FIRST TIME WATCHING THE LORD OF THE RINGS THE RETURN OF THE KING! Movie Reaction/Commentary PART 2

First time watching The Lord of The Rings The Return of The King. It's time to wrap up this trilogy and tie all of these loose ends. This movie was longer than the others so I'll go ahead and break it up into two parts for KZbin, otherwise the edits would be jumping much more often than preferred. Thanks for watching!
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[@TavareIsUnique]

Lol I didn't realize how much I'd cut out of my outro, I was veery tired when I'd reached the end of the video editing session and cut out just before saying how much I'd enjoyed it. I tend to cut my intros and outro parts short since they are the least viewed parts of the videos, but I didn't mean to cut that part. None-the-less, it was a great enough journey that I'm interested to see what the Hobbits movies have in store.

[@ronweber1402]

Frodo had to leave because of his enduring wounds. The wound from being stabbed by the Witch King has never healed but more importantly it was the wounding of his spirit by the ring that never healed. In the end Frodo never relinquished the Ring voluntarily, he had it wrested from him and he longed for it every day since. What Frodo experienced was an analogy to PTSD that the returning WWI soldiers of Tolkien's day experienced when they got home. They were wounded inside and could never feel properly at home again nor shake the horrors that they experienced in battle. By sailing away with the Elves he would be able to be healed of his wounds and live out the rest of his days in peace. As Sam was briefly a ringbearer he was also accorded a place on the last departing ship to the Undying Lands after Rosie had passed and all his children grown to be reunited with Frodo on Tol Eressa.

[@whenraindropsfall]

Frodo didn't leave because of his wound - that was already healed. He left beacuse of his experience with the ring, as his desire is still there, having had to battle Sauron that whole time. He will never be the same

[@SherriLyle80s]

Couldnt have said it better myself. According to Tolkien, his wounds and pains were always a reminder of the battle within.

[@NPClownumber81googolplex]

If Sam goes to the Undying Lands doesn't that mean he won't see his family again?

[@seraiharper5553]

@@NPClownumber81googolplex He left after Rosie had died of old age and his children were grown. And Tolkien never said he went to the Undying Lands. He only said that Sam's family _held it as a tradition_ that he took ship and joined Frodo. The question of whether he got there was never resolved.

[@DaDunge]

@@NPClownumber81googolplex Isn't the undying lands where people go after they die though?

[@wombat5334]

One thing I love from the books - The Ring tries to corrupt by offering the "deepest desire" to whoever holds it... Sam just wanted a little garden at home - the ring showed him Mordor turned into a huge garden - spreading over the world. Sam just goes "that is ridiculous" and puts the ring away. :) And yes, Sam is the MVP of this series of movies.

[@BobBlumenfeld]

Triivia: The little girl who runs to Samwise in the last scene wasn't acting: She was running to her real daddy, Sean Astin.

[@amrys_argent]

And the kid being held by the actress playing Rosie was her real-life child as well.

[@BobBlumenfeld]

@@amrys_argent Thanks. Learn something new every day. And I suppose you know that Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh's kids are the ones with the great shock reaction at Bilbo's birthday party when he tells them about the three trolls. And I think they had similar cameos in the other two movies: Two children in the caves behind Helm's Deep in The Two Towers and likely another scene in Return of the King, (which I can't recall explicitly).

[@seraiharper5553]

@@BobBlumenfeld They were in the crowd at Minas Tirith when Faramir rides off to his death.

[@BobBlumenfeld]

@@seraiharper5553 Thanks. But Faramir didn't die.

[@dehro]

@@BobBlumenfeld he fully expected to, so the wording fits

[@dehro]

the eagles are the emissaries of the Valar (the gods of middle earth...not quite right but a good enough analogue)... when eagles show up, that's a bit of divine intervention

[@annipsy2185]

ooo wow i didnt know they were that big of a thing

[@dehro]

@@annipsy2185 they're both literally and figuratively a big deal

[@lorddanielthesecond73]

I mean, the valar are functionally gods, they did build middle earth and everything in it, so you're as accurate as can be imo

[@dehro]

@@lorddanielthesecond73 in general terms, yes.. they are comparable to the Greek pantheon. In lore terms, the valar and the maiar are different only in.."size/scope" and are all creations of Eru Illuvatar, the only real creator god of the situation. They helped Eru give shape to the world he was creating and have, compared to him, limited powers of creation and life giving... Comparing it to the monotheistic religions, Eru is god, the valar are the archangels and the maiar, istari, balrogs and even the eagles, dragons and the spawn of Ungoliant are the (fallen) angels. Case in point, when Gandalf died, uuit was Eru who brought him back. I doubt the valar world have had the power to revive one who is essentially one off their own kin

[@theradgegadgie6352]

Specifically, they're the servants of Manwe, the chief of the Valar and the only one who is in direct contact with Eru Iluvatar. (God.) Given that Tolkien was an extremely conservative Roman Catholic, the Valar are more comparable to a group of senior angels, probably Cherubuim, who direct the work of all the rank and file Maiar lesser angels.

[@vadalia3860]

While Tolkien said he disliked allegory, he fought in WWI and I think Frodo is a pretty good example of someone with PTSD, like Tolkien might have seen among his fellow veterans. The soldier who came home physically, but was too haunted to ever really come home in mind/spirit. Frodo left the Shire to go to a place of healing because it just wasn't his home anymore, and likely never could be again.

[@Ahonya666]

And Sam is like a brave soldier who helps his friend on war

[@DaDunge]

He means allegory for contemporary politics when he said allegory. He openly admits that lord of the rings is inspired by history.

[@pieceofgosa]

Tolkien indicated that the ring most likely could not be willingly destroyed, hence why Gandalf felt that Gollum would "have a role to play". You have to appreciate that the events happening here are by the design of God (aka Eru Iluvatar) & while each individual character has to choose to be brave & do the right thing, by choosing to do that they walk the divine path.

[@Middle.Earth.Crisis]

Fully agree. It took 3 people failing together (and a loving little push from our boy Eru)

[@DaDunge]

I don't know, Bilbo willingly parted from the ring, not unaided but willingly.

[@BobBlumenfeld]

Frodo needs to leave because, as Gandalf told Elrond back in Rivendell, "That wound (from the Witch-King) will never completely heal." Frodo also mentioned it in the last Bag End sequence. By going to Valinor (the Undying Lands), he will finally be at peace. Unmentioned in the movie, years later Sam, as having been, even for a short while, a Ring-Bearer, is given a very special permission to join Frodo there.

[@pscar1]

Sauron was just a disembodied spirit at this point. If the ring returned to his possession, he would have been able to retake his physical form.

[@pscar1]

@Mark Sheymus not "false". Gollum can't really be trusted and could have only been personifying the darkness while he was being tortured. We also have to remember that Gollum was under the influence of the ring for centuries and was probably more sensitive to his presence. Aragorn never saw Sauron when he looked into the palantir, only Sauron saw Aragorn. If Sauron could take physical form, Tolkien would have put him to better use.

[@rickardroach9075]

@@pscar1 Well, he wasn’t an actual giant eyeball either! He may have had some physical form as Jackson originally had him fighting Aragorn at the Black Gate (he changed his mind and replaced him with a CGI troll). The unseen is often scarier.

[@NPClownumber81googolplex]

@@pscar1 in the books he had a body but just never left his tower.

[@pieceofgosa]

The Great Eagles are servants of Manwe, Lord of the Air & King of the Valar (basically this world's answer to Zeus, he even lives on top of a mountain). They are sentient, they talk & they are beyond being summoned or commanded by any man, dwarf, halfling or elf. Gandalf is able to request their assistance but ultimately if Manwe forbid the Eagles from interfering then they would not answer his call.

[@orangexlightning]

The Witch King Destroying Gandalf's staff makes me so mad because not only does that not happen in the book, it was essentially set up so that if he didn’t go after Faramir, he could have killed the Witch King. So him being able to destroy Gandalf's staff makes no sense.

[@christiananderson4909]

That would have nullified Eowyn's heroism, though, right? I agree it doesn't work, but it's neat to still have the scene in there as a facsimile of the scene in the book.

[@orangexlightning]

@@christiananderson4909 It was set up so that Gandalf essentially could have killed the witchking, therefore saving Theodin, but Faramir wouls have died, or he could have made his canon choice to save Faramir which resulted in Theodin's death.

[@lich109]

Disagree there, the book says that Sauron gave the Witch-king demonic power in preparation for his confrontation with Gandalf, and seeing as how Gandalf had to give up a lot of his power to come to Middle-Earth while Sauron did not, Sauron would know how much he'd need to give and what the Witch-king would require to take Gandalf in a fight.

[@dionnecoburn134]

Fun fact, the guy on the ship that gets shot by the arrow is Peter Jackson! He does a cameo in all his movies!

[@briannalowery844]

When you stab a Nazgul, you're essentially poisoned. Both Merry and Eowyn stabbed him so they're both hurt. Aragorn was one of the few, if not the only one, that could heal them. But as an explanation to Eomer's reaction. He doesn't know what we know. He thought his sister was at home leading the people. Instead, at the end of the battle, he finds her passed out on the battlefield among the dead. Of course, his first reaction will be 'what is she doing here? oh no she's dead!' or at least very close to it. It's a very shocking moment for him. Also, Sam is tempted by the ring for a minute. The ring corrupts by telling you it can give you the power to do whatever you want. As Sam is a Hobbit and a gardener, (he really loves his gardens) it tried to convince him that he can make the whole world into his own. He was tempted for a second and then was like 'nah, I'm happy with my little garden at home.' The eagles are very noble and make their own decisions. They weren't going to get involved until they knew their presence would actually make a difference. When they show up, it's literally the final battle of the war, and everyone had come together to fight. So it's not like they were relied on, but they could help and not all be instantly killed. Also, Bilbo and Frodo are going to the undying lands where only the elves and maiar (Gandalf) go. They've been allowed to because they were ring bearers and it has taken a toll on them. So this is essentially their reward. Sam was a ring bearer too (when he took the ring thinking Frodo was dead) and as a result lives a bit longer than a normal Hobbit. After living his life with his family and his wife passes and kids grown, Sam is allowed to go to the undying lands as well. The only other person who gets special permission to go is Gimli. The dislike and hatred between elves and dwarves essentially goes back to their creation. Yet, he overcomes it so much he basically falls in love with Galadriel. And she sees something in him where she gives him three strands of her hair, which she has never done before even though she was asked. And Gimli and Legolas are best friends. After the war they travel together. They go to Fangorn and Gimli shows Legolas his home. Gimli has a family and basically makes a shrine to Galadriel's hair (at least I'm pretty sure). When he's lived his life and is ready, him and Legolas sail to the undying lands together.

[@sweeperboy]

The other thing is in the book, when Pippin finds Merry on the battlefield, he's not lying half-dead like shown here. He's stumbling along in a daze as the Black Breath (a kind of magical poison that the Ringwraiths exude) slowly starts shutting down his body. Apart from his right arm, which is paralysed, his vision is darkening and his mind is wandering. When Pippin speaks to him, one of the things he asks him, heartbreakingly is "are you going to bury me?" as if he understands that he is dying.

[@pearlofthedarkage]

_Some_ of my favorite things (in no particular order) about this movie are: Pippin's song, Gollum's rhyming skills, Theoden's speech, "That still only counts as one!" and that one orc's headgear sporting an impaled skull. Don't know why the last one gets to me so much, but it does.

[@pieceofgosa]

"I thought everybody was going to die" George Martin has a lot to answer for....

[@seraiharper5553]

A lot of people think that Frodo is suffering from PTSD, but I think they're falling into the mistake that Tolkien complained about, that of assuming his story is an allegory. He said himself that what Frodo suffered was a specific illness associated with carrying the Ring, and the poisonous presence of that part of Sauron's spirit that it carried, and not an analogue for shell shock (which is what the condition of PTSD was called then when it first appeared). He'd been in war himself and knew what he was talking about, and he was specific when he said that wasn't Frodo's trouble - he'd been intimately involved with his world's version of Satan for nearly a year, and it ate his soul away in a fashion only one other person has ever experienced - and that, of course, was Gollum.

[@DaDunge]

Tolkien disliked allegory but he means contemporary allegory with that word. He openly admits it's inspired by history. As he puts it, praphrased "why would the horrors of war as shown in the lord of the rings have to be an allegory for world war 2, I have my own experiences from world war 1 to draw upon."

[@favanniva]

The eagles were already involved in The Fellowship of the Ring. One eagle helped Gandalf to escape from Isengard, when he was captured by Saruman. Gandalf called for aid with the little moth. And now in the final battle you can see that moth before the eagles arrive. And Frodo has basically PTSD. His soul could not heal from the ring's damage, so he had to leave. He even says that there are wounds that never can be healed. For me Sam and Théoden are the real MVPs.

[@seraiharper5553]

The central problem with Frodo's quest (which Aragorn stated at the Council but which people tend to forget) is that it is, in essence, impossible. No one could have destroyed the Ring directly - not Frodo, not Sam, not Gandalf, not Aragorn, _no one._ It was beyond anyone's power, which is why Gandalf says there was only ever a fool's hope. And why in the end the Ring was only destroyed because of Gollum's interference, and by the chance fall into the lava. (In the book, Frodo can't even fight him - Gollum simply slips and falls as he dances about. Jackson thought that would be a bit much in a film, that people wouldn't accept it.) It's why at the start of the quest, Elrond tells them that no charge is laid on any of them to go farther than they can, and that the Ringbearer's charge is to keep it safe, not to lose it or have it taken, until the last moment. But even Frodo was never ordered to destroy it, only encouraged and supported when he said he would _take the Ring to Mordor._ But he never swore to destroy it, because it couldn't be destroyed by his will. He could only go and do what he could, and he did. He sacrificed himself, not the flashiest kind of hero, but the one on whom everyone else'e heroics depended.

[@megteg]

Cept maybe bombidill (forgive my horrific spelling)…. But he would prob just get distracted on the way and never actually get there

[@seraiharper5553]

@@megteg I don't think so. Remember Gandalf said that Bombadil probably wouldn't help them unless everyone begged him, and even then he wouldn't see the need for secrecy. He might be made to take it, but he'd probably lose it. He certainly would never step a foot outside his own land, so destroying it would be out of the question.

[@freethinkerang6386]

Thank you! I think a lot of people don’t get this. Frodo gets a lot of hate and people often say that Sam would have destroyed it, but that’s not true at all! I think Gimli is the only one who actively tried to destroy the ring because isn’t it true that dwarves aren’t affected by the ring the same way as the other races? They were made differently and are more strong willed.

[@seraiharper5553]

@@freethinkerang6386 Yes. In Tolkien's mythology, the dwarves were created out of stone by the blacksmith of the Valar, Aule. That's why they're so much hardier than everyone else, and why so little affects them.

[@DaDunge]

That's not quite true Tolkien only said no one can destroy the ring (or even give it up) unaided.

[@Sparklegirl79]

Tolkien was a veteran of WWI, he knew the horrors of war, and the trauma of losing so many of his fellow soldiers. He gave us an epic adventure that was not without grief and hardship, but still ended with a peaceful and hopeful world. Great reactions! I was waiting eagerly for part 2

[@lcbonastre2418]

Next Trilogy The Hobbit Extended Edition Of The Adventures Of Bilbo Baggin: (1) An Unexpected Journey Extended Edition (2) The Desolation Of Smaug Extended Edition (3) The Battle Five Armie Extended Edition

[@johntepu1869]

I’m sure your Tolkien fans have mentioned that Bilbo and Frodo were “Ringbearers”. Frodo was also injured in the Fellowship by the “Witch King”.It constantly weighed on him and he will never fully recover…

[@DpadProductions]

The thing about The Ring is that its hold over you gets drastically greater the closer it is to its place of origin, this ensures that if someone were to attempt to destroy it it most certainly would fail.

[@ulricaandrae4381]

Great reaction! Love how invested you were in Sam’s fight with Shelob 😅 These films are so beautiful.

[@BobBlumenfeld]

Regarding the movie-watcher's adage: "They're not dead until you see the body," sometimes they're not dead even after you see the body. (Faramir, Eowyn, Aragorn ...)

[@rickardroach9075]

We don’t see Denethor’s body. He may have landed in the moat.

[@dehro]

to be fair, the more reactions I watch to the MOTR, the more in my mind I call it the Lord of the Fakeouts.. because (and I don't mean this as a criticism) but if you were to make a drinking game out of it and take a shot every time the camera moves away from someone that might or might not be dead (or is heavily implied to have died but then turns out to be alive), you'd be drunk before the first movie ended. going completely off the top of my head, I believe that Gollum and Frodo lead the rankings in nr of fakeouts, almost hitting double digits

[@kittylover7]

"You have no career as a rapper" had me rolling! Lol, I've always felt the same way!

[@drnerdrage2535]

Frodo leaving, I think, was Tolkien's way to analogize dealing with PTSD. He would never admit it, especially since PTSD wasn't a term until the 70s and dealing with "Shell shock" as it was known during WW1 and WW2, people weren't as compassionate about mental health issues as they are today. But its clear from the writing that dealing with world changing events in such a personal manner changes you forever whether you want it to or not.

[@papabearlives9995]

The reason the orcs fight in the tower is that according to the book they are too separate groups and they were sent there to guard it but didn't like each other

[@TheDanEdwards]

Regarding the sailing into the west: it can be interpreted in different ways but most powerfully, I think, as a metaphor for death. As Galadriel had stated (in the second movie) the quest will claim Frodo's life and, as someone else commented, the wound inflicted by the witch king will never heal. So "sailing into the west" is an euphemism for dying. Frodo and Bilbo's pain (caused by the Evil they had to carry) will be abated by living near the VaIar. In Valinor (to where they are sailing) are the halls of the god Mandos, who keeps the spirits of elves and humans until their ultimate future. It's a religious ending to the quest. Also, the last ship to sail (though it wasn't really the last as Tolkien later added that Legolas was able to sail there with his friends Gimle and Sam) is the closing of the magical ages of Middle Earth. The fourth age is the Age of Man, not of the elves etc. So that ship sailing into the west also signifies the death of the magical and mythical.

[@KajMenePitas]

No - it says that the elves go there but it is not the place for dead men - they do not know were men go after their death but it is not with the elves in Valinor

[@mplwy]

You are so good at perceiving things in these films, it's uncanny! 😊❤

[@chrisdolan9579]

It's been interesting watching you progress throughout the trilogy, being unsure at the beginning, all the way to being all in at the end!

[@gtaipan7422]

Thank you for sharing your reactions to our amazing favorite movie, bro. Fully appreciate it. 😉👏

[@terib470]

They do a fairly good time line in the beginning, such as the ring was lost and forgotten for 2500 years, Gollum found it and he had it for 500 years, then Bilbo had it for 60 years. They leave out the part that once Gandalf left the ring with Frodo to go find out if it was The Ring he was gone for about 17 years before he got back to Fordo. Once Frodo left the Shire it was 13 months before all the Hobbits got home. Frodo and Bilbo didn't leave for the Undying Lands for several years after that. Bilbo left the Shire at at 111 years old and didn't have the ring to slow his aging down. Would think he'd be at least 125 years old or maybe a few years older. Eventually, Sam became Mayor of the Shire and had 13 children, then was allowed to go to the Undying Lands also as he bore the ring for a little while and was considered a ring bearer also. Legolas and Gemli traveled together to see the underground at Helmsdeep and Fanghorn Forrest among other wonders of their world, they both, when the time came, also went to the Undying Lands. Gemli was the only dwarf allowed into the Undying Lands. Both Pippin and Merry also had very good lives and finally moved to be with Aragorn and were buried beside Aragorn at their end. Had to edit my math.

[@lisamarieligreci-newton7804]

Others have touched on the Eagles and Frodo/Sam/Gollum's ultimate roles (Tolkien has written some beautiful letters on the topic but ultimately it's a meditation on grace/perseverence in despair) but as you asked about Eowyn - the Witch King is a powerful undead sorceror so even stabbing him/interacting with him can harm you (the 'black breath', etc). So when Eowyn stabbed him it basically completely rendered her arm useless and she also fell into a swoon. Aragorn was ultimately able to heal her (in the books there is a lot more made of the Houses of Healing and Aragorn's role as a healer) and as she recuperates in the Houses of Healing she is able to overcome some of her depression/despair and she and Faramir fall in love (they briefly allude to it in the movies but in the books they get some very sweet scenes together) and she realizes she no longer has a death wish or wishes to chase death. Faramir is one of those real MVPs like Sam - the movies do him dirty and I've never totally forgiven them for that. Denethor also is a more nuanced/tragic character than the movies portray him as, and they give him a very undignified death here. He does burn himself on the pyre but it's also heavily implied that he was driven mad by the palantir and the lies/despair Sauron was feeding him. One other interesting thing that got left out of the movies is that Saruman doesn't actually die at Orthanc. He escapes with Wormtongue while Treebeard is distracted and as a last bit of petty revenge he basically takes over the Shire with a bunch of thugs and runs it into the ground via industrialization. When the hobbits come back they have to rally the community and fight a battle on Shire soil, Wormtongue kills Sauruman after too much abuse and then the hobbits kill Wormtongue. It's kind of meant to be a 'you can never really go back home again/war touches everything' kind of moment. Sam uses the soil he got from Galadriel (I think that might also have been left out, unless it was in a deleted scene) to reforest the Shire with trees similar to the ones in Lorien. However that probably would have extended the movie by another half hour and broken up the pacing quite a bit, and I think with Frodo's departure they do properly capture the bittersweet ending that some victories can never be totally complete in this world. In the appendices, not only does Sam eventualyl get to go to Valinor, but Leglas and Gimli also go together after basically travelling the world together and Galadriel obtains permission for Gimli and he's the only dwarf to ever go there.

[@HiGhWaYmAn4.2.0]

Few people spot it, but Peter Jackson very successfully explains Denethor II (steward of Gondor) and why he's experiencing this mild to moderate "madness". We get a scene with him prior to this, when pippen is singing to him while he's eating food off a pewter plate, including tomaotes... (which *fun fact* in the real world were feared for nearly 200 years starting in the 1800's) because the acid from the tomaotes would cause lead to leach out from the pewter plates, causing severe lead poisoning, resulting in madness and death. I always thought it was cool that Peter Jackson added that little scene, just to explain Denethor's actions.

[@farkenshnoff4521]

The face off with the witch king is one of the times I actually prefer the theatrical version over the extended, because it means the arrival of Rohan is cut directly with the battle looking hopeless and denethor killing his son, and then this one horn blast that changes everything. It feels much more impactful than the horn sounding when it's just Gandalf in danger, as important to the story as he is, because it makes it seem like we care about Rohan's arrival because they showed up just in time to save Gandalf, rather than because they showed up just in time to stop the entire city from falling. It's such a beautiful contrast in the theatrical, of the despair and then this sudden ray of hope

[@seraiharper5553]

I didn't like what the extended does to the whole Army of the Dead thing, either. In the theatrical, you had that great _eucatastrophe_ moment when Aragorn jumps off the ship unlooked for, and the hoard follows him. But with the extended, the surprise is ruined because you know all along they're coming.

[@twyckoff87]

@@seraiharper5553 I can't believe more people don't mention this, and perfect use of eucatastrophe :)

[@seraiharper5553]

@@twyckoff87 Thanks! I figure if the Professor was kind enough to give us a new word, we ought to use it. :)

[@lich109]

@@seraiharper5553 I'd be surprised if anyone thought that was a surprise frankly. I saw it in the theater when it came out and while I can only speak from what I've seen, I cannot recall anyone in person or online who was surprised when the ghosts emerged.

[@lucaslukealves]

Thanks for the reactions your smile is contagious

[@Hardrada_129]

Another fact: The Mouth of Sauron is played by Bruce Spence. The Gyro Captain from the Road Warrior.

[@johns1625]

The best part about the dead men of Dunharrow fighting on the Pellenor field is after the whole battle is done nobody is even sure if they were able to actually hurt the orcs physically with their weapons. The orcs just saw them and killed themselves or ran into the river and drowned 😨😨

[@ginad511]

Your reaction to Sam fighting the spider had me busting up! 😂

[@huemungy3212]

"What about side by side with a friend?" "Aye, Aragorn is here isn't he."

[@SaulOhio]

The spider, named Shelob, has a special dislike not just of light, but that particular light. The light came from something called a Silmaril, which is now a star, which was made using the light from the sacred trees that lit the world in the earliest days after the creation of the world.

[@RatelRegalement]

the Witch King being all 'no man can kill me' ties in to a prophecy some couple thousand years before. Spoken by Glorfindel (who in the books is the one who meets the hobbits on the way to Rivendell, carries Frodo on his horse, and just beforehand single-handedly drove off several of the Riders from the road, and is present at the Council) . Witch King had it coming for a /very/ long time! xD

[@hardcorepoetic]

I really enjoyed sharing this you! You've got a new subscriber.

[@michaelyork4554]

Gandalf: "Frodo where is your finger?" Frodo: "See what happened was...." Sam: "Do you want me to tell him the truth Mr. Frodo?"

[@09Charler2321]

Hahahaha the eye rolls and you’ve got to be kidding me reactions to when reactors discover gollum is still alive is so funny 😹😹

[@KIMKRIS1]

I always try to avoid the departure of Frodo scene... Always makes me cry like a baby lol

[@skinwalker7623]

Thank you for this glorious reaction

[@Dan-B]

The Eye of Sauron was invented for the movies. Sauron was essentially a spirit, who was known for being a shapeshifter and took on many different physical forms. As far as I understand it, when Sauron made the one ring he put a significant amount of his power into the ring, meaning it was tied to his spirit. When the ring was cut from his physical form he either lost the ability to change it without the ring, or was eventually able to take a new form, but as he never left Barad-dur from that point it’s somewhat unknown. (In the books he is described by Gollum as a dark figure with 4 fingers) The reason Frodo left Middle Earth was due to his wounds from The Witch King and Shelob, which never fully healed. That mixed with the trauma of being a ring bearer, he was afforded the rare privilege of a place in Undying lands (outside of the world and usually only afforded to immortal beings like the Elves and Maiar) where he’d be free of the pain.

[@seraiharper5553]

No, it's in the book. But it's not an incarnation. It's what people see in their minds when Sauron fixes his attention on them, or when they see him in the Palantir. "A great Eye, lidless, wreathed in flame" is straight from the book. Frodo feels it searching for him when he's up on Amon Hen.

[@rickardroach9075]

@@seraiharper5553 This film was screaming for some product placement. Wouldn’t it have been fun to see the Lord of the Nazgûl buzzing around Barad-dûr with a giant bottle of Visine eye drops?

[@DillsyYourDaddy67]

I never interpreted they eye as Sauron himself but more of a manifestation or representation of him using the Palantir to look at things. I always took the huge explosion at the end to be Sauron's palantir exploding. Granted I only came to these assumptions after seeing the cleansing of Dol Guldur in the hobbit and the Witck King expansion for Battle for middle earth 2.

[@missdifficulty905]

fun gaming fact about the orcs. In LOTR's RTS game you make your orc units fight each other for experience. Thought it was a nice touch.

[@billparrish4385]

_The Hobbit_ (the book) actually came out first in 1937 as a children's book, then _The Lord of the Rings_ trilogy was published as a sequel in 3 volumes during 1954 and 1955. When Peter Jackson was pitching the project as a movie adaptation of the books to New Line Cinema, there was some back and forth as to how many movies to make from the 3 volumes, and with what runtimes. They eventually completed principal photography on all three at once in New Zealand (yep, got most of all 3 movies in the can, all in one big exhausting go), and released the 3 movies' theatrical versions in 2001, 2002 and 2003. Based on their success, Jackson was able to get greenlit _The Hobbit_ as three movies. The plot remains a fairly-faithful prequel to LOTR, though Tolkien purists will argue over Jackson's additions.

[@emoharalampiev1590]

A heads up the hobbit isn't as EPIC as LOTR, but it's still a pretty enjoyable trilogy.

[@nemesis4852]

Fantastic reaction bro!

[@Palpatine4Senate]

I love your reactions. Awesome!

[@megteg]

I don’t think I’ve seen Flare quite so violent as when Sam was attacking Shelob 😆😆 fantastic Also- Eowyn had been subject to basically a poisoning of the mind by the darkness engulfing middle earth for a while; Gandolf mentions this in the book. She was alone and vulnerable when her brother was exiled and her uncle was “possessed”, this effected her mind and ability to fight against it. She was also kind of “poisoned” by the witch king. Aragorn, being of Numenorian (sorry about the spelling) descent and having the blood of the kings, was the only one who was able to heal her and Marry. It is a “sign of the king” that he is also a healer- which I thought was pretty cool :)

[@LordFarKwadth]

Sam will join Frodo after he rebuilds the shire, and raise his children. His wife dies and he moves to the grey havens. You, like me, Like the professor choose sam as the favorite character, plus I think he was the main character. He was based on Bat-man, they were soldiers who helped officers in the British army during WW1 and Tolkien had one, he always admired the bravery and loyalty they have, and this is not a direct quote but I believe he called them the true heroes or something like that.

[@Hardrada_129]

The Witch-King of Angmar along with the other Nazgûl are protected by a ward of dark sorcery placed on them by Sauron. If one struck the Witch-King with a regular weapon it would shatter and do no damage. However, Merry possessed a dagger of Westernesse, which was forged by the Numenoreans who settled in Arnor. It was blessed by Varda, the Valar of the Stars; also known as Elbereth. That blessing made it capable of breaking the Witch-King's ward. Hence why it had such a dramatic effect. Breaking the ward also exposed Merry and Éowyn to the dark sorcery that surrounded the Witch-King, which has a toxic effect on people.

[@baskervillebee6097]

Thorondor is King of The Eagles. Remember he rescued Gandalf from Isengard? He comes and helps periodically through both series.

[@olivera6743]

Gwaihir saved Gandalf from Isengard, not Thorondor :)

[@inspector_beyond]

Bilbo ages so much because the Ring wasnt in his possession anymore and he began to get all these ages back to him. THis entire War of the Ring was going for less than a year, as i recall. Maybe more, but the entire way of Fellowship since their exit from Rivendell up to Sauron's destruction was definitel in less than a year. If you look back to the first film, Bilbo went from Shire with his full strengh, but when we meet him again, he was already much frailer than before. But in the book between these two events passd like 20-30 years. And after RIng's destruction up to the Bilbo and Frodo leaving the Middle-earth, it was quite a few years, judging by how old Sam's elder daughter is. So, even tho the Ring wasn't in Bilbo's posession during the trilogy, the power of the Ring still kept slowing his aging, the same for GOllum, who didn't had Rin in his posession for 60 or so years. But after Ring's destruction, Bilbo began rapidly aging until appearence caught up with his age.

[@tammierandall864]

Just read the fellowship of the ring again. It was 17 years. In the book Bilbo and Frodo have the same birthday. Bilbo turning 111 years old and Frodo is turning of age 33 years old. When Frodo finally leaves the Shire with the ring he has just turned 50 years old.

[@niccologregorutti]

In the movies Sauron doesn't have a body that's why you didn't see nothing more of him apart from the flaming eye

[@sersastark]

Frodo left Middle Earth because after all he'd seen and done and experienced, he was no longer the same. He was no longer able to see the world and his home as it once was. So he gets to be immortal with the Elves, fully healed, but to never return. And he doesn't want to return.

[@hunterxkiller8732]

Theoden showed viewers why HE was a KING, not just of a kingdom, but of men. He was a king who led his people from the front, hence why so many followed him. NGL, i'd follow a leader like that if they'd willingly risked their necks no matter how unpractical it was in this era.

[@mastereppsreturns6586]

Your channel is 99% great, the missing 1% is, when you fill the screen and the movie is blurred in the background, it’s better to use Gaussian or unfocus blur instead of mosaic lol that’s pretty much it 😂

[@BeeWhistler]

I'm just gonna say this on yet another video... Frodo never did and never would send Sam away on the word of Gollum. He tried to leave Sam behind for his own good. but Tolkien never wrote such a cheap Disney Channel movie plot device as that phoney "he ate all the food" bullcrap Peter Jackson saw fit to crowbar into the story. Frodo and Sam entered Shelob's cave together. Oh, and Theoden just kinda froze when he saw the witch king on his fell beast because there's this whole aura of fear given off by the wraiths, especially their leader. The initial gut reaction is to feel that terror and respond. It was only a brief hesitation for the likes of King Theoden but a moment was all it took. And it hurt them to attack the Witch King of Angmar for much the same reason. He's just pure evil. I'm sure there's better explanations but it's been a while since I read the book.

[@rickardroach9075]

Yes, I love the part where Sam finds the lembas bread and thinks “Well, whaddya know, I _didn’t_ eat it after all. It also explains why I’m so f*ckin’ hungry!”

[@BobBlumenfeld]

The eagles: Remember the eagle (Gwaihir) that rescued Gandalf from Saruman? He has buddies.

[@spiderfingers86]

This movie won every Oscar it was nominated for including Best Picture

[@joaosoares-rr5mj]

i cannot watch the lord of the rings with you... BUT I CAN WATCH YOU!

[@KnallenN]

Frodo wanted to leave due to the emotional scars he was left with carrying the ring for so long

[@freethinkerang6386]

Emotional and physical. It’s sad seeing how happy and carefree he is at the beginning of fellowship of the ring then the end of return of the king he is so drained and can’t ever go back to how he was before.

[@brandi3981]

Hi so happy to see a video from you! Last night I did something for the first time. I went to a live comedy show and saw my celeb crush of about 5 years in person! Dream come true the only thing that I would change if I ever did anything like that again is I would get physical tickets because I had a freaking mental breakdown I could not breathe I was hyperventilating and crying because the tickets I had them on my phone ready to go like the day before the show and for some reason it wasn't showing up when it was time to show the tickets to get in and I was like oh my God oh my God I spent over $100 and we're not going to get to see him now I got all the way here and it's just going to be wasted the entire day I spent out preparing to get to this and yeah it it just took restarting my phone and I was fine. But the panic attack was legit.

[@Luthwen1301]

Sweetie, this is the KZbin comment section, not your personal diary

[@ronpaul1082]

19:50 😂 my other hand isn't strong enough , take my little hand ! - scary movie 2

[@czest-d7f]

Yes, Frodo left to heal his physical and emotional wounds. But the emotional wounds aren't just the trauma of the journey. It's also from facing his truth...that he didn't actually give up the ring. He viciously tried to keep it for himself. It was destroyed by accident. And he received accolades for something he didn't actually do.

[@avsambart]

Did you know Gandalf saves Frodo and Sam with three eagles because he had hoped Smeagle had come back to the good side and would be there with them.... cue more crying.

[@Ashwgun]

In the books, Sam doesn't feel temptation from the ring. Frodo leaves because he is part wraith, the wound never fully healed, and he wasn't a mortal being, so went on to heaven basically.

[@freethinkerang6386]

He does feel temptation. He sees himself with a big garden because that was pretty much his only aspiration in life at that point

[@Ashwgun]

@@freethinkerang6386 no, the ring shows him that, and he shrugs it off, going 'I have plenty of stuff to work on'

[@LuLu-Sil]

Fun Fact! No one who falls in this trilogy actually dies, unless they're on fire first 🤣

[@ChronosTachyon]

“And then, Sam bricks in Frodo's mouth. Credits.” - Kevin Smith, paraphrased from "An Evening With Kevin Smith 2"

[@tinapatterson9234]

I always thought it would have been nice if the eagles could have just showed up in the beginning and flown Frodo over the volcano so he could have dropped the ring in... but then there wouldn't have been a story.

[@Luthwen1301]

Also, they're not a taxi service

[@mplwy]

They only see one Gollum because he's delusional and seeing the other. I'm positive you figured that out, but for anyone else who's wondering. 😊❤

[@questionablehumor2800]

the Ring's influence is stronger the stronger the wearer's own strength. in the beginning, Frodo was a simple hobbit with little ego, while Gandalf and Galadreal (sp?) are two of the strongest entities in middle earth were rocked to the core by simply being near the thing. As Samwise grows in strength and courage, the more affect it has now that it's in his hand. that pause before handing it back to Frodo... yeah.

[@questionablehumor2800]

the scene when Frodo finally sees Gandalf, is the first time he's seen Gandalf since he FELL to his *death vs the Balrog... the shock and joy is the reason for the excitement from Frodo.

[@Ahonya666]

Three Great Eagles came to Mount Doom, one for Frodo, one for Sam and thr other one for Gollum...he could be redeemed but..as we know he died

[@samswords9993]

Orcs are very tribalistic, loyal first to their own group, even when they have the same overlord. There are two sets of orcs here with Frodo and Sam. One group is from the tower they are in, the other group is from Minas Morgul, the big tower you saw that army come out of in the last movie.

[@RandiPoitras]

The rest of the world, or at least the Shire basically has no clue what the hell just happened outside their borders. And I’m pretty sure Sams kids at the end were the actors actual kids

[@eirikrvicente5987]

Sauron is inside of the tower of Barad-Dur, he's not strongly enough phisically to participate himself in the war

[@rickardroach9075]

Nor emotionally strong. Look at his eye; he cries constantly ‘cause he misses his ring.

[@tempion1]

jeezzzz, battle at Pellenor fields is one of the most intense, emotional scenes EVER made...and you're talking......

[@cozenw3236]

Frodo has been plagued with pain from being stabbed by a sword and a spider. It’s a pain that he’s barely endured. So he’s leaving to be with the elves.

[@rickardroach9075]

I hope Frodo kept his receipt for that mithril shirt. That spider went right through it!

[@cozenw3236]

@@rickardroach9075 😬 That never occurred to me. Great catch. My biggest issue was when Rohan finally enters the fight at Gondor and the king runs down the line touching all the spears with his sword. His sword is sideways (not flat), so he’s literally nicking each and every one. To me, why would you intentionally damage your weapon by making it weaker? Nicking it only guarantees that it will break that much sooner. Just saying.

[@rickardroach9075]

@@cozenw3236 That was the actors idea. Looks cool but, as you say, really?

[@yannikakapralli]

Everybody needs a Sam in his Life! Or be a Sam themselfes

[@couch.patati-patata]

That's Gorbag and Shagrat that take Frodo to the tower.

[@iKvetch558]

"She better not be a spider!" Um... 😶🤐🙃😁

[@crashliep]

I am no man! Also, was that a Val reference in there? LOL Another banger of a video!

[@jonathonfrazier6622]

Some orcs were quite small. So it wouldnt be hard to find hobbit sized armour.

[@liammccarthy4375]

I thoroughly enjoyed your reaction, especially to sam's fight with the spider. You got so into it and I loved it. On another note, don't get your hopes high for the hobbit movies. There's a minority of fans who love them but the common opinion is that the movies are trash, and although I love the book, I agree that they're not very good at all. Thanks again. For the reaction.

[@Randy1337]

1:38 This is not just an ordinary light. It is the phial of Galadriel. It gives strength and courage to its wielder, can blind others (Kankra was not able to attack through the light). Furthermore the phial helped Frodo to beat the desire for the ring. Also Sam was able to break the spell of the 2 Watchers in front of the gate to the tower of Cirith Ungol with it. Since it is filled with the water from Galadriel`s mirror, it is a VERY powerful tool and no flashlight 🙃 The only place where it doesn`t shine is in Sammath Naur on Mount Doom.

[@jamesbaughan4273]

When he said, "Anything!"

[@Anthony_Marquis]

Great reaction as always, Flare! Thank you for watching this series. I look forward to your reaction to The Hobbit movies! Most people don't tend to like "The Hobbit" series as much as "The Lord of the Rings". (Partially, I think, because there is one Hobbit book stretched out over three movies, and the LotR was three books portrayed over three movies.) But I personally prefer "The Hobbit" trilogy because of its slightly lighter thematic tone. I always feel slightly depressed towards the end of a LotR marathon, but I don't have that problem when I binge The Hobbit series. I hope you enjoy it and I eagerly await your reaction to the trilogy! TL;DR: Thanks for reacting to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I loved your reactions. And I look forward to your Hobbit trilogy reactions.

[@ahumanbeingfromtheearth1502]

I'm interested as to how you can feel anything after sitting through Battle of the five armies. About 25 minutes of story stretched out over 3 hours. Nor trying to be snarky here, if you like the films then you like them, don't let anyone take that from you. I just don't understand how anyone can come out of them with much of a positive experience.

[@lolly1405]

The real hero of this entire story is Samwise Gamgee. Without Sam everybody dies. Without Sam mission fails.

[@patricia9239]

I can't wait for you to watch The Hobbit! I know you're gonna love the dwarves 😂

[@StefanBI96]

Dont you remember the eagles when they saved Gandalf as he was a prisoner of Saruman?

[@ronpaul1082]

You're probably not ready for another 9 hours of the hobbit trilogy but The Hobbit 1977 animated movie was awesome and is only like 90 minutes

[@DaDunge]

23:15 Cause he's a ringbearer, only in the west can the stain of the ring be wiped away. Even Sam who only carried it for a few days eventualy sailed into the west.

[@mplwy]

The fact that he was bitten by the spider, and lives, doesn't settle with me. It doesn't work that way. The venom kills the prey and starts digesting it from the inside so that the spider can "suck" the insides out. *shudder! *gah! I haven't read the books but have watched the old cartoon, when I was little, and all of the LOTR and Hobbit movies. I never got the impression, in the cartoon, that they were bitten. I love books but haven't been able to bring myself to read these. Yeah, sure, if it were a type of wasp (like a mud dauber) that preys on spiders, that paralyzes them with their sting. A wasp (or several) went crazy on spiders on our front porch once and left all types lying everywhere. I poked one with a stick and it woke up! The wasps usually take them to their nest and lay their eggs on the paralyzed spider's body. When the wasp larvae hatch, they eat the spider alive. As far as I know, spiders do not simply paralyze their prey, but digest them with their venom.

[@davidricart1395]

The director's cut does a poor job explaining what happened to Eowyn and Merry. Any time you touch one of the Ringwraiths (even through an object like a sword), your body and spirit suffer immensely. Both of them were incredibly weakened after stabbing the Witch-King. The way they set it up and the fact there is no explanation makes it confusing. If you recall from the first movie, Frodo suffered the same type of wound (although much more severe).

[@elizabethparker4511]

One little thing sir. Try a movie called "Pricilla, Queen of the Desert". That is a very different side to Agent Smith.