The Siege of Minas Tirith - Book version

[@Life4Metalcore]

All these people trashing the movies are forgetting how they got chills the first time they heard Theoden’s “Death Speech” for the first or 20th time

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

True. Just because it was not 100% accurate, does not mean it was a fantastic adaptation nonetheless.

[@senzadite9270]

Who's trashing the movies? I read all the comments here and I don't see what you mean.

[@ChoosterYT]

Fantastic movie imho but I do have such a problem with Hollywood and other movie producers who doesn't make strategic/tactical accurate battles. I mean is it that hard to use imagination, hire a former military tactician or just read up on the material they usually base their films on (books)? I get that they want to do entertainment but to be accurate doesn't mean something is less entertaining, quite the opposite. Just look at what happened with Game of Thrones when they strayed from the previously more accurate seasons into the mess of season 7 and 8.

[@sethpotter1488]

Correct. They also forgot how the films are actually convinced them to read that overly drawn out books.

[@ekszentrik]

The movies are of course awesome, but the liberties they took were sometimes a bit questionable, like making the ghosts actually able to kill people. This kinda makes the charge of the rohirrim ... useless.

[@byzantinetales]

If Tolkien's version was to be shot for a movie it would be spectacular indeed, but it would take a whole movie just for the battles

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

True that, but they could have shortened it imo. Just including the Swan Knights would be awesome

[@davebearman3114]

you mean just like the Battle of Five Armies? lol I wish they had made more movies, and it been better in general

[@capnmoby13]

I'm not sure. Tolkien never got overly descriptive in his telling of the battles. There was allot implied, though. What I would love is more of the histories being laid out in film. That's where the author excelled, histories and language, in my opinion. I do think that seeing it played out as told in the books would be epic.

[@simmerke1111]

Well Tolkien wrote the battles a bit more realistic than it's possible in any movie. Battles and wars can take days, weeks, months or years. Hope the future of film holds the technology to make these cheap and quick to produce in our lifetimes.

[@kingra2650]

@@Sirvalian hm imo TV series are often poor in quality and acting. Movies, especially the LOTR trilogy, are far more epic, although not perfect. In truth no book will ever be matched and done full justice by any visual adaptation, and rightly so; books are unique in how they tell the story, and we should not encourage films/tv shows to out-do them.

[@GeekZoneMT]

You clearly put a lot of work into this! Great job man!

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thank you GeekZone! You are one of the people that clearly inspired me to begin this channel. Your videos are great and you know that I follow them :) Having you in the comment section means a lot to me! Thank you again!

[@GeekZoneMT]

@@LoreOfTheRingsYT That's awesome man! I really admire what you accomplished in this video and I hope your channel grows fast! I'll add you to my featured channels tab :) Keep up the good work!

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

@@GeekZoneMT Awesome! I will do my best to keep growing, and sometime in the future when I have more supporters, we could perhaps do a collab if you are interested (firstly when I have grown more, so that we both benefit from it of course :) ).

[@GeekZoneMT]

@@LoreOfTheRingsYT I have no problem doing one now if it helps you out. Just message me on twitter or instagram and we'll see what we can do 😄

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

That's just incredible, I am blown away. I will contact you soon :)

[@paradox7358]

Respect for basing this on the events of the book, not the film. Love the subtle details such as the outer walls of Minas Tirith being black stone (white in the film) as they are built in the same material as Orthanc.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

I am glad you noticed that! I worked real hard on all details, you are truly a real Tolkien fan :)

[@crapface911]

Ive never read the books but ive seen the movies a million times. Interesting to see the differences but also how the movie stays pretty faithful to the source material (for the most part)

[@GeorgiosLeo]

@@LoreOfTheRingsYT you disnt put numbers though

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

@@GeorgiosLeo Only two numbers are known: the Rohirrim and the Haradrim. The Rohirrim numbered 6000 and the Haradrim numbered 18000

[@GeorgiosLeo]

@@LoreOfTheRingsYT yes i know but i would be better to say the numbers si we can understand better the fight also we can speculate the gondorian army because i think after the battle at pellenor fields aragorn takes a couple of thousand men in the black gate

[@mr.rufasi2729]

Some parts the books did better than the movies in this battle were showing a wider view of the war, making the gondorians be skilled fighters, and having the protagonists actually win the battle instead of the ghost army. I do like how there is a lot more fighting inside the city though in the movies I thought that was great

[@enlightenedterrestrial]

I agree with the fighting inside the city. That was a really interesting addition.

[@tiaaaron3278]

There is a problem you're not mentioning with the books. The Dead Men army was a huge plot hole in books. Almost everything with them happens offscreen and we know nothing about them. Hell, even the forgiving scene that would have made Aragorn seem sympathetic for once was offscreen too. And we never know why Aragorn released them at that time. Why not sooner or later? What was his reasoning? Why did the Dead Men exactly do? Aside from a few disposable remarks from Legolas (Vague-o-Las) we know shit about them. It's like Tolkien did something without thinking it through. And according to that one letter in Unfinished Tales, Dead Men army was a much contriversial and curious subject for readers back in Tolkien's day. So if anything, Jackson solved that plot hole front he books by showing us what happened and the extent of their abilities. Then we get to Gondorim reinforcement in books...*sigh*...the way they play out, they could be very well be a Dead Army on their own. Aside from a little buildup for Imrahil and Dol Amroth, rest of them come out of nowhere with zero proper buildup. Somehow newly freed prisoners can beat he elite army of Mordor. Random Gondorim reinforcements we never learn anything about and their leaders are all conveniently killed in battle so Tolkien doesn't have to explain their characters or flesh out their motives. They are as good as the Dead Army in the movies. Both books and movies are flawed in this regard.

[@Joseph-xg8ov]

It's not a plothole if it was explained. However vague it was. The movies are different. The book were actually well done. Because as I read it the Corsair ships arrived and I didn't know it was Aragorn. Then it was revealed to be him. So the tale had to be told, the same way Gandalf told his tale about his fight with the Balrog. Unless Gandalf's tale was a plothole then I don't see how the Oathbreakers story was a plothole. It's uncertain why Aragorn let them go, however they did fight the enemies of Gondor. And Aragorn must've been conscious of the fact that his allies would flee from the army of the dead. The host of Mordor was bewildered enough when they realized their own ships contained their own enemies no matter how few, and a great chunk of their alllies was defeated by such a small company. Aragorn knew they would have the mastery.

[@ServantofBaal]

Considering the immense numbers of Mordor and the lack of cavalry until Rohan showed up, it makes more sense that Gondor would fight within the confines of Minas Tirith. The primary advantage of fortified positions is to favor smaller numbers of skilled soldiers, specifically footsoldiers and archers. Gondor would have no reason to sally onto the Fields of Pellenor without numerical or cavalry advantage

[@stephenpastena8583]

@@tiaaaron3278 As I see it, in the book the Dead Army was released at Pelargir, because otherwise their terror would have overtaken the men of Gondor and Rohan as well (the book tells us the people hid in their houses as the Army passed and would not come out to aid in the fight). It was only the great courage of Legolas, Gimli, and the Grey Company, and their love for Aragorn, that kept themselves from losing their minds. The movie kind of sanitized all of that. Then the movies created the greater sin of pinning the stakes so high that there only seemed to be about a couple dozen Gondor soldiers left in Minas Tirith by the time of Aragorn's arrival. Which then begs the question where in the hell he found a couple thousand more soldiers to march on the Black Gate.

[@JeyC_]

3:55 "Even though the Gondorian forces lacked numbers, their combat skills outmatched the orcs" Meanwhile in the movies... Edit: Let me just clarify something since some people here think I'm trashing the movies. I'm criticizing it and comparing the differences between the books and the movies. There's a difference between criticizing and trashing it. It doesn't necessarily mean that I hate it. Don't get me wrong, I love both of them. But the fact that there's a huge gap in some certain things between them doesn't mean it's not worth addressing. Hope that clear things up, cheers! :D

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Meanwhile in the movies... Gondorian soldiers shooting at the towers and needs to be instructed by Gandalf to use common sense and shoot the trolls xD

[@georgechapman9688]

Meanwhile in the movies they lost troops, say a third of their number and were outnumbered

[@flaviusbelisariusthebasedl3116]

Shame to what they did to them in the movies

[@canmufu3923]

@Rick O'Shay You sure? They're still pretty bad, you want to replace them with Tower Guards and Rangers ASAP in most cases.

[@canmufu3923]

@Rick O'Shay The Gondor soldiers.

[@bryanperkins4987]

There is no other way to say it other than, "WELL F****** DONE!"

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thank you!

[@josephl6896]

@@LoreOfTheRingsYT Yes, this is amazing. Really top-notch. Well done!

[@paulguest3674]

I'm not sure this has been mentioned but I love how you stated how Aragorn used the Palantir to reveal himself to Sauron to force Saurons hand. He sent out his armies early and in panic, fearing what Aragorn could become, hence why the attack on Minas Tirith was ultimately unsuccessful, it wasn't as resourced or as vast as Sauron had initially planned. That small move by Aragorn, among many others, set in motion Saurons inevitable defeat. It's a detail and IMO a vital detail that's overlooked in the movies.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Indeed! They included it in the extended version and Legolas mentions the diversion. But they ultimately fail to portray it. Aragorn's revealment could have been very powerful.

[@Sea-qv4sd]

They pretty much portray what you described in the movies after the battle, when they distract Sauron for Frodo. I haven't read the books but sounds the same

[@Warcodered01]

didn't it happen by accident in the movies?

[@ahmeteminerdogan9266]

@@Warcodered01 Watch the extended edition.

[@AverageCommentor]

@@Sea-qv4sd. They don't portray it properly though. Aragorn showed Sauron Anduril before the Siege of Gondor, not afterwards. Sauron emptied Minas Morgul early due to that (because he believed that Aragorn had the ring) leading to its unsuccessful outcome. When Aragorn marches on the Black Gate, Sauron's belief that Aragorn has the ring is confirmed to him, since no normal person would think that they could overthrow Sauron otherwise. If Aragorn showed the ring after the Siege of Gondor, then why did Sauron empty Minas Morgul early? The movies do not portray that well at all. The movie reason is most likely Frodo showing the Nazgul the ring at Osgiliath, which is a reason, but not what happened in the book at all, which is why it can be confidently said that the movies portray this part of the story quite differently.

[@gregburrow3350]

Wow incredible... I did not expect this when I clicked. I thought it would be another half ass paraphrase of the film but this was great

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thank you!

[@bluesbest1]

Honestly, the only reason why I clicked at all was because he specified that it was Tolkien's version, rather than Jackson's version.

[@johnsmith-ij9by]

Dude this production is incredible. I feel like im watching some video on the napoleonic wars or something. Seriously amazing.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thank you!!

[@will1sg]

Reminded me of Bas Battles!Detailed, well narrated and great visuals! Well done mate! Enjoyed that immensely.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

It's indeed inspired by BazBattles. Glad that you liked it!

[@9and7]

@@LoreOfTheRingsYT And you did a great job of it, and on my birthday nonetheless. Thank You!

[@1norselad]

did you use the music haha great vid by the way would love to see more on the war of the ring

[@thejumper7282]

u even copied the music, u should get claimed in my opinion

[@akiramasashi9317]

@@thejumper7282 The music used by BazBattles is all from Kevin MacLeod, which is free to use royalty free music.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thank you for 1000 subscribers! I hope you find this project worthy! All feedback is (as always) welcome! This video was inspired by BazBattles who make amazing animation videos, check him out here: kzbin.info/door/x-dJoP9hFCBloY9qodykvw I have noticed that my background music is a bit loud (from feedback). That feedback was received after this video was produced, thus it will be implemented for the next video. The color grading in the video reflects the darkness that flowed out of Mordor! Thank you "poop train conductor" for supporting me on Patreon. You just became my first Patreon and it means a lot to me! Support me via Patreon: www.patreon.com/LOME

[@DreamerFromBeyond]

Lore of Middle-Earth your presentation is amazing! worthy work comparable to other history channels delivering same content :)

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Fantastic! Glad to hear that!

[@galenbjorn443]

Dude! Plz do more thinks like this! Love this when they do history battles, but this is even better. You get an like an a sub!

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

@@galenbjorn443 I will do more, no worries! Glad you liked it!

[@John333Scout]

The defense of Osgiliath and the retreat back to minas Tirith is wayyy better than the movie version. Gondor's soldiers seem like actually capable men until the witch king and overwhelming numbers. Then to see Faramir holding as a rearguard makes him more BA. Then to see the Gondor's charge and Silver Swan Knights with Gandalf would be very cool on screen. It also makes way more sense than the random suicide charge Faramir leads on Osgiliath.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Agreed!

[@Warcodered01]

What you mean it doesn't make sense that the Orcs just chilled in Osgiliath for a while waiting to be trapped against a river?

[@jacktribble5253]

Excellent work. I wish I had found this channel sooner. I used to sit for hours with my Step-Dad discussing all things Tolkien, I've been a fan since the 70's.

[@s.weldingandfabrication4287]

Hey man I really like the video, I think its an awsome concept to show the true scale of the battles rather than what the movies can show(even if they are very well done).

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thank you! I really felt that these kinds of videos were simply missing!

[@Theplaymaker1271]

As a military historian this is awesome to see, Tolkien really tried to make a legit battle with actual tactics and strategy. Way more riveting than a bunch of generic good guys vs a bunch of generic bad guys

[@rafexrafexowski4754]

That's what you'd expect from a WW1 veteran

[@Legionnaire_625]

I'm gonna be real honest, I've never read the books. But this depiction of the battle makes me wish they had captured this in the movies. I adore the movies, they're my favorite trilogy in existence. But this would've been so much better to see

[@RetroGamingSwedenMusic]

As a no-book-reader I found this to be absolutely fantastic to hear and witness. The films are great.. But dang.. This was lit!

[@TobeWilsonNetwork]

1:29 “RIP EÄRNUR” lol This is a tremendous project, your love for the source material really shows.

[@operationmeh]

“In rode the Lord of the Nazgûl. A great black shape against the fires beyond he loomed up, grown to a vast menace of despair. In rode the Lord of the Nazgûl, under the archway that no enemy ever yet had passed, and all fled before his face... "All save one."

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Olorín!

[@alexstewart9747]

Lore of Middle-Earth - Mithrandir..!!

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

@@alexstewart9747 Faramir!

[@rikk319]

When Gandalf says later that of all in Middle Earth, only Sauron could defeat him, you realize that if the Witch King hadn't rode off, he would have been wrecked. Tolkien didn't write it that way, but that would have been awesome to witness.

All hail the Holbytlan, valiant little fellows despite the ending of the world!

[@Pumbli]

Minor thing but using the Haradrim battle horn at 10:05 from the Mumakil charge in the movie was a great touch. Love that sound. Thanks for a great video!

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thanks! I tried to make as much atmosphere as possible :)

[@justuss501]

Who else wishes the movies showed the easterlings in battle

[@FuckGoogle2]

It was a black and white movie, you could not have it show them fight with valor and loyalty to the death for the wrong side.

[@neenster69]

the easterlings were seen briefly when the orcs breached the gate, but that’s about it

[@serduk8293]

@@dexterrr9163 they were Haradrim

[@twinkthatloveslotrtrilogy7676]

They were seen in Minas Tirith

[@mashek331]

@@twinkthatloveslotrtrilogy7676 Yep. You can see them charge through the gates of Minas Tirith alongside wargs and orcs. Still, they should have showed just a scene or two of them fighting. They were hands down the coolest looking "villains".

[@tuomaspirinen8018]

Great work, faithful to the book. Tolkien was a veteran officer of WWI, an thus the entire battle in LotR was expertly crafted and believable (in context of the fantasy world), a skill that Jackson lacked, talented as though he is a director. This video does justice to Tolkien!

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Glad to hear that! I hope that Tolkien himself would have enjoyed this video.

[@Captain-Jinn]

"A skill he lacked", ignoring the entire Helms Deep battle of the Two Towers; to date one of the best movie battle scenes committed to film, fantasy or not.

[@ZzaphodD]

Captain Jin : Helms Deep is a great movie scene, but not particularly militarily correct..

[@tuomaspirinen8018]

@@Captain-Jinn A great scene, but not representative of military tactics and strategies in a way that Tolkien, a veteran officer and scholar could write in his books.

[@Ariaelyne]

@@ZzaphodD In common military thought the entire idea that Saruman would order an assault on a fortress with only a 3:1 advantage is pretty 'incorrect' in the first place (though that may be better attributed to character and situation then a mistake of design). As far as 'military correctness' goes, a lot can be passed off as 'someone didn't do something otherwise intelligent' (see: every time french knights charged prematurely and ruined a battle), not everything has to be a perfect game of chess between two masters of warfare to be realistic.

[@Ichigamaru]

Wow! The sounds and the music along with the description and images made this video so epic! Congratulations on this amazing work!!!

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thank you Bruno :)

[@fabionwilson6992]

Excellent job!! I can't believe this was your first endeavor!

[@TheOnlyReynoldsWrap]

This is great! This is the second time seeing a video on the battle tactics of Lord of the Rings (first was by Hello Future Me, with The Battle of Five Armies). Reminds me of BazBattles videos.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thank you! It's inspired by BazBattles. There will be more!

[@melkor3496]

Lore of Middle-Earth Yes great job loved that you made it similar to BazBattles videos.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

@Aurora I will some day! Many battles to cover tho!

[@dannyvestal299]

That was so very cool! A brilliant yet different way to illustrate the individual battles! You deserve 1 million likes! Thanks for this hard work!

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thank you!!

[@adam_clown]

I’ve seen Historia Civilis, BazBattles, and kings and Generals use this format on historical battles but it’s good to see it being used on a fictional battle as well! You’ve earned a like and subscriber from me and I hope you continue to grow!

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thank you for kind words! I will not disappoint!

[@spencerlaliberte4601]

This is an extremely well made video, much better than a lot of other lore channels and its apparent how much work you put in. Great job

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thank you!

[@CharlesTurnitsa]

This was completely excellent. Be proud of your craft, and please share more.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thank you! Lovely to hear such a comment :)

[@KTChamberlain]

I like how you cover the tactics as described in book of The Return of the King while also combining familiar aspects from the movies like some movie clips and sound effects like the screech of the Ring wriaths and so forth

[@BKBarrister]

Spectacular. Two small errors: the sortie to cover Faramir’s retreat was drawn up in the shadow of the wall of Minas Tirith, not within the city itself. Second, and I could be wrong, but Grond struck the gate 3 times, not 4. But I love details and you did such a great job. Thank you!

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

The sortie drawn up outside the wall I was not aware of, but Grond did hit the gate four times (if studied carefully)

[@mxrningstargxthangel5123]

As much as I love the movies, they REALLY nerfed the hell out Rohan and Gondor 😂

[@Brother_O4TS]

Rohan was alright. It was Gondor that was nerfed. Although if you think about it, movie wise, they probably lost all if their best men in Osgiliath and Minas Tirith was garrisoned by reserves and hastily trained and armed levies.

[@yoyomayne]

@@Brother_O4TS honestly Rohans' army seemed stronger and larger than Gordors' in the third movie

[@abraham2172]

Elsewhise it would be pretty boring. Orcs just getting slaughtered like nothing wouldnt make up for a very exciting story.

[@Shabanezloth]

The production quality is amazing, this is a turely great video!

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@ryandisbrow9121]

What an absolute joy to watch. Beautifully done - please make more!

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thank you! More coming :)

[@ryandisbrow9121]

Lore of Middle-Earth awesome!!! Can’t wait!

[@michaelminervini1908]

The way the movie had it, everyone could just hide under their bed until the dead army came and won it for them.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Yeah, it kinda ruined it for me :P

[@post-leftluddite]

Yes, the movies were.... Bad to say the least, and I'm not saying that as a Tolkien fan (which I am), but as a movie fan... Peter Jackson is just a crappy director, it was basically the equivalent of having Sam Raimi circa Spiderman direct the movies... Dutch angles should never be in a serious movie, or like the scene where Merry and Pippen get into Gandalf's fireworks, God that was embarrassing.... It was like a three stooges scene. Or when the seige of Minas Tirith begins in the movies and there's that scene on the top of one of the walls when Pippen freezes up, and Gandalf jumps out of nowhere with Ninja skills.... That is soooo, not Gandalf, and it was just corny even if I wasn't a Tolkien fan.... I think Christopher Tolkien said it best when in an interview with the French magazine Le Monde, he said of Peter Jackson "he took my father's story and made an action film for teenage boys", and that about sums it up. I realize they needed to make a lot of money, but that doesn't mean they couldn't have been more serious, with less ridiculous comic relief, less gratuitous action scenes (Legolas has heightened senses, he's not a one man army/superhero), and less terrible camera work. I get some scenes needed to be shot on a sound stage, but it shouldn't be so obvious (which is a result of terrible lighting). Like the scene on weather top, when the five Nazgul first pan across the screen, they literally look like cardboard cutouts being reeled by on a clothesline. Don't even get me started with how terrible an actor Elijah wood is, there was at least three dozen closeups of him making the goofiest faces, like when he got pricked by shelob. Just saying, the movies would have been a million times better with a more serious, darker, drama and dialogue driven angle, less action for 14 year old boys and idiots. OH, and some of the props, like armor, just looked so unlike real metal it bothered me. Would have been a million times better if someone like David Fincher directed the movies. And the Orcs should have been scary looking, not... Whatever they were... In the books when the three parties of Orcs have merry and Pippen, there's actually horror elements there, it was a scary scene when you actually hear the orcs talking.... It was just more comic relief by Peter Jackson, like that one orc who basically had a stereotypical New York wise guy accent, what the hell was that about?

[@Blizryn]

@@post-leftluddite You should go make movies man, your movie would absolutely win all those Oscars LOTR won.

[@philwilson4167]

@@post-leftluddite The movies are far from terrible. I'm not even sure I understand your analysis, as you say there is too much action, but also too much comic relief. What exactly did you want from them? Nine hours of serious dialogue? Furthermore, a lot of your criticisms are personal opinions rather than objective assessment, such as disliking how the orcs were designed. Even though you state otherwise, it does seem like you're judging them as a Tolkien fan rather than a film fan. You say Elijah Wood is a bad actor while ignoring the fact that the majority of the cast were excellent. Ian McKellen, Sean Astin, Andy Serkis, all won awards for their performances and Ian McKellen got an oscar nomination. There were numerous other awards from multiple associations for the score, cinematography, costume design, visual effects, etc. I could go on.

[@MCshadr217]

@@post-leftluddite Lord of the rings is a fantasy world. Not a horror story, you entitled shit head. I love both the books and movies. You're the equivalent of some saying you need a high IQ to watch Rick and Morty. Even Tolkiens own son is like that. Tolkien created this world for people to escape too, as well a story to portray the harsh realities of life in a way people would understand. Peter made the movis to bring that world to people from all walks of life. Fun fact: Majority of the movie was also supervised by none other than Saruman, or Sir Christopher Lee, an avid fan of Tolkiens. Both you and Tolkiens son are both idiots that's should realise that not everything in this world is based on your opinion, and just because you dislike something, doesn't mean it's true. Case in point: The movies still hold the record for highest amount of Oscar's in cinema history. It did not do anywhere near as well as others in terms of box office. Learn to criticize properly next time.

[@warden4050]

GREAT VIDEO love the animations in this video love learning more lore about Middle Earth Keep up the amazing work well done for reaching 2.9k subscribers

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thanks loyal commander! You have been there since the start, I will not forget that!

[@sheev9959]

hey it's Duncan fam as the hero of ferelden I once again swear thy oath before my commander. In war, Victory - In peace, Vigilance - In Death, sacrifice". - Wish Duncan was still here, - me too Alistar me too.

[@warden4050]

@@sheev9959 another dragon age fan we welcome you to our order lol

[@rocketlad7403]

Oh my I just clicked on this I’ve been waiting for a book version

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Glad you liked it!

[@grebfleb]

Really great video, thank you for taking the time and effort to put it together

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@b.thomas8926]

Totally worth a thumbs up and a sub. It's great to see the books represented correctly.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thank you Mr!

[@jrad410]

Only having the Rohirrim as reinforcements and not having the full scale of the Mordor army lessened the battle in the film some to me. I understood why the army of the dead was used in the manner it was given how long the film already was. However I really liked the switch of having the Orcs enter the city and have street fighting.

[@Jagonath]

Jackson should have done a montage. That's right, a MONTAGE! Rohirrim shield wall armies losing on foot against tonnes of enemies, Gondor archers shooting at Olophants and getting stomped, Gondor charging out and grinding to a standstill, then Black Ships showing up... and M*THER F*CKIN' ARAGORN jumps out with a SECOND GONDON army. An *actual* army. Then the seemingly unbeatable "orcs and friends" army in the middle suddenly loses faith and runs for it. A Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge, style heroic massacre! Why did you give us that PJ? WHY? AN ORC SLAUGHER MONTGATE! (don't judge me)

[@Bragglord]

Hold on, what? There was street fighting in the films, more so than in the books. As for a sense of scale, debatable. You get some great descriptions in the books but the films do a lot to portray it as well- remember when the Rohirrim arrive at the battle and we get that awesome shot of Mordor's forces spread all over the field? How about when Denethor comes out and sees the army from the top of Minas Tirith? And I agree with the use of the army of the dead, brought an anti-climax to the battle but understandable.

[@Jagonath]

@@Bragglord I don't think there was any street fighting in the books, although there was plenty on the walls. From memory, the only enemy to actually enter Minas Tirith was the Witch King (inexplicably on a horse) who immediately rode away.

[@aleksander8497]

While Return of the King is a good film, the fighting scenes with the gondor soldiers could have been much better. It looked like they were cut down too easily by orc rabble.

[@Bragglord]

@@aleksander8497 1. 'Good', LMAO. Yes, in much the same way that Gladiator, Inception and The Green Mile are 'good'. 2. Of course they were cut down easily, they were outnumbered 10-1.

[@Alex13501]

I have read the books after the movies, but i always though its was kinda weird how gondor soldiers were butchered and seemed like fresh recruits, atleast thats what i though. Then in the books you read how Gondor forces and especially, its knights, are the super elite and now, i am kinda sad they didnt include this in movies. Few, but trully tough soldiers, shouting orders and rallying soldiers around them.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Yep. They were pathetic in the movies, shooting arrows at siege towers. Like, wtf? In the books they are very valourous men, holding the shadow of the east at bay.

[@wojciechkowalski8061]

I mean, it could be (somewhat) explained in the movies by attrition caused by a long conflict. Remember, at the start of the Fellowship Gondor is already engaged in conflict with Mordor and they are fuelling as much manpower as possible into Osgiliath, where propably most of their veteran units are located. Then we had the Faramir's charge that propably included most of the remaining skilled and experienced soldiers from the Ithilien and Osgiliath campaings. As a result, the soldiers left defending Minas Tirith (aside from few elite units) are mostly either well equiped, but unexperienced city guard or freshly recruited soldiers who were ment to fill the gaps in veteran units on the frontline, but didn't het there in time, or alternatively few surviving veterans who made it through bloody defeat after bloody defeat in short time (leaving them skilled, but with broken morale). On the meta level, I believe they made soldiers of Gondor so useless in combat simply to increase the drama and hopelessness of the scene before both of the relief forces arrive.

[@HDreamer]

The weirdest thing to me in the movies was, how the lowest level was still filled with civilians, when everyone knew they would probably lose at least that level until help arrives. They of course would have been evacuated to the higher levels.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

@@HDreamer Indeed! In the books they are evacuated and long gone into Lossarnach.

[@sparkeyjames]

I've always maintained that Peter Jackson butchered the story and characters so badly as to make it unwatchable.

[@MZophiel]

"Horns, horns, horns, in dark Mindolluin’s sides they dimly echoed. Great horns of the north wildly blowing. Rohan had come at last.”

[@dustincooper1112]

I appreciate your research and dedication to Tolkien. His writing is all you need, no need for extra fluf. Thank you.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Glad a true Tolkien fan appreciated it!

[@Foralltosee1623]

Its good to see that there a youtuber out there who understands the works of Tolkien an is capable of showing it

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Fantastic :)

[@thepflare6050]

Dude, this was great. I am so impressed and I learned so much even after watching the movies like 1000 times. I am onto book 2 of 6 for the LotR so eventually I will get there

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Glad to hear that you are reading the books!

[@shyamsundarswain8366]

Absolutely Fantastic Mindblowing, this is the content every LOTR fan want. Absolutely f***** GOOD

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thank you haha!

[@zintosion]

The intro kinda reminds me of bazbattles intro 😅 Also this was really well done, you got urself a new sub.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

It's inspired by bazbattles!

[@chrislubko1141]

make it two subs

[@trentlammi5279]

This video was amazing! Subscribed. Bring on more!

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thank you! More coming :))

[@the13thtonino56]

An impressive job. When I first read LOTR I had no idea of the full situation of the war, the scale of it and how it went. I thank you for giving it much more meaning

[@jackcloud4728]

Amazing video can’t wait for more like it

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Glad you liked the video! I will definitely make other similar videos!

[@ahappybadger302]

That was an awesome video. Super good you got a new sub. Loved the animation and the story telling

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Welcome to my channel! I worked hard to learn animation and map-making, very glad it proved to be successful!

[@DennisCNolasco]

Wow, this was amazing my friend. I've always wanted to see an animated full battle AAR of the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thank you!!

[@BJETNT]

Hey man I just wanted to say one hell of a job!!!! I listen to this stuff on a commute of an hour each way everyday to work. And I listen to all kinds of different channels and yours is definitely one of the top ones. I just want to say thanks again

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thank you man! Happy to hear that!

[@2muchteevee]

I really love that you chose to portray this in the map view that you did. If there were more connections to the spatial relationships between each location, especially when they're far apart, I believe it would be even more illustrative. Instead of Location-->Next Location-->Next Location, it could progress Region-->Highlight area-->zoom in-->back out-->highlight new area--->zoom in

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

This is a very good argument. I have actually been working on some new maps lately where I hope to make it even easier for the viewer to follow where it takes place. Thanks for the input!

[@2muchteevee]

@@LoreOfTheRingsYT thanks for taking the time to consider it. I really love the content, and your work is appreciated.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

@@2muchteevee Glad to hear that man!

[@Mezcon2]

Were you inspired at all by Kings and Generals channel? Looked very similar, but job well done! Loved this.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

I were inspired by bazbattles! I have been following him for a long time!

[@senzadite9270]

For me, despite lots of alterations, the movie (Return of the King) did justice to Tolkien's work about War of the Ring. Tolkien wanted to portray a massive scale war (as he was inspired by WW) in his fantasy version, and Jackson realised it well, showing to us how big the battle of Minas Tirith was.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Tolkien said he never was inspired by WW. But I still think that he subconsciously was. I think Oter Jackson did a fantastic job to a incredibly difficult project.

[@senzadite9270]

@@LoreOfTheRingsYT I think so, he kinda was. In fact, he was originally named the third volume of Lord of the Rings The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring But the publisher rejected his title and asked Tolkien to find the better one. This was actually showing how Tolkien really wanted to make his own version of war

[@keelobrown4991]

@@senzadite9270 you're literally speculating on why he named the book that. It doesnt show his intention, you just think it does.

[@AdeptKing]

The book makes Gondor's Soldiers/Knights actually know what they're doing but in the movies all the close up shots are of them dying.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Ikr. Huge difference!

[@AdeptKing]

@@LoreOfTheRingsYT Though if you look in the big shots of the battle scenes they seem to be doing ok. Just the close up shots they usually lose. They did that at Helms Deep with the elves too.

[@captcorajus]

Amazing video! Thank you for making this.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Love to hear that :)

[@whisperienced]

This must have taken forever to put together, thank you for posting this. Even though I've seen the movies and read the books watching these videos still feels like it adds layers. I love the avatars you used for the characters too.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thank you! Certainly it took forever

[@MALITH666]

“Aragorn looked at the pale stars, and at the moon, now sloping behind the western hills that enclosed the valley. 'This is a night as long as years', he said. 'How long will the day tarry?' 'Dawn is not far off', said Gamling, who had now climbed up beside him. 'But dawn will not help us, I fear' 'Yet dawn is ever the hope of men', said Aragorn.” Not form Siege of Minas Tirith. But that and the sam's little talk about hope. I always keep it to me in my worst times. It really helps.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Such mastercraft!

[@ShadowJoeSnow]

I prefer the movie chain of events overall but I still wish in the movie Aragorn arrived with the gondorians and grey company with the oathbreakers

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

The oathbreakers just kind of ruined the movie version, I agree!

[@mrvulture8981]

@@LoreOfTheRingsYT Yeah, their arrival took all the stakes from the battle

[@hoplitethirtynine1487]

I agree. There are some parts of the movie trilogy that I actually prefer to the books. The green army was irritating.

[@bighatastrea]

Wish the Grey Company was in the movies ... just give Halbarad some scenes damn it. ._. Could've been so cool to have Aragorn's bros coming for him and helping him one last time. Loved it how they are basically the main characters in LOTRO and you follow their path until they reunite with Aragorn! Elrohir and Elladan with their connection to Arwen would've been so awesome too

[@ayaxalvarado8942]

It makes sense as to why they didn’t add any of the other stuff into the movies. Still this video is amazing for detailing the other battles that took place. Hopefully the Amazon series goes in depth

[@michaelstark8720]

Love the video ;) 'Yet now under the Lord of Barad-dur the most fell of all his captains is already master of your outer walls,' said Gandalf. 'King of Angmar long ago, Sorcerer, Ringwraith, Lord of the Nazgûl, a spear of terror in the hand of Sauron, shadow of despair.' 'Then, Mithrandir, you had a foe to match you,' said Denethor. 'For myself, I have long known who is the chief captain of the hosts of the Dark Tower. Is this all that you have returned to say? Or can it be that you have withdrawn because you are overmatched?' To which Gandalf responds 'It might be so,' Gandalf answered softly. 'But our trial of strength is not yet come... Orcs, Haradrim, and Easterling forces numbering over 200,000 marched on the gates of Minas Tirith. Sauron had bestowed the Morgul-king with newfound strength; he appeared on a black horse, his presence casting a shadow of utter paralysis and fear upon defender and foe. Crying incantations in "some forgotten tongue", he enhanced the power of the mighty battering-ram Grond and weakened the already damaged gate of Minas Tirith. The great ram broke open the gate, and the Lord of the Nazgûl rode in. The defenders inside fled, terror-stricken by his dark presence. However, his entrance was halted by Gandalf the White, the only one able to withstand his power. There was a duel of words between them, and the Nazgûl doffed his hood revealing a crown on empty air, mocking Gandalf as "old fool" and bidding him die. Threateningly he drew his blade, which blazed of its own accord. As a Nazgûl, the Witch-king had a wide arsenal of powers. He was surrounded by an aura of fear, enough to make trained soldiers run in terror. Besides the common Black Breath, any weapon that struck the Nazgûl-lord would be destroyed (a fate shared by Meriadoc Brandybuck's and Éowyn's swords), and its bearer would be poisoned. This was so severe that it was worse than a blow from his mace. The Witch-king - as the title suggests - was also a feared sorcerer, having powers over the physical world, breaking Frodo's sword with just a move of his hand and weakening the Gates of Minas Tirith allowing the battering ram Grond to break them. The spell he used to weaken it also caused it to explode in a flash of lightning. He possibly had power over nature destroying ship of last King of Artedain. He could also light objects on fire. He was stronger at night time. His power fluctuated greatly over his existence, as his powers were bound up with Sauron's own; the more powerful Sauron became, the more powerful the Nazgûl became ‘[The Black Riders’] peril is almost entirely due to the unreasoning fear which they inspire (like ghosts). They have no great physical power against the fearless; but what they have, and the fear that they inspire, is enormously increased in darkness. The Witch-king, their leader, is more powerful in all ways than the others. There, put in command by Sauron, he is given an added demonic force.’ J.R.R. Tolkien - Letter 210 This added demonic force is demonstrated to us, and the forces of good, in the way that the Witch-king uses words of power to aid in the destruction of the great Gate of Gondor. It is a display of great power and would have made the confidence of the Witch-king swell as the strode through the broken gate… ‘Then the Black Captain rose in his stirrups and cried aloud in a dreadful voice, speaking in some forgotten tongue words of power and terror to rend both heart and stone. Thrice he cried. Thrice the great ram boomed. And suddenly upon the last stroke the Gate of Gondor broke. As if stricken by some blasting spell it burst asunder: there was a flash of searing lightning, and the doors tumbled in riven fragments to the ground.’

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Lovely comment, always nice seeing direct quotes :) However, there's one mistake, there was not 200 000 orcs at Minas Tirith. Sauron's forces is estimated around 40 000 according to Karen Wynn-Fonstad. We only really know that the Haradrim numbered 18 000. And the Rohirrim 6 000.

[@michaelstark8720]

@@LoreOfTheRingsYT Thanks, I just took number from one of sites. But combined easterlings, Haradrim, Southron's Calvary and orc themself i think would numbered lot more than 40.000. But its just my opinion ;)

[@moogamooga2100]

This is absolutely phenomenal work! This is MAJORLY cool! I think it was 100% worth the effort! =D

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Glad to hear that!

[@5000Rox]

I really love how morale it's depicted here, it's such an important thing in warfare that sometimes gets overlooked by many. This was amazing, glad youtube decided to recommend me this :D

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thank you!

[@julielevinge266]

Tolkiens version??? You mean The Lord Of The Rings, he wrote it, it’s his story, no “version”can ever be compared!!😮

[@AbbaZabbaOlyFrn]

This is so cool!

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Awesome!

[@Aldo_The_Apache76]

I love how Eowyn stays badass in both versions XD

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Indeed!

[@o-zone1217]

I love the way you brought this up to us, and you narrated it very well!

[@Frogmens]

It obvious that you put a lot of time and effort into this. Amazing work! I loved the change between tactical map and the art. Just great!

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Glad to hear that :)

[@LordJayAndrew]

This was awesome!

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Glad to hear that!

[@Talon0524]

Well done and explained. I was hoping you’d include the bombardment of Minas Tirith with the heads of fallen Gondorian warriors. To me, reading this in the book was terrifying.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Some details had to be left out sadly. The movies did that scene very well though.

[@SlothFetus]

You deserve more subs , but You have earned me as a sub

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Glad to hear that!

[@axelmanisigursson3763]

Thank you, I have always loved LOTR and everything it follows.. This is something else my guy..thank you for everything

[@jarongreen5480]

This was really well done. its very cool to be able to zoom out and see the battle from a wide lens to get the idea of the strategies at hand. Excellent job.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Rhapsody110110]

I felt awkward clapping alone in my room, but I couldn't stop it

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

This is the best comment I have received thus far. Amazing!

[@enlightenedterrestrial]

Amazing video. The amount of details, the animations, everything is so beautiful. My one notion is - why not use Theoden's picture of Bernard Hill if there are already other actors in the video? His portrayal of Theoden is already so iconic and the actor did a terrific job. I also think that some things were better done in the books, while some other things were improved in the movies.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Yeah I agree that Bernard Hill played Theoden wonderfully, especially during the Siege of Gondor! Also, thank you for your kind comment!

[@jimijzerman8172]

Can you maby make an animated battle scenes about the war in the North? I don't know much of it but it sounds so awesome: Lorine, Dale, Erebor en Thranduil halls attacked by Dol guldur : D. Keep up the good work! I enjoyed it so much!

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

All of these battles will come in the future :)

[@NOIDEAIWILLJUSTUSEHAILEYIGUESS]

Not many details are known about the war in the north, but what always puzzled me was the fact that the Iron Hills weren’t mentioned as a major battle. I doubt the easterlings would be able to pull off a siege with the dwarves of the iron hills hindering them.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

@@NOIDEAIWILLJUSTUSEHAILEYIGUESS The Dwarves of the Iron Hills was probably had very few dwarves remaining after the migration to Erebor, probably not enough to make a large resistance, but it is a very good question!

[@NOIDEAIWILLJUSTUSEHAILEYIGUESS]

Since the Iron hills are rich in minerals, I highly doubt Erebor or dale would give up a place of such resources. Its likely that a large battle took place, with the easterlings taking the iron hills, and using it as a staging point for their war on dale. but thats just my personal theory.

[@firetarrasque4667]

@@NOIDEAIWILLJUSTUSEHAILEYIGUESS If you want details, though far from canon ones, Battle For Middle Earth 2, a Middle Earth based RTS, had a campaign centering around it.

[@robcrocker6092]

This is amazing, I’ve been looking for videos like this for ages! Please do more!

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

I will create more :)

[@MythenausWesternis]

Great video! Especially the animations and sound-effects are really nice - well done

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thank you! I have watched some of your videos before, and I find them very interesting! Happy to see you in the comment section :)

[@MythenausWesternis]

@@LoreOfTheRingsYT so, you do understand German? :)

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

@@MythenausWesternis No xD I used translation :) Anyways, keep up your good work :)

[@winndypops]

Awesome stuff, clearly a lot of work's been put into this.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Glad to hear that :)

[@gehremba]

Nobody: Aragorn: o.O

[@Berserk096-z6v]

People shit on the movies but also they are the same people who got into Tolkien world because of the movies when they were younger *Drops mic*

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

That's very true ;)

[@dragonchr15]

Very tense narrative...and the sound effect put you there. Loved it!

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Glad to hear that!

[@marckrieger3277]

Really great video, the battle was so much better in the books then the movies. You earned a new follower this day.

[@SconnieTwoFive]

My favorite lines in all the works of fiction: "Horns, horns, horns. In dark Mindolluin’s sides they dimly echoed. Great horns of the North wildly blowing. Rohan had come at last." A eucatastrophe par excellence

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Beautifully executed.

[@caos1925]

11:30, honestly the portrait for Aragorn looks worse than the Mouth, just something about it is unnerving, uncanny.Next time maybe use a pic of the live action one(s)?

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Aragorn looked a bit odd, if you remember his description in Bree.

[@cesaru3619]

Can you repeat again? I didn't understand crap… What's an orc?

[@jadendrysdale8864]

What

[@zackgarvin7810]

dude this is so good, perfect blend of description and fun. Thank you

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thank you for leaving a comment!

[@myth5930]

Absolutely amazing video! You did an excellent job man, hope to see more battles like this in the future!

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Working on the next one, very glad you enjoyed it :)

[@takezokimura2571]

The music is too loud so try lowering it next time. Also, the Nazguls beasts' screams are deafening for the video, you should wait for the sound to play and then start speaking. Otherwise thanks for the effort and the video.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

As stated in the comments I was aware of this, but thanks for the feedback anyways :)

[@jefftharp9177]

This is awesome! Nice work!

[@hurinsbane]

Wow! That was an amazing video! You explained the battle perfectly! Thank you for making it!!!

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Glad to hear that!

[@davidralyea1879]

This is fantastic! Subscribed, and I can't wait for more animated content like this! Thank you!

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Glad you liked it! Welcome :)

[@yagrets]

I just wanted to let you know I really enjoyed this. This made me want to read the books (again). The animations were clear and nicely in sync with your narrative.

[@fiends8908]

10:05 I like how you edited in the Haradrim battle horn! Well done in every aspect.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

When people notice such things, adding stuff like that makes it all worth it. Thanks for an awesome comment!

[@shawnberry760]

What a great video! Please do more like this with many other battles!

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

There will be more of these :)

[@djole93podbara]

Well this is just fantastic! You've done some justice to Gondor because in the movies they were a pushover, while in the books even a week Gondor was a force to be reckoned with!! Keep up the good work sir.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Thank you! I love Gondor, and I felt they needed justice!

[@Archon3960]

Thanks for sharing this often overlooked version of the siege with us! :)

[@Firesword534]

Great way to show how this battle unfolded. There's so much more depth to it than what was able to be shown in the movie and you brought that out. I also liked you used some clips from the movies as more people are probably familiar with that interpretation, but also used other fan art as well. Very nicely done.

[@LoreOfTheRingsYT]

Glad to hear that!