I love hearing people who never previously gave a damn about elves or orcs having passionate discussions about Gollum's mindset and Boromir's shitty Dad. Such is the TRUE power of the One Ring.
Showing two races with a history of hatred and conflict forced to work together for a common goal and finding they have more in common than they thought and choosing to develop a friendship in one another instead of holding onto past grievances... A good lesson to be learned.
I get amazed of this friendship, too. It is a huge deal. I love doing these recaps with them because I got done reading all the books not to long ago, and I haven't got to recap myself.
Spare a rip for Hama, the door guard at Edoras who let Gandalf through with his “walking stick.” When Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli started whaling on Grima’s thugs, and one of the King’s Guards goes to stop them, Hama grabs his sword arm and says “wait.” Hama holds up Theoden’s sword for him to grasp. And then Hama got his head bit off by a warg for his trouble. Later, Hama’s son Haleth tells Aragorn that “the men say we will not last the night.” Hama is such an important, yet unrecognized, minor character.
Also, in the book, Hama is the one who sticks up for Eowyn. He suggests leaving her as regent, a position of honor that women would not normally be allowed in this society. Hama is a cool dude.
I just gotta say, I appreciate your reaction to this a lot. There are SO many other reactors that seem to be unable to remember details or unable to pick up on subtleties like y'all do. This is a breath of fresh air
Before Faramir, Gollum was genuinely fond (the "Sméagol" version of it, at least) of Frodo because he was the first creature to treat him gently in FOREVER. When Frodo was forced to trick Gollum, he didn't realize Frodo was doing it only to save his life and so he saw it as a hurtful betrayal. If at first he just wanted the ring, now it's become PERSONAL. As Gandalf said though, he does have a role to play. It's one of the reasons why I love TLOTR: every person and creature, no matter how small, has the power to change the course of history.
It's honestly refreshing hearing someone acknowledge Frodo's role in carrying the ring. Frodo and Sam couldn't have made it without the other, both were integral parts in carrying it to Mordor and saving Middle Earth.
As a fan of Boromir, the Extended Editions of these films have scenes that made me love him more because of they show a different side of him. The compassionate side that loved so much that the Ring used that to sway him to believe that he needed the ring to protect those he loved.
Yes!! And for all his faults, his father was originally just like Boromir, until he fell into despair. Although he was able to withstand temptation by sauron, it was too much emotionally to have the fate of everyone on his shoulders.
Faramir and his men do mistreat Gollum, but you have to look at them from their side too - a war is about to begin, and their company is trying to maintain hold over a huge area of land while the sheer number of enemy soldiers are already beginning to overwhelm them. Then this strange creature infiltrates their secret army base in the woods, potentially revealing their position to the enemy, at the same time they capture two other halflings who won't tell them why they're there. They are convinced Gollum is a liar (which he is) and he won't tell them his real purpose, so they beat him up to get him to talk; and although they don't show it, the book implies they have interrogated him for a long time by this point. It's not a great look for Faramir or for Gondor in general, but considering their position it kind of makes sense.
We've also got to take into consideration how well educated Faramir is. He was literally a wizard's pupil. So he'd heard the stories of the creature Gollum. But Gollum is like a myth, no one is sure if he's still alive, where he is, if he was even real. Remember the archives that Gandalf consults in the Fellowship are IN Gondor. Faramir has no doubt come across them in his studies as well. In fact, you see the dawning realization on Faramir's face as he starts to piece things together during Gollum's interrogation. The gangled form, the odd pattern of speech, the two personalities and then finally, "my precious." At that point, Faramir knows exactly who Gollum is and what he is capable of. This is not just a bully visiting violence upon a small, possibly crafty creature. This is a military captain, in the middle of a decades long war, who has seen Mordor from his window from the moment he was born, meeting a creature of legend that he knows to be malicious and ancient AND connected to the war he's been fighting his whole life. The same war that took his brother. And then he sees that same creature leading two wide eyed, children like, folk heroes in the making towards a place that is equally ancient and malevolent on the way to an even more dangerous place where they might actually end the war. Edited for spelling
I like the reasoning of both of you. I still wish they hadn't illtreated Gollum. It annoys me more that Faramir trying to take the ring, which I can live with now.
@@bernice6867 You have to remember that his is Gollum we are talking about. If he had come quietly and not struggle then they would have probably gone easier on him. But more likely the Gollum was going apeshit on them from fear and who knows how many bite marks and scratches he left on the men who do not even know this vile looking creature, let alone his backstory. Of course they will try to overpower him, to keep him in check and in control. Think of police. If you happen to get on the wrong side of their attention, be cooperative and and respectful everything will be fine. Fight back physically and you will get bruises, a lot of them or maybe even worse if you are unlucky.
You guys totally get it. Too many reactors nowadays have a tendency to downplay Frodo and Gollum's roles in the story, saying Sam deserved all the credit, but this task literally would've been impossible without a team (guide, Ring bearer, support system). The fact that so many people in this fandom don't realize this very simple truth blows my mind, so kudos to you guys for seeing this nuance.
I love how they take their time to discuss the movie and make theories and stuff. Most of the people who react to movies/series tend to just give empty comments and not pay attention, but these guys nailed it. Thanks for the video. ❤
When that old archer accidentally looses his bow, hitting that Uruk soldier, I always think the rest of them are thinking, ''Oh my God! They killed Kenny! You bastards!'' Lol!
Sam’s speech gives me chills and makes my eyes teary every time. Sam : I know. It’s all wrong By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy. How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened. But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. Because they were holding on to something. Frodo : What are we holding on to, Sam? Sam : That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.
I’ve never enjoyed the post-movie discussion on reaction vids as much as I’ve enjoyed your’s. You two are clearly interested, invested, passionate and intuitive! Can’t wait to see you react to RotK!
@@PhosisTkarr They are the same creatures. They are supposed to look closer to how they look in the Hobbit movies as opposed to hyenas. Interestingly, hyenas are not even canines. They are closer related to felines than canines, even though they are quite doglike. Funny how evolution works. Just goes to show that things are not always as they appear.
23:43 That's the famous "Wilhelm scream". Originally used in the 1951 western "Distant Drums" and used in countless movies over the next decades. In more recent times it's become somewhat of a tradition in the film making world.
The Uruk-hai chant when Sarumon reveals the army was taken during a soccer match in europe when Peter Jackson asked the crowd to chant certain phrases.
I agree with Sophie about Gollum/Smeagol. He had turned over a new leaf when Frodo was being nice to him, but when Faramir caught him he thought Frodo had betrayed him and led him to pain and torture, thus causing him to revert to the Gollum state (a state he previously felt had protected him).
I find it ironic that Gollum claims that Smeagol needs him to survive...and yet what happens every time someone gets the edge on Gollum? He goes away and leaves Smeagol behind to pitifully whine and beg for mercy.
I agree. I sometimes put it this way: Gollum had a choice to choose good, but Faramir took that choice away from him. Frodo mostly did his best to give Gollum a chance. Maybe Gollum would have betrayed them anyway, but because of the unjustifiable cruelty he suffered from Faramir, we never get to know what Gollum would have chosen without such crule interference. And so we cannot truly blame Gollum alone for his twisted psyche.
Yes, the film makes it look as if it is Faramir's fault that Gollum came back, but as these two reactors noticed: "It's that easy (to get rid Gollum?)" Well no, it couldn't be to be honest ( and didn't happen that way in the book.)
I agree but if it takes so little to turn Smeagol into Gollum it means he is never truly free of Gollum, and Sam and Frodo would never truly be safe around him. He'd be bound to turn bad eventually even without his encounter with Faramir.
Kudos to you both! For LOTR newbies, you were able to pull a lot of important meaning from the story and the motivations of the characters! That said, for my money, Sméagol/Gollum is arguably the most interesting and complex characters in the whole masterpiece that is this story. One thing you need to keep in mind about him is that Sméagol is a poisoned and twisted soul. He is hopelessly dependent on The One Ring and he hates himself because of that. You’ll learn more about his character’s’ backstory in the final movie but it should help you understand ultimately what emotions, motivations, and ambitions are (and have always been) at the core of Sméagol’s heart. If you pay attention to how the ring affected Sméagol when he first got it vs. how it affected Frodo, you’ll start to understand the core differences between them as characters. All of this is further complicated by the fact that Frodo wants to see the good in Sméagol and ultimately wants to save him. Being able to save Sméagol would give Frodo hope that he might also be able to save himself from a similar fate.
Agree......poor Gollum was an addict surrounded by all kinds of drugs that he couldnt reach....like a chained, starving dog with its full food bowl just out of reach
I swear, both of your eyes lit up so much when Gandalf and the Rohirrim arrived and then charged. That’s the exact face I’m sure I was making when I saw it in theaters so many years ago.
He's _mostly_ human, there's just a little bit of elf blood in him. His great-times-whatever-grandfather was Elrond's brother. So technically Arwen is his cousin, but like fifty times removed.
@@Theseus9-cl7ol I think it has to do more with the fact that his ancestors helped the Valar defeat Morgoth and the Valar gifted them with Numenor and gave numenorians a very long life. Because all numenorians live long lives, not just the ones that are decendants of Beren and Luthien.
@45:10 Huge props to you, Sophie, for basically figuring out (a whole movie in advance!) what the climax of the entire trilogy is going to be and how it fits into the thematic through line. That was impressive.
One of the things that people missed a lot with the movies is the way that the ending song, which is sung, for each movie tells part of the story and adds to it. The first movie has a song about the fellowship and traveling through darkness to bring the light. The song for the last movie is about pain and sorrow melting away as you go into the West. But this one is the one that I caught the lyrics while in the theater. It is Gollum's song, it's describing pain and feeling rejected by others but then transforms at the end into an expression of hate and revenge. The first chorus ends with "we are lost, we can never go home." The second chorus says "take back the lies you told us, the hurt the blame. And YOU will weep, when you face the end alone. YOU are lost, YOU will never go home." The singer put just enough twist on the words to instantly capture my attention. It is Gollum's choice to move past self-pity to hate.
Frodo didn't betray Gollum. He saved his life. Gollum didn't realize it. He thought Master had betrayed him. The men from Gondor are the ones that beat him. Not Frodo but Gollum thought different.
When Frodo approached Smiegel and told him to trust him just before he was bagged and beaten that was the betrayl. It might have saved his life but from Smiegel's POV it crushed him and his fragile new trust.
@@JayOwinFull *Smeagol The problem is that Smeagol probably has a mental (st)age of "young child"/ANIMAL (because he is reacting by instinct a lot of the times) and thus explaining that he was fishing in a sacred pool and needed to be restrained would not have been realistic/possible.
It’s honestly amazing watching people enjoy something that I wish I could forget to experience all over again! I watched all the movies in theatres as when I was a growing up and they quickly became what shaped my early childhoood
To address your confusion about Galadriel and Elrond and how the elves made it to Helms Deep to help Rohan… keep in mind that both Galadriel and Elrond are Elven high Lords. They’re incredibly powerful, both of them. Just a smidge below Gandalf the White (who is one of the Istari, or wizards - basically the equivalent of an angelic being). Anyway, they have the gifts of foresight (especially Elrond) and telepathy (especially Galadriel). So they were speaking mind to mind about whether to abandon mankind to its fate or to send elves to fight - and you saw what they chose to do.
Definitely. At the same time, the movies don't really show that the conflict was continent-wide. Sauron's tactic was to attack all potential allies at home so that they couldn't team up to beat him. The elves didn't andon the humans, they were just fighting closer to home. In particular, Legolas's people and the elves of Lorien were fighting in Mirkwood. In the books, after Aragon's people (and Elrond's sons) join him in Rohan, Legolas and Gimli talk about it and Legolas says: "‘They have no need to ride to war; war already marches on their own lands.’"
Remember that for the Ents (trees) open warfare had never been a thing before, as they are always in forests kind of removed from direct confrontation, even though their forests have been destroyed for a while now. Plus they have no Ent wives, so that means if they lose an open battle that's pretty much it. Species gone. So fighting for them was a huge deal, that's why Treebeard said in the marching scene "it is quite possible we're marching to our doom... the last march of the Ents "
Also take into account the lifespan of the Ents. I think aside from elves they are the oldest creatures in middle earth and the humans come and go in the blink of an eye, not to mention humans are always getting into some conflict or other. From their perspective it's just humans being humans and none of their business.
"They're not dead until I see a body" - The Theme of the LOTR movies. So in the books Faramir doesn't struggle nearly as much as they make him in the movies. Makes for good drama to make him string them along but he figures out they have the ring fairly quickly and is basically like, "Boromir tried to take it, didn't he? Yeah, he meant well but he was always a warrior first and a scholar second. Me? I know the old lore. I know what that is. I wouldn't pick it up if it was sitting on the side of the road. Here's some supplies. Good luck!!!" He's kinda meant to represent Tolkien himself. Tolkien fought in WWI and he has the quote that basically says, I don't love the sword for its sharpness, the arrow for its swiftness, or the warrior for his bravery, I only love that which they protect. So he doesn't fight for lust of battle or glory. He's doing what he must to protect that which he loves. Basically that he wishes war wasn't necessary but because evil exists he will fight to protect what he loves. I love Boromir and Faramir's relationship. Their mom, Denethor's wife, dies in childbirth having Faramir and Farmair looks like his mother so Denethor had a bit of resentment toward him but instead of weaponizing that like many sons would do for their benefit, Boromir develops a very, very close bond with his brother. That shows his character. He was an honorable man but the ring is very good and manipulating honorable men by thinking using it will help. In the books the Battle of Helm's Deep doesn't have any elves. It's about 3,000 Men against 10,000+ Orcs and "Wildmen". Theoden rides out because he knows that there are battles ongoing around Helm's Deep and comes after the men there have been scattered and beaten. He reinforces them and they fight while Gandalf rides out to find all the scattered men and comes in to help route the Orcs after a night of fighting and being on the verge of being overrun. Still one of the more epic battles in movie history. Just wait until the Battle of Pelennor Fields.
If I remember correctly in the books there were no elves at Helm's Deep. Peter Jackson added this part I believe and I think it was a very good addition.
@@Magere-Kwark No, I was definitely thinking of Helm's Deep, but I think I said it jokingly in exaggeration once and it stayed lodged in my brain. Immediately grabbed my copy right next to me and looked it up. Thank you for correcting me! ♥
In the book it's Aragorn's homeboys who show up; "the Grey Company" iirc, all the rangers of the north who call Aragorn chieftain. After the battle they disperse again northward to deal with the many other places getting attacked throughout the war. In the movie they replace them with Elves, because they wanted to have Elves fight at some point in the trilogy and the books are mostly a post-Elves story; originally they had Arwen join the fight as well, but they couldn't get it to work story-wise so they left her scenes out. Personally I would've been cool with seeing Aragorn's entourage and being regular guys who have pressing work elsewhere, their sudden disappearance after Helm's Deep makes more sense.
The blonde Elf leader who led his fellow Elves to Helm’s Deep is Haldir of Lothlorien. He was the Elf in the first movie who teased Gimli with “The Dwarf breathed so loud, we could’ve shot him in the dark.” 🤣🤣 Fun Fact: Galadriel is Arwen’s grandmother. Galadriel’s daughter was Elrond’s wife and the mother of Arwen and her twin brothers who aren’t in the movies. And Aragorn is the descendant of Elros, the first king of Numenor. Elros and Elrond were Half-Elf/ Half-Human. Thus, they were given the choice of either living out their lives as mortal Humans doomed to short lives and mortality, or living out their lives as immortal Elves who will only die from outside influence (slain or illness). Elros chose Humanity and, through his descendants, came Aragorn. Elrond chose to live as an Elf and thus his children, including Arwen, also had the opportunity to choose to live as immortal Elves or mortal Humans. Arwen chose Humanity and her brothers chose Elves. So Arwen is Aragorn’s great-???-cousin. 🤣
When Elrond asks his daughter, "Do I not also have your love?" he's not being as manipulative as it seems. In deciding to be with Aragorn, Arwen isn't just choosing to stay behind and stay with him until she dies. That would be bad enough, right? But that's not all: she is also _giving up her afterlife_ to be with him. The Elves are all leaving Middle Earth for a place called Valinor - basically elf-only heaven (with a few very special exceptions). You can only get to Valinor by taking special ships captained by elves who know the way, and the last few ships are getting ready to leave Middle Earth. By the time the events of LotRs are going on, it's pretty much final boarding call for anyone headed to Valinor. Arwen will not get to go there, ever, if she stays with Aragorn, and there's actually no telling where she _will_ end up when she eventually dies. Imagine you're Elrond and you are struggling to deal with the fact that your daughter - who you love dearly - _will not get into heaven_ if she tries to be with some guy who won't live even a _tenth_ of her natural lifespan, and then, ONLY IF, he succeeds at an almost impossible task and saves the whole freaking world... Is he really not allowed to tell her those hard truths when he thinks they could save her heart from being broken and her spirit from wandering lost for eternity after death?
@@SarahLandry577 Ugh. Me too. To lose his daughter on TOP of what happened to his wife? Elrond's one of those characters who you just can't think too deeply about or you'll get depressed. 😢
Well Valinor is not really an afterlife. It's an actual physical geographical place. Now Mandos is an actual underword of sorts. But yeah, their destinies are forever sundered until Arda Remade.
19:30 Try pausing when discussing a point if there is a dialogue going on in the movie or you will miss these interesting little things. Here you can see Eowyn passing a strong hint to Aragorn revealing her true feelings towards him even though the conversation is about her wanting to fight.
@@caloreen1992 In other words, you are tired of their reaction being this long? Hopefully youtube will notice your pain and implement a skipping ahead feature. 😅🤦🏽
To clarify things about Elrond & his daughter Arwen(even Aragorn), therefore we must look at Elrond’s Twin Brother Elros, they both were half-elven brothers who can choose to be mortal or immortal because of their parents(Eärendil and Elwing) both half elven made a great sacrifice and went to Valinor to ask for help which lead to the greatest events in the early first and second age. Instead of being punished, the valar listened to them, that led to a great hosts of Valar and Maiar And Vanyar Elves went to Middle Earth that laid waste to Beleriand. After the War Of Wrath, the valar rewarded them for their sacrifices. They can choose to be elf or men, including their children. They chose immortally, but never return to Middle Earth because they thought that their twin sons had died. But they didnt die. Elrond chose to be immortal while his twin brother Elros chose to be mortal. He founded the Kingdom of Numenor. He lived in Numenor Island and blessed with a long life that include his descendants Those men who fought for the war were rewarded a long life but not their families or children. Only the family of Elrond can choose to be immortal or mortal in which Arwen did. Aragorn is the direct descendant of Elros, thats why he has a long life. The average lifespan of a Numenorean at their height was about 500-600 years maximum! Now remember too that half elves are not a common thing & whenever they did come together it was always significant !❤❤❤ those that may have gotten together and had children were often default to be mortal since they were not of that bloodline of Eärendil and Elwing and by extension Lùthien who was the first to be be able to choose due to her great deeds alongside Beren her mortal lover, a TwinFlame of sorts. Remember this is the SHORT version, there are so many moving parts that will make you want to dive into the books or the audio books or even do reaction videos to the famous lore videos by the biggest lore channels out there! When you’re done the trilogy try doing reaction videos just like Moviejoob did now with the lore recently as well as OmarioRPG. I recommend videos by GirlNextGondor and The Red Book, and Tolkien Untangled and especially Men Of The West. Many other cool ones I’ll recommend in the comments section of those reaction videos you do from Tolkiens Legendarium lore videos. They are super engaging. You’ll be in love. Nothing would have existed if Tolkiens works never hit the light of day as they were meant to stay private and sometimes be shared with his children and so on. No Game Of Thrones. No Skyrim. No ElderScrolls, No World Of Warcraft, no Dungeons&Dragons. None of it. Not even Star Wars. Not even Harry Potter! They took inspiration from his works which were souly to give back a forgotten history of the Anglo Saxons that had their culture & history destroyed as the larger empires were riding around them. His works reflect the Elder Edda(Norse) The Kalevala(Finnish) and the Welsh people from Wales as well as Irelands cultures of the Tuatha De Danaan as well! His languages are fully fleshed out too resembling Finnish & Welsh • By the way Elrond is around 6870-8000 years old & nearly a full Elf year (as they age very very differently to Men) is close to 144 man years (solar years for them) they experience the TIME and the way men experience it but their clock is different! They live as long as the world/Arda/Ëa does. Essentially. Which is why they are so I synch with the world around them and the nature responds to them ! Think of when Legolas walked ontop of all that snow on the Mountain of Caradhras!! They continue to endure as long ad the world itself does. (Arda) Galadriel's Phial (gift to Frodo) is something really special. light & dark have a spiritual dimension in Tolkien. way back before the First Age Valinor was lit by two very special Trees that waxed & waned in opposition to each other. a master craftsman Elf named Fëanor fashioned three gems that captured their light, the Silmarils. everyone who saw them was captivated by them, even the Valar & Morgoth the first Dark Lord. wars were fought over them called the Kinstrife. after Morgoth had the Trees destroyed the Silmarils were the only light from them left. they changed hands a few times & eventually one was left after one fell into the sea & another was lost in a pit of magma. a Half Elf named Eärendil (the first one!) came into its possession & sailed it to Valinor as a gift to the Valar to ask for their help in defeating Morgoth, which they did. the Valar turned it into a star & hung it in the sky with Earendil as its guardian. the fountain of Galadriel's Mirror is lit by light captured from the star Eärendil & her Phial has water from the fount. I've left out about 90% of the story but it's quite important & central to the story of Middle Earth. for her to give the Phial to Frodo is quite extraordinary. its light does burn & blind Shelob (that's the spider's name) but doesn't kill her outright. oh also, before he was put in the sky to guard the last Silmaril Earendil had two children, Elrond & his brother Elros the first King of Numenor. Tolkien's lore is deep & vast & the Silmarils are at the center of it. The Star of Eärendil is the light that shines in the horizon both in the morning and the evening. It consists in a boat raised by the Valar and led by Eärendil, who carries a shining Silmaril while watching the Doors of Night. The Door of Night was a portal in the distant Uttermost West that leads to heaven, and/or the Void. Eärendil's ship Vingilot was taken by the Valar from the rim of the world, passed through the Door and was lifted into the "oceans of heaven". PS: Eärendil is ELROND’s half Vanyar Elf half human father, that father was the son of the great Tuor of the great stories of The Children Of Húrin!❤❤❤❤
The whole thing with Theoden not calling for help in this movie is...frustrating. I mean by the time Aragorn got to Helm's Deep, there was already no time to call for aid. If they had wanted to call for help, they would have needed to do so before they set out from Edoras to Helm's Deep. "They will be here by nightfall." No time. Theoden was, I think, wrong not to call for help, but he was right in that by that point they could not have expected anyone to answer, or at least answer in time. Fortunately, the Eldar Ex Machina showed up and they were able to hold off until the Istar Ex Machina arrived.
Keep in mind, Aragorn was born and raised as a Ranger, a man of the wilds and was likely taught from a young age NEVER to waste food cause if you out surviving in the wilds, the food you don't eat could lead to starving. That girl's food was so bad it made Aragorn reconsider what he might have been taught. 🤣
There are entire courses at universities covering the works of Tolkien. Y'alls discussion at the end is exactly what those course conversations are like. Great reaction.
That entire family and Gondor as a whole are completely different in the books as compared to the movies. In fact what the Dunedain really are and their various descendants, including Aragorn’s people, are really skimmed over or nonexistent.
The elves with the archers work for Galadriel the Elf Queen. The guy who is in command was the one who caught Gimli in the forest and brought them to Galadriel in movie one- so he is the Elf Army general
The Dunedain were exiles from the island kingdom of Numenor, which was destroyed and sank into the sea at the end of the Second Age. They founded the northern kingdom of Arnor and the southern kingdom of Gondor. The Dunedain had been blessed by the Valar, the Guardians of the World, with a life span three times that of lesser Men. The southern Dunedain of Gondor had intermarried with other races over the years, so their life spans had dwindled to little more than other races, but the remnants of the Dunedain of Arnor still possessed the long life spans of their ancestors. We will be seeing more of the realm of Gondor shortly.
still fks me up that the last queen of the numenor, who was faithful to the old ways and had been railroaded out by her corrupt husband and his officals, died in the flood when she couldn't climb fast enough up the mountain path to the shrine, out of the waves path.
There are many in Gondor with Dunedain blood still. The House of Hurin (House of Stewards, ie Denethor, Boromir and Faramir) are very strongly Dunedain and possibly intermarried with the old line of kings. In fact the “purity” and nobility of Denethor’s heritage is directly compared with Aragorn as a parallel and is a major thematic and plot point. All three have the Dunedain features, and Faramir in particular inherited the foresight and weird Dunedain minor magic shenanigans of his father Denethor. Boromir also pulled off some insane superhuman stuff in the manner of his death which is more in keeping with the Edain’s tradition of unexplained superhumans (Hurin and Turin). To be clear for anyone reading who doesn’t know House of Stewards Hurin is not the same as First Age superhuman Hurin I just mentioned. The House of Imrazôr (Princes of Dol Amroth, the mother of Boromir and Faramir, and a member of a lesser branch was even the mother of Theoden), which even has elven blood and has a more major role in the books. The knights of Dol Amroth are all said to bear Dunedain features (tall, pale, grey eyed and black haired). The Rangers of Ithilien, Faramir’s men, which are the former inhabitants of the region of Ithilien when it was firmly under Gondor’s control, are said to all strongly bear the Dunedain features. It is in mountain regions like Lamedon that it is said that the Dunedain intermarried with the aboriginal hill and mountain men to a greater extent. Likely these regions were more populated by aboriginals, and the Dunedain who came by sea likely did not come in great numbers as compared to the coast and regions surrounding the capital Osgiliath and the twin cities of Minas Anor/Tirith and Minas Ithil/Morgul. These people are said to be swarthier, shorter, stockier, etc. However for whatever reason, though these aforementioned examples have strong Dunedain blood, their lives are still shorter as compared to Aragorn who lived to 190-210 years old (not sure which one). So this implies some measure of intermarriage over time, though why Tolkien does not try to differentiate them physically from the Dunedain of the North to imply this I don’t know. If we want to be really weird and into the blood purity stuff, we could say that Faramir fucked his bloodline up by marrying Eowyn 😂 though being generous she is a quarter Dunedain and with some elvish blood herself.
You guys have been my fave reactors I’ve seen! I love that you acknowledge Frodo also put in a lot of effort with the ring it was because of both Frodo and Sam and that you recognize the strength of boromir and faramir
Elrond is part elvish and part human. He and his twin brother were given the choice between living a human or elvish (immortal) life. He chose elvish and his brother chose human. His brother lived longer than most humans, as did his descendants (Aragorn was his descendant, hence the long life). But he died, and Elrond lost his brother. He’d also lost both parents and his wife. It’s understandable he’d struggle at his daughter wanting to chose a mortal life. Elrond has a fantastic and complex backstory
8:13 Grima is crying because he still, after all, is a Man of Rohan. Seeing this force means he sees his folk dead, hewn and wiped off the earth - something which he WILL not agree on. He is treacherous and powerhungry, but still a man that won't see his people fail, just like Faramir, Boromir and Aragorn. 23:50 an addition: Gimlis Actor (John Rhys-Davies) was known for REALLY hitting the stunt actors of Uruks with force instead of normal "acting hits". So the expression of that one URUK on the ladder is probably real pain :D
The instrument you may be loving a lot isn’t a violin! It’s a Nordic instrument called the Hardanger fiddle! (Norwegian: hardingfele) is a traditional stringed instrument considered to be the national instrument of Norway. In modern designs, this type of fiddle is very similar to the violin, though with eight or nine strings (rather than four as on a standard violin) and thinner wood. The F-holes of the Hardanger fiddle are distinctive, oftentimes with a more “sunken” appearance, and generally straighter edges (unlike the frilly, swirly F-holes of a violin). Four of the strings are strung and played like a violin, while the rest, named understrings or sympathetic strings, resonate under the influence of the other four. These extra strings are tuned and secured with extra pegs at the top of the scroll, effectively doubling the length of a Hardingfele scroll when compared to a violin. The sympathetic strings, once fastened to their pegs, are funneled through a “hollow” constructed fingerboard, which is built differently than a violin’s, being slightly higher and thicker to allow for these extra strings. The resonant strings lay on the center of the special bridge, attached to extra hooks (or fine-tuners) on the tailpiece. Carved out within the center of the bridge is a smaller secondary “bridge”, or opening, designed specifically for these resonant strings to pass through. This is where the resonance is picked up & reverberated; as notes are played, the vibrations are sent through the bridge, where the sympathetics echo those notes. • The Hardingfele’s bridge is unique compared to other bowed instruments. It is somewhat taller and wider, resulting in the strings being slightly lower and farther apart; this allows for the easy execution of double-stops (playing of two strings at once). A similar technique is seen in some American old-time and bluegrass fiddlers, who intentionally move their bridge back a few millimetres closer to the tailpiece, for better double-stops. The hardingfele is used mainly in the southwest part of Norway, whereas the ordinary violin (called flatfele, 'flat fiddle', or vanlig fele, 'common fiddle') is found elsewhere. The hardingfele is used for dancing, accompanied by rhythmic loud foot stomping. It was also traditional for the fiddler to lead the bridal procession to the church. The instrument is often highly decorated, with a carved animal (usually a dragon or the Lion of Norway) or a carved woman's head as part of the scroll at the top of the pegbox, extensive mother of pearl inlay on the tailpiece and fingerboard, and black ink decorations called 'rosing' on the body of the instrument. Sometimes pieces of bone are used to decorate the pegs and the edges of the instrument. The earliest known example of the hardingfele is from 1651, made by Ole Jonsen Jaastad in Hardanger, Norway. Originally, the instrument had a rounder, narrower body. Around the year 1850, the modern layout with a body much like the violin became the norm.
I love that youre both now having deep philosophical doscussions about tolkein. It shows how this story can change how you think about things in the real world
Great reaction. It's so enjoyable watching people get into these films for the first time. Can't wait for the next one. Hope you're feeling better Sophie x
Those creatures being ridden by the orcs are called Wargs, a breed of evil intelligent wolves. For whatever reason, they were given shorter snouts than actual wolves in this movie. In the books, there were no Warg Riders, but it is a cool addition to to this adaptation.
Fantastic reaction, guys! That moment you commented on how respected and heroic Boromir was to his people is a great eye opener for many first time viewers (and one they often miss the importance of). I forget where I heard it, but I was absolutely ROCKED when I heard it: imagine Boromir basically being Captain America. He’s an undisputed hero to his people. And he’s proven it. Not just as a fighter, but as a person. Now imagine Cap getting his mind warped and corrupted by that ring. You’d almost refuse to believe it. You’d hate it more for what it can do to such a good person. First time reactors catch him in The Fellowship and only see his weakness. But you can see it as “the ring is too damn powerful, if even Boromir gets corrupted by it.” Don’t know if I quite captured the analogy correctly. But it’s always stuck with me.
Just as an FYI, "fell" has an additional, traditional meaning of "killed in combat". So when Gimli said "He fell." He didn't mean literally falling off the cliff, but that Aragorn was slain in battle. ♥ Also, Galadriel is Elrond's mother-in-law, thus Arwen's grandmother.
It's been really fun watching these reaction videos. I'm really impressed with how you both just "get it." I've watched these movies with a lot of first-timers, and usually I'm having to explain lots of things to people, but the two of you are understanding basically everything right away; remembering details, picking up on all of the subtleties, the symbolism, all that stuff. Can't wait to see what your thoughts were on RotK!
I've said this elsewhere in the comments, but we've also got to take to consideration how well educated Faramir is. We was literally a wizard's pupil. So he'd heard the stories of the creature Gollum. But Gollum is like a myth, no one is sure if he's still alive, where he is, if he was even real. Remember the archives that Gandalf consults in the Fellowship are IN Gondor. Faramir has no doubt come across them in his studies as well. In fact, you see the dawning realization on Faramir's face as he starts to piece things together during Gollum's interrogation. The gangled form, the odd pattern of speech, the two personalities and then finally, "my precious." At that point, Faramir knows exactly who Gollum is and what he is capable of. This is not just a bully mistreating a small, possibly crafty creature. This is a military captain, in the middle of a decades long war, who has seen Mordor from his window from the moment he was born, meeting a creature of legend that he knows to be malicious and ancient AND connected to the war he's been fighting his whole life. The same war that took his brother. And then he sees that same creature leading two wide eyed, children like, folk heroes in the making towards a place that is equally ancient and malevolent.
You both have remembered so many details throughout these first two LOTR films that I am surprised that you did not recall who the elf was that led the elf army to Helm's Deep. He {Haldir} was the one who "arrested" Gimli in the forest and took all the Fellowship to be judged by Lady Galadrial.
I think Elrond's attempts to persuade Arwen become more reasonable from a father's perspective when you learn about his family a bit more. Elrond is the son of Earendil and Elwing, who both travelled to Valinor millenia ago leaving him and his brother Elros alone. His brother chose a mortal life and died long ago in the Second Age. Elrond married Celebrian, the daughter of Celeborn and Galadriel, and had 3 children. His 2 sons don't feature in the movie, but they were alive but their fate is unknown. His wife was attacked and tortured by Orcs during travelling and was mentally destroyed by it, so she left to go to the Undying Lands to be in peace. When you think that his parents, his wife, and his brother have all been gone for centuries, you can understand why he might be anxious to not let his daughter go too.
The tear is because Grimma although he is power mad and evil, he still does not want the destruction of humans. It is here he starts to have the 1st inklin of what he has done is wrong. It's that "What have I done" moment
Someone else said it better, but I also love the idea that Saruman had absolutely no idea about the ents- he just wakes up one morning, looks out the window and just stares... slaps himself a little to wake himself up, just... now there's trees breaking all his stuff.
I'm finding your perceptiveness to be really interesting. Of those spots where one of you says something feels off or not right, most of them turn out to be things that were changed from book to film. Faramir, for instance, while being basically the same guy in the book, goes at things a different way there. He's calmer and more balanced, and doesn't get violent. The film emphasizes his fraught relationship with his dad, which makes him a bit jumpier and more sensitive and more liable to leap to conclusions. In the book, things were off between him and his dad too, but he dealt with it in a more fatalistic "well, it sucks but that's how it is" kind of way, so he's able to resist the temptation to get hold of the Ring (he knows instinctively that it won't help at all), and to deal more justly with Gollum. He still doesn't trust Gollum, he still isn't nice to him, but he doesn't beat on him, so in the book, Gollum's resentment comes more from the sense that Frodo betrayed him than from any real injury the men might have done to him. You picked up on how that just doesn't feel right, which I haven't seen other reactors do. :)
Thank you so much for making this channel and watching this movie! I love this movie and this franchise, but you have allowed me to watch it again for the first time! Thank you so much!!
Elrond has been around for tens of thousands of years and his daughter is basically asking to stay behind on a doomed world. Elrond 100% can point out how upset he will be to lose her to darkness. Hes NOT manipulating her in the slightest for selfish reasons he cares for her more than most mortals can comprehend. Even aragorn was like yeah she should go because this world might be fucked.
There's so much subtle art going in that people miss the first time through talking things out and trying to talk it out. I would watch it again off camera and catch more of it.
When you said it’s not about when the movie came out it’s about who made it, regarding the quality, you nailed it. Y’all should look into how they made these because it’s crazy
The Elves that came to help in Helms Deep were from Lothlorian, where the Elf Witch Galadriel lives. The elf who was in the front was Haldir, who if you remember from the last movie, was the one who greeted them after Gandalf fell and took them to see Galadriel. He was the one who said, "The Dwarf breathes so loud we could have shot him in the dark..." 😂
Keep in mind that the Ring has its relationship with everyone it comes into contact with. There’s a range of power it possesses everyone that looks upon it, touches it and even be in it’s presence. Gollum is sometimes Sméagol and Sméagol is sometimes Gollum. It’s up to the Ring. Note that in the beginning, Gandalf backed off touching it because the Eye traces it like a beacon or signal. Notice how the Nazgûl respond every time Frodo uses it. Through the Ring the evil visits you. The Queen Elf just glanced upon it and it tempted her yet, like Gandalf, her better angel, so to speak, won out. Tolkien must have understood indigenous cultures, in that it’s not good luck to touch or steal personal belongings because within them may lie the owners spirit, living or dead. This is why most bury the items with the dead. In particular, jewelry.
I found you two TODAY. I just binged LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring and the part 1 & 2 of the Two Towers. I can tell by your reactions and the things you said that you really are into these movies. Sophie is spot on with her opinions, theories, thinking, etc. I really enjoyed your videos. I will watch your videos for The Return of the King tomorrow…and others in the future. I will like and subscribe!👏👏👏
The animal the Black Rider is riding is technically a wyvern (two legs plus wings), not a dragon (four legs plus wings), and is called a Fell Beast (“fell” is an old word in English for “deadly”). In the book the flying beasts they rode were actually _pterodactyls_ .
Grima crying is just him as a human realizing that the side he backed was about to wipe clean the history of the people he was a part of his whole life and didn’t believe the force infront of him was possible
man what I would do to watch these movies for the first time again! I've seen them so many times and every time they are just as good as I remember and sometimes even better after knowing more about the lore. but nothing beats witching it for the first time! Great reactions guys!
I love hearing people who never previously gave a damn about elves or orcs having passionate discussions about Gollum's mindset and Boromir's shitty Dad. Such is the TRUE power of the One Ring.
Imagine the Elf's and Dwarfs are two races that absolutely HATE each other. The friendship that is developing there is a great story by itself
Showing two races with a history of hatred and conflict forced to work together for a common goal and finding they have more in common than they thought and choosing to develop a friendship in one another instead of holding onto past grievances... A good lesson to be learned.
I get amazed of this friendship, too. It is a huge deal. I love doing these recaps with them because I got done reading all the books not to long ago, and I haven't got to recap myself.
Spare a rip for Hama, the door guard at Edoras who let Gandalf through with his “walking stick.” When Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli started whaling on Grima’s thugs, and one of the King’s Guards goes to stop them, Hama grabs his sword arm and says “wait.” Hama holds up Theoden’s sword for him to grasp. And then Hama got his head bit off by a warg for his trouble.
Later, Hama’s son Haleth tells Aragorn that “the men say we will not last the night.”
Hama is such an important, yet unrecognized, minor character.
Also, in the book, Hama is the one who sticks up for Eowyn. He suggests leaving her as regent, a position of honor that women would not normally be allowed in this society. Hama is a cool dude.
The one guard: "We should stop these guys from beating up the king"
Hama: "Hang on, let him cook"
He got killed by a warg? Oh fuck man that's so sad, rip hama one of many who died for middle earth
Justice for hama, may his son live long... If he survived the night
@@samwallaceart288 lol great comment
I just gotta say, I appreciate your reaction to this a lot.
There are SO many other reactors that seem to be unable to remember details or unable to pick up on subtleties like y'all do. This is a breath of fresh air
Before Faramir, Gollum was genuinely fond (the "Sméagol" version of it, at least) of Frodo because he was the first creature to treat him gently in FOREVER. When Frodo was forced to trick Gollum, he didn't realize Frodo was doing it only to save his life and so he saw it as a hurtful betrayal. If at first he just wanted the ring, now it's become PERSONAL.
As Gandalf said though, he does have a role to play. It's one of the reasons why I love TLOTR: every person and creature, no matter how small, has the power to change the course of history.
The part where Gimli say's "toss me" and you both look and say what? at the same time in stereo was priceless😄😄😄
Treebeard's gasp when he see the decimated forest, not to mention his lament and his roar, never fail to give me chills.
Almost as great a gasp as the one Sophie and Mair let out when Frodo pulled the sword on Sam. 😂😂😂
"No parent should have to bury their child" does it for me.
That line, "A wizard should know better," always brings tears to my eyes. They should, they absolutely should, and yet they so rarely do. :(
It was a cool scene but I like how it happened in the books more
@@Muck006 I'm afraid I cannot get past the awful un-Tolkien grammar of that sentence. The Professor would never have written it that way.
The entire boromir flashback was left out in the theatrical version, such a crime
There was a lot of great stuff left on the cutting room floor
It's probably my favorite cut scene. It adds so much to Faramir and Boromir's characters.
It's honestly refreshing hearing someone acknowledge Frodo's role in carrying the ring. Frodo and Sam couldn't have made it without the other, both were integral parts in carrying it to Mordor and saving Middle Earth.
Right because people see, to give Sam credit and act like Frodo did nothing. I actually quit watching for that take.
As a fan of Boromir, the Extended Editions of these films have scenes that made me love him more because of they show a different side of him. The compassionate side that loved so much that the Ring used that to sway him to believe that he needed the ring to protect those he loved.
Yes!! And for all his faults, his father was originally just like Boromir, until he fell into despair. Although he was able to withstand temptation by sauron, it was too much emotionally to have the fate of everyone on his shoulders.
fun little fact, the guy that plays gimli the dwarf, also does the voice for treebeard, but just speaking while breathing inwards
He’s also over six ft tall in real life
@@megaduck7965 He is lower than me, and I am 5'11". Somewhere I have a picture of us from a fan event in Copenhagen in 2003.
Faramir and his men do mistreat Gollum, but you have to look at them from their side too - a war is about to begin, and their company is trying to maintain hold over a huge area of land while the sheer number of enemy soldiers are already beginning to overwhelm them. Then this strange creature infiltrates their secret army base in the woods, potentially revealing their position to the enemy, at the same time they capture two other halflings who won't tell them why they're there. They are convinced Gollum is a liar (which he is) and he won't tell them his real purpose, so they beat him up to get him to talk; and although they don't show it, the book implies they have interrogated him for a long time by this point. It's not a great look for Faramir or for Gondor in general, but considering their position it kind of makes sense.
We've also got to take into consideration how well educated Faramir is. He was literally a wizard's pupil. So he'd heard the stories of the creature Gollum. But Gollum is like a myth, no one is sure if he's still alive, where he is, if he was even real. Remember the archives that Gandalf consults in the Fellowship are IN Gondor. Faramir has no doubt come across them in his studies as well.
In fact, you see the dawning realization on Faramir's face as he starts to piece things together during Gollum's interrogation. The gangled form, the odd pattern of speech, the two personalities and then finally, "my precious." At that point, Faramir knows exactly who Gollum is and what he is capable of. This is not just a bully visiting violence upon a small, possibly crafty creature.
This is a military captain, in the middle of a decades long war, who has seen Mordor from his window from the moment he was born, meeting a creature of legend that he knows to be malicious and ancient AND connected to the war he's been fighting his whole life. The same war that took his brother.
And then he sees that same creature leading two wide eyed, children like, folk heroes in the making towards a place that is equally ancient and malevolent on the way to an even more dangerous place where they might actually end the war.
Edited for spelling
I like the reasoning of both of you. I still wish they hadn't illtreated Gollum. It annoys me more that Faramir trying to take the ring, which I can live with now.
@@bernice6867 You have to remember that his is Gollum we are talking about. If he had come quietly and not struggle then they would have probably gone easier on him. But more likely the Gollum was going apeshit on them from fear and who knows how many bite marks and scratches he left on the men who do not even know this vile looking creature, let alone his backstory. Of course they will try to overpower him, to keep him in check and in control.
Think of police. If you happen to get on the wrong side of their attention, be cooperative and and respectful everything will be fine. Fight back physically and you will get bruises, a lot of them or maybe even worse if you are unlucky.
"Is this all you can conjur, Saruman?"
"Why would you say that?"
😂
You guys totally get it. Too many reactors nowadays have a tendency to downplay Frodo and Gollum's roles in the story, saying Sam deserved all the credit, but this task literally would've been impossible without a team (guide, Ring bearer, support system). The fact that so many people in this fandom don't realize this very simple truth blows my mind, so kudos to you guys for seeing this nuance.
I love how they take their time to discuss the movie and make theories and stuff. Most of the people who react to movies/series tend to just give empty comments and not pay attention, but these guys nailed it.
Thanks for the video. ❤
Sincere reactions and true interest in the story👏👏👏
When that old archer accidentally looses his bow, hitting that Uruk soldier, I always think the rest of them are thinking, ''Oh my God! They killed Kenny! You bastards!'' Lol!
Sam’s speech gives me chills and makes my eyes teary every time.
Sam : I know.
It’s all wrong
By rights we shouldn’t even be here.
But we are.
It’s like in the great stories Mr. Frodo.
The ones that really mattered.
Full of darkness and danger they were,
and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end.
Because how could the end be happy.
How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened.
But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow.
Even darkness must pass.
A new day will come.
And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.
Those were the stories that stayed with you.
That meant something.
Even if you were too small to understand why.
But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand.
I know now.
Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t.
Because they were holding on to something.
Frodo : What are we holding on to, Sam?
Sam : That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.
That intercut with the celebrations of victory just makes makes hope swell
So much of this speech can be used in the twisted world we are in now and it stands up and means so much every time I hear him say it
When Gimly said, "He Fell," that is the old way of saying he died in battle.
That phrase is a double entendre. They don't believe that Aragorn is dead. They just know Aragorn fell so Gimli left it at that.
I’ve never enjoyed the post-movie discussion on reaction vids as much as I’ve enjoyed your’s. You two are clearly interested, invested, passionate and intuitive! Can’t wait to see you react to RotK!
The creatures the orcs rode to attack the Rhohirrim as they traveled to Helms Deep are called Wargs.
Basically wolves on steroids... though Peter Jackson seemed to add a hyena component to these creatures in the movie
@@cmdrbrantford888
Yeah, in Hobbit they look more like wolfes, if they are the same creatures
@@PhosisTkarr They are the same creatures. They are supposed to look closer to how they look in the Hobbit movies as opposed to hyenas. Interestingly, hyenas are not even canines. They are closer related to felines than canines, even though they are quite doglike. Funny how evolution works. Just goes to show that things are not always as they appear.
23:43 That's the famous "Wilhelm scream". Originally used in the 1951 western "Distant Drums" and used in countless movies over the next decades. In more recent times it's become somewhat of a tradition in the film making world.
No action film is complete without the Wilhelm scream.
I hate it. It always takes me out of whatever movie I’m watching. Unless it’s comedic like in Deadpool or something.
@@drivers99
Amen. It’s immersion-breaking
PJ notoriously loved that soundbit and intentionally put it in the films. Like it or not, you didn’t make the films
@@naturalbornpatriot6369
Nobody said we did genius
Like it or not, we can hate it as much as he enjoys it
The Uruk-hai chant when Sarumon reveals the army was taken during a soccer match in europe when Peter Jackson asked the crowd to chant certain phrases.
So the Uruk-Hai are soccer fans? No wonder they're so savage,bloodthirsty,and violent.
Pretty sure it was recorded at a cricket match in Wellington, New Zealand...
@@NineEyes213 Rugby match, I think.
@@waywardmindcricket. There’s a short video here on YT of the whole thing. It’s really freaking neat.
I agree with Sophie about Gollum/Smeagol. He had turned over a new leaf when Frodo was being nice to him, but when Faramir caught him he thought Frodo had betrayed him and led him to pain and torture, thus causing him to revert to the Gollum state (a state he previously felt had protected him).
I find it ironic that Gollum claims that Smeagol needs him to survive...and yet what happens every time someone gets the edge on Gollum? He goes away and leaves Smeagol behind to pitifully whine and beg for mercy.
I agree. I sometimes put it this way: Gollum had a choice to choose good, but Faramir took that choice away from him.
Frodo mostly did his best to give Gollum a chance. Maybe Gollum would have betrayed them anyway, but because of the unjustifiable cruelty he suffered from Faramir, we never get to know what Gollum would have chosen without such crule interference. And so we cannot truly blame Gollum alone for his twisted psyche.
nah gollum was always irredeemable and he proved it at the end. Being nice to a monster wont make them any better.
Yes, the film makes it look as if it is Faramir's fault that Gollum came back, but as these two reactors noticed: "It's that easy (to get rid Gollum?)" Well no, it couldn't be to be honest ( and didn't happen that way in the book.)
I agree but if it takes so little to turn Smeagol into Gollum it means he is never truly free of Gollum, and Sam and Frodo would never truly be safe around him. He'd be bound to turn bad eventually even without his encounter with Faramir.
Kudos to you both! For LOTR newbies, you were able to pull a lot of important meaning from the story and the motivations of the characters! That said, for my money, Sméagol/Gollum is arguably the most interesting and complex characters in the whole masterpiece that is this story. One thing you need to keep in mind about him is that Sméagol is a poisoned and twisted soul. He is hopelessly dependent on The One Ring and he hates himself because of that. You’ll learn more about his character’s’ backstory in the final movie but it should help you understand ultimately what emotions, motivations, and ambitions are (and have always been) at the core of Sméagol’s heart. If you pay attention to how the ring affected Sméagol when he first got it vs. how it affected Frodo, you’ll start to understand the core differences between them as characters. All of this is further complicated by the fact that Frodo wants to see the good in Sméagol and ultimately wants to save him. Being able to save Sméagol would give Frodo hope that he might also be able to save himself from a similar fate.
They have probably the smartest discussion about the story afterwards from all the reactions I have watched.
Agree......poor Gollum was an addict surrounded by all kinds of drugs that he couldnt reach....like a chained, starving dog with its full food bowl just out of reach
i would say smeagol/gollum is one of the most interesting and complex characters from any movie.
Yup and Frodo saw himself in Gollum, knowing that the same could happen to him.
“Finish it. Finish it strong Sam.” Good call. That’s exactly what he did.
I swear, both of your eyes lit up so much when Gandalf and the Rohirrim arrived and then charged. That’s the exact face I’m sure I was making when I saw it in theaters so many years ago.
Aragorn IS human, he's just a rare class of human that was blessed with longer life than the average human.
He's _mostly_ human, there's just a little bit of elf blood in him. His great-times-whatever-grandfather was Elrond's brother. So technically Arwen is his cousin, but like fifty times removed.
It's because he has Maiar (like gods) blood in him. Plus he can literally heal with his hands.
@@Theseus9-cl7ol I think it has to do more with the fact that his ancestors helped the Valar defeat Morgoth and the Valar gifted them with Numenor and gave numenorians a very long life. Because all numenorians live long lives, not just the ones that are decendants of Beren and Luthien.
@@ClaudiaGonzalez-mg4xf Yes good point.
Your interest and enthusiasm in this trilogy and story is wholeheartedly embraced by the longtime Lord of the Rings community. Welcome.
@45:10 Huge props to you, Sophie, for basically figuring out (a whole movie in advance!) what the climax of the entire trilogy is going to be and how it fits into the thematic through line. That was impressive.
One of the things that people missed a lot with the movies is the way that the ending song, which is sung, for each movie tells part of the story and adds to it.
The first movie has a song about the fellowship and traveling through darkness to bring the light. The song for the last movie is about pain and sorrow melting away as you go into the West.
But this one is the one that I caught the lyrics while in the theater. It is Gollum's song, it's describing pain and feeling rejected by others but then transforms at the end into an expression of hate and revenge. The first chorus ends with "we are lost, we can never go home." The second chorus says "take back the lies you told us, the hurt the blame. And YOU will weep, when you face the end alone. YOU are lost, YOU will never go home." The singer put just enough twist on the words to instantly capture my attention. It is Gollum's choice to move past self-pity to hate.
Frodo didn't betray Gollum. He saved his life. Gollum didn't realize it. He thought Master had betrayed him. The men from Gondor are the ones that beat him. Not Frodo but Gollum thought different.
When Frodo approached Smiegel and told him to trust him just before he was bagged and beaten that was the betrayl. It might have saved his life but from Smiegel's POV it crushed him and his fragile new trust.
@@JayOwinFull *Smeagol
The problem is that Smeagol probably has a mental (st)age of "young child"/ANIMAL (because he is reacting by instinct a lot of the times) and thus explaining that he was fishing in a sacred pool and needed to be restrained would not have been realistic/possible.
It was most definitely a betrayal. Frodo would never have done that to Sam
@@SummerSolstice621 If the alternative is doing nothing and waiting for his death, how can you call action designed to prevent that as a betrayal?
@@SummerSolstice621so Frodo would have let them shoot Sam? For sure. Nice analysis bro.
Denethor's been using a 10,000 year old magic cellphone to talk to the Big Bad.
He's got Sauron, Saruman, and Dr Phil on his Top 5
It’s more like he wiretapped the Big Bad but the Big Bad knows and is feeding him specific information.
Sophie's commentary throughout the whole movie was spot on all the time!
Poor Sophie. Hope you're feeling better. Loving your reaction to the LOTR films, guys.
It’s honestly amazing watching people enjoy something that I wish I could forget to experience all over again! I watched all the movies in theatres as when I was a growing up and they quickly became what shaped my early childhoood
To address your confusion about Galadriel and Elrond and how the elves made it to Helms Deep to help Rohan… keep in mind that both Galadriel and Elrond are Elven high Lords. They’re incredibly powerful, both of them. Just a smidge below Gandalf the White (who is one of the Istari, or wizards - basically the equivalent of an angelic being). Anyway, they have the gifts of foresight (especially Elrond) and telepathy (especially Galadriel). So they were speaking mind to mind about whether to abandon mankind to its fate or to send elves to fight - and you saw what they chose to do.
Except the elves didn't go to Helm's Deep. That was Peter Jackson's change.
Definitely. At the same time, the movies don't really show that the conflict was continent-wide. Sauron's tactic was to attack all potential allies at home so that they couldn't team up to beat him. The elves didn't andon the humans, they were just fighting closer to home. In particular, Legolas's people and the elves of Lorien were fighting in Mirkwood. In the books, after Aragon's people (and Elrond's sons) join him in Rohan, Legolas and Gimli talk about it and Legolas says: "‘They have no need to ride to war; war already marches on their own lands.’"
Elrond and Galadriel are ringbearers of two of the elven rings. Gandalf has the third and last of them, Cirdan gave it to him.
I love how you both seeing different sides of the story and kind of completing each others views. Great reaction! I can't wait for the last part
Remember that for the Ents (trees) open warfare had never been a thing before, as they are always in forests kind of removed from direct confrontation, even though their forests have been destroyed for a while now. Plus they have no Ent wives, so that means if they lose an open battle that's pretty much it. Species gone. So fighting for them was a huge deal, that's why Treebeard said in the marching scene "it is quite possible we're marching to our doom... the last march of the Ents "
Also take into account the lifespan of the Ents. I think aside from elves they are the oldest creatures in middle earth and the humans come and go in the blink of an eye, not to mention humans are always getting into some conflict or other. From their perspective it's just humans being humans and none of their business.
You can tell Sophie has a good eye, ear and mind for good film-making.
"They're not dead until I see a body" - The Theme of the LOTR movies.
So in the books Faramir doesn't struggle nearly as much as they make him in the movies. Makes for good drama to make him string them along but he figures out they have the ring fairly quickly and is basically like, "Boromir tried to take it, didn't he? Yeah, he meant well but he was always a warrior first and a scholar second. Me? I know the old lore. I know what that is. I wouldn't pick it up if it was sitting on the side of the road. Here's some supplies. Good luck!!!" He's kinda meant to represent Tolkien himself. Tolkien fought in WWI and he has the quote that basically says, I don't love the sword for its sharpness, the arrow for its swiftness, or the warrior for his bravery, I only love that which they protect. So he doesn't fight for lust of battle or glory. He's doing what he must to protect that which he loves. Basically that he wishes war wasn't necessary but because evil exists he will fight to protect what he loves.
I love Boromir and Faramir's relationship. Their mom, Denethor's wife, dies in childbirth having Faramir and Farmair looks like his mother so Denethor had a bit of resentment toward him but instead of weaponizing that like many sons would do for their benefit, Boromir develops a very, very close bond with his brother. That shows his character. He was an honorable man but the ring is very good and manipulating honorable men by thinking using it will help.
In the books the Battle of Helm's Deep doesn't have any elves. It's about 3,000 Men against 10,000+ Orcs and "Wildmen". Theoden rides out because he knows that there are battles ongoing around Helm's Deep and comes after the men there have been scattered and beaten. He reinforces them and they fight while Gandalf rides out to find all the scattered men and comes in to help route the Orcs after a night of fighting and being on the verge of being overrun. Still one of the more epic battles in movie history. Just wait until the Battle of Pelennor Fields.
If I remember correctly in the books there were no elves at Helm's Deep. Peter Jackson added this part I believe and I think it was a very good addition.
It's been decades but isn't the The Battle of Helms Deep 2 pages long in the book?
@@ryanmckenna3503 No. The description of the battle is half a page.
@@nataliefaust7959 I think that you're probably confused with The Battle Of The Five Armies at the end of The Hobbit.
@@Magere-Kwark No, I was definitely thinking of Helm's Deep, but I think I said it jokingly in exaggeration once and it stayed lodged in my brain. Immediately grabbed my copy right next to me and looked it up.
Thank you for correcting me! ♥
In the book it's Aragorn's homeboys who show up; "the Grey Company" iirc, all the rangers of the north who call Aragorn chieftain.
After the battle they disperse again northward to deal with the many other places getting attacked throughout the war.
In the movie they replace them with Elves, because they wanted to have Elves fight at some point in the trilogy and the books are mostly a post-Elves story; originally they had Arwen join the fight as well, but they couldn't get it to work story-wise so they left her scenes out.
Personally I would've been cool with seeing Aragorn's entourage and being regular guys who have pressing work elsewhere, their sudden disappearance after Helm's Deep makes more sense.
The blonde Elf leader who led his fellow Elves to Helm’s Deep is Haldir of Lothlorien. He was the Elf in the first movie who teased Gimli with “The Dwarf breathed so loud, we could’ve shot him in the dark.” 🤣🤣
Fun Fact: Galadriel is Arwen’s grandmother. Galadriel’s daughter was Elrond’s wife and the mother of Arwen and her twin brothers who aren’t in the movies. And Aragorn is the descendant of Elros, the first king of Numenor. Elros and Elrond were Half-Elf/ Half-Human. Thus, they were given the choice of either living out their lives as mortal Humans doomed to short lives and mortality, or living out their lives as immortal Elves who will only die from outside influence (slain or illness). Elros chose Humanity and, through his descendants, came Aragorn. Elrond chose to live as an Elf and thus his children, including Arwen, also had the opportunity to choose to live as immortal Elves or mortal Humans. Arwen chose Humanity and her brothers chose Elves.
So Arwen is Aragorn’s great-???-cousin. 🤣
When Elrond asks his daughter, "Do I not also have your love?" he's not being as manipulative as it seems.
In deciding to be with Aragorn, Arwen isn't just choosing to stay behind and stay with him until she dies. That would be bad enough, right? But that's not all: she is also _giving up her afterlife_ to be with him. The Elves are all leaving Middle Earth for a place called Valinor - basically elf-only heaven (with a few very special exceptions). You can only get to Valinor by taking special ships captained by elves who know the way, and the last few ships are getting ready to leave Middle Earth. By the time the events of LotRs are going on, it's pretty much final boarding call for anyone headed to Valinor. Arwen will not get to go there, ever, if she stays with Aragorn, and there's actually no telling where she _will_ end up when she eventually dies.
Imagine you're Elrond and you are struggling to deal with the fact that your daughter - who you love dearly - _will not get into heaven_ if she tries to be with some guy who won't live even a _tenth_ of her natural lifespan, and then, ONLY IF, he succeeds at an almost impossible task and saves the whole freaking world... Is he really not allowed to tell her those hard truths when he thinks they could save her heart from being broken and her spirit from wandering lost for eternity after death?
Agree, Elrond's whole story is heartbreaking to me. Fascinating but sad character.
@@SarahLandry577 Ugh. Me too. To lose his daughter on TOP of what happened to his wife? Elrond's one of those characters who you just can't think too deeply about or you'll get depressed. 😢
Well Valinor is not really an afterlife. It's an actual physical geographical place. Now Mandos is an actual underword of sorts. But yeah, their destinies are forever sundered until Arda Remade.
@@jonathonfrazier6622 I was simplifying the lore for the sake of making my point, but yes. :)
He also lost his twin brother to death, so he must be highly aware it works and don't want lose another one.
19:30 Try pausing when discussing a point if there is a dialogue going on in the movie or you will miss these interesting little things. Here you can see Eowyn passing a strong hint to Aragorn revealing her true feelings towards him even though the conversation is about her wanting to fight.
Bruh just let em watch
@@conoromalley9672 Bruh that's a low IQ reply.
extended version is long enough without them pausing.
@@caloreen1992 In other words, you are tired of their reaction being this long? Hopefully youtube will notice your pain and implement a skipping ahead feature. 😅🤦🏽
@@sankhawkulathantille No I'm thinking about them, not myself. They will already be sitting there for 4 hours.
To clarify things about Elrond & his daughter Arwen(even Aragorn), therefore we must look at Elrond’s Twin Brother Elros, they both were half-elven brothers who can choose to be mortal or immortal because of their parents(Eärendil and Elwing) both half elven made a great sacrifice and went to Valinor to ask for help which lead to the greatest events in the early first and second age. Instead of being punished, the valar listened to them, that led to a great hosts of Valar and Maiar And Vanyar Elves went to Middle Earth that laid waste to Beleriand. After the War Of Wrath, the valar rewarded them for their sacrifices. They can choose to be elf or men, including their children. They chose immortally, but never return to Middle Earth because they thought that their twin sons had died. But they didnt die. Elrond chose to be immortal while his twin brother Elros chose to be mortal. He founded the Kingdom of Numenor. He lived in Numenor Island and blessed with a long life that include his descendants Those men who fought for the war were rewarded a long life but not their families or children. Only the family of Elrond can choose to be immortal or mortal in which Arwen did. Aragorn is the direct descendant of Elros, thats why he has a long life. The average lifespan of a Numenorean at their height was about 500-600 years maximum! Now remember too that half elves are not a common thing & whenever they did come together it was always significant !❤❤❤ those that may have gotten together and had children were often default to be mortal since they were not of that bloodline of Eärendil and Elwing and by extension Lùthien who was the first to be be able to choose due to her great deeds alongside Beren her mortal lover, a TwinFlame of sorts.
Remember this is the SHORT version, there are so many moving parts that will make you want to dive into the books or the audio books or even do reaction videos to the famous lore videos by the biggest lore channels out there!
When you’re done the trilogy try doing reaction videos just like Moviejoob did now with the lore recently as well as OmarioRPG. I recommend videos by GirlNextGondor and The Red Book, and Tolkien Untangled and especially Men Of The West. Many other cool ones I’ll recommend in the comments section of those reaction videos you do from Tolkiens Legendarium lore videos. They are super engaging. You’ll be in love. Nothing would have existed if Tolkiens works never hit the light of day as they were meant to stay private and sometimes be shared with his children and so on. No Game Of Thrones. No Skyrim. No ElderScrolls, No World Of Warcraft, no Dungeons&Dragons. None of it. Not even Star Wars. Not even Harry Potter! They took inspiration from his works which were souly to give back a forgotten history of the Anglo Saxons that had their culture & history destroyed as the larger empires were riding around them. His works reflect the Elder Edda(Norse) The Kalevala(Finnish) and the Welsh people from Wales as well as Irelands cultures of the Tuatha De Danaan as well! His languages are fully fleshed out too resembling Finnish & Welsh
•
By the way Elrond is around 6870-8000 years old & nearly a full Elf year (as they age very very differently to Men) is close to 144 man years (solar years for them) they experience the TIME and the way men experience it but their clock is different! They live as long as the world/Arda/Ëa does. Essentially. Which is why they are so I synch with the world around them and the nature responds to them ! Think of when Legolas walked ontop of all that snow on the Mountain of Caradhras!! They continue to endure as long ad the world itself does. (Arda)
Galadriel's Phial (gift to Frodo) is something really special. light & dark have a spiritual dimension in Tolkien. way back before the First Age Valinor was lit by two very special Trees that waxed & waned in opposition to each other. a master craftsman Elf named Fëanor fashioned three gems that captured their light, the Silmarils. everyone who saw them was captivated by them, even the Valar & Morgoth the first Dark Lord. wars were fought over them called the Kinstrife. after Morgoth had the Trees destroyed the Silmarils were the only light from them left. they changed hands a few times & eventually one was left after one fell into the sea & another was lost in a pit of magma. a Half Elf named Eärendil (the first one!) came into its possession & sailed it to Valinor as a gift to the Valar to ask for their help in defeating Morgoth, which they did. the Valar turned it into a star & hung it in the sky with Earendil as its guardian. the fountain of Galadriel's
Mirror is lit by light captured from the star Eärendil & her Phial has water from the fount. I've left out about 90% of the story but it's quite important & central to the story of Middle Earth. for her to give the Phial to Frodo is quite extraordinary. its light does burn & blind Shelob (that's the spider's name) but doesn't kill her outright. oh also, before he was put in the sky to guard the last Silmaril Earendil had two children, Elrond & his brother Elros the first King of Numenor. Tolkien's lore is deep & vast & the Silmarils are at the center of it.
The Star of Eärendil is the light that shines in the horizon both in the morning and the evening. It consists in a boat raised by the Valar and led by Eärendil, who carries a shining Silmaril while watching the Doors of Night. The Door of Night was a portal in the distant Uttermost West that leads to heaven, and/or the Void. Eärendil's ship Vingilot was taken by the Valar from the rim of the world, passed through the Door and was lifted into the "oceans of heaven". PS: Eärendil is ELROND’s half Vanyar Elf half human father, that father was the son of the great Tuor of the great stories of The Children Of Húrin!❤❤❤❤
lol this is the "short version" the lore JRRT put into this world is just astounding.
The way Smeagol was playing emotionally with ALL OF US. Such a good written character. Great reaction guys!
The whole thing with Theoden not calling for help in this movie is...frustrating. I mean by the time Aragorn got to Helm's Deep, there was already no time to call for aid. If they had wanted to call for help, they would have needed to do so before they set out from Edoras to Helm's Deep. "They will be here by nightfall." No time. Theoden was, I think, wrong not to call for help, but he was right in that by that point they could not have expected anyone to answer, or at least answer in time. Fortunately, the Eldar Ex Machina showed up and they were able to hold off until the Istar Ex Machina arrived.
At the end, you are both right. As Gandolf said, as he introduced Golum. 'He both loves and hates the ring'. He is truly split.
Keep in mind, Aragorn was born and raised as a Ranger, a man of the wilds and was likely taught from a young age NEVER to waste food cause if you out surviving in the wilds, the food you don't eat could lead to starving. That girl's food was so bad it made Aragorn reconsider what he might have been taught. 🤣
I watched Sophie’s headache melt away in real time
The horse that rescued Aragorn from the river is the one Aragorn said to let free “this one has seen enough war”
There are entire courses at universities covering the works of Tolkien. Y'alls discussion at the end is exactly what those course conversations are like. Great reaction.
Wormtongue, despite all his malice, sheds a tear out of terror witnessing such a unprecedented force.
He actually thought he'd be able to settle down in Rohan once the war is over; in that moment he realizes _there is no_ "after the war"
Movie Faramir and Book Faramir are two different people.
That entire family and Gondor as a whole are completely different in the books as compared to the movies. In fact what the Dunedain really are and their various descendants, including Aragorn’s people, are really skimmed over or nonexistent.
The elves with the archers work for Galadriel the Elf Queen. The guy who is in command was the one who caught Gimli in the forest and brought them to Galadriel in movie one- so he is the Elf Army general
He says he brings word from elrond of rivendell when he comes tho
The Dunedain were exiles from the island kingdom of Numenor, which was destroyed and sank into the sea at the end of the Second Age. They founded the northern kingdom of Arnor and the southern kingdom of Gondor. The Dunedain had been blessed by the Valar, the Guardians of the World, with a life span three times that of lesser Men. The southern Dunedain of Gondor had intermarried with other races over the years, so their life spans had dwindled to little more than other races, but the remnants of the Dunedain of Arnor still possessed the long life spans of their ancestors. We will be seeing more of the realm of Gondor shortly.
still fks me up that the last queen of the numenor, who was faithful to the old ways and had been railroaded out by her corrupt husband and his officals, died in the flood when she couldn't climb fast enough up the mountain path to the shrine, out of the waves path.
There are many in Gondor with Dunedain blood still. The House of Hurin (House of Stewards, ie Denethor, Boromir and Faramir) are very strongly Dunedain and possibly intermarried with the old line of kings. In fact the “purity” and nobility of Denethor’s heritage is directly compared with Aragorn as a parallel and is a major thematic and plot point. All three have the Dunedain features, and Faramir in particular inherited the foresight and weird Dunedain minor magic shenanigans of his father Denethor. Boromir also pulled off some insane superhuman stuff in the manner of his death which is more in keeping with the Edain’s tradition of unexplained superhumans (Hurin and Turin). To be clear for anyone reading who doesn’t know House of Stewards Hurin is not the same as First Age superhuman Hurin I just mentioned.
The House of Imrazôr (Princes of Dol Amroth, the mother of Boromir and Faramir, and a member of a lesser branch was even the mother of Theoden), which even has elven blood and has a more major role in the books. The knights of Dol Amroth are all said to bear Dunedain features (tall, pale, grey eyed and black haired).
The Rangers of Ithilien, Faramir’s men, which are the former inhabitants of the region of Ithilien when it was firmly under Gondor’s control, are said to all strongly bear the Dunedain features.
It is in mountain regions like Lamedon that it is said that the Dunedain intermarried with the aboriginal hill and mountain men to a greater extent. Likely these regions were more populated by aboriginals, and the Dunedain who came by sea likely did not come in great numbers as compared to the coast and regions surrounding the capital Osgiliath and the twin cities of Minas Anor/Tirith and Minas Ithil/Morgul. These people are said to be swarthier, shorter, stockier, etc.
However for whatever reason, though these aforementioned examples have strong Dunedain blood, their lives are still shorter as compared to Aragorn who lived to 190-210 years old (not sure which one). So this implies some measure of intermarriage over time, though why Tolkien does not try to differentiate them physically from the Dunedain of the North to imply this I don’t know.
If we want to be really weird and into the blood purity stuff, we could say that Faramir fucked his bloodline up by marrying Eowyn 😂 though being generous she is a quarter Dunedain and with some elvish blood herself.
You guys have been my fave reactors I’ve seen! I love that you acknowledge Frodo also put in a lot of effort with the ring it was because of both Frodo and Sam and that you recognize the strength of boromir and faramir
Elrond is part elvish and part human. He and his twin brother were given the choice between living a human or elvish (immortal) life. He chose elvish and his brother chose human. His brother lived longer than most humans, as did his descendants (Aragorn was his descendant, hence the long life). But he died, and Elrond lost his brother. He’d also lost both parents and his wife. It’s understandable he’d struggle at his daughter wanting to chose a mortal life. Elrond has a fantastic and complex backstory
8:13 Grima is crying because he still, after all, is a Man of Rohan. Seeing this force means he sees his folk dead, hewn and wiped off the earth - something which he WILL not agree on. He is treacherous and powerhungry, but still a man that won't see his people fail, just like Faramir, Boromir and Aragorn.
23:50 an addition: Gimlis Actor (John Rhys-Davies) was known for REALLY hitting the stunt actors of Uruks with force instead of normal "acting hits". So the expression of that one URUK on the ladder is probably real pain :D
The instrument you may be loving a lot isn’t a violin! It’s a Nordic instrument called the Hardanger fiddle! (Norwegian: hardingfele) is a traditional stringed instrument considered to be the national instrument of Norway. In modern designs, this type of fiddle is very similar to the violin, though with eight or nine strings (rather than four as on a standard violin) and thinner wood.
The F-holes of the Hardanger fiddle are distinctive, oftentimes with a more “sunken” appearance, and generally straighter edges (unlike the frilly, swirly F-holes of a violin). Four of the strings are strung and played like a violin, while the rest, named understrings or sympathetic strings, resonate under the influence of the other four. These extra strings are tuned and secured with extra pegs at the top of the scroll, effectively doubling the length of a Hardingfele scroll when compared to a violin.
The sympathetic strings, once fastened to their pegs, are funneled through a “hollow” constructed fingerboard, which is built differently than a violin’s, being slightly higher and thicker to allow for these extra strings. The resonant strings lay on the center of the special bridge, attached to extra hooks (or fine-tuners) on the tailpiece. Carved out within the center of the bridge is a smaller secondary “bridge”, or opening, designed specifically for these resonant strings to pass through. This is where the resonance is picked up & reverberated; as notes are played, the vibrations are sent through the bridge, where the sympathetics echo those notes.
• The Hardingfele’s bridge is unique compared to other bowed instruments. It is somewhat taller and wider, resulting in the strings being slightly lower and farther apart; this allows for the easy execution of double-stops (playing of two strings at once). A similar technique is seen in some American old-time and bluegrass fiddlers, who intentionally move their bridge back a few millimetres closer to the tailpiece, for better double-stops.
The hardingfele is used mainly in the southwest part of Norway, whereas the ordinary violin (called flatfele, 'flat fiddle', or vanlig fele, 'common fiddle') is found elsewhere. The hardingfele is used for dancing, accompanied by rhythmic loud foot stomping. It was also traditional for the fiddler to lead the bridal procession to the church.
The instrument is often highly decorated, with a carved animal (usually a dragon or the Lion of Norway) or a carved woman's head as part of the scroll at the top of the pegbox, extensive mother of pearl inlay on the tailpiece and fingerboard, and black ink decorations called 'rosing' on the body of the instrument. Sometimes pieces of bone are used to decorate the pegs and the edges of the instrument.
The earliest known example of the hardingfele is from 1651, made by Ole Jonsen Jaastad in Hardanger, Norway. Originally, the instrument had a rounder, narrower body. Around the year 1850, the modern layout with a body much like the violin became the norm.
I love that youre both now having deep philosophical doscussions about tolkein. It shows how this story can change how you think about things in the real world
Great reaction. It's so enjoyable watching people get into these films for the first time. Can't wait for the next one. Hope you're feeling better Sophie x
I always look forward to the “Who’s HER?” moment in Two Towers reactions…
And you *did not* disappoint 😌🙏
Those creatures being ridden by the orcs are called Wargs, a breed of evil intelligent wolves. For whatever reason, they were given shorter snouts than actual wolves in this movie. In the books, there were no Warg Riders, but it is a cool addition to to this adaptation.
Fantastic reaction, guys!
That moment you commented on how respected and heroic Boromir was to his people is a great eye opener for many first time viewers (and one they often miss the importance of).
I forget where I heard it, but I was absolutely ROCKED when I heard it: imagine Boromir basically being Captain America. He’s an undisputed hero to his people. And he’s proven it. Not just as a fighter, but as a person. Now imagine Cap getting his mind warped and corrupted by that ring. You’d almost refuse to believe it. You’d hate it more for what it can do to such a good person.
First time reactors catch him in The Fellowship and only see his weakness. But you can see it as “the ring is too damn powerful, if even Boromir gets corrupted by it.” Don’t know if I quite captured the analogy correctly. But it’s always stuck with me.
Just as an FYI, "fell" has an additional, traditional meaning of "killed in combat". So when Gimli said "He fell." He didn't mean literally falling off the cliff, but that Aragorn was slain in battle. ♥
Also, Galadriel is Elrond's mother-in-law, thus Arwen's grandmother.
It's been really fun watching these reaction videos. I'm really impressed with how you both just "get it." I've watched these movies with a lot of first-timers, and usually I'm having to explain lots of things to people, but the two of you are understanding basically everything right away; remembering details, picking up on all of the subtleties, the symbolism, all that stuff. Can't wait to see what your thoughts were on RotK!
I've said this elsewhere in the comments, but we've also got to take to consideration how well educated Faramir is. We was literally a wizard's pupil. So he'd heard the stories of the creature Gollum. But Gollum is like a myth, no one is sure if he's still alive, where he is, if he was even real. Remember the archives that Gandalf consults in the Fellowship are IN Gondor. Faramir has no doubt come across them in his studies as well.
In fact, you see the dawning realization on Faramir's face as he starts to piece things together during Gollum's interrogation. The gangled form, the odd pattern of speech, the two personalities and then finally, "my precious." At that point, Faramir knows exactly who Gollum is and what he is capable of. This is not just a bully mistreating a small, possibly crafty creature.
This is a military captain, in the middle of a decades long war, who has seen Mordor from his window from the moment he was born, meeting a creature of legend that he knows to be malicious and ancient AND connected to the war he's been fighting his whole life. The same war that took his brother.
And then he sees that same creature leading two wide eyed, children like, folk heroes in the making towards a place that is equally ancient and malevolent.
You both have remembered so many details throughout these first two LOTR films that I am surprised that you did not recall who the elf was that led the elf army to Helm's Deep. He {Haldir} was the one who "arrested" Gimli in the forest and took all the Fellowship to be judged by Lady Galadrial.
Discovered your videos last night. I unapologetically love your reactions to the greatest movies made in my 45 years on this earth.
I think Elrond's attempts to persuade Arwen become more reasonable from a father's perspective when you learn about his family a bit more. Elrond is the son of Earendil and Elwing, who both travelled to Valinor millenia ago leaving him and his brother Elros alone. His brother chose a mortal life and died long ago in the Second Age. Elrond married Celebrian, the daughter of Celeborn and Galadriel, and had 3 children. His 2 sons don't feature in the movie, but they were alive but their fate is unknown. His wife was attacked and tortured by Orcs during travelling and was mentally destroyed by it, so she left to go to the Undying Lands to be in peace. When you think that his parents, his wife, and his brother have all been gone for centuries, you can understand why he might be anxious to not let his daughter go too.
Fun fact. The actor who did he voice of Treebeard is the same actor who plays Gimli. John Rhys Davies (who is also in Raiders of the Lost Ark)
When Mair says "what's that tear for" lolz the tear is of awe and mourning
The tear is because Grimma although he is power mad and evil, he still does not want the destruction of humans.
It is here he starts to have the 1st inklin of what he has done is wrong.
It's that "What have I done" moment
Sophie going hard to defend Smeagol is not something I ever thought I'd see 😂😂😂 another great review
Someone else said it better, but I also love the idea that Saruman had absolutely no idea about the ents- he just wakes up one morning, looks out the window and just stares... slaps himself a little to wake himself up, just... now there's trees breaking all his stuff.
That truly sucks about the headache. Being someone who has had lifelong headachs, of multiple kinds, I really feel for you. 🧡
You guys don't remember the elves from the first movie???
I'm finding your perceptiveness to be really interesting. Of those spots where one of you says something feels off or not right, most of them turn out to be things that were changed from book to film. Faramir, for instance, while being basically the same guy in the book, goes at things a different way there. He's calmer and more balanced, and doesn't get violent. The film emphasizes his fraught relationship with his dad, which makes him a bit jumpier and more sensitive and more liable to leap to conclusions. In the book, things were off between him and his dad too, but he dealt with it in a more fatalistic "well, it sucks but that's how it is" kind of way, so he's able to resist the temptation to get hold of the Ring (he knows instinctively that it won't help at all), and to deal more justly with Gollum. He still doesn't trust Gollum, he still isn't nice to him, but he doesn't beat on him, so in the book, Gollum's resentment comes more from the sense that Frodo betrayed him than from any real injury the men might have done to him. You picked up on how that just doesn't feel right, which I haven't seen other reactors do. :)
Thank you so much for making this channel and watching this movie! I love this movie and this franchise, but you have allowed me to watch it again for the first time! Thank you so much!!
Love it when you both debate each other lol Really enjoying this journey.
I love y’alls reaction. Whenever you immediately have to have a discussion about it, you know it’s good.
Elrond has been around for tens of thousands of years and his daughter is basically asking to stay behind on a doomed world. Elrond 100% can point out how upset he will be to lose her to darkness. Hes NOT manipulating her in the slightest for selfish reasons he cares for her more than most mortals can comprehend. Even aragorn was like yeah she should go because this world might be fucked.
You know what else is crazy? That WHOLE flashback scene with Boromir wasn’t in the theatrical version.
Come on guys upload the next one quicker than this one, love your reaction so much and I can't wait!!
There's so much subtle art going in that people miss the first time through talking things out and trying to talk it out. I would watch it again off camera and catch more of it.
I just love how Sophie has forever changed their names to Soulorn and Bowlomere.
Y'all reactions and commentary is fire! This LotR watch got yall a new fan!
When you said it’s not about when the movie came out it’s about who made it, regarding the quality, you nailed it. Y’all should look into how they made these because it’s crazy
The Elves that came to help in Helms Deep were from Lothlorian, where the Elf Witch Galadriel lives. The elf who was in the front was Haldir, who if you remember from the last movie, was the one who greeted them after Gandalf fell and took them to see Galadriel. He was the one who said, "The Dwarf breathes so loud we could have shot him in the dark..." 😂
Dude, I watched that battle in the cinema. I was sweating rivers on that chair.
Yall are smart!! So good at dissecting the story and paying attention to detail 🙌🏻 great reaction
Sophie thanks for taking one for the team ❤
I love how sharp these two are. This girl is my favorite analyzer now!
Keep in mind that the Ring has its relationship with everyone it comes into contact with. There’s a range of power it possesses everyone that looks upon it, touches it and even be in it’s presence. Gollum is sometimes Sméagol and Sméagol is sometimes Gollum. It’s up to the Ring.
Note that in the beginning, Gandalf backed off touching it because the Eye traces it like a beacon or signal. Notice how the Nazgûl respond every time Frodo uses it. Through the Ring the evil visits you. The Queen Elf just glanced upon it and it tempted her yet, like Gandalf, her better angel, so to speak, won out. Tolkien must have understood indigenous cultures, in that it’s not good luck to touch or steal personal belongings because within them may lie the owners spirit, living or dead. This is why most bury the items with the dead. In particular, jewelry.
I found you two TODAY. I just binged LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring and the part 1 & 2 of the Two Towers. I can tell by your reactions and the things you said that you really are into these movies. Sophie is spot on with her opinions, theories, thinking, etc. I really enjoyed your videos. I will watch your videos for The Return of the King tomorrow…and others in the future. I will like and subscribe!👏👏👏
The animal the Black Rider is riding is technically a wyvern (two legs plus wings), not a dragon (four legs plus wings), and is called a Fell Beast (“fell” is an old word in English for “deadly”). In the book the flying beasts they rode were actually _pterodactyls_ .
Grima crying is just him as a human realizing that the side he backed was about to wipe clean the history of the people he was a part of his whole life and didn’t believe the force infront of him was possible
He's _finally_ realised that he's on the wrong side, but there is no way for him to go back.
The beasts ridden by the orcs are "wargs". In the book, they are a type of "super wolf" but in the movie they look a lot like hyenas.
man what I would do to watch these movies for the first time again! I've seen them so many times and every time they are just as good as I remember and sometimes even better after knowing more about the lore. but nothing beats witching it for the first time! Great reactions guys!