LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS 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

[@jbwade5676]

I miss Colette Cherry 🍒 Comments 😢

[@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

[@daerdevvyl4314]

Jen I don't know that there is actually a colour hierarchy of wizards. Because the head of the wizards is Saruman the White, and then is replaced by Gandalf the White, that does imply that white is the most powerful colour. But other than that the power of colours is never mentioned. Besides Saruman the White, and Gandalf the Grey (and later White), three other wizards are mentioned by Tolkien. One brown and two blue. If you continue with this world, you will meet one of these three. The other two will remain nameless.

[@Pixelologist]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@e.d.2096]

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

[@outsidefactor]

@@e.d.2096 Well said!

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@rcrawford42]

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

[@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!

[@rcrawford42]

Once more -- Tolkien added a preface to the books making it clear that pipeweed is a "variety of nicotiana". It's tobacco, not pot.

[@mr.a8315]

They certainly quickly become very giggly and euphoric when smoking it. :P

[@alanmacification]

@rcrawford42 Hobbits aren't humans, so the effects may very. And it wasn't exactly tobacco either.

[@mr.a8315]

@@alanmacification Either way, put me down for a couple of barrels. 👍👍

[@anathardayaldar]

Which got wiped from that land before it became Europe some how. The remenants of tobacco left in Valinor until it became The Americas. Then travelers from Europe rediscovered it.

[@alundavies1016]

@@mr.a8315they lace it with other gear!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@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

[@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

[@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?

[@KevDaly]

What Sam got from Galadriel in the book was much better than rope, especially for a gardener, and very useful when they got back to the Shire. Gandalf is older than the world. So are Saruman and Sauron. They're basically angels. The hobbit-eating tree scene in the movie is actually borrowed from an incident in the first book, in the Old Forest just outside the Shire.

[@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.

[@rbrtck]

Most everyone disapproves of Aragorn sparing Grima's life, but remember what Gandalf told Frodo when he said he wished that Bilbo had killed Sméagol. These characters may yet have a part to play in this story, and sometimes even something bad could eventually lead to something good. 🤷‍♂

[@michaelhoward142]

Yes, but it wasn't Aragorn's place to stop King Theoden from punishing Grima in whatever way he wanted.

[@rbrtck]

@@michaelhoward142 Well, Théoden didn't have to listen to Aragorn, but he did.

[@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.

[@RavenHawk1988]

In regards to battles, if you're defending a fortress you want to have as few avenues for attack as possible - especially when you only have a low amount of soldiers available. That way you stack up your defenders in the vulnerable spots compared to trying to spread them out over a long city wall.

[@martinbraun1211]

I highly recommend "The Neverending Story".

[@ricardodelgado3706]

A buddy and I would sing that song at Karaoke at our bar. Mixed reviews.

[@brianjohnson5272]

I concur, the Neverending Story is s piece of nostalgia for me (met one of the people who did work on it..... he also shares the name so at 9 it was triple cool.) And the music was ABSOLUTELY on another level.

[@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.

[@OldRod99]

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

[@GarrettJayChristian]

There are often criticisms about changes to characters in the adaptations (particularly Pippin, Faramir, Gimli, & Denethor, among others), but one I feel is often overlooked is Grishnákh (Mordor orc that pursues Merry and Pippin in the Rohirrim ambush). He's not mindlessly trying to eat them; he is crafty, calculating, and ruthless. He guesses early they are thought to have the Ring, wants to divert them directly to Barad-Dûr, and has no such directives about not harming them beforehand. He is terrifying.

[@Tom-Mac1975]

Yes, Jackson did Grishnakh dirty! Don't forget Merry and Pipin also egged him on.

[@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.

[@ricardodelgado3706]

Another hour and 17 minutes well spent. I think the Rohirrim track is my favorite piece from this score.

[@stevebryant6483]

It is mine, for sure.

[@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

[@elzar760]

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

[@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

[@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.

[@biffyqueen]

The Ents were inspired by Tolkien’s disappointment in MacBeth not having an army of trees.

[@Philbert-s2c]

Based on Tolkien's part.

[@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.

[@cvonbarron]

Hi, Jen, 2 interesting facts:1: Bernard Hill, who played King Theoden, passed away this past May at the age of 79. He also played Captain Smith in Titanic. RIP. 2: When Aragorn kicks the Orc helmet and then screams, the scream was real. Viggo Mortensen actually broke his toe. So, in that moment, he wasn't acting.

[@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

[@lethaldose2000]

Hey Jen, to complement all the full-size of the sets, Peter Jackson created oversized versions of the set built for medium and wide shots (called Big-a-tures). So the reason they look so real is that they are real. Normally miniature sets (ratio 1/50) would be built using weak cameras. Peter Jackson wanted to be able to use the best camera to capture the shots he wanted so he had the prop builders create "Bigatures" (ratio 1/10)

[@metoo7557]

"How did they write this elvish language in the book?" Tolkien is a linguist, he invented the entire languages himself. Liv Tyler had to learn it for the movie.

[@Necron00b]

Well it's actually taken mostly from the Celtic languages. Welsh, Irsh, Manx and Cornish.

[@rcrawford42]

@@Necron00b Elvish is most heavily inspired by Finnish.

[@GeraldH-ln4dv]

@@rcrawford42 Yes! I was beginning to think no one else knew this. The sound of Elvish and the usage of lots of compound words is close to the long compound words in Finnish. And the Dwarvish language Khuzdul was inspired by Semitic languages in sound and syntax.

[@abovewater6918]

I think she meant how did they show the Elvish in the book so that the readers understood it. Cause in the movie they show English subtitles while they are speaking Elvish. But I'm assuming in the book they show both the Elvish and The English right after it so the readers understand

[@AMortalDefiant]

@@rcrawford42 IIRC, I read once that it was a combination of Finnish, Latin, and Welsh. In a lot of Tolkien's languages, you can see a clear borrowing from Welsh, such as the DD making a soft 'th' sound. Think of the Welsh name "Gwynedd", pronounced in English as Gwyneth (and which was originally considered a male name). Tolkien used the same concept for the letter combination of DH, making it a 'th' sound.

[@lapolicedelapensee7047]

0:50 lol I'm waiting for this reaction for days.... 😊 3:12 "I feel like they need shoes..." 🤣 15:55 "Wich came first?" -> The hobbit came first. It was only a ring wich can make you invisible. It's only later, in LOTR, that we learn it's the main ring of Sauron. 19:43 "He leveled up!" So right! He was grey, he became white, so we can say he's brighter... he's more close to the light. 😉 57:08 "just woaaaahhh" 🤣

[@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).

[@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..."

[@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!

[@PeterParker-fx9dl]

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

[@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.

[@shadowqueen99]

12:54 I checked the comments and no-one has said this yet so here I am... did you know that when Aragorn kicks the helmet & yells, Viggo actually broke his toes in that moment but turned the pain into that moment, and it was kept in as the best take 😁

[@EllisThings]

a good responsible LOTR commenter 🦶⛑

[@FPAlpha]

I was looking for this comment ever since i saw this reaction go up. It's become legendary meme status now whenever this movie is talked about. I love it!

[@susah135]

Congratulations. You did your duty well, fellow LOTR enjoyer.

[@ninjabluefyre3815]

Still one of the best facts about the series.

[@lethaldose2000]

Hey Jen, I see you are ready to Ride the Balrog to the depths of the earth. I love how the opening scene picked up right away from the fight of the Balrog. ------- It takes a unique approach to movie content by giving an alterntive perspective of an epic scene we are familiar with. -------- We are instantly taken into the action and find our hearts poundinig at the new set of events. Plus it reinforces the bad-ass nature of Gandalf and his other worldly powers to fight the Balrog to the ends of the earth.

[@NoKoolAidForMe]

1:07:02 As Gandolf told us in the Fellowsip: a wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to. He showed up exactly at sunrise, so when the orcs look up, they are destroyed by the rising sun!

[@FPAlpha]

I feel like Gandalf had a cheat code or root access to Middle Earth, able to fudge events so his claims come true. That is his actual power, Gandalf is the admin of the Middle Earth server!

[@rhudoc3745]

First strategy of battlefield combat. Attack your adversary going downhill with the Sun at your back.

[@lethaldose2000]

Hey Jen, Andy Serkis, who acted as Gollum, should have at least 2 acting Oscars for LOTR and Planet of the Apes. --------- The Academy won't recognize his performance because it was assisted by digital character animators. ---------- Without Andy Serkis, LOTR would be 20% less. Gollum is such a large part of the saga. --------- Peter Jackson knew without making a believable Gollum the last two parts of the saga could not be told. -------- So many aspects of movie making and VFX had to be overcome to achieve what we see in these movies.

[@dunringill1747]

Hi Jen. There is no modern lore that runs as deep as what J.R.R. Tolkien created. His life's goal was to create a complete mythology for England to equal the classic mythologies (Greek, Roman, Norse, Celtic, Egyptian, etc.). Tolkien was an English Professor, a writer, and a professional philologist of ancient Germanic languages. Tolkien worked on many languages for LOTR. There are discussions over how many languages Tolkien created. Depending on individual definitions of language function, Tolkien created 2 functioning Elvish languages and was in the process of developing at least 36 more languages and dialects for the races of Middle Earth before his passing.

[@johnhuffman9533]

1:08:00 What did Saruman say when the Ents attacked the Orcs at Isengard? "Hey, you lawn, get off my kids!"

[@caveritt82489]

I’ve started saying “oh frig!” in my everyday life now haha

[@jenmurrayxo]

😂😂

[@lethaldose2000]

Hey Jen, I had to wait till this movie to discuss the soundtrack. The theme of Rohan is really awe inspiring, the fiddle gives that hope, those brass notes convey strength. I often fall asleep to the theme of Rohan. It's my favorite theme in the whole series.

[@seanmcmurphy4744]

Seeing those children at Helm's Deep being armed to fight always brings tears to my eyes. It reminds me of how in many parts of our world children are recruited to fight in wars.

[@ejtappan1802]

Not long after these movies came out, my 9yr old son wanted to name our new Siamese kitten Samwise. But she was a female cat so I said, "Isn't Samwise a boy's name?" To which my son replied, "Is Samwise even a REAL name??" --- Yeah, I couldn't argue with that, lol. So, she was christened Samwise (Sammie for short).

[@jeffreya1316]

Jen, I'm so glad you're watching these! I always wondered what the story was behind their absence on your site. This collective soundtrack is tied with Gladiator for my favorite of all time. ❤ Enjoy!

[@matheusneres4088]

Aragorn knows how to do the things he do because besides being a Dunedain (taller, stronger and live much longer) he grew up in Rivendell and was raised by Elrond and his sons, he recieved an elf training and was really the greatest man of his time

[@dennisswainston411]

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

[@Yezhanium]

And that's kids, is what we call 'PTSD'.

[@lethaldose2000]

Hey Jen, When I saw the Ent's come to live in the theater, I almost cried that they did it so well. I have always wanted the trees to be able to fight back and here Tolkien wrote the idea and Peter Jackson viusalised it for generations to come.

[@walterlippmann6292]

I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside

[@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.

[@carlabudephane7486]

He is Dredd.

[@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 😂

[@nataliefaust7959]

A lot of folks who've only seen the films really treat Gollum gently. When you've read the books it's much, much harder to regard him with pity. What he did was unspeakable and involves human infants. I do pity him, but by no means do I find him sympathetic; no matter the effect of the One on him.

[@allenporter6586]

There were/are 5 wizards one white (Saruman), one grey (Gandalf), one brown (Radagast), and two unnamed blue wizards. When they arrived the first to land was Saruman and he was considered "chief" wizard by most, the last to arrive was Gandalf and Cirdan, the oldest and wisest elf in Middle Earth, gave Gandalf a gift knowing what trials and tests he would face. Saruman never forgave Gandalf for this because Cirdan gave Saruman nothing other than greetings. Wait till Return of the King, it's the best of them. But everybody who watches it cries, for good or evil? Old Man Willow trying to eat the hobbits at Treebeard's House is only in extended version.

[@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.

[@zfoxfire]

@12:55 fun fact: Aragorn's kick and screan was not scripted. It was an accident and he really hurt himself while the camera was rolling so they kept it in.

[@DanielGuzman-x9h]

Also ,i just realized,the horse that Aragorn told them to release is the one that later woke him up by the river when he fell...

[@rikk319]

Aragorn is acknowledged in the book as the greatest tracker of the age, so he can pick up minute details, as a hunter of beasts or men...or hobbits.

[@PreRockDoc]

I really enjoy your subliminal "subscribe" with the tiny clip of you that you insert into your reactions. Its so you!

[@michaelhoward142]

It always makes me smile (again). 😊

[@bknsty14]

“They’re so scary. I’d be shitting my pants.”

[@mr.a8315]

😂😂😂💜🏆

[@kevinL5425]

The scene where the banner rips off and flys away when they reach the golden hall was not planned. The wind actually ripped it off while they were filming, so they kept it in the movie and added the bit where Aragorn looks at it as he rides past.

[@jackmessick2869]

Hopefully you recognized that the actor who plays Gimli also played Indiana Jones' sidekick, Sallah, in the first, third, and fifth films.

[@Philbert-s2c]

He's hard to forget.

[@joshuawells835]

There are a lot of people who watched this trilogy for the first time during the Pandemic and found hope in Sam's speech for a better tomorrow in a post-Covid world.

[@kenrfc]

Remember also these movies came out immediately post 9-11 and Sam's speech was very resonant then. Also Theoden's line "What can men do against such reckless hate?" echoed what many of us felt at the time.

[@angelous8942]

Swords are no more use here... proceeds to use a sword lol

[@biffyqueen]

Gollum was originally just going to be CGI but they were so impressed with the then unknown Andy Serkis who was cast as a voice and stand in, that they basically invented modern motion capture technology.

[@TheDreamDetective888]

I think the Hobbits don't wear shoes to symbolize their close relationship to the earth. ✨️

[@michaelhoward142]

Why would you wear shoes if you don't NEED shoes?

[@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.

[@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.🥰😘

[@dismaspickman773]

Gandalf knew the battle would not just end in the breaking of the bridge... Gandalf is, for lack of a better term, an angel... and the Balrog a demon--as strong as Gandalf at least. No one in the Fellowship could stand against this demon, save Gandalf, and the wizard knew that it may cost him everything. One could say that at the heart of Tolkien's LotRs is sacrifice...

[@FPAlpha]

Good analogy concerning Gandalf but worth mentioning that a Balrog is originally the same as Gandalf but turned evil. So it was essentially a brother on brother fight to the death.

[@peteralexander5744]

In the old Lord of the Rings boardgame (British version, anyway, I don't know of others), one tactic was to get Gandalf killed as quickly as possible so you played as much of the game as you could with the up-powered Gandalf the White!

[@dismaspickman773]

@@peteralexander5744 🤣

[@JayietheRiverWarrior]

I’m sure others have already talked about the elven languages and The Hobbit coming before LOTR, but since you voiced interest in the horses I’ll talk about some of my favorite horse-related trivia in the films. ^^ First, the horse Brego that helps save Aragon, Viggo Mortensen worked extensively with the horse to train for that laying-down-to-let-Aragorn-on-his-back trick, and often slept over at the stables to stay the night with the horse, and built a very strong bond with him. He ended up buying the horse to keep as his own after the films were done. He also did the same on another film he did, Hidalgo, forming a strong bond with the main horse he rode and then buying him after the film. Another great Viggo-related horse fact - Arwen’s stunt double who rode a horse to carry Frodo to safety across the river in the first film wanted to buy the horse she rode for the film, but she couldn’t afford it. Viggo stepped in and bought the horse for her - when she asked how much she owed him, he assured her it was a gift. That particular tidbit maybe kind of definitely contributed to my crush on Aragorn as a teen. 😅 For a lot of the scenes that required a lot of riders on horses at once, like the Rohirrim charging over the hill at the battle of Helm’s Deep, they hired a lot of riders around the country to bring their own horses and serve as extras in those scenes. However, horse riding is a very female-dominated sports these days, and plotwise they needed the riders to all be men, so most of the riders are actually women with fake mustaches slapped on. 😂 Last but not least, this one isn’t trivia, just something I find funny. 😂 Eowyn is a princess of the land of the horse lords. Horses are in her blood. And all of a sudden, this handsome ranger from the north shows up, helps her beloved uncle from a wicked spell, and then what’s the very next thing he does? Calm a horse that none of her fellow horse-lord countrymen have been able to touch, the horse of her beloved recently-deceased cousin, and show it compassion and kindness. I don’t think there’s a single more attractive thing that man could’ve done for his first impression on her, given where she’s from and what her country is famous for. 😂 I don’t love love triangles in stories, but I do not blame Eowyn one bit for falling for that man. 😂

[@ianaustin5012]

Aragorn is so old because of Elrond twin brother Elros. Those two had the received the gift of immortality but Elros saw death as a reward and gift so his life span is extended but will die. His bloodline started the Numenoreans which later became Dunedain. So Elrond is Aragorn 1,000 great uncle

[@alancrofoot]

All outdoor filming locations were in New Zealand, mainly the south island, and it is breathtaking. There is a thriving tourism industry built around the different locations, including the Shire.

[@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.

[@est19xxgamerbro]

Funny story the moment when Aragorn kicked the helmet he broke his toe lol

[@danharris5999]

Yeah, that scream was genuine. They had already done several takes on the scene, but decided to do just one more.

[@michaelhoward142]

"Funny"? Maybe to a sadist. 😉

[@SPierre-dm4wo]

Theoden is in a hell of a spot through most of this film. Theodred was the heir to the throne and the sons of the king's sisters are next in line if their uncle has no sons. Eomer has, of course, been banished, so now Theoden is in political trouble just by that metric alone, but the emotional stuff is just as bad... if not worse. The rest of this comment has mild spoilers for the books (mostly if not entirely the Appendices) but none for the films. Theodred was the only child of Theoden and Elfhilde. She died in childbirth; the king never remarried. While Eomer and Eowyn are Theoden's foster-kids as well as his nephew and niece, in some ways they're more like his grandkids. Their mom Theodwyn was young enough to be his daughter and he helped raise her because their dad was so old by then, so she was basically the daughter he never had as well as being his favourite sibling. So here we are. Theoden was unable to save Elfhilde when she died bearing their child, just like he was unable to save Theodwyn (and what would that be like, watching your baby sister die of grief?). All he could do for either of them was to raise the kids they'd left behind. Now his biological son is dead too (a death that probably wouldn't have happened without his father being incapacitated), and Theoden has to live with the knowledge that he died alone and in pain. His nephew has been maltreated and banished. And his niece has been trapped in Edoras, caring for him while he rotted into a living corpse and being slimed over by Wormtongue. As if being disabled by Saruman's spell wasn't enough, what a horrific situation to find yourself in when you're finally rescued: the few remaining members of your family have either died a horrible death or been put through hell thanks to your enspelled actions. You've failed the living; you've failed the dead. How do you even START to make amends?

[@rbrtck]

_The Hobbit_ was written quite a few years before _The Lords of the Rings_ , and of course it takes place earlier in the timeline, when Bilbo was much younger.

[@JayPadrig]

All of Galadriel’s gifts were functional and SYMBOLIC! Sam holds the mission together with the tensile strength of magic rope. Merry & Pippin got shiny daggers- they will see combat and “grow” literally, and in character when they drank the Ent wash. I’m sure you remember the light 💡 of Elendil flask, and how it’s used in the next one. Even Gimli’s 3 golden hairs serve as new found appreciation for elves blossoms.

[@FPAlpha]

Gimli's gift carries immense significance if you deep dive into the history of Middle Earth. Ages ago one of the Elves' greatest heroes asked for the same gift and was denied by Galdriel, now a member of a race with which the Elves are let's say "neutral" receives this gift - it is an amazing piece of deep lore and testament to Galadriel recognizing the heroic and personal qualities of Gimli.

[@rbrtck]

Based on his story, it seems that Gandalf was taken to the Timeless Halls (Heaven) for healing and an upgrade. This is a very special, exceptional case, because normally only Eru (God) and the spirits of mortal Men (and Hobbits) who have died can ever go there. He was missing from the world for a couple of weeks, but from his point of view, he had spent eons in that paradise, so forgive him if he needs a few reminders about what is going on in Middle-earth.

[@samuelsims5522]

The added scenes in the Extended Edition(off the top of my head); -Real Elvish rope/Shire seasoning - Early Rohan stuff, like finding the king's son - Extended comversation at Gandalf's return("I am Saruman. Or Saruman as he should have been" was not in theatrical release) - The Ent Draught/Merry & Pippin grow taller - The tree grabbing Merry & Pippin (an ode to a segment in the first book that was skipped by the films) - Eowyn's stew/Aragorn's age - Faramir's flashback - The trees moving off to Helms Deep (I may be wrong on this one) - Faramir's conversation with Frodo, Sam & Gollum before sending them off after freeing them. Im sure I missed a few.

[@michaelg2529]

The extended version was a gift to the fans who so loved the characters that they wanted "more". The additions help explain a few things but aren't critical to understanding the main story. However, you're invested in the characters now, so enjoy the extra heaping-helping.

[@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 😆.

[@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."