Part 2/3 The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers (extended) - First Time Watching - Movie Reaction!

[@robtrinreact2825]

We appreciate you guys, for all your support, so don't forget to hit that subscribe button, it really motivates us to keep up the content. And of course if you are interested in the full reaction, you can find us here : www.patreon.com/takeaticket (You can find the latest uploads of the shows we are watching and much more) Much love Rob and Trin

[@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself]

Great part two! - good editing and sound seems better than previous episodes.

[@whenraindropsfall]

And no spoilers guys

[@monstareacts]

Do you have a po box I wanna send you something the walking upcoming walking dead episode

[@BobBlumenfeld]

The flying flag was another happy accident that remained in the movie.

[@johnwalters1341]

Howard Shore wrote the score for all three movies. He used a technique first used by the nineteenth-century German composer Richard Wagner in his opera cycle "The Ring of the Nibelungs" (Tolkien was taking notes). Different musical motifs (Wagner called them "leitmotives") represent different persons or actions or emotions. The wonderful motif heard when Theoden draws his sword is the Rohan theme, and it is used repeatedly to represent "Rohan-ness." Boromir's speech in Osgiliath is accompanied by the Gondor theme (we'll be hearing a lot more of it in ROTK). We've heard several Ring themes, a couple of Shire themes, and we're about to hear a lot of the Isengard theme. In all, Shore created over a hundred different musical themes for the movies. Incidentally, the solo violin used in the Rohan theme is a special Norwegian folk instrument called a Hardanger fiddle. It has extra strings that vibrate sympathetically along with the main strings.

[@carlotruppi3314]

Thanks for the info. Truly amazing score. Heading to Manhattan in a couple of weeks to watch FOTR with a live orchestra to accompany the film. Will be amazing I’m sure.

[@sean---the-other-one]

John Williams did the same for Star Wars. It definitely makes for an interesting auditory story.

[@NaturallyMeeee]

Musical geniuses, all of them

[@doeshumorbelonginmusic5799]

Yeah, it's great and the way how the music is set is similar to Ennio Morricone's soundtrack in "Once upon a time in the west". Euch main character had his own orchester motiv. If someone's here who doesn't know watch it! Sergio Leone's legendary Klassiker.

[@NoelleMar]

Aw yeah my mom wrote a lot about that in school. Wagner may have been a freak but his music is gorgeous.

[@trulybtd5396]

"He has to believe there is hope for himself". Finally, someone got that.

[@Worrok]

The book describes Edoras as a city built on a hill rising from a plain, ringed by mountains. So they found a hill rising from a plain ringed by mountains in New Zealand, as you do, and built a town on it. It was in a National Park, and they were required to save and maintain all the turf they removed from the hilltop and road they built, and replace it all after they tore down the set. A gorgeous place that now exists only on film.

[@chefskiss6179]

Funny story I heard off the commentary tracks... so, we all know about reshoots and pick-ups but considering how many years and not months it took to make this 'collection' of films... long after they had finished Brad Dourif's (Wormtongue) scene's, he gets a call one day at his home in Texas. He puts the phone down, he looks over and see's his wife kinda upset(ish) and he asks her why is she upset, she says "Is that them? They want you back for more scene's don't they?" and he says "yeah, why"...and she replies, lol... "you're going to shave your eyebrows off again aren't you?... they JUST finished growing back!" 😂😂😂

[@annipsy2185]

🤣🤣🤣omg he shaved them? awesome

[@chefskiss6179]

😂😂😂

[@arcadianmorning]

@Darkstar I'm dying. 😂

[@blackeyedlily]

Throughout the trilogy there are several subtle moments that I think are often overlooked, but add so much to the characters and story. For example during the Council of Elrond scene the moment that Frodo declares that he will take the ring to Mordor, Gandalf’s expression is so poignant. The actor Ian McKellan spoke about trying to express the type of feelings that a father would have about his son declaring that he would be going to war. He wanted to show both pride and sorrow. And that moment always gets to me. There is another moment in this film that I seldom see people comment on. Yet it also always gets to me. Believe it or not, the moment is between Saruman and Worm-tongue. Saruman is explaining his plans to Worm-tongue, who exclaims that there is no army the size Saruman would need to achieve his goals. And then they step out onto the balcony where Worm-tongue sees the enormity of Saruman’s forces. And as Saruman whips up the forces with his speech you see the camera zoom in on Worm-tongue as a tear slides down his face, which shows an expression of horror. I think this is an important moment for this character that is seldom commented on. Worm-tongue is obviously evil and his part in the story has caused great harm. But I don’t think it was until that very moment that he realized Saruman’s intent was to literally extinguish mankind. And he is visibly struck in this moment by the repercussions of his actions. I’m not claiming that this is a redemption, but it is an important character moment that is expressed so well by that singular expression.

[@yelnikigwawa1845]

I feel the same way. One of the moments that stood out for me is in ROTK. Without spoiling anything, near the end of the movie there's a scene where Elrond is in the background. He has concerns about another character (and the Simarillion would bear him out) but he puts his concerns aside, and does not interfere. But the expression on Hugo Weaving's face is heartbreaking. And as you pointed out, it's never commented on, it's just one of a number of tiny details that each actor took pains to put in, and together they are the watermarks of a masterpiece. There is SO SO MUCH behind the scenes information that enriches the experience; the extras on the DVDs are absolutely worth watching. In Fellowship, there is a scene with greenery-covered boulders in the background. It's never mentioned, but when they built that set, they built the boulders to resemble the trolls, from "The Hobbit" where Bilbo's party gets captured by them, and the trolls are turned to stone by the morning sun. (You can hear Bilbo telling the tale to some children at his birthday party, in FOTR.) In this movie, when Aragorn screams in frustration when kicking the helmet at the Orks' funeral pyre, he's actually screaming in pain; he broke his toe with that kick. Another commenter mentioned that the entire city of Edoras had to be constructed on that hilltop, and then completely de-constructed after filming was complete, and everything returned to it's original state (The site is inside a national park.) There's a scene where Gollum scrambles down a stream trying to catch a fish to eat. It snowed the night before the shoot, so they had to drag large heated fans out to the site to melt the snow. But even though actor Andy Serkis wore a wet suit for the scene, he was still splashing in icy-cold stream water, in near-freezing temperatures. The battle of Helm's Deep took four months to film, three of them shooting at night, often in cold simulated rain. Afterwards the crew all got t-shirts that said "I Survived The Battle of Helm's Deep". The Academy Award-winning song "Into The West", which you'll hear at the end of ROTK, is an achingly poignant song about death and loss. (You can also catch a few bars of it in ROTK when Gandalf tells Pippin that death is not the end.) During the filming of LOTR, Peter Jackson became friends with young aspiring NZ film-maker Cameron Duncan. Sadly, Mr. Duncan passed away from cancer at age 17, mere weeks before the world premiere of ROTK. Jackson sought and received special permission for the song to receive it's world premiere at Mr. Duncan's funeral. There is so much more to hear about, and it makes the films so much more interesting to re-watch. I heartily recommend watching these presentations once you've seen the movies.

[@Makkaru112]

WyrmTongue

[@christiansovern165]

I love that you commented this. It’s my favorite scene to see people react to although most just say “What are you crying for” without understanding the weight of a single tear

[@arcadianmorning]

That's so interesting. I haven't read the books so I don't have background info about the character of Grima Wormtongue, but I always thought the single tear was actually a reaction to seeing his dream of ultimate power coming true before his eyes, and him sort of basking in awe and maybe a little terror at the sight of the army in front oh him. I figured him seeing the fruits of all his years of labor working over the king in the pursuit of the power and strength and respect that he craved, made him feel something, just not remorse. But I prefer the idea of him having a moment of regret instead. It implies more complexity to his character.

[@Dan-B]

Some context to Arwen’s situation: Though their bodies can be destroyed, Elves can’t “die/pass on”. Only Half-Elves like Arwen have a choice in their mortality. Half-Elves long were gifted with the choice to be counted among Men or Elves, those that chose to be Elf (Like Elrond) were immortal and pass this choice onto their descendants. Those that chose to be Men (Like Elrond’s brother a Elros; who Aragorn descends from) had long mortal lives and their spirits leave the world when they die. It makes her sacrifice more poignant and explains Elrond’s resistance, when she dies she’ll be dead forever and will never be reunited with her family.

[@Makkaru112]

I’ll go deeper into this on my next comment under this video. Get ready to be amazed haha

[@colbyboucher6391]

Yeah, it's always been odd to me that while Arwen's decision is emphasized a lot, they don't bother explaining why it matters, even in the extended edition.

[@Dan-B]

@@colbyboucher6391 even for the extended edition it’s so much backstory to include, especially when it’s from a different timeline altogether and not really relevant to the overall plot. i.e. even with the length of these movies, it’s almost impossible to fit a worlds history into such a detailed world 😛

[@randalthor741]

I love the scene with Boromir, Faramir, and Denethor, because it shows you what Boromir was going through as he struggled to control himself around Frodo and the ring. He didn't have greed or lust for power in his heart, but he did want to keep his people safe and obey his father, so that's the avenue of attack that the ring used to corrupt and influence him.

[@evenmoor]

0:23 The theme for Rohan is played on a Norwegian instrument called a Hardanger fiddle (hardingfele). The Rohirrim capitol, Edoras, was partially constructed on location (with the landscape subsequently restored to its prior state once filming was complete), supplemented with some CG. 1:04 "Wormtongue" is an epithet bestowed on Gríma by those who don't like or trust him; in other words, everyone in Théoden's court but Théoden himself. Háma, the red-haired guy who asks that our protagonists leave behind their weapons at the door (including Gandalf's staff), isn't at all fooled by the "walking stick" gag; he's clearly apologetic, and his expression when Gandalf pulls out his excuse is like "Really? That's what you're going with?" But he lets them in anyway, and later stops the other soldier (Gamling) from interfering when Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli start brawling with Gríma's goons. 4:15 Aragorn stops Théoden from killing Gríma because Aragorn is of the Gandalf School of Killing People: "Many who live deserve death. And some who die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Do not be too hasty to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends." Also, from a storytelling perspective, it's so Gríma can provide exposition; everything he tells Saruman is purely for the sake of the audience, and nothing Saruman doesn't already know. (Minor spoilers from the book: In the original text he doesn't even arrive at Isengard until after the battle is already over.) Rohan is actually reasonably large, and it's Gondor's chief ally, which is why it was targeted by Saruman. 12:53 If you pay close attention to iconography in the films, you actually get an early indication as to the origin of the men who ambush the guys with the oliphaunts: their leader is wearing leather armor embossed with a stylized tree, the same tree that appears on Boromir's gauntlets (that are now being worn by Aragorn). It's one of the chief symbols of Gondor. 22:10 This whole flashback scene with Boromir is exclusive to the Extended Edition and did not appear in the original theatrical cut. Of all the EE-added scenes, this is probably my favorite, and one of two in particular that add _so much_ that I wonder why they were cut in the first place. It adds so much context to not just one, but _four separate characters!_

[@timgreenwald1043]

I think it was David Wenham who joked that the reason he got cast as Boromir's brother is because they have the same large nose.

[@willcool713]

Fyi, what used to be called a Split Personality or Multiple Personality Syndrome is now referred to as Dissociative Identity Disorder, a dissociative personality disorder, like derealization, depersonalization, and dissociative amnesia. But it is not part of the schitziod or schitzotypical complex of disorders, as is commonly believed. At the heart of dissociative disorders are deep existential issues of worth and identity. (The best modern example of Dissociative Identity Disorder is the American comedian Jonathan Winters, who used his multiple personalities to fuel his stage shows. But he would lose himself in strong characters or in the morass of so many characters and often times hospital stays were required to allow him to find his way back to himself. He had to give up the act, but he is now one of the world's pre-eminent modern painters, well renoun, and his works highly sought after.)

[@willcool713]

Whoop! Except it looks like he died a decade back. Thought he was still with us...

[@Humanoidfrenzzy]

When Theoden is saying: Sarumans arm has grown long indeed if he thinks he can reach us here, he isn't being arrogant, just trying to put on a brave face for the soldiers to not loose hope. This is a recurring theme in Tolkien, facing impossible odds head on, yet not giving into despair, keep the hope alive as long as possible regardless of how useless it seems, keep going till the bitter end. Great reaction, thank you both.

[@johnwalters1341]

Aragorn was a natural, but he learned a lot of his "kinging" skills from Theoden.

[@Humanoidfrenzzy]

@@johnwalters1341 I love their relationship, such great brothers in arms. They have an obvious impact on each other, love these films, and I adore the books.

[@Makkaru112]

@@johnwalters1341 in the books he had it since decades ago and he was already ready and accepting of his future!

[@lennyvalentin6485]

Sounds like an analogue to the British "Keep Calm and Carry On" WWII poster - which while never actually used or shown to the public during the war, embodies the British self-image/spirit, which Tolkien would have been aware of (the book trilogy was first published after the war in the early 1950s as I recall. The reason it even is a trilogy and not a very long single novel in the first place allegedly was paper shortages in the following post-war years...)

[@custardflan]

From the book: ‘I was going to find a way into Mordor,’ [Frodo] said faintly. ‘I was going to Gorgoroth. I must find the Mountain of Fire and cast the thing into the gulf of Doom. Gandalf said so. I do not think I shall ever get there.’ Faramir stared at him for a moment in grave astonishment.

[@qbasicmichael]

I get the impression that that rohan guy wasn't actually "fooled" when he let gandalf keep the staff. I think he was reluctantly following grima's orders, and was just fine with gandalf's excuse. Later, when grima says "i told you to take the wizard's staff", the other guards are charging in and being beaten by legolas and gimli, but you see this guy hold back another guard from intervening. So, i don't think he was "fooled". I think he deliberately sided with gandalf against grima wormtongue. With regard to aragorn sparing grima, that is a common theme in these movies, both lotr and the hobbit. Bilbo spares gollum. Aragorn spares grima. (Minor spoiler.) Bard spares alfred. Etc...

[@morothane1]

4:50 You asked about lore, and it’s fairly detailed and rich all around. I’ll share a bit about Rohan since you mentioned it here. The kingdom was founded by Eorl the Young, the leader of some horse-lords from the North. Remember Gandalf’s awesomely named horse Shadowfax? It’s a special type of horse called a Mearas that the god of the hunt basically created. Eorl the Young was the first to break and ride one of these, and at some point led his men to the aid of Gondor in battle. Gondor gifted Eorl the plains and fields of Rohan as a gift, and Eorl pledged he and his new kingdom would always be there to aid Gondor. The line of Rohan kings has great heroes among them, one ushering in a golden age and another killing scores of enemies with his bare hands. At this point you’re seeing Theoden King fall into a state of seeming unworthy to his forebears. Rohan declined severely over his reign, he allowed Grima to manipulate him, and now his only son is dead. His line is gone. But that’s already a lot of words. Cheers to you both again :)

[@bladestormviking]

"if they built this..." they did. the main hall and many of the buildings were in fact built on top of Mt. Sunday in New Zealand. on the condition that they put it back exactly as they found it when filming ended.

[@sean---the-other-one]

One of the nice bonuses of this movie is that it shows Boromir in his more heroic and likeable moments. The first film needs to stain him a bit to illustrate the weakness of men, and it’s only in his last moments that we get to rally on his side but he’s taken from us too soon. Here we get to celebrate him a bit more and see him as a leader and strong.

[@jamesfischer2427]

The culture of Rohan is loosely based on the Anglo-Saxon tribes of early Britton. In universe, the ancestors of the people of Rohan came from the north where they had common ancestry with the ancestors of the Hobbits. Smeagol was one of these Hobbit ancestors. As the Ancestors of the Hobbits moved west, the ancestors of the people of Rohan (The Rohirim) moved south. They served as cavalry for the King of Gondor, and the king gave them the land of Rohan as a reward. In the books, Merry writes a significant work outlining the relationship between Rohan and The Hobbits of the Shire by examining shared elements of their language. For example; the people of Rohan refer to their land as the Riddermark. The lands where the Shire is located, is called by the Hobbits, Westmarch. The big red leather-bound book that Bilbo, Frodo and Sam write is called the Red Book of Westmarch.

[@oskarprotzer3000]

I really appreciate you two loving the music so much! It is the greatest soundtracks of all time for me.

[@yerviniansamvel]

Lord of the rings soundtrack,transformers and Pirates of the Caribbean are my favorites

[@custardflan]

Arwen's and Aragorn's love story is a repeat of sorts of the story of Luthien and Beren, which Aragorn sung to the Hobbits in the first movie in the wilderness on the way to Rivendell. Luthien was an elf princess who rescued Beren, a man, from a dungeon. They married and Luthein gave up her mortality to be with Beren, in short. On the gravestones of JRR Tolkien and his wife Edith are the names Luthien and Beren. From the book: "It's a fair tale, but a sad one, as are all the tales of Middle Earth. But it may lift your hearts," Aragorn said to them. Mortality, btw, is called the "gift of men" by elves because when men die, they go to spend eternity with Eru Illuvatar, the One Father, the creatoor. Elves do not.

[@johnsmith6132]

Keep in mind normal orcs cannot go in the sunlight while Uruks can

[@qbasicmichael]

I thought they could go in sunlight, just that they didn't like it, or that it made them uncomfortable, or something. You see azog, bolg, and their orcs moving outdoors during daytime.

[@colbyboucher6391]

"Why did we keep him alive again?" Having been in a war himself, Tolkien wasn't one for vindictive killing, and in the novels his heroes never do it. It's a principal these movies follow at times and betray at others.

[@JohnLeePettimoreIII]

7:21 🎼🎵Bad Orcs, bad orcs. Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you? 🎶 😃

[@PaulSmith-sb7sj]

It’s easy to see why this is a 3 parter. And Return of the King will be as well, if not more. There are multiple hours of behind the scenes of the CGI, MoCap, miniatures, models, locations, etc. And the people out here who can speak for hours on all things Tolkien is astounding. I hope you two are doing well. I am so enjoying sharing another adventure with the two of you.

[@robtrinreact2825]

Return of the King will be 4 parts lol, its too good to cut so much :(

[@dalesharp9953]

Brad Dourif is an amazing actor. He is the voice of Chucky. He is also amazing in HBO Deadwood.

[@robertanderson6929]

The original _Dune_ was my first introduction to Brad Dourif. He was great in that. Years later he was the villain in the video game _Myst III Exile._ Again, he was just great. He plays a tragic figure and his performance will break your heart.

[@nullunit]

@@robertanderson6929 Same for me, Piter Devries in the Lynch Dune. He is great in everything. Deadwood is probably my favorite, and one where he gets the most development rather than just being cast as the bad guy. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is the only role I can think of where he was an innocent.

[@JM-do6wc]

He had to shave off his eyebrows to play the part of Grima Wormtongue

[@lisarainbow9703]

@@robertanderson6929 he also played a creepy serial killer on an X-Files episode, who did a number on Scully's head...

[@jimchabai3163]

Everyone forgets him in One Who Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

[@artoniinisto9022]

Other than the main Fellowship members, my favorites are Galadriel, King Theoden and Tom Bombadil (sadly not here). As there are alterations to the books, the novels are really worth picking up. Also The Hobbit trilogy, Silmarillion (Tolkien used heavily our Finnish national epic, Kalevala there and with the elvish language) - The Silmarils were a retelling of the Theft of Sampo in Kalevala and the new Rings of Power TV series. Also Tolkien's biopic was directed by a Finn. Sir Christopher Lee and Tolkien both knew Finnish and loved it, Sir Lee so much that he volunteered to actually come fight for us in our Winter War. He was a true gentleman, not like Saruman at all. He remembered fondly Finland all his life and we never forgot his valour. From all of us here in the snow: Happy New Year 2023, or as Tolkien and Sir Lee would say: Hyvää uutta vuotta 2023!

[@salyx]

Awesome information! Thank you from an American with Finnish ancestry.

[@artoniinisto9022]

@@salyx Ty. There's just been published an extensive volume about the links between Tolkien's work regarding Finnish culture, history, mainly of course language (finding a language unlike any other was like 'finding a cellar full of intoxicating new wine'). He read Finnish and used names from our Kalevala, like Ilmatar, which became Iluvatar in Silmarillion and Kullervo that he used in writing a complete book about. Of course, he had so many other sources, but these have now been studied in detail. Btw., Sir Lee was the only one of the film crew to have met Tolkien. Another interesting Finnish connection is in this 3 season long BBC/HBO TV show based on the books of Philip Pullman, you may know that. The one with Lyra and the daeimon. Totally unrelated - maybe you know our famous band called HIM? Or Nightwish? Do check them out.

[@Makkaru112]

The only fin director was from the PJ trilogy. ROP isn't tolkiens second age at all.

[@Makkaru112]

@@artoniinisto9022 the kalevala is exactly the story of Turin Turambar from Children Of Hùrin!

[@marcbloom7462]

@0.39 They are playing a Norwegian folk fiddle. Eddoras was built in a national park, after a few day's filming it had to be removed and the native plants restored. @3.39 Watching Theodan drawing his sword always brings a tear to my eye.

[@obenohnebohne]

Howard Shore immortalised himself with this music (at least in my opinion). Every character, race, place has its own leitmotif/theme. I recommend watching a video about this topic on KZbin, after you have watched all the films. It is incredible how much thought went into the music.

[@correypeta]

Is there a specific video? Could you link it?

[@obenohnebohne]

My first comment, didn’t show up (because it had a link in it). So, I can’t link a video, but here is the title for two videos: Lord Of The Rings: How Music Elevates Story + Lord Of The Rings: How Music Elevates Story @@correypeta

[@correypeta]

Thank you!@@obenohnebohne

[@hartjohnson2975]

It cracks me up hearing you call Eomir Billy Butcher, as first season of The Boyz I called Billy Eomir.

[@chrisnielsen9885]

I've been to the Forbidden Pool (Tawhai Falls). It's in the middle of nowhere down a windy track through the bush. I am trying to imagine what it would look like with a full film crew camped in there

[@mowglisavonturen]

I'm so in love with the Rohan theme as well. It's gorgeous.

[@jowbloe3673]

Just discovered your reactions to *LotR* today, and I've binged them all. Seen the movies many times, and watched numerous reactors, and yours is one of the best. Now I am sad that I have to wait for more.

[@Makkaru112]

Check out my comments. You’ll love them. I bring the reader deep into middle earth!

[@oskarprotzer3000]

just for clarification, the Uruk-Hai are better armored, bigger and stronger than the standart Morgul Orc. But Aragorn mows everything down and together with Gimli and LEgolas they are truly a force to be reckoned with.

[@morrisgautreau6704]

When you start watching *The Return Of The King* pay close attention to Golem pupils. When he's Smeagol, they get big. They get small when he's Golem.

[@BobBlumenfeld]

Did you notice what Sam put into his rabbit stew? "You never know!"

[@eschiedler]

"The best salt in all the Shire."

[@bri_____]

Tolkein is an unmatched genius ❤️

[@supratrd900]

Aragorn Ring of Barahir is older than all the rings of powers including the one ring.

[@Makkaru112]

Exactly. I gave the deeper history of that ring in the fo,,ends below this video. Check it out! It's easy to find because I put an emoji at the beginning of the comment. ❤️

[@SuStel]

"Wormtongue" meaning "speaks with the cunning of a dragon." "Worm" used to be used for any animal of snake or Worm shape, including dragons, which are well known for being dangerous to talk to unguardedly.

[@Big_Tex]

You know, when your last name is Wormtongue, you’re kind of doomed not to be trusted.

[@ToEuropa]

It is a rather telling bit of nominative determinism, at that.

[@johnwalters1341]

"Wormtongue" was a nickname, used by everyone except King Theoden. He was Grima son of Galmod.

[@Makkaru112]

@@ToEuropa Wyrmtongue. Remember, Tolkien was a linguist first and foremost and a master wordsmith ontop of being a historian of the ancient origins of our world. His works were to revive ancient knowledge and give it back to the Anglo Saxons who had their culture and mythology destroyed by the rising empires of that era long long ago. Also shedding light and interest to the world upon Ireland, Wales and Finland. All three effected his fleshed out languages too

[@boqndimitrov8693]

Bernard Hill and Miranda Otto were perfect as Theoden and Eowyn, at least in my opinion.

[@VeNinjaK]

Gandalf was apart of the White Council, which is of the wizards. There are several, 2 blue wizards we know little about and are not part of the council, Radagast, Saruman and Gandalf. The other members were made up of powerful elves such as Glorfindel, Cirdan, Galadriel and Elrond. This is also known as The Council of the Wise. The purpose of the wizards was to find, and destroy Sauron to protect Middle Earth. That's their entire reasoning they were sent to Middle Earth, they are essentially demi-gods that became flesh. IE Jesus. Gandalf chose to not live anywhere and roam Middle Earth over his entire life, never living anywhere. He holds many names in various places, for example he is Mithrandir in Gondor. Saruman is the head of the White Council, however 4 of the 5 wizards failed their missions. The blue wizards were off doing who knows what, Radagast was obsessed with the forest, Saruman betrayed and sided with Sauron (sort of, more so himself) and then Gandalf died. Gandalf was sent back more powerful by Eru (God of Middle Earth) to fulfill his duty and his quest. He is naked upon his return and clothed in white to symbolize he will be/is what Sauruman should have been. Hence the phrase "I am Saruman, or Sauruman as he should have been"

[@mercyfulnate]

The musical theme of Rohan is probably my favorite musical motif of anything from any film. The flag has been my phone background for years and it’s on the shortlist of tattoo ideas I have (when I eventually get them). I recommend when you’re done with the trilogy checking out the LotR symphony conducted by Howard Shore, it’s on KZbin.

[@leeswhimsy]

For Arwen's decision - she chose to become mortal when she gave Aragorn the pendant. She bound herself to him. Though she would have a long life, she would not be immortal. Elrond cannot deal with the idea that she would have to deal with grief and loneliness for any amount of time and also when she dies, she won't go to the Gray Havens as immortal elves do, but her spirit would leave this Earth and would not be reunited with the people she loved/who loved her. I don't think many elves choose the path of mortality, and therefore, few would understand, as we humans do, that perhaps loving someone like she loves Aragorn is a better life than not loving like that and living forever. I'm not sure the elves truly understand the process of grief like humans do. It's not "part of life" for them. It's something horrible that mortals have to endure.

[@Makkaru112]

The pendant was invented by PJ team and the elfstone gift from Galadriel which had alot of significance was removed... went to Celebrian and I believe to another then when Celebrian died she have it to Aragorn. I'll give you the passage that explains it in the next comment here.

[@P5YcHoKiLLa]

5:18 Filmed entirely in New Zealand, all the landscapes.

[@Makkaru112]

To clarify things about Elrond & Arwen we must look at Elrond’s Twin Brother Elros, they both were half-elven brothers who can choose to be mortal or immortal because of their parents(Eärendil and Elwing) both half elven made a great sacrifice and went to Valinor to ask for help which lead to the greatest events in the early first and second age. Instead of being punished, the valar listened to them, that led to a great hosts of Valar and Maiar And Vanyar Elves went to Middle Earth that laid waste to Beleriand. After the War Of Wrath, the valar rewarded them for their sacrifices. They can choose to be elf or men, including their children. They chose immortally, but never return to Middle Earth because they thought that their twin sons had died. But they didnt die. Elrond chose to be immortal while his twin brother Elros chose to be mortal. He founded the Kingdom of Numenor. He lived in Numenor Island and blessed with a long life that include his descendants Those men who fought for the war were rewarded a long life but not their families or children. Only the family of Elrond can choose to be immortal or mortal in which Arwen did. Aragorn is the direct descendant of Elros, thats why he has a long life. The average lifespan of a Numenorean at their height was a few thousand years maximum! Now remember too that half elves are a common thing and whenever they did come together it was always significant !❤❤❤ Remember this is the SHORT version, there are so many moving parts that will make you want to dive into the books or the audio books or even do reaction videos to the famous lore videos by the biggest lore channels out there! When you’re done the trilogy try doing reaction videos just like Moviejoob did now with the lore recently as well as OmarioRPG. I recommend videos by GirlNextGondor and The Red Book, and Tolkien Untangled and especially Men Of The West. Many other cool ones I’ll recommend in the comments section of those reaction videos you do from Tolkiens Legendarium lore videos. They are super engaging. You’ll be in love. Nothing would have existed if Tolkiens works never hit the light of day as they were meant to stay private and sometimes be shared with his children and so on. No Game Of Thrones. No Skyrim. No ElderScrolls, No World Of Warcraft, no Dungeons&Dragons. None of it. Not even Star Wars. Not even Harry Potter! They took inspiration from his works which were souly to give back a forgotten history of the Anglo Saxons that had their culture & history destroyed as the larger empires were riding around them. His works reflect the Elder Edda(Norse) The Kalevala(Finnish) and the Welsh people from Wales as well as Irelands cultures of the Tuatha De Danaan as well! His languages are fully fleshed out too resembling Finnish & Welsh • By the way Elrond is around 6870-8000 years old AND nearly a full Elf year (as they age very very differently to Men) is close to 144 man years (solar years for them) they experience the TIME and the way men experience it but their clock is different! They live as long as the world/Arda/Ëa does. Essentially. Which is why they are so I synch with the world around them and the nature responds to them ! Think of when Legolas walked ontop of all that snow on the Mountain of Caradhras!! They continue to endure as long ad the world itself does. (Arda)

[@yelnikigwawa1845]

lol And I just assumed Legolas got away with that crap because he's a farkin' Elf! 😄

[@Makkaru112]

@@yelnikigwawa1845 well yes. But not just because elf ness. It's got whole reasoning behind it as everything else does! ❤️

[@Dahrk_Angel]

Nice to see these being uploaded frequently. When I saw the notification for your reaction of Fellowship "part 1" my first thought was oh here we go, another react channel that uploads part 1 and then makes us wait a month for the next part. So I'm glad that's not the case here 😀

[@robtrinreact2825]

Yeah we know what you mean, we are trying to be as consistent as possible, we've been in the position of being furstrated with that and we promised ourselves that we will never do that kind of sutff :)

[@Makkaru112]

Èowyn’s FULL SONG + Rohirric Eotheod language below/ Èowyn sings at Thèodred’s “funeral”•Now dear Théodred lies in darkness, most loyal of fighters. The sound of the harp shall not wake the warrior; nor shall the man hold a golden wine-cup, nor good hawk swing through the hall, nor the swift horse stamp in the courtyard. An evil death has set forth the noble warrior A song shall sing the sorrowing minstrels of Meduseld That noble cousin, who always held me dear Now is held in darkness, enclosed. (Now in in the language of the Èitheod)❤ Nú on théostrum licgeth Théodred se léofa hæ´letha holdost. ne sceal hearpan sweg wigend weccean; ne winfæ´t gylden guma sceal healdan, ne god hafoc geond sæ´l swingan, ne se swifta mearh burhstede beatan. Bealocwealm hafað fréone frecan forth onsended giedd sculon singan gléomenn sorgiende on Meduselde thæt he ma no wære his dryhtne dyrest and maga deorost. She sings this part in the movie: Bealocwealm hafað fréone frecan forth onsended giedd sculon singan gléomenn sorgiende on Meduselde thæt he ma no wære his dryhtne dyrest and maga deorost. Éowyn is only heard singing the last four lines of the song, ending with the word Bealo, which in Old English meant "evil" or "harm". The first of those lines ("Bealocwealm hafað...") originates from the epic poem Beowulf, line 2265.)

[@spartanFox_LadyFoxGames]

Lore in this is wild. Many good people on youtube do lore breakdowns. Reactions to that kind of stuff is rare and I want it lol

[@antirealist]

Possibly the best reaction to these films on KZbin...

[@robtrinreact2825]

Much appreciated!

[@NoelleMar]

Eowyn: “I fear neither death nor pain.” Couldn’t be me

[@NoelleMar]

8:10 oops and yes is she the one who said, “you couldn’t kill me if you tried for a thousand years”? 😂 idk i think it was in the first episode of Vikings, which I enjoyed but didn’t finish. I saw that episode once, but that line was so badass, it has stuck in my head since then, ages ago. I mean if I’m even remembering it correctly!

[@tinyderppotato5410]

"off-brand sean bean" 😂

[@Dragon-nc7yx]

Eowyn is probably one of the greatest Female characters in media. Just like galadriel, she is strong, confident, self assured and kind. You’re gonna love her more and more the longer the story goes on.

[@lagarto83]

I hope you are not talking about Rings of Power Galadriel :)

[@Dragon-nc7yx]

@@lagarto83 no. Not at all.

[@annipsy2185]

love them both 💜

[@Dahrk_Angel]

@@lagarto83 I've not watched Rings of Power, and from what I've heard about it I'm better off not watching it lol 😆

[@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself]

Galadriel is #1 of course, but Eowyn is ride-or-die to the finish! A bad babe for sure.

[@Ld.801]

2:50 without going into crazy detail and story When Saruman turns it leaves a imbalance in the world so when Gandalf died. The higher forces that be (Ishtar) sent him back as Gandalf the white to take Saruman’s place.

[@cendererol]

Also Frodo blaming himself that Gandalf’s death in Moria. His burden keeps getting grown.

[@rednovamistress8590]

I clicked so fast!!! I can’t wait for part three, the last march of the Ents is my favorite part

[@CrashCraftLabs]

oh the extended cut, nice, this gives so much extra story that shouldnt have been cut.

[@harkinsartz]

Been following y'all through TWD, ST & now LoTR!!! Love your reactions so much! It was so surreal seeing these films in theaters because I was pretty familiar w/ Tolkein's work. The music is awe-inspiring to this day for me! I've yet to see all 3 extended versions, but can tell you just by watching the 1st, a LOT was omitted from the theatrical releases. If you're into that sort of thing, please check out the behind the scenes/making of the trilogy. It amazing how they pulled much of this off, considering the time period. Esp regarding Andy Serkis' performance as Gollum. He was physically there w/ the other actors & it was the 1st time they filmed someone as a CGI character in that way if I remember correctly. (Same as he did playing Cesear in Planet of the Apes) Another wonderful thing about the extras, you see the beautiful landscapes they were privileged to film in, which I believe they captured quite well. The fact that they filmed them for 3 consecutive years all together was a feat all its own! So glad you're enjoying one of my favorite films.

[@ericalarochelle3779]

Thanks for breaking it up into more than 2 parts! I have so enjoyed watching your reactions; you two pick up on so much with your background in the genre, your insights and thoughts are great to hear! For Return of the King, might I suggest 3? As an aside, the scene with Boromir is an extended edition special; I think it adds a great deal of context to his character and I always found it cathartic to see him alive and in his element after the battle at Amon Hen.

[@Bastekxyz]

0:34 Yes they did :)

[@dude-zm8ib]

Congrats on 15k you guys are growing really fast

[@robtrinreact2825]

Thank you!! 💕💕

[@wannaBtraceur]

Epic reactions guys! I can’t wait for the rest of it.

[@TheToscanaMan]

This movie is quite a trip isn't it? Can't wait to watch the third part of this movie with you and then the last movie. That one is going to blow your mind. Tissues will be needed. Your analysis of the characters is good. Nice reaction. ❤☮🙏

[@terryhickman7929]

Your videos are quite good - just wanted to say, if you like lore, you can't do better than reading the books. Seriously, they had to take out/change so much for the film medium, it's really a whole world with deep history. And beautiful!

[@roxiepearl1]

Yes! A “legendarium” you might say 😉 And for non-readers, there is a brilliant audiobook read by Phil Dragash including Howard Shore’s music!

[@williambranch4283]

Capitals in Dal Riata, Gwynedd and Bernicia had hill fort capitals like Rohan; the culture of Rohan is like Bernicia (Northumbian Anglish) but with horses.

[@StevesFunhouse]

Hey you two ... I wanted to clarify something. No, when Saruman betrayed his path (by joining with Sauron), he was basically demoted by "his superiors", unbeknownst to him. In fact, it was BECAUSE he had not visually changed in color that Saruman was unaware his powers had been passed to Gandalf, who was now the leader of his order. This swap all transpired when the powers that be returned Gandalf to Middle Earth so he could complete his task ... that of ensuring the ring would be destroyed.

[@Makkaru112]

🌄Aragorns ring(there is a few shots during the movie where you see a good look on it being worn but also in that book that has the drawing and history of that ring Saruman spoke about after Grima brought it up to him(Saruman) once belonged to Galadriel’s dearest elder brother Finrod, Named Felagund by the dwarves he befriended, they gifted him one of their fortresses of Nargothrond and he even built it with them). He was the most famous Elf in the Legendarium aside from his uncle Fingolfin! It ended up being given to Barahir’s ancestors and Barahir is closest relative to Aragorn through the line of Arathorn! And they connect directly to the house of Bëor. Which all three houses of the Edain were found and befriended by Finrod. First to discover Men before anyone else !! Not even the Valar save Melkor long long long long ago. They’ve been aware of him for a very long time and have been fighting him almost as long as the elves did but with no help during those darker times before the sun and moon were even born into the world after melkor and Ungoliant killed the two trees of silver and gold in Valinor. By the time the Gondorians lost Eärnur the Anorian line of Elendil got their cheeks clapped so hard they were reduced to a lesser tribe who had lost a shit ton of status and a lot of symbols of their power like the Ring of Barahir or Narsil. The Gondorian Stewards, especially those like Denethor, looked down on their northern brethren as pretenders and foreigners. Aragorn not only had served in Gondor's army for a time but was chosen to carry on many of the ancient symbols of the line of Elendil like Barahir and reforging Narsil into Andúril. Throw in a fancy banner made by his elf GF and he had the symbols and treasures of a king. Denethor lighting himself on fire also contributed along with Faramir willingly surrendering his authority to Aragorn helped. An heirloom of the Ñoldor/ Vanyar(Galadriel and Finrod’s kin) But as I said, it's got SO much value. Makes me want to say something similar to what Gandalf said about the mithril vest that was more valuable than the shire itself. Hahaa And so ofc Aragorn for many reasons knows the history of that very ring he wears. I believe as it belonged to Galadriel’s brother, either she gave it to him or it made it down the line directly from Aragorn’s mighty ancestry.

[@AregPone]

I find myself searching for your comments. Lol. Thank you for all the lore drops!

[@Makkaru112]

@@AregPone you're so very welcome! Any thoughts or questions! Oh believe me, you'll find all sorts of comments from me on nearly all the reaction channel videos, especially their LOTR videos. ❤️

[@cobrian45]

Lol, I verbally said "oh yeah" when I saw this just now.

[@antwillis01]

It's not in the films but treebeard protects Rohan before they can return

[@kornelthunderbolt9962]

i cannot wait for your guys reaction to the charge of the rohirim in the 3rd movie. i hope it will be a long cut here :)

[@fries6875]

i come back every day looking if youve watched the next twd episode, but things like these are great too

[@trygswyrmwoodside3229]

You guys will have to do a lore dive after you finish these movies. The movies cover like very little of it.

[@jayconant3816]

Yes !! Perfect timing!!!

[@PhilARobertson]

I hate what they did to Farramir in these movies. In the books the way he was described he was 2nd only to Aragorn as a man and fighter. Straight badass. They made him so weak. He did not keep Sam & Frodo when he found them, he release them almost immediately.

[@bluelady5435]

Love this! ^^

[@tracygosell9199]

Wish you guys could have seen these movies on the big screen.

[@Muck006]

"He looks a bit like an off-brand Sean Bean" ... ROFLMAO

[@jameshitt3263]

The changes to Faramir's character (mainly his decisions regarding the ring) are among the most disappointing changes. He's still a good character in the film, but in the books, he might be one of the very best characters.

[@darrenbent7601]

Not bad for a locally made production (I'm a New Zealander).

[@CrashCraftLabs]

whats amazing its frimly beats legolas inkills most the time. and legolas uses a bow and is def a bad ass. according to the books and behind the scenes stuff. never mess with a dwarf haha

[@chazzersclipsyt4826]

Still love this channel

[@robtrinreact2825]

💕💕💕

[@janardanadasa1686]

This is my first time watching your channel. I was wondering, where is your mate? We hear her voice but don't see her.

[@michaelackley5773]

When is part 3 uploading? Can't wait

[@Le-Abdollen]

How have you not seen them until now?

[@SuStel]

Unfortunately, in the interest of increasing drama, the filmmakers completely changed Théoden's reasons for doing, well, pretty much everything he does, and they make him look like he's just making poor choices. In the book, all these things make sense.

[@LethalOwl]

They make sense in the movies too, if one pays close attention. He’s actively putting on a brave face and trying to inspire confidence in his people, while knowing that "Their courage is hanging by a thread."

[@SuStel]

@@LethalOwl I'm talking about things like letting Wormtongue go and going to Helm's Deep instead of fighting in the field as movie Gandalf wants.

[@bobmalibaliyahmarley1551]

Awesome! When is next part out? :D

[@robtrinreact2825]

Friday 🥰

[@nastynate692]

There is the other Boys Actor - John Noble the nice Father

[@Mark-xx3gh]

Love me some Eowyn

[@robnewsome2407]

The music is Celtic music

[@youtpfpm6097]

A video without Merry and Pippin 😢

[@colbyboucher6391]

Not gonna lie, it's always bothered me how Helm's Deep is made such a massive part of this movie while a lot of other interesting stuff gets passed over. You would hope after Fellowship the team would have realized that they're at their strongest shooting more "mundane" scenes. The extended edition helps a little, but still.

[@coreozurn4950]

Off brand Sean Bean. That's hilarious

[@blissfull_ignorance8454]

In a wider sense, the entire Elven race is screwed, no matter of the outcome of Frodo's quest. Should Sauron win and regain his One Ring, all the lesser Rings fall under the dominion of One Ring and Sauron will become unchallenged ruler of Middle Earth. To avoid that, the Elves should probably leave Middle Earth. Should Frodo succeed in his quest and the Ring destroyed, all the lesser Rings will lose their powers as well. The Three Elven Rings were originally crafted for preservation, resisting corruption and evil. Elves are immortal beings, so they desire the things to last and to remain same, also their physical surroundings. By the power of the Elven Rings the Elves were able create sanctuaries, timeless domains of Rivendel and Lothlorien and halt tha corruption of time and decay. So, should the One Ring destroyed and also the other Rings losing their powers, tides of time would sweep over those last Elven Sanctuaries in Middle Earth would fade away and the world would grow old and grey in the eyes of the Elves. They were born in an age long forgotten, when the magic and wonder were still very real in the world. It is their fate to pass the Middle Earth under the domionion of Men, eventually. So, in either case the time of the Elves in the Middle Earth is over.

[@Rambaldichick]

They really did build Edoras (Rohan) up on that windy hill. I love and feel sorry for Gollum. He's a cross between a child and a heroin addict (or me when I'm PMSing 😉😂)

[@custardflan]

The elves are doomed no matter what happens. Rivendell and Lothlorien were created and maintained by the elven rings. If Sauron regains the one ring, they will be exposed and destroyed. If the one ring is destroyed, the elvish rings will lose their power and elvendom will fade away. It's a no win situation for them.

[@qbasicmichael]

What about the elves of mirkwood?

[@custardflan]

@@qbasicmichael Basically the same. As I recall, they would retreat into irrelevancy. What say you?

[@qbasicmichael]

@@custardflan i don't know. When frodo and sam first start out, they see woodelves leaving, who i assume might be from mirkwood. I just wondered which of the elven rings was sustaining them, since they were neither in lothlorien or rivendell. Or whether proximity even matters. I don't know.

[@Makkaru112]

You wanted to know the lore well here it is! Check out my comments to your videos !

[@robtrinreact2825]

Amazing comments! thank you so much 😍

[@Makkaru112]

@@robtrinreact2825 you’re so very welcome. There is endless amounts of stuff to dive into. You’ll love the lore videos ontop of the films and other creative works people have made bringing the legendarium to life. There is a trend I’ve been heralding on my own which has gained traction with a few channels doing reaction videos to such stuff and it’s amazingness! ❤️❤️❤️

[@Makkaru112]

@@robtrinreact2825 I’m curious your thoughts and questions based on what you read so far!

[@nullunit]

Gandalf got a level boost for sure. By the lore he was already incredibly powerful among the Istari (council of wizards), has one of the 3 elvish rings of power; Narya. I think Cirdan the shipwright passed that on to him. The he Defeats the Balrog one on one and the Valar resurrect him and elevate him to Saruman's spot as the head istari in Middle Earth. Hence the name change, at least that is how I always understood it. If you read the Silmarillion, you get more background on the origins of the wizards and other agents of the Valar that were sent to Middle Earth to assist in the fight against Morgoth and then Sauron. The Rings of Power show does a really good job with it imo, considering the restrictions of the license and the many holes and inconsistencies in Tolkien's writings. Similar to LOTRO in that way. Corey Olsen, and the other folks on Rings and Realms did great recaps after each episode of Rings of Power that pointed lots of lore and story bits, stuff that was truer to Tolkien's writing and the parts the show filled in on its own. Faramir gets done dirty in the movies. He seems kind of weak, but I understand why they wrote him this way, they needed a bit of drama. One of the weaknesses of the LotR books is that the characters are a bit dry sometimes. In books Faramir isn't even remotely swayed by the ring the way Boromir was, but that lacks drama. Recommend Rings of Power if you guys get around to it. Need to get on your Patreon!

[@Makkaru112]

ROP is not Tolkien at all. The stories therein are not from the original stories at all. Timelines are compressed so therefore characters are together when others shouldn't even be born. Characters are doing and saying things they wouldn't be. Many films have been plagerized and they got rid of the largest Tolkien scholars known to man named Tom Shippey who also was a good friend to Tolkien. They invited Peter Jackson on, he asked for scripts then they ghosted him. They still hide behind Shippey and act like they didn't just kick him to the curb. He wouldn't let this stand.

[@Makkaru112]

A better one who did the recap was Men Of The West and Tolkien Lore channel("welcome to the Tolkien lore channel, I'm the the tolkien geek")

[@pierrebarneix1419]

Why extended version??? 🙄🙄🙄🤦‍♂️

[@martinlatour9311]

Can't wait for the next parts!