Filmmaker Reacts: World of Warcraft - Wrath of the Lich King Cinematic

[@PhilipHarts]

Who do you like more, Arthas or Anduin? Subscribe here and Follow me on twitch.tv/philiphartshorn Watch my film work here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fILKZpVsl8aafdU Follow my Twitter: Twitter.com/philipharts

[@Fusso]

When he was a Paladin, Arthas was an annoying brat, his Death Knight version was very one note - it was all about destroying his enemies. Now, Arthas as the Lich King? Now, that's a badass. In part because he's not entirely one person, Arthas and Nerzhul (the previous Lich King) became one at the end of Warcraft 3, and now Arthas has the knowledge of an ancient Orc necromancer that lost everything in life, from his family to his planet, and it weighs on him. The Lich King is a tormented soul, ruling over undeath unable to regain what he lost. Anduin still needs a lot of character development to even get in the same page.

[@DarkhorseSJ]

So glad you enjoyed this one, mate. It's his fathers voice that is speaking to him, his father who he murdered. Short version : Arthas was a human Prince of Lordaeron (separate to Stormwind, where Anduin's father ruled) who in a desperate attempt to save his people from the Burning Legion took possession of the sword "Frostmourne", which was cursed by Ner'zhul, the Lich King (an Orc Shaman, tortured and imprisoned by Kil'Jaeden, a lord of the Burning Legion). Over time Frostmourne corrupted his soul, causing him to murder his father and ultimately lead him to the roof of the world, where he found the crown of Ner'Zhul encased in ice. He broke it free and upon donning the crown his spirit merged with Ner'zhul and they became one. Arthas would then go on to rule over the "scourge" (the undead hordes), resurrect the dragon Sindragosa and attempt to destroy the peoples of Azeroth (the world in which WoW takes place). After the Warcraft journey, you absolute NEED to do Starcraft 2. They have some of the best cinematics in the business. Especially the Zeratul VS Artanis one, but bookmark that for later.

[@samtemdo8]

You gotta watch the cinematics for Warcraft 3 which takes place before World of Warcraft.

[@Lyonsbane75]

Arthas was righteous and noble but young and arrogant prince. When his kingdom is attacked by the undead his father sends him to counter this enemy. This leads Arthas to Northrend (the place in this cinematic) where he finds the sword he’s holding. The sword steals his soul, basically turning him evil (the opposite of his heroic Paladin nature). Later on in the story he gains the Helm of Domination that he’s wearing which contains the soul of the first evil Lich King which seals Arthas’ fate, making him the second Lich King and giving him full control over the undead army he went to destroy in the first place.

[@Johan_Wahyudi_]

I still wish that Jaina hadn't dumped Arthas.

[@Aceries_]

If there is a WoW storyline I think most would want to see turned into an actual film, it would be the rise and fall of Arthas Menethil. Such an iconic part of WoW's lore... the story, the music, the cinematic, the characters, all chef's kiss.

[@anthonyschwartz1084]

I agree, and it is pretty easy to do as well. They already have the novel, just need to adapt it.

[@mattspectre3346]

They could easily get 2 movies out of his full story if they go through to his final fall as well. (Just don't bring any of the jailer bullshit into it)

[@tangerinesky1293]

That's what they shoulda done originally if they actually wanted a sequel, now though I think it would only work as a series. Either way I completely agree.

[@hennibsdp9528]

They should make a movie for wc2 and beyond the dark portal first- then reign of chaos and then the frozen throne.

[@dexterwillmon]

When they made the Warcraft movie (which I actually enjoy quite a bit) I was really hoping they would get to tell the story of Arthas eventually.

[@Xplosion1994]

The reason Anduin did the same pose was indeed a throwback to Arthas. The reason being is both of them basically lived mirrored lives, both were the light against the dark, both with so much potential to be great kings, and both were dominated by the Jailer(WoW's Grim Reaper) The difference is Arthas never escaped until his final moments while Anduin did albeit it scarred him heavily. Edit: Arthas's soul was also used like a battery to dominate Anduin to the point his soul faded out of existence adding even more tragedy to Arthas's story.

[@anthonyschwartz1084]

yeah but we don't talk about what Shadowlands did to Arthas because it was kinda bs lol

[@ClanBlondeHead]

What he said!

[@isnay2003]

We don't speak of these things. It happened, however, it never happened.

[@georgercop]

I guess the similarity in the "sword out" pose could be indicative that Anduin is still affected by the domination to some degree, and has inherited some of Arthas's subtle mannerisms without realising as a result

[@Joromonni]

Similar pose can be seen in the Diablo 3 reaper of souls trailer

[@LedosKell]

-The dragon's name is Sindragosa. She was slain 10,000 years before Arthas raised her into undeath. She was killed by the black dragon, Deathwing, who will be the primary character in the Cataclysm cinematic. She was blasted with immense magical energy and was cast into the area that would become Icecrown (the name of the snowy region they're in). So the ice she was encased in did have magic infused it along with rage & sorrow, just not Arthas'. -The narrator is Terenas Menethil, Arthas' father and the former King of Lordaeron who is slain by Arthas in the Warcraft 3 game (also in an iconic cinematic of the series albeit one of early 2000s rendering). Arthas' story spans the entirety of Warcraft 3, there's so much to be said about him that a comment cannot do it justice. Yes, regret is entwined with it. He went down a path he thought was just and ultimately lost everything he cared about by the end.

[@michaelweileder8328]

Honestly, I'd love to see him react to the "Scourge of Lordaeron" ending cinematic ("Succeeding you... father!") Not nearly as refined, and kinda janky CG like you said, but still a powerful cinematic.

[@johnonyxpoetry]

In the current expansion of WoW, you actually do an entire quest chain to bring peace and rest to Sindragosa's soul. It is really cool to close a loop you might no have expected them to pursue.

[@sportjones1]

Sindragosa was the main consort(mate) of the leader of her dragon flight Malygos.

[@dugswank]

That the Lich King used Mournblade to animate Sindragosa was heinous and terrible.

[@uUuWolf16uUu]

Pretty sure the dragon is the original frostwyrm - sapphiron. Because I believe sindragosa was revived after arthas left northend.

[@TheRust7]

Arthas / Lich King at 5:05 sitting on the Frozen Throne is the same image how Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne end cinematic ended - his journey through that game is amazing. That's why people were beyond measureable hype when this trailer finally released back in 2007-8. Everybody was waiting for him - and boy...they delivered.

[@ganondorf66]

Honestly most wow cinematics are so much better if you've seen the warcraft 3 cinematics, some add great context, some have amazing references/callbacks (think WoD trailer)

[@TheRust7]

Oh my god yeah... I was insanely hyped when I first saw the WoD one... felt like going back to warcraft 1-2 and even before! The potential...it is sad that it was wasted... but at least we've got Legion - which was by far my favourite xpac in terms of content/story so far.@@ganondorf66

[@Makaveli13Xroy]

hands down Arthas's / Lich king's story is one of the best storys ever developed in gaming history, i just hate how they killed him off in shadowlands 😒

[@TheRust7]

True, they murdered so many solid story foundations when they retconned a ton of things in SL - that place should not have been visited by us ingame...@@Makaveli13Xroy

[@Aztonio]

Except at that time, Arthas was NOT the Lich King. Ner'zhul wanted a new body, and Arthas died as a martyr to bring him back. WotLK made him a cartoon bad guy spitting on everything, inclusing all Ner'zhul plans carefully crafter for years. Kingdoms conquered by the power of his mind... wasted for Gary Sue fan service. Cataclysm prepared already it, starting the new arc of Sylvanas, but Shadowlands truly did the most genius things that was left to do with that poor character. Make him actually disappear, not as an asshole, but as a martyr. At least.

[@applecheeseboy]

Amazing reaction! Arthas was a powerful prince who showed incredible potential in righteousness, skill, talent, leadership, etc. A plague broke out in one of the towns in his homeland that turned all of the villagers into undead. Arthas became furious and filled with vengeance, ready to find whoever did this. As his journey progressed, he sacrificed more and more, ultimately his own soul and his own people on the journey with him, in order to find and destroy the one responsible for the plague. It turns out that demons were leading him on the whole time, knowing that he was the perfect candidate to be the Lich King. He was lead on by the Lich King Ner'Zhul's frozen remains within the Frozen Throne. Ner'Zhul lead him to pick up Frostmourne, the sword in this cinematic, which was a cursed blade. Arthas sacrificed his soul at this point in order to take the sword. Once Arthas had the sword, he worked his way to the top of the Frozen Throne, breaking the prison containing Ner'Zhul. Arthas then put on the Lich King's helm, and merged with Ner'Zhul to become the Lich King himself, with the fullest of power available to him. At the end of WarCraft 3 the Frozen Throne, Arthas has this union and sits atop the Frozen Throne as the new Lich King, just where this trailer begins. Outstanding job with this reaction, this will always give me chills every time I see or hear this trailer and music. This was the pinnacle of WoW for me and many other players.

[@JLush408]

well said

[@daviddunte2710]

Aye!

[@magnosh2850]

Just to add to this, there is a pivotal point during Arthas journey before he pics up Frostmourne, when he is faced with a terrible choice, a town (Stratholme) has crates of grain infected by the plague that the citizens are already consuming. So, most of the population is turning into undead, the only the choice he feels he has is culling the city to stop the plague spreading to more towns. This is where his is abandoned by everyone he holds dear, his long time friend Jaina, his Paladin mentor Uther. The pose that is very similar to Anduin is really interesting because later down the road we discover that there is someone puppeteering the Lich King and that is the same one that ended up subduing and mind controlling Anduin in the Shadowlands forcing him to terrible deeds. Btw, once you get to Legion, before you move to Battle for Azeroth cinematic, you should totally watch the Legion - Alliance Broken Shore Cinematic its ingame cinematic but it's as powerful as some of these ones.

[@magnosh2850]

Both Anduin and Arthas were strong in the Light, one was a priest (Anduin) the other a paladin (Arthas).

[@jeffturner2975]

Arthas holding Frostmourne is ice cold still and steady malice, Anduin was shaking with the sword because he's not comfortable with it - they highlight the difference between them deliberately imo

[@pkWreck]

The motif as Arthas wipes the snow from the ice is from a song called 'Invincible', a song of mourning for Arthas's horse. Arthas had a very close bond with his horse (named Invincible) which died in a relatively mundane accident, and somewhat started his spiral into darkness. The tenderness that he wipes the ice away to raise himself a new mount really shows that he's still mourning Invincible and full of sadness, despite the atrocities he's done since then. I'd never really made that connection until you pointed it out. I love when stuff still just clicks after 15 years.

[@thedarkness125]

its from a song called "O Thanagor" or in english "O King" and the lyrics translate to being about Arthas and his father and was first introduced in warcraft 3. invincible sounds similar but is quite different. the lyrics when wiping away the snow are as follows: O King..... Long live the king, May he reign...forever. May his strength fail him never.

[@missobvious5436]

In fact, you're both right. While Invincible is it's own song, "O Thanagor" is also present in it, sort of as a stand-in for arthas' theme, basically to represent the connection he had to his steed. In Arthas, my Son we hear the same melody again to represent arthas just like in Invincible

[@opheliebell22]

Years later, and I'm still waiting for that freaking horse to drop

[@EmoDragracer]

Dude I am DIGGING this journey you’re on! Really cool as a WoW vet to see someone new have the same excitement we had when these came out 🤓🤙

[@mbrandao2555]

You picked up on the story quite well, Philip! Your technical knowledge and your actual interest in the cinematics are just such a blast to watch. Again thank you so much for your content it makes me so happy!

[@israelbrn]

Honestly I am actually very impressed at how quickly he figured out exactly what the cinematic was about with just one frame and one sentence. Holy moly!

[@enixyn]

I was so thrilled watching this. He made my day.

[@Blackmage90]

The story of Prince Arthas Menethil is a tragic tale. Once a Paladin of the Holy Light, he loved his lands, he loved his family and above all else he loved his people and would do anything for their safety and prosperity. One fateful day their were talks of a plague sweeping his lands. He was sent by his father to investigate this plague. He was also accompanied by his previous love Jania Proudmoore. The tales about the plague were true and were created by the Cult of the Damed which was lead by the fallen mage now necromancer Kel'thuzud. Arthas slew Kel'thuzud but it was too late, the plague had already been disperse throughout the land via grain shipments. The plague turned his people into undead to serve as a way for the Burning Legion to take over Azeroth. The moment Arthas fell from grace was due to a momentous event in warcraft history called the Culling of Stratholme. The plagued grain was delivered to Stratholme and the citizens of the city consumed it and started to turn into the undead. Arthas made a choice to purge the city and by doing so he lost his mentor (Uther the Lightbringer) and the woman he loved (Jania Proudmoore) because of this action. The Dreadlord Mal'ganis (A top rank demon) tuanted Arthas and told him that this was all apart of a great scheme to take over the world, then Mal'ganis told Arthas to follow him to Northernd. There, Arthas's destiny would be revealed. Once there he met up with another mentor from his childhood, Muradin Bronzebeard (A dwarf, who is the brother to the king of Ironforge) and he was on an expedition to find a powerful sword named Frostmorne (the sword in the cinematic). The blade was cursed. They eventually found the sword. Arthas took up the blade thinking he would be able to stop those who threaten his home land and in the process "killed" Muradin. This however was all according to plan by the first Lich King, Ner'zhul. This was the start of his dark path on becoming the new Lich King.

[@Gytis_Of_KFP_The_4th_PenKing]

very nicely explained.amazing comment

[@sergiomedina1099]

In that moment when he touched the sword, it consumed his soul and later when he reached the frozen throne and took Ner'zhul crown he changed again became the lich king as Ner'zhul taking control of his body and later he regained it.

[@molnarzsolt9090]

in fact they just merged, but later on Arthas will purged Ner'zhul, cut out the last remains of his humanity (his heart) and cast aside @@sergiomedina1099

[@Drewsterman777]

This is copied, word for word, from Nobel87's video covering this lore. At least give credit to the source.

[@Gytis_Of_KFP_The_4th_PenKing]

@@Drewsterman777 well at least you did mention it.thanks for info

[@anthonyschwartz1084]

I don't remember the last time I clicked on a video so fast lol

[@kvelar1036]

Same 😂

[@xSupajesusX]

Agreed lol, I was in the middle of a loki review and immediately hopped over

[@xSupajesusX]

Agreed lol, I was in the middle of a loki review and immediately hopped over

[@TheDivineDante]

Same

[@lucasmorgan4379]

Fr

[@CampfireGoth]

Yeah the TL;DR on Arthas is he is a fallen prince who became so obsessed with vengeance, he became the very monster he hunted. After sacrificing his very soul to slay a demon in a far off land, he returned to his homeland, overthrew his father, and buried his kingdom under the march of his undead army. Developers and players often referred to him as a "reverse King Arthur", starting his journey as heroic figure before falling from grace over the course of his story, and one of the best villains in the Warcraft universe.

[@ThanesTito]

about the shot at 8:24: it's just ice, he was pushing the snow atop a glacier - the "Lich King power" comes a few seconds later when he starts pulling snowflakes into the blade of Frostmourne with that eerily blue glow it's also worth noting: while Anduin and Arthas did the exact same pose, Anduin was actively quaking he trembled so much while Arthas was as still as the dead, denoting how one was troubled by his past while the other had completely succumbed to who he became

[@rush23465]

I think this is the best review for Wrath of the lich king cinematic, I really like how you explain all the concepts about the filmography parts of this cinematic, even if you didn't heard before about Arthas or even if u didn't played the video game. This video highlights your experience in filmography 100% in front of us, and it is an outstanding one.

[@Nicholas1994]

You're only the second person I've seen switched-on enough to properly understand the message they're delivering here, and I've watched a lot of reactions to this one over the years. I'm glad you liked it. Arthas' turn is one of the most pivitol and tragic moments in Warcraft lore.

[@najesta2018]

I would also like to say that, the WoW player base have always known how EPIC these cinematics were. But to see them being recognized and appreciated by filmakers now, warms my heart so much. WoW has THE BEST teams at their disposal and it has always shown with how much love and hard work they put into their craft. Thank you for the respect you have given to them. I look forward to more of your WoW videos as you embark on this journey.

[@Rhombaloid]

You are my favorite Filmmaker Reactor, the way you analyze the movements, the animation, the colors, the feeling, they are exactly what we feel as the audience especially for us lore nerds. I found you with the War Within cinematic and I am very much looking forward to see you journey into the subsequent expansions. Keep it up man!

[@PhilipHarts]

Thank you so much!!! More to come 🙏🏻

[@Rhombaloid]

One of my favorite parts of this cinematic are how Arthas' father, terenas, the narrartor, talks about how he stirs the hearts of his people. His people were always his subjects but since his downfall his subjects are now the undead and he is still stirring their heart just this time its against their will

[@fistofram5526]

I absolutely love how in depth you actually review the content; it shows a lot of care for a franchise/universe we fans love deeply. :)

[@A2ndVoice]

I personally cannot wait until he gets to Old Soldier. Possibly one of their very best cinematics.

[@caffeinedelusions]

Back when I was teaching English in middle school I wanted (but never got the chance) to use this clip in an exercise to teach the concept of characterization. The idea was to pair the kids off, give one member of each pairing a blindfold, and the other member of each pairing a set of earplugs or headphones, so that one of them would only learn about the character from what they SEE, while the other would only learn about the character from what they HEAR. They'd get about five to ten minutes to write down what kind of person they think the character is, and then compare notes. Then we'd be looking at class discussion about how their impressions differed, and how those impressions weave together to give a sense of the character's history even while NOT giving full context or much in the way of specific fact.

[@anthonyschwartz1084]

Yeah the Anduin /Arthas pose was interesting in the new cinematic. Anduin does the same pose as well in the Battle for Azeroth cinematic, which was when he was technically the first time king. So now people are wondering, will Anduin fall to the void since he lost his light? Will he recover and become as powerful as Arthas but through the light? Very exciting to see this and the new one side by side

[@miriamweller812]

Battle of Azeroth pose is not the same. First it's not shown in the same way, second it is just the "ONWARDS!" pose of a leader telling his army to charge. While alike from how the sword is hold, the meaning is very different.

[@rambilo6236]

We still dont know why the pose is so similar, what we know is that he was merged with arthas soul in the shadowlands expansion under the jailor grip

[@thizzypops]

​@rambilo6236 the cinematic team said they made the poses the same on purpose, Preach was talking about it.. They also said Andiun's hand shaking was on purpose to be the opposite of Arthas in this cinematic. Both characters went down the same path and were watching to see if Andiun succeeds where Arthas failed

[@hashbrix2991]

thought about the same tho. i actually stopped playing on wotlk back in the day but sticked to the storyline. imagine andiun having a battle within himself over the next few expansions. im already stoked.

[@KensanOni]

@@rambilo6236Merged, no. The sword was forged with Arthus’s soul. The *sword* has the spirit of him. We may still have a touch of Stormbringer style possession still lingering here.

[@Thegriff19]

I love your analysis of these cinematics. You pick up on some of the small, intricate details that most people miss. :)

[@The_Chaotic_Blade]

"He's not gonna show restraint is he?" Me, laughing: "Not even a little bit.."

[@Amanandhispeace]

The voice of the narrator is enough to invoke so much nostalgia that it nearly brings me to tears, I love seeing your reaction to a part of my life that I cherish so much. Thanks for the enthusiastic analysis of the cinematics that I think is the best in the buisness.

[@clogs4956]

Referring this cinematic to the new one for The War Within is spot on. I was most struck by the symbolism of the cold evening snow and blueness of Northrend vs the warm morning sky over the sands of redly- lit Silithus. Two similar yet very different young men - opposed in temperament, one proud, the other humble - taking one hero’s journey.

[@ari54x]

I'm so glad he caught it without even knowing the far more direct connection between the two, he's clearly paying close attention. I hope he goes over all the shadowlands cinematics now, not just the launch one.

[@spider-queen]

I've been playing WoW since the beginning, and I can't tell you how enjoyable these videos are to watch as someone that's experienced the expansions as they released I think this is the closest I can get to recapturing some of the emotions and amazement from experiencing these for the first time, really excited for you to see the rest, the cinematic team has always been second to none

[@Veilside8090]

I would highly recommend watching the 2 really good cinematics from Warcraft 3 that show more about Arthas and him becoming the Lich King.

[@lomborg4876]

After the Legion expansion, Warcraft’s story took a huge dive. The Lich King was retconned in the Shadowlands expansion. The helm of domination (The Lich King’s helmet) and part of his armor were crafted from Ner’zhul (an Orc Shaman) by Kil’Jaeden. Ner’zhul’s soul was still present within the helmet. Frostmourne (The Lich King’s sword) was made by either Ner’zhul or Kil’Jaeden, and when Arthas picked it up, he was under Ner’zhul’s influence to become The Lich King. In Shadowlands they changed the origins of both, so that it was now the Jailer’s influence, which Anduin was also under. In truth it’s Blizzard’s way of associating Anduin with Arthas, so people would stick around

[@steviet6878]

Man as someone who is new to the World of Warcraft, you are able to break down and feel what the cinematics are shooting for so well for the characters. I'm really enjoying your breakdowns and getting to relive these incredible moments in wow history with you.

[@dreadedcouple]

I think you already know this, but Anduin too was touched (on his case, controlled) by the same power as Arthas: Dominion magic. There were three lich kings and none of them served it's master The Jailer. So after doing some shits he managed to kidnap Anduin, and forcefully made him a Death Knight just like all three before him. And made him do terrible things, Anduin is the wielder of the light. Probably the strongest wielder in whole warcraft universe. Light embodies the holiness, it's opposite of Darkness and Anduin was subdued to it. He feels he's no longer worthy of the Light. Light answer to the devoted, the more conviction the stronger it's answer is. Anduin believes if he calls the light it won't answer. And from a religious POV, it shatters him everyday. As well as his guilt.

[@Ryan-ts3py]

To add onto the lore that the others have provided, the entire speech from Terenas was a mirror of what we were seeing in the trailer. When he said "You grew into a weapon of righteousness", Arthas is drawing a weapon of undeniable evil. When he says "use your great power with restraint", Arthas is fully unleashing his power to summon one of the most powerful undead servants he ever obtains. Finally, Arthas does have a people and he is king... but he is king of a people who he helped slaughter and resurrect into undeath. Everything that his father wanted for him has happened... but perverted and turned into something that was never intended. Arthas and Anduin have a lot of similarities, which is why they did the callback to the pose. But where Arthas fell to his grief and rage, eventually becoming the Lich King, Anduin is (presumably) going to overcome it and grow back into a leader of the light. Watching you react to this trailer was an absolute delight, glad you liked it!

[@datacntrdude]

I love that you’re doing this journey. I don’t know how many hundreds of times I’ve seen all these cinematics over the last 20 years, but they still give me chills and welled-up eyes. This one though, is special. Because we went through a lot of it in Warcraft III. The RTS strategy game that precedes WOW. They too have incredible cinematics, and highlight the Arthas turn. And it will makes the King’s speech throughout it make more sense.

[@TheDivineDante]

It's so cool that even as someone who never played WoW you caught the pose, and yes it does tie in...sort of. If you look back during that scene you also get the "My Son" reference which gave me chills when I first saw it.

[@dyyylllaannn]

One cool thing I would note about the parallel between the two scenes drawing the sword. When Arthas does it he is standing slouched a bit and then almost seems to recall his immense power and resolve, and when he looks down the blade he stands statuesque, completely still. When Anduin does it, he wavers and almost recoils from the realization of what he is capable of. For Arthas you would need to watch the WC3 cinematics to see what happened with Stratholme and Terenas

[@witchblade100377]

I love watching your takes on these cinematics with your filmmaking perspective. It's awesome how you are just picking up on the story by just looking how the cinematic looks and plays out.

[@PhilipHarts]

Thank you! I love watching them without the full story bc it compliments how well they used cinematic tools to voice the subtext.

[@erickchristensen746]

It's really cool how you mentioned his body language of regret there, as there was a lot of it deep under there where Arthas's humanity was still just a tiny bit there..But it was overpowered by the Litch King's Soul.

[@TheHuskyGamerHQ]

I know I'm a bit late to the party but have been watching your WoW journey and it's been awesome watching you experience it and as a long time WoW player, it's been a good walk down memory lane. I wanted to say that after your WoW journey gets to an end, you may want to go back and watch all of Warcraft 3 cinematics. They will give you more of a look into Arthus, Thrall, Grom, Illidan, and a few others and since you started on WoW's cinematics, I think you'll appreciate them more in a way. Keep up the great work man! Loving the content!

[@loganboyd10]

Im loving your take on these, they really did a fantastic job visually illustrating the connection between Arthas and Anduin. If nobody has told you yet, Anduin was essentially possessed by the same evil force as Arthas, used as a weapon to hurt his friends. This was portrayed through in-game cinematics, quests and ultimately a raid where the players defeat him and help him break free.

[@volstatsz]

I am absolutely loving watching your reactions. You are giving me an incredible respect for the professional expertise of the art of film making - the story beats you're able to read from details I would never have been able to articulate is blowing me away.

[@seanheacock7312]

It's been a real treat seeing you watch these with new eyes. This one has always been my favorite. And as good as it is on that first viewing, it hits even harder once you know the story behind Arthas' fall from grace, and the rise of the Lich King. I'm really happy you noticed the parallels with Anduin in the War Within cinematic. "My son..."

[@koenemad]

I think it's so awesome how you can get a really good general understanding of the story just from analysis of these trailers. Arthas has a lot of Warcraft cinematics from the old game if you want his story. Anduins "Arthas" pose is why we all lost it seeing it. Seeing the differences in two princes who deal with darkness I am so excited to see what happens!

[@Valfara770]

I always saw Anduin as a "What if" version of Arthat that made the right choices. :D

[@JoshDoingLinux]

If you want the backstory of arthas you can watch the cutscenes from Warcraft 3

[@Xeshiraz]

Man, you are so good at reacting to those cinematics! How you read them is just perfect. Love it!

[@trashak3]

He was a human, paladin, who got into a trouble, manipulated to take a cursed sword Frostmourne to avenge for his people and kingdom. This sword consumed his soul and he became a death knight. Living yet undead, his Light left and necrotic ice magic came in its place. He became a servant of a Lich King, Ner'Zhul - old orc shaman soul trapped inside an underworld armor pieces. Then he freed him from Ice prison and equipped the armor (specifically helmet) and froze on his throne to merge into the one entity - Lich King. Later in the game we seen a last bits of his soul wandering across the lands in the shape of a small boy - last pieces of humanity Lich King expelled from himself with his own heart (literally cut his heart and thrown away to get rid of human bits)

[@domdom3938]

When Arthas became the Lich King, he sat upon the Frozen Throne and started gaining power, being able to control his armies and interact with others from a distance so he eventually froze over on the throne until he awoke and raised Sindragosa, the dragon.

[@spurgurius]

The Fathers voice actor is Earl Boen who sadly died this year. You might remember his acting in Terminator franchise as Dr.Silberman.

[@Stuntsmans]

Your hype and smile is so contagious, thanks for the awesome reaction!

[@Orray]

Dragon's name is Sindragosa the former queen of the blue dragon flight which are the most powerful in wielding magic. Arthas went to her and imbued his weapon with ruminant of her magic, then he awakened her dead body with his cursed blade and she made his army stronger

[@Hadesel]

You Sir, have gained another sub! Spot on! And to be frank, best analysis along with pointers for film-making that I've seen so far, you own your craft and is visible and appreciated. Keep it up, can't wait to see your next vids!

[@Videogrind]

A good comparison to the time where Arthus is holding up frostmourne vs Andiuan, its a show of taking a breath vs releasing a breath. Arthus is using that pose to breath in as much power as he can to complete his task, while Anduian is breathing out with that pose in relief that he doesnt have to fight more of what he is fearing/pointing his blade at. A very good call back to this cinematic.

[@Eskilaasen]

just found this series and was disapointed you just had two parts out. but right as i finish the second one this is posted, good vid my guy, keep em coming

[@bluegobbie]

Love the channel man. Your reactions are so insightful and thoughtful. Keep it up!

[@Ferdawoon]

8:25 - The Lich king's power is always within him, but this is where the Dragon Sindragosa fell and has been buried in ice for a long time. He's not looking for the Power to summon a dragon, he's looking for where the remains are so he can infuse it with magic and raise it. When you go there in the game, the area is called "Sindragosa's Fall", named after the dragon Sindragosa that died there, and you will see a huge hole in the glacier that's left when she rose up from the ice.

[@mattspectre3346]

Going back and watching the warcraft 3 story would actually give this cinematic even more weight. You are great at reading into, keep it up please.

[@handohansolo8866]

I have a few video game trailers in my memory that are so good I don’t think I’ll ever forget them. This is definitely one of them

[@Winningrose77]

Loving these! Been looking forward to each and every one and they're always a pleasure to watch.

[@julio4494]

Wow. You are a master. I’ve seen you unravel and experience this world that I’ve enjoyed for a decades through just 3 minute trailers. Bravo 👏🏼

[@KilatSilat]

Great points Phil! The intentional color scheme was really cool and something I didn't notice

[@PhilipHarts]

Thank you friend. This was one of my favorites!

[@sys01Gaming]

The narrator you hear in the background at the start of the cinematic is King Terenas Menethil, Arthas' father. The voice actor for Terenas is (surprise, surprise) Earl Boen, the legendary actor who sadly left us in 2023, also Dr. Silberman in Terminator 1 and 2.

[@miriamweller812]

The reason for Anduin showing a similar pose is, that the soul of the defeated Arhas was used to create another cursed "mournblade" (as Arthas is also using here, which is called Frostmourne, that can rip the soul out of its victims and imprison them in itself, empowering the wielder) to dominate his will. Anduin manages to break free after long struggle, but is haunted by selfdoubt since then, as he revealed when talking to Sylvanas (who once had been a high elf, but was killed, then raised as a Banshee by Arthas), that a part of him had enjoyed that power. They used the same pose to show this fear of Anduin, that he could be and end like Arthas, but instead of a pose of power as in this cinematic, Anduin shivers and trembles. Blizzard is very good in telling a lot by pictures alone. Sad enough, many people don't get it, it's not obvious enough for them, because not directly explained. Such things lead to quite some bad story telling in modern movies and games, where the makers avoid this by just plane exposition.

[@ReikaLady]

Agreed, they're contrasting Arthas's confidence with Anduin's pain, fear, and anger.

[@enixyn]

I love your reaction. This is my all time favourite cinematic. Thanks for this! Seeing you get hyped about all that I loved about it, without knowing anything about it! So awesome, I just love it. 😊

[@DainnGreywall]

This cinematic is so iconic and so epic that my class and I literally studied it frame by frame as part of our curriculum in film class. Ever since I went through that cinematic scene by scene, frame by frame to read into every little piece of it there is I have grown such a love for this cinematic, it is such an amazing piece of cinema with such powerful use of suspense and epic musical scoring.

[@TheRollyD]

Seeing someone derive so much joy and appreciation for something that was part of my childhood is heartwarming.

[@nathanielcohen364]

LORE TIME! The Lich King: Prince Arthas Menethil was heir to the human kingdom of Lorderon, and eventual paladin, studying under Uther, the Lightbringer. After a few adventures of his own (some with Jaina Proudmoore, remember that name for future expansions), an undead plague started to ravage his land, and he intended, once more with Jaina, to stop it. When he made it to the city Stratholme, which had just been infected by plagued grain, he decided he had to cull the city, his own people, to stop them from turning into undead monsters and harming others. Both Jaina and Uther were there, and they turned their back on him, unable to watch this unfold. While Arthas was successful, a Dreadlord (they're a whole thing, basically really smart and tricky kind-of-demons) taunted him, saying the only was he could save his people and kill him was by travelling to the icy wastes of Northrend and find a powerful weapon. He did so with allies, including his own men, high elves, and a dwarven prince. The weapon that he claimed, however, was a cursed runeblade that sought to corrupt him, and corrupt him it did. He killed everyone (the dwarf lived... barely) that came with him eventually. Shortly after he returned home, where he killed his father, as well as Uther who was going to bury the ashes of Arthas' father, as well as many, many more high elves, including Sylvanas Windrunner (remember her as well), raising everyone that fell into his undead Scourge. To wrap this up, he then went back to Northrend in order to claim a set of armor that his blade, Frostmourne, drawing him towards (the essence of the Lich King, bound within the armor, spoke to him) a set of armor that he needed to ascend to be the Lich King, and not just the Lich King's champion. To get it, he had to fight Illidan, barely winning and making it to where he needed to be, where he then broke the ice around it, and put it on, nearly killing what little of Arthas was left and cementing him as the Lich King. A cool little nod: even after all of that, we learn in game that he still wore a locket Jaina gave to him when they were young and in love. Yes! Anduin and the Lich King made the same pose! In the books especially, they have many parallels. They were said to look very similar to each other (Anduin's father and Jaina both knew Arthas well), they were both princes, and they both used the light. Where Arthas killed his father, Anduin lost his. When the world seemed as if it were ending, Arthas picked up a blade that meant death and destruction, Anduin picked up one that was used to keep hope alive. And later in Anduin's life when he was dominated by the Jailer, it not only used the same domination magic that bound Arthas to Frostmourne and the Lich King armor, but it was Arthas' very soul that was used by the Jailer to perform this domination. The difference, is where Arthas died, his soul finally released, asking "Father! Is it... over?", Anduin lived, equally as guilty but alive to feel it every moment of every day.

[@0nni3]

My commendations for picking up on subtle details other reactors have missed, or at least haven't worded them on the spot as you did. Most people watching this cinematic without the context of the story miss on the most important thing: You can't connect the narration with the scenes unless you understand King Therenas is not talking about this being, he is talking about someone who is lost now and the person you see on screen is a shadow, a mockery of the ideals the narrator is trying to evoke. Amazing interpretation on your part, keep up the good work.

[@ultmotive]

I've been playing WoW off and on for nearly 20 years and I can still safely say that the WotLK expansion and storyline is still the greatest WoW experience I've had. They did such a good job of creating a complex villian and weaving a sense of morality not just into the cinematic but the entire expansion campaign. I remember the tragedy between Arthas and Jaina and wanting so badly to see him redeem himself.

[@itskhro]

This is a Hall of Fame cinematic for all of gaming imo. Never gets old. They even remade it in higher fidelity 10 years after its original release if I recall correctly. My short lore input; Arthas soul was intertwined with Anduin in the Shadowlands expansion. Thats where the ghost-flashback in WW trailer came from. Arthas eventually fizzled out into nothingness, but Anduin was under mindcontrol by the big bad of that expansion. We fought Anduin as a raidboss, and obviously he remembers everyone he killed in the story before that.

[@imagnome123]

I haven't watched the video yet but I'm super excited to see you continue this series! While I love the original WoW and Burning Crusade Cinematics, this one really marks when they start going from good to truly great. I really hope that when you reach Battle For Azeroth, you also take a look at Old Soldier, Lost Honor, Safe Haven and finally Reckoning as well! There is also a large official video called 'Saurfang's Mak'gora' which contains all of them if perhaps you wanted to do a mega video or a series.

[@Snake1257]

I can only second that with the BfA Cinematics!

[@CourtlandMPayne]

I think you did a truly beautiful job breaking down this timeless cinematic. It has always been the best of theirs. Only rivaled now by the War Within. As someone who is very intimate, and has bee n following this story my entire life. You have only confirmed the feelings and emotions evoked in this, I never p ut them into words as you have. But I have to say thank you. You have been spot on. The entire thing is a juxtaposition to his father's words. Every step of the way. But hearing your reaction as someone who isn't overly familiar with the Warcraft Lore, its very rewarding to know that they did an amazing job bringing this, VERY impactful character to life. Through sound, through animation, the body language. Even the colour schemes, things I never thought of. I'm no cinematography expert, but I have taken a deep interest in its history, and execution. If its not been mentioned to you before.. Arthas is the most tragic character Warcraft has to offer. You can hear it, you can see it. His father's words keep his past life clashing with his current actions in the cinematic. He was a Paladin, destined for greatness. The most passionate and powerful of his order at the time. With a lot placed on his shoulders. You could almost compare him to Anakin Skywalker and his fall to becoming Darth Vader. He still retains his power, he still rules on top. But in the wrong way, misguided and led astray by his emotions. I think its worth mentioning, this was CGI animation at its finest back in 2007/2008. It was still a relatively new artistic toool, and yet they delivered this masterpiece.

[@Bictorino85]

How you broke this down really made me enjoy this even more. Wotlk is one of my favorite expansion story!!!

[@tyschubert3711]

bro make an arthas movie. WoW fans are dying to see Arthas's story on the big screen.

[@LoFiGamerGurl]

I LOVE so much that you immediately recognized the humanity the regret... that is EXACTLY what is happening. And Anduin's pose in War Within is a call out to this. You learn of what happens to Anduin in the Shadowlands expansion cutscenes in game.

[@Ferdawoon]

5:20 - Glad you recognized the pose! It's been used (at least) once before in an adjacent and related InGame cinematic and everytime they use it people get excited because it is such an iconic stance after Arthas / Lich King used it. Similar to how the creators use music to indicate things (for eample, the music during The War Within was to a large part "Anduin's Theme" or whatever it's called), this pose is another way to really indicate Arthas, the Undead, Lich king, or just semblance between the state of mind and intentions of the people using it. Also, just want to point out, that there is no family relation between Arthas and Anduin. If I remember things correctly, Anduin's father, Varian Wrynn, was a childhood friend of Arthas and they sometimes met and played together when their familites would travel for court business. So there is no "Anduin is the grandchild of Arthas" or anything going on. EDIT: Later you mention the music as he sweaps the snow off the ground to peer down. The song is called "Arthas my Son", which is also the first words said by his father in the opening of the cinematic. Guess slight story-spoiler ahead: . . . . . While we quest in the zone where the Lich King's fortress is we encounter the ghost of a little kid called Matthias Lehner. We do some missions for him and eventually he leads us to the depths of a deep chasm where we find a frozen heart. The kid reveals that the Heart is when The Lich king tried to shed himself of all his human connections and shed his lingering humanity to fully embrace the Power of the Lich King, but the kid speculates that there is still some Humanity left inside that is battling the power of the Lich King and preventing things from going very wrong. To some degree there is still a part of Arthas's humanity holding back so the Undead will not overrun the world. The fact that "Matthias Lehner" is an anagram of "Arthas Menethil" is not a coincidence and players are led to believe that we have encountered a part of Arthas's soul, a ghost of his humanity, that he tried to get rid of but still could not bring himself to fully let go.

[@Awoezel]

I'm glad someone mentioned the awesome voice acting in this. It's almost like music in itself and a big contributor to why this cinematic is so great

[@Midnight24435]

I'm so psyched for this. Keep showing up in my feed. You're a pro.

[@elizabethseeburger8382]

I'm so impressed with how spot on you are about the lore with the limited information shown in these videos! I've played warcraft games ever since the original warcraft game and I play WoW all the time, and gosh to tell you everything that has happened to Arthas and Anduin to lead them up to the war within and this arthas trailer would take an hour! Love watching your video :)

[@dexterwillmon]

Omg, you are absolutely correct, I didn’t even notice. That is the exact same pose Anduin made. What a great thing to point out!

[@Animaja001]

Brilliant analysis and reaction. I love that you pointed out Arthas' body language at 2:03 and 10:52. So much is being told through contrast and body language in this trailer. You can tell Arthas still has some shred of humanity and regret in him, almost hes reminiscing on his fathers words on what could have been, if he hadn't have chosen this path.

[@brycedubois4816]

I don’t know if it’s been mentioned yet, but during Wrath blizzard started doing In-game cinematic’s. Although they are made with in game graphics they are epic still nonetheless. They also have main story plot points. So I hope you start watching all the short movies not just the launch cinematic’s. Either way though I’m here for it!!!

[@hyrelia]

You were right to draw the parallel to Anduin, notice how in the War Within cinematic he has a trauma flashback when Thrall touches his shoulder, and it cuts to the same eerie blue color that you described in that trailer as taking his soul. That's exactly what happened to Arthas, the same death magic, the same evil behind it, and Anduin almost shared Arthas' fate but was freed from it last moment. He's struggling with what he did while under the control of that magic and that part of him even enjoyed the destruction, and it made him question everything he thought he was.

[@maruraba1478]

1:10 it shows how good this cinematic is, mixed with your understanding of the visual/audio cues. you are pretty much right on, Arthus was a decent dude, a prince and holy paladin of the light, but he was misguided in his duties in protecting his homeland, it lead to his downfall and eventual rise as the Lich King, brandishing his unholy sword Frostmourne and the Helm of Domination, he is able to wield immense necrotic magics.

[@srkares]

im a bit late to the party, but just want to say that you did an incredible job, connecting what happens in the cinematic to the lore, especially the part about looking at the ice before raising the dragon and his humanity* too. as someone who has loved the franchise from nearly the beginning and remembers how everyone lost their minds when this cinematic was first revealed, it was a joy to watch this video and im definitely gonna check out the rest of this "series" too. (apparently i watched the Astartes reaction a while ago, lol) scanned through comments and two small things i think that are happening that i want to comment on, that i havent seen elsewhere: 6:55 you asked at one point in the video what caused Arthas to awaken, but i think because of the pause between his name being spoken and him awakening, its indicated that he wasnt (really) awoken by an outside influence, but by his own decision. he chose the point in time. 1:55 (earlier timestamp for no interruption) the sword he pulls out is Frostmourne, its *the* single most legendary weapon in the warcraft universe, probably on par with The One Ring in LotR, that is why its getting its own, slow establishing shot, which also feeds into the other scene where he points it at the (or next to) camera, holds it for a long time, to infuse it with magic and then another shot of arthas ramming the sword into the ice, showing the glowing runes in full glory. this weapon is very nearly as important a character in this cinematic as arthas is. because its one of the major factors that made him the lich king. 17:58 this close-up, showing a bit of the person beneath the helmet, along with the final verdict of his father, might be the only other bit humanizing him in this cinematic, more obvious for people who might've missed out on the part of him brushing the snow away. the one moment his gaze isnt certain, possibly recalling the words of his father. the helmet itself is also a legendary artifact (Helm of Domination), also responsible for turning him into the lich king, but probably less known by people. *spoilers for the game: there is a quest (set after the events of the cinematic) during which you discover that arthas actually removed his heart, his humanity - which is actually represented by a ghost/vision of his child self - and tossed it into an unimaginably deep pit underneath his frozen citadel. despite doing that, the fact that his frozen heart was still intact meant there was still _some_ humanity left with arthas, the lich king. i dont remember the details anymore, but iirc in the end his heart gets destroyed, truly taking the last bit of humanity from arthas... until his final moment. it also plays a bit into what you said about him wearing the helmet the entire time, because arthas was meant to be dehumanized, to not have any humanity left in him, but we discover that he still does, just as you point out with his posture too. in his final moments, the helmet gets removed too, making him "human" again. also im not sure i would agree with his pose, standing before the awakening dragon, means regret, but thats maybe something you would need to know the lore for. to me, this pose speaks of his sheer determination. hes not looking back at his actions, literally and figuratively, the cruel actions that made him become the lich king, that needed iron determination even when he was human still.

[@Skrayray]

mate your videos are awesome! cant wait to see you watching the next cinematics!

[@Argonaut1ka]

I'm going through and watching these after seeing you react to the War Within one. Your analysis is really on point and insightful, really interesting to see, evocative of a passionate teacher.

[@Shosara]

The amazing thing about the Arthas/Anduin Scene that i have not seen many people pick up on is the difference in how they wield their respective weapons. Anduin is conflicted, he is unstable and his weapon wobbles around like crazy, there is no confiction until thrall pressed his chest against it, which finally calms the unstead blade/hand of anduin, which is the moment at which he stops circling down and finds his conviction again. In this cinematic with Arthas, Frostmourne (the name of the Sword) is the anchor, the focus and it is unmoving, it does not move a single pixel whenever it is in focus, because the weapon is in control here and has full control over arthas.

[@AkridianRU]

This cinematic narrator is King Terenas Menetil, Arthas's father. You need to check Warcraft 3 cinematic where Arthas becomes the king.

[@krikukiks]

I like when cinematics tell a story, and this one tells two! Perfectly overlaid each other so that it makes you wonder: what the hell happened for things to take such a bad turn. Good video

[@Botzz]

I can't wait when there is a lich king movie

[@bronks1200]

I always thought blizzard keeps making those Arthas/ Anduin connections was not to show what Anduin might become, but more to show who Arthas could have been. Arthas fell easily and quickly while Anduin endorses, he’s mentally stronger than Arthas.

[@Mckudenomg]

more than a decade... I still get goosebumps with that "you shall be king" ... what a damn good cinematic.

[@Nightstalker314]

Since you mentioned it before - especially in the original (Vanilla) first cinematic: They used to show the (potential) player characters in these cinematics to lure people in. But: With this cinematic and expansions they started to focus more and more on the main lore/story characters (that you don't get to control) and it became a bit of a spectacle over the years. I hope they return to the concept of the early cinematics once again to push the sense of adventure and exploring.

[@aldohan6746]

At the end of this expansion the players defeat the Lich King and Arthas dies. There's an ingame cinematic showing this, it's pretty cool. If you want to watch it it's called "Fall of the Lich King Ending Remastered (World of Warcraft Cinematic)"

[@stars_overhead]

I've seen a lot of lore comments about the parallels between Arthas and Anduin - princes of their kingdoms, both sworn to the light, Arthas being corrupted by Ner'zhul - but here's a bit I've yet to see anyone talk about. The sword Arthas holds is named Frostmourne. Frostmourne is a weapon known as a runeblade. There are very few *actual* runeblades in Warcraft lore, but Frostmourne in specific is a type of runeblade called a Mourneblade - which means it has a specific type of runic magic imbued into it with souls used in the forging process. Mourneblades have the ability to actually shear off sections of soul, which changes their victims permanently. These Mourneblades can only be made, at the moment, in the Shadowlands - the Warcraft version of the Afterlife. Anduin's sword, which he holds in the War Within trailer, was once his father Varian's. Varian wielded it until the moment of his death, and the part-circle near the hilt held a red-orange, almost fire-like glow that went out when Varian died. When Anduin took it up, that circle gained the gold-white glow of the Light - or at least it did, until the Jailer used Domination magic to bind Anduin to his will and forged Anduin's inherited sword into a Mourneblade, instilled with the sheared, twisted, Dominated soul of Arthas and turning its glow that sickly blue-green-white. Anduin fought back against the Domination and, in the end, the fragment of Arthas that remained faded into nonexistence - but Anduin has been left with the echoes of not only what he did while under another's power, but the vestiges of Arthas that he felt through his Mourneblade. We don't know if his sword is still a Mourneblade or not, but we can see that it no longer carries the glow of the Light.

[@yaboi5047]

My man realizing levels of anduin/ arthas was just like leo on the. Couch meme. Love it!

[@akariaTXreaper]

Arthas was once crown prince of Lordaeron, and a paladin of the light. He'd always been a bit arrogant and hot-headed, but he tried to temper that and had good in his heart. When the plague of undeath came to Lordaeron and started turning people into undead Arthas chased down the cause the it, eventually leading him to the large city of Stratholme. Here he saw the entire city had been infected with the plague, and all the citizens would turn to undead soon. He made the decision to purge the entire city of life, to kill everyone by his hands, rather then let them serve the Scourge in death. A lot of his soldiers, including his lover and his mentor turned away from him, not agreeing with this decision of killing all the people in the city. Arthas did so and discovered a demon named Mal'ganis who supposedly orchestrated these events. Mal'ganis retreated, taunting Arthas and drawing him to the frozen lands of Northrend, and eventually spread rumors of a powerful artifact, a weapon called Frostmourne. As Arthas was already feeling weakened by the powers of light leaving him (the light left him over the doubt and regret of his decision at Stratholme), he decided this weapon would help him kill Mal'ganis. He found the sword and discovered it was cursed from a warning on the dias it rested on. "I would gladly bear any curse to save my homeland." as he picked up the sword, it killed his allies around him, and claimed his soul. He killed Mal'ganis with the sword, but the sword enslaved his will to the Lich King. Arthas turned his men into an undead army by slaughtering then and raising them in undeath. He then traveled back home, where he killed his own father, and used his army to destroy the rest of his land, turning it into a wasteland of the undead. Arthas then traveled to the Frozen Throne (as seen at the beginning of this cinematic), to the Lich King Ner'zhul's icy prison. He used Frostmourne to shatter the ice, letting the remains of Ner'zhul and his helmet collapse onto the floor. Arthas took up the helmet and dawned it himself, merging the remnants of Arthas' soul with that of Ner'zhul, making them the new Lich King.

[@SoulHuN7eR]

Before sitting on the throne frozen for 5 years, the Warcraft 3 games happened. It's the continuation of the classic orcs vs humans game i believe you mentioned you played in the past. There is actually a great cinematic leading to the beginning of the events of that expansion. I guess other people must have mentioned it by now. What I want to emphasize yet again are the animated shorts which you should absolutely react to. A lot of character development there. For reference: Lords of War before the Warlords of Draenor cinematic. Harbingers before the Legion cinematic. Warbringers before Battle for Azeroth. Afterlives before Shadowlands. Finally Legacies before Dragonflight. @PhilipHarts

[@Enigma1788]

Aside from my previous comment about the history of Arthas: This is also the expansion that adds in ending cinematics for the first time. From this point forward, every final boss in an expansion has a cutscene that plays when the boss is defeated. There are also now major story cutscenes after key moments and quests in the main campaign for that expansion, as well as Quality on these vary as some use the in game graphics engine, some are comic book style slideshows/motion comics, and others are even full on cinematic style cutscenes in the style of the intro cinematics. Several of the expansions also now have teasers that give an overview of some of the key characters within that expansion (such as the Warbringers shorts seen in Battle for Azeroth) You'll want to watch these as well 👍

[@Curby6565]

"What happened to Arthas?" Ooooooh boy. You're gonna wanna take a seat for that story!

[@GailsonPvPwtf]

One other detail about the overlapping sword poses, you can see Anduin recoils as he does it. like he hasn't yet escaped the influence of death. Another aspect I noticed as you slow it down as he's plunging the sword, you can see him adjust his grip before he does it.

[@axelvifrancia7873]

There’s an aspect I would like to share about. We have the voice of Artha’s father that he can’t hear and us that he can’t see. The character feels not present but somewhere else. When come the scene with the sword pointing at us there’s of course the double meaning with his father words, but also an other one, he threaten us but doesn’t even realise it, he doesn’t realise anymore the threat he is. Just after we come to know he did that to get the power on his sword, showing ones more that his mind is somewhere else (litteraly), that’s how i interpret also the fact that he doesn’s look to the dragon, he do what he have to do and his mind is busy to listen something or someone else, at least somewhere else, that’t why he look at the sky at the end, at this moment we wander if he can hear his father last word or if once again he’s somewhere else with someone else. I greatly appreciated your vidéo !