets brought up in the Return of the King. Pippin and Faramir became very good friends after The War of the Ring, Pippin eventually marrying and calling his eldest son Faramir Jr. There are some changes to Faramir from Film to Book, and the Theatrical version of the film really does not do his character justice at all. This is somewhat alleviated with the extended and definitive editions of the films. However i still hold him in such a high regard after reading the original books.
Your subtle reaction to the bowing scene was amazing man. I could see the tears beginning in your eyes. All men feel the emotional impact of that scene
Something that should be understood about Frodo claiming the Ring at the Cracks of Doom rather than casting it to the fire:
Tolkien explained in a letter to one of his readers that there, at the place of the Ring’s creation, its power and its will were so absolute that nobody, not even Sauron himself, would have been physically capable of destroying it on purpose. The Ring would overrule their desire to destroy it completely.
It’s why Gandalf told Frodo that Gollum still had a part to play in the story of the ring; in the book more so that the movie, Gollum destroys the Ring and himself with it through a divinely influenced accident, he leaps for joy at the edge of the chasm and trips into it.
I have to mention that my daughter pointed out that Gandalf brought three eagles, in case Smegal had been saved, too. Broke me! LOL😅 Also, Sam knew that Frodo didn't destroy the One Ring...Gollum did...going back to Gandalf in the Mines of Moria talking about Bilbo's pity and that Gollum may have some part to play...so much, so deep...
Hey Diane! Oh my gosh....3 eagles!!!
@@tktopmovies Their names were: Gwaihir "Windlord", Landroval "Broad Wing" and Meneldor "Heaven". It was Gwaihir who saved Gandalf from Saruman 's tower, but even he The Great Eagles of Manwë could not bear Frodo while he was in possession of The One Ring.
Of all the people I've seen react to the LoTR trilogy, I loved both of your reactions the most, thank you for watching this timeless masterpiece!
Thank you so much for enjoying this journey with us!!
Gandalf with three eagles, just in case Sméagol survived. He knew Sméagol would play a significant role before the end. In the books, there is so much more story after Frodo leaves for the “Undying Lands”, the rebuilding of Middle Earth and friendships however, the final scene of Sam, Rosie and the children is what makes the ending the most appropriate and satisfying from an audience and movie standpoint.
No. It was 3 eagles because one carried Gandalf. That is just a fan made theory.
@@di3486 yes 3, I’m sure that’s what I said? Gandalf rode the eagle that carried Frodo, the second eagle carried Sam and the third eagle was for Sméagol. Thanks for clearing that up.
@@johntepu1869 No eagle was for Sméagol. That’s a fan theory based on the movies.
@@di3486 of course all the fans can’t be right, it’s a fantasy film (make believe) that definitely explains why Gandalf ONLY took 3 eagles and not all 8? I guess you’re the expert
@@di3486I wrongly assumed we were talking about the Jackson’s movie version, not the Tolkien book version. Please accept my humble apologies
I love how bittersweet their return to Shire is. They know they will never be the same again
Aw, I absolutely love seeing you both on such a high when the credits started rolling, just letting it all sink in and appreciating what a beautiful, epic journey you just went on. There truly isn't another cinematic experience that compares to these films, and that becomes more clear every time I watch someone new reacting to them for the first time. I really enjoyed these reaction videos, thank you guys!
The Edge of Night uses Tolkien's lyrics & Billy Boyd's original composition to create a song that's both beautiful in its own right & a counterpoint to Denethor's disgusting table manners. One of the finest scenes in the trilogy, a tribute to the Professor.
And in the third Hobbit movie, battle of the five armies, Billy even sings the end credit song, "the last goodbye". In fact Billy Boyd is mainly a singer and musician rather than an actor.
you are both such wonderful, empathetic reactors. I like that instead of cracking jokes like other reactors do to get clout you chose to be sensitive to the meaning and themes of lotr. sending you both love ❤
This is so nice 😭❤️ Thank you so much!!!
What a joy it is to watch two people who really get it. It's like watching it with friends. This is by far my favorite all-time movies and you two gave it the respect and love it deserves. Subscribed.
This is so nice to read :) Thank you SO much for the kind comment! We really appreciate that!!
I saw these movies in the theater and the screech of the Nazgul was assaultly loud.
Hey Coreo! Ooooh, I bet it was so loud with the speakers in the theater. We saw that Return of the King is coming to theaters very soon for a 20th Anniversary showing??? We would love to check it out!
@@tktopmovies seeing this on a big screen with proper sorround sound system is another level experience I assure you :)
@@tktopmoviesI was so thankful that my hubby and I could go! We were both too young too see it in theaters when it originally released. But our very first date was Hobbit: The Battle of the 5 Armies in IMAX-3D (tells ya who we were 😂). After 7 yrs of Long-Distance dating (lots of "there and back again" driving trips for visits), we got married in 2021. Seeing ROTK on the big screen this year is one of our favorite and most meaningful dates we've been on since "I do"! 🎉 Did y'all get to go????
1:06:10 - notice that there are three eagles in total. One for each hobbit. Gandalf still held hope, that Smeagol would redeem himself, all the way from the first movie. Gandalf is just too pure....
This series used to make me cry so much. I've seen it so many times that I don't cry as much but the emotion is still there. Such an amazing trilogy. ♡
I love these books/movies and it is always a delight to see other delight in them. You two had such a great response !
A note about when Pippen looks in the palaltir...
Sauron was waiting for a hobbit to be found. When Pippen saw Sauron in the stone, Sauron presumed that THE hobbit with the ring was captured by saruman, but saruman stopped communicating at that point (the stone was taken but he lives a bit longer in the books). He presumed saruman was a traitor and sent a nazgul to find out. When he arrives he finds isengard destroyed by men and ents. The next day Aragon looks into the stone, and so sauron thinks the heir to the throne has taken the ring for himself, and before he is ready to attack feels that he must before Aragorn can use the ring against him. pippen actually helps out so much with his curiosity! A major theme for Tolkien is the constant suspicion of evil that destroys itself.
The victor is not some greater strength than evil, but loyalty, as you said. Fidelity is the ultimate power for tolkien. So glad you were moved by it!
Thank you so much for taking the time to watch the journey with us!!!!
Your whole breakdown into tears and laughter at the end had me right there with you!! It's such an overwhelming experience when you finish the trilogy, there is just so much emotion to work through and reflect on!
You guys really should give yourself such props for how insightful you both have been. Over these reactions you've picked up on some of the subtlest themes that Tolkien wrote into his work. Not just the value of the bonds of friendship and loyalty, but also how redemption was a transforming arc for everybody. Not just for those that had been tempted by the ring like Boromir or Galadriel, but for characters like Pippin who went from a careless FOOL OF A TOOK to a bad-ass Nazgul slayer!
He grows a lot after his conversation with Gandalf about what lies after death and I think that the hope he is given allows him to shed his fear and become the brave hobbit he was always too scared to be. Like Merry said, Pippin had always followed his lead, but the battle forces him to become his own Hobbit and the results were spectacular! Pippin often takes a lot of slack so its great to see you guys appreciate how much he truly grew through the journey!
I'm sad that we're at the end of the Trilogy but I look forward to seeing what else you guys put out in the future! Amazing reactions! Subscribed!
Hey LJ!!! That is so nice of you to say :) Thank you SO much!!!!!!
That's right, Frodo couldn't throw the ring into the volcano. No one could do that. Sauron knew that because the Ring has its greatest power here. In the book, Gollum "tripped" and fell into the volcano with the Ring. Some claim the God of Arda Eru Ilúvatar personally intervened here.
You guys deserve WAY more subscribers. The way you get invested in the story and the characters is very refreshing compared to other react’rs and I genuinely wish you both the best in growing your lovely channel. Thankyou for allowing us to go on this journey with you. I look forward to whatever’s next. ✌🏻
Hi Ryan!!!! Aw thank you so much :) That really made our day
42:22 You're not far off when you say Aragorns the hope. The name given to him by the elves, Elessar literally means hope. Hope is a huge theme throughout the story,im glad you picked up on.
Smeagol and Deagol are cousins and a pair of ne'er-do-wells. Smeagol in particular was a sneak thief. They are Stoor Hobbits who lived by the River Anduin
I think strictly speaking Tolkien never identifies them as cousins, only friends. Could be wrong, maybe I missed some detail in the lore. Then again in their small community everyone would be related, like my best childhood friend is also my 2nd cousin haha.
That was an epic reaction to an epic story. I have seen this many times, but whenever I watch with someone whose never seen this before I start crying again too. I really enjoyed this with you.
Thank you so much for joining along with us!
Sorry for two posts but it was long…and it will help the algorithm (for the algorithm!): Tolkien viewed Denethor as a grey character, not a villain. Faramir’s father was a noble man who fell into fear and despair (especially after Boromirs death, which was really just a week earlier. In the films he’s almost a cartoon villain.
I agree. The films also trash Faramir and Frodo.
1:11:54 - I watched this in the cinema several times. On every occasion the theatre emptied in absolute silence. We were all so moved by what we had seen.
Galadriel's Phial(Frodo’s Gift) is something really special. light & dark have a spiritual dimension in Tolkien. way back before the First Age Valinor was lit by two very special Trees that waxed & waned in opposition to each other. a master craftsman Elf named Feanor fashioned three gems that captured their light, the Silmarils. everyone who saw them was captivated by them, even the Valar & Morgoth the first Dark Lord. wars were fought over them called the Kinstrife. after Morgoth had the Trees destroyed; the Silmarils were the only light from them left. they changed hands a few times & eventually one was left after one fell into the sea & another was lost in a pit of magma. a Half Elf named Eärendil (the first true halfelven. And Elrond’s father!) came into its possession & sailed it to Valinor as a gift to the Valar to ask for their help in defeating Morgoth, which they did. the Valar turned it into a star & hung it in the sky with Earendil as its guardian. the fountain of Galadriel's
Mirror is lit by light captured from the star Eärendil & her Phial has water from the fount. I've left out about 90% of the story but it's quite important & central to the story of Middle Earth. for her to give the Phial to Frodo is quite extraordinary. its light does burn & blind Shelob (that's the spider's name) but doesn't kill her outright. oh also, before he was put in the sky to guard the last Silmaril Earendil had two children, Elrond & his brother Elros the first King of Numenor. Tolkien's lore is deep & vast & the Silmarils are at the center of it.
The Star of Eärendil is the light that shines in the horizon both in the morning and the evening. It consists in a boat raised by the Valar and led by Eärendil, who carries a shining Silmaril while watching the Doors of Night. The Door of Night was a portal in the distant Uttermost West that leads to heaven, and/or the Void. Eärendil's ship Vingilot was taken by the Valar from the rim of the world, passed through the Door and was lifted into the "oceans of heaven". PS: Eärendil is ELROND’s half Vanyar Elf father. His father was the great Tuor of the great stories of The Children Of Húrin! ❤️
To understand a bit more about Eärendil we must now look at Elrond(Eärendil’s SON) To clarify things about Elrond & his daughter Arwen and therefore we must look at Elrond’s Twin Brother Elros, they both were half-elven brothers who can choose to be mortal or immortal because of their parents(Eärendil and Elwing) both half elven made a great sacrifice and went to Valinor to ask for help which lead to the greatest events in the early first and second age. Instead of being punished, the valar listened to them, that led to a great hosts of Valar and Maiar And Vanyar Elves went to Middle Earth that laid waste to Beleriand. After the War Of Wrath, the valar rewarded them for their sacrifices. They can choose to be elf or men, including their children. They chose immortally, but never return to Middle Earth because they thought that their twin sons had died. But they didnt die. Elrond chose to be immortal while his twin brother Elros chose to be mortal. He founded the Kingdom of Numenor. He lived in Numenor Island and blessed with a long life that include his descendants Those men who fought for the war were rewarded a long life but not their families or children. Only the family of Elrond can choose to be immortal or mortal in which Arwen did. Aragorn is the direct descendant of Elros, thats why he has a long life. The average lifespan of a Numenorean at their height was a few thousand years maximum! Now remember too that half elves are a common thing and whenever they did come together it was always significant !❤❤❤ & the neat thing about this is that it’s essentially a purer version of the silmarils even though they were always holy objects with a sort of life of their own which as much of history moved around them so to speak ❤️
Remember this is the SHORT version, there are so many moving parts that will make you want to dive into the books or the audio books or even do reaction videos to the famous lore videos by the biggest lore channels out there!
When you’re done the trilogy try doing reaction videos just like Moviejoob did now with the lore recently as well as OmarioRPG. I recommend videos by GirlNextGondor and The Red Book, and Tolkien Untangled and especially Men Of The West. Many other cool ones I’ll recommend in the comments section of those reaction videos you do from Tolkiens Legendarium lore videos. They are super engaging. You’ll be in love. Nothing would have existed if Tolkiens works never hit the light of day as they were meant to stay private and sometimes be shared with his children and so on. No Game Of Thrones. No Skyrim. No ElderScrolls, No World Of Warcraft, no Dungeons&Dragons. None of it. Not even Star Wars. Not even Harry Potter! They took inspiration from his works which were souly to give back a forgotten history of the Anglo Saxons that had their culture & history destroyed as the larger empires were riding around them. His works reflect the Elder Edda(Norse) The Kalevala(Finnish) and the Welsh people from Wales as well as Irelands cultures of the Tuatha De Danaan as well! His languages are fully fleshed out too resembling Finnish & Welsh
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By the way Elrond is around 6870-8000 years old AND nearly a full Elf year (as they age very very differently to Men) is close to 144 man years (solar years for them) they experience the TIME and the way men experience it but their clock is different! They live as long as the world/Arda/Ëa does. Essentially. Which is why they are so I synch with the world around them and the nature responds to them ! Think of when Legolas walked ontop of all that snow on the Mountain of Caradhras!! They continue to endure as long ad the world itself does. (Arda)
The Star of Eärendil is the light that shines in the horizon both in the morning and the evening. It consists in a boat raised by the Valar and led by Eärendil, who carries a shining Silmaril while watching the Doors of Night. The Door of Night was a portal in the distant Uttermost West that leads to heaven, and/or the Void. Eärendil's ship Vingilot was taken by the Valar from the rim of the world, passed through the Door and was lifted into the "oceans of heaven". PS: Eärendil is ELROND’s half Vanyar Elf father. His father was the great Tuor of the great stories of The Children Of Húrin!❤❤❤❤
Considering how much you enjoyed this amazing trilogy (when you're ready) you ought to check out the extensive footage on the making of this masterpiece.
^^^^ YES! I’d watch a react to that too!
0:30: "One long movie": Tolkien had initially intended it to be one long book, but the publisher decided to split it up for marketing type reasons.
im always crying at the end especially the "I cant carry it for you but I can carry you" part and Frodos voice over when you see Sams kids 😭😭😭
This trilogy is widely regarded by critics as some of the best cinema ever made. Great reactions I'm glad you guys enjoyed it
Thank you so much for following along with us! :) We appreciate it!!
Thank you for seeing this trilogy and appreciating it. For those of us that saw it back in the day in the movie theaters, we enjoy watching the first-timers experience this masterpiece, and we cry along you in this journey.
This story was so beautiful!!
Glad you guys enjoyed these movies. It’s always great to see people love these movies. I’m sure it’s been mentioned that the two children at the end of the movie are Rosie and Sam children in real life. Recently they posted a picture of them all grown up.
Onwe thing I hadn't even realised:
gandalf went with 3 eagles. One for Frodo, one for Sam, one for Smeagol.
Tolkien's middle earth is - without a doubt - the greatest fantasy world of all time.
All of it was created by one man, a genius Oxford professor, and he worked on his tales, for most of his adult life.
The Lord of the Rings is the most beloved of all of his tellings.
I remember, when the first trailer for the movies was published. I guess it was 1999...or even the year 2000.
They showed a view moments of the first movie and a narrators voice promised that
"The greatest story - ever told - will come to life!"
Thank you so much for watching with us, Chris! That is so great to hear that you love the story as well. Tolkien wrote and created such an incredible piece of work!! And Peter Jackson completely brought it to life. We LOVED the movies!
@@tktopmovies If u loved these movies I sinscerely recomend the BBC radio drama version of LOTR from 1981 with Ian Holm (Jackson's Bilbo) in the role of Frodo. Its so classy radio theatre and in the terms of adaptation the radio got it much better than Jackson - the radio adaptation is not as epic as this but its much more faithful to the book events and dialogues - esp at the final chapters after the destruction of the Ring - these chapters were completely erased from the movies due to film composition reasons I guess. But they were much important becouse of whats happened to the Shire, and to Frodo.
Much Love :)
Tal
Very, very few movies hit as hard and as deep as this trilogy does and I'm glad to see you two recognize its cinematic mastery and its timeless themes. This is what it looks like when every person involved has a deep love for the source material and wants only to faithfully translate it to film as honorably as they can. A thing of beauty.
you guys are amazing, i haven't felt this way since the first time i saw it!
Aw Rich! Thank you so much for this kind comment :) You're amazing!!! Thank you for watching!
Fun Fact: The One Ring is impossible to destroy. You can be the most dedicated person to wanting to destroy it and you would fail. You adopt the love for the ring at the same intensity Sauron does, and you want no harm to it. So if you stood there at the edge ready to destroy it, YOU would always fail. The only reason it got destroyed was by accident because of Frodo and Gollums wrestle for it.
Your reaction was so heartwarming and perfect, that I subscribed immediately. No matter how many times I watch this movie, I still get the post LotR depression. (I watched them many times, I saw them in theater when they came out 20+ years ago)
There is no greater story than this. Welcome to the fandom ❤
Thank you so much for watching with us!!!
Interesting facts about LOTR: Arwen is the granddaughter of Mrs. Galadriel. The pirates who can be seen arriving at the ships are actually Peter Jackson himself and his producing crew and not actors. Peter Jackson was already seen in Bree in the first part. He is the person who comes out in the dancing Pony when the hobbits arrive and bites the carrot.
Oohhhhh!!! Good to know!
If there was ever a movie(s) in which it is ok to cry it is THIS one. ✌
Indeed
i'll add the green mile in the list, gets me everytime too hahaha.
Your reactions are exactly right for this film. In my opinion you have felt what you're meant feel during the ending part of such a deep film. I still cry even seeing just one of these emotional scenes.
So so so good
"I can't carry it for you, bit I can carry you!" and "You bow to no one." will always get me so choked up.
Every single time.
Frodo leaving at the end is even more heartbreaking when you understand the context of what was happening and why. J.R.R. Tolkien was a veteran of the trenches of World War 1, and he included many of his own experiences as a shell-shocked veteran returning home when he wrote this series. When Frodo talks about how he's having trouble picking up the threads of his old life, he is echoing a sentiment millions of veterans from around the world express. When their experiences and their pain always seem to set them apart from the ordinary life around them, and so many of them don't know how to cope.
Then comes taking the ship to leave Middle Earth. In the lore, the place they are sailing to is known as the Undying Lands (among other names). It is basically Elf Heaven. So when Frodo says that the Shire was saved but not for him, he is saying that the trauma was too much and that he can't go back to the way things were before, so he is choosing to go on to Heaven instead. The whole thing is a metaphor for traumatized veterans committing suicide when they are unable to cope with life after war. Sam represents those who bear the scars of war, but manage to reach some semblance of peace with their experiences, who carry forward the memory of those who couldn't.
Love your emotional reaction at the end. This is why this trilogy of movies and the books live in people’s hearts forever. A lie down in darkened room might be required now, just to mull things over and think about what Bilbo and Frodo experienced when they arrived at the Undying Lands.
What many people tend to forget is that this is not a story where Good triumphs over evil...infact it is Evil that is more powerful, but in its own power lies its destruction, in this case the Ring's pull on both Frodo and Gollum was so strong that their struggle, right there inside Mt. Doom was something Sauron could not forsee.
And I always feel for Boromir, when people tend to forget him at the 'reunion scene'.
The more I watch the extended the more I feel for his character. Mankind personified.
I'll leave you with Boromir's Lament from Clamavi de Profundis, who set Tolkien's poem to song as Aragorn and Legolas sang it in the book.
They will look for him from the White Tower,
but he will not return
from mountain
or from sea.
Aragorn sang:
Through Rohan over fen and field
where the long grass grows
The West Wind comes walking,
and about the walls it goes. ‘
What news from the West, O wandering wind, do you bring to me tonight?
Have you seen Boromir the Tall, by moon or by starlight?
I saw him ride over seven streams, over waters wide and grey,
I saw him walk in empty lands until he passed away
Into the shadows of the North, I saw him then no more.
The North Wind may have heard the horn of the son of Denethor
O Boromir! From the high walls westward I looked afar,
But you came not from the empty lands where no men are.
Then Legolas sang:
From the mouths of the Sea the South Wind flies,
from the sandhills and the stones,
The wailing of the gulls it bears,
and at the gate it moans.
What news from the South, O sighing wind, do you bring to me at eve?
Where now is Boromir the Fair? He tarries and I grieve.
Ask not of me where he doth dwell - so many bones there lie,
On the white shores and the dark shores under the stormy sky,
So many have passed down Anduin to find the flowing Sea.
Ask of the North Wind news of them the North Wind sends to me!
O Boromir! Beyond the gate the seaward road runs south,
But you came not with the wailing gulls from the grey sea's mouth.
Then Aragorn sang again:
From the Gate of the Kings the North Wind rides,
and past the roaring falls,
And clear and cold about the tower its loud horn calls.
What news from the North, O mighty wind,
do you bring to me today?
What news of Boromir the bold? For he is long away.
Beneath Amon Hen I heard his cry.
There many foes he fought,
His cloven shield, his broken sword,
they to the water brought.
His head so proud, his face so fair,
his limbs they laid to rest,
And Rauros, golden Rauros-falls,
bore him upon its breast.
O Boromir! The Tower of Guard shall ever northward gaze,
To Rauros, golden Rauros-falls, until the end of days.
Smeagol & Deagol are cousins I believe.
Pardons if this has been mentioned but Smeagol's eye pupils are large while Gollum's pupils are very small. Cool effect when they converse back and forth.
That is such a cool diverse effect!!!! Loved the back and forth between the two. Thanks for watching with us!
I really enjoyed following you both watching these films. Great to see they still have an impact on someone watching for the first time 20 years on. And they actually get better the more you watch them, and you'll blub even more knowing what's coming. Miraculous film-making.
So so so happy to hear you enjoyed with us
There is the movie "Tolkien" which stars Nicolas Hault as adult Tolkien and Lily Collins (Phil Collins daughter) as his wife Edith. It tells his story growing up, his WW1 experience in the Battle of the Somme, and how he took all of that and created his Middle Earth world. Very excellent and highly recommended.
One thing about Frodo's shoulder wound from waaay back in the first movie, from the nazgul blade... Tolkein knew that battle damaged some people in ways that were purely in the soul, and that is echoed in Frodo's permanent ache and soul draining agony when the anniversary of that wound occurred. He claimed there was no allegory, but that wound is a very poetic echo of PTSD, or 'shell shock' as he would have known it.
You made it! Congratulations. The desire to rewatch every few years (or every year) is totally normal.
Thank you guys so much for your reactions. I glad that you guys were so touched by the lord of the rings. After reading the books 3 times and watching reactions and watching the movies over a thousand times, the emotion is still there.
Thank you so much for enjoying with us!!!
I have a huge THANK YOU to PJ & Co for all those years and all the talent that went into these films and to New Zealand for showing us Middle Earth. And thanks to you two for going on these journeys.
The attention to detail is what makes these so good. The third eagle coming at the end just in case Smeagol survived, the look on Pippin's face of "yep, this seems right" when everyone is bowing, & so many of the tiny things that might have easily been overlooked is just so incredibly well done. Shows how much of a labor of love these films are for everyone involved rather than just being a big blockbuster for the sake of trying to make a big blockbuster.
You two were spot on.. No other possibilities but just sobbing.. I did it while I was reading so many years ago this brilliant underappreciated book...
Have you heard the original audio version of the LOTR?? It’s really spoken well.
@@ESO_PRIME no unfortunately not
I wouldn't say the book is underappreciated, after all it was generally recognised as the greatest work of fiction of the 20th century. Deservedly so.
@@hoofhearted1955 you are right underappreciated is the wrong word.. when I was asked about my favorite book it was and still is lotr... Before the films came out a lot of people just heard that it was some kind of a fantasy story and never gave a chance to learn (read) what an Epos it is.
I always get kinda emotional and full whenever I see the whole trilogy…
This is the end of a Greta journey guys and there’s a new one! The stories of Bilbo are explained in the Hobbit trilogy! That is another great story!!!
The Lord of the Rings is Frodo’s story, Frodo’s adventures in Middle-Earth and the story of the destruction of the Rings. Frodo added this part to Bilbo’s book called “A Hobbit’s tale” which says his adventures in Middle-Earth. The Hobbit trilogy is Bilbo’s adventures:
•An unexpected journey
•The desolation of Smaug
•The war of five armies
Some insights for this film:
These dark crystal spheres were called palantíri. Palantir (singular) palantíri (plural)
These were made by the High Elves of the Ñoldor and they were gifted to the Númenórian Kings.
The Númenórians were the most noble race of Men in the First Age.
Later various events happened that I cannot explain (if you decide to read the books one day, it takes some effort and dedication to dive into Tolkien lore) so, the Númenórian kings left form there place and came to Middle-Earth.
They took the 7 palantíri with them and after some ages these 7 crystal spheres were all across Middle-Earth. Elves, Men, wizards like Saruman and later Sauron had one.
They used them to communicate with each other! Because of the long distances they couldn’t move all the time so, whoever had one of these spheres in his possession it could see and hear the others.
That’s why Gandalf told to Saruman we don’t know who else is watching through them.
Most of them were lost and during the events of the Lord of the Rings only two were known, one in the possession of Saruman the white wizard and the other in the possession of Sauron.
Deagol was not only the best friend of Sméagol but they were also cousins!
Sméagol killed his cousin to take the Ring!
The army of the dead also known as Oathbreakers, were a group of Men from the Misty Mountains.
They swore to Isildur that they would fight for him but when the War of Last Alliance began they didn’t help Isildur and Gondor.
You remember the first scenes where Elves and Men marched against Mordor. These men had to be at Isildur’s side but the betrayed him.
Isildur cursed them to remain forever to Middle-Earth roaming this world being forever cursed.
Aragorn being Isildur’s heir was able to touch them and make this deal with them and finally release them for their torture!
Again, it’s a bit in vein to try to explain things like that but, Aragorn’s song was in Elvish and it’s called Elendil’s Oath.
After surviving the fall of Númenor (that’s a separate book in Tolkien’s storyline) the King Elendil landed in Middle-Earth and said these words:
*Et Eärello, endorenna utúlien. Sinomë maruvan ar Hildinyar tenn’ Ambar-metta*
Out of the Great Sea to Middle-Earth I am come. In this place I will abide, and my heirs, unto the ending of the World.
Aragorn or King Elessar as it’s his name said the same words when we took up the Crown of Gondor at the end of the Third Age and the beginning of the Fourth Age.
You need to see a map of Middle-Earth so understand the distances, to see the places, the Great Sea between Middle-Earth and the Undying Lands. The Valinor aka the Undying Lands were once part of this world but after some time it was “separated” from this world/universe and to go there were almost impossible. Only the Elves could go there.
We also see Elrond crying when Arwen reunited with Elessar/Aragorn.
He was of course happy with his daughter’s happiness but he was also sad because as we saw at the end, the Elves along with Gandalf, Bilbo and Frodo left the Middle-Earth for ever and went to the Undying Lands.
Arwen gave up on her immortality, as Elrond said many times “she died” not literally died because she was there alive but her fair-divine side died / abandoned her.
After their death only the spirits of the Elves could travel to the Undying Lands. But because Arwen gave up on her Elvish-divine nature to be with Aragorn, that means that her spirit/soul will never go to the Undying Lands…
So, Elrond was sad because that the last time seeing his daughter!
He also left for the Undying Lands and mortal Arwen’s spirit couldn’t go there so they will never going to see each other again… 😢
There is always hope, with everything in life- no matter where you are, or what you are going through. There is hope and love in this world, and there will always be hope and love.
Beautifully said, Joshua!!
Rewatching and remembering how well the movie captured the symbolism in the books. Gandalf scaring the Nazghul away with a beam of light. The single white flower blossoming back. So amazing! These books are so wonderful.
I'm glad yall loved it so much. Lookin forward to seeing the hobbit soon
I have watched these movies like 30 times and I ugly cry every time.
When I read the books as a teen I had to just sit for like an hour to breathe after finished the last one.
Masterpiece as books and movies.
Same..... No words ❤❤❤
I was crying with you ! This story is fantastic ! ❤
Thanks for watching with us :)
I don't know if anyone has said this, but the ending scene of Frodo sailing to the west was the first scene the Hobbits shot together ever. First shoot together, Billy, Sean, and Dominic had to cry, but they had nothing to really cry about, so it was a struggle, lol.
Sentry fires were common in the old days..as in England..to send warnings of invasion..generally along the coast...to the inland cities and a call for help...
🌿🌿🌿
Fun fact: That little scoring game between Gimli and Legolas? That's canonical. It was in the books.
Great series of reactions to this story guys. Your empathy and attentiveness was top tier and up their with the big channels. Still managed to find humor in there as well. I was tearing up(yet again) right there with you throughout. You guys are truly great for that ending part crying and trying to give your final thoughs lolol, I hope ya'll do some more, movies, anime, tv shows... Keep it going, ya'll are great, truly 🤙🏾💙
This is such a kind comment