*BETTER THAN I REMEMBER!!* The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | PART 1 | (reaction/review)

[@rikk319]

Aragorn is never romantically interested in Eowyn, though I think, with his belief that Arwen is departing for the Blessed Realm of Valinor, that he's likely never going to marry Arwen. It's a bit of a temptation for Aragorn, seeing the obviously-smitten, brave, honorable Eowyn there for him to snap up. But his loyalty to Arwen is too strong, even when he thinks he'll never see his elf lady again. It's nice that Peter Jackson never shows Aragorn leading Eowyn on, but always being very protective and gentle with her in rebuffing her attempts to show she's available. He's a true gentleman, and no surprise Eowyn fell for him so hard.

[@siennamorgan6963]

Just give Aragorn to MEEEEEE

[@rikk319]

After drinking Treebeard's ent-draughts, Merry and Pippin were later known as two of the tallest hobbits in Shire history. That stuff really worked!

[@michaelminch5490]

I'm still kinda mad that we didn't get to see Treebeard's home, Wellinghall.

[@resathe6760]

Because you asked if Gollum swearing on the ring would actually work. Oaths are very real and powerful in this world. Feanor and his sons swore an oath back in Valinor after Morgoth stole the Silmarils. They swore to go after and kill everyone who would steal or keep a Silmaril from them and to never abandon that task until they are all back with them. The consequences of this oath were three kinslayings and all of them died in pursuit of this oath (except for Maglor most likely but he probably went insane). So Gollum swearing on the Ring and then breaking his oath is probably what killed him in the end.

[@liljenborg2517]

And (spoiler alert) swearing an oath to fight Sauron is why the men of the mountain linger as ghosts on the Paths of the Dead until they fulfill that oath fighting with Aragorn.

[@resathe6760]

@@liljenborg2517 yes, exactly. (There's no need for spoiler warnings, he has seen the films before :))

[@BeteBlanc]

Indeed. Because this is a world where divine power is overt, when you swear by a divine power it holds you to it. Faenor didn't just swear to do it, he invoked the actual creator of the universe when he did it. Just as the men under the mountain did. It was god himself who wouldn't let them leave the world until their oath was fulfilled. Smeagol's oath and fate comes in two parts. First is swearing by the ring, which is the power of a maiar. The second isn't actually included in the movie, unfortunately. Before the Black Gate, Frodo tells him explicitly that should he try to take the ring Frodo would command him to jump into the fire. Smeagol swore to obey and the ring had to hold him to his vow. Frodo then gives his command which the ring was bound to enforce. The ring was thus forced to ensure the action that destroyed itself. In a world where don't believe in divine consequences it's a bit harder to understand how dangerous it is to invoke a oath you can't back out of.

[@nicholaspeters9919]

And swearing on the Ring itself is just a bad idea. You know it’s gonna take that as an opportunity to screw you over.

[@Chubarrk]

The Entwives were lovers of more meadow-y plants rather than the wild forests of Fangorn, so decided to live apart from the Ents other than to continue their people. Their lands are now known as the Brown Lands, and exist to the north of the Dead Marshes. Tolkien speculates that Sauron destroyed them during the original war in the Second Age, but mentions of walking trees are common in the Shire, which Treebeard confirms that they would love.

[@jalcome4201]

dont say it, DONT SAY IT "....did u know?" AAARGH

[@bitterzombie]

While often overshadowed by the others, Two Towers is honestly my favorite. It's full of so many great character moments, and is actually able to maintain rising action the whole way through- really difficult for such a long movie.

[@rikk319]

The battle the Dead Marshes are named for was the one just before the battle where the Ring was cut from Sauron's hand. The humans and elves assaulted the Black Gate, defeated Sauron and his forces, but there were lots of casualties. There aren't any actual bodies in the water, but just images of those who died there. The marsh wasn't so big back then, but over the centuries it expanded to eventually cover the battlefield.

[@steel58836]

Since no one has given the reason for the Rohirrim kicking the Dunlendings out of Rohan, I shall: 500 years before this, the people of the Anduin (with the help of the Lady Galadriel) crossed Lothloriens lands and went down to help the then King of Gondor. And the reward for them was the King of Gondor giving the land to the future people of Rohan, and that meant kicking out the current people who would turn into the future Wildmen of Dunland

[@liljenborg2517]

The plains of Rohan used to be part of Gondor. It's a gap between the southern end of the Misty Mountains and the northern shoulder of the White Mountains. Gondor built both Isenguard and the fortress that would become Helm's Deep to guard this passage between Eriador (the lands west of the Misty Mountains) and Rhovanion (the lands east of the Misty Mountains) and the road that led north to Gondor's northern sister-kingdom of Arnor. But as Arnor broke apart over the millennia and then was mostly conquered by Angmar and its "Witch King", and as Gondor was forced to focus on invasions from the East and South (and a terrible plague that depopulated whole villages and towns), the Gap was largely abandoned, not that many people had ever dwelt there. It was - as the American prairies used to be, lands where mostly wild herds of cows and horses grazed and semi-nomadic herdsmen watch over them. The men of Dunland (who lived mostly west of the Misty Mountains) were able to slowly spread eastward into the wide grasslands now that Gondor was too focused elsewhere and had too few men to care much about it. When Eorl the Young brought his cavalry south from northern reaches of the Great River to assist Gondor (who was getting their butts kicked by Hun-like invaders from the East), the Steward of Gondor gave the region to the Eorlingas (the people of Eorl - which is their word for themselves). The Gondorians called them "Horse Lords" or "Rohirrim" and the gap became known as Rohan (the land of the Horse Lords). The Dunlendings who had been encroaching into the gap from the west hadn't liked the Numemorians when they first showed up waaaay back in the Second Age, and now their encroachment into the lands Gondor had abandoned was curtailed by this new group of people, who had herds and herds of horses they let graze all over the Dundlendings favorite cattle grazing grounds. It set up a couple of wars between the two peoples. The fortress of Helm's Deep (originally built by Gondor) was named "Helm's deep" when Helm the Hammer Hand (he fought unarmed - and could kill men with a single punch) the seventh King of Rohan was overrun by Dunlendings from the west and men out of the East and retreated to the fortress. Helm and his children died in the siege and Helm's nephew Frealaf became the eighth king. It was the Sauruman appearing at Frealaf's coronation to offer support that ended the war. The Dunlendings had occupied Isenguard and were using it as their main base to attack Rohan (though they couldn't actually get into the tower of Orthanc in the center of the fortress). The Steward of Gondor cleaned Isengard out and gave Saruman the keys to Orthanc and he took up residence there. That ended the Dunlendings wars to reclaim Rohan - though they would regularly raid across the borders. So, it's actually a bit ironic that Saruman would inflame their old hatreds, overstate how "oppressed" they were by playing into their view that the Rohirrim had "stolen" Rohan from them, when it was never really theirs in the first place, and use them in his war to conquer Rohan and become part of Sauron's plan to surround Gondor with Enemies.

[@johnwalters1341]

At 31:00, in the book, Treebeard explains in much more detail how the Entwives were lost. The Ents loved the deep woods and the tall trees, while the Entwives loved the smaller shrubs and flowers and made gardens to dwell in. As a result, the Ents and Entwives seldom saw one another. The war seen in the Prologue to FOTR swept over the Entwives' gardens and destroyed them; they now were called the Brown Lands and lay east of the Great River Anduin. When the Ents went in search of the Entwives, nobody could tell them which way they had gone.

[@rikk319]

Gandalf did die slaying the balrog...his physical form at least, since he's a maiar, an angel. He was sent back directly by Eru Illuvatar (essentially God) to finish his task of inspiring the forces of good and replace the failed Saruman as the head of the order of Istari (wizards).

[@denanebergall5514]

The Gollem vs. Smeagol is like someone having an argument with their depression.

[@helenwright413]

1000%

[@johnwalters1341]

At 11:25 you ask, "They're cousins, aren't they?" Eomer and Eowyn are cousins of Theodred, the king's son. Their mother was Theodwyn, Theoden's younger sister.

[@rikk319]

Eomer and Eowyn are brother and sister. Theodred was their cousin, and son of Theoden. Eowyn and Eomer's mother was Theoden's younger sister. When their parents died, Theoden essentially adopted them. In the book, before they ride off to war in Gondor, Theoden names Eomer his heir, and if Eomer dies, too, Eowyn will be queen of Rohan.

[@johnwalters1341]

At 37:55 you ask, "I love that even a different language--is it Elven, maybe?" Peter Jackson & Co. don't have time to get into the weeds here, but in the book the Rohirrim speak their own language, not the Westron or Common Tongue spoken in other parts of the West. Tolkien translates this Rohan tongue as Old English or Anglo-Saxon (the song Eowyn was singing at Theodred's burial is in Old English). The leaders of the Rohirrim like Theoden and Eowyn can also speak the Westron. In this scene Aragorn is speaking Anglo-Saxon to Brego. In his youth Aragorn served Theoden's father Thengel and later served in disguise in the army of Gondor, where he rose to high rank.

[@rikk319]

The hobbit language is also related to the language of Rohan, as both their ancestors once lived near each other in the Vale of Anduin.

[@rikk319]

Remember--when Aragorn suggests to ride out to Theoden, and Theoden slaps him back verbally...that Aragorn is 87 years old, and rode to battle under disguise with Theoden's father. He's much older, wiser, and more experienced in war...but Theoden is dealing with his son's death and the assault by Saruman's forces on his border, and reacts with a fair amount of emotion rather than logic.

[@dargalanaflitanip7356]

I was at the Liverpool Comic Con Bernard Hill was meant to attend the weekend he passed. A good number of the other Lord of the Rings cast members were there and a lot of con goers were complaining about how the actors seemed standoffish, tired, or out of it when they had their moment to meet them. My guess is that they (cast) had just learned of their friend's passing but had to put on a front and keep quiet about it which is utterly heart breaking. I didn't meet any of the cast (it was costly) but I did see Elijah Wood at a distance. Dude looks about 25 years old even in person 😂

[@emmerrick4563]

I met them all in Liverpool and they made some comments about Bernard. What lovely amazing people they are

[@johnwalters1341]

At 41:02 look closely, and you'll discover that Smeagol has bigger pupils than Gollum. It's a nice touch. In the book Smeagol's eyes glowed pale, while Gollum's eyes glowed green.

[@JoeMama410]

In the book Aragorn is still devoted to Arwen who has no intention of leaving, so Eowyn’s feelings are not reciprocated.

[@pepperje11y]

Her feelings aren't reciprocal in the movies either. He's always only for Arwin.

[@JoeMama410]

@@pepperje11y I felt like PJ made it more ambiguous. Aragorn thought Arwen had left for Valinor, so when Eowyn expresses romantic interest he gives her subtle signs of reciprocal interest. It isn't until Elrond comes gives him Anduril that he realizes that hope is not lost for himself and Arwen.

[@kirara2516]

All 3 movies were shot back to back in New Zealand.

[@mevb]

Viggo Mortensten (Aragorn), Orlando Bloom (Leoglas) and Brett Beattie (Gimli's scale and stunt double) had injuries when they ran across Rohan. Viggo broke two toes when he kicked the helmet later in the movie (which is why he was screaming but he used it for the scene), Orlando fell of a horse during the warg fight and Beattie fell over him, breaking a rib and Brett had dislocated his knee. Yet they ran for miles (in total) across Rohan, often being filmed from a helicopter. After every take they would grunt and groan. Director Peter Jackson called the three The Walking Wounded.

[@scaredscorpion]

The guy letting Gandalf through with his staff (Hama) did so on purpose. You can see he stops the guards attacking once Gandalf gets to Theoden. In the books he explicitly knows a wizards staff isn't just a walking stick, so i think this was their way of adapting that situation.

[@johnwalters1341]

At 29:40, the action in the book is rather different: "The drink was like water...and yet there was some scent or savour in it which they could not describe...The effect of the draught began at the toes, and rose steadily through every limb...right to the tips of the hair. Indeed the hobbits felt that the hair on their heads was actually standing up, waving and curling and growing." Later in the story Sam estimates that they have both grown by three inches.

[@HomeBrewHistoryandLore]

That "did you know" was great. Youre definitely a LOTR fan!.. I have a request as well! Could you do a reaction to middle earth lore videos? I think you would love them!

[@krisfrederick5001]

Watching the first movie with a friend who had read the books as sort of a guide, I liked it, but still didn't fully appreciate it's genius. When my bassist showed me this the next year, I completely fell in love forever with the lore, the characters and it all came together. It's in some ways my favorite being in the midst of the journey and increases exponentially in scale and intensity. The Rohirrim flag falling in the wind wasn't planned but so poetic and perfect. And Aragorn wasn't supposed to break his foot. Great pain makes great art. so they say.

[@ronweber1402]

Treebeard was not necessarily sleeping all that time it's that they don't care about the goings on in the world outside the forest. The battle that left the dead in the Dead Marshes was from the First War of the Ring that you saw in the opening of Fellowship of the Ring.

[@marlainalindsey3279]

The man that plays the creep that is poisoning the kings mind is Brad Douriff❤ Brad Douriff is also the voice of Chucky

[@garybassin1651]

Brad Dourif was also nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actor for his role in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest".

[@marlainalindsey3279]

@@garybassin1651 He is a fantastic actor

[@shainewhite2781]

Nominated for 6 Oscars including Best Picture but won for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Mixing

[@johnwalters1341]

At 38:42, Grima's description of Aragorn's ring is correct, although it's hard to see how he could have scrutinized it in such detail. Maybe when he was spitting on his hand? Incidentally, the Ring of Barahir is one of the oldest human artifacts around, dating to the First Age. Barahir was the father of Beren, who loved Luthien Tinuviel--Aragorn sings of her in FOTR. It was worn by all the Kings of Arnor and was passed from father to son all down their line, most lately to Aragorn himself.

[@rikk319]

Yes, when he was spitting on it. There was a scene cut, a different spitting scene, where Grima takes a lingering look at Aragorn's ring as he offers his hand to help Grima up.

[@JoeMama410]

The Ring of Barahir was brought over from Valinor by Finrod, so it is literally older than the Sun.

[@rikk319]

Tolkien said he took the deep plodding voice and personality for Treebeard from his good friend and fellow fantasy author C. S. Lewis.

[@leslie2149]

This whole trilogy is fantastically done and there are many great scenes (the Gollum/Smegol argument being one) but these movies also have several very small bits that just give me chills every time. In this movie it's when Frodo call Gollum Smegol and the change that comes over Gollums face; the change in the eyes, it just blows me away. The character may be CGI but you can see the change in his eyes! The first time he's heard his real name in god knows how long. Such fantastic acting. Thank-you for reacting to these with us.

[@rikk319]

Those trolls moving the Black Gate looked chained up, but the films make them appear more animalistic. In the books most trolls were less bestial and more cunning and could speak...I wouldn't call them very smart, but they were intelligent enough to wear armor and take orders.

[@lauren-rosemckee835]

Would love to visit Hobbiton one day. NZ is on my bucket list anyway but this would be the cherry on top of the cake😊

[@alextu_Music]

It's worth noting that Rohan's army operates on a Three-Marshal system. King Theoden serves are First Marshal, his son Theodred is Second Marshal, and the King's nephew Eomer is Third Marshal. The First Marshal is responsible for mustering Rohan's military and preparing for war. The Second and Third Marshals' roles are not clearly defined, and are based on how the First Marshal delegates tasks and responsibilities. By taking over the King's mind, Saruman ensures that Theoden is unable to pass his Marshal role to another. Since Theoden is 66 years old at this time, his extreme aging and absence of mind could be seen by the people of Rohan as the result of natural causes. By killing Theodred and exiling Eomer (in the books, Eomer is imprisoned), Saruman and Grima are able to ensure their invasion into Rohan will be met with little to no resistance, since there will be no Marshals to muster the Rohirrim. The Dunlendings (the people at the beginning swearing allegiance to Saruman) have a long history of conflict with Rohan, going as far back as the kingdom's founding. Long ago, the ancestors of the Rohirrim - the Eotheod - saved Gondor in a time of dire need. Out of gratitude, the Steward Cirion granted all the lands of Calenardhon to the Eotheod. The Lord of the Eotheod, Eorl the Young, accepts - becoming the first King of Rohan. Both these rulers would swear an oath of perpetual friendship between their two kingdoms, pledging to aid each other in times of need. The Dunlendings believe the lands of Calenardhon should have been given to them, so they see the Rohirrim as usurpers. One notable conflict in Rohan's history is a war with the Dunlendings, from which Helm - the 9th King of Rohan - earns his moniker Hammerhand and the fortress of the Suthburg is renamed to Helm's Deep. The story of the Ents and Entwives is a sad one. Though they considered each other the same people, the Ents and Entwives lived separately. The Ents preferred living in forests, such as Fangorn, while the Entwives preferred gardens and fields. However, they would make the journey to visit each other whenever they felt the desire. In the Second Age, the Entwives lived in a garden east of the Anduin river. During the War of the Last Alliance, Sauron scorched the earth where the Entwives lived in an effort to delay the Last Alliance's march to Mordor. After the war, the Ents went to visit the Entwives only to find a barren wasteland. They searched long and far, but never found what happened to the Entwives. By the time the events of the Lord of the Rings happen, it has been over 3000 years since the Ents had seen any Entwives. The scene of Aragorn stopping Theoden from killing Grima is a movie change. One that I don't really agree with. In the book, it's Theoden who offers Grima a chance at redemption - either ride to war alongside Rohan or be exiled. Aragorn doesn't say or do anything about it because, well, he's not the King of Rohan. Also, in the book, Theoden does not immediately go to Helm's Deep. He actually does try to deal with Saruman's invasion, leading a force - including Aragorn - and marching directly toward Isengard. However, they would be driven back at the river Isen and forced to take refuge at Helm's Deep.

[@parissimons6385]

In the books (The Two Towers, and in Unfinished Tales), Ceorl, a rider in the forces of Rohan that had defended the Fords of Isen, survived the lost battle and escaped riding toward Edoras, encountered Theoden's force riding toward the fords. He reported on the second battle of the Fords of Isen and that Saruman's forces had overwhelmed the Rohirrim who were there. Gandalf then counsels Theoden to ride to Helm's Deep. Gandalf rides on Shadowfax to find Erkenbrand's forces scattered during the battle at the fords, advising them to regroup and march to Helm's Deep. Gandalf then rides to meet Treebeard/Fangorn at Isengard and negotiates to have huorns from Fangorn Forest to come to Helm's Deep, too.

[@rikk319]

Correct, the Nazgul can't die unless their rings or the One Ring is destroyed. Of all the rings of power, only the three elven rings were not directly made by Sauron.

[@johnwalters1341]

At 10:00, the Dunlendings used to live in the area now the Kingdom of Rohan. The land was then called Calenardhon, and it was the northern province of Gondor. Cirion, the Steward of Gondor, gave Calenardhon to the Rohirrim as a reward for their services in defeating an army of Easterlings (we'll be seeing another army of Easterlings shortly) that had invaded Gondor from the north. The leader of the Rohirrim , Eorl the Young, became the first King of the Mark of Rohan. This was 500 years ago, but the Dunlendings still resented the coming of the Rohirrim, a resentment which Saruman inflamed. In the movie, the Dunlendings burn the Westfold Vale, but in the book they also join the Uruk-hai in the Battle of Helm's Deep.

[@tinahastie]

16:03 I don't mean to brag but I broke my toe kicking a brick (accidently) and the only word that I said was "ouch". No screaming or anything 😂💪🏻 but dang it hurt!!!

[@whitewolf7075]

I just said “well shit that’s broken” and a couple painful inhales until I had to play goalie with a broken toe.

[@rikk319]

There was no exorcism of Theoden in the books, but the film scene is more enjoyable. Theoden was something like 72 in the books, but they couldn't ask an actor that age to do riding and fighting scenes, so they aged him down, hired Bernard Hill to play him, and the rest is history. RIP Theoden King!

[@jpiccone1]

Bernard Hill was such an amazing actor - between this role and Titanic...

[@Suzy-nq2yc]

Cold Mountain please! Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Cilian Murphy, and so many more! It’s a beautiful amazing movie

[@Legionnaire_625]

The battle in the Dead Marshes is one of the many battles fought by the Last Alliance on their approach to Mordor. The Nazgûl live so long as Sauron has presence on Middle-Earth, and so long as the Ring exists, Sauron will always have that presence

[@rikk319]

There isn't time in the films, but Aragorn and Eomer become great friends, supporting one another in later wars. Eomer and Gimli also slowly develop a strong respect. Some of the original story's humor is left out over Eomer saying shady stuff about Galadriel out of ignorance, and Gimli (of all people) stepping up to defend Galadriel's honor. To be short, Gimli states that Galadriel is the most beautiful of all women in the world, and Eomer suggests that someday he might be able to tell for himself. Gimli says that, on that day, if Eomer doesn't say Galadriel is fairest of all women, they'll duel over it. In the book Eomer is at the battle of Helm's Deep, and he and Gimli do a good bit of fighting together against the orcs. Finally, at Aragorn and Arwen's wedding in Minas Tirith, towards the end of the book, Galadriel, Celeborn, and Elrond show up, and Gimli asks now if Eomer thinks Galadriel is the most beautiful woman in the world. Eomer says she isn't, and Gimli apologizes and says he has to go grab his axe for their duel. But Eomer asks Gimli to wait a moment, and says he would have named Galadriel fairest of all...except he's now seen Arwen (who is Galadriel's granddaughter) and names her the fairest of all women, and will fight for that. Gimli accepts Eomer's claim, and they agree to disagree.

[@Mars-l9b]

The guy who plays Grima Wormtongue (Brad Dourif) is one of my favorite actors. Was delighted to see him in one of my favorite game franchises too: Myst! (Specifically, Myst 3)

[@Twilyhtmist]

At about the 21 minute mark when you asked about where all the bodies came from - the dead marshes is THE SITE of where the battle for middle earth originally happened, back when the ring was still on Sauron's finger. The fact that there was so many dead bodies left behind and you can still see their faces and skin looking relatively intact speaks to a specific "preserving quality" in or of the environment itself, and the EXTREMELY slow breakdown of matter there (remember, that battle took place 2500 years prior, as narrated by Galandriel at the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring!). So that would be why its a dead marsh BEYOND all the obvious dead bodies - because a healthy decomposition rate is what creates available biomaterial for life to thrive in general; and it also explains why Gollum was complaining about there being literally no bugs, fish or birds to be seen (or caught for food) for 3 days. I personally wonder if part of that 'preserving energy' for the dead marshes is due to some magical aftereffect of the destruction of Sauron, when his lifeforce exploded out and blasted a couple mile wide radius on the battlefield... sort of like a toxic magical energy signature left behind - similar to the radiation half life after a nuclear detonation.

[@rikk319]

There were no bodies in the water. In the book Gollum specifically states he tried to reach and grab one (he was probably hungry, ew), and that they are mere images in the water. I do agree with the hypothesis that Sauron's evil or the general vibe of death and sorrow in the place likely kept the marsh clear of animals.

[@mogwiawolf4354]

Grew up watching it and love it and once more love the Uruk Hai especially their loyalty to their master then the orks

[@michaelminch5490]

Gandalf's sword was named Glamdring, The Foe-Hammer. It was originally wielded by Turgon, High King of the Elven city of Gondolin in Beleriand, in the First Age (the War of the Ring takes place at the end of the Third Age). Its maker is unknown, but it was forged to fight, and destroy, creatures of Morgoth (such as the Balrog), the first Dark Lord and Sauron's master. During his fight against the Balrog, each time Glamdring struck, it inflicted a great deal of damage. Glamdring is well over six thousand years old. Frodo's sword, Sting, shares a similar lineage.

[@homersimpsonsfatguyhat9541]

I remember watching this soon after its release in a theater. I think everyone in the audience was silent and still watching Gollum crawl down the cliff face. I think my mouth was hanging open.

[@tinahastie]

Yaaaaay!! Great way to spend the end of my Saturday night! 🌻🤗 Thank you!

[@jacksonkerr2095]

15:53 - when Viggo (Aragorn) kicked the orc head he ended up breaking his toes. They tried several takes and the idea was to get the fake head to fly right by the camera. Agreeing that another take would do it, Viggo kicked the head once more. His yell seems to be from grief, but the sensation of breaking his toes lent to his performance as well.

[@kaleehall6271]

my absolute favorite out of the three!! i’m really enjoying re-watching these with you☺️

[@JeM130177]

ROTK is my favourite but TTT is probably the one I’ve seen the most! My dad and I used to watch it almost every week for a while when I was younger 😂

[@nathancruz9172]

23:46 it’s good to have Gandalf back. 34:20 🪦 Bernard Hills. 41:14-41:24 gollum on the other hand, he has a split personality disorder as he talks to himself.

[@rikk319]

The lore behind the wild men attacking Rohan's border: Those people are called Dunlendings, and live in a territory adjacent to Rohan called Dunland. Once they lived in what is now called Rohan, but it was land that was part of Gondor (we're talking many hundreds of years ago but still after the time Gondor was ruled by a steward, since the last king had died long before). At that past time, there was a terrible plague that reduced the population of Gondor, and made it weaker militarily. It was invaded by people from the east, and the ancestors of the Rohirrim just happened to show up and rout the invaders, saving Gondor. The Rohirrim were more a nomadic people then. In gratitude, the steward of Gondor granted them the land that would become Rohan. When the Rohirrim moved in, they drove out the Dunlendings, leading to centuries of bad blood between the two peoples. Sarruman just took advantage of that simmering hatred in the Dunlendings. In the book, Dunlendings were at the siege of Helm's Deep, too. They surrendered at the end of the battle, though, and the Rohirrim spared them.

[@jacksonkerr2095]

30:52 In the book the conversation between Merry, Pippin and Treebeard about the Ent-wives is longer. Treebeard talks about how there used to be many ents. The Ents themselves took care of the trees and forests. However, the Entwives became more interested with other living things, such as animals. Over the years the Entwives began to wander further and further afield until it came to a point where the Ents and Entwives no longer saw one another. When the Ents finally decided that they were going to find the Entwives again it was too late - they had wandered far enough that the Ents could not find them, didn't know where to look. There were no longer any Entings (Ent-children) and the Ents and Entwives were now separated. Before leaving Merry and Pippin promise to let Treebeard know if they hear any rumors. When they return to the Shire other hobbits take note that Merry and Pippin are tall, now, for Hobbits, taller than the rest of them.

[@bravedragon3157]

15:20 if you watch the left side of the screen real quick, you can see Eomer's sword fall out of his sheath. Its a funny thing I noticed while re-watching my copy.

[@Ryne_Barrow]

Off Topic MOVIE SUGGESTIONS!!!!!! --------------- Horror/Suspense: Cry Wolf, Along Came A Spider or You’re Next Comedy: The New Guy, Guess Who or Just Married Tearjerker: Midnight Sun, John Q or Charlie St Cloud Feel-Good(ish): We Bought A Zoo, Patch Adams or Serendipity Action: Negotiator, Enough or Double Jeopardy Animated: Rio 2, Turning Red or Brother Bear

[@tinahastie]

Another great tearjerker: My Girl 😭

[@sassylittleprophet]

Another good horror film: A Tale of Two Sisters. It's a Korean horror film, my favorite horror film, and one of my favorite *films* of all time.

[@SebastianBeckerPhoto]

The battle at the dead marshes was the battle in the prologue of the fellowship. The battle for middle earth.

[@moniquenew]

I hardly comment on your vids, but I absolutely love watching along with you. Hope to join the Patreon soon. Love these lord of the rings videos. It’s so nostalgic 🥰

[@pendorran]

Bernard Hill was a fantastic actor. I remember some of his earlier character roles, before 'Titanic'.

[@multilicus5773]

For me "Fellowship" was the fairytale part of the trilogy, "Return" was the climactic conclusion and "Two Towers" was the best of the three movies.

[@jacksonkerr2095]

32:02 - The flag ripping off of the pole was actually an accident. With the wind coming in as they filmed, whatever was holding it in place wasn't enough. But it was so good, so appropriate for what was going on, that Peter Jackson left it in. Incredible.

[@johnwalters1341]

At 8:00, the Gimli of the movies has it worse than the Gimli of Tolkien's book. He writes, "Often in their hearts they thanked the Lady of Lorien for the gift of lembas, for they could eat of it and find new strength even as they ran." The Three Dudes of the book had to stop and rest at night, in order to avoid losing the trail of their enemies, which doesn't seem to be a problem in the movie.

[@earthgrazer5511]

I love how this film was more about chill moments that patiently showed us the characters' personalities. Even the Uruk-hais and regular Orcs got theirs. The establishing shots and worldbuilding work well in showing us what's at stake and made us believe in the protagonists' journey. Enjoyed this one thoroughly! It's a good build up for what's to come. SO SEATED FOR THE NEXT PARTS. (Unlike you, I was allowed to watch this at a fairly young age HAHAH so this stirred up some childhood nostalgia. Surprisingly, the scenes that never left me were those wholesome ones.)

[@lillim.5060]

Regarding your comment about the mutliple personalities being a coping mechanism: There is a video by cinema therapy on Smeagol that explains how the closest diagnosis for him is Dissociative Identity Disorder, which at its core is indeed the development of multiple alters as a coping mechanism due to extreme trauma, though usually in early childhood. In general I can highly recommend their videos on LOTR, they have a few very interesting ones on different themes. You might also remember the channel name from being recommended for videos about Twighlight xD

[@HannibalFan52]

Fun Fact #1: John Rhys-Davies (Gimli) also provided the voice of Treebeard. Fun Fact #2: The Calling of Shadowfax was accomplished in one take.

[@elindayana8174]

PLEASE REACT TO DISNEY'S "ENCHANTED"!!! 😍🔥💕

[@jacquie2004]

Aragorn is devoted to Arwen. He is kind, wise, but fails utterly to see that Eowyn is falling in love with him until it's too late, and he knows he WILL break her heart, which he deeply regrets.

[@mistermadhh7726]

@23:33 Interesting fact: Gandalf is speaking at the beginning with the voice of Christopher Lee (Saruman)

[@soraceant]

Always give it to us raw and wriggling!

[@mevb]

When Aragorn cams Brego, he first speaks in Rohirric (which is Old English) but when switches to Sindarin (the more common elvish language, Quenya is an older language mostly uses for spells, it's kind of Latin for elves).

[@JeM130177]

It’s all New Zealand 😊

[@mevb]

The transformation of Théoden from really old to his younger form was just a morph through differen stages of make up. In the very old and sickly form, Bernard Hill didn't want to have prosthetics as he thought they hindered his performance so an older technique called stipple make-up where you streched the skin, putting on latex and those becomes wrinkles when the skin is relaxed. He had contacts to give the eyes that milky look that old people have but they didn't look convincing so they were digiatally painted.

[@iron-thorne]

"Are those trolls there against their will?" If we're being honest the only being who wants to live in Mordor is Sauron...

[@aeris_zaeleria9722]

Gandalf is a demigod taking the form of an old man. He's not limited by his physical condition at all. Falling off the bridge with the balrog was to ensure it would not reclaim the ring or else endanger the fellowship.

[@mevb]

The scene where Merry and Pippin gets captured by a willow Huorn and gets swallowed by it but Treebeard makes it go by saying "Away with you! You should nto be awaken! Eat earth, dig deep, drink water! Go to sleep! Away with you!" comes from The Fellowship book where The Hobbits goes through The Old Forrest in Crickhollow near the boarder to Bree and this happens to Merry and Pippin, being captured the same way by a Huorn called Old Man Willow. A strange man in blue clothes and hat named Tom Bombadill comes along and when Frodo and Sam runs up to him and begs for his help, he turns to Old Man Willow saying the exact words like Treebeard does in the movie and it lets them go. Writer Philpa Boyens said in the behind the scenes doucmentary that Tom probably wouldn't mind if Treebeard took his lines.

[@Little-Dude]

The memes from this movie are on another level, lmao.

[@mevb]

In the Second Age when Sauron declared war after making he One Ring, he attacked the gardens of The Entwives which was located south of Mirkwood, which made the Entwives flee and the place became The Brown Lands. The Entwives disappeared and no one knew what happened to them or where they went to. In the Fellowship book, it is hinted at that at least one Entwife were in The Shire as Sam tells at The Green Dragon pub that his cousin saw a tree that was moving one night but the other hobbits brushed it off as nonsense and thought the cousin was drunk that night. Though it could have been an Ent searching for an Entwife or even a Huorn (Fangorn Forrest used to spread from where The Shire was located in Eriador, but Sauron's forces destroyed those parts, along with Númenórean ship builders who cut down the trees for building ships with). The Old Forest used to be part of Fangorn Forrest so it's not farfetched that Entwifes, Ents of Huorns are still around, though in small numbers.

[@antoinetteserrano3082]

I believe the swamp is the remnants from the first war that’s seen in the opening of the first movie

[@cp368productions2]

No the smartest thing Pippin does is convince Treebeard to take them south so he would see what Saruman has done to the forest. No, Pippin and Merry both were taller than other Hobbits from drinking the Ent Drafts but neither became Ents. Pippin when he died was eventually buried alongside Aragorn, he remained a Knight of Gondor. Merry also remained a Knight of Rohan and also was buried alongside Aragorn. The Dead Marshes is the battlefield of The Last Alliance where Isildor cut the ring from Sauron's hand. It's the dead from that battle that are in the water.

[@pepperje11y]

To be fair, he likely didn't know Gandalf was a wizard and that wasnt a walking stick. There were only 5 and only 3 of them known and no one knew he had died and been reborn as Gandalf the White.

[@brianmatthews1736]

Gandalf didn't "lose" the battle with the Balrog because he was old. No, no....the Balrog was at the same level as him in the world. A Balrog is a maiar same as Gandalf is, and as we see in this movie, Gandalf eventually kills, and after the Balrog falls after being killed the Balrog's body actually is destroyed as well. Gandalf is so important to the world at that time, that Eru Illuvatar the god of the world in Middle Earth sent him back at a higher level "the white" to battle on. Gandalf was never meant to use his "magic" to save the world he was meant to lead, and to inspire the races of Earth to defeat the ring, and Sauron. Andy Serkis as an actor is the absolute GOAT for his work portraying Gollum!!! No, Pippin doesn't become an Ent. Although it is true that both Pippin, and Merry gain physical height from drinking the water at Treebeard's home. (both in the book, and in the movie). The dead marshes were preserving bodies of a massive graveyard of the battle of Dagorlad in the first age. The marshes had overtaken the nearby burial area. They created spirits of the dead haunting the marshes due to the bodies. The ring wraiths are connected to the ring itself, because they were created by the Nine rings of power that Sauron gave to men, so they are bound to the "one" ring. They do not go "away" until the ring is destroyed in the lava of Mount Doom. Most people do not know that the term "wraith" is a sort of cousin to a "ghost". but a "wraith" is neither living nor dead...they exist in our world, and the world of the dead like on the edge of both. The ring wraiths actions, and ability to interact with our world is assisted by their cloaks, armor, and such. The Entwives per the Silmarillion I believe fell in love with different things than the Ents...the Ents of course love trees and the forests. The Entwives fell in love with things like other types of trees, and bushes, etc. And the Entwives wandered the world leaving the Ents behind in their wonderings in the world. That is the gist of it. To find out more read all you can find on Middle Earth.

[@A1990MusicMan]

31:00 Explaining the Entwives - The easiest way to understand it is that essentially the Ents and Entwives are different species of trees that prefer different climates and environmental factors. At some point, between the chaos of the wars of Middle Earth and the literal re-shaping of the landscape, the Ents and Entwives lost contact with one another. Nobody knows exactly when or why, but they were never able to find each other by this time in history. It’s possible the Entwives are all dead, or that they’ve simply traveled so far that they cannot find their way back.

[@at1the1beginning]

Gandalf didn't lose the battle with the Balrog because he's older and slower, it was just bad luck. For as long as he's been in ME (~2000 years), he's been an old man. That's the form he took (his true form is that of an immortal spirit and he's been around before the world or even time existed). before he left Valinor to aid the people in their fight against Sauron.

[@lechat8533]

Great reaction as always. Thank you❤

[@mevb]

The battle that Gollum refers to happening in the Dead Marshes is The Last Alliance when the elves and men (and dwarves i the book) marched towards Mordor and eventually battled Sauron's army there (and sieged Barad Dür which took seven years in the book). The trenches were the elves, men and orcs died became flooded and it became The Dead Marshes. This is inspired by Tolkien fighting in World War I and saw the dead soilders in the trenches which became flooded, seeing the dead faces in the water. For the filming, it was first planned to have it be in a real swamp because that swamp was basically floating mosses which made filming unfeasable, if not impossible (Peter Jackson stepped into the water to check out how deep it was, and he sunk to his hip), so it was recreated on the same car park as in The Gate of Moria (and later Osgiliath and the courtyard of Minas Tirith) using sandbags that were covered with grassturfs and mosses and flooded. The flames were lit gas that came from tubes and the corpses were silicone dummies done by Weta Workshop, except for the one opening his eyes, that was a stunt double holding his breath (he got to breathe through a tank in between takes, though). The swamp location were used for aerial shots from a helicopter, however.

[@tylerbrown7246]

It’s implied that Sauraman killed the Entwives. The Entwives are more like cherry trees and favor different settings than the Ents and moved near Isengard.

[@rikk319]

Saruman wasn't even in Middle-Earth when the Entwives' lands on the eastern side of the Anduin were destroyed. The whole of Fangorn and Rohan as well as the river Anduin lay between Isengard and the lands of the Entwives, besides. Tolkien doesn't even state that they died. After the Second Age war with Sauron that led to the destruction of the Entwives' lands, the ents went there and didn't find the Entwives--no corpses, just ruined lands. Tolkien left it a mystery, like he did much in his tale. Saruman (and the rest of the wizards) didn't arrive in Middle-Earth for another millennia.

[@springmontes]

Im going to see this in the theatre today. So excited!

[@JohnSmith-bn9sw]

Before he even mentions it.... me watching this reaction: 🎵"Too Isengard, too Isengard, too Isengard!" 🎵 😂

[@gailjohnston1248]

Hi Oscar, I've seen all of these movies quite a few times. To me they have Life lessons from Gandalf and others. You mentioned the design of the Rohan Royal home, being that Tolkien was both of Scottish and Nordic heritage they have mixed the Celtic and Nordic into the design of the King's court. The design is outwardly based on the Stave churches found in Norway. 😊 (I, Myself also happen to have- Irish, Norwegian, and Scottish heritage.) I very much in first seeing the movies, noticing the Celtic weave designs on so many items.

[@Number1_fan.]

Hey, I just watched you reacting to Divergent, & Insurgent. You should react to Allegiant it's the 3rd movie for the Divergent series. Think you'll like it. Love watching your videos btw.

[@nikosmpitsi]

THE TRILOGY HAS BEAUTIFUL ENGLISH, I DIDN'T NOTICED THE FIRST TIME I WATCHED THE MOVIES, I WAS VERY YOUNG

[@ITSAHARDNUGLIFE]

23:41 As someone who never read the books, I hated how they showed this particular part in the trailers. I would have been as surprised as Aragorn had it been that way.

[@ceciliasouthcott5387]

You said that Aragorn should maybe be a little more respectful to Theoden, but Aragorn is actually older than him. He rode to war with Eowen’s grandfather and Theoden was only a child at the time. Meaning that not only is Theoden a stubborn king, he is also a stubborn “kid” who won’t listen to one who is much older than him. And he’s been under a spell for who knows how long, he doesn’t know exactly what is going on. Just something to chew on. Love your videos, keep it up and can’t wait for the next part!❤😊

[@thecocoacouch]

It’s definitely not an age thing. It’s that Theodon is the King and regardless of who has more authority, it’s still rude to phrase something the way Aragorn did to Theodon. It’s just the way the world is, I was just pointing that out. I think because we live in a world today where we throw words around so easily, it doesn’t look like what Aragorn is doing is wrong but I’m assuming this is a much older time (including customs) so he was out of line. Even the rest of the characters were like woah buddy!! It sucks but it’s a hard and fast rule, you don’t talk like that to the King 😆

[@cloudwatcher608]

I think the pacing in the movie is perfect, actually. I have shown these movies to people before and have found myself promising that after the first one it gets even better

[@michaelshafer5192]

I'm probably in the tiny minority, but the Fellowship was my favorite.

[@jlerrickson]

I just saw this film today in the theatre. It was gorgeous.

[@antoinetteserrano3082]

He’s just being kind she is misreading his intentions because she’s smitten with him. His heart is still with Arwen

[@fantasyland3646]

4:20 that creature always scares me , i got nightmares from that

[@cyanide7270]

0:52 the ENTIREITY of the Lord of the Rings was shot here in New Zealand. Over 150 different locations but the majority of them in the South Island. Pretty sure this sweeping shot was over Mount Earnslaw out near Glenorchy, a town on the northern end of Lake Wakatipu. Nearby are also the beech forests that were the setting for Lothlorien. 1:58 also one of mine, but it also gets overshadowed by the knowledge that where they fell was the utmost depths Dwarves had ever mined, and was full of creatures long forgotten to time and nightmarish that Gandalf would not dare rename as to "Not darken the light of day". Creatures that even Sauron himself did not know of, creatures so nightmarish, that even the BLAROG was running from them, climbing the Endless Stair back up the mountain to one of the tallest peaks where Gandalf finally slew the Balrog. 15:58 i actually jokingly said that just before you did.... i feel somewhat called out lol 34:30 rest in peace, Bernard Hill.

[@yamikage8826]

31:50 "This guy screams predator" and he is killed by an Alien in Alien 4 Resurrection.

[@MrTreefoz]

Gotta love that "They're taking the hobbits to Isengard!" line. haha But the line before it ("The Uruks turn northeast!") makes no sense. Turning northeast from where they were would take them to Dol Guldur, not Isengard. Isengard is due west.

[@nathanielreik6617]

The entire trilogy is entirely shot in New Zealand. Over 150 different locations across both the North and South Islands for this film alone. 10:07 several centuries prior to the movies a group of men were granted the land that would become Rohan by Gondor due to saving them from attacks from both orcs and evil men. When they arrived they ended up driving several tribes of wild men out of the land they were gifted so they could set up their kingdom. The wild men would commence several raids over the centuries since and there would basically always be some animosity from them towards Rohan. So Rohan wasn't entirely in the right but at the same time that was centuries ago and does not really justify the continued assault on innocent farmers just trying to live their lives. 13:31 Uruk-hai know what menus are? 20:21 It's not exactly the same as Sauron. Their connection to the one Ring keeps them from dying from age but they were also shifted into the shadow or wraith world. This makes it difficult to kill them but if you can affect their wraith forms you can still kill them (not really explained in the movies so much). Sauron actually had to make special armor and cloaks for them to really be able to interact with the physical world. 23:36 they actually had Ian McKellen do an impression of Christopher Lee and had Christopher Lee do an impression of Ian McKellen for that portion.