For all wondering, Sheim on the left is not on his phone. We RECORD w/ his phone & he’s taking notes. I (swizz) on the right, if looking down, is syncing audio after we took a small break from the film & syncing back up.
Guys, LOTR was written over 50 years BEFORE the Harry Potter series. So if anything, HP was inspired by LOTR, not the other way round. In fact, the ring is like the horcrux of all horcruxes.
Thank you for saying this lol that’s the only thing I cringe about 😂 I want everyone to know and understand that Harry Potters, Game of Thrones etc are all inspired by Tolkien, they are his sons 🤭🤣
J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis (Lion, Witch & the Wardrobe book series) were good friends and would often discuss literature over tea. Both are considered heavy influences for modern fantasy.
@@kamiraanddie12394by that point, he was calling himself Saruman of Many Colors. Honest, if I had had the space on CoD, I would have called myself that and used the pride flag as a banner.
@@rileyburnett720Saurman is also a Maia, all the Wizards were same with balrogs the only difference is their makers the Wizards were made and sent to Earth thousands of years before by The Valar and dragons and balrogs were made by morgoth. Sauron is also buy technicality Maia but he is ranked as some of the most powerful that ever was being far stronger than any of the Wizards or other Maia were.
Exactly, Frodo is the vehicle to bear the mind-fuckery of the Ring, Sam is the guide. Even if Sam had carried the Ring, he similarly would've needed Frodo to guide and support him along that journey. Neither could've overcome the Ring without the other.
@@underthegardenwallyes! Glad people actually give Frodo credit and respect that he has purpose on the journey as a main character. He carries the crap the ring possesses and he still doesn’t give in. Frodo needs Sam for his loyalty and Sam needs Frodo for his courage
I don't blame them for thinking frodo doesn't do much, as much as Peter Jackson tries it is very difficult to portray the burden of the ring in a visual medium. Good examples were bilbo not being able to give it up and having to trick himself into letting it fall and the heavy thud of the ring or the bruise marks around frodo's neck but in the books gollum doesn't just join them to trick them from the start and then slowly turns back into smeagol. Instead frodo's regal bearing is what convinces him, his words cut through to smeagol in a way no other does. There is so much more shown strength from frodo in the books that is almost impossible to portray in visual. Btw I think the books and the movies are absolute equals, I prefer smeagols story and character in the movies way more than the books, but prefer faramir in the books way more than the movies. They do right in the places they can and sadly that means certain parts must be sacrificed. But it does suck that the main character had to suffer slightly from this phenomena.
Yall got to remember that Frodo carries the ring. It is making him crazy but he keeps fighting its evil constantly. The ring also gets heavier and heavier the closer they get to Mordor. Its all Frodo can do just to walk there. It's taking all he has to fight and carry the ring. So he is doing something. He is sacrificing himself to save everyone. He knows the ring will corrupt anyone who has it.
Ya the Ring gets heavier two ways. It gets physically more weighty as well as getting heavier on the soul of the bearer constantly tempting and draining them of willpower.
I remember one time I was talking about LOTR with a friend and she said "the Ring is like a drug that's actively trying to make you relapse". A pretty accurate description imo, and Frodo's willpower to resist that is off the charts
@@pabloc8808 Opiates were my thing, the heaviness of the ring is like withdrawls, endlessly weak, i always saw the ring as an opiate, makes you feel amazing, then when you dont have it, your wanting to literally die. Ive had my run ins with alcohol, thats harder to avoid because its everywhere, drank last night and today, LOTR stuff is my comfort place
Reminder that Aragorn is a far descendant of Isildur, not his son. Isildur died about 3K years ago, and Aragorn is 87. So his dad didn't save the ring, but Aragorn is still worried he'll fall the same way.
Frodo is a beast, fighting against the constant presence of Sauron. And yes, Sam is the truest of friends, never giving up on Frodo, always there for him no matter how bad it gets. A lot of their friendship is based upon Tolkien's own experience in war and his comrades.
Guys, you gotta understand one thing. The ring is constantly wrecking havoc in Frodo's mind and the closer he gets to Mordor the greater the power of the ring is. Its power taints the bearer and Frodo is mightily afraid of ending up like Gollum. To never be able to escape the ring's seduction and get back to his old self. This is extremely important to understand what Frodo is going through and why he wants to believe that he can save Gollum. If he does, he can also save himself. The third movie is even better. Can't wait to see your reaction.
It is also important to note that it does not only influence the one holding it, any who know of its presence and especially those that have seen it are influenced by it.
Something I noticed on a recent rewatch of ROTK is a similarity in the effect the ring has on Smeagol and Frodo. "And we forgot the taste of bread, the sound of trees, the softness of the wind, we even forgot our own name." - Smeagol "No Sam. I can't recall the taste of food, nor the sound of water, nor the touch of grass." - Frodo
@@TheDalisama To be fair in his case that is because they have not been on grass, near running water, or had anything but waybread and potatoes for weeks and are running on fumes and lack of sleep. Sure you can draw parallels but honestly said lackings come not from the ring but from isolation. Smeagol lived in a cave for decades with no outside interaction, that is really why he went as crazy as he did, sure the ring played a part but that will happen to pretty much anyone that is isolated for extended periods barely surviving.
@@ShiningDarknes it's more than that. The full quote from the film is: "No, Sam. I can't recall the taste of food, nor the sound of water, nor the touch of grass. Instead, I'm... naked in the dark. There's nothing. No veil between me and the wheel of fire! I can see him... with my waking eyes!"
"Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow; The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow...how has it come to this?" Such beautiful writing. Tolkien expressed his views on War and industry and environment brilliantly...The tension builds exponentially in this part of the journey...and we learn what taters are precious. Finally.
There's an interesting thing, they often took Tolkien's words and gave them to other people as the situation calls for. The first draft was a much higher percentage of plain language and the evey time they edited it they put in more Tolkien stuff. More poems and more lines. Often they'd take lines that were him describing things like Minas Tirith and turn them into dialogue. The description of Pippin seeing it for the first time becomes Boromir describing the city to Aragorn for example. Théoden's lament there is actually Aragorn translating an old poem from a poet from Rohan after their first king Eorl died Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing? Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing? Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing? They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow; The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow. Who shall gather the smoke of the dead wood burning, Or behold the flowing years from the Sea returning? I found out recently it was inspired by an old English poem actually. Hwær cwom mearg? Hwær cwom mago? Hwær cwom maþþumgyfa? Hwær cwom symbla gesetu? Hwær sindon seledreamas? Eala beorht bune! Eala byrnwiga! Eala þeodnes þrym! Hu seo þrag gewat, genap under nihthelm, swa heo no wære. Actually that line *Eala þeodnes þrym" Alas for the king's glory that middle word is the origin of Théoden's name. Þeoden just means king, or lord. And all the Rohirric language we hear in the film is just straight up Old English as far as I remember.
Frodo is so weighed down by the force of Sauron's evil that he can barely function at all. Frodo's friends end up looking more heroic than him, but his quiet, doggedcourage really shows through in the books.
It's always sad to me how people don't notice how off he is in this entire movie. I think he only smiles like 3 times, and he can barely walk straight most of the time.
I still feel his courage and self-sacrifice shines in the movies as well. Problem is, people are just too simplistic in not realizing that the Ring is a physical AND psychological weight, so they automatically give all the credit to Sam who doesn't have that same level of burden as Frodo. Not to discount Sam at all, but It's easy being chipper when you don't have the essence of all evil digging into your neck (and mind) for a whole year straight.
Frodo should never have been ring bearer in the films as he never demonstrates an ability to resist it's power. In the book he shows he can resist the ring when he and Glorfindale have just crossed the river and are face to fave with the Nazgul. While in his weakend state and near to death after being stabbed by the Morgul blade, the Nazgul are trying to make him put the ring on but he manages to resist. This singular moment is the most important moment in entire trilogy, it demonstrated to Gandalf and Elrond that Frodo had the strength to resist it's power. Whereas in the film Frodo always gives into the power of the ring, in fact Sam shows a better capacity for resisting it's temptation as he stops Frodo putting it on multiple times. It's always irked me that this wasn't in the films and I don't understand how Peter and Fran overlooked this pivotal moment. It undermines the entire film adaptation, literally everyone else at the meeting in Rivendale is a better choice to be ring bearer than Frodo.
When you see the emotional turmoil the ring causes in other people simply from being near the ring, Frodo is showing strength in resisting the ring's evil influence more than anyone else ever has. He is suffering terrible mental pressure and turmoil and constantly must maintain the strength of will to resist the constant pull of the ring. And then he is battered, stabbed with a morgul blade so his wound never heals, he can barely sleep or eat...they've been walking for months. Frodo is probably the only soul strong enough and pure enough to handle all of that at once.
Exactly. elvish magic tends to be more like an enhancement, makes something do better at its job that normal. i.e. bows that shoot further, shoes that are silent, ropes that untie when needed, cloaks that literally hide you...
@@blackeyedlilythey obviously watched the extended the whole aoweyn stew scene is in it and you find out how old aragorn actually is you're not the brightest evan star on the neck are ya? 😂
"I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside" gives me chills every time.. Tolkien is just incredible with his words.. it's a pity we don't speak like that any more..
Well, people didn't speak like that when Tolkien was writing this, either. He was Professor of Old English at Oxford, and his translation of Beowulf is still the gold standard. He was a unique author with incredible language and creative skills.
Ya he sent fixing forces. Not enough to conquer either but enough to fix them in place so they couldn't lend assistance to Rohan. He was likely looking to conquer men first and then either let the elves migrate to the west without incident or kill and/or enslave the dwarves next and then slay the remaining elves all the way to the shores of the Grey Havens.
Love that you guys recognized the horse when he saved Aragorn! His name is Brego. The horse hero's are really important in LotR. Our human heroes would have been in trouble without Brego, Shadowfax (the Lord of all Horses) and all the brave horses of The Rohirim.
Viggo bought that horse and the horse Arwen rode to save Frodo. He gave Arwen's horse to the stunt rider because she couldn't afford to buy it herself.
And this is set in a time when horses were still "new technology." Only a few people knew how to ride or tame them, it was normal to walk long distances on foot, and the people of Rohan were the only expert horse breeders.
At 8:48, you ask about the identity of the Orcs. The movie doesn't make it clear, but the band that captured Merry and Pippin are made of three different tribes: the small ones ("Why can't we have some meat?") are from Moria and are looking to avenge their folk, while the medium-sized ones ("Oh, they look tasty!") are from Mordor and are wanting to take the hobbits to Sauron, and the large ones ("We will deliver them!") are Saruman's Uruk-hai and are Taking the Hobbits to Isengard. The designers at Weta Workshop have accordingly produced three different designs of Orcs for this scene.
Yup. There are three different orcs in the group. The small orcs (some times called goblins) from Moria, normal orcs from Mordor and Sarumans big Uruk-Hai. There are big orc races in Mordor too but Uruk-Hai in this case are Sarumans own fancy "designer" orcs, bred by mixing orcs with humans and other creatures. The end result are big orcs that do not mind sunlight so much like normal orcs (both big and small) do. They still do not like the sun but they are not as hampered by it like normal orcs are.
Viggo slept in the stable with the horse at 57:30. I imagine it was to help make the scene more convincing, ,having a bond with the horse etc. After filming, Viggo bought both horses he rode in the films, and also bought Arwen's horse and gifted it to the stunt rider.
I remember when LOTR was being filmed in Wellington where I lived, and you could even see the set for Helm's Deep in a nearby quarry. For years after, people around the world actually knew what New Zealand was because of LOTR.
38:55 - A reoccurring theme in The Lord of the Rings is that an act of "pity", that is mercy, will have unexpected, beneficial consequences down the road. Gandalf partially explains this in the first movie to Frodo, telling him it was an act of pity that stayed Bilbo's hand from slaying Gollum 60 years before. Frodo also acts in pity and now, despite Gollum's treachery, he becomes a vital guide to the Ring Bearer, something that could not have happened otherwise. Aragorn just counseled pity towards Grima, and Theoden reluctantly agreed. Aragorn out of pity ordered the PTSD horse, Brega, to be freed, and the horse unexpectedly found Aragorn and carried him when he needed help. Watch for the theme to continue.
Greatly explained! All those situations line up with this also. "The act of pity, that is mercy" has been leading these characters down the right path, lets see it this continues to work for the characters that decide to partake in this!
I feel like many people miss the joke "nobody tosses a dwarf" from Gimli, because people don't realize that "dwarf-tossing" is an actual real thing that people do (or did). The Australians started it. It's pretty messed up, but that's why Gimli references getting tossed in two of the films.
I knew the cloaks were magic but somehow never connected/remembered the fact that obviously the rope was magic as well, I had always just thought it was supposed to be a silly little moment about how lucky they were that the rope held while they were climbing down. 😅
At 57:00, Aragorn survived his "little tumble off the cliff," but Viggo Mortensen almost drowned when the current forced him against a rock and held him down for several minutes.
Aragorn it´s a Dúnedain, a sort of "royal" race among the men, blessed with long life as descents of Númenor (they have part of elves in their blood). That´s why he has 87 years old here, and looks young.
Another tidbit: Elron's twin brother chose the life of a man instead of continuing to live as an elf and was the first high king of the Dunedain. He lived to be 500 years since the Dunedain were the purest of men at the end of the 1st age, and rewarded with long life for helping the elves against Morgoth. Unfortunately the Dunedain lives continue to be shortened throughout the 2nd and 3rd ages as some turn to evil.
scenes like the one with Boromir are why the Extended Editions are the right versions to watch first. it's crazy how much amazing context for gets lost in the theatrical cut
LOL I just subbed these guys 10 minutes ago after watching their react to FotR, perfect timing. At least I can get 2/3 of their trilogy reaction in one day. Let's do it!
Hard to explain how game changing this movie (and the trilogy as a whole) was at the time. Battles like Helms Deep with armies that big had NOT BEEN DONE before at that scale. Weta Workshop had to design their own crowd simulation computer program called "Massive" to create those armies. In the years following the movie they licensed the software out to a ton of other studios, hence all the giant crowd battle scenes that were all the rage in movies trying to cash in on LOTRs sucess.
Not a lot of people catch this, but in the first movie Legolas was walking ON top of the snow, while everyone else is trudging through it (like three feet of it.)
When they were making the films they made sure to have Legolas do a few impossible things every film, probably inspired by this moment which was the only one in the book. I think it might have made Gandalf grumpy could have contributed to one of my favourite exchanges in the book. ‘If Gandalf would go before us with a bright flame, he might melt a path for you,’ said Legolas. The storm had troubled him little, and he alone of the Company remained still light of heart. ‘If Elves could fly over mountains, they might fetch the Sun to save us,’ answered Gandalf. ‘But I must have something to work on. I cannot burn snow.’
It looks so cool whenever Gandalf is riding Shadowfax -- if you look closely, Shadowfax never has a bridle on (no reigns, no bit, nothing). Shadowfax and Gandalf have a bond...no gear needed! Shadowfax really comes in clutch...in the next movie, too.
One thing everyone misses: Pippin is always looked at as the dumb one, in the movie and out, but he had enough wisdom to drop the trinket from their cloaks, to which Aragorn says: “Not idly do the Leaves of Lorien fall.” Which let them know they had been there, and they were alive.
I know I'm late to the viewing but just wanted to point out that Gimli is an absolute unit he's got shorter legs than Legolas and aragorn but is still keeping up while in full battle gear which isn't necessarily light so gimli is working hard af to keep up
The elven cloaks are magic...basically everything from the elves has some sort of magic. The cloaks help hide them, Frodo's sword glows blue, the elf bread is super filling and nutritous, the elven rope...
At this point the dwarves are busy with their own war front in the north. The elves also didn't show up in the books, because they were either evacuating to the sea or had their own problems going on.
The reason elvish rope is so cool is because its magical- with the right kind of intentional tugging the knots loosen allowing you to do what Frodo and Sam did
At 1:12:15 you say, "He don't run out of arrows?" C'mon, this is the movies! Actually, in the book Legolas several times gleans spent arrows after a battle. If he runs out, he uses his long knife (in the movie, he has two knives).
1:11:20 saying "they haven't seen each other in forever " is the most understand response to this scene I've ever heard. We forget the Ents are homies that never chill
The crew couldn't save Gandalf before he fell because the goblins and orcs were firing on the bridge from above. That's why they were holding Frodo back cuz he was trying to run out to help Gandalf -- the arrows would have rained down on them if they went back on the bridge.
Exactly. I notice every reactor talks about how easy it would have been to save him. If you look there are arrows being fired at them in that scene and as they make their exits.
@@butkusfan23 yup...there's a reason why the entire group was running full speed across those skinny treacherous bridges. Im sure they would have rather carefully walked across. Plus, there were falling rocks at times which were demolishing the bridges. Its a miracle they made it through that area at all.
@@butkusfan23 love your name! My dad loved Dick Butkus. Are you a fellow Bears fan? If so, we live in exciting times! Go Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks!! Oh and The Chicago Sky, too!
The crew couldn't save Gandalf because the Balrog and him are both extraordinarily powerful beings. What played out before their eyes: the balrog's whip catching Gandal'f leg, is just a manifestation of their struggle within the physical world of middle-earth. Once that whip connected, they were bound together by an other-worldly force that couldn't be severed by physical force. Gandalf sacrificed his physical body to fight the Balrog in a different dimension, where their physical manifestation had no relevance. Well, at least that is my interpretation.
Cool lore about the swamp marshes Sméagol took Sam and Frodo. Remember the very beginning of the first movie, the giant battle with Sauron which he lost the ring 3000 years previously? Those marshes were where that battle actually was, and the spirits that haunted Frodo underwater are the dead from that battle.
Not totally true. Those marshes are where Legolas’s grandfather broke ranks and charged before he should’ve, and got his forces trapped in the marshes and slain. The main battle happened on the battle plain know as Dagorlad, & the Morannon where the Black gate is, onto the plateau of gorgoroth where the tower of Barad dur is. Dead marshes are a bit SW of Dagorlad
At 10:30 the humans fighting with Saruman's Uruk-hai are the inhabitants of Dunland, west of the kingdom of Rohan. Their ancestors had lived partly in Calenardhon, the northern province of Gondor. But 500 years ago the Steward of Gondor ceded Calenardhon to Eorl the Young and his followers, who had swept down from the north and saved an army of Gondor that was being overrun by an army of Easterlings. Eorl became the first king of Rohan, as the Riders named their new country. The Dunlendings never forgot their expulsion from Rohan, and Saruman inflamed their descendants' resentment. In the movie the Dunlendings attack the Westfold, but in the book they also fight alongside the Uruk-hai at the Battle of Helm's Deep.
It warmed my heart seeing your eyes light up with the same wonder and excitement. We are one giant complicated diverse human family and great movies bring us together.
Helm's Deep fight was one of the most amazing scenes I've ever experienced in the theaters. The marching and spears hitting the ground just before it began, it shook the theater. Everyone was holding their breaths. If you ever get a chance to see it in theaters--do it.
The closer Frodo and Sam get to Mordor, the heavier, more evil, and more powerful the ring becomes. Gandalf dared not take it because, through him, he would be an unstoppable force. Galadriel was taken, but she resisted, so the ring corrupts Frodo little by little with every step he takes. Frodo sacrifices himself to save Middle Earth. Sam is there to help him, and Frodo knows this. "Frodo wouldn't have gotten far without Sam." So true!
I think people breeze over how strong the ring is and actually how hard Frodo’s job is carrying the ring. Sam and Frodo have the weight of the Middle Earth on their backs with no other outcome to succeed! Can’t wait to bring you guys the last of the trilogy!
23:37 "They're on dragons!" No my friend. Oh no no no. These are "Fell-Beasts" a kind of inferior wyvern sort of thing. DRAGONS are another thing altogether. Not horse-sized, but HOUSE-sized at the smallest. And intelligent and evil. The last of the great dragons, Smaug, passed 60 years before, during Bilbo's adventure. Ancalagon the Black was the greatest and when struck from the sky by the hero Eärendil (Elrond's father, BTW) and an army of great eagles, Ancalagon's fall crushed three entire mountains to dust.
Think of Gandalf as a lesser angel, that's why he was able to return. He is a Maiar which are lesser angels (Valar are the high angels). He is part of an order called the Istari who are all wizards (and Maiar). The Balrogs are Maiar who were corrupted by the OG dark lord Melkor (who was a Valar, also know as Morgoth by men and elves). Sauron is also a Maiar who was corrupted by Melkor. All of this is explained in the books which I highly recommend reading.
I'm so impressed with how well y'all keep things straight. There's a lot of lore thrown at you in these movies and most people I know take a few times watching to clue into a lot of things. I've loved your reactions to the first two movies. Headed over to see the Return of the King reaction!
We’re happy you’re enjoyed our reactions to LOTR! It was a lot of information, especially w/ us jumping straight into the extended versions but we loved the movies! We hope you enjoy the rest of them💙
The fellowship have their own strengths. Sam is someone who's strength is to be reliable and loyal to his friend. Frodo's strength is in his bravery to claim the responsibility of carrying the ring even though he knew it will take his life. He sees himself in gollum as a ring bearer and tried to find hope. Imagine seeing your doom, add the constant fight with the evils of the ring.
It's most likely that Sauron burnt the entwives long ago. That, or they are hiding in the far east and south. Some even speculate that there resides a few in the Shire as a result of the abundant fertility.
17:20 fun fact, Viggo Mortensen actually broke a toe when he kicked that, so that scream was real, but he stayed so perfectly in character, that it was used for the final cut of the movie
He's also wearing a Montreal Canadiens hockey jersey under his armor. As a fellow Habs fan, I'm constantly looking for it on rewatches. I guess he lived close enough to the boarder that he could pick up hockey night in Canada on CBC over in NY.
The elven rope is magic -- which is why it comes untied after Frodo and Sam finish climbing down (gotta assume anything from the elves might have some magic to it). Galladriel gave Sam the magic rope cuz she knew they would need it.
At 1:07:56 you ask, "Where are all the Dwarves?" Understand that Peter Jackson & Co. have greatly simplified Tolkien's story in order to produce exciting movies. The battles at Helm's Deep and Minas Tirith (which we'll see in ROTK) are only part of the War of the Ring; Sauron sent out several other armies to attack other parts of the West of Middle-earth. We later learn that the Dwarves fought a battle in the north with another of Sauron's armies.
And elves were not present at Helm's deep. This was a battle that was fought by men. There is a real significance. The age of magic was at an end and the elves were leaving Middle Earth. This was about the age of Man.
You catchin on to things that I simply did not pick up on after my first watch, especially the names. It also took me about 12 watches to realize that Gandalf didn't create the light during their charge. It was simply the sunrise. "A wizard arrives precisely when he means to". My love for this series grows every year, and I'm happy to experience it again with you guys.
57:41 Yeah that scene with the horse Brego rousing and rescuing Aragorn is so fantastic. Big fave of mine. Viggo Mortensen and that horse bonded right away.
In the books Tolkien lets you know that there is another section of Sauron’s army that is in fact also marching on Erebor, Gimili’s home. It just doesn’t show or talk about it in the movies. So the dwarves had their own battles to fight at the same time all of this was going on. 💕🇨🇦
I am really impressed that you guys really got the Smeagol/Gollum back and forth with their eyes!! You are right, big pupils=Smeagol, small pupils=Gollum
At 21:20, in the book Gollum explains: "There was a great battle long ago, yes, so they told him when Smeagol was young, when I was young before the Precious came...[This was the battle we saw in the Prologue to FOTR.] They fought on the plain for days and months at the Black Gates. But the Marshes have grown since then, swallowed up the graves, always creeping, creeping." "But that is an age and more ago," said Sam. "The Dead can't be really there! Is it some devilry hatched in the Dark Land?" "Who knows? Smeagol doesn't know," answered Gollum.You cannot reach them, you cannot touch them. We tried once, yes, precious. I tried once; but you cannot reach them. Only shapes to see, perhaps, not to touch. No precious! All dead." Sam looked darkly at him and shuddered again, thinking that he guessed why Smeagol had tried to touch them..." Tolkien's experiences on the battlefield in World War I included many horrible sights, including dead bodies lying in flooded shell craters, that may have produced this scene.
@@natysevani lol, same! Every time, gotta pause and make sure it made it in the comments. Funny that moment has become so iconic for us LOTR fans that it seems now people are almost afraid to say it in the comments lol.
‼️ Important Info ‼️ No one in middle earth could possibly withstand the power of the ring, Frodo isn’t weak, he’s stronger than anyone else would be with the ring, it turns you evil and it haunts you, it makes you want to keep the ring for evil or give it to Sauron
Actually most hobbits would probably fare better than Frodo. But because of frodos blood line he is a bit like nobility and his love for adventure & discovery is what allows the ring to take hold. Sam is very basic and humble tho, a lowly farmer. And he resists the ring completely, and just brushes off the ring when he has it in the book. He also gives it up freely and easily when they’re just barely outside of Mordor, where it’s getting stronger and stronger. But what Bilbo says about hobbits is what makes them more immune to the ring. They just love eating, drinking, laughing, and tending the land. The Tooks & Baggins are more adventurous and longing for more, which is why they are more affected by the ring or palantir.
I had completely forgotten that Galadriel was Elrond's mother in law - and that they neither they nor Arwen had seen Celebrían for 500 years since she sailed west earlier than most.
3:20 the rope is elvish. it comes untied when you want it too 10:18 those people think of the people of Rohan as enemies because they are convinced that they were cheated out of wealth and land in the distant past. in the books Saruman is detailed to be a very persuasive and charismatic figure, he has the power to bend minds to his will.
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt. Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt. It lies behind stars and under hills, and empty holes it fills. It comes first and follows after. Ends life, kills laughter.” The answer is dark; the dark, dark (Gollum's Riddle is a song whose score was written by Maury Laws for the 1977 film adaptation of “The Hobbit.” It follows the riddle Gollum proposes to Bilbo until the ending line). It was also a line at the end of the t.v. Show “Criminal Minds” season 12, episode 18: Hell’s Kitchen, spoken by character Dr. Spenser Reid.
The elvish rope is magic and unties itself when you're done using it, it wasn't about to come loose while theywere climbing down the cliff. That's also why Gollum was saying the rope burned them. Same thing with their cloaks, magical to help hide them which is how frodo didnt get spotted by those guys at the black gate.
Love how hyped you guys get for Gandalf and your empathy for Smeagol. This trilogy is incredible, can’t wait to see your reaction to Return of the King!
I am enjoying your reactions due to how perceptive you are and how well you remember information that has come before. That is a rare quality among UA-cam reactors. You earned my subscription.
In the book they did try to reach Gandalf, but it all happened too fast. In case no one has told you, Gandalf, Saruman, Sauron, and the Balrog are all embodied spirits. They were helpers of the demi-gods. The two 'bad guys' served the BIG bad guy who was defeated ages before. Gandalf served a 'good' one. But they're all the same (for lack of a better word) species. Some have developed more power or more cunning or more ego over time. Gandalf being 'grey' while Saruman is 'white' is a sign of status in the ranks. Saruman was once the wisest and most powerful, but has succumbed to Sauron. When Gandalf's body died along with the Balrog, the demi-gods sent him back with greater power and wisdom.
Gandalf, saruman and the other istari are usually nerfed and have to take on weaker form of old men so that they look wise. Even in his fight against the balrog gandalf's body was already broken. Its the power of his spirit that carries him and his spirit cant really die neither can the balrog die. Also it was eru himself that sent gandalf back from the void into arda. Two times in this story has eru illuvitar intervened. Gollum tripping and falling to his doom was his second time.
In other words, the "Wizards" in middle earth are not simple human mages but are actually middle-earth equivalent to Angels who were made flesh, mortal with all its limitations, and sent to guide people. Keyword, guide, and not allowed to use their full powers (they do not even remember how, they are not allowed to) unless the need is dire and they have to fight for their lives. Balrog is equivalent to a fallen angel, a servant of the middle earths version of Satan (called Morgoth. Sauron is also a servant of the same evil), so yes Gandalf was pretty much fighting his own kind, just an evil one. This was a one time Gandalf was allowed to use his full "angelic" power and despite his victory the end result was the death of his mortal body. But he got sent back with an upgrade because he was still faithful to their original mission and Saruman had obviously fallen. Gandalf was given Sarumans status and he continued to guide and nudge the wheels of fate to get the "good ending" in video game terms, as the Eru (the one true omnipotent god of Middle Earth) originally intended.
Aragorn and Legolas talking back n forth in elvish before the battle at helms deep about how futile it’ll be and then he shouts in regular English “I shall die as one of them!” Fires me up everytime!! Great review guys 🫡
Yes there were other dwarves at the Rivendale meeting forexample Gimli's father Gloin attented in the gathering. Gloin was previously with young Bilbo when dwarves set out to reconquer The Lonly Mountain in Hobbit Trilogy.
wanna know something crazy! the guy who got hit by the giant grappling hook, ACTUALLY got hit by that grappling hook. The guy wasn't were he was supposed to be when they cut it and he got launched, but he survived the hit
Whenever you notice something that doesn't quite make sense, it is because of the way they adapted the book to the screenplay. Scenes like the one in Moria where Gandalf falls into the abyss - in the book it happens quickly with definitely no chance for anyone to run back and help him. The way they filmed it, it looks like they could have run up and helped him.
In case you weren’t aware, LOTRs was what inspired the game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D as it is also known as). D&D was what the kids were playing at the beginning of Stranger Things, season 1.
There are multiple versions too. I’ve listened to the version by Rob Inglis. There is a more recent version that was recorded by Andy Serkis, the actor who plays Gollum.
Worth mentioning is that Elrond and his twin-brother Elros are/were half-elves, with both human and elven ancestors. They were thus given the choice of whether to be an elf (and thus immortal) or a human (and thus mortal, but able to continue on to whatever comes after death). Elrond chose to be an elf; his brother Elros chose to be human (and was one of Aragorn's distand ancestors). Elrond's already been through the whole "losing a family member to mortality when they could've been immortal" with his brother and is thus understandably adverse to letting Arwen forsake her immortality for Aragorn's sake.
The scenes in the Battle of Helms Deep took several months of filming, since I had to be done at night. Imagine the exhaustion all those actors, and extras were feeling having to wear all that heavy armor during those days.
For all wondering, Sheim on the left is not on his phone. We RECORD w/ his phone & he’s taking notes. I (swizz) on the right, if looking down, is syncing audio after we took a small break from the film & syncing back up.
Oh thanks for letting us know. I noticed he was looking down, didn't bother me but makes more sense why now
Candy crush is apparently addictive
15:12 I saw a pen. It was definitely notes, boys.
@@dullaf4099man wtf
Hey man watch movies however you want. I watch youtube on one monitor and a stream on the right all the time.
Guys, LOTR was written over 50 years BEFORE the Harry Potter series. So if anything, HP was inspired by LOTR, not the other way round. In fact, the ring is like the horcrux of all horcruxes.
Thank you for saying this lol that’s the only thing I cringe about 😂 I want everyone to know and understand that Harry Potters, Game of Thrones etc are all inspired by Tolkien, they are his sons 🤭🤣
@@Kitaa13968as The Odyssey and Beowulf are the parents of LOTR
J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis (Lion, Witch & the Wardrobe book series) were good friends and would often discuss literature over tea. Both are considered heavy influences for modern fantasy.
All modern fantasy is rooted in Tolkien’s work. GOT, HP, Witcher, etc. Everything stems from Tolkien’s work.
Fun fact, HP has a very, very similar storyline to SW. in the end, it’s also a good vs evil, dark vs light storyline.
When Gandalf the White returns: "Is that a[n] Angel?"
Yes. The short answer is Yes.
But also takes saruman's place as white wizard. If you notice saruman near the end of his life wasn't bright white anymore.
Took a moment when he died to go basically talk to God a thousand years before returning to this point in time.
Technically Maia. Sauron is an angel that turned dark and so is Saurman. Though Sauron still has his full Maiar power unlike Gandalf and Saurman.
@@kamiraanddie12394by that point, he was calling himself Saruman of Many Colors.
Honest, if I had had the space on CoD, I would have called myself that and used the pride flag as a banner.
@@rileyburnett720Saurman is also a Maia, all the Wizards were same with balrogs the only difference is their makers the Wizards were made and sent to Earth thousands of years before by The Valar and dragons and balrogs were made by morgoth. Sauron is also buy technicality Maia but he is ranked as some of the most powerful that ever was being far stronger than any of the Wizards or other Maia were.
Frodo wouldn’t make it without Sam, but Sam could never take the ring as far as Frodo. They need each other for the task and Gandalf knew it.
Exactly, Frodo is the vehicle to bear the mind-fuckery of the Ring, Sam is the guide. Even if Sam had carried the Ring, he similarly would've needed Frodo to guide and support him along that journey. Neither could've overcome the Ring without the other.
@@underthegardenwallyes! Glad people actually give Frodo credit and respect that he has purpose on the journey as a main character. He carries the crap the ring possesses and he still doesn’t give in. Frodo needs Sam for his loyalty and Sam needs Frodo for his courage
I don't blame them for thinking frodo doesn't do much, as much as Peter Jackson tries it is very difficult to portray the burden of the ring in a visual medium. Good examples were bilbo not being able to give it up and having to trick himself into letting it fall and the heavy thud of the ring or the bruise marks around frodo's neck but in the books gollum doesn't just join them to trick them from the start and then slowly turns back into smeagol. Instead frodo's regal bearing is what convinces him, his words cut through to smeagol in a way no other does. There is so much more shown strength from frodo in the books that is almost impossible to portray in visual.
Btw I think the books and the movies are absolute equals, I prefer smeagols story and character in the movies way more than the books, but prefer faramir in the books way more than the movies. They do right in the places they can and sadly that means certain parts must be sacrificed. But it does suck that the main character had to suffer slightly from this phenomena.
And they also needed Gollum and Smeagol to even get there, as Gandalf once said, Gollum had a part to play by the end.
Sam could absolutely take the ring as far as Frodo. He literally carried Frodo and the ring combined.
Yall got to remember that Frodo carries the ring. It is making him crazy but he keeps fighting its evil constantly. The ring also gets heavier and heavier the closer they get to Mordor. Its all Frodo can do just to walk there. It's taking all he has to fight and carry the ring. So he is doing something. He is sacrificing himself to save everyone. He knows the ring will corrupt anyone who has it.
Ya the Ring gets heavier two ways. It gets physically more weighty as well as getting heavier on the soul of the bearer constantly tempting and draining them of willpower.
I remember one time I was talking about LOTR with a friend and she said "the Ring is like a drug that's actively trying to make you relapse". A pretty accurate description imo, and Frodo's willpower to resist that is off the charts
@@pabloc8808 as an ex addict myself, i always saw the ring as a drug, you just want to give in even though you know its toxic.
@@DeRockMedia Yeah it's like if the bottle came to your house and tried to talk you into drinking again
@@pabloc8808 Opiates were my thing, the heaviness of the ring is like withdrawls, endlessly weak, i always saw the ring as an opiate, makes you feel amazing, then when you dont have it, your wanting to literally die. Ive had my run ins with alcohol, thats harder to avoid because its everywhere, drank last night and today, LOTR stuff is my comfort place
Reminder that Aragorn is a far descendant of Isildur, not his son. Isildur died about 3K years ago, and Aragorn is 87. So his dad didn't save the ring, but Aragorn is still worried he'll fall the same way.
Frodo is a beast, fighting against the constant presence of Sauron. And yes, Sam is the truest of friends, never giving up on Frodo, always there for him no matter how bad it gets. A lot of their friendship is based upon Tolkien's own experience in war and his comrades.
Exactly
Guys, you gotta understand one thing.
The ring is constantly wrecking havoc in Frodo's mind and the closer he gets to Mordor the greater the power of the ring is. Its power taints the bearer and Frodo is mightily afraid of ending up like Gollum. To never be able to escape the ring's seduction and get back to his old self.
This is extremely important to understand what Frodo is going through and why he wants to believe that he can save Gollum. If he does, he can also save himself.
The third movie is even better. Can't wait to see your reaction.
It is also important to note that it does not only influence the one holding it, any who know of its presence and especially those that have seen it are influenced by it.
Something I noticed on a recent rewatch of ROTK is a similarity in the effect the ring has on Smeagol and Frodo.
"And we forgot the taste of bread, the sound of trees, the softness of the wind, we even forgot our own name."
- Smeagol
"No Sam. I can't recall the taste of food, nor the sound of water, nor the touch of grass."
- Frodo
@@TheDalisama To be fair in his case that is because they have not been on grass, near running water, or had anything but waybread and potatoes for weeks and are running on fumes and lack of sleep.
Sure you can draw parallels but honestly said lackings come not from the ring but from isolation. Smeagol lived in a cave for decades with no outside interaction, that is really why he went as crazy as he did, sure the ring played a part but that will happen to pretty much anyone that is isolated for extended periods barely surviving.
@@ShiningDarknes it's more than that. The full quote from the film is:
"No, Sam. I can't recall the taste of food, nor the sound of water, nor the touch of grass. Instead, I'm... naked in the dark. There's nothing. No veil between me and the wheel of fire! I can see him... with my waking eyes!"
"Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow; The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow...how has it come to this?" Such beautiful writing. Tolkien expressed his views on War and industry and environment brilliantly...The tension builds exponentially in this part of the journey...and we learn what taters are precious. Finally.
Just reading this quote, out of context w/the whole story, brings a tear to my eye. Such beautiful writing! ❤
There's an interesting thing, they often took Tolkien's words and gave them to other people as the situation calls for. The first draft was a much higher percentage of plain language and the evey time they edited it they put in more Tolkien stuff. More poems and more lines. Often they'd take lines that were him describing things like Minas Tirith and turn them into dialogue. The description of Pippin seeing it for the first time becomes Boromir describing the city to Aragorn for example.
Théoden's lament there is actually Aragorn translating an old poem from a poet from Rohan after their first king Eorl died
Where now the horse and the rider?
Where is the horn that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?
Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing?
Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow;
The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow.
Who shall gather the smoke of the dead wood burning,
Or behold the flowing years from the Sea returning?
I found out recently it was inspired by an old English poem actually.
Hwær cwom mearg?
Hwær cwom mago?
Hwær cwom maþþumgyfa?
Hwær cwom symbla gesetu?
Hwær sindon seledreamas?
Eala beorht bune!
Eala byrnwiga!
Eala þeodnes þrym!
Hu seo þrag gewat,
genap under nihthelm,
swa heo no wære.
Actually that line *Eala þeodnes þrym" Alas for the king's glory that middle word is the origin of Théoden's name. Þeoden just means king, or lord.
And all the Rohirric language we hear in the film is just straight up Old English as far as I remember.
Frodo is so weighed down by the force of Sauron's evil that he can barely function at all. Frodo's friends end up looking more heroic than him, but his quiet, doggedcourage really shows through in the books.
It's always sad to me how people don't notice how off he is in this entire movie.
I think he only smiles like 3 times, and he can barely walk straight most of the time.
I still feel his courage and self-sacrifice shines in the movies as well. Problem is, people are just too simplistic in not realizing that the Ring is a physical AND psychological weight, so they automatically give all the credit to Sam who doesn't have that same level of burden as Frodo. Not to discount Sam at all, but It's easy being chipper when you don't have the essence of all evil digging into your neck (and mind) for a whole year straight.
Frodo should never have been ring bearer in the films as he never demonstrates an ability to resist it's power.
In the book he shows he can resist the ring when he and Glorfindale have just crossed the river and are face to fave with the Nazgul.
While in his weakend state and near to death after being stabbed by the Morgul blade, the Nazgul are trying to make him put the ring on but he manages to resist.
This singular moment is the most important moment in entire trilogy, it demonstrated to Gandalf and Elrond that Frodo had the strength to resist it's power.
Whereas in the film Frodo always gives into the power of the ring, in fact Sam shows a better capacity for resisting it's temptation as he stops Frodo putting it on multiple times.
It's always irked me that this wasn't in the films and I don't understand how Peter and Fran overlooked this pivotal moment.
It undermines the entire film adaptation, literally everyone else at the meeting in Rivendale is a better choice to be ring bearer than Frodo.
Exactly right
When you see the emotional turmoil the ring causes in other people simply from being near the ring, Frodo is showing strength in resisting the ring's evil influence more than anyone else ever has. He is suffering terrible mental pressure and turmoil and constantly must maintain the strength of will to resist the constant pull of the ring. And then he is battered, stabbed with a morgul blade so his wound never heals, he can barely sleep or eat...they've been walking for months. Frodo is probably the only soul strong enough and pure enough to handle all of that at once.
The Elvish rope has magical powers, just like the cloaks they were given "to hide you from unfriendly eyes".
Exactly. elvish magic tends to be more like an enhancement, makes something do better at its job that normal. i.e. bows that shoot further, shoes that are silent, ropes that untie when needed, cloaks that literally hide you...
Since they didn’t watch the extended version they missed that part of the story.
@@blackeyedlilythey obviously watched the extended the whole aoweyn stew scene is in it and you find out how old aragorn actually is you're not the brightest evan star on the neck are ya? 😂
@@heysulfuric2372I LOVE this subtle kind of magic in stories ❤
@@blackeyedlily They did watch the extended version
"I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside" gives me chills every time.. Tolkien is just incredible with his words.. it's a pity we don't speak like that any more..
Omg i love that line so much! If i ever win a battle i hope i can say I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside!
Man even reading this comment gave me insane chills with that line!
Well, people didn't speak like that when Tolkien was writing this, either. He was Professor of Old English at Oxford, and his translation of Beowulf is still the gold standard. He was a unique author with incredible language and creative skills.
The best lines in the movies are the book quotes
@@furiosa2033very true
The Elves and Dwarves were under attack in their own strongholds. They were already fighting a war at home.
Ya he sent fixing forces. Not enough to conquer either but enough to fix them in place so they couldn't lend assistance to Rohan. He was likely looking to conquer men first and then either let the elves migrate to the west without incident or kill and/or enslave the dwarves next and then slay the remaining elves all the way to the shores of the Grey Havens.
Love that you guys recognized the horse when he saved Aragorn! His name is Brego. The horse hero's are really important in LotR. Our human heroes would have been in trouble without Brego, Shadowfax (the Lord of all Horses) and all the brave horses of The Rohirim.
Viggo bought that horse and the horse Arwen rode to save Frodo. He gave Arwen's horse to the stunt rider because she couldn't afford to buy it herself.
And this is set in a time when horses were still "new technology." Only a few people knew how to ride or tame them, it was normal to walk long distances on foot, and the people of Rohan were the only expert horse breeders.
@@j.svensson7652 omg i LOVE that so much!
Don't forget Bill the pony!
@@applejackjk18 you are so right...how dare i forget to mention Bill! Another brave heart and hero, The Pony, Bill! 🐎♥️
You're understanding Eowyn wonderfully. And so much empathy for Theoden. Kudos.
Not to mention, your compassion for Gollum. ❤
At 8:48, you ask about the identity of the Orcs. The movie doesn't make it clear, but the band that captured Merry and Pippin are made of three different tribes: the small ones ("Why can't we have some meat?") are from Moria and are looking to avenge their folk, while the medium-sized ones ("Oh, they look tasty!") are from Mordor and are wanting to take the hobbits to Sauron, and the large ones ("We will deliver them!") are Saruman's Uruk-hai and are Taking the Hobbits to Isengard. The designers at Weta Workshop have accordingly produced three different designs of Orcs for this scene.
To Isengard! To Isengard!
Yup. There are three different orcs in the group. The small orcs (some times called goblins) from Moria, normal orcs from Mordor and Sarumans big Uruk-Hai. There are big orc races in Mordor too but Uruk-Hai in this case are Sarumans own fancy "designer" orcs, bred by mixing orcs with humans and other creatures. The end result are big orcs that do not mind sunlight so much like normal orcs (both big and small) do. They still do not like the sun but they are not as hampered by it like normal orcs are.
Regardless of which faction, there’s certainly some epic competition in that ugly pageant.
How do you know Snaga is from Moria?
@@byalmo91In the book they say they came from the mountains to avenge their own and then go back, and do not care about any wizard or lord.
Viggo slept in the stable with the horse at 57:30. I imagine it was to help make the scene more convincing, ,having a bond with the horse etc. After filming, Viggo bought both horses he rode in the films, and also bought Arwen's horse and gifted it to the stunt rider.
I remember when LOTR was being filmed in Wellington where I lived, and you could even see the set for Helm's Deep in a nearby quarry. For years after, people around the world actually knew what New Zealand was because of LOTR.
That's so cool. These movies made the world want to see New Zealand, and showed us how beautiful your country is. Hope to go myself some day
And people around the world want to visit as well, for sure.
38:55 - A reoccurring theme in The Lord of the Rings is that an act of "pity", that is mercy, will have unexpected, beneficial consequences down the road. Gandalf partially explains this in the first movie to Frodo, telling him it was an act of pity that stayed Bilbo's hand from slaying Gollum 60 years before. Frodo also acts in pity and now, despite Gollum's treachery, he becomes a vital guide to the Ring Bearer, something that could not have happened otherwise. Aragorn just counseled pity towards Grima, and Theoden reluctantly agreed. Aragorn out of pity ordered the PTSD horse, Brega, to be freed, and the horse unexpectedly found Aragorn and carried him when he needed help. Watch for the theme to continue.
Greatly explained! All those situations line up with this also. "The act of pity, that is mercy" has been leading these characters down the right path, lets see it this continues to work for the characters that decide to partake in this!
I feel like many people miss the joke "nobody tosses a dwarf" from Gimli, because people don't realize that "dwarf-tossing" is an actual real thing that people do (or did). The Australians started it. It's pretty messed up, but that's why Gimli references getting tossed in two of the films.
Sam's rope he got from the elves is magic and does whatever he needs it to do. Stay knotted or undo.
Same with the cloak appearing as a rock to the soldiers. Its the elvish cloak
I knew the cloaks were magic but somehow never connected/remembered the fact that obviously the rope was magic as well, I had always just thought it was supposed to be a silly little moment about how lucky they were that the rope held while they were climbing down. 😅
At 57:00, Aragorn survived his "little tumble off the cliff," but Viggo Mortensen almost drowned when the current forced him against a rock and held him down for several minutes.
Viggo’s a real one. Also, Hidalgo is fucking wild.
Aragorn it´s a Dúnedain, a sort of "royal" race among the men, blessed with long life as descents of Númenor (they have part of elves in their blood). That´s why he has 87 years old here, and looks young.
Another tidbit: Elron's twin brother chose the life of a man instead of continuing to live as an elf and was the first high king of the Dunedain. He lived to be 500 years since the Dunedain were the purest of men at the end of the 1st age, and rewarded with long life for helping the elves against Morgoth. Unfortunately the Dunedain lives continue to be shortened throughout the 2nd and 3rd ages as some turn to evil.
The author of Harry Potter fully admits she took loads of ideas from Lord of the Rings (so did most fantasy stories since LotR).
38:09 Ladies, Gentlemen, and those who know better: Sir Bernard Hill as Theoden.
It only gets better.
scenes like the one with Boromir are why the Extended Editions are the right versions to watch first. it's crazy how much amazing context for gets lost in the theatrical cut
LOL I just subbed these guys 10 minutes ago after watching their react to FotR, perfect timing. At least I can get 2/3 of their trilogy reaction in one day. Let's do it!
They have so many great reactions, The Return of the King will be worth the wait 🔥🔥🔥
Hard to explain how game changing this movie (and the trilogy as a whole) was at the time. Battles like Helms Deep with armies that big had NOT BEEN DONE before at that scale. Weta Workshop had to design their own crowd simulation computer program called "Massive" to create those armies. In the years following the movie they licensed the software out to a ton of other studios, hence all the giant crowd battle scenes that were all the rage in movies trying to cash in on LOTRs sucess.
Have you ever seen the clip where Massive was programmed with men being too afraid of the Orc army and they run from the walls instead of fighting? 😂
I'm curious, do you know if the big GOT battle scenes like Battle of the Bastards used the same tech?
The dwarves are busy fighting in the cities of the north, and many Elves have their own battles . Th I s is made clear in the books
The ring is influencing Frodo, more and more the closer they get to Mordor.
Not a lot of people catch this, but in the first movie Legolas was walking ON top of the snow, while everyone else is trudging through it (like three feet of it.)
👵🏻👍🏻
He sure was
When they were making the films they made sure to have Legolas do a few impossible things every film, probably inspired by this moment which was the only one in the book. I think it might have made Gandalf grumpy could have contributed to one of my favourite exchanges in the book.
‘If Gandalf would go before us with a bright flame, he might melt a path for you,’ said Legolas. The storm had troubled him little, and he alone of the Company remained still light of heart.
‘If Elves could fly over mountains, they might fetch the Sun to save us,’ answered Gandalf. ‘But I must have something to work on. I cannot burn snow.’
It looks so cool whenever Gandalf is riding Shadowfax -- if you look closely, Shadowfax never has a bridle on (no reigns, no bit, nothing). Shadowfax and Gandalf have a bond...no gear needed! Shadowfax really comes in clutch...in the next movie, too.
The smiles, the shine in your eyes and the joy on your faces at hearing Gandalf’s voice was priceless. Thank you. 😊💕
👵🏻👍🏻♥️
One thing everyone misses: Pippin is always looked at as the dumb one, in the movie and out, but he had enough wisdom to drop the trinket from their cloaks, to which Aragorn says: “Not idly do the Leaves of Lorien fall.” Which let them know they had been there, and they were alive.
I know I'm late to the viewing but just wanted to point out that Gimli is an absolute unit he's got shorter legs than Legolas and aragorn but is still keeping up while in full battle gear which isn't necessarily light so gimli is working hard af to keep up
Gimli the beast!! Lol love that guy
When Gandald returns, "Is that an angel?" Literally yes.
The elven cloaks are magic...basically everything from the elves has some sort of magic. The cloaks help hide them, Frodo's sword glows blue, the elf bread is super filling and nutritous, the elven rope...
...unties when you need it to. Gotta be explicit with these explanations. No one ever catches that. Subtlety is a lost art-form today.
At this point the dwarves are busy with their own war front in the north. The elves also didn't show up in the books, because they were either evacuating to the sea or had their own problems going on.
The reason elvish rope is so cool is because its magical- with the right kind of intentional tugging the knots loosen allowing you to do what Frodo and Sam did
You can do that in real life too. There’s knots specially for that purpose
At 1:12:15 you say, "He don't run out of arrows?" C'mon, this is the movies! Actually, in the book Legolas several times gleans spent arrows after a battle. If he runs out, he uses his long knife (in the movie, he has two knives).
These movies won ALL the Oscars
1:11:20 saying "they haven't seen each other in forever " is the most understand response to this scene I've ever heard. We forget the Ents are homies that never chill
Literally homies that haven’t chopped it up In forever lol everyone has a lot to talk about 😂
i usually dont enjoy reaction content but i do enjoy watching this channel. you guys are great.
We appreciate you & happy you’re enjoying our reactions💙
The crew couldn't save Gandalf before he fell because the goblins and orcs were firing on the bridge from above. That's why they were holding Frodo back cuz he was trying to run out to help Gandalf -- the arrows would have rained down on them if they went back on the bridge.
Exactly. I notice every reactor talks about how easy it would have been to save him. If you look there are arrows being fired at them in that scene and as they make their exits.
@@butkusfan23 yup...there's a reason why the entire group was running full speed across those skinny treacherous bridges. Im sure they would have rather carefully walked across. Plus, there were falling rocks at times which were demolishing the bridges. Its a miracle they made it through that area at all.
@@butkusfan23 love your name! My dad loved Dick Butkus. Are you a fellow Bears fan? If so, we live in exciting times! Go Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks!! Oh and The Chicago Sky, too!
I thought you meant crew as in film crew for a good second and thought "what this is non-fiction?!" xD
The crew couldn't save Gandalf because the Balrog and him are both extraordinarily powerful beings. What played out before their eyes: the balrog's whip catching Gandal'f leg, is just a manifestation of their struggle within the physical world of middle-earth.
Once that whip connected, they were bound together by an other-worldly force that couldn't be severed by physical force.
Gandalf sacrificed his physical body to fight the Balrog in a different dimension, where their physical manifestation had no relevance.
Well, at least that is my interpretation.
Fun fact, the actor who plays Gimli also voices Treebeard 😌
He is also the tallest member of the cast.
Cool lore about the swamp marshes Sméagol took Sam and Frodo. Remember the very beginning of the first movie, the giant battle with Sauron which he lost the ring 3000 years previously? Those marshes were where that battle actually was, and the spirits that haunted Frodo underwater are the dead from that battle.
Not totally true. Those marshes are where Legolas’s grandfather broke ranks and charged before he should’ve, and got his forces trapped in the marshes and slain. The main battle happened on the battle plain know as Dagorlad, & the Morannon where the Black gate is, onto the plateau of gorgoroth where the tower of Barad dur is. Dead marshes are a bit SW of Dagorlad
At 10:30 the humans fighting with Saruman's Uruk-hai are the inhabitants of Dunland, west of the kingdom of Rohan. Their ancestors had lived partly in Calenardhon, the northern province of Gondor. But 500 years ago the Steward of Gondor ceded Calenardhon to Eorl the Young and his followers, who had swept down from the north and saved an army of Gondor that was being overrun by an army of Easterlings. Eorl became the first king of Rohan, as the Riders named their new country. The Dunlendings never forgot their expulsion from Rohan, and Saruman inflamed their descendants' resentment. In the movie the Dunlendings attack the Westfold, but in the book they also fight alongside the Uruk-hai at the Battle of Helm's Deep.
Little peak into the lore! 'Fangorn' in elvish means Tree Beard. That's his forest and the beings in it are his charge.
It warmed my heart seeing your eyes light up with the same wonder and excitement. We are one giant complicated diverse human family and great movies bring us together.
Totally agree there’s some things in this world that can bring us all together and movies are definitely one of them.
Helm's Deep fight was one of the most amazing scenes I've ever experienced in the theaters. The marching and spears hitting the ground just before it began, it shook the theater. Everyone was holding their breaths. If you ever get a chance to see it in theaters--do it.
36:34 fun fact: Grima Wormtongue is played by Brad Dourif, the OG Chucky.
The elvish rope was magical. It knows when you’re finished with it and unties with a couple sharp tugs.
I love how you two try to grasp the idea of Lotr universe
I appreciate you guys posting a long reaction
The closer Frodo and Sam get to Mordor, the heavier, more evil, and more powerful the ring becomes. Gandalf dared not take it because, through him, he would be an unstoppable force. Galadriel was taken, but she resisted, so the ring corrupts Frodo little by little with every step he takes. Frodo sacrifices himself to save Middle Earth. Sam is there to help him, and Frodo knows this. "Frodo wouldn't have gotten far without Sam." So true!
I think people breeze over how strong the ring is and actually how hard Frodo’s job is carrying the ring. Sam and Frodo have the weight of the Middle Earth on their backs with no other outcome to succeed! Can’t wait to bring you guys the last of the trilogy!
@@DaKidsReact Exactly! Waiting patiently for your reaction on the final battle for Middle Earth!
23:37 "They're on dragons!"
No my friend. Oh no no no.
These are "Fell-Beasts" a kind of inferior wyvern sort of thing.
DRAGONS are another thing altogether. Not horse-sized, but HOUSE-sized at the smallest. And intelligent and evil. The last of the great dragons, Smaug, passed 60 years before, during Bilbo's adventure. Ancalagon the Black was the greatest and when struck from the sky by the hero Eärendil (Elrond's father, BTW) and an army of great eagles, Ancalagon's fall crushed three entire mountains to dust.
Three of the largest mountains to ever exist. He literally reshaped the world by falling.
Think of Gandalf as a lesser angel, that's why he was able to return. He is a Maiar which are lesser angels (Valar are the high angels). He is part of an order called the Istari who are all wizards (and Maiar).
The Balrogs are Maiar who were corrupted by the OG dark lord Melkor (who was a Valar, also know as Morgoth by men and elves). Sauron is also a Maiar who was corrupted by Melkor. All of this is explained in the books which I highly recommend reading.
I'm so impressed with how well y'all keep things straight. There's a lot of lore thrown at you in these movies and most people I know take a few times watching to clue into a lot of things. I've loved your reactions to the first two movies. Headed over to see the Return of the King reaction!
We’re happy you’re enjoyed our reactions to LOTR! It was a lot of information, especially w/ us jumping straight into the extended versions but we loved the movies! We hope you enjoy the rest of them💙
The fellowship have their own strengths.
Sam is someone who's strength is to be reliable and loyal to his friend.
Frodo's strength is in his bravery to claim the responsibility of carrying the ring even though he knew it will take his life. He sees himself in gollum as a ring bearer and tried to find hope. Imagine seeing your doom, add the constant fight with the evils of the ring.
It's most likely that Sauron burnt the entwives long ago. That, or they are hiding in the far east and south. Some even speculate that there resides a few in the Shire as a result of the abundant fertility.
17:20 fun fact, Viggo Mortensen actually broke a toe when he kicked that, so that scream was real, but he stayed so perfectly in character, that it was used for the final cut of the movie
Hey that should be a meme
He's also wearing a Montreal Canadiens hockey jersey under his armor. As a fellow Habs fan, I'm constantly looking for it on rewatches. I guess he lived close enough to the boarder that he could pick up hockey night in Canada on CBC over in NY.
Hey, that fact isn’t fun. Not for the toe, anyway. 😉
Was looking and I found it.
@@ShiningDarknessomeone had to say it😂
you guys lookin at each other at the same time when legolas swings on his horse was perfect lmao
Good catch on Sméagol and Gollum’s eyes changing with his personality.
The elven rope is magic -- which is why it comes untied after Frodo and Sam finish climbing down (gotta assume anything from the elves might have some magic to it). Galladriel gave Sam the magic rope cuz she knew they would need it.
At 1:07:56 you ask, "Where are all the Dwarves?" Understand that Peter Jackson & Co. have greatly simplified Tolkien's story in order to produce exciting movies. The battles at Helm's Deep and Minas Tirith (which we'll see in ROTK) are only part of the War of the Ring; Sauron sent out several other armies to attack other parts of the West of Middle-earth. We later learn that the Dwarves fought a battle in the north with another of Sauron's armies.
And elves were not present at Helm's deep. This was a battle that was fought by men. There is a real significance. The age of magic was at an end and the elves were leaving Middle Earth. This was about the age of Man.
You catchin on to things that I simply did not pick up on after my first watch, especially the names. It also took me about 12 watches to realize that Gandalf didn't create the light during their charge. It was simply the sunrise. "A wizard arrives precisely when he means to". My love for this series grows every year, and I'm happy to experience it again with you guys.
Appreciate the love!! Can't wait to bring you guys the last of the trilogy!
57:41 Yeah that scene with the horse Brego rousing and rescuing Aragorn is so fantastic. Big fave of mine.
Viggo Mortensen and that horse bonded right away.
It always bugged me that they released Brego into the wild with his straps still on
In the books Tolkien lets you know that there is another section of Sauron’s army that is in fact also marching on Erebor, Gimili’s home. It just doesn’t show or talk about it in the movies. So the dwarves had their own battles to fight at the same time all of this was going on. 💕🇨🇦
I am really impressed that you guys really got the Smeagol/Gollum back and forth with their eyes!! You are right, big pupils=Smeagol, small pupils=Gollum
At 21:20, in the book Gollum explains: "There was a great battle long ago, yes, so they told him when Smeagol was young, when I was young before the Precious came...[This was the battle we saw in the Prologue to FOTR.] They fought on the plain for days and months at the Black Gates. But the Marshes have grown since then, swallowed up the graves, always creeping, creeping." "But that is an age and more ago," said Sam. "The Dead can't be really there! Is it some devilry hatched in the Dark Land?" "Who knows? Smeagol doesn't know," answered Gollum.You cannot reach them, you cannot touch them. We tried once, yes, precious. I tried once; but you cannot reach them. Only shapes to see, perhaps, not to touch. No precious! All dead." Sam looked darkly at him and shuddered again, thinking that he guessed why Smeagol had tried to touch them..." Tolkien's experiences on the battlefield in World War I included many horrible sights, including dead bodies lying in flooded shell craters, that may have produced this scene.
Fun fact: When Viggo kicked the helmet at 17:30 he actually broke 2 toes and the scream was authentic so they left it in the film.
Ok here is the comment, now i can go back to watch the reaction😊
@@natysevani lol, same! Every time, gotta pause and make sure it made it in the comments. Funny that moment has become so iconic for us LOTR fans that it seems now people are almost afraid to say it in the comments lol.
Mad respect for watching the extended version.
It was a fight be it’s definitely the way to go!!
‼️ Important Info ‼️
No one in middle earth could possibly withstand the power of the ring, Frodo isn’t weak, he’s stronger than anyone else would be with the ring, it turns you evil and it haunts you, it makes you want to keep the ring for evil or give it to Sauron
Actually most hobbits would probably fare better than Frodo. But because of frodos blood line he is a bit like nobility and his love for adventure & discovery is what allows the ring to take hold. Sam is very basic and humble tho, a lowly farmer. And he resists the ring completely, and just brushes off the ring when he has it in the book. He also gives it up freely and easily when they’re just barely outside of Mordor, where it’s getting stronger and stronger.
But what Bilbo says about hobbits is what makes them more immune to the ring. They just love eating, drinking, laughing, and tending the land. The Tooks & Baggins are more adventurous and longing for more, which is why they are more affected by the ring or palantir.
Fun fact: Galadriel is over 8,000 years old. She looks really good for an ancient lady.
And she is Arwens grandmother
I had completely forgotten that Galadriel was Elrond's mother in law - and that they neither they nor Arwen had seen Celebrían for 500 years since she sailed west earlier than most.
3:20 the rope is elvish. it comes untied when you want it too
10:18 those people think of the people of Rohan as enemies because they are convinced that they were cheated out of wealth and land in the distant past. in the books Saruman is detailed to be a very persuasive and charismatic figure, he has the power to bend minds to his will.
Appreciate the info! There's so much lore, you can get lost in it but appreciate you explaining that.
I'm a new subscriber.....love your commentary!🫠
WELCOME💙 we appreciate you & your support. We are happy you enjoyed our reaction!
@@DaKidsReact 😊
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt.
Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt.
It lies behind stars and under hills,
and empty holes it fills.
It comes first and follows after.
Ends life, kills laughter.”
The answer is dark; the dark, dark
(Gollum's Riddle is a song whose score was written by Maury Laws for the 1977 film adaptation of “The Hobbit.” It follows the riddle Gollum proposes to Bilbo until the ending line).
It was also a line at the end of the t.v. Show “Criminal Minds” season 12, episode 18: Hell’s Kitchen, spoken by character Dr. Spenser Reid.
Watching your LoTR reaction all the way from Brazil and I'm loving it, it's a nice way to watch the movies again for the 30th time. 😂
Appreciate the love!! And happy you are enjoying your time over here with us!!
@@DaKidsReact Thank you guys for the awesome content! You made me company while I worked today, can't wait to watch the third part!
Congrats on 13.2k subs, fellas. Surpassed your expectation on 11.5k on this release
👏👏👏
We appreciate you💙 it’s been an amazing journey so far, next one coming in 2-3 weeks🔥
I am beyond glad to finally see a reactor recognize that Frodo doesn’t do shit.
The elvish rope is magic and unties itself when you're done using it, it wasn't about to come loose while theywere climbing down the cliff. That's also why Gollum was saying the rope burned them. Same thing with their cloaks, magical to help hide them which is how frodo didnt get spotted by those guys at the black gate.
Love how hyped you guys get for Gandalf and your empathy for Smeagol. This trilogy is incredible, can’t wait to see your reaction to Return of the King!
I am enjoying your reactions due to how perceptive you are and how well you remember information that has come before. That is a rare quality among UA-cam reactors. You earned my subscription.
In the book they did try to reach Gandalf, but it all happened too fast. In case no one has told you, Gandalf, Saruman, Sauron, and the Balrog are all embodied spirits. They were helpers of the demi-gods. The two 'bad guys' served the BIG bad guy who was defeated ages before. Gandalf served a 'good' one. But they're all the same (for lack of a better word) species. Some have developed more power or more cunning or more ego over time. Gandalf being 'grey' while Saruman is 'white' is a sign of status in the ranks. Saruman was once the wisest and most powerful, but has succumbed to Sauron. When Gandalf's body died along with the Balrog, the demi-gods sent him back with greater power and wisdom.
Gandalf, saruman and the other istari are usually nerfed and have to take on weaker form of old men so that they look wise.
Even in his fight against the balrog gandalf's body was already broken. Its the power of his spirit that carries him and his spirit cant really die neither can the balrog die.
Also it was eru himself that sent gandalf back from the void into arda. Two times in this story has eru illuvitar intervened. Gollum tripping and falling to his doom was his second time.
@@sinwinder I'd forgotten it was Eru himself who sent Gandalf back. Now THAT'S an upgrade.
In other words, the "Wizards" in middle earth are not simple human mages but are actually middle-earth equivalent to Angels who were made flesh, mortal with all its limitations, and sent to guide people. Keyword, guide, and not allowed to use their full powers (they do not even remember how, they are not allowed to) unless the need is dire and they have to fight for their lives. Balrog is equivalent to a fallen angel, a servant of the middle earths version of Satan (called Morgoth. Sauron is also a servant of the same evil), so yes Gandalf was pretty much fighting his own kind, just an evil one. This was a one time Gandalf was allowed to use his full "angelic" power and despite his victory the end result was the death of his mortal body. But he got sent back with an upgrade because he was still faithful to their original mission and Saruman had obviously fallen. Gandalf was given Sarumans status and he continued to guide and nudge the wheels of fate to get the "good ending" in video game terms, as the Eru (the one true omnipotent god of Middle Earth) originally intended.
Its that good weed ahhhh was the best reaction
Aragorn and Legolas talking back n forth in elvish before the battle at helms deep about how futile it’ll be and then he shouts in regular English “I shall die as one of them!” Fires me up everytime!! Great review guys 🫡
Yes there were other dwarves at the Rivendale meeting forexample Gimli's father Gloin attented in the gathering. Gloin was previously with young Bilbo when dwarves set out to reconquer The Lonly Mountain in Hobbit Trilogy.
wanna know something crazy! the guy who got hit by the giant grappling hook, ACTUALLY got hit by that grappling hook. The guy wasn't were he was supposed to be when they cut it and he got launched, but he survived the hit
Whenever you notice something that doesn't quite make sense, it is because of the way they adapted the book to the screenplay. Scenes like the one in Moria where Gandalf falls into the abyss - in the book it happens quickly with definitely no chance for anyone to run back and help him. The way they filmed it, it looks like they could have run up and helped him.
In case you weren’t aware, LOTRs was what inspired the game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D as it is also known as). D&D was what the kids were playing at the beginning of Stranger Things, season 1.
Just think, back in the day we had to wait 3 years to finish the entire trilogy as these came out at Christmas time 3 years in a row!
Well about time 😊🪄
The Dwarves were fighting too but on their own lands on the North against Sauron forces there
These are some more audiobooks you guys should checkout. There's double the story in the books
There are multiple versions too. I’ve listened to the version by Rob Inglis. There is a more recent version that was recorded by Andy Serkis, the actor who plays Gollum.
This was a brilliant reaction guys! I feel like you really caught on to some subtle details!
Worth mentioning is that Elrond and his twin-brother Elros are/were half-elves, with both human and elven ancestors. They were thus given the choice of whether to be an elf (and thus immortal) or a human (and thus mortal, but able to continue on to whatever comes after death). Elrond chose to be an elf; his brother Elros chose to be human (and was one of Aragorn's distand ancestors). Elrond's already been through the whole "losing a family member to mortality when they could've been immortal" with his brother and is thus understandably adverse to letting Arwen forsake her immortality for Aragorn's sake.
Moral of the Two Towers: don't F*k with the trees (lol)
also whenever I would have a stoner circle back in the day, I'd call it an Entmoot- for obvious reasons
Can't wait for you guys to do the final movie. Great react!
Happy you enjoyed the Two Towers!!! Can’t wait to bring you guys the last film🔥
Always happy to see people enjoy LOTR.
You might wanna keep a box of tissues handy for “The Return of the King”
The scenes in the Battle of Helms Deep took several months of filming, since I had to be done at night. Imagine the exhaustion all those actors, and extras were feeling having to wear all that heavy armor during those days.