LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS [Extended] Movie Reaction

[@jenmurrayxo]

Subscribe if you like watching stuff with me!! www.youtube.com/@jenmurrayxo?sub_confirmation=1 RETURN OF THE KING is on Patreon now! www.patreon.com/posts/lord-of-rings-of-116544997

[@e.d.2096]

King Kong! Another Peter Jackson Great! 😊

[@derrickbias3406]

Jen you asked what books came first? The Hobbit. The author fought in WWI and felt like a hobbit in the trenches.

[@jakubkvacala1880]

Pls try Lord of War (2005) really great movie

[@ajjbs7580]

Finally, soneone with common sense. EXTENDED baby!!!! the only way to go!

[@Hero_forevers3657]

Am I the only one who thinks this channel is simply amazing or not?

[@AL13NM]

"Smote His Ruin Upon The Mountain Side!" is one of the ALL TIME GREAT Movie quotes ever!

[@christopherlundgren1700]

I really like "I did not pass through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm." Wish I had it on a T-shirt.

[@infiad1275]

@@christopherlundgren1700 I always thought that would make a perfect political slogan against the opposition!

[@Merecir]

"They are taking the Hobbits to Isengard!" beats it. 😂

[@coffeemachtspass]

That same line leapt out at me when I first read the books at about age twelve. I still look forward to hearing it whenever I watch the movie.

[@fergalstackstreams]

Hot Take: Tolkien was a better poet than Shakespeare.

[@Pixelologist]

23:30 - "Oh, they just look like a rock. That was lucky." - Nope...not luck. Magical Elven cloaks!

[@spacecadet35]

I have used this rock trick in LARP before. A party of about six monsters walked past me within touching distance. It did help that it was night, but I was using a grey woolen cloak, not an eleven cloak.

[@Travel__Spin]

If she would have watched the extended edition she would know that.

[@christopherwall2121]

​@@Travel__Spin This IS the extended version

[@shinrapresident7010]

Fun fact: Peter Jackson actually used a real Balrog to film that scene. He was told it was impossible. He was called crazy, a madman, that it violated the laws of the universe. But he didn't care. 37 cameramen lost their lives in that fiery crevasse and it was all worth it. Peter Jackson is truly inspirational!

[@gaulstonedog4633]

😂😂😂

[@viggowiin]

It was also quite the hassle to capture and tame the Mumakil, Trolls and Wargs. Plus the orc actors union was very demanding considering the stunts they had to do.

[@VonBlade]

Thank you. Anything is better than that bloody Aragorn helmet story again :)

[@Philbert-s2c]

Nonsensical post..but made of win nonetheless.

[@Philbert-s2c]

@@VonBlade Oh god, I am so over that fucking story. An actor broke his toe. Ooooooooh. Do we want to talk about Vic Morrow and those little Vietnamese kids?

[@captainchaos3667]

27:05 - that single plaintive Hardanger fiddle playing the Rohan theme is IMHO the most beautiful music cue in the entire trilogy. I love it so much.

[@makani9004]

"Horses are magical" is one of the most endearingly innocent things a person can utter.

[@davidmarino1913]

Horses are a race of beings in Middle Earth, just as elves, dwarves and men. That's why Gandalf calls Shadowfax the Lord of all Horses: Shadowfax is a Horse Lord.

[@ldkinbote]

@@davidmarino1913 Ha! That's cool!

[@Temeraire101]

“Is this a real place?” Yep, it’s called New Zealand.

[@michaelnolan6951]

Specifically, most of Rohan was filmed in South Canterbury province in the South Island. Edoras was built at Mount Sunday on private land. The NZ army had to build roads into the location for filming then carefully remove them under Department Of Conservation supervision to ensure that the land was left as it had been found. As a transplanted Mainlander myself, the scenery in this movie makes me equal parts homesick and proud.

[@jodonnell64]

More specifically, the valley that was filmed in is a real place in NZ, including the large hill that Edoras is built on. Peter Jackson was thrilled about it when his location scouts found the place, since it matched perfectly the description in the book. It's an NZ park area, so when they built the palace (only the exterior, the inside was used for offices and equipment storage) they had to tear it down after filming and return the area to the same condition it was in before the filming and construction. The wind shown in the film was also real, and somewhere out in that valley is a pair of Jackson's sunglasses that got blown off his face. Also, the wind tearing the banner off and dropping it near Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli was unplanned, but kept for the film.

[@woeshaling6421]

@@jodonnell64 yeah the geography made the valley a windtrap. I can't imagine the nightmare of trying to set up shots with those conditions

[@arno_nuehm_1]

Middle Zealand

[@NZBigfoot]

Its funny people going weird over my countries landscape when for those of us living here its just... the 'backyard'. While we look at others countries landscapes and go the same way lol.

[@anulire]

Vigo (Aragorn) fell in love with Brego so much he bought the horse after the movies

[@gawkthimm6030]

Viggo also bought the (expensive) white horse stallion for Arwens stunt woman double who rode in the first movie, because she couldnt afford him herself.

[@NecramoniumVideo]

He loves horses, he also bought one of the horses he used in the 2004 movie Hildalgo.

[@EBlank3807]

Not to mention all the camping and fishing he did in costume with Brego during production. What a wholesome dude

[@Rus-r7s]

@@EBlank3807 : Mortenson, was raised doing a lot of farm work with his father, including with livestock , including horses.

[@alberttaylor2754]

Hi Jen, I discovered The Lord of The Rings in the late 1970's in high school, I am 64 now, and have read them almost every year since then. I have a group of friends who still play Dungeons and Dragons to this day. My oldest daughter calls us geriatric nerds😅. TLOTR is such an epic and good story that it formed lifelong friendships amongst us. Yes some of us have moved away and one of us has passed away but we still love each other and still gather once a week online to talk shit and play Dungeons and Dragons. Peter Jackson did an outstanding job with these films although there were some events and characters that were left out for various reasons. Let me say that you are the PERFECT Fantasy/Star Trek chick. Keep up the good work.🥰😘

[@magicbrownie1357]

Howard Shore's score to the trilogy is truly amazing. It's almost as if you could tell the story by the music alone. Masterful.

[@NecramoniumVideo]

Its still BS that the movie's score was not even nominated for a Oscar, seeing it was a sequel and not seen as "original music". Strangely, Return Of The King's score was nominated and did win.

[@CollideFan1]

The score is perfection, listen to it when you read the books

[@RaoulKunz1]

Shore's score is the best thematically structured complex composition this side of.... er... "The Ring" of all things - Wagner's in this case - Heck! You could adapt The Ring with LotR costumes and settings and it would look awesome and apropriate - both draw on a mythologized but still vaguely (or strongly) familiar migration-era to early medieval, post roman setting... Best regards Raoul G. Kunz

[@user-mg5mv2tn8q]

He'll always be remembered for his work in these movies. And yet, I'm old enough that whenever I hear the name Howard Shore, I always think "and his All-Nurse Band."

[@ThaBeatConductor]

​@@RaoulKunz1Do you comment on The Expanse reactions too?

[@Pfhreak]

"How does he know this? Does he have powers?" Not for nothing that Aragorn is one of the inspirations for the ranger class in D&D.

[@bluebird3281]

rolling survival checks at advantage

[@Tom-Mac1975]

That's why Aragorn can duel wield.

[@simongiles9749]

​@@Tom-Mac1975That's a 3rd Ed thing that comes about because in 1st Ed, Drow Elves could dual wield. Then comes drow ranger Drizz't with two scimitars. Cooke and Reynolds took the "ranger" part of that for the dual wielding, not the drow when they wrote the 3rd Ed rules.

[@Tom-Mac1975]

@@simongiles9749 I have plasyed dual wielding rangers in both 1st and 2nd edition. I've never played 3rd edition nor own any books from it. I would not have know about it if dual wield for rangers started in 3rd edition. I'm pretty sure Slavatore had Drizzt dual wield because he knew of the option in the rules when he wrote his books, though I've never asked him.

[@sarahstardust]

If you look at the ground closely, you can see some hobbit footprints in a couple of shots. They're the only ones running around barefoot so they stand out. I love that little detail.

[@rcrawford42]

One reason Elrond is so against Arwen staying behind is Elrond's brother chose mortality, so he's been through that loss.

[@user-lv5bt3nt3r]

In the books elrond has no issue with arwen’s decision, which is a fait accompli by the time the story starts.

[@llanitedave]

​​@@user-lv5bt3nt3rNot quite. Elrond will not allow Arwen to marry Aragorn unless Sauron is defeated AND Aragorn made king of a re-united Gondor and Arnor. In other words, he must also restore the long-ruined northern kingdom. He needs the agreement of the people of Gondor as well as the princes of the provinces for that to happen. Fortunately his victory is so complete that when the time comes there is no remaining dispute.

[@william_santiago]

1:00:02 This is Saruman. His crebain birds were scouting the fortress for days leading up to the battle. He would have known about it without Grima. Some might even suggest that he already knew about it, having been an ally to Rohan since the time the first stone was laid in the Hornburg. He may have simply been testing Grima to see his loyalty.

[@smeglor1]

9:37 "I feel like Legolas just floats along". You're right. Remember how he walked on top of the snow when they tried to go through the mountains in Fellowship. Elves leave no trace of their passage; they do not disturb the ground, plants, snow, etc. Someone here with deeper understanding of the lore might be able to explain why.

[@JamailvanWestering]

Or how he is able to outrun a collapsing bridge while in the middle of the pathway

[@StarkRG]

They're full of helium. Probably related to Hynerians. Their voices would be deeper than the Ents' without it. (imagine Legolas with Michael Clarke Duncan's voice)

[@Cheepchipsable]

Because the author wanted it that way...?

[@TennSeven]

J. R. R. Tolkien was a linguist and philologist; he loved studying and creating languages and so, in answer to your question, "how did they write this Elvish language in the book?" Tolkien invented Elven language (along with many others) and even various dialects to be spoken by different geographical and temporal tribes, created writing systems for them, put them in the books like that (so they were unreadable to anyone who wasn't him), and then provided English translations where appropriate.

[@gawkthimm6030]

to expanded; he wrote the langauges and made up the different elvish cultures to give the languages deeper meanings, then invented his own mythology.. all before writing any books about it.

[@davida7153]

When you read in deep how Tolkien created Quenya, Sindarin and other languages to that level, the difficulty and complexity to do such a thing...i have no words to describe it.

[@czarfore]

Of course, Tolkien was a little crazy, but in a good way.

[@MrGBH]

The books are supposedly translations of how Frodo wrote everything down. Even the names have been translated from Hobbit tongue

[@gunkulator1]

@@MrGBH This point is important in that the entirety of LOTR is told from the perspective of Hobbits. Being simple creatures, they don't really understand how Sauron, Gandalf and the Elves are doing things beyond their comprehension and so they just call all of it magic. Galadriel chastises them for this in book and it makes the Hobbits unreliable narrators sometimes. There's a theory that there's actually no magic of any kind in LOTR. Everything that seems magical to the Hobbits is really just technology or innate ability.

[@lethaldose2000]

Hey Jen, The depiction of the Ents in the movie is one of the most flawless execution of visual effects ever done. -------- The cominabtion of creature design, animatronics, and visual tracking overlays makes their depicition to be one of the highlights of the movie.

[@StarkRG]

It also gave John Rhys Davies something to do that didn't require all the rash-producing prosthetic make-up.

[@simongiles9749]

Although Billy Boyd and Dom Monaghan's descriptions of their experience in the animatronic rig is hilarious, being thrown around while perched on backwards bicycle saddles. "I don't think whoever designed it had any concept of testicles. And after a day filming neither did we."

[@lethaldose2000]

@StarkRG Getting that Gimly beard in place requires a hell of a lot of glue, which causes the same prosthetic rash. Ahhhhh the pains of being a world class actor.

[@lethaldose2000]

@@simongiles9749 Iremember reading that. They even slept in the fake tree during their lunch breaks so they didn't have to climb in and out.

[@SeedFactoryProject]

@13:25 - Aragorn was a ranger in the north for many years. He had to learn hunting and tracking skills to eat. @14:25 - Later Gimli is threatening to chop some firewood from the Ent, and Treebeard hollers "I am not a lumber I am a tree man!" 😛 (see "The Prisoner" series) @17:20 - Arwen's river flood washed away their physical form. But their spirits, which Frodo saw on Weathertop when he put on the Ring, are tied to it. They can re-form physical shapes as long as the Ring exists. @21:40 - It is not so much a hierarchy as the colors they wear. Five were sent to Middle Earth, of which we meet three in the movies. The White wizard is supposed to be the wisest. When Saruman "abandoned reason for madness", Gandalf replaced him. @33:00 - The outdoor locations were all filmed in New Zealand. The Shire buildings have been preserved, and are now a tourist attraction. They were actually built a year in advance so the landscaping could settle and look like it had been there for many years. @38:55 - Tolkien was a professor of languages at Oxford. He created them for fun, then created a mythology for how the languages developed, then created a world for them to be used in - Middle Earth. He drew from European myths and legends, but added stuff of his own. Finally he wrote a book for his children about this world (The Hobbit), and a very long book for adults (The Lord of the Rings). The published LOTR has a bunch of appendixes besides the story itself, and there's about 8 volumes of additional material published from his papers and notes. We now call this process "world building", building a back-story for books, movies or video games. Tolkien did it first. @43:00 - I spent many years doing historical re-enactments as a hobby. "Defensive structures" like castles protect the people inside against an attacking force, and also give them a height advantage - arrows going downhill travel farther than uphill, and you can drop stuff on people trying to climb the walls. But the advantage isn't infinite. A big enough force can break through. @1:16:40 - The theatrical release was kept shorter for two reasons: how long the audience was willing to sit, and how many showings (i.e. tickets) could be sold per day. The home version didn't have those restrictions.

[@e.d.2096]

" THE LORE! " Please don't ever change, Jen. 😊

[@outsidefactor]

@@e.d.2096 Well said!

[@craigkm5303]

LOL! Right in the middle of Sam’s potato quote, I got an ad for a restaurant!😂

[@anonymous15432]

Jen really is the best reactor out there. Such genuine honest reactions, nothing fake or over exaggerated, smart and cute as a button.

[@thesofahippo4055]

10:50 Love how, despite the Uruk-Hai's extreme brutality, they're sophisticated enough to know what a "menu" is 😆

[@line_noise]

Hi Jen! Great reaction as always. I actually worked on this movie! Peter Jackson had some crazy ideas for the Gandalf-Balrog battle including having a ton of Watchers (the tentacled beast outside the Mines of Moria) in the water at the bottom of the chasm. And something about "Slime Balrogs" which, thankfully, never got off the pages of the script! It was such a privilege working on such landmark movies. A once in a lifetime experience.

[@wren7195]

If I recall the slime Balrog was in the book, but somewhat in passing, sort of like "shadows like wings" made Peter be like "eh well whatever we'll say he's got wings eyh." I THINK. Jealous you got to work on the project, it's a masterpiece.

[@jorgedeanoperez2997]

As I say to everyone I come across that worked in any capacity in these movies, thank you for giving me this gift growing up. I adore you and everyone else who made my life amazing ❤

[@Anaaksounamoun]

yeah i worked too !

[@jorgedeanoperez2997]

@@Anaaksounamoun thank you as well, then ❤️

[@paulp9274]

​@wren7195 the 'slime balrog' is the balrog Gandalf fights, after its flame is extinguished by falling into the underground lake.

[@GlebNerzhin]

“They don’t know he leveled up” 🤣🤣🤣

[@dennisswainston411]

Farimir is played by David Wenham, who also plays "Delios" the warrior/narrator of "300" and the friar-friend of Hugh Jackman in "Van Helsing".

[@skraf883]

Loved him in all 3 movies, but he was hilarious in Van Helsing as the bumbling inventive friar.

[@silent_mike33]

He also plays the protagonist in the little known Australian film "The Bank" (2001) which is brilliant 👍

[@MelaniePoparad]

That man could read the phone book to me and I would melt at his feet

[@user-mg5mv2tn8q]

He was in the Netflix Iron Fist series, though no one can blame anyone for not knowing that.

[@johncradden8182]

He was also the narrator for the somewhat short lived Spike T.V series 'Deadliest Warrior'.

[@damienkakoschke3099]

The Hobbit came first. The bog Smeagol leads them through is the location of the huge battle before the titles of the first movie, hence the bodies of fallen armoured elves under the water. There are only 5 wizards, Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast the Brown (who is in the Hobbit), and 2 more wizards, twins who's colour is blue. FYI, the running joke with tossing Gimli. There's a long standing sport in northern Australia of dwarf tossing. The dwarf athletes are quite competative. LOLs, Saruman gives Gandalf grief about being fond of the halfling leaf, and then Merry & Pippin find his secret stash.

[@vincegamer]

Dwarf tossing existed in the USA too, but now is considered insulting and not done. I'm not totally surprised they still do it in Australia

[@HauntedHeme13]

When they're standing at the wall and the rain slowly starts... GOOSEBUMPS every time

[@biffyqueen]

For me it’s the march of the ents

[@dwilborn1257]

It has been said that the Dead Marshes were based on Tolkien's experiences in WWI, where bodies where left out in no man's land and then covered by rain. He survived the war only because he became very sick and was hospitalized. While he was recovering, his whole unit perished in a battle.

[@eddysegafan6655]

That's so interesting I had no idea... Man that's kind of haunting wondering how much culture LoTr has on us, and would've been lost to us if he passed away earlier.

[@christopherconard2831]

Another reference to the era was the conversation of the Ents. The real world equivalent was the League of Nations. They debated endlessly before, during, and after the war taking far too long to come to a decision about anything. It wasn't until a situation was forced upon them by actions of others that they decided anything.

[@Robertz1986]

​@eddysegafan6655 Sometimes people ask "How little would history have to change for this person to not have written/invented/etc" but I instead find myself wondering how many Tolkiens, Washingtons, Einsteins, and who knows what did die and what the world might have been like otherwise.

[@user-lv5bt3nt3r]

@@eddysegafan6655tolkien only served on the western front for a few months. He contracted trench fever just before the somme offensive of 1916. Trench fever was the no 1 cause of casualties on the western front and could cause serious long term effects (it was spread by bacteria in lice). My great grandfather was invalided with trench fever in 1917 but by then my great grandfather had been on the front for 3 years. Tolkien had 3 best friends from school and was an orphan (is this seeming familiar?) one of them was killed just before tolkien was invalided, one just after (the other one - christopher - was in the navy and survived the war). And tolkien’s regiment was annihilated on the Somme. That all adds up to a huge burden of survivor’s guilt and a sense of failure - which we know tolkien suffered from. Tolkien was posted to a training base in england and his wife went with him. They would walk in a local forest and one day, to cheer him up, she danced for him in a beam of light in a forest glade - which inspired him to write the story of luthien and beren. When his wife died he had ‘luthien’ engraved beneath her name. His family added ‘beren’ below his name on the same gravestone. Oh, and Tolkken’s batman - officer’s servant - during his active service was named Sam Hodges.

[@simongiles9749]

​@@eddysegafan6655How many people have died in wars that might have produced a great work of art or made a great discovery? Tragically we will never know.

[@PhilBagels]

The information Wormtongue tells Saruman is really just exposition for the audience. Saruman already knows all about Helm's Deep. Saruman is as old as Gandalf, and has his spies all over. And yes, there's a very good reason why people built fortresses throughout most of history: A small force on the inside can defend itself against a much larger force from the outside - assuming their supplies and food hold out. They would stock up on food and such well in advance, in anticipation of a siege battle. Remember that an army travels on its stomach. The attacking force needs food, too, and doesn't have a storehouse already filled for them outside of the castle they're laying siege to. And the rain is a bigger hindrance to those outside than those inside.

[@billb207]

28:32 RIP Bernard Hill (Théoden), who died earlier this year. He captained the Titanic, led a division in the Afrika Korps at the start of Valkerie, and if you're British, you'll remember Yosser from the Boys from the Blackstuff.

[@kevinschultz5678]

Jen, seeing your joy for the wonderful music (trumpets > clarinet BTW) brings a smile to my face. Not many things do nowadays. Thank you.

[@AMortalDefiant]

1:02:40 - the "secret side door" is known as a "sally port", which is where additional troops could be sent out to harass attackers, and delay their advance. This is where the expression "sally forth!" comes from, though it is used mostly in a joking manner these days. The word "sally" comes from the Latin word "salire" (to jump). The word "port" comes form the Latin word for door, "portus". In this case, Aragorn, et. al, have to *LITERALLY* jump from the area around the door to reach the attackers. Knowing Tolkien's mastery of language, I have to assume that was a play on words. Modern prisons still use the term sally port to refer to gated areas between parts of a prison, such as heading into a medical facility for prisoners or guards.

[@lethaldose2000]

Hey Jen, the monologue of Sam is a monologue of life. " Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going because they were holding on to something...That there's some good in the world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for." ------- Tolken fought is WWI and they thought the end of the world was at hand. ----------- How could we continue to fight we all seems dark in the world, it's not for us to decide we have to fight to the end to save all that is good and precious in this world.

[@davidperkins6752]

Jen, you absolute legend! so many reactors think that the scene with the rope was because the knot had been done poorly and that Sam and Frodo were in danger because of it. very few people get that it's because it's magical elven rope and will stay safely knotted until the user no longer requires it to.🙂

[@MidnightHowling]

In the books, wasn't Sam's family known for their knot skills (after, of course, being master gardeners)?

[@kevinL5425]

I like how when “The White Wizard” appears they had both the voice of Saruman and the voice of Gandalf speaking together. Then they faded from Saruman to Gandalf’s voice as he is revealed. Kept us guessing to the last second.

[@hrotha]

It's like, was that a representation of how Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas subjectively experienced their encounter with someone they thought was Saruman, or was that just Gandalf fucking with them? The latter option is funnier so it's my headcanon

[@vincesergi7339]

Fun fact. Boromir only went to Rivendell after him and his brother Faramir had a dream, a spirit telling him to Seek for the Sword That Was Broken: In Imladris It Dwells." Which at first glance, it means the sword that cut the ring, but it really meant seek out Aragorn.

[@krisfrederick5001]

“Where now are the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow; The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow." I liked the first film but didn't fully appreciate it until I witnessed this genius. Tolkien's experiences from the first World War, to the industrial revolution and the destruction of nature in the process of progress are vividly expressed. "Should I describe it, or would you like me to find you a box?" Brego was the true hero in this. Don't say neigh.

[@myopicautisticmetal9035]

One of my favorite things about the lord of the rings is the story arch we get with Gimli and Legolas, they start off hating each other and by Helms Deep they're pals!

[@bitterzombie]

One of my favorite details is that you can pinpoint the moment Legolas decides he likes Gimli- it's when he tells him that Galadriel gave him 3 hairs. Legolas smiles wistfully, he knows exactly what that gesture meant. He didnt trust Gimli until Galadriel, who can read minds, acknowledged that he had a noble heart. From then on, they are inseperable. This is similar to the books- in which Legolas spends his time in Lothlorien showing Gimli around, & by the time they leave, they surprise the others by taking a boat together, so they can continue chatting. Their friendship was already developing, but once Galadriel showed Gimli respect, Legolas began to treat him like a brother.

[@MrQabalist]

The Hobbit was written before LotR. It was about Frodo's uncle Bilbo and his adventures with the Dwarves to get their home back. The Ring first makes an appearance there as a magical ring that makes Bilbo invisible. Bilbo makes use of the Ring to help his companions in various scenarios. There is a hierarchy of the Wizards. Saruman (the White, in his fall he coins himself Saruman of many colors) is the strongest and their leader, followed by Gandalf (the Grey), Radaghast (the Brown), and then the two Blue Wizards who were last seen in the East. Gandalf becomes the strongest Wizard when Eru (or God) revives him after Durin's Bane killed him. Sauron is the only being in Middle-earth stronger than Gandalf at this point. The Wizards are not human, but they appear as human.

[@user-mg5mv2tn8q]

When he returns to Middle-Earth, Gandalf basically has Gandalf's power plus Saruman's power.

[@user-lv5bt3nt3r]

Thats not correct. There are many creatures in middle earth more powerful or as powerful as gandalf. Tom bombadil is one example. He is arguably the most powerful entity in middle earth. Glorfindel is another. By implication, galadriel also has massive powers. The balrog in moria is the last of the balrogs and all of them were mai’er, just like gandalf (and sauron). The moria balrog, who goes unnamed other than ‘Durin’s Bane’, was one of morgoth’s Dukes (all the balrogs are titled as dukes) and, as such, were on par with Sauron at that time. Theres never any indication that gandalf is as powerful as sauron.

[@MrQabalist]

@@user-lv5bt3nt3r I did not claim that Gandalf was as mighty as Sauron. I said that in Middle-earth Sauron alone was Gandalf's superior following his resurrection and enhancement by Eru. Gandalf the White informs Gimli that he is "more dangerous than anything you will ever meet, unless you are brought alive before the seat of the Dark Lord." Prior to that, as Gandalf the Grey, he admitted to Frodo that "there are many powers in the world, for good or for evil. Some are greater than I am. Against some I have not yet been measured." Glorfindel is not stronger than Gandalf, a Maia, nor was any Elf (including the three mightiest, Galadriel, her uncle Feanor, and her cousin Luthien). Even when he was enhanced Glorfindel was still inferior in might to the Maiar. Tolkien notes that Glorfindel had been "in the companionship of the Maiar" after he was allowed to incarnate again and that he had "become almost an equal" to them because his self-sacrifice (against a Balrog) greatly enhanced his spiritual power. On the one hand "On foot Glorfindel and Aragorn together could not withstand all the Nine at once" (Many Meetings) and on the other "The Dark Lord has Nine: But we have One, mightier than they: the White Rider" (The White Rider).

[@user-lv5bt3nt3r]

@ tom bombadil. And a number of others. Your original point was incorrect, which youve basicall conceded - without actually conceding it.

[@nirfz]

I probably need to look it up again, but as far as i remember there's not really a hirarchy among the wizards. They originate from the following of different Valar. And thus have their different specialties and different powers. And with Gandalf being sent back, he gets sent back "from the top of the line" and so he gest "all the powers a wizard can have" which makes his white a little different than Sarumans white. Gandalfs is an "all colours lights mixed = white" white. Whilte Sarumans is just white. Saruman is said to be the oldest of them, and so had more time to gain knowledge. Hence him being chosen as the "head of their order". But he was of Aule's following originally. While Gandalf was of Manwe and Varda. So in essence, Gandalf was of the direct following of "the king of Arda" wisest of the Valar.

[@domingocurbelomorales8635]

Gandalf it´s one of the five Istari... sent to the middle earth by the Valar. With Saruman, it´s also Gandalf, Radagast and the two blue wizards. Saruman was the white because he was chosen as the leader of all them. When he turned to darkness... Ilúvatar chose a new leader.... returning Gandalf from the limbo as Gandalf the White.

[@Witherdrake]

Not Limbo. Gandalf or Olorin as was his proper name was sent to the Timeless Halls, Eru's palace and granted new power by Eru himself. Only Eru could "bring back" Gandalf to a mortal body and gave him his new task as "The Grey" Gandalf's purpose was more back lines to keep the free peoples from loosing hope. As The White he could more directly aid the free peoples as a strategist and war counselor. He also had Narya Ring of Fire which Cirdan the shipwright who owned it originally gave to Gandalf saying "Take this Ring Master, for it is the Ring of Fire, and with it you may rekindle hearts in a world that grows chill."

[@eskreskao]

42:42 What you described is a dictionary definition of a bottleneck, and it's perfect for defense - a very small opening makes it so a large invading force has to slow down considerably so it can get through, and meanwhile the defending have less to guard, and can pick the enemy off at their leisure. It's also why that final bridge in Moria was so narrow and not OSHA-compliant.

[@bluebird3281]

Handrails are for Elves and beardless women!

[@ravensshadow2179]

During the Covid Lock downs Sean Astin did a great video of him reading his the line" It's like the great stories, Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn't want to know the end because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad has happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing this shadow, even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines, it'll shine out the clearer. I know now folks in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going because they were holding on to something. That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for."

[@seantlewis376]

Samwise Gamgee is the bravest Hobbit of them all. He spent his life looking after his friend, and never backed down.

[@MortenM80]

Sam is the true hero, end of story!

[@nirfz]

Neither did the other 3 Hobbits back down from danger to help their friends. Merr and Pippin risekd their lives and drew the attention of the Uruk-Hai onto them so Frodo could leave to Mordor. And one of the most overlooked is Fredegar Bolger. In the books, when the Hobbits leave the shire, he is the one keeping the show on so that it looks like they are still there, basically waiting for the Nazgul. Imagine that is your job... (Stay there and make it look like we are here when the unkillable mighty Nazgul come to kill us.

[@FilmBuff54]

The battle of Helm’s Deep is as close to a recreation of a medieval battle as has probably ever been committed to film. It is stunning.

[@viggowiin]

I love how you recognized the elvish rope. Many other reactors joke about Sam tying a bad knot or say they were lucky not to die because of the bad knot. But in reality of course Sam tied a good knot. It was the property of the elvish rope making the rope come free when it needed to. 23:21 I have always loved the armor of the Easterlings. Generally the armory in these movies was high quality. 31:00 Gandalf is an immortal spirit and has existed since the beginning. His human form is only about 2000 years old. 37:35 Just throw the ring in to Eowyn's stew. That would surely kill Sauron. 42:14 Be at peace son of Morgoth. May meat always be on the menu for you in orc heaven.

[@phookadude]

Gandalf is much older in a way, the ishtari were sent into the world in the 1st age to try and shepherd the elves back to Valinor but Morgoth sowed distrust and Sauruman proved to be less that a perfect diplomat. When they were sent back they had no memory and had to live as part of the world. That's probably the reason Ciridan gave Gandalf the ring of fire when he got off the boat because he remembered them from their first mission while they did not. Also Gandalf the white was probably changed by revealing to him his true nature after he avoided corruption and died nobly.

[@MatthewJamesKalasky]

Isn't the scene with the Easterlings an reference to that scene from Wizard of Oz? Immortal, but only age-wise. Unless I'm mistaken, he can still be killed. Poor Eowyn just got OWNED. Would the orcs here even be going to a heaven?

[@DavidEllis94]

​@@phookadudeOlorin was sent to help guide the Eldar from Cuivienen, yes, but not in this bodied form. OP is right that Gandalf has only been a thing in Middle-Earth for around 2,000 years

[@viggowiin]

@@phookadude Yeah agree. His human/wizard form is 2000 years old. Olorin is 55000 years old or infinite depending on how you calculate time in the spiritual realm.

[@viggowiin]

@@MatthewJamesKalasky I heard that about the Easterlings but I'm not sure. He can technically still be killed. Gandalf the White though was close to unkillable. Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas couldn't harm them. Sauron did pose a great threat to Gandalf the White and the Nazgul of course. Killing a Balrog usually means dying yourself like with Glorfindel and Ecthelion. I mean everything about Eowyn is great except her cooking. But I mean travelling food back then probably was just nasty. Good question. Men did go somewhere beyond the circles of the world. Not even the elves knew where. Maybe the same for orcs. I heard somewhere that one of Tolkiens regrets was he didn't make orcs more nuanced. There is some nuance to them in the books though.

[@peternolan5501]

"That's a bad ass way to go out, though." (Gandalf immediately gets badder and assier)

[@GraemeCampbellMusic]

I live near the Grangemouth oil refinery in Scotland. When the burners are on, lighting the sky up it does resemble Mordor a wee bit 😀

[@sarahstardust]

I lived near an oil refinery for about a year and would make the same joke about it lol.

[@kevinL5425]

I love how Gandalf timed the attack at Helm’s Deep so that just as the Rohirim reached the orcs the sun rose over the hill and blinded them.

[@mikewhite6138]

Aragorn is a Dunedain Ranger of the North and Isildur's heir and was raised by elves. His Numenorean blood grants him long life and heightened senses. He is the gigachad.

[@MrGpschmidt]

The Orcs are arguably the gnarliest monsters ever committed to celluloid and absolutely terrifying.

[@stevelabonte7923]

1:10:37 "...and it's all because of Merry & Pippin". Maybe the only reactor I've ever seen who recognize the impact they had at Helms Deep. Loved the reaction! Missed seeing Quickbeem at the Entmoot.

[@domingocurbelomorales8635]

Goosebumps in all my body during the "Ent´s march". EPIC.

[@Enthymene]

28:29 I say "I know you; I know your face" to my cat in the morning

[@weshaworth619]

One of the added scenes in the extended version is Faramir's flashback to when he last saw Boromir. In that scene Denethor (their father) commands a reluctant Boromir to go to Rivendell and get the ring for him, making Boromir's fate even more tragic.

[@jopay142]

But Arwen went forth from the House, and the light of her eyes was quenched, and it seemed to her people that she had become cold and grey as nightfall in winter that comes without a star. Then she said farewell to Eldarion, and to her daughters, and to all whom she loved; and she went out of the city of Minas Tirith and passed away to the land of Lorien, and dwelt there alone under the fading trees until winter came. Galadriel had passed away and Celeborn also was gone, and the land was silent. There at last when the mallorn-leaves were falling, but spring had not yet come, she laid herself to rest upon Cerin Amroth; and there is her green grave, until the world is changed, and all the days of her life are utterly forgotten by men that come after, and elanor and niphredil bloom no more east of the Sea. - Appendix A, tLotR

[@cp368productions2]

Wrong movie to put this on!

[@user-lv5bt3nt3r]

Delete your comment. Massive spoiler.

[@captainchaos3667]

Don't worry, she's already watched Return of the King.

[@sammylane21]

The violin was really shining in this score, huh? Made you feel every agonizing and peaceful moment in the story.

[@brucewilliams4152]

Sam's real gift from Galadriel was a box with g carved on the top, it contained soil from lothlorian, and a seed from a mallorn tree. Sam repaired the white with the soil, and planted the Mallorn tree to replace Bilbo oak tree, but down by bandits

[@PeterParker-fx9dl]

I like the "subscribe" whisper. A nice touch to be different from other channels.

[@georgeheilman4243]

It makes me happy that among the many great sequences within this edition, we get a Tom Bombadil reference with Merry and Pippin drinking the tree's water and growing. As well as that wonderful Saruman line, "You stink of horse."

[@DrummingWriterTrekfan84]

When orcs ran from helms deep into the trees at the end and get killed by the trees is an extra scene.

[@dennisswainston411]

Eomer, nephew to King Theoden, is played by Karl Urban . He also plays Billy Butcher in "The Boys" and Dr. McCoy in the reboot "Star Trek" movies!

[@biffyqueen]

At this point he was known as a recurring actor from Hercules and Xena, where he played, among other random extras, Cupid and Julius Caesar.

[@cazsspot1]

You asked about wizard color hierarchy, and there isn't one. So Gandalf (as well as Sauromon) are Maier, which best modern day facsimile is Angels. The colors of the wizards denote their purpose. Brown wizards tend to animals, gray wizards help people on their quests, and white wizards are advisors. Gandalf is sent back because he's one of the only wizards doing what he's supposed to be. That's why he says I am Sauromon or rather Sauromon as he should've been.

[@OldRod99]

"He leveled up" Gandalf shouts, "DING!!" LOL

[@fenzirulfr]

When Aragorn (the actor) kicked the helmet and screamed having believed that Merry and Pippin were dead he kicked it so hard that he broke his toe on set and that was a real scream of pain lol

[@Fillaaaaa]

12:53 Fun fact he broke is toe by kicking the helmet the scream was real xD

[@domingocurbelomorales8635]

Aragorn it´s a Dúnedain, a sort of "royal" race among the men, blessed with long life as descents of Númenor (they have part of elves in their blood). That´s why he has 87 years old here, and looks young.

[@Merecir]

The "Dúnedain" got to live long lives because they remained loyal to the good side in the War of Wrath, then the Hosts of Valinor came to punish Morgoth for his crimes. Only the line of kings had elven blood.

[@rbrtck]

In his true form, as the Maia (angelic being) Olórin, Gandalf is about 55,000 years old. As Gandalf the "wizard" (Istari) in Middle-earth, who has a body that looks like (but isn't) the body of a Man, he is about 2000 years old. But remember that he had just spent what felt like eons in the Timeless Halls, so he could be said to be much older in some ways. At least he remembered the name Gandalf after he was reminded of it. By the way, Gandalf went by a number of different names in Middle-earth. Men originally called him Gandalf, while Elves originally called him Mithrandir (remember that name for later), but what people called him depended on the individual, and sometimes it was reversed.

[@bluebird3281]

The Grey Pilgram

[@mlong1958]

Gandalf was one of the Maier, sort of like an angel who has taken the form of a wizard, to guide the peoples of Middle Earth. As for the colors of a wizard, it's pretty much the lighter the color, the more power they wield; however, that's not really an accurate description but will suit for the movie's purpose. As a white wizard, Gandalf is at the top of the org chart, basically equal to Saruman. In fact, he was sent back to balance the scales against Saruman. RIP, Bernard Hill, Théoden King.

[@algomaone121]

“SHADOWFAX, Lord of all Horses” has got to be the most epic naming EVER!

[@danielp1080]

It gets me every time when Treebeard says, "It is likely we go to our doom. Last march of the Ents", followed by that amazing score.

[@kevinL5425]

The dead marshes with the corpses in the water were the fallen soldiers from the battle that opened the Fellowship of The Ring, the last alliance of Elves and Men against Sauron.

[@laser3148]

that was a different battle. the one in the intro was at slopes of mount doom. Dead marshes are far west of morannon, right about anduin river

[@kevinL5425]

My understanding is they were both the Battle of Dagorlad in S.A. 3434. The soldiers who died in that battle were buried at the location that became the Dead Marshes before the marshes existed. When the marshes later developed the water exposed their graves.

[@sandwichgode]

"Aragorn can live so long because he is a descendant of the Númenóreans, a race of men who were blessed with a longer lifespan due to their ancestry from Elros, a half-elf, which allows them to live significantly longer than normal humans, although not as long as full elves; this is particularly prominent in Aragorn's lineage as a direct descendant of Isildur, a powerful Númenórean king."

[@Tom-Mac1975]

Jen, the white robes denote the top of the wizard order however Saruman was no longer in white robes when he imprisoned Gandalf. Saruman had transgressed to "the robe of many colors", that deceivingly appeared white, as a full color spectrum of light would. There were 2 blue wizards (forget their names off hand but you can look it up). It is implied that Saruman got the better of them when luring them to a journey to investigate Mordor. The encounter is only mentioned in passing and I don't recall if it was actually stated in LoTR proper or if I read it in one of the appendices. (It's be years since I read them). There is also Radagast the Brown (it was actually he who sent Gwaihir, The Lord of Eagles to Orthanc and led to Gandalf's rescue in the first book). Gwaihir was sent to deliver word to both wizards, from Radagast, and discovered Saruman's treachery. The Eagle owed Gandalf a favor, since many years ago a young gray clothed wizard pulled an arrow out of the injured, giant eagle's wing.

[@DrummingWriterTrekfan84]

Real (lol!)Fun fact 1:00:48 the chubby guy throwing a rock is the movie director and producer Peter Jackson! Also the tiny little baby girl inside the helms deep cave is Peter Jackson's daughter. She was also one of those little hobbit kids at the beginning of the fellowship of the ring that billbo was telling the troll story to at his birthday party!

[@elzar760]

Don’t fear the water Jen. Just don’t follow the lights.

[@tracisr]

I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat thinking about how Sam and Frodo never got to eat that stew 😫😫😫

[@Markus117d]

The salt would surely have helped 😂

[@ChrisMillerCrazyHouse]

Watching these reactions on your channel have made me go and dig up the soundtracks for this epic trilogy. The music works so well and you feel like you are on the adventure when you listen to it.

[@daverhoden445]

Sam is the friend everyone needs but few deserve.

[@Fabian_Lobo]

You are the best Jen, always on point with the story and particularly the music or score. I really enjoy watching your channel. The best to you, yours and the folks in the comments.

[@moonfiredove]

The Hobbit was published first in 1937 then the Lord of the Rings was published between 1954 and 1955. The Hobbit is a prequel to the Lord of the Rings. Also Gandalf in his true form is around 55,000 years old but his "man" form is about 2,000.

[@Adam_Le-Roi_Davis.]

A great reaction to this wonderful film, Jen. I love watching your reaction to these films. To answer your questions, 'The Hobbit' book came before 'The Lord of The Rings', 'Gollum' is the corrupted version of 'Sméagol', he was partly based off the 'Golem' of Jewish folklore a creature made from clay and mud and animated by magic, the Elvish language was taken from Old Welsh language, "Cymraeg" is the Welsh language word for the language now as then, I hope that this helps, Jen?

[@Markus117d]

Don't know quite what you mean by "old Welsh language Cymraeg" ? . As its still a living language and "Cymraeg" is the Welsh word for Welsh.. rather than an ancient dialect or something.. 🤔

[@Adam_Le-Roi_Davis.]

@Markus117d I'm sorry if I phrased that badly, I meant it to mean the Welsh language, I'll alter it to make it clear.

[@Markus117d]

@Adam_Le-Roi_Davis. Don't worry about it, I wasn't sure is all, no offence taken here.. 👍

[@chickwithbricks]

Ok i didn't look through every comment but you asked what's different in the extended editions: my biggest one in this film was the horse Brego. As a book fan seeing the theatrical edition i thought Aragorn was saved by Roheryn, his horse in the books that his ranger buddies (not appearing in the films) brought him in the books. Brego is an added character but i love him. Basically lots of clarity added in the extended versions: the Rohirrim are better explained, there's extra lore for Aragorn's claim to the throne, and my personal favourite, getting to see Boromir again.

[@corvus1970]

"What is that? Oil?" No, although I can understand why you thought so. Remember, the Hobbits are under orders to remain "unspoiled." What Merry was given is a drink sometimes referred to as "orc-draughts." It's kind of like a wine/beer combo that gives the drinker energy and supplies them with some calories and nutrition. Orcs love it, but most other species find it bitter and unpleasant overall. On Aragorn's tracking: "How does he know?" Aragorn is a Ranger. He's spent most of his adult life in the northern wilderness of Middle-Earth, and he is a practiced tracker, fighter, and survivor. In addition, he's a Dúnedain, a dwindling line of ancient humans with some elvish blood that originally hailed from the long destroyed island of Númenór. These were the men who founded the twin kingdoms of Men, Gondor and Arnor. On Gandalf: "How old is he?" Well, as Gandalf he's about 2000 or so. However, like the other Wizards, like Sauron himself, he's actually an immortal, spiritual, angel-like being known as a Maiar. On the wicked men who follow Sauron and Saruman: Yes, they are human, men from the eastern part of the continent, whereas Middle-Earth is on the west. While they hail from various tribes and groups, they are often called "Easterlings" for short.

[@gawkthimm6030]

I heard someone suggest the orc drink is based something the mongols drank, a mildly alcoholic brew made from fermented horse milk with lots of calories, easier to digest for someone with lactose intolerance (more common in asia).

[@OMGtheykilledKenny42]

@@gawkthimm6030 "Can't take his Grog!" I imagine Grog is like a very strong but nasty version of Bourbon or Whiskey.

[@nathanwilliams2152]

A nice way t spend an evening, watching Jen's reactions. Horses are magical. I met a magical horse in Kyrgyzstan, who took me 10 miles up to Kol-Suu, in the southern mountains of the country. 17 hands high, strong, calm, and spirited - he insisted on galloping the last kilometre! Amazing horse.

[@Vurt.451]

A bit of Lore: Gandalf is at the time of the Third Age where this takes place around 24.000 years old (by his own account), but has roamed Middle Earth for "only" the last 2019 years as Gandalf the Grey - in elvish _Mithrandir_ aka The Grey Pilgrim. He's neither man, nor elf, he's a Maia ... that's Middle Earth's equivalent of an Angel. His Valinor (equivalent to Heaven) name is Olorin. Long before the first coming of Sauron, there was one of the most powerful of the Valar (Lesser Gods) named Melkor. He turned to Evil and was cast out by The Creator, Eru Iluvatar, and became known as Morgoth - same as Lucifer was cast out of Heaven by God and became known as Satan. There was a first war against Morgoth and his minions. Some Maia (angels) sided with Morgoth and became corrupted. Their corrupted form is known as Balrog, or what we would call a Demon. So when Gandalf faced the Balrog in Kazad-Dum, he yells: "I am a servant of the Secret Fire," with the secret fire representing light, the power of creation. He thereby indicates to the Balrog that he is the human form of a Maia, therefore his equal. "wielder of the Flame of Anor." With this he indicates that he is the bearer of one of the three Elven Rings of Power, Narya, the Ring of Fire, which makes him more powerful than the Balrog might think he is. And finally he refers to the Balrog as Flame of Udûn ... Udûn is a word for "hell" in reference to the name of the first fortress of Melkor in which he was defeated. By calling the Balrog by that name he immediately makes it clear that he knows exactly who and what he is. It's a warning and a challenge at the same time. So when Gandalf comes back as Gandalf the White, this only means God (Eru Iluvatar) had reincarnated him and sent him back to take Saruman's place since Saruman was now corrupted and Gandalf hadn't completed his mission yet. When it comes to Gandalf's powers, we can see him doing telekinesis (forming a ship out of smoke, fighting Saruman, etc), he can raise a shield of energy (against the Balrog), talk to animals (a skill he learned from Radagast the Brown, another of the five Istari (aka Maia in humanform)), and obviously has some control over fire (which he uses on fireworks) .... but his most powerful skill, which doesn't seem that great at first glance, is that he can inspire hope where there is despair. He wasn't sent to Middle Earth to fight at the other races' place, but to instead guide them into the right direction. The sword he wields also has a story of its own. Its name is Glamdring , also called Foe-Hammer or simply The Beater by goblin folk. It's around 6 to 7000 years old, having been forged during the First Age. If you want to know how Gandalf got hold of that sword you'll have to watch The Hobbit Trilogy 😉

[@ravensdark99]

Dark have been my dreams of late is one of the greatest quotes in any movie...we all can relate. And my favorite detail when the elves enter Helms Deep and Legolas comes out they turn towards him ( not before) because they know he is royalty and stand at attention

[@gunkulator1]

The Elves at Helm's Deep are a Peter Jackson addition. The logistics of how the Elves managed to march about five times the distance the orc army did and still arrive first are problematic at best. Stranger still that the massive orc army did not see the Elves coming and engage them while they were out in the open. Worst is the undermining of Tolkien's theme of the ascendency of mankind finally being able to stand on their own without the Elves.

[@MLJ7956]

9:25 - that guy is the puppet master.... Pretty close Jen. That's actor Brad Dourif who was Charles Lee Ray who became Chucky, the killer doll, in the Child's Play/Chucky movies & TV show, lol 😆.

[@Enthymene]

I'll always remember him as Piter DeVries in the 1984 Dune.

[@jackrussell1232]

The lack of Sam appreciation by other characters is hilarious. After Sam's speech Faramir walks right up to Frodo like, "At last we understand one another, Frodo Baggins." Doesn't even look at Sam. Meanwhile Sam's standing right there going, "That was me. All that stuff you just heard that made you change your mind? Me. All Frodo did was question me while I was busy spitting hot fire up in this bitch. Am I freaking invisible? What the hell is going on here? Well, at least I know I'm clutch." Sam is the Dennis Johnson of Middle Earth.

[@charlize1253]

42:45: Defending or laying siege to a fortress was a common military tactic in the ancient world, and a general military rule of thumb is that a defender usually has the advantage over an attacker because of better cover, protection, elevation, and usually defends a relatively smaller radius than the attack needs to encompass (think about the size of concentric circles; the outer one needs to be larger). The rule of thumb is that an attacker typically needs 3 times as many soldiers as the defender to successfully attack a fixed defensive position. But on the other hand, there are other factors like how strong/tall/thick the castle is, how much food you have inside, what kind of food supplies the other side has, and whether the enemy brought heavy siege weapons with them or is just on foot. If you think you can outlast the invader -- because the castle is strong and you have ample food and water and the other side isn't strong enough to break into the fortress before you run out of food -- then the defender has the edge. But if the other side brought sufficiently heavy weapons or enough troops (3X) to storm the fortress, then the attacker has the advantage because they are mobile and the defender is trapped. Alternatively, if the defender has little food and the other side can forage or raid nearby farms for supplies, then the attacker can just lay siege and surround the fortress and eventually starve it into surrender. Here, both Aragorn and Gandalf thought it was a bad idea (and as events proved they were right because Sarumun had more than enough troops to storm the fortress), but on the other hand, in his defense, the king had already banished his best troops and had no other way to protect his women and children, so it's not like he had many better options.

[@IamMeHere2See]

53:14 Lore fact: Morgoth, the original Dark Lord who commanded the Balrogs, made Trolls in an attempt to match the strength of Ents. They are peaceable, but strong.

[@maestro80smusic93]

Cutting down the trees to fuel the forges was a huge mistake... never piss off an Ent... Faramir has my favorite line : "Then it is forfeit..."

[@alsims2007]

not Sure if you've seen 300 but that's a great example of why you want an enclosed area with one way in. you can focus your defense in one area without worry of attack at you rear and a confined space will limit the enemies numbers that can attack at once

[@jenmurrayxo]

It's on my channel!

[@dennisswainston411]

Viggo bought Brego and kept him until the horse passed of old age.

[@firestorm1088]

In Tolkien lore there are five wizards who came to Middle Earth to serve as guides in the battle against Sauron. After Saruman turned to Sauron’s side he changed his title from The White Wizard to Saruman of Many Colors. There’s Radagast the Brown, who you’ll meet if you watch The Hobbit. There are also two blue wizards alluded to. Supposedly they journeyed into the east to prevent Sauron from returning, which they obviously failed at. After that, depending on which version of Tolkien’s notes you go with, they were either corrupted just like Saruman, or, during the events of these movies, they organized the good people of the east into a second front that drew away some of Sauron’s forces.

[@Pandaemoni]

"Unspoiled" in the context of Merry and Pippen, meant "don't take their stuff." "Spoil" there is used in the same sense as "spoils of war." Saruman doesn't want the orcs to take the Ring from the hobbits (if they had it). As for meat being "back on the menu," apparently orcs have menus, that's nice.

[@Jymm]

15:55 "Which came first?" It was the book "The Hobbit, or There and Back Again" -1937 For me though it was "The Two Towers" -1954. 😃 As a kid, back in the 60s, I bought it at a Book Fair then I found "The Return of he King" -1955 soon after. When I found out those two were part of a trilogy, I bought the "The Fellowship of the Ring" -1953 and the Hobbit and then read them all in order. Re-Read them several times thereafter. "The Silmarillion" -1977 this was enjoyable too! Decades later I finally saw the movies!😄

[@rbrtck]

"Gollum" is not really separate from Sméagol, and in any case it was Sméagol who succumbed to the One Ring's power and committed murder, as "Gollum" reminded him. That was before "Gollum" was invented, probably in part to assuage his guilt. Sméagol will do anything to reclaim the One Ring--anything to anyone.

[@WJS774]

Elrond knows exactly what Arwen is doing, since his own brother Elros chose a mortal life over immortality. Up until that point, he would never have expected to see his brother grow old and die. Elros was the first king of Númenor, distant ancestor of Isildur, and therefor also of Aragorn.

[@JustGrowingUp84]

Thank you Jen, for posting this so soon after the first one! It's perhaps a small thing, but I really appreciate it!

[@kevinL5425]

The actor who played Gamling, one of the Rohirim lieutenants, is Bruce Hpokins. In real life he hosted an excellent Radio New Zealand podcast called “The Long Way Home” where he walked the 3,000 km long New Zealand national Te Araroa Hiking Trail in about 4 months. Definitely worth a listen. For comparison, the distance from Hobbiton to Minas Tirith is estimated to be about 2,615 km.

[@tremorsfan]

During post production, to get the sound of the Orcs chanting, Peter Jackson went to a cricket match and had all the fans read the chant of the jumbo screen.