THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING | FIRST TIME WATCHING (Pt. 2 of 2)

[@rickippolito6697]

The lack of suspension of disbelief never ceases to amaze me. LOL

[@27thandpaseo]

The ghost army was a normal human army before Isildur cursed them.

[@hypocritex]

Thank you

[@emilysmith259]

I think also the ghosts at that point weren't trying to kill them...at least not yet. They were curious. They probably don't get many visitors and before they kill them, wanted to know why they were there - especially after noticing the massing army just down the road from the entrance to their tomb. Kind of like playing with your prey before you kill it. Let's face it, these ghosts don't have much to do otherwise.

[@VaughanCockell]

Dude, you appear to have missed, all the way through these films, the emotional core of the story as it developed. Also, read the books, there is a lot more that happens after the destruction of the Ring and the coronation of Aragorn, including all four hobbits leading a revolution in The Shire to free it from a tyrannical domination of humans. Frodo goes on the boats, with the elves to what is essentially a heavenly realm, known as The Undying Lands. It's where the elves were going, bit by bit, throughout the films, they even refer to it in Fellowship, in a conversation between Sam and Frodo. Frodo doesn't stay because he is wounded and traumatised by his experiences and will never heal from those. So he goes to where he can find rest - Heaven, or it's equivalent in the setting.

[@thegrasslands4187]

The end of the book when they arrive back at the hobbits was very different. Saruman wasn't killed falling from the tower and he had conquered the hobbits. Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin work together to defeat him and recapture the shire. The movies were already really long so they cut all that out. I really like the book ending because it showed how the 4 hobbits had grown. They are able to save the shire on their own without any help from the others.

[@truettscofield854]

Way to go with the spoilers numb nuts!!

[@ladyshar42]

yeah, they cut out the Scouring of The Shire, which I understand, even if I didn't like it at the time. They needed to get find an ending of Saruman so they could move on in the 3rd movie. With him dead, you don't have the Souring of the Shire. They just hinted at it in the Mirror.

[@GenXDaddyO]

POV, watching the best trilogy of all time with that one friend who can’t help nitpicking every movie to death. 😂

[@Kayjee17]

But, that friend also makes you laugh a lot at the things he says when he nitpicks.

[@Campkrew5]

Your ending 💀 lol it’s ok to have happy endings. Fading into the “white light” is pretty accurate, Frodo went into the afterlife, the psychological burden of carrying the ring,illness, and injury from the Nazgûl led him to accept the offer to sail to the gray havens, aka the Elf afterlife. Literally taking one of the last remaining magical ships that takes them to a deathless afterlife. The eagles were present at the nearby battle, they didn’t just appear. 😂 I know happy endings aren’t as common as they should be, GOT has really done damage on all of us, making us all cynical of fantasy. Also, it was nice seeing you crack some genuine satisfied smiles few times, if your friends and family don’t know what to get you for Christmas they should get you a ghost army 😂

[@davesence6864]

unfortunately that is slightly wrong. Frodo sailed from the grey havens, not to it. he didn't go to the afterlife but a different land, sort of. it's all explained in the silmarillion and return of the king appendices.

[@Campkrew5]

@cannibalteddy6846 I havnt even seen got but I know it’s not like lotr in that there is good vs evil and a happy ending that doesn’t end with the death of a beloved main character who turned evil. From what I know got has a lot of gray area where the characters you root for also do terrible and evil things. There aren’t many good ppl who strive to do good things just ppl who are less evil than others

[@KitsyX]

I don't know if there should or should not be a certain amount of happy endings... I don't think you should be required to have either, it should be personal preference in how you write your story or what you enjoy to watch or whatever, I think... Everything is its own thing... While it is a trend recently to want to be more like Game of Thrones... Potentially more realistic... I don't think that has necessarily done any damage... I don't know...

[@MarkArandjus]

Théoden is an inspiration. Even though he believed he would lose, though he was a man depressed with his line ended and no hope left, he still decides to go out fighting. This stands in stark contrast to Denethor who upon seeing the end tells everyone to run away and proceeds to abandon his duties and kill himself. When the chips are down, don't be Denethor, be Théoden - if they're going to beat you, make them work for it.

[@tamarleigh]

Yes. I always say that it’s a great example of the difference between a ruler (sending others to die in battle) and a leader (the one on the first horse). Denethor and Saruman are rulers; Theoden and Aragorn are leaders.

[@Zseventyone]

Remember the historical context, too. This is Tolkien’s WWII commentary.

[@Lukas-ht9xm]

@@tamarleigh It's worth remembering that Denethor was a great ruler of Gondor for a long time, until his wife died and he decided to use a palantir. Which was Sauron's way in to corrupt Denethor's mind. All the evil that Denethor displays is ramped up by 1000 by Sauron's influence.

[@tamarleigh]

@@Lukas-ht9xm true

[@johnwalters1341]

At the Pyre of Denethor, you objected to Faramir and Pippin not being on fire. They actually were. If you look closely, you'll see them both with fire on their legs, and Pippin trying to beat out the flames with his hands before Denethor attacks him. Incidentally, there was an old vaudeville trick used: no horse is going to run up to those flames. The fire was actually well off to the side, and a half-silvered mirror was used to reflect its image in front of the pyre. it's an effect that's been used on stage since the middle of the nineteenth century, but properly done, it's quite convincing.

[@nemcade]

Also the oil probably isn't equivalent to modern flammable oils. Oils that were used to burn oil lanterns and such were not like gasoline. Surely they would help them catch fire and to burn faster, but it wouldn't be this instant flash we are used to seeing with modern products.

[@Ottawajames]

​@@nemcadeexactly, it would have been something in the order of cooking oil that most likely would have been used which is combustible but not suuper combustible to the point of volitility.

[@ianwestc]

Also if you look at the from-above shot of Faramir, the fires hadn't spread through that part of the pyre yet. It's Pippin who has to roll Faramir through the flames to get him out of there, and it's only then that he's set alight. He'll still get some nasty burns, but nothing truly threatening if they're put out immediately. Also, I'm not sure why Pippin's quilted armor would be SO flammable that he'd immediately be set alight, I'm not sure it would work that way.

[@robertbunting3117]

I LOVE, that after the 'For Frodo' line that Merri and Pippin are the first two to follow him at a full sprint

[@isaiahtowers1865]

I think gimley blowing the ghost hands is more comedic value than signifying the ghost armies strength

[@isaiahtowers1865]

Also, the ending where Frodo is leaving, is pretty much them going to heaven, Frodo and Gandalf are technically dead, and they were kept alive for the task of finishing the war

[@iDontShareMyData]

@@isaiahtowers1865 No. Frodo and Gandolf were not dead. Gandolf is one of the Maiar, an angelic being who had taken human form to travel from the Undying Lands to help in Middle Earth. His human form of Gandalf the Grey was "killed" fighting the Balroc, and he was sent back to Middle Earth again as Gandalf the White to finish the task of helping defeat Sauron.

[@benjaminroe311ify]

The ghost armor was a mortal human army thousands of years ago when they were cursed by Isildur for their betrayal. They then became "Undead" not being able to die or live. Which coincidentally and conveniently for Aragorn made them basically immortal and dangerous in battle.

[@thegrasslands4187]

The ghost warriors were living humans when they broke their oath. They became undead creatures when they died because of the curse set upon them in punishment. Fulfilling their oaths allowed their spirits to move on

[@danooc1]

The liquid Denethor used was likely lamp oil which doesnt really have a Flashpoint, but is more to prolong burning than a Firestarter

[@Glitchunlocked]

The guy killed on the boat by Legolas (or Gimli... lol) when Aragorn asks him to fire a warning shot is director Peter Jackson making a cameo.

[@ianwestc]

Peter Jackson made a cameo in all three movies: 1) Fellowship: the guy who belches at The Hobbits in the rain when they arrive at Bree. 2) Two Towers: a guy who throws a spear down at the attacking orcs. 3) RotK: Guy who gets shot off the ship by Legolas.

[@Glitchunlocked]

@@ianwestc I know but thanks for the info.

[@triadmad]

As a geologist, I couldn't help but think that they would have been completely roasted, while they lay on the boulder, but of course this is fantasy, and fantasy characters can survive all sorts of impossible situations. Speaking of Iceland, a now former co-worker (I'm retired), who is also a geologist, spent a week scrambling around the edges of the fresh lava, while the volcano was erupting 2½ years ago. She came close to getting first degree burns on her face, from spending so much time there. She brought back a large chunk of newborn basalt for me to have.

[@jamesnorthup7717]

Dude you are going to have to learn to just enjoy a good movie one day...

[@jwnomad]

Pretty sure he did enjoy it

[@Grizzly_6623]

The level of narcissism in this reaction is nearly unfathomable I mean come the fuck on

[@tamarleigh]

seriously

[@agresticumbra]

Shane Rangi, a New Zealand actor, portrayed the that Harad leader/Oliphant driver. Xerxes was portrayed by Rodgrigo Santoro, a Brazilian actor. The films were over 3 years apart, ROTK being earlier, with Rangi being 6 yrs older than Santoro. Rangi also portrayed one of the Witch-Kings, as well as an Easterling. In person at the time of 300, Rodrigo Santoro looked more like Orlando Bloom than Shane Rangi, as well as being closer in age to Bloom. And as far as the funeral pyre, lots of liberties taken there. Faramir was on fire in the scene, and Pippin was smothering the fire, but in the books, Gandalf rescued Faramir from the fire before it was lit. Also, in the books, Denethor wasn't nearly as mad, and was evenly matched against Gandalf in arguments. His character was noticeably minimized in the films. it would have been great to see a more nuanced Denethor, and Faramir, but they were both simplified for, I assume, the stake of filming the saga. The ending was real, but not beat for beat what happened in the novels. Yes, Frodo & Sam survived, but how one imagines the scene at the volcano may vary. Tolkien said the lava was slow, so was shown differently in the film. Also, in the books, Frodo and Sam were escaping the volcano before the ring melted. The eagles did come in and rescue them, but the scenario in the book wasn't Peter Jackson's vision. A lot of artistic license was taken.

[@mikefetterman6782]

The entire trilogy was filmed in New Zealand over an 18 month period in which the entire cast lived there through most of the filming.

[@deek60819]

I wonder if there will ever be another production like it, logistically

[@SunNStars]

So a LotR podcast actually had a medieval and ancient warfare specialist come in to talk about the use of elephants in warfare. Whereas horses are purely beasts of burden, he explained that elephants have always been *active combatants* in battle, similar to how they’re used in the movies.

[@CrashCraftLabs]

indeed many consider them the 1st tanks or siege weapons

[@jrm48220]

As I understand it though, elephants greatly dislike the smell of horse blood. If I recall my ancient history correctly, Hannibal of Carthage had his men carrying spikes to drive into the skulls of the elephants to put them down if they lost control of them.

[@catherinelw9365]

Horses were NOT "purely beasts of burden". Look up coursers and destriers. They were horses that were trained to fight. They would bite and kick the enemy if they were near them.

[@VadulTharys]

@@jrm48220 yes the fear of elephants rampaging was ever present, the Romans discovered that pigs on fire were extremely effective at inciting elephants into a rampage, and used it effectively against Carthaginians.

[@firsealtonberry9712]

Two points for the battle. The oliphants still have chains between the tusks - letting one go alive while in the middle of the battlefield means it may kill additional allies as it flees. So while it is a tool, and technically has no intent to kill, it may still kill people. As for why the ghosts were so dangerous in the battle but betrayed Gondor in the past - they were alive then, and in the interrum they were trapped. So once they were released from the prison to answer Aragorn's call, they were undead and lethal. They do apparently take time to fully manifest, which is why Gimli could blow away a wisp at the start, but fully incarnate, the ghosts could hit whatever they wanted and could only be touched due to Aragorn's weapon and bloodline.

[@BobTheSkull]

the elephant didnt have an intent to massacre the armie exactly, but its a wild animal that is rampaging in the center of their army. if it calmed down and stopped they would have maybe let it live, but the thing was still freaking out and rampaging.

[@Keffinated]

The Lord of the Rings is the world’s longest and most complicated fairytale. When heroes venture inside a volcano to destroy a magic talisman, one doesn’t worry the hot air will incinerate their lungs. Fairytales belong to the genre of Romance not Realism. Know your genres. Judge their works accordingly. My favorite part of your reaction was the Shelob scenes with Frodo and Sam because you got so caught up in the excitement, your nitpicking was stifled.

[@hulkamaanio]

its heartbreaking to think that gandalf came to the rescue with 3 eagles thinking he needs to rescue smeagol too.

[@Lukas-ht9xm]

not sure that was his thought process given the fact that eagles have two sets of talons..

[@VadulTharys]

To answer the questions about the ghosts, in the books their power was fear nothing else. Their weapons only had power if the person believed they could harm then due to their fear. For elves who are incapable of fearing death, or the dead their weapons would have done nothing, but to Gimli they could have scared him to death, the same as happened to every person who ventured into that area before. It was the fear that gave the wights power nothing more.

[@copperhopperwarren4788]

Mr. LLOYD seems like a decent gentleman but have watched dozens of LOTR reactions & i have NEVER seen a reactor emphatically make so many completely wrong assumptions. Its actually painful 😮😢

[@CarrotHawk]

I love his reactions but I was face palming through a lot of this one. Sometimes being “logical” can become “cynical” and the purpose and beauty of the scenes get lost… along with the actual logic behind them too. 😅

[@bryce253]

He does it all the time. I have mentioned it on some of his other videos. He has these weird and backwards hot takes and assumptions. He gets hung up on the most insignificant things. When I first saw one of his videos, I thought he was trying to play a character. Nope. That is really him. The snaggle-tooth voiceover impression and all. If there was a video showing a master baker baking a masterpiece wedding cake, he would spend 10 mins talking about how the label on the flour bag was crooked. 😅

[@catherinelw9365]

I was put off by the expression on his face in the thumbnail. Reading your comment cemented my suspicion that this was going to be a cynical take, so thanks. I won't be watching this.

[@tamarleigh]

@@catherinelw9365 Yeah seriously don't bother. I'll never get that time back. In a nutshell, he was completely unmoved by everything for three long boring reactions of nitpicking the most ridiculous details and being too busy nitpicking to even pay attention to the movie. Pro Tip: avoid the Millennial Movie Reactions reaction to this as well. Ashley's and this guy's have a lot in common: not really caring about any of the characters, and enthusiastically rooting for Frodo to die. Not fun.

[@copperhopperwarren4788]

@@tamarleigh thank you for stating it so elegantly! And for adding in Ashley's reaction. I use to watch her reactions but her attitude to LOTR put me off so much that I've blocked both her and this channel. Which adds them to a VERY short list of LOTR reactors I can't stomach. Which is saying something as I'll put w/almost anything to watch these films. (My dvd player is dead, can't watch them properly)

[@AverageJoeInOz]

The Hobbit series is the prequel to Lord of the Rings and well worth the journey following Bilbo Baggins and how he acquired the ring, the Elven history and the Dwarfs part to play. Smaug is magnificent.

[@davidholaday2817]

Actually, Denethor had a Palantír in the back vaults of Minas Tirith, so he was much exposed to Sauron the same way Saruman was.

[@Rocco1332]

The movie does him a little dirty... just a little...he was driven mad by years of battling Sauron. Mentally and with combat.

[@kobarsos82]

not little a HELL LOT.@@Rocco1332

[@ianwestc]

@@Rocco1332 He wasn't even that old. The burden of staring into the Palantir aged him.

[@richardhansen3703]

I don't think any Castle wall would stand up to getting hit by a boulder at least 10 times heavier and bigger than itself.🤣🤣

[@marine6680]

Oil doesn’t catch fire as easily as something like gas or even kerosene (which is considered a safer fuel)… Nor does it put out as much volition vapor. Oil of a smooth surface needs to get very hot before it will catch fire, it really needs a wick material to burn easily. So the clothing can catch fire, but it will not be huge inferno flames. Pippin did have to put out some flames though.

[@jayvdub5390]

Lol I appreciate his disrespect for the lack of rebar in the white city. I don't know what level of masonry reinforcement they had in Middle Earth.

[@tamarleigh]

Wasn't it literally carved out of the mountain?

[@Kayjee17]

Tolkien mentions several times in both The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings that hobbits are very sturdy creatures, which makes them harder to kill than you would think, and they have big, hairy feet that are extremely tough because they don't wear shoes. He was also a religious optimist who believed good triumphs over evil and good people are rewarded. So in the end, most of the characters survived and lived a long life, and the elves, Gandalf, Bilbo, and Frodo sailed west to "the Undying Lands" - basically a heavenly haven to be in until the world ended. He also wrote that later on when Sam was older and Rosie had died, he was allowed to go there because he was also a ring bearer... and when Legolas and Gimli were done exploring together, the rumor was that they both went there too. Tolkien was a big believer in mostly happy endings, but he didn't deny the toll war took on the people who fought in it.

[@johannesbowers7467]

Sam is the true "Ride or Die" bro. You will definitely enjoy The Hobbit trilogy. It is the prequel to The Lord of the Rings and follows Bilbo's original story.

[@Grimmdus]

In the books the Shire was invaded.

[@NickThorbjørnsen2207]

Gollum is emaciated, but he's got that crackhead strength.

[@richardhansen3703]

The stuff that Gimbli was blowing away wasn't the ghost. It was the mist rising up from the ground. That's why the hands that he blew away wear white and not green.

[@Rattled76]

He was showing him the sword that cut the ring off his hand was remade.

[@darrenjones5885]

Peter Jackson’s trilogy are incredibly diluted from Tolkien’s texts. However, I remember sitting in The Printworks in Manchester, England, on the opening night of Fellowship and saying “I think they’ve done it.” There are huge omissions, changes to character arcs, etc, that Jackson justified, but he did more than that: he showed the landscape of Middle-Earth exists in our world. The ending of RotK feels drawn out but is a few bones of a skeleton of what happens in the book. Speaking of the book, I’d recommend anyone who’s only familiar with the films to pick up a copy and jump straight to the appendices. Get fully immersed in the depth of backstory before turning to the prologue and starting the story proper.

[@toomis7059]

All these criticisms and bone headed questions but hey at least they used the correct lenses lol. It’s tough for a storyteller to tell a story when it’s interrupted every 8 seconds with a pause to try and predict what’s literally going to be revealed within the next two minutes. Imagine a friend trying to tell you a story but they get held up every 5 seconds because one of the listeners wants to let everyone know he thinks he knows what’s going to happen, or what should happen, and then correcting their grammar while they’re at it. Just sit back and enjoy for once my guy movies will be so much more fun, as will watching your reactions

[@ianwestc]

It's a fine line -- a reactor has to react. I'll certainly take this reaction over a guy who just watches the screen and doesn't really emote at all (those types of reactions are also more likely to get copyright strikes as well, since it's harder to make the case that you're providing commentary/analysis if you're just showing 20 minutes of clips by themselves).

[@tamarleigh]

@@ianwestc But ... this guy basically didn't really emote at all, either. He was too busy nitpicking everything to death. He didn't form any emotional connection to the characters. In the end he was rooting for Sam to murder Frodo. That pretty much says it all about how emotionally invested he was.

[@kobarsos82]

You are absolutely right about Sam ! In fact Tolkien the writer himself has said this that in this trilogy, the heroes are the hobbits in his eyes, and Sam in particular the most heroic and important of them all. It was written this way so its nice that at least the films did a good job of showing that.

[@gurulimbo]

It is in the books and cinema release that the Orcs mentioned he was just paralyzed.

[@Rattled76]

You ought get the audio books narrated by Andy Serkis aka Gollums voice.

[@jaytucker7873]

That looks on his face when Sam shows up to fight Shelob lol

[@johntepu]

Doh! Of course that didn't happen, it's called "FANTASY" 😮

[@richardhansen3703]

The Hobbit movies are actually a prequel to The Lord of the Rings. Bilbo Baggins is the lead character in those movies.

[@LouieBlack]

"Bro somebody's gotta get dropkicked"😂😂😂

[@79mib]

Remember that Denethor had used his own Palantir stone and had his mind reprogrammed by Sauron.

[@TheNeilBlack]

16:18 Sam hasn't fought any giant spiders, but he probably grew up on Bilbo's stories of fighting giant spiders.

[@JPMadden]

Very near the end of filming, the scene inside Mount Doom was rewritten and reshot. If I remember correctly, Frodo originally pushes Gollum over the edge, killing him and destroying the Ring. The filmmakers decided that it didn't seem appropriate. The scene in the film is superior. I'm currently re-reading the book, but I haven't gotten that far and I don't recall the specifics of how Gollum and the Ring are destroyed.

[@kobarsos82]

What matters and is important is that if not for Gollum, the ring would have survived. Gandalf had foreseen it from the first movie that Gollum has a part to play for good or ill. Bilbo's and consequently Frodo's mercy, played a huge part in how the story ended. The films did a great job of sticking to those roots.

[@stevenricks1703]

Spoiler for the book: Gollum bit off Frodo's finger to get the ring, and was so happy about having it back, that he happy-danced right over the edge. No pushing, no fight.

[@hornorsilk2901]

No, Frodo and Sam did not expire. They were rescued with the eagles. The movie did miss out on the original ending where the Hobbits, upon returning to the Shire, found it was taken over by Saruman and Wormtongue, and had to free the Shire from them. After that, Frodo never healed from his wounds. Eventually, Sam also gets to follow after Frodo, but much, much later.

[@iDontShareMyData]

The Oathbreakers (AKA the Dead Men of Dunharrow) were NOT ghosts back when they broke their oath to Isildur. Isildur's curse meant that, as they died off, they became ghosts, and unable to rest. The reason Aragorn could block their attacks was a combination of being Isildur's heir, and by him wielding Andúril (the sword forged from King Elendil's sword: Narsil)

[@kylewhite2985]

The Army of the Dead became that because they betrayed Gondor, they were normal men when they betrayed the king, and even thou they got those "powers" they were condemned to the mountain until the king returned, so not of much use to anyone else. Cheers

[@boki1693]

Well, the guy who threw the spear and killed the dude on the elephant is also one of the Stars in the Boyz. Karl Urban. The Ghost army were not ghosts when they became traders. They were just men. Isildor cursed them into being ghosts for not fighting. Sam took the ring from Frodo when he thought he was dead from the spider bite. If you remember when Gandalf was held prisoner on top of Orthanc held by Saruman, he captured a moth and told the moth to bring an Eagle to him to rescue him. In the final battle, remember the moth came to Gandalf just before the Eagles showed up. Just like before on Orthanc. Also,, The Eagles were showcased a bit more in the Hobbit and you learn that they are intelligent and have a kingdom of their own. The thing about Tolkien is when you try to get him in a "gottcha" moment, it never is. What it actually is you missed something that happened earlier that explains why things happened the way they did. In the books, the Shire got really messed up. But they had to cut those chapters out because the movie was already so long. The Hobbit takes place before Lord of the Rings and was written in the 30's, 20 years earlier. So it's a prequal. It's entertaining but not as good as Lord of the Rings. It was written originally for children so the book is a little bit less mature. Also, the book is only about 450 pages long but the movie company wanted 3 more mammoth films for it. So the director took event from and unfinished piece of work by Tolkien called the Similarian and added those events into the movies. I feel the movies are better than many people say. Purists don't like them because they are not true to the actual book. others don't like them as much because somehow, the graphics are not as good. Or I should say realistic. I say they are worth watching but be prepared that they are not as good as these movies.

[@rahilario]

Re: The army of the dead They weren't dead before. When they became Oathbreakers, they were normal humans. After they broke their oath to fight for Isildur, he cursed them for their cowardice and so their spirits couldn't go to rest after their deaths. (You see all their skeletons and skulls under that mountain). *Now* they are untouchable, but that wasn't the case when they broke their oath 3000 years prior.

[@rahilario]

Re: "the ending was too perfect" BOOK SPOILER: The book did NOT end so perfectly and the movie completely ignored it, which is sad because that was one of the more important takeways and conclusions from the main narrative 😪 They came home to the Shire and it was *absolutely* touched by the War of the Ring. The book's narrative ended with one last "episode" arc called "The Scouring of the Shire" Excellent review and reaction, I enjoyed all these in one night! Very entertaining, well done

[@davehansen7213]

Man I ❤your reactions. But that big brain of yours gets in the way so much.

[@ASK2286]

Sam steals the show for me too, especially his speech at the end of the second movie

[@BensSoZen]

25:00 why you tryin to apply the powers of ghosts to the merely human traitors they were before death?

[@2971username]

The Hobbit is Bilbo’s story and how he got the ring

[@Spartansareawesome11]

In th books, it was a bittersweet ending. Lots more went wrong and lots more was destroyed. Not everything was happy. It was changed for the movies

[@GeraldWalls]

35:10 This makes Gollum the Hero of the series... 😄 And he was happy until almost the very end...

[@jamespuso1627]

They do make it look kinda like they died at the end but the book has no suggestion of that. What happened after was a little different though. After the corination the hobbits return to the Shire to find Saruman and the little left of his Urukhai have taken over the shire, but that kind of ends when Frodo convinces all that with his staff broken Saruman is powerless and Grima kills him there the same way he does in the film. After that Frodo departs Arda to Valinor as is shown and when Sam is old he's allowed to go there too as he had to conquer the rings evil for a short time too.

[@coltonashcroft626]

Fun fact: when Aragorn tells Legolas to fire a warning shot at the boat and he shoots and hits a guy, the guy he shot was Peter Jackson the director of the movies.

[@benjaminflasher]

Three quick points to wrap this up. First, in the books, the Shire was taken over by Saruman, Wormtongue and some bandits after they were kicked out of their tower. The Hobbits fought back and killed them all. Second, the eagles came because Gandalf called for them when he spoke to the moth in battle. They are direct servants of the god of air (Manwe) that Gandalf works for. They are basically equals. Last, the boat was taking Bilbo and Frodo to the Undying Lands where the elves were returning to. Everyone who held the ring goes there because they can't live normal lives regardless of how briefly they carried it. That means Sam eventually joins them about a hundred years later after he becomes mayor of Hobbiton because he carried the ring after Frodo was poisoned by Shelob (the giant spider).

[@trashandcheese3636]

Good comment but for one thing - Silvertongue?!

[@benjaminflasher]

@@trashandcheese3636 lol Correction: Wormtongue. Though you have to admit silvertongue is an apt description.

[@SebastianBeckerPhoto]

The army of the dead are not CGI. They are a clever composing and overlay effect of multiple makeup effects on the actors

[@donferoce5652]

I recommend watching the 1977 Rankin/Bass animated version of "The Hobbit" before the Peter Jackson movies. Get the story in 77 minutes instead of 8 hours. Still want to hear the commentary on the photography of the Jackson films.

[@peted4866]

Essentially Frodo and everyone on the boats are "dying" and going to "heaven" aka the undying lands. Frodo because of the injuries he sustained as a ring bearer. Bilbo because he is dying of old age. The elves because they are basically angles and portrayed in an Angelic light throughout the series. They even say the time of elves is over before going to the "undying lands" Of course i have no idea and the author never really explains but i like that theory. I dont think they died on the mountain simply because Sam was left behind and he is technically a ring bearer but not invited because there was more to be written in the book. Hence more of his life to live before joining Frodo again.

[@maliniakyoungboy2873]

I choose Hobbit over Harry potter.. easily. I hope I'm not the only one 😊💯

[@JesterHopperpot]

Tolkien was in the Somme, he saw so much blood and death. So he wrote a story where the good guys won and had a happy ending. Because real life sucks. And only Frodo and gandalf got on the boat, that was a boat to the undying lands

[@Catherine.Dorian.]

I believe in the books what Merry says to Pippin at that moment was something like “have you come to bury me”

[@dionysiacosmos]

The Ghost Army swore, invoking the name of Eru Illuvatar The One, the ultimate creator of Ea, The World That Is, or physical reality. Since when all Mortals die they eventually join Eru in The Timeless Halls, they had nowhere to go. They needed to rehabilitate and redeem themselves and knew this was their only chance. 3,000 years of being stuck in that form was more than enough.

[@mrmiesfies3941]

Denethor (the steward of Gondor) was using a Palantir (the black crystal ball) just like Saruman. They are ancient magic artifacts created by the Elves. You can see far and many things in them, but the problem is you never know who else is using one. They are all kind of connected and because Sauron himself owns one, he can see and manipulate the other users. So the crystal balls were the downfall of Saruman and Denethor, both considered good and wise men in the past.

[@agoogleviewer]

If you want to trigger a LOTR fan, just ask, "couldn't the eagles take them to mordor?!"

[@jwnomad]

How did shelob stab Frodo through his mithril shirt?

[@angelic9889]

It's only triggering because it's so redundant. It also shows how little the inquirer understands about the story. The eagles aren't taxis. They were dealing with their own problems and fighting their own wars. Also, it's a mission of stealth. They needed the element of surprise considering they were vastly outnumbered. There's nothing stealthy about a giant eagle.

[@angelic9889]

​@jwnomad could've been a mistake on Peter Jackson's part. Some say her stinger is needle thin. In the books, she stabs his neck so idc either way.

[@agoogleviewer]

​@@angelic9889 then why is Gandalf using them as a uber picking up drunk ppl!? stealth is your excuse?! start a battle and eagle them in the rear. Shitty ending that's all

[@angelic9889]

@@agoogleviewer 1. Gandalf isn't using them as an uber. They came there on their own. 2. If you remember from the Fellowship, Frodo had to go out alone because the ring corrupts everyone around him. If Frodo was having trouble being around just 8 other people, imagine him being swarmed by thousands. It wouldn't have ended well especially near Mordor where the ring was stronger and Sauron was also there whispering to people. 3. The different armies were split and their kingdoms were still being attacked. They Fellowship would still have go through with the journey they went on to unite the armies anyway. And since Frodo couldn't be around other people and there was no form of communication between them, at what point would he have linked up with them to fight that battle? Frodo HAD TO leave. Aragorn HAD TO free the kingdoms and then unite them. It'd be impossible for them to meet at Mordor. 4. Even if Frodo somehow managed to survive being surrounded by corruption and greedy people trying to attack him for the ring, even if he was with the Fellowship the entite time and then rode the eagles in, he still wouldn't win. The eagles would still have to contend with the ring wraiths on fell beasts and possible archers below AND Sauron who was powerful enough to turn the sky black for miles so it's safe to say he could stop the eagles if he felt they had the ring. And this is why that question annoys Tolkien fans. It's a very long explanation to a redundant question that's easily understood if one actually reads the books or pays closer attention to the movies. No offense.

[@benjaminroe311ify]

Dude... It's a lake of Lava not Magma. It's called Lava once it emerges from the Earth's crust. But I guess that was "Middle-Earth" not "Earth" so maybe you're right and it's MAGMA. ;)

[@timformica6790]

That Spider is Shelob, Daughter to the great darkness Ungoliant. People who are not fans of the books and lore and who have not read the Simarillion would not know the significance of Shelob. I wish Jackson would do a proper TV show or another set of movies based in the 1st to 3rd ages and tell the story of the Valar and Morgoth. Tolkien was an absolute genius.

[@Elbereth_TV]

it's important to note that the witch kings prophecy was true, but not about genders, Merry's barrow blade that was given to him by aragorn in the first movie was enchanted to kill the undead, so when he stabbed him he broke the witch kings "protection" from a human

[@roguecomics4775]

The coronation is real. There is no dream at the end. The grandfather of the High Fantasy genre has a true fantasy ending. Sorry you can't grock it my dood.

[@GeraldWalls]

27:35 The only Ring Bearers who every willing gave up the ring were Bilbo and and Sam.

[@GeraldWalls]

38:30 Those F15 Eagles can do amazing things...

[@jwnomad]

The oil has a high flashpoint, ie. it's combustible not flammable

[@iDontShareMyData]

FunFact; The "Bosun" that Legolas kills when Gimly nudges his bow? That's Peter Jackson.

[@SeeliaVachon]

Sam and Frodo are equally heroic. Only Frodo could carry the ring and Sam would not have been able to do that. Then when it became too much, Sam was then able to assist and carried him. They both needed to be there together because one couldn't have done it without the other.

[@jasonfarrell00]

Lmaoo maaan your take at the end cracks me up lol yea that could be the case or the entire thing is Frodo or Sam’s dream, and so on and so forth. This story is like the staple to medieval fiction with a happy ending where (basically) no one dies lol Game of thrones definitely has scarred you as much as all of us…but this story’s cheesy ending is how it ends, even if it’s over the top a bit lol Books end a little differently but still, so happy you enjoyed these and been looking forward to these movies for a LONG time thank you for posting these 🙏

[@mikefetterman6782]

This was the pinnacle of technical awe when it was made. I chuckle when I hear youngsters who are just uninspired by the steps we took to get where we are today.

[@mikefetterman6782]

I agree with you about the Olyphants. Attacking their beasts is like a biblical vengence. There is no honor in killing the innocent.

[@richardhansen3703]

The ghosts weren't ghosts when they were traitors. They died after being traitors and became ghosts because they were cursed.

[@rodonlangley2852]

in the initial ... they werent ghosts .. they ran to the caves and lived the rest of their lives in there .. died in there .. but bcus of their outh .. it bind their souls to the earth .. leaving them in limbo

[@blainekessler2220]

Great reaction to a great series. To your question about the Oathbreakers. They were not always ghosts. They lived thousands of years ago. They were human when they swore the oath to Isiuldore, but they secretly worshiped Sauron. They broke their oath and refused to stand against Sauron, and Isiuldore cursed them never to rest. They eventually died out, but were cursed to be what they became. Aragorn was the only one that could release them and give them peace, but they had to fulfil their oath. As for the hero of the story, yes, Sam was a hero, but the true hero of this story, believe it or not, was Golum. If not for Golum, the ring would never have been destroyed. Ad if you didn't notice, Gandalf flew to the mountain with 3 eagles to rescue the hobbits. The Eagle Gandalf was riding on, which was Gwaihir, was the one that picked up Frodo. Landroval, which is Gwahir's brother picked up Sam. The third eagle was bright in hopes of rescuing Golum. Gandalf had hoped to rescue Golum as well. Like Frodo, Gandalf had hoped that Golum could also come back from what the ring had turned him into. Frodo has said he wanted to try to help Golum because he had to believe that Smeagle could come back. Frodo needed to believe that because if Smeagle could not be redeemed, then Frodo himself might not be able to be saved. Gandalf felt the same way. Gandalf had hoped that Smeagle could also be saved. Which is why he flew to the mountain with three eagles instead of only 2. But as to the real hero of the story, that would be Golum. Tolkien himself has said as much at one time.

[@MilleniumLad21]

Next up are The Hobbit prequel movies (Bilbo's story).

[@pipoqueiroslz2367]

Xerxes actor is Rodrigo Santoro. He's from Brazil

[@CitadelFilms19]

Gollum… Gandalf always has much wisdom and he said several times you shouldn’t kill such a pathetic creature because fate might have other plans for him. He was right! In the end, Gollum being alive was necessary to take the ring from Frodo.

[@richardhansen3703]

Your description of the steward hit the nail on the head.

[@jiikor]

people have to bow if their king is for some reason bowing to someone

[@ianwestc]

Sauron ruled the lands of Gondor before the line of Elendil and Isildur left Numenor and settled there, and the men who lived in the White Mountains worshiped him. Many years later, they swore an oath to Isildur, but when the war of the Last Alliance came (where Isildur cut the ring from Sauron's hand), those men of Dunharrow refused the call due to their historical allegiance to Sauron. Isildur cursed them to never rest until their oath was fulfilled and they fled from his wrath, so they didn't join the forces of Sauron either. They followed Aragorn not out of honor, or the desire to do the right thing, but out of desperation. They desperately wanted rest and to fulfill their oath. If Aragorn had NOT released them after the battle, it would have been a clear sign that he was without honor, and unworthy of the title of king. They would have followed him no longer, and things would have likely gotten very bad, very quickly. It's difficult to portray this in adaptations, but in the books it is mentioned the dead didn't really need actual weapons, as Legolas said: "I know not whether their blades would still bite, for the Dead needed no longer any weapon but fear."

[@Spartansareawesome11]

They were cursed for BEING traitors, not before they traitors

[@ThatShyGuyMatt]

Now for the Hobbit movies! :D

[@poneal666]

I remember watching this in theaters after getting the LARGE soda and when the end came around it was like...c'mon....c'mon....oh c'mon! I had to pee for the last 45 minutes of ending(s)! And I agree 100% about Sam being the real hero of the story. And naw, I think they got out of it because, you know, magic. Anyway, a bit of trivia about the elvish ships (and elves, really) at the end. The way Middle Earth was created by the Maiar (basically the gods) in the beginning, it was flat and later became round. To the elves the world is STILL flat! This is why Legolas has such amazing vision - he's got super eyes and no visible horizon. And when the elvish ships sail to the west (to the far, green land Gandalf speaks of) they actually sail that "straighter path" to those lands, where mortal men cannot go while alive. Another great reaction to a truly great film! Glad you enjoyed it. The Hobbit movies are worth watching, but they are definitely padded in comparison to the Lord of the Rings. But if you want to see more Gandalf and some really cool action scenes, definitely check them out.

[@Grizzly_6623]

It’s time for true detective

[@RyoHazuki224]

6:20 while I really love these Extended Editions, the one edit I would have kept was the scene cut right when Aragorn said "What say you??", leaving the audience to wonder what the outcome of that was until he showed up with his ghost army later on. In this extended edition though, you get your answer pretty much right away. I like the mystery more for sure. 19:40 Because movie's gotta movie, bro. Can't use logic when you have an oil-doused person set ablaze. Its fine. Everything is fine. 25:10 The army when they were alive were traitors. Their spirits were unable to pass on because of their dishonor in life. Had they fought when they were alive I'm sure most would have died in whatever battle it was that they fled from. But now that they are ghosts, they are pretty much unstoppable. They just needed a King to follow into battle to regain their honor to the bloodline, something like that. 38:50 I still wonder when Frodo woke up and saw Gandalf there if he didn't think he died and had gone to the afterlife. Cuz think about it, all Frodo knew was that Gandalf fell fighting the Balrog, he had no idea Gandalf was still alive. So to wake up and see him standing there in white, I'd be like "Shit, I guess I died then. Oh hey look its all my friends. They all died too. Well, fuck me." haha 39:45 The line "My friends. You bow to no one." Gets me every damn time. My eyes well up, I cant help it.

[@ianwestc]

I think most of the "extended edition scenes" should have remained cut. Even the cool scenes will have an incredibly serious flaw to them, like Aragorn decapitating the Mouth of Sauron, or Gandalf's staff getting broken.

[@gmchris3752]

You can't generalize real volcanoes to this volcano. Not only was the chamber with the lava survivable (both in this film and millennia ago with Isildur), but Gollum sank in the lava. Normally, if a living creature fell "into" lava, it would skitter and burn HORRIBLY on the surface of the very dense liquid rock. So if we are going to look with a "realistic" eye at Mt. Doom, we know that the lava is far cooler and less dense than normal lava. Considering that the volcano is unrealistic, their survival is quite realistic.

[@sarandeepkaur4626]

You're completely right. Sam is the true hero of the movie. Great reaction!

[@VinciGlassArt]

I so encourage you to read the books. The standoff between Gandalf and The Witchking in the books is so much more significant. In the books Gandalf is in no way portrayed as the lesser of the two. Also the confrontation happens at the broken doors of the city's first wall, which the story goes out of its way to establish has NEVER been breached. When it is, everything comes to a halt and for a moment the entire world rests on the face-off between those two. So much more powerful symbolically, the way hope, in the form of Gandalf STANDS.