The thing with the Ring is that the closer it is to Mt. Doom, the stronger its influence is. It is actively fighting to NOT be destroyed, so for any being, it's physically impossible for them to throw it in willingly, they just can't do it. And Frodo has been fighting it all the way up to that point.
People often say the meme "Why wasn't there a door on Mount Doom?" but Sauron was 100% correct all along. NOBODY who had the Ring was able to destroy it. Not even Frodo.
this also excludes the thing that the last piece of good news was Faramir assisted them on their way to mordor, last known news about the fellowship was boromir was dead. Frodo had little to no positivity as the journey progressed, thinking that the others might not survive or were getting hurt because of him. he didn't know Gandalf had returned. to endure the bleak outlook all the way to mount doom is beyond mentally resistant to the ring. Galadriel was right, if Frodo couldn't do it, then no one else would be able to
@@papalaz4444244 And even then, in books gollum slipped. And that wasn't accident - Tolkien confirmed that it was direct action from supreme god (Eru Ilúvatar) that pushed him over. So yeah, aside from Sauron and Eru nobody could destroy ring.
To answer your question about why the other races didn’t join was because Sauron sent out more than just one army . The elves of lothlorien , and the wood land elves (ruled by Legolas father) were busy fighting the orcs of Dol Guldor. The dwarves of the iron hills, Erebor, and men of Dale were busy fighting a large army from Rhun(another of Sauron’s army). After almost being defeated the elves were able to make it in time to help the dwarves and men . The other races would have helped but were honestly tied down .
@@LordToxic1406Oh Fair enough. I was thinking like more of when Gandalf is talking about the men of the east and the Rhun and it flashes to them on the boats and the oliphonts. That wouldve been cool if they had flashed across to the blue moutains and lothlorian and showed a great battle taking place. Theres so much depth to the story they could've made RotK 7 hours!
The race who helped the most was the hobbits anyway. I mean, statistically speaking, they are the most powerful of all the races in Middle Earth. Only six hobbits ever left the Shire in Tolkien's work. First thing Bilbo did was kill three trolls. Neither spiders nor elves could hold him prisoners and he also stole from a dragon, whom he led to his death. Merry and Pippin conquered Isengard and led one of the Istari to his death. Pippin then went on to deceive Sauron, without even trying, he made that master of plots and deception believe that the One Ring was in his possession, which led to many strategic errors from Sauron. Merry, with the help of Eowin, killed the leader of the Nazgul. Sam defeated and grievously injured (maybe killed) Shelob, the monstrous spider, descendant of Ungoliant and all that in a straight up one on one battle. Finally, Smeagold destroyed the One Ring and killed Sauron. Only Frodo has no real achievement to his name, but 5 out of 6 isn't bad and he still was a decent delivery boy.
Remember that Boromir was influenced by the ring without ever touching either. There's a hilarious edit of the final scene with Frodo on the ship that has him open his hand to reveal the ring, and Sam looks heartbroken while Frodo smiles.
So the movies just barely reference why Denethor seems to dislike Faramir so much, it’s the line where he calls him a “wizards pupil”, Denethor really distrusts Gandalf as someone who meddles in the politics of the world and he is aware of how powerful wizards are so he assumes it’s a subtle ploy to control Gondor. And Faramir was a very bookish and curious child so whenever Gandalf would visit he would teach Faramir lore and wisdom. Denethor thought Gandalf was influencing his son against him, so whenever Faramir expressed his own opinions even wise ones Denethor just thought of Gandalf trying to puppet Gondor through him
@@blairhaffly1777 It wasn't corrupting him per se, it was just instilling into Denethor despair. iirc, he finally snapped when he was given visions of the Corsair fleet (Not knowing that it had reinforcements for Gondor rather than Mordor).
Faramir got the short end of the stick. He was clearly the unfavored son. His passions got him alienated from his father’s and his father’s growing despair as he contended with the Will of Sauron daily impacted his mind. He was the better brother, Boromir was stronger and a better warrior but Faramir was no less valiant even if less skilled while being a better man not to cast shade on Boromir. But rather what his father failed to see in Faramir that he idolized in Broromir. Broromir is a great brother
You have to understand Gandalf is a wizard yes but he’s mostly there to like help everyone in middle earth but he lets them make their own decisions and he can’t use his magic that much in middle earth because he can’t interfere with their decisions he can only give advice and assist
Always good to see a new LOTR fan in the making! The reason the elves and dwarves didn't come help in this movie is that they were all under attack from Sauron's forces as well. The books spell it out more clearly, but there is a hint to it in these movies, when Gimli wishes he could "muster up a legion of dwarves," and Legolas tells him "war already marches on their own lands."
i love that the video game War in the North actually takes you to the main Dwarf mountain where Sauron sent an army of orcs and you have to fight with them
The bowing of the King and people to the hobbits is the perfect movie moment. The whole story begins in the Shire with the hobbits and in the moment of triumph when the king is crowned they bow to the hobbits , it's a full circle , just perfect.
The reason they were silent with their beers at the end is the same reason Frodo left - PTSD, trauma from war. Tolkein himself witnessed the effects of war on his fellow men after WW1. When you rewatch these films one day from that stand point it will make perfect sense. The Undying Lands offers Elven healing which will give relief to all those who felt the Ring's unbearable evil. Frodo was traumatized from carrying it for that long.
Makes perfect sense to me, even though I've never seen war. It makes sense that after seeing so much horror, acts of pure evil, suffering and danger, coming home to see people smiling and having a good time would surely feel almost artificial. As if the only reason they can be/feel like that, is that they don't know just how much danger is looming over the world, able to take it all away in so little time. Only held at arms length by all of the good and aggressive people (not everyone fight out of goodness), essentially standing in a circle around them, fighting for those inside to be able to retain their illusions of safety. It sounds melodramatic and I can't know for sure but I imagine that's about how I'd feel.
Sauron is a fallen angel. He chose the side of Satan (Morgoth) instead of God (Eru). Sauron put most of his soul into the Ring. The Ring is a VERY powerful artifact :)
They sailed to the undying lands (Valinor), it's kinda like heaven, elves were going back to there, Gandalf is from there, kinda like an angel like creature sent to Middle-Earth to protect it. there's no need for protecting anymore so Gandalf left too. Dwarfs are digging deep in their mountains and soon they'll become all but legend. Elves all leave Middle-Earth. Hobbits actually are forced into hiding like the dwarfs and soon they become extinct after the race of men hunt them down. So there is where our(human) history begins. LOTR is like a pre-world story, according to Tolkien its our past.
Someone has probobly said this earlier but Gandalf can’t just use his magic how ever he likes. He is extremely powerful but is actually sent to Middle Earth by the Valar, the gods in this universe. And his purpose is to guide and lead the free people but not intervene too much himself. He is literally kept from using his full powers. His real power here is his wisdom and ability to gather and lead
Meridoc Brandybuck is Merry's full name, but everyone calls him Merry. Same with Pippin, his full name is Peregrin Took, but everyone calls him Pip or Pippin. So when Theoden calls Merry "Meridoc" after accepting his blade, he's just referring to his full name. Edit: Yes, Eowyn and Faramir are together. Also, for the Hobbit the order is "An Unexpected Journey" followed by "Desolation of Smaug" then concludes in "Battle of The Five Armies"
They showed Gandalf coughing hard with the pipe to solidify his rebirth. Gandalf did die against the Balrog, but he was given another chance by Eru Iluvatar (God). Gandalf is essentially an angel, but with limited power as to not tamper with earth too much. JRR Tolkien's' Middle Earth has a lot to it.
What they didn't show in the movies is that Denethor also had one of the Palantíri. The round stone that Saruman had and Pippen wanted to look at. But it didn't turn Denethor to evil. Sauron filled his head with fear and the destruction of his people. When he found out Boromir had died his mind went to madness.
I love the hobbits so much in Lord of the Rings. The point I think of Tolkien's writing them as the heroes are that the bravest people are not the fated kings or the immortal elves, it's the small, simple folk. They have no fate protecting them, and still they risk themselves. The most unlikely creatures imaginable. And that's exactly why Frodo was perfect to bear the ring to Mount Doom, nobody would ever expect a hobbit to be the one to do it. In a world of epic heroes, the ones who are the bravest are a humble pacifist and his gardener.
Its also cool to see them return to the Shire they're on horses in fancy robes and capes, just like "sup," the townsfolk are like wtf. In the books, Saruman (the evil wizard) actually survives after the defeat of Sauron, and gets a gang to try and take the Shire, and Frodo and the boys take charge, they raise an army of Hobbits and easily defeat Saurman's dudes. After the battle, they have a huge reputation and authority, one of them becomes a mayor, the rest are like commanders of the army and shit haha. I think compared to the shit they've been through this new game+ stuff is a joke, like these guys are scrubs.
The "dead" coming out of Minas Morgul are not actually dead, they are orcs, bred for war and "created" by Morgoth the first Dark Lord. Sauron served under him long before these movies take place. I wrote "created" because Morgoth didn't really create them, he couldn't create life, but he could corrupt life. Orcs were "made" from corrupted Elves who were captured by Morgoth during his massive wars. There is sooo much lore around every little thing in this universe.
@@ckbb7536 Basically breaking them with his power of will and chaining their lives to his. I assume it took a while for him, but I can only imagine having Morgoth stand before you breaking you. I don't think many "regular" elves would have stood a chance.
@@ckbb7536 They got tortured for a long time under Morgoth to become like this. If you really are interested in all of that you should read the book or listen to the Audio book "The Silmarillion" its like the Bible of Middle Earth and really reads like one too with an old writing style, there you will get alot of Lore out of it, like How Middle Earth was created, learn about all the diffrent Elven races, up until the fall of the Great Men (Numenoren) and the creation of the Rings of Power
1:14:00 Frodo and Bilbo were allowed the trip to the Undying lands as they both were Ringbearers at some point in their lives. Same reason why Sam after a long and full life in the Shire has built a boat of his own and was able to join them there too.
@@princesskatebabe well, I didn't mention Gimli, because that's not the reason why he was let in, nor do we actually know if he WAS let in (although with multiple notable residents vouching for him, I wouldn't expect him to be turned away).
@@demyanrudenkoGimli was allowed passage east because of the love he built for elvish kind. The hairs he asked from Galadriel and his deep friendship with Legolas put him in good light with the Elves and their God.
If it is comforting to you, Sam was, after a long life as mayor of Hobbiton, eventually invited to Aman (The Undying Land) and reunited with Frodo there after Rosie passed away decades later. Legolas and Gimli also moved there after some time. Legolas would not accept going if his good friend Gimli wasn't allowed to join him. In this, Gimli was the only dwarf to ever see Aman. Merry and Pippin lived long influential lives in Hobbiton, and when they died, they were laid to rest next to Aragorn in Minas Tirith. :)
49:02 Note how Denethor repeats after Saruman: against the power of Mordor there is no victory. That's because it's not shown in the movies that Denethor had a palantir too. He tried to use it to spy on Sauron, but it turned to be the other way around and Denethor was no longer a powerful and noble man he used to be.
Also, at that point anybody would have thought "we're completely screwed, its hopeless, we're all going to die" I think he just gave into despair. If you're going to die may as well go out on your terms
The movies compressed time A LOT. They had to. Faramir and Eowyn spent a lot of time in the houses of healing. She came to understand that she was infatuated with Aragorn because he was everything a young soldier would admire and wish to be, or to serve under. She wanted to be a soldier, so it's not surprising she thought she was in love with him. But it did take time for her to turn to Faramir. About her looking dead on the battlefield: Just being close to a Ringwraith is hazardous, but actually touching one (even with a sword) is deadly. She and Merry were both near death when they were found. Aragorn saved them because, as the book states, 'the hands of the king are the hands of a healer'. Humans won't live forever in the Undying Lands (or Valinor) but they will be healed of all hurts, happy and healthy until they die.
Thing is, when you look into the Palantir you basically enter in a battle of minds against Sauron. Denethor is a prime example of what can happen if you do that over time. You see him as a madman in the movie but in the books he is actually a very good leader and a powerful man. He only gets worse by time because at this point in time he's been interacting with Sauron for a while, and Sauron has tried to break him multiple times.
The oliphant moment just makes you deflate!! I still remember my sister who’s not into these movies at the theater when this came out saying, “oh no” out loud
Just answering your question at the very start about the influence of the Ring. Remember the council meeting in Rivendell, when Boromir got tempted by the ring just sitting on the pedestal? And when everybody was fighting over it until Frodo spoke up? That was all the Ring's influence. Edit: And yes, the Ring literally became so heavy it was pulling Frodo down in the Orc camp. And has been tearing up his neck something fierce. Bilbo and Frodo were granted passage to the Gray Havens because they were Ring Bearers. Sam was as well, since he bore the ring, albeit for a short time. Gimli, being considered a true Elf Friend, was also granted permission to travel to the Havens in his old age.
Also, they didn't cover it well in the movie, but when Merry stabbed the Witch King in the back, and when Eowyn stabbed him in the face, they both received a backlash that put them into a coma, as well as dealing considerable damage to the limb. And only a King's Hands could treat the ailment. Aragorn himself tended to the two of them for their recovery.
the books are much longer and for the movies a lot of stuff was either left out completely or condensed into smaller parts, for example the development of relationship between Faramir and Eowyn. Btw Elves and Dwarves were fighting their own battles at their kingdoms.
Bilbo wasn't 111, mate. By this time in the book Bilbo is the oldest Hobbit who ever lived. He was 131. :) The time scale in the films has been compressed quite a lot.
Next Trilogy The Hobbit Extended Edition Of The Adventures Of Bilbo Baggin: (1) An Unexpected Journey Extended Edition (2) The Desolation Of Smaug Extended Edition (3) The Battle Five Armie Extended Edition
The crazy part about Sam fighting the spider is that the spider is actually a very old creature, even older than Sauron and Gandalf, and many people had tried to kill her in the past, but no one had ever even been able to land a hit before losing. Not only did Sam hold off the spider, he was the only person in thousands of years to ever do so
Sam's line "I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you" is one of the best movie lines of all time. Also the third eagle with Gandalf at the end was to pick up gollum.
@@BeboRulz make people sit for three and a half hours to see the ring destroyed and then they go home and ithe Shire is burned to the ground and then the saruman bit? Dont be daft
The line was that Arwin's life is tied to the FATE of the ring (not the ring itself)...so if Sauron returned to power she'd die, if it was destroyed she'd live.
I think that bit a 1:11:21, when you noticed they don't look happy. Can you imagine the utter turmoil they've just been through? There'd be absolutely no one at the Green Dragon Tavern that'd have any idea how to possibly imagine what they'd gone through. They'd all been in battle, killed and almost been killed, witnessed a lot of death. Not to mention Merry and Pippin witnessing Boromir die.
The reason that Frodo and Bilbo get to go with the elves is because they are "ringbearers" , at some point Sam will go to the undying lands as well since he had the ring for a short while...and Gimli is the only dwarfs who gets the privilege of going as well because of his friendship with Legolas and a "servant" of Galadriel.
Fun reaction, for sure! Yes, Eowyn and Faramir are together now....the movie really rushes it (and those quick scenes weren't even in the theatrical version). But the chapter in the book where they get to know each other (with Merry as wingman) is one of my favorites 🥰
Hey they both fought in a war, were wounded, almost died, and miraculously survived to see the war finally end. Fuck it, why sit around being sad and pining after Aragorn? They deserve to be happy, why wait?
About their conversation with Saruman in the beginning of the movie: one of Saruman's "soft powers" is that he can be, like, totally really convincing. It's easier to see through him if he's not talking directly to you, but if you're his direct audience then it takes a great force of will not to automatically go along with whatever he says. Just one of those neat things that doesn't translate directly to film but kindof gives the film context if you already know that's a thing
At 18:55 Minas Morgul, the Tower of Sorcery, was once part of the kingdom of Gondor. In its early years its capital was Osgiliath, the Citadel of the Stars, where Faramir took Frodo and Sam. Additionally the Men of Gondor built Minas Ithil, the Tower of the Moon, eastward in the foothills of the Ephel Duath, the Mountains of Shadow, and Minas Anor, the Tower of the Sun, westward at the foot of the White Mountains. As evil began to awaken in Mordor, the Nazgul and their allies took the city of Minas Ithil. The Men of Gondor renamed it Minas Morgul, and Minas Anor they renamed Minas Tirith, the Tower of Guard. Osgiliath was repeatedly fought over and ruined, and served as an outpost of the armies of Gondor against the Enemy. Tolkien described Minas Morgul: "...high on a rocky seat upon the black knees of the Ephel Duath, stood the walls and tower of Minas Morgul. All was dark about it, earth and sky, but it was lit with light. Not the imprisoned moonlight welling through the walls of Minas Ithil long ago, Tower of the Moon, fair and radiant in the hollow of the hills. Paler indeed than the moon ailing in some slow eclipse was the light of it now...a corpse-light, a light that illuminated nothing."
Truly on of the greatest trilogies of ALL time. I remember when i was 12, watching Nostalgia Critic's Old vs New Lord of the Rings and after 5 minutes i stopped watching it and asked my Dad can we go get the movie. We went to Walmart, bought the extended edition of the series, came home and watch it. The "epilogue" is one of my favorite parts of the series. Reminds me of Veterans returning home from deployment. Are 4 hobbits have changed and the silent toast says it. Frodo leaving utterly destroyed me. I was confused why and my dad basically said; "he's going to a place were he can be healed and live free from the trauma. He's wounded mentally and physically". This and a handful of other movies/shows EARNED the "The End" card even if it isn't said. • Lord of the Rings • Avatar the Last Airbender • Star Wars(episode 1- 6) • Harry Potter • How To Train Your Dragon • Kung Fu Panda 3 • Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu(seasons 2 and 10)
At 20:17 you suggest, "Could we not just enter the city and go through it?" In the book, Sam rouses Frodo: "Wake up, Mr. Frodo! They're gone, and we'd better go too. There's something still alive in that place, something with eyes, or a seeing mind, if you take me; and the longer we stay in one spot, the sooner it will get on to us."
Well, also they have no idea what's beyond those gates, presumably there's a few people...orcs...whatever, some of Sauron's guys still in the city, a couple guards, if ANYBODY spots them, they could have a huge battle on their hands and get slaughtered. Better to stay far away I think
Merry and Pippin become the leaders of their respective clans (the Brandybucks and the Tooks.) When they are aged and widowed, they journeyed back to Gondor and were entombed on either side of King Ellessar (Aragorn.) Sam and Rosie have 13 children, and Sam is elected mayor several times. When Rosie died on a mid-summer's eve, Sam gave the Red Book to his oldest daughter, and was never seen again. The story is told in her family that he went to the Gray Havens and took a ship, the last of the ring-bearers to cross over the sea.
The ring is impossible to destroy in Mount Doom, Tolkien has said that no one would be able to do it, except the god of this world. He's kind of implied that Gollum was sent by god to make an accidental fall into the fire happen. Gandalf even says that Gollum will have a part to play when they're in Moria. Arwen wasn't going to die if the ring died, Elrond meant that she was now mortal, so she couldn't leave Middle Earth to go to the undying lands with the other elves. So if the ring wasn't destroyed Arwen would die in Sauron's conquest with everyone else. The hobbits aren't happy because they've just been in a war, they've probably got ptsd, and no one in the Shire truly understands what they went through. Frodo and Bilbo got to go to the undying lands because they were ring bearers, they won't be immortal there, but they will be able to exist more easily. Frodo is injured, both physically and mentally (the ring has been whispering in his mind for the entire journey, for months, and he had to fight it every step of the way) and he will be able to heal there, and live out the rest of his life in peace.
At 1:00:15 the Mouth of Sauron is only in the Extended Version. Tolkien writes, "...The rider was robed all in black...yet this was no Ringwraith but a living man. The Lieutenant of the Tower of Barad-dur he was, and his name is remembered in no tale; for he himself had forgotten it, and he said: 'I am the Mouth of Sauron.' ...because of his cunning he grew ever higher in the Lord's favor; and he learned great sorcery, and knew much of the mind of Sauron; and he was more cruel than any orc."
Fun Facts about Cirith Ungol -- the name itself is a spoiler because it's an elvish name that means cleft or mountain pass (cirith) of the spider (ungol). The giant spider that inhabits the pass is named Shelob, and she is considered to be the "mightiest of Ungoliant's children". Ungoliant was the first primordial spider and was said to be so hungry that she eventually ate herself until she died. She birthed many giant spiders but none of the ones that are left are as big or as old as Shelob. Shelob is one of the oldest living creatures in Middle Earth. She was even said to be inhabiting the mountains before Sauron took over Mordor the first time. She technically wasn't aligned with Sauron and didn't serve him directly, but he reportedly saw her as something like his ferocious pet cat, which is why he never bothered driving her out of the mountains. She guarded the pass way more effectively than his own orcs, and he would often execute those who fell out of his favor by sending them into her lair.
I always used to misremember Shelob as the 'last and least of Ungoliant's children, which for me always made her more intimidating. This massive, deadly not-quite-spider monster, that spawned all the spiders of Mirkwood being the runt of Ungoliant's children.
When Gandalf says, “300 lives of men I walked this earth, and now I have no time,” he means in the 3000 years he’s been here, he now has no time because he has to be hasty and hurry to defeat Sauron.
One thing the theater cut does better is it leaves Aragon, Legolas, Gimli, and the ghosts more of a mystery of if they got their help which I think is really good suspense build up! In the theater cut you see the ghost turn down Aragon then the next scene you see is them jumping off the boat with all the ghosts when landing by Gondor! So you feel suspense and dread when those ships show up until they jump off the ship!
Yupppp the theatrical release has a better pace . It does Saruman justice but knowing that Aragorn is coming with the ghosts ruins the tension because you know that they are coming so you don’t have anything to worry about making it low stakes
Denethor strove with a Palantír in the back vaults of Minas Tirith, just as Saruman had. So he had contact with Sauron just as Saruman had, and that’s what drove him mad.
The ring can grow and shrink to fit people, so if it wanted to say, slip off someone's finger, it could just expand to be loose enough to fall off. You can see it shrink to fit Isildur when he first picks it up in the first movie
The ring has more influence on some than it does on others. Like how Frodo is able to carry it for so long without being tempted by its power, while Sméagol was instantly enamored. Frodo is strong of heart and mind, where Sméagol wasn't so much so.
At 1:03:20 you ask, "Is that the one [eagle] that picked up Gandalf when he was on top of the tower?" Yes, it is. His name is Gwaihur the Windlord, and he also rescued Gandalf from the top of Celebdil after his fight with the Balrog. The other two eagles are named Landroval and Meneldor.
"When the pass of Cirith Ungol is mentioned, old men and masters of lore will blanche and fall silent." - It is a place of dread, even though they've known nothing about it for centuries. All they know is that it's a place of terror, and some unspeakable evil dwells there.
basically Arwen didn't go with her people to the west, she became vulnerable to the darkness that Sauron spreads and her life was dependent on whether he will be defeated or not
The "wyverns" you're talking about are the 9 men who were given the rings, remember in the 1st one it says 7 dwarf rings, 3 elf, 9 mem. The rings corrupted men and turned them into the 9 Ringwraiths, and their leader is the Witch king of Angmar.
It's probably been explained but basically, Gandalf is a spirit sent by the gods to help mortals fight Sauron and his armies. Gandalf isn't allowed to use his real powers, he's there to inspire them and guide them. The only time he was allowed to show his powers was against the Balrog in the first movie and against Saruman at the beginning of this movie. That's because both the Balrog and Saruman are also spirits of similar strength to Gandalf's
At 59:23 you ask why the other races, the Elves and the Dwarves, help out in this final battle? In the book, the War of the Ring was a much bigger affair than in the movie. Sauron had other armies attacking the Elves in Lothlorien and the Dwarves (with the Men who were their northern allies) in the northern lands. So everybody else was pretty busy at the same time!
Depending on the strength or weakness of one's character, the ring can affect each person differently. Hobbits are generally good , happy people. Bilbo had the ring for years and wasn't always wearing it so it took a while for it to start having negative effects on him. Frodo has a stronger character but he's carrying the wring round his neck. Gandolf understood that if the ring took him over it would use his power to do evil. That's why he refused to even touch it; he found its power tempting him. Gollum and his friend not hobbits; they are immediately tempted by the power of the ring without Gollum even touching it.
I believe the point of Theoden taking the Oliphaunts head on was to draw their attention away from the city. If the riders of Rohan tried to go around and flank them, the Oliphaunts could have just ignored them and gone on to charge Minas Tirith.
The place the Elves are going is called Valinor (otherwise known as the Undying Lands) in the Uttermost West of the world. It's here where the Valar (god-like deities in Tolkien's universe) and the majority of Elves live. The reason Frodo and Bilbo are granted to journey there is because they were both ring-bearers in their lifetimes, which grants them a certain amount of prestige, especially since they both carried the One Ring. The reason Frodo wants to go to Valinor is because its there where all the trauma (physical and mental) damage and trauma inflicted on him during the course of the story can be fully healed, a process which would be impossible if Frodo remained in Middle-Earth. Frodo's whole experience is very reminicient of the effects of PTSD on soldiers, especially those from WW1 where JRR Tolkien himself fought. Frodo, like the soldiers, could never return to how life was before, and so for him he requires spiritual healing in order to regain any semblance of going back to normality.
Great Reactions! To answer your question on why the other races didn't join. The Elves of Rivendell and Lothlorien were already leaving Middle-Earth. But still, Elrond of Rivendell helped by re-forging Aragorn Sword, and the elves of Lothlorien helped in the Battle of Helm's Deep when Haldir arrived with his elves to help in the 2nd movie. These parts aren't mentioned in the movies, but are mentioned in the books: - The Elves of the Woodland Realm, with their King Thranduil, who is the father of Legolas, are in the north-east on another front versus Sauron. - The Dwarves of Erebor from the Lonely Mountain, Gimli's people with King Dain II Ironfoot and the Human Kingdom of Dale with King Brand are also fighting against Sauron's armies of evil men from the east. And since King Dain II Ironfoot is the overall King of All the Dwarves, the other Dwarven clans, like the Dwarves from the Blue Mountains to the West and many Dwarven houses from the East also send their armies to fight against Sauron. So it was technically a World War, but because there were so many fronts, We just focused on the one involving Rohan and Gondor.
After the ring was destroyed: Frodo left Middle Earth, so that he may be fully healed. He was still able to feel the wound on his arm from the sword at the beginning, plus for being the ring-bearer and it nearly consuming him like it did Gollum. Aragorn returned Gondor to it's former glory, and ruled happily with Arwen for 120 years. He had one son and two daughters. When his time drew near, he chose to take command of his own end. We laid in the House of the Kings in Minas Tirith with Gondor's past rulers and drifted into eternal sleep. Arwen passed one year later. Gimli became the Lord of the Glittering Caves under Helm's Deep, as it was rich with Mithril. He kept his word to Galadriel, and encased the strands of hair within glass and treasured it. Legolas restored the woodlands of Middle-Earth that were ravaged by the war, along with adventuring with Gimli. After Aragorn's death, Legolas made a ship of his own in Ithilien, and left Middle-Earth to cross the sea to reunite with the rest of the elves in the Undying Lands. Gimli crossed the sea with Legolas, due to his close friendship with the elf, and was the only dwarf that was offered that honor. Samwise married Rosie and had 13 children. He was also elected Mayor of the Shire for seven consecutive seven-year terms (49 years.) Afterwards, Sam was given passage to the Undying Lands to reunite with Frodo, as Samwise was also a Ring-Bearer, even for a short time. Pippin became the 32nd Thane of the Shire, and held that position for 50 years. He had one son named Faramir Took I, who later married Sam's daughter. After he retired as Thane, he left with Rohan and Gondor with Merry. He remained there for the rest of his life, and was entombed in the Hall of the Kings, and later moved to be laid to rest alongside Aragorn. Merry was knighted by King Eomer and become Master of Buckland. He married, and wrote a book. He had at least one son. At 102, he returned to Rohan and Gondor with Pippin, dying around the same time as Pippin. He was laid to rest in Gondor with Pippin, and later moved alongside Aragorn.
list of known abilities the ring has: transference to wraith realm (sort of invisible) mind control-progressive to override will of bearer clairvoyance sensory enhancement shape adjustment (can literally grow or shrink to fit or abandon people) fire resistance immunity to physical attacks
Also, to answer your question at 59:21, when Sauron launches his attack on Minas Tirith, he also launches an attack on the Dwarves. And the attack on the Dwarves doesn't end until the day AFTER the Ring is destroyed. So it's not that they chose not to help. They simply couldn't. Regarding the Elves, in the books, they do not fight at Helm's Deep. That is a film change. Their time in Middle-earth is ending so they are leaving to go West into Valinor (which is where Frodo, Bilbo, Gandalf, and the rest of them go to at the end) as Middle-earth enters the Age of Men. As for Gandalf and his magic, the Wizards are restricted in how they can use their magic. Their task is to guide the peoples of Middle-earth in defeating Sauron, not to do it for them. That's why in Gandalf's actions, he only ever does things in a way that pushes people in the right direction. I guess you could see the Lord of the Rings as a rite of passage for Men to truly come into their own, and the Wizards are sent to watch/guide them.
I had no idea that the elves didn't help at Helm's Deep in the books! That's crazy, yeah the humans had almost no help at all from the Dwarves and Elves, I'd be salty as hell. Idk why Peter Jackson didn't make that fact more clear, because it seems crazy for the king of Rohan to be so salty about Gondor, then have nothing bad to say about the Dwarves.
@@marvelsandals4228 You can't really blame the Elves or Dwarves though. In the books, Sauron is quite clever. His attacks are always hitting the free peoples of Middle-earth on multiple fronts. When he launches the seige of Minas Tirith, he also launches an attack on Dale/Erebor with a combined force of Easterlings and Orcs from Gundabad, which like I mentioned doesn't end until the day after Frodo/Sam destroy the Ring. At the same time, he sends Orcs from Moria to attack the Elves of Lothlorien. So while it's understandable for Theoden to be upset that he's not receiving help from old allies, we know that it's because Sauron is smart enough not to let them unite.
At 54:40 many reactors are confused: Is Eowyn alive, or is she dead? Peter Jackson & Co. tried to have it both ways, I think: they wanted to include Miranda Otto and Bernard Hill's wonderful death scene, but they also wanted to include Karl Urban's excellent scene finding Otto's apparently dead body. You don't stab the Witch-King in the face without taking damage. In the book, both Eowyn and Merry end up in the Houses of Healing, along with Faramir, where Aragorn heals them, using the athelas or kingsfoil, the same herb he used on Frodo on Amon Sul in FOTR. "The hands of the King are the hands of a healer, and so the rightful king should ever be known." It is another sign that Aragorn is the rightful King of Gondor. The scenes of Faramir and Eowyn in the Houses of Healing are only in the Extended version. The book's version is a pretty couple of pages, in which Merry also plays a minor part in bringing them together.
At 43:20 you ask, "So no one clocked that she was the princess?" Good question! In the book, Merry is taken on by one "Dernhelm," who Merry had seen previously, as he rode with Theoden inspecting the troops: "But when they had come almost to the end of the line, one looked up, glancing keenly at the hobbit. A young man, Merry thought as he returned the glance, less in height and girth than most. He caught the glint of clear grey eyes, and then he shivered, for it came suddenly to him that it was the face of one without hope who goes in search of death." Merry doesn't discover the true identity of "Dernhelm" until the climax of the battle. Tolkien states that Dernhelm had some sort of understanding with Elfhelm, one of Theoden's marshals, but he doesn't elaborate. At any rate all the other Riders ignored Dernhelm during the ride to Minas Tirith.
Eowen was not dead, but as much effected as Frodo in the first movie, when he got stabbed, same sickness.. The true king had had healers hands, and he could call back them from the shadowd, that was actually the moment in the book, whem everyone relaized that Aragorn is the true king. He healed Faramir and Eowen and Merry and many others straight after the battle and every citizen saw and knew of this amd thats how they knew they had a true king again.
The thing to remember that when Sméagol and Déagol found the ring, it had been alone in the bottom of that river for almost 3000 years. It was very potent when they found it.
Yea sauron was pretty smart he had all the kingdoms of middle earth tied down. Mordor wasn't his ownly post for producing orcs and men for war. Even Rohan was being attacked but from within by Saruman. Middle Earth united was what defeated Sauron last time so he knew he had to seperate everyone
Tolkein hints at the similarities in Smeagol and Deagol, and Merry and Pippin. Their relationships with one another, their personalities and mischievous nature, along with each growing up with a level of entitlement in their families and villages, are all very similar. Its meant to make the reader/viewer question what could have happened to our two heros had the Ring initially come to one of them instead of Frodo. In Smeagol's defence the Ring had sat building up power for 2500 years untouched before Smeagol found it. It was exceptionally strong and heinous at the time. Great reactions.❤❤
Third movie in and you still don't get how powerful and how evil the influence the ring has over others?... I remember when I first saw this film in cinema and thought, "if Frodo does not take this ring for himself I would walk out" I mean look at the torture he's been through for three movies, and now right with the enemy where it should be the strongest Frodo would just toss it in - NO WAY! So when Frodo took the ring "The ring is mine!", I shouted with excitement in the cinema. This trilogy is the most epic cinematic experiences of my life
And all the host laughed and wept, and in the midst of their merriment and tears the clear voice of the minstrel rose like silver and gold, and all men were hushed. And he sang to them, now in the elven-tongue, now in the speech of the West, until their hearts, wounded with sweet words, overflowed, and their joy was like swords, and they passed in thought out to regions where pain and delight flow together and tears are the very wine of blessedness.
At 17:45, the kingdom of Gondor reached far to the north and south of its present boundaries in its early years. The Argonath, the two colossal statues seen in FOTR, marked the northern limit of its realm about 2,000 years before our story. Gondor at that time extended east through Mordor (which was desolate while Sauron slept), and south through Umbar, where the corsairs we'll be seeing shortly come from. The kingdoms of the Easterlings and the Haradrim, whose forces we've seen marching into Mordor, were unhappy subjects of Gondor at that time also, although they didn't remain so for long. Present-day Gondor is a shadow of its former glory, and its capital of Minas Tirith is half empty.
I always see the scene with the ghost of the dead where they drop all the skulls and destroy the buildings for that they accept to fight already and destroy their home because they will not need it anymore after their oath is fullfield
Both the author and Christopher Lee who actually knew Tolkien among either the fans agree the real hero is Sam and Frodo never would have done it without him
The spider in the movie was called Shelob and that's what Gollem meant when he said ''She could do it'' in the end of part 2. And the creatures that the Nazgul were riding on were creatures from an older world whose kind, still lingering in forgotten mountains cold under the moon, outlived it's time and there in a hideous eagle's nest hatched this last untimely brood, bent on evil. And Sauron took it and raised it on wild flesh until it was greater than all other things that fly, and he gave it to his servant to serve as his steed.
The elves and dwarves are under siege in their own lands. They are fighting battles in other parts of middle earth and so do not join. But gimli, legolas and pippin are brought to entreat with the mouth of sauron to represent all the peoples of middle earth (merry does not go to the last battle in the book as he is still so injured from stabbing the witch king).
![[柴犬ASMR]曼玉Manyu&小白Bai 毛发护理Spa asmr](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0TsXQ7z2Dh4/mqdefault.jpg)
The thing with the Ring is that the closer it is to Mt. Doom, the stronger its influence is. It is actively fighting to NOT be destroyed, so for any being, it's physically impossible for them to throw it in willingly, they just can't do it. And Frodo has been fighting it all the way up to that point.
People often say the meme "Why wasn't there a door on Mount Doom?" but Sauron was 100% correct all along. NOBODY who had the Ring was able to destroy it. Not even Frodo.
@@papalaz4444244 Hell, not even Sauron could resist his ring if he suddenly had a change of heart.
this also excludes the thing that the last piece of good news was Faramir assisted them on their way to mordor, last known news about the fellowship was boromir was dead.
Frodo had little to no positivity as the journey progressed, thinking that the others might not survive or were getting hurt because of him.
he didn't know Gandalf had returned.
to endure the bleak outlook all the way to mount doom is beyond mentally resistant to the ring. Galadriel was right, if Frodo couldn't do it, then no one else would be able to
@@papalaz4444244 And even then, in books gollum slipped. And that wasn't accident - Tolkien confirmed that it was direct action from supreme god (Eru Ilúvatar) that pushed him over. So yeah, aside from Sauron and Eru nobody could destroy ring.
@@SapFeaRonGollum swore on the Ring. The Ring killed him. There is a lot of irony there lol
To answer your question about why the other races didn’t join was because Sauron sent out more than just one army . The elves of lothlorien , and the wood land elves (ruled by Legolas father) were busy fighting the orcs of Dol Guldor. The dwarves of the iron hills, Erebor, and men of Dale were busy fighting a large army from Rhun(another of Sauron’s army). After almost being defeated the elves were able to make it in time to help the dwarves and men .
The other races would have helped but were honestly tied down .
wouldve been cool if the movie had referenced this some how
@@jonny-mp3 there was a small reference in the movie, when legolas told gimli that the war has already come to gimlis people
@@LordToxic1406Oh Fair enough. I was thinking like more of when Gandalf is talking about the men of the east and the Rhun and it flashes to them on the boats and the oliphonts. That wouldve been cool if they had flashed across to the blue moutains and lothlorian and showed a great battle taking place.
Theres so much depth to the story they could've made RotK 7 hours!
@@LordToxic1406 Fair enough. At any rate, the brief mention was only in the Extended Edition.
The race who helped the most was the hobbits anyway. I mean, statistically speaking, they are the most powerful of all the races in Middle Earth. Only six hobbits ever left the Shire in Tolkien's work.
First thing Bilbo did was kill three trolls. Neither spiders nor elves could hold him prisoners and he also stole from a dragon, whom he led to his death. Merry and Pippin conquered Isengard and led one of the Istari to his death. Pippin then went on to deceive Sauron, without even trying, he made that master of plots and deception believe that the One Ring was in his possession, which led to many strategic errors from Sauron.
Merry, with the help of Eowin, killed the leader of the Nazgul. Sam defeated and grievously injured (maybe killed) Shelob, the monstrous spider, descendant of Ungoliant and all that in a straight up one on one battle. Finally, Smeagold destroyed the One Ring and killed Sauron.
Only Frodo has no real achievement to his name, but 5 out of 6 isn't bad and he still was a decent delivery boy.
The moment. You all know it.
"I can't carry it for you, BUT I CAN CARRY YOU!"
I cheer. Every bloody time. Goosebumps.
I mostly just chuckle a bit because I always imagine Sauron going “ah dammit, why didn’t I think of that?”
Remember that Boromir was influenced by the ring without ever touching either.
There's a hilarious edit of the final scene with Frodo on the ship that has him open his hand to reveal the ring, and Sam looks heartbroken while Frodo smiles.
What would I need to search to find that clip?
@@OSRS_Emperor I saw it on Reddit a few months ago under the title "Sneaky little hobbitses". I don't know if there's an upload of the edit on UA-cam
The fact that you have to say remember to this dude.. ask him how to say FRODO
@@SebasTian58323 Thank you. What a wonderful edit!
For anyone else curious, it can be found on r/lotrmemes and it was posted on the 6th of august 2023
@@OSRS_Emperor A channel called Kinta has it under 'The Lord of the Rings - Alternate Ending'
So the movies just barely reference why Denethor seems to dislike Faramir so much, it’s the line where he calls him a “wizards pupil”, Denethor really distrusts Gandalf as someone who meddles in the politics of the world and he is aware of how powerful wizards are so he assumes it’s a subtle ploy to control Gondor. And Faramir was a very bookish and curious child so whenever Gandalf would visit he would teach Faramir lore and wisdom. Denethor thought Gandalf was influencing his son against him, so whenever Faramir expressed his own opinions even wise ones Denethor just thought of Gandalf trying to puppet Gondor through him
Also, Denethor had a palantir(the seeing stones, like Saruman had) stone. So Sauron was feeding him bad information and corrupting him through it.
@@blairhaffly1777 It wasn't corrupting him per se, it was just instilling into Denethor despair. iirc, he finally snapped when he was given visions of the Corsair fleet (Not knowing that it had reinforcements for Gondor rather than Mordor).
I believe Faramir and Boromir's mother died in childbirth while having Faramir, so Denethor unjustly blames him.
Shit I'm a long time fan and I didn't even know that
Faramir got the short end of the stick. He was clearly the unfavored son. His passions got him alienated from his father’s and his father’s growing despair as he contended with the Will of Sauron daily impacted his mind. He was the better brother, Boromir was stronger and a better warrior but Faramir was no less valiant even if less skilled while being a better man not to cast shade on Boromir. But rather what his father failed to see in Faramir that he idolized in Broromir. Broromir is a great brother
You have to understand Gandalf is a wizard yes but he’s mostly there to like help everyone in middle earth but he lets them make their own decisions and he can’t use his magic that much in middle earth because he can’t interfere with their decisions he can only give advice and assist
Magic also being incredibly taxing to use.
Always good to see a new LOTR fan in the making!
The reason the elves and dwarves didn't come help in this movie is that they were all under attack from Sauron's forces as well. The books spell it out more clearly, but there is a hint to it in these movies, when Gimli wishes he could "muster up a legion of dwarves," and Legolas tells him "war already marches on their own lands."
i love that the video game War in the North actually takes you to the main Dwarf mountain where Sauron sent an army of orcs and you have to fight with them
@@LeonVP70been wanting to replay it for years but it’s not on either the ps or Xbox store😒
The bowing of the King and people to the hobbits is the perfect movie moment. The whole story begins in the Shire with the hobbits and in the moment of triumph when the king is crowned they bow to the hobbits , it's a full circle , just perfect.
The reason they were silent with their beers at the end is the same reason Frodo left - PTSD, trauma from war. Tolkein himself witnessed the effects of war on his fellow men after WW1. When you rewatch these films one day from that stand point it will make perfect sense. The Undying Lands offers Elven healing which will give relief to all those who felt the Ring's unbearable evil. Frodo was traumatized from carrying it for that long.
Makes perfect sense to me, even though I've never seen war. It makes sense that after seeing so much horror, acts of pure evil, suffering and danger, coming home to see people smiling and having a good time would surely feel almost artificial. As if the only reason they can be/feel like that, is that they don't know just how much danger is looming over the world, able to take it all away in so little time. Only held at arms length by all of the good and aggressive people (not everyone fight out of goodness), essentially standing in a circle around them, fighting for those inside to be able to retain their illusions of safety.
It sounds melodramatic and I can't know for sure but I imagine that's about how I'd feel.
Sauron is a fallen angel. He chose the side of Satan (Morgoth) instead of God (Eru).
Sauron put most of his soul into the Ring. The Ring is a VERY powerful artifact :)
They sailed to the undying lands (Valinor), it's kinda like heaven, elves were going back to there, Gandalf is from there, kinda like an angel like creature sent to Middle-Earth to protect it. there's no need for protecting anymore so Gandalf left too.
Dwarfs are digging deep in their mountains and soon they'll become all but legend. Elves all leave Middle-Earth. Hobbits actually are forced into hiding like the dwarfs and soon they become extinct after the race of men hunt them down. So there is where our(human) history begins. LOTR is like a pre-world story, according to Tolkien its our past.
Someone has probobly said this earlier but Gandalf can’t just use his magic how ever he likes. He is extremely powerful but is actually sent to Middle Earth by the Valar, the gods in this universe. And his purpose is to guide and lead the free people but not intervene too much himself. He is literally kept from using his full powers. His real power here is his wisdom and ability to gather and lead
Meridoc Brandybuck is Merry's full name, but everyone calls him Merry. Same with Pippin, his full name is Peregrin Took, but everyone calls him Pip or Pippin. So when Theoden calls Merry "Meridoc" after accepting his blade, he's just referring to his full name.
Edit: Yes, Eowyn and Faramir are together. Also, for the Hobbit the order is "An Unexpected Journey" followed by "Desolation of Smaug" then concludes in "Battle of The Five Armies"
They showed Gandalf coughing hard with the pipe to solidify his rebirth. Gandalf did die against the Balrog, but he was given another chance by Eru Iluvatar (God). Gandalf is essentially an angel, but with limited power as to not tamper with earth too much. JRR Tolkien's' Middle Earth has a lot to it.
What they didn't show in the movies is that Denethor also had one of the Palantíri. The round stone that Saruman had and Pippen wanted to look at. But it didn't turn Denethor to evil. Sauron filled his head with fear and the destruction of his people. When he found out Boromir had died his mind went to madness.
I love the hobbits so much in Lord of the Rings. The point I think of Tolkien's writing them as the heroes are that the bravest people are not the fated kings or the immortal elves, it's the small, simple folk. They have no fate protecting them, and still they risk themselves. The most unlikely creatures imaginable. And that's exactly why Frodo was perfect to bear the ring to Mount Doom, nobody would ever expect a hobbit to be the one to do it. In a world of epic heroes, the ones who are the bravest are a humble pacifist and his gardener.
Its also cool to see them return to the Shire they're on horses in fancy robes and capes, just like "sup," the townsfolk are like wtf. In the books, Saruman (the evil wizard) actually survives after the defeat of Sauron, and gets a gang to try and take the Shire, and Frodo and the boys take charge, they raise an army of Hobbits and easily defeat Saurman's dudes. After the battle, they have a huge reputation and authority, one of them becomes a mayor, the rest are like commanders of the army and shit haha. I think compared to the shit they've been through this new game+ stuff is a joke, like these guys are scrubs.
The "dead" coming out of Minas Morgul are not actually dead, they are orcs, bred for war and "created" by Morgoth the first Dark Lord. Sauron served under him long before these movies take place. I wrote "created" because Morgoth didn't really create them, he couldn't create life, but he could corrupt life. Orcs were "made" from corrupted Elves who were captured by Morgoth during his massive wars. There is sooo much lore around every little thing in this universe.
how exactly do they corrupt the elves?
I think this guy already knows what orcs are
@@ckbb7536 Basically breaking them with his power of will and chaining their lives to his. I assume it took a while for him, but I can only imagine having Morgoth stand before you breaking you. I don't think many "regular" elves would have stood a chance.
@@Craftyboy89 thank you! It's kinda sad tho, seeing such ethereal beings, being turned into such evil creatures
@@ckbb7536 They got tortured for a long time under Morgoth to become like this. If you really are interested in all of that you should read the book or listen to the Audio book "The Silmarillion" its like the Bible of Middle Earth and really reads like one too with an old writing style, there you will get alot of Lore out of it, like How Middle Earth was created, learn about all the diffrent Elven races, up until the fall of the Great Men (Numenoren) and the creation of the Rings of Power
1:14:00 Frodo and Bilbo were allowed the trip to the Undying lands as they both were Ringbearers at some point in their lives. Same reason why Sam after a long and full life in the Shire has built a boat of his own and was able to join them there too.
Gimli as well!
@@princesskatebabe well, I didn't mention Gimli, because that's not the reason why he was let in, nor do we actually know if he WAS let in (although with multiple notable residents vouching for him, I wouldn't expect him to be turned away).
@@demyanrudenkoGimli was allowed passage east because of the love he built for elvish kind. The hairs he asked from Galadriel and his deep friendship with Legolas put him in good light with the Elves and their God.
They also, you know...saved the world lol, I think after that you can pull a few strings and cash in a favor or two.
If it is comforting to you, Sam was, after a long life as mayor of Hobbiton, eventually invited to Aman (The Undying Land) and reunited with Frodo there after Rosie passed away decades later. Legolas and Gimli also moved there after some time. Legolas would not accept going if his good friend Gimli wasn't allowed to join him. In this, Gimli was the only dwarf to ever see Aman. Merry and Pippin lived long influential lives in Hobbiton, and when they died, they were laid to rest next to Aragorn in Minas Tirith. :)
The two kings.
Return of the towers.
LotR 4: The ring sting
49:02 Note how Denethor repeats after Saruman: against the power of Mordor there is no victory. That's because it's not shown in the movies that Denethor had a palantir too. He tried to use it to spy on Sauron, but it turned to be the other way around and Denethor was no longer a powerful and noble man he used to be.
Also, at that point anybody would have thought "we're completely screwed, its hopeless, we're all going to die" I think he just gave into despair. If you're going to die may as well go out on your terms
@@marvelsandals4228 you're right, despair is exactly how Sauron broke him
The movies compressed time A LOT. They had to. Faramir and Eowyn spent a lot of time in the houses of healing. She came to understand that she was infatuated with Aragorn because he was everything a young soldier would admire and wish to be, or to serve under. She wanted to be a soldier, so it's not surprising she thought she was in love with him. But it did take time for her to turn to Faramir.
About her looking dead on the battlefield: Just being close to a Ringwraith is hazardous, but actually touching one (even with a sword) is deadly. She and Merry were both near death when they were found. Aragorn saved them because, as the book states, 'the hands of the king are the hands of a healer'. Humans won't live forever in the Undying Lands (or Valinor) but they will be healed of all hurts, happy and healthy until they die.
Here before the title change
Come on 💯💯
same
Fr fr
Same lol
+1
Thing is, when you look into the Palantir you basically enter in a battle of minds against Sauron. Denethor is a prime example of what can happen if you do that over time. You see him as a madman in the movie but in the books he is actually a very good leader and a powerful man. He only gets worse by time because at this point in time he's been interacting with Sauron for a while, and Sauron has tried to break him multiple times.
Had mad dejavu then realised the title was wrong haha
same here... i was confused as hell till i saw the preview
SAME LOL I was like "is this a reupload?"
The oliphant moment just makes you deflate!! I still remember my sister who’s not into these movies at the theater when this came out saying, “oh no” out loud
TRUTH IS pippin can actually sing in real life and he did the ending credits song for one of the hobbit films
Here at 5 min without the title change… got here before💪🏾😂
Just answering your question at the very start about the influence of the Ring. Remember the council meeting in Rivendell, when Boromir got tempted by the ring just sitting on the pedestal? And when everybody was fighting over it until Frodo spoke up? That was all the Ring's influence.
Edit: And yes, the Ring literally became so heavy it was pulling Frodo down in the Orc camp. And has been tearing up his neck something fierce.
Bilbo and Frodo were granted passage to the Gray Havens because they were Ring Bearers. Sam was as well, since he bore the ring, albeit for a short time.
Gimli, being considered a true Elf Friend, was also granted permission to travel to the Havens in his old age.
Also, they didn't cover it well in the movie, but when Merry stabbed the Witch King in the back, and when Eowyn stabbed him in the face, they both received a backlash that put them into a coma, as well as dealing considerable damage to the limb. And only a King's Hands could treat the ailment. Aragorn himself tended to the two of them for their recovery.
The high speed clap at 51:12 killed me😂
the books are much longer and for the movies a lot of stuff was either left out completely or condensed into smaller parts, for example the development of relationship between Faramir and Eowyn. Btw Elves and Dwarves were fighting their own battles at their kingdoms.
Bilbo wasn't 111, mate. By this time in the book Bilbo is the oldest Hobbit who ever lived. He was 131. :)
The time scale in the films has been compressed quite a lot.
Next Trilogy The Hobbit Extended Edition Of The Adventures Of Bilbo Baggin:
(1) An Unexpected Journey Extended Edition
(2) The Desolation Of Smaug Extended Edition
(3) The Battle Five Armie Extended Edition
The crazy part about Sam fighting the spider is that the spider is actually a very old creature, even older than Sauron and Gandalf, and many people had tried to kill her in the past, but no one had ever even been able to land a hit before losing. Not only did Sam hold off the spider, he was the only person in thousands of years to ever do so
No one ever comments on how great the cgi is here. Has held up great.
Has Don realised that Eomer is played by Karl Urban, Billy Butcher from the Boys himself?
Now its time for the hobbit
1. Hobbit unexpected journey
2. Hobbit desolation of smaug
3. Hobbit battle of the 5 armies
Sam's line "I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you" is one of the best movie lines of all time. Also the third eagle with Gandalf at the end was to pick up gollum.
The symbolism of the end being that everyone bows down to the hobbits. For once their heads are higher than the world.
Pippin becomes the Thain of the Shire. The Shire's military commander. Merry becomes Master of Buckland, head of his clan and Shire offical.
I was sad they didn't include the REAL ending story for the Shire.
@@BeboRulz make people sit for three and a half hours to see the ring destroyed and then they go home and ithe Shire is burned to the ground and then the saruman bit? Dont be daft
"I'm surprised the Elves agreed to take him." You're surprised the Elves agreed to take the man that killed Sauron?
The line was that Arwin's life is tied to the FATE of the ring (not the ring itself)...so if Sauron returned to power she'd die, if it was destroyed she'd live.
I think that bit a 1:11:21, when you noticed they don't look happy. Can you imagine the utter turmoil they've just been through? There'd be absolutely no one at the Green Dragon Tavern that'd have any idea how to possibly imagine what they'd gone through. They'd all been in battle, killed and almost been killed, witnessed a lot of death. Not to mention Merry and Pippin witnessing Boromir die.
The reason that Frodo and Bilbo get to go with the elves is because they are "ringbearers" , at some point Sam will go to the undying lands as well since he had the ring for a short while...and Gimli is the only dwarfs who gets the privilege of going as well because of his friendship with Legolas and a "servant" of Galadriel.
The elfs and dwarfs got different battles way greater in the north east of middleearth they cant spare anything
It can affect you. Even if you see it. Some people are affected more than others based on if they are mischievous or how much they want in life.
Fun reaction, for sure! Yes, Eowyn and Faramir are together now....the movie really rushes it (and those quick scenes weren't even in the theatrical version). But the chapter in the book where they get to know each other (with Merry as wingman) is one of my favorites 🥰
Hey they both fought in a war, were wounded, almost died, and miraculously survived to see the war finally end. Fuck it, why sit around being sad and pining after Aragorn? They deserve to be happy, why wait?
and it's a rare reactor that even includes so props to Don 😅
About their conversation with Saruman in the beginning of the movie: one of Saruman's "soft powers" is that he can be, like, totally really convincing. It's easier to see through him if he's not talking directly to you, but if you're his direct audience then it takes a great force of will not to automatically go along with whatever he says. Just one of those neat things that doesn't translate directly to film but kindof gives the film context if you already know that's a thing
At 18:55 Minas Morgul, the Tower of Sorcery, was once part of the kingdom of Gondor. In its early years its capital was Osgiliath, the Citadel of the Stars, where Faramir took Frodo and Sam. Additionally the Men of Gondor built Minas Ithil, the Tower of the Moon, eastward in the foothills of the Ephel Duath, the Mountains of Shadow, and Minas Anor, the Tower of the Sun, westward at the foot of the White Mountains. As evil began to awaken in Mordor, the Nazgul and their allies took the city of Minas Ithil. The Men of Gondor renamed it Minas Morgul, and Minas Anor they renamed Minas Tirith, the Tower of Guard. Osgiliath was repeatedly fought over and ruined, and served as an outpost of the armies of Gondor against the Enemy. Tolkien described Minas Morgul: "...high on a rocky seat upon the black knees of the Ephel Duath, stood the walls and tower of Minas Morgul. All was dark about it, earth and sky, but it was lit with light. Not the imprisoned moonlight welling through the walls of Minas Ithil long ago, Tower of the Moon, fair and radiant in the hollow of the hills. Paler indeed than the moon ailing in some slow eclipse was the light of it now...a corpse-light, a light that illuminated nothing."
I thought the title was wrong
Also Pippin's first name is Peregrine, and Merry's is Merriadoc. They're not titles, it's just their names.
Her fate isn’t tied to the Ring in the books. They inserted that to tie her arc to Aragorn’s and introduce more stakes to the movie.
The lord of the rings is the best trilogy ever filmed and nobody can tell me otherwise
Absolute peak
Truly on of the greatest trilogies of ALL time. I remember when i was 12, watching Nostalgia Critic's Old vs New Lord of the Rings and after 5 minutes i stopped watching it and asked my Dad can we go get the movie. We went to Walmart, bought the extended edition of the series, came home and watch it.
The "epilogue" is one of my favorite parts of the series. Reminds me of Veterans returning home from deployment. Are 4 hobbits have changed and the silent toast says it. Frodo leaving utterly destroyed me. I was confused why and my dad basically said; "he's going to a place were he can be healed and live free from the trauma. He's wounded mentally and physically".
This and a handful of other movies/shows EARNED the "The End" card even if it isn't said.
• Lord of the Rings
• Avatar the Last Airbender
• Star Wars(episode 1- 6)
• Harry Potter
• How To Train Your Dragon
• Kung Fu Panda 3
• Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu(seasons 2 and 10)
At 20:17 you suggest, "Could we not just enter the city and go through it?" In the book, Sam rouses Frodo: "Wake up, Mr. Frodo! They're gone, and we'd better go too. There's something still alive in that place, something with eyes, or a seeing mind, if you take me; and the longer we stay in one spot, the sooner it will get on to us."
Well, also they have no idea what's beyond those gates, presumably there's a few people...orcs...whatever, some of Sauron's guys still in the city, a couple guards, if ANYBODY spots them, they could have a huge battle on their hands and get slaughtered. Better to stay far away I think
At 34:20 the Riders of Rohan number approximately 6,000. Sauron's forces at Minas Tirith are a LOT more.
Merry and Pippin become the leaders of their respective clans (the Brandybucks and the Tooks.) When they are aged and widowed, they journeyed back to Gondor and were entombed on either side of King Ellessar (Aragorn.)
Sam and Rosie have 13 children, and Sam is elected mayor several times. When Rosie died on a mid-summer's eve, Sam gave the Red Book to his oldest daughter, and was never seen again. The story is told in her family that he went to the Gray Havens and took a ship, the last of the ring-bearers to cross over the sea.
The ring is impossible to destroy in Mount Doom, Tolkien has said that no one would be able to do it, except the god of this world. He's kind of implied that Gollum was sent by god to make an accidental fall into the fire happen. Gandalf even says that Gollum will have a part to play when they're in Moria.
Arwen wasn't going to die if the ring died, Elrond meant that she was now mortal, so she couldn't leave Middle Earth to go to the undying lands with the other elves. So if the ring wasn't destroyed Arwen would die in Sauron's conquest with everyone else.
The hobbits aren't happy because they've just been in a war, they've probably got ptsd, and no one in the Shire truly understands what they went through.
Frodo and Bilbo got to go to the undying lands because they were ring bearers, they won't be immortal there, but they will be able to exist more easily. Frodo is injured, both physically and mentally (the ring has been whispering in his mind for the entire journey, for months, and he had to fight it every step of the way) and he will be able to heal there, and live out the rest of his life in peace.
Why didn't the dwarves help ? "The hobbit" takes place more than 80y before "The lord of the rings" it will answer your questions.
At 1:00:15 the Mouth of Sauron is only in the Extended Version. Tolkien writes, "...The rider was robed all in black...yet this was no Ringwraith but a living man. The Lieutenant of the Tower of Barad-dur he was, and his name is remembered in no tale; for he himself had forgotten it, and he said: 'I am the Mouth of Sauron.' ...because of his cunning he grew ever higher in the Lord's favor; and he learned great sorcery, and knew much of the mind of Sauron; and he was more cruel than any orc."
Fun Facts about Cirith Ungol -- the name itself is a spoiler because it's an elvish name that means cleft or mountain pass (cirith) of the spider (ungol).
The giant spider that inhabits the pass is named Shelob, and she is considered to be the "mightiest of Ungoliant's children". Ungoliant was the first primordial spider and was said to be so hungry that she eventually ate herself until she died. She birthed many giant spiders but none of the ones that are left are as big or as old as Shelob. Shelob is one of the oldest living creatures in Middle Earth.
She was even said to be inhabiting the mountains before Sauron took over Mordor the first time. She technically wasn't aligned with Sauron and didn't serve him directly, but he reportedly saw her as something like his ferocious pet cat, which is why he never bothered driving her out of the mountains. She guarded the pass way more effectively than his own orcs, and he would often execute those who fell out of his favor by sending them into her lair.
I always used to misremember Shelob as the 'last and least of Ungoliant's children, which for me always made her more intimidating. This massive, deadly not-quite-spider monster, that spawned all the spiders of Mirkwood being the runt of Ungoliant's children.
Sauron assumed that Saruman had the ring bearer and was forcing him to look into the palantir as a form of torture.
When Gandalf says, “300 lives of men I walked this earth, and now I have no time,” he means in the 3000 years he’s been here, he now has no time because he has to be hasty and hurry to defeat Sauron.
One thing the theater cut does better is it leaves Aragon, Legolas, Gimli, and the ghosts more of a mystery of if they got their help which I think is really good suspense build up!
In the theater cut you see the ghost turn down Aragon then the next scene you see is them jumping off the boat with all the ghosts when landing by Gondor! So you feel suspense and dread when those ships show up until they jump off the ship!
i can see that now, but growing up with the theatricals first that always had me confused until i discovered the extendeds
Agreed. I like that part of the theater cut better, even if it does mean we don't see a Peter Jackson cameo.
Yupppp the theatrical release has a better pace . It does Saruman justice but knowing that Aragorn is coming with the ghosts ruins the tension because you know that they are coming so you don’t have anything to worry about making it low stakes
I agree!!! There's nothing like that feeling of seeing Return of the King in the theaters and not knowing until that moment when the boats pull up.
Denethor strove with a Palantír in the back vaults of Minas Tirith, just as Saruman had. So he had contact with Sauron just as Saruman had, and that’s what drove him mad.
I believe that for the Rohirrim, they got every horse rider in New Zealand to join in filming. Sheer dedication of getting extras for the set pieces.
Also, Gandalf had three eagles with him, assumedly to also save Smeagol if he was alive.
The ring can grow and shrink to fit people, so if it wanted to say, slip off someone's finger, it could just expand to be loose enough to fall off. You can see it shrink to fit Isildur when he first picks it up in the first movie
The ring has more influence on some than it does on others. Like how Frodo is able to carry it for so long without being tempted by its power, while Sméagol was instantly enamored. Frodo is strong of heart and mind, where Sméagol wasn't so much so.
At 1:03:20 you ask, "Is that the one [eagle] that picked up Gandalf when he was on top of the tower?" Yes, it is. His name is Gwaihur the Windlord, and he also rescued Gandalf from the top of Celebdil after his fight with the Balrog. The other two eagles are named Landroval and Meneldor.
"When the pass of Cirith Ungol is mentioned, old men and masters of lore will blanche and fall silent." - It is a place of dread, even though they've known nothing about it for centuries. All they know is that it's a place of terror, and some unspeakable evil dwells there.
basically Arwen didn't go with her people to the west, she became vulnerable to the darkness that Sauron spreads and her life was dependent on whether he will be defeated or not
The "wyverns" you're talking about are the 9 men who were given the rings, remember in the 1st one it says 7 dwarf rings, 3 elf, 9 mem. The rings corrupted men and turned them into the 9 Ringwraiths, and their leader is the Witch king of Angmar.
It's probably been explained but basically, Gandalf is a spirit sent by the gods to help mortals fight Sauron and his armies. Gandalf isn't allowed to use his real powers, he's there to inspire them and guide them. The only time he was allowed to show his powers was against the Balrog in the first movie and against Saruman at the beginning of this movie. That's because both the Balrog and Saruman are also spirits of similar strength to Gandalf's
At 59:23 you ask why the other races, the Elves and the Dwarves, help out in this final battle? In the book, the War of the Ring was a much bigger affair than in the movie. Sauron had other armies attacking the Elves in Lothlorien and the Dwarves (with the Men who were their northern allies) in the northern lands. So everybody else was pretty busy at the same time!
Depending on the strength or weakness of one's character, the ring can affect each person differently. Hobbits are generally good , happy people. Bilbo had the ring for years and wasn't always wearing it so it took a while for it to start having negative effects on him. Frodo has a stronger character but he's carrying the wring round his neck. Gandolf understood that if the ring took him over it would use his power to do evil. That's why he refused to even touch it; he found its power tempting him. Gollum and his friend not hobbits; they are immediately tempted by the power of the ring without Gollum even touching it.
I believe the point of Theoden taking the Oliphaunts head on was to draw their attention away from the city. If the riders of Rohan tried to go around and flank them, the Oliphaunts could have just ignored them and gone on to charge Minas Tirith.
“YAH YAH YAH YEET” is officially the best war cry I’ve ever heard. 😂😂
The place the Elves are going is called Valinor (otherwise known as the Undying Lands) in the Uttermost West of the world. It's here where the Valar (god-like deities in Tolkien's universe) and the majority of Elves live. The reason Frodo and Bilbo are granted to journey there is because they were both ring-bearers in their lifetimes, which grants them a certain amount of prestige, especially since they both carried the One Ring. The reason Frodo wants to go to Valinor is because its there where all the trauma (physical and mental) damage and trauma inflicted on him during the course of the story can be fully healed, a process which would be impossible if Frodo remained in Middle-Earth. Frodo's whole experience is very reminicient of the effects of PTSD on soldiers, especially those from WW1 where JRR Tolkien himself fought. Frodo, like the soldiers, could never return to how life was before, and so for him he requires spiritual healing in order to regain any semblance of going back to normality.
Great Reactions!
To answer your question on why the other races didn't join. The Elves of Rivendell and Lothlorien were already leaving Middle-Earth. But still, Elrond of Rivendell helped by re-forging Aragorn Sword, and the elves of Lothlorien helped in the Battle of Helm's Deep when Haldir arrived with his elves to help in the 2nd movie.
These parts aren't mentioned in the movies, but are mentioned in the books:
- The Elves of the Woodland Realm, with their King Thranduil, who is the father of Legolas, are in the north-east on another front versus Sauron.
- The Dwarves of Erebor from the Lonely Mountain, Gimli's people with King Dain II Ironfoot and the Human Kingdom of Dale with King Brand are also fighting against Sauron's armies of evil men from the east. And since King Dain II Ironfoot is the overall King of All the Dwarves, the other Dwarven clans, like the Dwarves from the Blue Mountains to the West and many Dwarven houses from the East also send their armies to fight against Sauron.
So it was technically a World War, but because there were so many fronts, We just focused on the one involving Rohan and Gondor.
After the ring was destroyed:
Frodo left Middle Earth, so that he may be fully healed. He was still able to feel the wound on his arm from the sword at the beginning, plus for being the ring-bearer and it nearly consuming him like it did Gollum.
Aragorn returned Gondor to it's former glory, and ruled happily with Arwen for 120 years. He had one son and two daughters. When his time drew near, he chose to take command of his own end. We laid in the House of the Kings in Minas Tirith with Gondor's past rulers and drifted into eternal sleep.
Arwen passed one year later.
Gimli became the Lord of the Glittering Caves under Helm's Deep, as it was rich with Mithril. He kept his word to Galadriel, and encased the strands of hair within glass and treasured it.
Legolas restored the woodlands of Middle-Earth that were ravaged by the war, along with adventuring with Gimli. After Aragorn's death, Legolas made a ship of his own in Ithilien, and left Middle-Earth to cross the sea to reunite with the rest of the elves in the Undying Lands. Gimli crossed the sea with Legolas, due to his close friendship with the elf, and was the only dwarf that was offered that honor.
Samwise married Rosie and had 13 children. He was also elected Mayor of the Shire for seven consecutive seven-year terms (49 years.) Afterwards, Sam was given passage to the Undying Lands to reunite with Frodo, as Samwise was also a Ring-Bearer, even for a short time.
Pippin became the 32nd Thane of the Shire, and held that position for 50 years. He had one son named Faramir Took I, who later married Sam's daughter. After he retired as Thane, he left with Rohan and Gondor with Merry. He remained there for the rest of his life, and was entombed in the Hall of the Kings, and later moved to be laid to rest alongside Aragorn.
Merry was knighted by King Eomer and become Master of Buckland. He married, and wrote a book. He had at least one son. At 102, he returned to Rohan and Gondor with Pippin, dying around the same time as Pippin. He was laid to rest in Gondor with Pippin, and later moved alongside Aragorn.
list of known abilities the ring has:
transference to wraith realm (sort of invisible)
mind control-progressive to override will of bearer
clairvoyance
sensory enhancement
shape adjustment (can literally grow or shrink to fit or abandon people)
fire resistance
immunity to physical attacks
51:10 THOSE SPEED CLAPS KILLED ME😂😂
I love the pause and pull back when the elephants rolled on 😂😂😂
Also, to answer your question at 59:21, when Sauron launches his attack on Minas Tirith, he also launches an attack on the Dwarves. And the attack on the Dwarves doesn't end until the day AFTER the Ring is destroyed. So it's not that they chose not to help. They simply couldn't.
Regarding the Elves, in the books, they do not fight at Helm's Deep. That is a film change. Their time in Middle-earth is ending so they are leaving to go West into Valinor (which is where Frodo, Bilbo, Gandalf, and the rest of them go to at the end) as Middle-earth enters the Age of Men.
As for Gandalf and his magic, the Wizards are restricted in how they can use their magic. Their task is to guide the peoples of Middle-earth in defeating Sauron, not to do it for them. That's why in Gandalf's actions, he only ever does things in a way that pushes people in the right direction. I guess you could see the Lord of the Rings as a rite of passage for Men to truly come into their own, and the Wizards are sent to watch/guide them.
I had no idea that the elves didn't help at Helm's Deep in the books! That's crazy, yeah the humans had almost no help at all from the Dwarves and Elves, I'd be salty as hell. Idk why Peter Jackson didn't make that fact more clear, because it seems crazy for the king of Rohan to be so salty about Gondor, then have nothing bad to say about the Dwarves.
@@marvelsandals4228 You can't really blame the Elves or Dwarves though. In the books, Sauron is quite clever. His attacks are always hitting the free peoples of Middle-earth on multiple fronts.
When he launches the seige of Minas Tirith, he also launches an attack on Dale/Erebor with a combined force of Easterlings and Orcs from Gundabad, which like I mentioned doesn't end until the day after Frodo/Sam destroy the Ring. At the same time, he sends Orcs from Moria to attack the Elves of Lothlorien.
So while it's understandable for Theoden to be upset that he's not receiving help from old allies, we know that it's because Sauron is smart enough not to let them unite.
The Spider Shelob gave me nightmares as a kid.
Gollum is an S-Tier Gaslighter for turning Frodo against Sam.
At 54:40 many reactors are confused: Is Eowyn alive, or is she dead? Peter Jackson & Co. tried to have it both ways, I think: they wanted to include Miranda Otto and Bernard Hill's wonderful death scene, but they also wanted to include Karl Urban's excellent scene finding Otto's apparently dead body. You don't stab the Witch-King in the face without taking damage. In the book, both Eowyn and Merry end up in the Houses of Healing, along with Faramir, where Aragorn heals them, using the athelas or kingsfoil, the same herb he used on Frodo on Amon Sul in FOTR. "The hands of the King are the hands of a healer, and so the rightful king should ever be known." It is another sign that Aragorn is the rightful King of Gondor. The scenes of Faramir and Eowyn in the Houses of Healing are only in the Extended version. The book's version is a pretty couple of pages, in which Merry also plays a minor part in bringing them together.
At 43:20 you ask, "So no one clocked that she was the princess?" Good question! In the book, Merry is taken on by one "Dernhelm," who Merry had seen previously, as he rode with Theoden inspecting the troops: "But when they had come almost to the end of the line, one looked up, glancing keenly at the hobbit. A young man, Merry thought as he returned the glance, less in height and girth than most. He caught the glint of clear grey eyes, and then he shivered, for it came suddenly to him that it was the face of one without hope who goes in search of death." Merry doesn't discover the true identity of "Dernhelm" until the climax of the battle. Tolkien states that Dernhelm had some sort of understanding with Elfhelm, one of Theoden's marshals, but he doesn't elaborate. At any rate all the other Riders ignored Dernhelm during the ride to Minas Tirith.
the little girl that runs up to sam is his daughter in real life
Eowen was not dead, but as much effected as Frodo in the first movie, when he got stabbed, same sickness.. The true king had had healers hands, and he could call back them from the shadowd, that was actually the moment in the book, whem everyone relaized that Aragorn is the true king. He healed Faramir and Eowen and Merry and many others straight after the battle and every citizen saw and knew of this amd thats how they knew they had a true king again.
The thing to remember that when Sméagol and Déagol found the ring, it had been alone in the bottom of that river for almost 3000 years. It was very potent when they found it.
Yea sauron was pretty smart he had all the kingdoms of middle earth tied down. Mordor wasn't his ownly post for producing orcs and men for war. Even Rohan was being attacked but from within by Saruman. Middle Earth united was what defeated Sauron last time so he knew he had to seperate everyone
Eowin and Faramir spent quite a while recovering in the house of healing, and got to know each other and start a relationship.
Tolkein hints at the similarities in Smeagol and Deagol, and Merry and Pippin. Their relationships with one another, their personalities and mischievous nature, along with each growing up with a level of entitlement in their families and villages, are all very similar. Its meant to make the reader/viewer question what could have happened to our two heros had the Ring initially come to one of them instead of Frodo. In Smeagol's defence the Ring had sat building up power for 2500 years untouched before Smeagol found it. It was exceptionally strong and heinous at the time. Great reactions.❤❤
Third movie in and you still don't get how powerful and how evil the influence the ring has over others?...
I remember when I first saw this film in cinema and thought, "if Frodo does not take this ring for himself I would walk out"
I mean look at the torture he's been through for three movies, and now right with the enemy where it should be the strongest Frodo would just toss it in - NO WAY!
So when Frodo took the ring "The ring is mine!", I shouted with excitement in the cinema. This trilogy is the most epic cinematic experiences of my life
Half the comments: WRONG TITLE
Other half of comments: Info dumping information the film missed
And all the host laughed and wept, and in the midst of their merriment and tears the clear voice of the minstrel rose like silver and gold, and all men were hushed. And he sang to them, now in the elven-tongue, now in the speech of the West, until their hearts, wounded with sweet words, overflowed, and their joy was like swords, and they passed in thought out to regions where pain and delight flow together and tears are the very wine of blessedness.
At 17:45, the kingdom of Gondor reached far to the north and south of its present boundaries in its early years. The Argonath, the two colossal statues seen in FOTR, marked the northern limit of its realm about 2,000 years before our story. Gondor at that time extended east through Mordor (which was desolate while Sauron slept), and south through Umbar, where the corsairs we'll be seeing shortly come from. The kingdoms of the Easterlings and the Haradrim, whose forces we've seen marching into Mordor, were unhappy subjects of Gondor at that time also, although they didn't remain so for long. Present-day Gondor is a shadow of its former glory, and its capital of Minas Tirith is half empty.
I always see the scene with the ghost of the dead where they drop all the skulls and destroy the buildings for that they accept to fight already and destroy their home because they will not need it anymore after their oath is fullfield
Both the author and Christopher Lee who actually knew Tolkien among either the fans agree the real hero is Sam and Frodo never would have done it without him
The spider in the movie was called Shelob and that's what Gollem meant when he said ''She could do it'' in the end of part 2. And the creatures that the Nazgul were riding on were creatures from an older world whose kind, still lingering in forgotten mountains cold under the moon, outlived it's time and there in a hideous eagle's nest hatched this last untimely brood, bent on evil. And Sauron took it and raised it on wild flesh until it was greater than all other things that fly, and he gave it to his servant to serve as his steed.
The elves and dwarves are under siege in their own lands. They are fighting battles in other parts of middle earth and so do not join. But gimli, legolas and pippin are brought to entreat with the mouth of sauron to represent all the peoples of middle earth (merry does not go to the last battle in the book as he is still so injured from stabbing the witch king).