Why You'll NEVER See Movies Like The Lord Of The Rings Again.

The Lord of the Rings is the greatest movie trilogy ever made, let's take a look at why that is and why we'll probably never see movies like this ever again...
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[@YorkJonhson]

My favorite little behind the scenes story from the trilogy is how Jane Abbott (Arwen's stunt double) really grew attached to Arwen's horse during training and production but couldn't afford to buy it in the post-production auctions, so Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn's actor) bought it and gifted to her knowing how much she loved it. Just a fun fact that made me smile.

[@philippehenri740]

I'd expect nothing less from the King himself

[@darthgorthaur258]

Why was it sold after the film surly it was already owned by a company and then rented to the production like most animals on a film, because that way they come with a trainer an people to look after them ??

[@ianwestc]

@@darthgorthaur258 The horses were New Zealanders. Jane and her husband, a veterinarian she met met on the LotR set, care for a number of the horses used on the film (who are still alive, at least), including Hasufel and Brego.

[@ZombiiChix]

He is one of the few Hollywood actors I genuinely believe might be a good person lol

[@Verasoul]

He also adopted horses from the movie as well as the title horse from Hidalgo.

[@holycal7218]

"The problems we see today is not necessarily the writers changing the source material, its when writers lack respect and understanding of the source material" This quote.

[@HeronMarkHero]

exhibit wheel of time

[@sho9585]

those modern writers/director always have same mentality thinking because the source material is "old" then its need to be replaced by some bullshit modern narative

[@everilliem3292]

Pretty true, good example of some changes that worked out were one piece and the last of us. The last of us was insanely good, I knew every story beat, and is still changed stuff for the better, still felt destroyed watching it. The show is actually better than the game for impact for nearly every major story point imo. Guess that's the benefit of having druckman involved. Like you said, respect for the material.

[@Kwistoweeish]

Yep! If you don’t know it inside and out, understand it, and respect it, don’t touch it! The intentions behind your creative decisions will make or break your project.

[@petra_g]

@@HeronMarkHeroor the witcher

[@FlavourlessLife]

Have you noticed as well that many of the actors in the trilogy are generally regarded as respectful, humble people? Ian McKellan, Christopher Lee, Sean Bean, Viggo Mortensen... even Elija Wood, despite being young at the time didn't sell his soul to Hollywood. Compare this with actors in big blockbusters today.

[@zacharywoodruff5321]

Why actors today do you have in mind?

[@LordMalice6d9]

Most modern millennial and Gen z actors and actresses are terrible.

[@cmdrfunk]

@@LordMalice6d9 Because they were chosen based on being a certain color instead of merit

[@simonandrews5256]

True. The forced wokeism instead of meritocracy in recent times is making everything terrible 😢😢

[@kurojester4513]

@@cmdrfunk Nah. Not that at all. It's poor direction and rushed production. Get your head out your arse.

[@hypersleepdialogues8889]

Gandalf's face when Frodo says he will take the Ring to Mordor...there is more emotion and heart in that 1 second shot than the entire first seeason of Rings of Power.

[@PY5RA]

Bro, he legit sighs, looks like he almost cries, yet he's so proud of Frodo and feeling so sorry for him, and ashamed of himself and everyone else, and apologizing to him on behalf of everyone else... and he didn't say a single word.

[@Yonkage-ik5qb]

Yet another reason why LoTR can never happen again. The age of classically-trained stage actors becoming movie actors (like Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Sir Christopher Lee as Saruman) is coming to an end as they begin to pass away. There is a brilliance and subtlety to these actors that cannot be matched by those who were not trained on stage in classical productions which are falling out of vogue. And even if there was fresh new talent trained in live theater, the art of filmmaking has changed so drastically. The overreliance of CGI, filming on sets rather than on location, and filming actors separately and putting them in the same scene in post, mean that those skills are no longer necessarily directly translatable to a film set. An actor cannot act as well as they did on stage, when he's sitting in a green-colored room talking to nobody.

[@frazerburns91]

Just reading that brought me to the emotions of that look on Gandalf's face. I'm gonna go watch that scene again now!

[@javie8439]

​@@Yonkage-ik5qbRemember Ian McKellen cried on set of the Hobbit fot this reason, and that was 10 years ago

[@janesgems7]

Frodo's finest hour.

[@lecuistotdepzbiensur1298]

To be honest the fact it's a 3 movie serie that still hold up more than 20 years after on every point, graphic, voice, story ... it's just incredible.

[@tyrellthiel2201]

Timeless works, they are.

[@Lee0297556]

Not only do they still hold up but personally every time iv re-watched them i gotten a deeper appreciation for just how good they really are.

[@GloriousMushroom]

The CGI is beginning too fall of though. And that is coming from someone who thinks these are the best movies ever made.

[@philosophyze]

I saw the extended 4k versions of all 3 parts at my local theater this week. The loss of sleep was totally worth it! 12 hours of an amazing story. I hadn't seen them since the theatrical release 20 years ago.

[@ogbee9690]

Yep. I say it every time. These movies were pure magic that we will never see again.

[@TheEMangz]

"Fastfood movies" is actually a very accurate and on point title for the garbage Disney has been making.

[@blueblaze5160]

It’s funny because they don’t even have the dignity to make “fast food movies” fast to watch. Each movie Disney is releasing nowadays is at least two hours long with too much filler.

[@ethanwilliams1880]

Nah, b/c fast food may be greasy and bad for you, but at least it tastes good. These movies are food from one of those Kitchen Nightmares restaurants.

[@justjake5963]

This is true, with Elemental as an exception

[@ethanwilliams1880]

@@ianfisch7289 I mean, I think everyone here is referring to the recent titles, which, excepting the spiderman series, just got progressively worse since after Endgame. Engame walked the line between fastfood and restaurant itself, and some of the movies these days wouldn't be sold at a gas station.

[@marxvargas7697]

​@@ianfisch7289 only movies after Endgame bro

[@sylvainprigent6234]

"Nowadays it feels like they embellished the CGI with a little bit of movie." My man you nailed that on the head

[@general_enslaver_of_cactii867]

What gets me is, the industry tends to rag on animated features... but nowadays,a live action film is more animated than not, madness! 😂

[@geraldricoguevara3340]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@di3486]

Dune 2 enters the chat

[@Indoor_Carrot]

My two cents. One thing that really help to cement the viewer in the world is the shakesperian style of dialogue spoken by the characters. Having actors like Ian McKellen, Sean Bean & Bernard Hill being able to deliver their lines in an almost poetic way, while still being believable in the context of the world is what subtly draws you in.

[@krioni86sa]

andy serkins too

[@Indoor_Carrot]

@@krioni86sa 100% he ate and left no crumbs with that performance

[@janelleg597]

Absolutely

[@HIRUMA59290]

That's it completly ! For exemple in the rings of powers we have Elfs and numénorean A.K.A The most awesome and genius mans that existed on middle earth and they speak like you and me

[@josepmariasebastian8886]

I especially love the Voice-Over in my native tongue (Catalan) because the way they speak is so god damn funny but also beautiful.

[@toreadoress]

The thing is the whole existence of LOTR trilogy is a miracle. The creation of these movies had literally the biggest luck in Hollywood history that on paper would seem impossible. It had so many things that could've gone wrong, yet somehow every single thing went right. At 1st it was supposed to be a 2 part movie with Miramax, then suddenly they wanted to cut it into 1 movie, but Jackson knew that will be impossible to make and be a good movie. He went to every single studio and tried to convince them to pick up the project plus also pay 20 million to Miramax for the initial costs they've spent. Every single studio rejected him, until literally the last moment Peter Jackson had a meeting with New Line (and I think someone actually helped him to get that meeting) and they not only agreed to the conditions, but also said "Why making 2 movies? Aren't there 3 books?" So they not only picked up the project and paid Miramax, but greenlit 3 movies instead of 2, they gave Jackson a huge budget to make them, plus film back to back which was absolutely ridiculous to even think about at the time. And for New Line if these movies failed (especially the Fellowship of the Ring), it was going to bankrupt the whole studio, yet they still took that huge risk. Then you had the absolutely right person to lead the project who knows how to adapt Tolkien's work into the silver sceen instead of making something generic, having the perfect cast dedicating more than a year of their life across the ocean to film it and the perfect people to design, create, build and animate every single thing from scratch who also dedicated multiple years, creating new methods in film making and using very new technology in VFX and did it right when it could've easily just look goofy at that time, but they did their job perfectly. And let's not forget Howard Shore's amazing and beautiful score that made the world of LOTR complete and alive. They had so many obstacles that if 1 thing went wrong, it could've been a domino effect and the whole thing could've crumble or being mediocre at best. The creation of these movies is like a plot from a movie on itsels. That's why there won't be anything like LOTR. Who knows maybe in 50-100 years, but definetly not in the current Hollywood system or near future.

[@anon_y_mousse]

Maybe in 50 to 100 years, but then again maybe not. I have doubts that humanity will still exist that far in the future, but I'm somewhat hopeful.

[@clintonalver2715]

Beautiful analysis.

[@hiramesensei3112]

perfect evidence of just how much a stroke of luck LoTR was: the abysmally garbage The Hobbit trilogy. same studio, many of the same production team, using the original source material, etc, but failed utterly to be a faithful and compelling adaptation

[@toreadoress]

@@hiramesensei3112 yes so much wrong went behind the scenes of the Hobbit, originally it was supposed to be just 2 movies and directed by Guillermo del Toro with Peter Jackson only helping and be a producer but the studio pushed and demanded 3 movies after the success of LOTR. There was a lot of drama behind the scenes and del Toro got enough and quit the project after year and a half into the production and Jackson took it even if he didn't wanted to, but he was kind of forced. The 2 movies were supposed to have compeletly different feel and script, but Jackson was left with nothing and a lot of demands from the studio. I can't remember exactly but I think he had only few weeks to write the script and start from scratch. Jackson lost so much weight because of the stress and chaos during the making of that trilogy. Yes the Hobbit movies are perfect contrast and example to show just how wrong things can get and how insanely lucky the production of the LOTR was. It alsmost feels like fate played a big role into making LOTR movies. If 1 thing went wrong it could've been the same outcome as the Hobbit.

[@hiramesensei3112]

@@toreadoress yeah, its really sad. i dont want to talk shit on the team because its just a bunch of circumstances that led to it being bad. watching the behind the scenes is really sad seeing everyone broken, stressed and miserable compared to the energetic and joyful LOTR behind the scenes

[@brielslovak2649]

Dude i would weep tears of joy if they released 25th anniversary cuts, just imagine if they even put them in theaters, younger fans like myself who never saw them in theaters would be so thrilled

[@mana-uv7cz]

Oh man please!!

[@LordParticle]

For that, I'd be willing to pay twice the admission fee

[@marainema28]

they do still play em in cinemas from time to time

[@HiroJJ94]

@@marainema28 maybe in the US, but for example here in my country they don't play them that often, I think the last time they did was before The Hobbit came out and that was 12 years ago

[@marainema28]

@@HiroJJ94 im from england, the last time i seen them on was for 20th in 2021

[@svetlanaandrasova6086]

RoP made me realize, that you can have as much money as you want, but you can never match real talent dedication love and respect for the source material.

[@juusovuolle8251]

some of the actors and crew members left after christopher tolkiens death. As they in their infinite wisdom fired all of their writing staff and made it into woke garbage.

[@LegendOfZeldafan666]

Crings of crap xD

[@necalovescake]

rings of power is better and more respectful of tolkiens world than the hobbit trilogy by peter jackson, which was an absolute disgrace.

[@LegendOfZeldafan666]

@@necalovescake show me where amazon is faithful to the lore

[@Muschelschubs3r]

@@necalovescake Please elucidate. Because I am detecting willful ignorance.

[@30.06onaGrassyKnoll]

I agree that the LOTR trilogy is the best produced movie series ever made...well done jonny

[@coffeebean_tamer]

True, every thing that happened in that production. Was a happy a accident.... the actors, casting, practical set and score just can't be compared the last time ii was wowed was Inception.

[@dorotan461]

That's your opinion and I respect it

[@fred6907]

They are doing a marathon re-run of the trilogy again in my local IMAX, 3 movies back to back. Gonna be amazing, even though I've seen them 10 times already :p

[@Straighten_edge]

When I first watched the movies I was disappointed, as an avid book fan I thought the flight from the shire was wrong, etc but as I get older I'm more and more staggered I am at how good they are and how closely they stick to the core theme. Just brilliant.

[@30.06onaGrassyKnoll]

@@Straighten_edge i agree with that as well... they did steer a lil bit away from the original writings but imo they did it make the story flow better on screen as jonny suggested. the LOTR looks & sounds even better when you compare it to other movies that have been done so badly poorly in recent yrs.

[@jogurtpavlaka8847]

You want some more crazy stories about how much they respected the movies? When Arathorn II was killed by the orcs, Aragorn was only two years old. His mother, Gilraen takes him to Rivendel to be kept safe under Lord Elrond's protection. It was essential that his identity be kept secret as many of Isildur's enemies wanted to get rid of his heir, so Elrond gave him a name Estel, which means hope in Elvish. In the Return of the King (movie) Elrond comes at the final hour to give the sword Anduril to Aragorn. Then Elrond says: “Ónen i-Estel Edain” and Aragorn remembers the words and replies: “ú-chebin estel anim” which means “I gave Hope to Men, I keep none for myself”, which are the last words of Gilraen to Aragorn. Elrond reminds him that he IS that last hope for the world of Men like his mother said before she died in Eriador in T.A. 3007.

[@Luka_Griffin]

Thanks for sharing this. It's great that they added so many lines in the languages Tolkien created. I love the dialogues between Arwen and Aragorn, and also Enya's song from the first movie.

[@Verasoul]

So I'm assuming this exchange wasn't in the books?

[@charlieinabox1164]

Was not. He had the sword already in the books.

[@LightOfReason7]

This is such a great touch and thank you for sharing

[@caroldelosangeles3621]

Beautiful 😍

[@highpriestess7520]

I remember the part in the commentary where Bernard Hill (Theoden) said it was time to put on his vest, and he was shocked to see the Rohan crest sewn on the INSIDE of his vest where no one would ever see it but him. He said (and I might butcher this quote it's been a while) "The crest on the outside made me feel like an actor, the crest on the inside made me feel like a king." That's the dedication and respect these movies gave the original material.

[@guzzy620]

I honestly don't think any of us fans know how truly lucky we are that these movies were made. Even crazier is that they were made by people who were not only able, but willing to do the hard work required to make a loving adaptation that respects the source material. The odds of the movies existing is incredible low.

[@necaacen]

dune.

[@reek4062]

''loving adaption that respects the source material'' Hell no.

[@thahoule7924]

@@reek4062 if you dont think peter jackson respects the source material, then you are either an idiot or deliberately ignorant. he did basically the best he could while keeping the tone somewhat consistent. things like tom bombadil just wouldnt really work in a movie setting such as this, and if you had any understanding about how movies are made, youd know that lul. so stfu and be happy that LotR got perhaps the best book adaptation of all time kid.

[@trolleriffic]

@@reek4062 It is though. You sound salty.

[@HP-lc5vw]

Peter Jackson’s LOTR is a GIFT to humanity

[@Crandaddy81]

I was 20 years old when I went to see Fellowship in the theater. When it was over I was literally stunned by what I had just witnessed. It was almost like a religious experience. Never before had a movie affected me that way, and I doubt one ever will...

[@nerychristian]

Did you read the books before?

[@Crandaddy81]

@@nerychristian I've read them since, but I hadn't before seeing the movie. I had seen the animated version of The Hobbit (and I liked it), but that was my only exposure to anything Tolkien before seeing Fellowship.

[@adinadamian5634]

I was 19 when I saw the Fellowship of the Ring and it blew my mind, I haven't read the books before so the first movie was a complete surprise. After I saw it I bought the books as soon as I could find them and read them in a few days, I don't remember reading any book before that or after in such a short span of time. Besides this I remember literally devouring anything I could find related to Lord of the Rings, including finding an English - Sindarin dictionary and I tried to actually learn Elvish.

[@asarishepard8171]

I was 20 as well, cried so many happy tears in the theatres

[@HP-lc5vw]

My dad saw them in theaters too and says it was the greatest cinematic experience he ever had

[@apatheticallyconcerned6574]

I went to the midnight release of each film when they first hit theaters. I was in college for all three films. Each film was incredible to witness with a packed audience that cheered the joyous moments like Sam climbing back up the steps to save Frodo or Gandalf showing up at dawn at Helm's Deep. But, the last scene where Frodo leaves for the Grey Havens was something special. You could hear the uncontrollable weeping and sniffles all across the theater. As the door to Sam's hobbit hole closed and the credits rolled, not a single person moved or spoke or got up or left, there was only sniffles and tears. Everyone just sat quietly contemplating the experience and enjoying the satisfaction of seeing Tolkien's work be so honored on screen. After about a minute of silence, applause started to build and everyone stood up in a standing ovation that went on for whole minutes. Then people just started hugging each other, perfect strangers just turning to each other and embracing, high fiving, and meeting each other. It was if we had been on the journey with Frodo and Sam ourselves. You have to also remember that 9/11 was still fresh on our minds and many of us had family and friends going to and returning from war in Iraq and Afghanistan. These films helped us keep our chins up at a time of sadness and anger. And those of us with family and friends returning from war started to really understand why Frodo had to leave with Gandalf.

[@nx2120]

When I visited "the Shire" in New Zealand the guide told us that they made a tree for the film with like thousands of fake leaves and Peter Jackson then wanted the leaves to be another colour so the staff had to sit up all night re-painting the leaves to the right colour, and that tree was in the film for like 1 second. Shows the detail that Jackson cared about. (it's the big tree on top of the hill)

[@Asparagua]

Great video and channel mate (just found it). I highly respect the concern for the horse that was killed in the production of Amazon's Rings of Power TV show. I just wanted to say that, while the work the Peter Jackson crew put into ensuring a horse wouldn't fall through a rabbit hole is highly admirable, the fact that no horses died isn't the only thing that matters; the horses' wellbeing matters too, and in actual fact riding horses and using live animals such as horses in cinematic productions can cause them a lot of trauma and suffering. I actually agree with the article you linked that said animal rights groups are urging film and TV productions to use CGI in place of living creatures. Also, relatedly, I don't think we should be harming or exploiting animals for any unnecessary purposes in general, hence why I'm vegan/plant-based.

[@thelawenforcerhd9654]

"Peter Jackson then wanted the leaves to be another colour so the staff had to sit up all night re-painting the leaves to the right colour, and that tree was in the film for like 1 second." Jackson simps tend to come out with endless boring anecdotes like this to make out Jackson is something special. They don't mention that he added three hours of terrible fanfiction to the lotr films. They don't mention he got the labour laws in NZ changed so he could underpay and exploit workers. They don't mention he essentially made crucial elements of the story like the death of Sauron pay per view via dvd extras. They don't mention almost every other work he adapted for film is considered a turkey. But yeah great leaf story, lets focus on that and ignore anything of actual substance.

[@matth1005]

@@thelawenforcerhd9654what were the three hours of terrible fan fiction? No studio would have released a trilogy of 3.5-hour movies. There were always going to be important details that got cut, but at least they're available if you want to find them.

[@tappajaav]

@@Asparagua Is this even a real person? Seems like a spambot. Beep, boop, son. If on the off chance it's an actual person, STOP SPAMMING.

[@Asparagua]

@@tappajaav I'm real. Sorry if it seemed like spam. I just care about horses and other animals and wanted to share what I thought about what the creator said.

[@devinfaux6987]

I consider it a genuine privilege to have seen these films in a theater the first time, in an audience mostly full of people who were also seeing them for the first time.

[@suzannekirkwood6392]

I was in the NZ Army at the time. Many soldiers were used as extras and some of the scenes were filmed not far from our base. We were in East Timor as part of a UN peacekeeping mission when it was released and as a treat they sent a projectionist over with the first movie. It was shown at different bases, I saw it 3 times in 3 days as I was assigned to assist. I saw it with many of the people who were in it as extras. Not quite the red carpet but a memorable experience

[@ohifonlyx33]

I am gutted that I was only like 7 and had to wait about 3 years until they were all out on VHS to rent. What I wouldn't give to be in a theater of people who had never seen the films, all watching together for the first time.

[@noelogden1625]

Same! It was amazing!

[@TorianTammas]

​@@ohifonlyx33Seeing the extended version felt more whole. It was nice to see it in the cinema at realease, but the extended is for me the go to

[@mintypatapeepee7106]

i’m so happy that i never watched them until my local theater put the extended versions on the big screen. i thought “why not?” and went to them, and WOW i’m so glad i did. it was AMAZING seeing them for the first time on the big screen!! the seats were mostly empty but i liked being able to be fully engrossed in the films with minimal distraction (besides my one bathroom break in each one haha)

[@nealessex]

The Lord of the Rings trilogy will still be spoken about, with reverence, in 100 years. They are cinematic masterpieces, unique in scale and ambition. We may never see their like again, but thank God they were done properly by people who cared. I'd hate to see a Disney version.

[@BrotherPatriot]

Well said.

[@reek4062]

they suck

[@HP-lc5vw]

Thankfully it is a known fact that Tolkien wasn’t fond of Disney and he would hate for his books to be adapted by them

[@randomobserver8168]

If he hated the Disney of his day, I can't imagine what he would think now, either the woke politics or the bloated multimedia and theme park real estate corporate empire. Gah. @@HP-lc5vw

[@kelechiojobor933]

well, Disney had their hands on Narnia ,the first instalment pull through well but the last two went downhill and the franchise just faded into the shadows.

[@zachhays9974]

32:20 "...in 2026, there is a small possibility that we'll recieve an EVEN MORE extended version of the extended trilogy." My jaw literally DROPPED in excitement! I really hope you're right!

[@dimasgirl2749]

Even *Wagner's* Ring Cycle isn't that long!

[@sarahbreisch4750]

I feel kinds badly that I was very critical of the trilogy when it came out. I was in college. I was arrogant. I wanted a perfect adaptation, with nothing added or taken away. That's not possible. I'm grateful these films exist, and that I now see what a labor of love they are. I watch the extended editions with my kids every Christmas break.

[@SE4943]

Crazy, thanks for the insight. I was to small to see them in cinema, but i grw to love them still. I feel the same with the hobbit movies, after i read the book and watched the first one. Also i have to say, for a childrens book it was quite dark and i saw not a lot of that in the films. Wonder if that changes over time, like your view for the lotr.

[@kburtsev]

Idk why everyone loves those movie so much. I manage to sit through the first part and was done.

[@OathOblivio]

@@kburtsev Slow, grand medieval fantasy with nuanced characters just isn't your cup of tea I guess. Nothing wrong with that, but it is what it is

[@kburtsev]

@@OathOblivio I guess, it depends. Lord of the Ring was my favorite book (read it several times), until I read the Song of Ice and Fire (now these are my favorite books [among fiction]).

[@OathOblivio]

@@kburtsev True, it does depend. I personally could not finish the first book of a song of ice and fire despite giving it a try several times, it was very uninteresting to me while I could sit through several readings of LotR

[@mallorycarpinski1160]

I just want to say- it only occurred to me while watching this- that having Galadriel narrate the beginning created more weight behind the importance and wisdom of her character once she did show up.

[@nightshadehelis9821]

Originally they had Frodo narrate it but felt it wasn't right. Then they considered Gandalf but settled on her because of her age and vibe. Also, the original was over nine minutes long before 8:53 they trimmed it.

[@Asparagua]

Great video and channel mate (just found it). I highly respect the concern for the horse that was killed in the production of Amazon's Rings of Power TV show. I just wanted to say that, while the work the Peter Jackson crew put into ensuring a horse wouldn't fall through a rabbit hole is highly admirable, the fact that no horses died isn't the only thing that matters; the horses' wellbeing matters too, and in actual fact riding horses and using live animals such as horses in cinematic productions can cause them a lot of trauma and suffering. I actually agree with the article you linked that said animal rights groups are urging film and TV productions to use CGI in place of living creatures. Also, relatedly, I don't think we should be exploiting animals for any unnecessary purposes in general, hence why I'm vegan/plant-based.

[@your.dark.lord.]

You plant killer

[@Goremize]

I'll never forget that the scene where the flag breaks off the pole and flies away was not intended, she looks out and acts it so perfectly after the wind knocked the flag off. It was a perfect accident when filming on site. Stuff that does not happen today due to everything being filmed in front of a green screen

[@allursins]

Wait who and which part! I feel like I've never seen this scene

[@Goremize]

@@allursins Eowyn, when the crew arrives at Rohan. If you just google "flag breaking off the pole in the lotr" you can watch a video called "Arrival at Edoras". When the flag broke off, it was not planned and only happened because it was not tied on correctly.

[@jonrolfson1686]

From an old Tolkien fan, one who read the LOTR for the first time in 1965: Well said, young man!

[@teastrainer3604]

There are no more books out there that are this good.

[@ethanwilliams1880]

@@teastrainer3604 I would totally disagree. While Tolkien was revolutionary and his books had great depth, there a many books that have the same, or better, even in the genre he created. From my experience, books have actually been improving in their quality for a while, meanwhile every other form of literature and art has degraded, but books seem to be the exception. (well, not all books, but you can find a huge number of compelling reads these days) Also just a bit pedantic here, but the Hobbit is a better book than the trilogy, thought I suppose it had slightly less depth.

[@teastrainer3604]

@@ethanwilliams1880 Name one.

[@MasterLPG]

@@ethanwilliams1880 I'd actually be keen to hear a few examples, seeing how I've read some of Tolkien's works myself and are slowly making my way to the other books but no doubt there's a good few newer writers that have similar talents and skills but are simply unheard of, lacking the luxury of publicity as it were.

[@ethanwilliams1880]

@@MasterLPG Talents and skills? No. If you want the same level of effort, where many ideas were pioneered, and languages were created in their entirety, you're not gonna find it. Some authors have made their own languages, and even created sub-genres themselves, but Tolkien's impact on literature is unmatched. However, many authors in the genre of fantasy Tolkien created have built upon his foundation to make books/series of their own that stand up just as well for many other aspects. You may have heard of some of them: The Song of Ice and Fire and The Witcher are some great examples. Both build off a foundation left by Tolkien (most fantasy books do these days), and both have aspects that are better, and worse than his works. Then again, taste is also important, I can't really tell you what books you will find to be as good, because I don't know your criteria. The aforementioned titles are ones that I enjoyed, but there are other examples depending on your idea of what makes a book "good".

[@Trixie1604]

3:42 "Back in the day, they'd embellish a movie with little bits of CGI just to add a bit of polish, just to fill in the gaps. Nowadays it feels like they're embellishing CGI with a little bit of movie." TRUTH!

[@ghoulchan7525]

lol sounds similar to what i have been thinking. if your movie is 90% CGI animation. just go for the Full 100%

[@thecornerkid402]

You can’t convince me that Tolkien would like the movies because I’d frankly be shocked if Tolkien liked any movie ever made. However, I think if you were to play the soundtrack for him, it might bring him to tears.

[@katerrinah5442]

I would love to show him certain scenes (the ride of the rohirrim and the lighting of the beacons!), but not the whole movies 😂. I think he would appreciate the soundtracks, the sets and the visuals

[@markholle3450]

A common refrain when the movies came out is "this is exactly what imagined it would look like". Honoring the artists and Tolkien scholars, and fans was a brilliant choice. These days, the movie industry wants to lecture us as to what we should think and feel. Not only that, they want to change source material to reimagine what they think it should have been. I'll take Tolkien over a bunch of Hollywood execs any day any time.

[@reek4062]

Ironically, the PJ movies changed many things from the source material.

[@The_Reality_Filter]

​@@reek4062"There are certainly themes Tolkien felt were important. We made a promise to ourselves at the beginning of the process that we weren't going to put any of our own politics, our own messages or our own themes into these movies. What we were trying to do was to analyse what was important to Tolkien and to try to honour that. In a way, were trying to make these films for him, not for ourselves." Peter Jackson, interview GreenCine (Dec. 2002) - "It felt only natural to us that an adaptation of Tolkien's work would reflect what the world actually looks like." Lindsey Weber, E.P. Amazon's Rings Of Power series, Vanity Fair (Feb. 2022).

[@trolleriffic]

@@reek4062 What's ironic about that? Any adaptation of a richly detailed written work like LoTR will inevitably have some changes and omissions when adapted for the silver screen because they're two very different media.

[@HP-lc5vw]

No one ever said it better

[@HP-lc5vw]

@@reek4062 they’re very different storytelling mediums dude, you can’t adapt a book word by word, specifically one as complex as Tolkien’s

[@Sarinhajd]

I was a girl in a little town in the middle of Brazil and I watched Lord of the Rings more times than I can remember. I had my hair long for many years because of Éowyn. Now at 31 years old I still can't hold my tears every time I hear "Concerning hobbits." Great video!! Subscribed! Ps.: Because I lived in a place and coulture so different and far from the UK, I had never heard of Tolkien before and I don't think I would have read the books if it wasn't for the movies, which contradicts what Tolkiens's son said.

[@Asparagua]

Great video and channel mate (just found it). I highly respect the concern for the horse that was killed in the production of Amazon's Rings of Power TV show. I just wanted to say that, while the work the Peter Jackson crew put into ensuring a horse wouldn't fall through a rabbit hole is highly admirable, the fact that no horses died isn't the only thing that matters; the horses' wellbeing matters too, and in actual fact riding horses and using live animals such as horses in cinematic productions can cause them a lot of trauma and suffering. I actually agree with the article you linked that said animal rights groups are urging film and TV productions to use CGI in place of living creatures. Also, relatedly, I don't think we should be harming or exploiting animals for any unnecessary purposes in general, hence why I'm vegan/plant-based.

[@JCavinee]

​@@AsparaguaYou know that plants are also alive, yeah?

[@Asparagua]

@@JCavinee Lol, found the anti-vegan. Attacking progress even when I was defending horses. And you used one of the most tired anti-vegan arguments. Yes, plants are living organisms, but they're not sentient or conscious. They behave automatically and react involuntarily to environmental stimuli. No, they really aren't sentient or conscious and don't have any mechanism such as a brain or nervous system that would allow for any subjective experience. This is the scientific consensus on the matter. Sentience and consciousness only exist in the animal kingdom. Most people also instinctively know and can tell this, which is why you would save a dog (or even a pig, a much more oppressed species) from a burning building as a higher priority than saving a plant. HOWEVER, if plants were sentient, that would be another reason to be vegan, since a vegan diet/lifestyle harms far less plants than an animal-based diet does. Due to trophic levels, much more plants are grown to feed animals who are mass-bred, exploited and killed to subsequently feed humans, than plants are grown to feed humans directly. This is part of why a vegan diet is both much less harmful to animals as well as to living organisms in general (including non-sentient organisms, such as plants, algae, fungi and bacteria), as well as far less environmentally destructive and much more sustainable, while animal agriculture is a highly inefficient system which doesn't provide enough food to feed everyone and also causes pandemics and contributes heavily to climate change. Animal products are also proven to be an unhealthy food source for humans compared to plant based foods, and result in higher rates of disease and illness and lower life expectancies. What are you going to say now? Will it be a denial of facts or a denial of science? 😉

[@daniel4647]

@@Asparagua Your immune system is harmful to bacteria, maybe you should have it turned off to save lives? Speaking of saving lives, you being alive means you're using energy, energy which then becomes more disordered than it was before you used it, increasing entropy. So you being alive is going to end the entire universe sooner than it would have ended if you didn't exist. If you're not dead then you're a universe killer, can't argue with science. Good luck with your moral superiority by the way.

[@philcollinslover56705]

@@JCavineefruits were made to be eaten

[@amalgama2000]

Peter Jackson's LotR trilogy is a product of love and passion of the entire film making crew. That's why it is so beautiful and undisputed

[@horanavich]

Man, I just bought the trilogy in 4k and watched the extended editions in two sittings last week. I remember working in the cinema when the Fellowship came out and got a midnight showing for staff on release. Amazingly shot and written and doesn't age. I agree we will never see the likes again, makes me sad. Love the channel by the way! Edit: If you're right about 2026 I'll be buying the extended editions for the forth time

[@cloud_spiky7]

I worked in a cinema when Fellowship came out too! Brought back memories there haha! Harry Potter came out at the same time too 😄

[@purefoldnz3070]

but where is the version with all the many many deleted scenes?

[@erkdaj3rk]

Did you get 4k versions of the extended versions? Where did you get those? I thought there weren't any real 4k versions, just upscales? :O

[@horanavich]

@@erkdaj3rk Theatrical and extended. You're right though they are 4k remasters by Jackson. Bought it in HMV because I'm old school :)

[@KeytarArgonian]

The only Sin is it’s hard to get the Appendices now.

[@NickThorbjørnsen2207]

We all know the feeling concerning Hobbits gives us. Each of us fans has felt it. It makes you homesick for somewhere youve never been.

[@Seawulfnorsemen]

Weird or not, it does make me homesick for my actual home, but in a specific period of time. Childhood memories and simpler times.

[@NickThorbjørnsen2207]

@@Seawulfnorsemen when life was happy.

[@benrig89]

@@Seawulfnorsemen Yep. Brings me back to my dad taking me to the theater to see these movies, and going out for pizza afterward and both of us arguing nonstop about what they got right and what they didn't (heavily weighted to the former). I also knew, deep down, that we were never going to get moments like that again from Hollywood. It was a great time to be a kid.

[@asarishepard8171]

Made me homesick for my youth when my mom would get excited when the Disney Channel would run the bakshi animated films.

[@caroldelosangeles3621]

Yeah im feeling such strong nostalgia these days 😞

[@sb17146]

It has been my personal tradition to rewatch the extended versions every new year's day. IDK, something about it makes me feel revatilized and is a great way to start the new year.

[@user-gw3vs4ff1b]

I grew up in Iran. The first time I watched the movies I was 6. I barely remember anything but the "no one touches the beard" scene and the "My life is for SARUMAN". It was dubbed in Persian, and dude, the persian dubbed version is a masterpiece too. Then I got to watch the Extended version when I was 10 and since, there is no more than 4 hours that I watched these movies. All three of them. Whenever I am frustrated I watch the third one. Whenever I am sad I watch the first one. And whenever I need hope, the two tower makes me want to fight for hope. Now I am 23, I just watched the trilogy AGAIN. that is THE medicine. I hope I get to see the whole book done right. Thanks for the video

[@Opinwood]

This is beautiful, thanks for sharing.

[@ItsMasq]

For the 25th anniversary, could you just imagine if Jackson and the studio dug into the THOUSANDS OF HOURS of unused footage, and edited and added into each film? Not only would this be a MASSIVE money maker, it may very well be the most meaningful and well received cinematic choice ever… I’d cry

[@jondonnelly4831]

Same, along with A.I. it might well be possible to turn it into 5 films.

[@katerrinah5442]

We've had one extended edition yes. But what about second extended edition? 🤔

[@crakhaed]

It would be akin to the kind of labor put into Get Back when they went through the Beatles footage

[@ZenMonkeyGod]

​@@jondonnelly4831NO. Enough already with this AI bullshit.

[@ColieBear18]

I want it so bad cuz I've seen tiny snippets of young Aragorn and it looked so good

[@dibblernz]

Fun fact... LOTR had approximately 16,000 extras from all over New Zealand taking part (including half the University where I worked). My University Science Faculty provided Weta with fish samples to model fake ones for Hobbiton market. I'm also wondering if Jonny's Blurays are just the Extended editions or the 4K Extended Extended editions. :D

[@blacksheep9505]

PJ did the best job adapting the source material into a manageable movie without changing the story. When the producers in Hollywood hear the word “adaptation” in the present they rip off the cover of the book to keep the title and burn the rest.

[@halfkinrainbolt7041]

I agree he made it manageable, but he did alter the story. Elves from Lothlorien with Haldir, were not at helms deep, Nor was Arwen dieing linked to the ring, and Sam and Frodo were not taken to Osgilith by Faramir.

[@nathang6376]

@@halfkinrainbolt7041- true, but so what if some changes were made?

[@halfkinrainbolt7041]

Correct, I shouldn't complain, I would rather have the changes than not have the movies at all! @@nathang6376

[@ALJ9000]

@@halfkinrainbolt7041 Every translation has its alterations. Take for example how in some languages there are no words for some things where others do

[@juusovuolle8251]

the OP was claiming that no changes to the story were made so that is just tad bit disenginous claim to make. @@nathang6376

[@frederiklikesgames6481]

The Story behind the Ring Triology might even be a braver, bolder and hearttaking story, then the movies themselves. Watching the bonus material, feeling the dedication of the actors, the craftsman who did the setpieces, armors, costumes and weapons just lightens my day everytime. I have watched these three movies honestly a hundred times, but the bonus content just makes this masterpiece an absolutely unique piece of film history

[@AstraLuna-o9i]

💯 I own the extended editions on DVD from back when they released on DVD and the behind the scenes/making of content is absolutely amazing. The sheer amount of reverence and love that the entire crew had for Tolkiens work is what made this trilogy the best adaptation ever. They had fun, bonded, and had the experience of a lifetime making this movie, while never forgetting that they had a huge responsibility to honor the source material.

[@SarcastSempervirens]

Tolkien had a fair amount of intelligent and really well thought out humor in the books - like Eomer telling Gimli he's "so looking forward" to learning how to praise a beautiful lady under the "gentle strokes of a dwarf's axe" and some Sam's lines, too. Even Aragorn was at times amusing. I did not find it insulting they added a bit more comic relief, though I do miss Gimli as he is in the books, but hey - you have to keep count of the non-fans and first-timers, right? As for Legolas surfing that shield and the oliphant and the horse jump, it was actually a practical way to say "Hey, elves are hella acrobatic and can do crap humans just can't" without having Legolas sit at a table, breaking the fourth wall and explaining it over a mug of ale. You see that, your brain goes "Okie-doke, so they can do that, nice." As for "the bath house" lines, they are similar in function. Imagine never reading a book and knowing NOTHING on LOTR, but going to see a movie in the theater (you can't rewind) and hearing like dozens of strange names, being told thousands of years of events, relationships, places, plots... for hours. New people could barely keep up and it would be a shame to have them take a dump on the movie for not being able to follow simply cause Jackson skipped a few minor "Aragorn...." lines.

[@swamp-yankee]

I thought it was a shame they cut tom bombadil and goldberry, but I also get how it would be hard to translate their scene to a movie because it really is a small part of the plot, and it’s conceptually complicated.

[@SechsVerehrer3-qd9fu]

Truth right there. Also the entirety of events at Bilbos birthday and his birthday speech made me really chuckle.

[@REELWORKS12923]

That opening guitar moment was more emotionally moving than the entirety of Ahsoka

[@arthurballs9632]

Dave Baloney FAILoni

[@bob-hf1kw]

Just hearing that brought me right back. Gotta rewatch the movies again.

[@dannybolduc7109]

Ahsoka was amazing. Lord of the rings trilogy better. Ahsoka still great.

[@daniw.8776]

@@dannybolduc7109 ahsoka is like every other new star series incredible bland in my opinion The only good one was Andor

[@dannybolduc7109]

@@daniw.8776 Crazy to see the difference. Andor was by far my least favorite. It feels so far from Star Wars. The score, the characters, choreography, style I just couldn’t pull any familiarity. I was literally in tears for some episodes of Ahsoka. It was such a satisfying payoff to the previous stories and gave so much room to tell more of the story. We have more questions than answers right now, and I enjoy that. I look forward to Star Wars projects again because of Ahsoka.

[@Keln02]

It is the best trilogy. Today it would be plagued by bad CGI, politics, and corporate greed.

[@RobAryeeArc]

"Hold my beer." -Amazon's Rings of Prime

[@opa-age]

Yup Rings of Power is the perfect example of that.

[@purefoldnz3070]

the council of Elrond would look like the United Nations

[@Roccondil]

This is exactly what impacted a decent amount of the quality of even the Hobbit trilogy.

[@KeytarArgonian]

Just to play devils advocate a little here, by Return of the King PJ did almost fully embrace CGI, to the point Ian Mckellen and Vigo Mortensen are both on record bemoaning the fact that they had to do so much just on Green screens. They both mention that as filming went on, PJ was leaning more and more into it.

[@SimBodia247]

Dune Part 2: "hold my beer". 4.5/5 stars. Amazing just like Lord of the Rings Trilogy

[@bri_____]

These movies came out at the perfect time. The effects were just advanced enough to do Tolkien justice, And right before our culture went completely INSANE❤

[@OliverdeClisson]

the only insane thing are all those cringe retards like YOU and the rest of these imbeciles in the comment section here lmao!

[@HP-lc5vw]

I am SOOO GLAD these movies were made over twenty years ago, does anyone really think the studios nowadays would allow Jackson to make them even remotely similar to the movies we got?? 😂 thank you so much Peter, Fran, Philippa, actors and crew for giving us this gift .🙏 Unquestionably the greatest cinematic achievement of all time.

[@ZeldasMask]

The fact that Jackson made the hobbit trilogy shows that Lord of the rings couldn’t be made today

[@WK-47]

You're right, and even back then, it almost didn't happen. Several studios turned down Jackson and co., and New Line Cinema got pretty fed up throwing more and more money at the thing that must've seemed like a passion project getting a bit out of hand. I'm sure the execs got over that pretty quickly, just like the ones at the other studios must've been kicking themselves for years for turning away such a cash cow/cultural icon.

[@CaptainPupu]

It would be full of gays, Africans, Chinese, transgenders.

[@daryl1776]

It was a miracle Jackson was able to make them 20 years ago, he basically had to hold the studio to ransom.

[@kylematthiesen4816]

my favorite childhood memories are escaping to my basement, turning off all the lights so it's absolutely black, and throwing on the extended editions DVD's. I did this hundreds of times. These movies are fused into my DNA at this point. Great video!

[@elck3]

I feel those LOTR films were simply put the pinnacle of filmmaking. Literal masterpieces of film, acting, directing, production and music.

[@Jeff.55649]

The cgi sucks asssssss tho

[@1Gr8Editrix]

Maybe it's simply the end of an era? A more intellectual, artistic era.

[@necaacen]

@@1Gr8Editrix dune is more intellectual and artistic than lotr was, so is bladerunner.

[@darthgorthaur258]

​@@necaacenreally?? Are you talking films only or including the books as well ??

[@necaacen]

​@@darthgorthaur258 both, and yeah really. dune and bladerunner are 2 of the most aesthetically exquisite films ever made, and both tackle way more intellectual concepts than lotr. dune and lotr are just great adaptations of the source material, dune just happens to have far more intellectually, conceptually, philosophically advanced source material than lord of the rings. im not bashing the lotr books or the films, if anything dune the books are a bit too heavy handed and dense. theyre both great, i dont rate either book series higher than the other. tolkien wrote the hobbit and lotr partly as childrens stories, frank herbert wrote dune as a seriously intense dive into politics and philosophy that is beyond the grasp of most normal adults to even keep up with.

[@mallorycarpinski1160]

I always think it's wild that LOTR, the Star Wars prequels, Harry Potter and original Spiderman films all came out at the same time. Not to compare those others to LOTR (in a lot of ways they are not anywhere near the same league) but they are all absolute juggernauts in film and literature as far as influence and popularity and lasting love for them. The second of all of them (except Spiderman) came out in 2002. What a time I grew up in😊❤

[@caroldelosangeles3621]

Yeahp i was 12 years old when LOTR released and also harry potter .....Yeah im feeling such strong nostalgia these days 😞

[@takagimorisato9021]

This was the absolute Top Tier Era of film making in history and will never be touched again

[@SJursa-ey4tt]

basically, Mark Fisher

[@darkriku12]

​@@takagimorisato9021it can be touched again if you vote to let these companies die when they face the financial consequences of their decisions. Ignore all the "lost jobs" crying. The old companies need to be uprooted to allow for new growth.

[@UbiquitousTech]

The care, effort, thought, and gifts contributed into film making like the original Star Wars Trilogy, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and maybe a few others is what made film making great. There was something missing that made Clerks better than so many remakes today that have decimated franchises that at one time new how to think.

[@miless544]

28:20 Christopher Tolkien said, "They eviscerated the book by making it an action movie for young people aged 15 to 25. Tolkien has become a monster, devoured by his own popularity and absorbed into the absurdity of our time. The chasm between the beauty and seriousness of the work, and what it has become, has overwhelmed me. The commercialization has reduced the aesthetic and philosophical impact of the creation to nothing. There is only one solution for me: to turn my head away." And this was after The Hobbit trilogy was made. He was not wrong.

[@lukesayers5850]

Every time the belt on my Ford escape screaches, I look at the sky, horrified and shout "NAAAAA ZZZGGGGUUUULLL!!!"

[@RoadDoug]

What Amazon did was the biggest insult to every Tolkien fan out there. I first read TLOTR while in the Navy. The books were being passed around my crew and after reading the first book, you had to wait for your chance to get a hold of the next. Like the theater releases. Books can take you away but this book took you to a completely different realm. First time seeing your reaction. And, I appreciate your methods of conveying your opinions.

[@necaacen]

i feel like them amazon series was 10x better than the hobbit trilogy.

[@reek4062]

The PJ movies are just as insulting to Tolkien fans

[@trolleriffic]

@@reek4062 Nonsense. Am I right in thinking you're a Disney/Marvel fan?

[@blackwidow5762]

@@reek4062 *Gasp* You mean all this time I was a "fake fan?" Grow up. If they followed the books 100% it wouldn't work on film.

[@iangregory3719]

There is one scene i will always relate to. Its towards the end when the four Hobbits return to the Shire and stop off at the Green Dragon. The four of them sit at a table, each with a flagon of ale and and just silently look at each other while the crowd carry on regardless, as they haven't a clue what theyve been through. Anyone who has seen active service will "get" that moment, those who haven't fortunately will not.

[@trevormccreary117]

I remember when I bought the books after having read The Hobbit when I was 12. The older gentleman working the book store was beaming and excitedly told me that the movies had been announced. I thought he was crazy for being that hyped for something that wasn’t coming out for years still. After reading it, I was right there with him, couldn’t wait to see it on screen

[@jamesdean6747]

This happened to me too. So the hype was huge on me

[@LostBeetle]

I don't even want them to try to redo LOTR. Peter Jackson's LOTR was outstanding. Once every couple of years I rewatch this trilogy, it never fails to deliver. It's like starting a big adventure every time.

[@IshtarNike]

Yeah the effects and everything are good enough that they hold up indefinitely in my opinion. Can you tell sometimes that it's aged. Yes. Will they ever manage to complete something similar with "Better" effects and equal quality? I highly highly highly fucking doubt it.

[@braillynn4903]

The videogame posters in the back already tell me that you're my kind of person.

[@pieandsauce1595]

Howard Shore delivered the most complex and complete exploration of Leit motifs in the history of cinema with this trilogy.

[@davidmay6609]

I never see people talking about Gimli's axe accuracy. He takes one stride and nails a ring without aiming with a single full power swing.

[@misterfevillord1588]

That's a dwarf for ya

[@ALJ9000]

Forgive me if I’m speaking blasphemously, but how would an axe cut through a ring at all? Would it not just bounce off and maybe dent the axe?

[@cympimpin20]

​@@ALJ9000Gold is a very soft metal, and a steel war axe would cleave through a ring of that size and thickness almost effortlessly.

[@58jharris]

That's not unrealistic at all. He would have been training with an axe his whole life. I once saw an archer who could hit bullseyes holding the bow and arrow with her feet.

[@ALJ9000]

@@cympimpin20 I didn’t realize gold was _that_ soft

[@smoguli]

I will always remember the feeling I got when the title "The Lord of the Rings" appeared on the cinema screen. I had goosebumps. I was then transported to another world for a couple of hours, and had a hard time returning to the real world.

[@CyberYork123]

In my humble opinion the secret of the triumphant sucess of "The Lord of the Rings" movie is everybody's love and dedication to what they were doing. It is one thing to find talented people in every field of movie production. It is a whole other thing to motivate everyone to go an extra mile. If you listen to the commentary of the people involved, you will learn about some many thing they all add to this movies that weren't necessary, but done anyway. Like that Ngila Dickson (Costume Designer) added decorations on the inside of some of the costumes, that can never been seen on screen, but enchanced the realness of the pieces for the actors. And all this shows,, when you watch the movie. I clearly remember watching the first Part in December of 2001 at a midnight screening. I started crying happy tears the moment Galadriel whispered "The world is changed" and stopped around 180 minutes later. Never had that experience again.

[@saddlerrye6725]

Or when Viggo Mortensen was adamant that Aragorn should carry a whetstone, because as a ranger, he has to maintain his weapons himself. It didn't matter, it appeared for maybe a second in Lothlorien, but they still added it.

[@CyberYork123]

@@saddlerrye6725 Good example. Viggo Mortensen almost became Aragorn off-screen. Another fun fact: He slept next to his horse, so it would get used to his scent.

[@tenshimoon]

​@@saddlerrye6725another great story is when Viggo lost a tooth (or a part of it chipped off) during the filming of one of his major fight scenes (i think one of the ones with the Uruk-hai) and he just picked it up and kept filming, and was adamant they didn't stop.

[@nightshadehelis9821]

If you watch the behind the scenes footage, it's absolutely insane the amount of work and detail that went into this trilogy. I don't know how they were able to plan and organize everything.

[@Asparagua]

Great video and channel mate (just found it). I highly respect the concern for the horse that was killed in the production of Amazon's Rings of Power TV show. I just wanted to say that, while the work the Peter Jackson crew put into ensuring a horse wouldn't fall through a rabbit hole is highly admirable, the fact that no horses died isn't the only thing that matters; the horses' wellbeing matters too, and in actual fact riding horses and using live animals such as horses in cinematic productions can cause them a lot of trauma and suffering. I actually agree with the article you linked that said animal rights groups are urging film and TV productions to use CGI in place of living creatures. Also, relatedly, I don't think we should be harming or exploiting animals for any unnecessary purposes in general, hence why I'm vegan/plant-based.

[@daniel4647]

@@Asparagua How many times did you spam this copy/paste?

[@Asparagua]

@@daniel4647 As many times as the number of times you ever stopped to consider the animals we share the planet with. So, not that many.

[@guitarman0365]

he had something like 3 years of pre production and designing things. Most movies dont even get that. The average is only a few months. There was more time put into planning the idea than it was executing any of it. something else this guy doesnt mention. But squares up with the lighting in a bottle comment. Everything was just right place right time everything lined up the way it needed. Whether it was the crew, the studio, the financial backers. Everyone involved gave this the time it needed and we got what we got because of it. Its also a big reason the hobbit was no where near the same quality. I watched the behind the scenes on all those films and its a miracle it turned out the way it did it could have been way worse and i think because of peter it wasnt a complete mess but obviously not what he was able to deliver before. When you go from an astonishing 3 about years of pre production and designing down to almost nothing and having to hit the ground running taking away from where del toro started directing before leaving its like man peter was under so much stress. I try not to shit on the movies like most people do. If you havent seen them i suggest watching them and finding out just what went on for the hobbit series and comparing what you see in that with the appendices features of the original trilogy. Night and day difference.

[@Eddie_of_the_A_Is_A_Gang]

@@Asparagua Good, horses should be exploited for our benefit. If we didn't, we would still be hunter gatherer. Not like nature cares anymore than us, wolfs would love to tear apart and alive a small baby horse. Fuck them animals.

[@kvaqich]

IMHO The success of LOTR trilogy is not only about practical effects. It’s mostly about love, professionalism and a hard work of everyone related to those movies. And of course, Peter Jackson is an incredibly talented person. Today we have too much bad tendencies in cinematography, that are tend to spoil any great movie.

[@squoblat]

The breaking of the fellowship is one of the greatest pieces of music ever recorded. Even if you've never seen the film or read the books, that piece of music tells you the story of the scene without a single lyric.

[@fandomshark]

My brother and I have talked about how the decade from around 1998-2008 have this wonderful catalog of (epic) movies where there is more modern technology and cgi to help aid them with their epic-ness, but there is still a massive respect and reliability of practical effects, and it just gives the movies from that era a sense of realism (because a lot of it is real). Not all are on the scale of LOTR of course.

[@lancewalker2595]

1:01 - Because the movies were created through an act of divine intervention.

[@drewmayfield4355]

Not only was sir Christopher Lee a WW2 war vet, he was an undercover operative and the real life inspiration for 007 which was written by his cousin based on him.

[@gergokerekes4550]

iirc he also has/had his own rock band.

[@SkeletonXin]

@@gergokerekes4550 Had, unfortunately.

[@vladimirofsvalbard9477]

2000 to 2005 for forever be a magical time in movie history that we will most likely never see again. Gladiator, LOTR, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Troy; just a few of my favorites.

[@candlestorms]

Magical time for games too. Star Wars BF 2, God of War, Lego Star Wars, Half Life 2, Oblivion. GTA 3, Perfect Dark, Halo, Ratchet and Clank...

[@benjaminsteep5691]

Agreed. But you mean 1998* then you get Big Lebowski, Lock Stock, and the Matrix too

[@shalindelta7]

Meh, 80s and 90s action is where it's at for me.

[@smergthedargon8974]

>early 2000s Star Wars You say that like it's a good thing

[@BobbyTheLion]

Movie night?😁

[@jacobh1251]

*Dune Part 2 appears

[@kretaum]

Bahubali is even better

[@JohnDavidSullivan]

One of the best trilogies of all time.

[@chasehedges6775]

👍💯💯💯. Yep

[@Le-Abdollen]

name other trilogies that are as good?

[@JohnDavidSullivan]

@@Le-Abdollen Star Wars Original Trilogy. I didn't want to be too biased. Because while Lotr is probably arguably better it does have some detractors.

[@Le-Abdollen]

meh, Star Wars is boring by comparison@@JohnDavidSullivan

[@JohnDavidSullivan]

@@Le-Abdollen as I say - people have their own preferences, some people will say The Dark Knight trilogy - it's not my favourite

[@jimberjamber8540]

One of the best parts about these movies is the Appendices DVDs. It's like another movie you can watch. I swear I spent countless hours as a kid watching those and learning so much about how film making SHOULD BE.

[@flowmah5317]

its crazy how you mentioned the realization that the game has just begun after leaving Midgar in FFVII. This is a very close memory to me that still gives me the chills, and i reference this moment alot. Its amazing to know that scene gave others the same feeling it gave me.

[@chasehedges6775]

Movies like LotR were lighting in a bottle. They can’t be replicated

[@abstragento0087]

Someone under us is a genius and with ai tools advancing anyone can create a vision on the level of lotr

[@dr.feelgoodmalusphillips2475]

​@@abstragento0087Yeah, no. The AI Tools can make it pretty on the surface but there's nothing underneath.

[@abstragento0087]

@@dr.feelgoodmalusphillips2475 if a genius with the right intellect got the right tools you will see LOTR level movies each week. Today's ai work is shallow because companies are the driving force Once the individual can do the same u will see a quality explosion because the foul compromises will vanish that now Govern movies

[@HunterZolomon]

There were so many little details I was almost overly pleased with watching Fellowship the first time. The first one was the part when the title was shown on screen as the camera pans to Frodo sitting by a tree reading, with the tranquil Shire music playing. Beautiful timeless white typography fading in and out. No flying 3d letters, no animation or dramatic effects. This might seem silly to some, but the scene made me think "Yes! This is quality. They know what they're doing." Compare it to the Rings of Power "Southlands" text with burning CGI "Mordor" replacing it and you get the idea.

[@Ranesbane]

Hearing Concerning Hobbits always gives me a great sense of peace and calm. I can't not think of The Shire and the way the movies make me feel. It may be my favorite piece of music ever

[@judemusfinch4456]

i have felt the same way

[@themanhimself5650]

"Nowadays they embellish CGI with a little bit of movie" Dang bro got me 😂😂

[@restless459]

Thank you for this wonderful analysis of why these movies are among the best films ever made. It’s incredible how much care and thought went into every little detail. It’s sad to think how right you are about never seeing anything like that again.

[@elck3]

Yes, please feel free to make this into a series. I wouldn’t mind more LOTR OT videos.

[@matthewmosier8439]

"We may yet, Mr. Frodo"

[@conforzo]

Anyone who has seen the behind the scenes stuff knows how incredibly passionate all the people were. Hell, a lot of the stuff created in the Weta workshops etc wasn't even used, from the hand carved spoons in two different scales to the embroideries seen for half a second. The amount of care, focus and love put into it was beyond anything. And I think most of this can be attributed to Tolkien, his story is so good that it can light fires in many thousand eyes and make them commit themselves tirelessly. I think it's the passion of the creators which made it what it was. The Hobbit was sort of a nostalgic return to that late 90s era, but it was just a rehash. Even the score for the Hobbit felt weaker. The trilogy cannot happen again because it literally already happened in a specific point in time, and since that particular point in time will never return, nor will the trilogy. I think adapting books is the only way for big film to survive for real. You can spend hundreds of millions of dollars on CGI, but if the story fails, everything, however well-polished, will also fail.

[@Thespeedrap]

Things have changed back when the trilogy was out social media didn't control people's lives and minds.And not everyone was looking at their cellphones😅

[@davideastman979]

Those were the days... Sadly society cannot go back.... Where's Doc's Delorean when you need it?.... We were lied to, where's our flying cars, where's the jet pack, where's the Transporter for teleportation, weren't we supposed to have robot maids doing all the chores, clean, and cheap energy for all? The 21st will be known as the century of broken promises, and human kinds destruction (at the rate the world is going). Jesus Christ is the only way to Salvation. I recommend reading the Bible it will speak to you. The Gospel of John is a good place to start.

[@JJ_6036]

I'm a mega LOTR fan like you and the only thing I wish the movies did better, when adapting, was Frodo's personality. He was an intelligent, witty, curious, talkative, type in the books, but in the movies not much of that comes through, he just goes where he is needed basically. I still like movie Frodo, and if you never read the books you'd never question it haha. He had so many interests, he studied maps, books, languages, with Bilbo. He went on adventures all over the Shire. And I felt like he was always the most intelligent hobbit in the room (aside from Bilbo). I think there are parts of the LOTR adventures that Frodo greatly enjoyed, (talking with Elves, learning about cultures, traveling in general, hanging with the boys and having a bath at Tom's place. The overall journey was motivated by serious threats, but Frodo was arguably one of the best Hobbits in all the Shire to take on the adventure because of his character/personality. I feel like none of that comes through in the movies at all. He just inherits the ring, takes it to Rivendell to escape danger, and then out of the blue volunteers to take it to Mordor (because everybody was arguing?) which felt like random bravery. Frodo took the ring to Mordor because he was capable of understanding that, because of something like fate, he might be the only one who could do it. he understood it corrupts more powerful beings. Gandalf shared wisdom and pointed the way, but Frodo himself made the choice -- the choice that saved the world! The movie painted it like a spur-of the moment decision because Frodo was too passive and didn't articulate his thoughts at all lol. Still, gives me a reason to read the books again for that deeper dive! Still my favorite movies, still my favorite books 😊😌.

[@Toshiro93]

Certainly, the least convincing aspect is Frodo's change from a wise character with a certain courage to a guy who lets himself be manipulated by Gollum. Obviously, I understand the cinematic needs very well, but the personality of Frodo from the books could have been maintained, but at the same time showing how he was lost in a world much larger and more dangerous than he thought. Recently reviewing the scenes in which Gollum separates him from Sam, I distinctly felt a certain annoyance in seeing how they changed Frodo's character, especially considering how much these giants over Gollum, when he makes him swear by the Ring...a part of the book which overflows with a strange communicative power.

[@saint.vitus.7775]

You make a good point. Frodo in the films always seemed just a bit too 'wimpy'. All the same, while the Jackson trilogy is not without fault, it's likely the best adaptation we'll ever see.

[@Warriorcats64]

Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings can deliver. It's a very strange movie, but Frodo was very well done [as was Aragorn].

[@JJ_6036]

@@saint.vitus.7775 agreed 🥲

[@JJ_6036]

@@Warriorcats64 i need to watch that! I've heard good things.

[@psychocuda]

I was too young to experience the magic of Star Wars in theaters, but LOTR was my Star Wars. I saw each film numerous times in theaters and rewatched it countless times on DVD since. Everything about the movie, from the visuals, to the acting, to the music, to the blend of effects, story/plot, and emotional roller coaster, makes it one of the most perfect set of films to ever be made.

[@ogbee9690]

LOTR movies are much more magical, you got the better deal there lol.

[@melindawolfUS]

I saw the LOTR in high school and I was in awe. And I was excited for future films because I thought we'd entered a new golden age of films... and then nothing even came close for a decade. I was totally spoiled by LOTR. They showed us what was possible and made the 'fast food' movies look even more tasteless. But I'm still so glad they exist for MY yearly visit to that fantasy world (I forget the short version exists, of course the extended addition!).

[@nightshadehelis9821]

same! I had never even heard of LOTR when it first came out. One day my dad dragged me to see the two towers and I reluctantly agreed. The entire movie I was on the edge of my seat. That day I became a MASSIVE fan. I genuinely wish I could watch it for the first time again.

[@studybooks3395]

Hello, beautiful

[@viccasaur]

Same here, I thought the movie industry would really pickup from this, but no… they decided to make everything about money and politics.

[@geocyclist]

My very first purchase of a movie on DVD was the extended version of LOTR trilogy. Not only will there never be another movie like LOTR, I have yet to find a DVD with the same amount of care put into shorts, subtitles, commentaries, photos, etc. Took me years to realize that it wasn't the normal way of creating a movie DVD.

[@sea.imagineering]

I had it as well, it was so interesting to see all the art created

[@tenshimoon]

Yes! The boxed sets for the extended editions were such good quality. Now almost nobody buys even Blu-Rays anymore.

[@ClockworkOuroborous]

I enjoy almost everything about the extended versions, but that short bit with the army of the dead attacking the pirate fleet. That just completely killed the dramatic tension that the final battle built. We went from "Will the show up?" to "When will they show up?"

[@pwnagepanther5857]

It really warms my heart and makes me happy to see someone with such an appreciation of these films voice it so eloquently and truthfully. Bias or no you CANNOT deny the quality of these films and the sheer absurdity that was the casting and production talent, as well as their hard work. These films will forever remain my favorite films I believe.

[@kurtdewittphoto]

The trilogy was so magical for me when they came out. I'd never read the books, so everything was new to me as I was watching it unfold on screen. Unforgettable.

[@OnMyFingerTips]

A year is not complete without watching the extended version of the LOTR trilogy.❤

[@arcanusluvalus1388]

my best friend from grade school had never seen the original trilogy, when covid came around i convinced him to watch it. safe to say, they became in instant classic for him, and he truly believes in peter jackson’s genius to the fullest extent, hearing him say, “this movie is a masterpiece” 20 years after i sat down watching these films every Christmas with my family at the local theatre really hits different, the movies only get better as they age, and as we get older i can only appreciate that i was alive to experience it and that i’m still able too.

[@plantemor]

My older brother was a big lord pf the rings fan and he took me to see all three movies in the cinema back when they were released. I was 13 when we saw the two towers and Helms Deep is still to this day the biggest cinematic experience of my life. I knew it then and I know it now that I wpuld never see anything more intense in cinemas ever again. In some ways they kinda blew their load with Helms Deep because when return of the king came out, I remember people being kinda meh about the fight for gondor . I mean, it was still intense and entertaining, but I remember people still talking about how Helms Deep felt much more important and hit you so much harder because of the build up for one and a half movie and from then on it was half an hour of battling for Helms Deep and all the women and children in the basement. Like.... Jesus, that was just such a perfectly executed, desperate and beautiful battle. It what when you truly realized what a good leader Aragorn was capable of being and it was a tribute to the human spirit in the face of near hopelessness, literally backed up into a corner as the enemy keeps coming. Fuck man... I feel to intensely lucky that I got to watch these movies at such a formative age and experience the excitement for these movies in real time. I even remember when the news reported on the making of the films and showed the clip of frodo dropping the ring and boromir picking it up from the snow. I remember my parents turning to one another and beign like "holy shit, they are adapting lord pf the rings?!?" I remember how excited my brother and older sister were. How they would babble on about when they came to visit and I remember my dad dusting off his old set og lord of the rings books so I could see what the fuss was about. After every movie, my brother would take me back to his place and we would talk about the movie we watched and he would explain the world to me and fill me in on the things I didn't know and the contexts the movie didn't touch on. I rewatched the trilogy during the pandemic for the first time in years and I was crying the entire time from start to finish. I love lord of the rings so much. I don't even have the words to explain it. I don't think there is any franchise out there that means more to me than lord of the rings. It truly was and is so very special and it felt special at the time too. I wish so desperately that people who missed on that time due to being babies or not being born yet, would get to live through this pure, innocent and happy excitement that people all over the place felt back then. It was so positive and genuine and even though there were definitely critics, it didn't really take away from how this felt like a unifying event where we all got to cheer for all these characters as they were trying to save the world. Yeah, I'm just babbling now, but seriously, the lord of the rings were special. Truly special.

[@jasonkiefer1894]

The fact that you are babbling shows how great the trilogy is. LOTR stirs deep emotions that it is hard to simply talk about. You just need to EXPRESS yourself. Babble on, my friend, I am right there with you. LOVE the movies.

[@victoriao7039]

Eloquent, heartfelt babble from overflow of appreciation. Also right there with you!

[@flyingstapler1241]

Battle of Gondor was done dirty because so many things had to be crammed into the final movie. It honestly deserved an entire movie on based on how it was written. The 2nd and 3rd film faced opposite difficulties. They had to come up with extra fillers and dramatically stretch out Battle of Helms Deep because 1/2 of the book's story had to be moved to the 3rd film. Then the 3rd film has to deal with the issue of adapting 3/2 of a book and had to cut more things out. The result was that the fight that only lasted 20 pages in the 2nd book became the cinematic war masterpiece for LotR films, while the actual grand battle that was built up so well in the books got scuffled. We never get to see Pippin spending time with the children in Gondor and becoming one with the citizens before the war, and that touching moment of those children helping him save Merry from the battlefields when none of the adults came to aid. We never get to see Merry bonding with Eomer/Eowyn and Pippin bonding with Beregond as they prep for looming threat of upcoming war. And we barely get to see the post-war moments from everyone like Aragorn earning the acknowledgement of Gondor as their king, which would've been a beautiful conclusion to a movie.

[@BazzFreeman]

I'm old. 67 years I have existed. I first read LotR around age11. Later on, I read the Wheel of Time, which I consider to be very close to LotR. Given what Amazon did to both books, I have zero confidence that WoT could ever be filmed with the same care and attention as the Peter Jackson trilogy.

[@guillelg4iu]

I´m much younger and I can relate to your thoughts, but we need to think about project feasability here. The biggest issue with tWoT is that it is way too extense to be covered in a film/series while retaining a big audience during its whole lifespan these days. Now everyone produces shallow, short-term, somewhat self conclusive content that can be merged with other stories if you want to delve deeper into the universe, but can also be watched independently to maximize target audience and profit. The Wheel of Time is the biggest fantasy saga ever made in terms of length, and it is completely impossible to make a full blown, all-in effort to translate it into the big or small screen without risking financial issues by the producers. That´s the main reason nobody has dared to do it properly to date, and it´s why we´re not likely to see it happen again, given the market tendency to produce fast paced, low quality content. Don´t get me wrong, I´d LOVE to see it done properly, but we all know it´s not gonna happen. PS: Sorry if my grammar is a bit off at some point, English is not my first language :)

[@vipersb1]

Very nice touch changing the RBG in your PC to match the films. A small but appreciated touch. Peter Jackson would approve. 😉 Definitely the best trilogy ever made. Also, the best behind the scenes content. I've probably spent more time watching the bonus discs and commentaries than I have watching the actual films.

[@Kastriona]

My sister and I have discussed the Tolkein movies and books so many times when we talk about writing and different scenarios, and one thing she’s pointed out and stayed with me is the difference in the story telling between the movies and the books. Tolkein’s books were written as epics. They are influenced and inspired by the Finnish epic. They stood as an academic achievement with the language work as much as or more than a literary work. That kind of writing does not shift to cinema without some changes, especially with the characters. In an epic, there is character growth in a handful of character and the rest are archetypes. Aragorn and Faramir’s changes to their character are one of the biggest pet peeves I’ve heard about; however, Aragorn especially needed to be more than the perfect hero archetype for a movie of this scale. He needed to grow with the Hobbits. Peter Jackson, his crew, and the actors, everyone involved, loved and breathed life into this production by loving and considering how to retell the story or another time and age.

[@Angela-jk4bl]

The changes made to Faramir's character has been the one thing that I don't think I will ever get over and will always be annoyed with. Meanwhile I was fine with the changes to Aragorn's character and I don't know if it was because I read the books after I watched the first film or for some other reason. It does help that I had no expectations with him while I had specifically liked Faramir in the books for not being tempted by the ring and...well...

[@Kastriona]

@Angela-jk4bl It took me a while to see why and accept it too. In the books you have one scene with him before he's out of the picture. In the movies, we get to see so much, esp in the extended cut. His struggle with the ring makes his stand against Denethor all the more powerful.

[@vast634]

You try and draft a script that encompasses the changes, WHILE having only 2 hours of runtime per movie and explaining the world to someone unfamiliar with the books, and have interesting conversations and action scenes. The problem is that movies have a timelimit in wich they need to transport the story. Cuts are necessary. Pacing is important. Alternatively they could make this as a longer streaming show that potentially has the time, but the recent Amazon show was a dut due to bad writing.

[@reek4062]

There are no Tolkien movies. There are loud, stupid D&D Newline movies directed by Peter Jackson often falsely associated with Tolkien. Faramir and Aragorn are both butchered in the Newline movies. In the book, they are both noble, knowledgeable Men who prove that the nobility of Numenorean Men is not yet gone. Aragorn is not a perfect hero archetype in the book; he is tested, and doubted aboot himself, after he failed to lead the Fellowship. In the movies he's reduced to a sword-swinging action hero. Faramir is also tested in the book; he has told himself he wouldn't claim the Ring even if he found it lying by the side of a road; it's easy to say that, but much more difficult to just let the Ringbearer go on into the land of the enemy. In the movies Faramir is just a thug who puts his sword on Frodo's throat and allows his men to abuse Smeagol.

[@saddlerrye6725]

@@Angela-jk4bl I felt the same for a long time, but now I treat book Faramir and movie Faramir as two different people, and I love them both for who they are separately. I think the movies added a very heartfelt story with Faramir that helped to explore Boromir and Denethor as well.

[@skyoncloud5180]

I feel like talking about the amazing production of these films without mentioning Viggo Mortensen's improv scenes is criminal. For anyone unaware, there are three separate scenes that went... not so right, and Viggo played it off perfectly. In order from first, to last: 1. In the forest, when the Uruks are chasing the fellowship, Aragorn confronts the head honcho big bad orc. The orc pulls out a dagger and throws it at him, and he deflects it with his sword. BOTH THE DAGGER AND THE SWORD WERE THE REAL PROPS! The orc was not meant to throw it. It slipped from his grasp, and Viggo instinctively swatted it away with grace. 2. When Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli come across the burning pile of orcs after encountering the riders of Rohirrim, Aragorn kicks a helmet out of rage and anguish, thinking that Mary and Pippin had been killed, followed by a blood curdling scream before he falls to his knees and continues his dialogue. He broke his toe when he kicked the helmet, which was made of steel. The scream was from the pain, but he continued with the scene anyways. 3. When they are riding into to Rohirrim, a flag is ripped away by the wind and flies outside of the gates, landing next to Aragorn. This was not scripted, but a natural occurrence, which Viggo took advantage of. Wonderfully done.

[@StuCheeks]

Such perfect timing to see this video while I've been marathoning LOTR again recently. Imagine if 2026 comes along and there's a new Rings of Power season (hopefully not, really) just as a new LOTR anniversary extended edition releases.

[@beefytaco6374]

The attention to detail is something that made Tolkien’s work so amazing. The people making the lord of the rings did the same and it’s one of many things that made it so perfect

[@davidmcaninch4714]

The way you played the Shire Theme on that classical guitar was beautiful!!! And I think the Lord of the Rings trilogy is just too epic, the greatest trilogy of all time and nothing can ever beat it!!!! *ARISE!!!!!!! ARISE RIDERS OF THEODEN!!!!!!!!!! SPEARS SHALL BE SHAKEN!!!!!!!!!! SHIELDS SHALL BE SPLINTERED!!!!!!! A SWORD DAY, A RED DAY, ERE THE SUN RISES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RIDE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!! RIDE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RIDE FOR RUIN AND THE WORLD’S ENDING!!!!!!!!! DEEEEEEEEEAAAAATHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! DEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAATTTHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAATTTTHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FORTH EORLINGAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!* *cue epic Rohan theme song*

[@illusivec]

26:00 Some of us believe the main character of the LotR series isn't actually Frodo but Sam. The story doesn't end with Frodo, it ends with Sam. Literally, the last word of the story(both in the books and the movies) is uttered by Sam. Sam is the one who ends up happily ever after and he's also the one to finish the book that was started by Bilbi nearly a hundred years ago.

[@MrAverien]

Yeah, Sam's definitely the main character. He drives the plot, after all-- he decides to take the Ring to Rivendell, to trust Strider in Bree, to give the Ring to the Council, to take the Ring to Mordor, to brave the paths of Moria, to break the Fellowship, to spare Smeagol, and Frodo just kind of followed along... Oh, wait, no, no. That's the Hobbit Tolkien referred to as "The greatest of all Hobbits", Frodo. Sam is an important character-- vital, even. I identify more with him than with any other character in the series, but calling anyone but Frodo the main character is delusional self-indulgence.

[@janesgems7]

@@MrAverien The BOTH were. Sam had the physical strength and devotion, Frodo the strong will. Notice how hard Sam found it to surrender the ring to Frodo, even only having carried it for a short time. And it was Sam who at the end carried 'it and Frodo.' As Frodo said, he wouldn't have got very far without Sam. But without Frodo, the Ring would never have been destroyed.

[@vaadwilsla858]

Ridiculous take. Sam is a legend, but in no conceivable universe is he the MC.

[@BlackSailPass_GuitarCovers]

Actually... Sauron is the true main character. Come on - all three books/films are named after him.

[@Gubcrows]

It's a well known fact that Tolkien himself claimed Sam is the main hero of the story.

[@halfkinrainbolt7041]

Spot on Jonny. I can't remember the shorter theater version any more as compared to the extended, and if they released another one, with even only a few more minutes run time, I'm buying that one too. I did not know you are a talented musician! The music of these movies are an entity on their own. I can hear a piece playing somewhere and immediately know what scene is playing. The Rohirrim always makes me sniffle a little emotionally. No corners were cut, definitely high use of attention paid to detail, very respectful. Glad I met your channel, Yes It was during the ROP fiasco that you came across my path. You tube career indeed.

[@piotrmontgomerytv7786]

TLOTR trilogy never stopped to be shown in my city's theater. 20 years and the trilogy is still on the same level as 20 years ago. The movie is a newly came out mega-it for 20 years!

[@Le-Abdollen]

the information revealed in the commentary tracks alone shows how no other movies before or since had such intricate attention to detail and the most skilled people possible working on them

[@Monkey_Boy9602]

These movies are pretty much the only ones where I watched *all* of the commentaries. They were interesting, informative, and entertaining!

[@SugaryPhoenixxx]

Also I dont think PJ could have chosen a better cast of actors for their respective roles. Kate Blanchet as Galadriel, Liv Tyler as Arwen, Viggo as Aragorn, I could just go on & on. I am always blown away by the cast every time I re-watch the films which is usually once per year. Truly a once in a lifetime cast & director combo. I agree with JLaw that we will probably never see a film that was as well put together as those films.

[@kerim.peardon5551]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that has always loved Elrond's eye flinch as an arrow goes sailing past him. It makes the CGI arrow realistic. My husband liked the guy at the Battle of Helm's Deep who was legit missing an eyeball. He always said that was epic casting for a medieval-ish movie, that too often has no one maimed by war. I am so over CGI. Filling in some distant backgrounds or a moment where someone gets cut in half by a spiked chariot wheel, okay. But now, like you said, it's a wonder there are any actors at all in the movies. And they can convince themselves that audiences love the special effects, but the truth is CGI characters still light up our brains in that "uncanny valley" and we do not believe they're real. Oddly enough, the old solution, puppets, are much better. While we recognize them as puppets, not real creatures, we will suspend our disbelief. Puppets have an ancient origin in story-telling, so humans are hard-wired to let puppets act out a story for us. Puppets still exist in reality and are not smoke and mirrors. The same issue is true with completely CGI sets and action sequences. Our brains don't believe they're real--worse, they think we're being tricked--and we emotionally distance ourselves. That's because no matter how hard an actor tries, no matter how hard he acts, his body language gives away the truth to our subconscious. We know that the person isn't really touching or looking at the CGI creation because of tiny little clues in their pupils or muscles that we couldn't consciously point to, but which our unconscious minds can read. We know they're not really in danger because nothing around them looks real. It's not the same as Jamie Lee Curtis hanging from a helicopter, or Alan Rickman getting pushed backwards off the edge of the set by surprise, or Tom Cruise in a real fighter plane pulling real G's. Real stunts, no matter how safe they may be or exaggerated the danger, still feel real and make us emotionally invested. I think Gollum is an exception to the CGI issue. He's one CGI creature I have never minded and I think that's because there was a real person under the animation suit. The actors are looking at him properly and responding to him realistically because there's actually a person there for them to look at and respond to. And his facial emoting is so much better than what you see now because they copied Serkis' real facial movements. Gollum really isn't a CGI character, but an actor wearing CGI makeup.

[@FelicityUwU]

You'd be surprised how much animators have to fill in the gaps left by motion capture. People have spread the myth that the motion capture does it all, and I can't fathom why they did it. But motion capture isn't perfect, and the same love of the film they were making that was displayed through everything Peter Jackson did for The Lord Of The Rings Movie, was likely there in the team of animators as well with how good their work looks.

[@johnboy4025]

Gollum still holds up, but the thing is, CGI was more like makeup for Andy Serkis. He’s so underrated

[@joegibbskins]

Literally the best character on the LotR movies is entirely CGI. You like movies for babies just like the people you are complaining about

[@holymanbob9491]

In the film commentary they said they didn't actually cast the guy missing an eye, they just had locales show up and one happened to have an eye patch on. They asked if he could take it off and then shot him in that scene.

[@JustBearly]

I think another reason Gollum works so well is that the uncanny "fakeness" cgi runs into at times, works well for Gollum. He himself is very much a fake, in that he lies constantly and is most certainly not normal.

[@Yolanda8419]

When I met my husband 14 years ago, we realized that we both had the extended editions of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. So we did what every normal person would do, we gave one to his best friend who married us and bought the blu ray version, since we both had the DVDs. Fast forward some years, we watched the trilogy with our kids when they were 5 and 6 and then once more with our kids and then our local Village Cinemas showed the extended editions one movie per week last Easter, we took our kids(then 8 and 9) and it was the most amazing experience. Suffice to say that everyone was looking at us, since we are Greek and not many kids that age can follow the subtitles that easily. But we raised our kids bilingual mostly because I was raised with movies and I wanted the same for our kids. The trilogy is the best thing that has ever been made. Even though I adore Harry Potter, I have some objections to some of the choices being made for the movies. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is perfect.

[@kayakerdude3727]

I felt and knew deep down at the time I saw LOTR in theaters that I was watching the greatest movie trilogy of all time and that it would never be duplicated so I went multiple times - I'm so glad I did because that turned out to be prophetic.

[@Polyphemus47]

I had moved to a new town, just before Return of the King was released. It became my 'friend', and I went to see it every few days for at least a dozen times. Very few films have touched me as deeply as the trilogy. Real tears in the theater. I loved the characters, and especially loved the way they loved each other.

[@alvaro.martinez]

I also watched each film several times on the cinema... It's the only film that has managed to make me do it