**LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING** First Time Reaction

[@mikelmcknight72]

No one who read the books complained about Eowyn killing the Witch King. It was earned, and it is straight from the books. We freaking cheered.

[@michaelortiz1561]

Ye it's weird hearing ppl complain about that

[@nooneimportant9139]

Exactly. I don't remember anyone complaining at all. (Is this guy even old enough to be old enough when it came out to know?)

[@nemesisnick66]

her hand gets burned just like marys doubt it has anything to do with being a man or woman more like just no one ever had the opportunity to try 🤷‍♂️

[@chilibreath]

That scene was definitely in the books. Whoever called that badass scene "woke" (then and now) never read the books.

[@gryphonvert]

@@chilibreath The term "woke" wasn't around back then, either; I think the parlance of the day would have been "SJW" or something. At any rate, I don't actually remember it being a huge deal. All the book fans were HYPED to see that scene in the movies. The only drawback is that due to some of the things the films cut, you don't get the full story about that prophecy re. who can and can't kill the Witch King. But again, all the LOTR fans watching the movie knew and anticipated it.

[@jedililou2178]

the extended editions are a MUST watch. i, personally, would watch them if you uploaded them to youtube.

[@defcon9999999]

Same

[@kennethmclaughlin7574]

Same same

[@washiro4985]

Same same same

[@nick422742]

Same same same same

[@EthanMallonee]

Yes, they need to!

[@gabthegreat01]

I believe Bernard Hill (Theoden) said that riding up a line of spears with his sword and shouting ‘Death!’ at the top of his lungs was the highlight of his career!

[@superblahman]

Rest in Peace King.

[@kyrabergen3553]

Apparently it was also really hard, because Bernard Hill was a leftie but he had to use his right hand for the sword thing.

[@bloodyneptune]

I love the addition of shouting "death", because thats exactly what Sauron uses to hold power over men; the fear of death. He's twisted Erus Gift into something to be feared, but by embracing it and yelling "death" at Saurons army, they're showing them he holds no power over them, and they accept it as the gift it was meant to be. Its like they're shedding his power over men thats lingered for ages. Its really an excellent touch

[@AnarchHive]

It's definitely better than crashing a cruise liner into an iceberg.

[@anairsta6507]

He had to get a new sword after that moment because he broke one of them

[@Courier_Seven]

I will die on the hill that this is the greatest trilogy ever made. I've watched hundreds of reactions to these films and it never gets old seeing someone new enjoy their magic.

[@Hjnii23A]

You will not die alone brother, right there with you.

[@EskChan19]

Yeah, for sure.

[@IdocarebutIdont]

It is the most complete and consistent trilogy. You could pick any movie and make valid arguments to why it's the best one out of the three.

[@flywoodpaperplanes]

3:48 The ring actually did try to tempt Sam but it was offering him the biggest garden in Middle Earth (or something along those lines), and Sam’s like “I cant maintain that!😅”

[@sortastupid]

Sam stays winning

[@roxtechs]

Sam’s laziness out here saving the world.

[@brabbit736]

He's just being realistic lol​@@roxtechs

[@SpiralSine6]

@@roxtechs unironically yes. The Ring focuses on temptations and desires. Hobbits are ideal bearers because they’re a lot more chill than men, elves, dwarves etc.

[@MutatedFaith]

@@SpiralSine6 The Ring: "I will give you all you ever desired...." Hobbits: "I'm already eating second breakfast bro, I'm good."

[@Eeyoretheemo]

So the undying lands is basically heaven(in a really simple way( the gods live there. The reason frodo left was his wound could never fully heal and in the undying lands he could finally be at peace. Sam lived a full life with Rosie until she died, then he traveled to the undying lands himself as he was technically a ring barrier. Merry and pippen were buried next to aragorn and legolas and gimli traveled together on a ship legolas built to the undying lands (the only dwarf to do so i believe)...thank you for coming to my ted talk.

[@willowarkan2263]

a good succinct way to describe the undying lands is in the Silmarillion: "For it is not the land of Manwë that makes its people deathless, but the Deathless that dwell therein have hallowed the land"

[@rogueninja12345]

Hope the homies see this one for the complete closure

[@6666Imperator]

one difference between our heaven and the undying lands however is that also actually alive elves live there and it is still on Earth (Arda), but a place that is not reachable by man or living Noldor-Elves (Galadriel, etc) due to the actions before. Also this heaven is a place for elves to dwell in living and after death specifically. The god of Middle Earth (Eru Illuvatar) designed mankind in a way that their souls actually travel onwards and do not stay in Arda after death.

[@willowarkan2263]

@@6666Imperator the ban of the noldor was lifted at minimum by the third age. Galadriel is a bit of an edge case, plus she wasn't willing to leave as long as the power of the rings held anyway.

[@6666Imperator]

@willowarkan2263 is it? I only heard of cases where they go because they are tired and without intention to going back to Middle Earth once they returned to the undying lands. Unless you factor in Rings of Power, I guess (which I don't). But maybe I overlooked or forgot something thats possible

[@joshuadunn2]

Not defending Denethor, but something skipped or skimmed over in the movies is that Minas Tirith also had one of those black seeing stones that Saruman used to communicate with Sauron. Denethor was influenced in the same way, but he didn't bend the knee like Saruman did. So Sauron broke his will by showing Denethor the full extent of what he was up against. Man lost hope so hard he basically went nuts and started doing everything he could to save his kingdom when he knew it was hopeless.

[@Serevuin]

Came down here to the comments to mention it as well. Not all corruption turns men into evil monsters. Denethor and his line fought against the orcs and defended men for generations, and Sauron eventually broke his iill and made him feel as if he was doomed.

[@joshuadunn2]

Also, I'm pretty sure Faramir's mother died giving birth to him, so when the worst of Denethor came out, that might be an explanation for all the "Faramir hate."

[@Arsenov92]

Palentir is the name of it.

[@6666Imperator]

Denethor and his line also led the city and kingdom after the last king rode out to duel the Witchking, never to return.

[@DylVan-k8y]

Also durning a flashback in 2nd movie from farimir showing borimir recapturing the river city. We see denathor tell them that the ring was found and a council on what do to with it was being held in Rivendell. No one told Gondor about that or the secret meeting. He saw/foresaw it from the Palentir. That’s how he actually knew of it and sent his son as a representative.

[@LoryLilyBomber]

3:39 i remember hearing that when Sam has the ring in the book, the ring finds no ambition to tempt him with. The best it can come up with is turning Middle Earth into the largest, grandest garden ever, to which Sam decides it sounds nice, but it would be too much work to maintain. I love Sam

[@cameronmarzzarella3250]

God I need to read the books. That sounds amazing. 😂

[@theradicalginger3060]

That is the single most awesome and hilarious thing to me an all powerful ring connected to an all powerful entity of sorts and all it can tempt samwise with is a massive garden and he's like pfft nah 😂

[@Big_Tex]

What’s cool is, Sam actually wears the ring for a time, and it’s the one time Tolkien explores what that’s like, it’s affect on senses and perceptions. There is no flaming eye, but Sam is concealed by rock from Sauron’s line of sight. Sam has enough good sense to take it off before he’s exposed to line of sight from Sauron’s tower.

[@hiddendesire3076]

Straight up denied the temptation that ruined so many, did end up with the greatest and grandest garden in the end, and had a huge family with the love of his life through his devotion and strength.

[@IamLegend256]

To give you guys some context: In the books: At the Battle of Pelennor Fields, Gondor has roughly 7,000 men protecting the city of Minas Tirith and Rohan has 6,000 riders. The Witch-King has as many as 100,000 orcs. Gondor is actually much stronger in the books than they are in the movies. The army of Gondor is actually quite spread out when the siege begins. Aragorn only uses the Army of the Dead to take over the corsair ships and then as they are sailing to Minas Tirith, they stop at several ports and pick up as many Gondorian soldiers as they possibly can. Peter Jackson made the creative decision to make the situation in Minas Tirith more desperate so that when Aragorn arrives, Aragorn arrives as the savior if the city. When Aragorn leads the Army of the Men of the West to the Black Gates, Minas Tirith is not left unprotected. The city is actually even more fortified after the siege than it was before. And the city was only being used as a military garrison, there weren't any civilians left. And as soon as the orcs break down the gates to the city, Rohan arrives. So the orcs don't actually breach the city. When the Oliphaunts arrive at the Battle of Pelennor Fields, Rohan has no choice but to charge head on at them. They can't retreat to the city because then the orcs that they just routed would be able to regroup. And they didn't really have any time to do any flanking because of how fast the oliphaunts were moving. So they did the only thing that they could do and that was take them head on. Plus, they also knew that Aragorn was on his way with reinforcements. So they just had to hold out long enough for Aragorn to arrive. When they march on the Black Gate, they have no idea if Frodo is alive or not. The last news they received was that Frodo was taking the road to the Morgul Vale. And they also knew that Sauron didn't have the ring. So they marched on the Black Gate to distract Sauron on the off chance that Frodo had made it inside Mordor. Sauron also never believed that anyone would try and destroy the ring, so when Aragorn arrives at the Black Gate, Sauron thinks Aragorn has it. Aragorn is a decesdent of the man that cut the ring off of Sauron. That is why Sauron sent his entire army to confront them. Aragorn ends up ruling Gondor for 120 years before dying at 210 years old. During his reign, he and Eomer led Gondor and Rohan on many military quests together. They conquered Corsair, destroyed the Haradrim, and any remnants of the orcs. Aragorn reestablished the Kingdom of Arnor, the shire is basically in the middle of Arnor, and became High King of the Reunited Kingdom. Aragorn also forever banned the race of men from ever entering the shire. After he died, Arwen died 1 year later from a broken heart. Sam went on to become the Thane of the Shire, basically Mayor, serving 7 7-year terms. Nearing his death, he was granted passage to Valinor and was reunited with Frodo, because he was a ring-bearer. Merry and Pippin both became very influential in the Shire, Merry was made a Knight of Rohan, Pippin was made a Knight of Gondor. When both of them died, they were buried next to Aragorn and Arwen. Gimli created a dwarf settlement in the Glittering Caves, the caves behind Helm's Deep where the women and children hid during the battle. Gimli and the dwarves of Erebor rebuilt the Deeping Wall of Helm's Deep, as well as the Gates of Minas Tirith. They rebuilt the gates with mithril. Which is stronger than dragon scales, so they would never be breached again. When Gimli was close to death, Legolis and Gimli built a boat and sailed to Valinor. Faramir ended up marrying Eowen. Aragorn made Faramir a Prince, as well as Steward of Gondor. Eomer becomes King of Rohan and marries the daughter of Prince Imrahil. In the movies Imrahil is the Gondorian with a dark cape and no helmet, he has a couple of speaking lines in ROTK. Imrahil is the Prince of Dol Amroth, which is an important port city south of Minas Tirith. The dwarves of Erebor eventually went on to resettle Khazad-dum. Tolkien envisioned our present day as like the 6th or 7th age of Man. To him, the events of Lord of the Rings happened tens of thousands of years ago. C.S. Lewis, who wrote The Chronicles of Narnia, actually helped Tolkien with creating the Lord of the Rings. Tolkien would regularly talk to Lewis about what he wanted to do in the books and Lewis would give him feedback. And funny enough, C.S. Lewis was the person that convinced Tolkien to become a Christian. I can keep going but this long enough as is. If anyone has more questions, comment and I will respond as quickly as I can.

[@jacobprevenas1703]

This is a great summary! I forgot a lot of the details about the battle of Pelennor Fields, and it’s great to see such a concise explanation. However, I do have to correct you on Tolkien and Lewis: C.S. Lewis had become an atheist as a young man, but later found his faith again through his friendship with Tolkien (a lifelong Catholic) and the other Inklings. Tolkien was somewhat infamously annoyed with Lewis when he chose to join the Anglican Church instead of Catholicism. Lewis later on wrote several books of theology from a (highly studied) layman’s perspective, while Tolkien preferred to keep his faith as a private matter (mostly known to us through his letters with colleagues and friends) and as an indirect inspiration for his writings.

[@thetej1098]

Commenting to read tomorrow in the morning

[@hiddendesire3076]

1:06:13 In all fairness, many today don’t understand the significance of both the Prophecy of the Witch King of Angmar or the Blade obtained at the Burrow Downs that was designed to severe the protective magic of the Witch King and his Burrow Wrights. The seer’s prophecy holds true though in the end either way. A hobbit, a being not of the race of man, severed his protective magic, while a woman delivered the final strike. Granted even an Oliphant falling on him after his protection was broken would’ve fulfilled the prophecy.

[@kayshinae9023]

It was a very Macbeth-y thing for Tolkien to slip into the story. "No man of woman born," and the deed gets done by a guy who was removed by C-section! Literally 😆

[@stingerbrg]

@@kayshinae9023 Both this and the Ents/Hurons were because Tolkien was disappointed with how Macbeth did "no man of woman born" and "walking trees".

[@cerberushound955]

Beat me to it lol

[@byte_world]

@@kayshinae9023 there was a demon In Hinduism who has a boon where “no man can kill him”. Knowing this, Sri Krishna (who is a god) takes his wife Satyabhama to the battle “to watch”. When Sri Krishna gets knocked unconscious (or he pretends to, I don’t remember exactly) the demon gets killed by Satyabhama. And that’s the lore behind Diwali

[@willowarkan2263]

One point of correction, the hobbits, while a distinct group in middle earth are still counted among the race of men. There are only 3 groups of humanoid beings, the 2 children of Iluvatar and those he adopted, the Elves, men and the dwarves made by Aulë. Similarly the Orcs are kind of counted among the race of elves, though neither side would much like that statement and they sure don't hold each other akin, although the lore there is a bit murkier. Pippin didn't kill the witch king, as he is a male member of the race of men, though not of the tall men, the prophecy never stated that the witch king wouldn't be made vulnerable by a man, just that he would not be killed by one. While the actual death blow came from a woman.

[@Random_Guy_20xx]

The extended editions are ,to me, THE definitive edition. It adds SO MUCH LORE and context to characters.

[@CyberDalek17]

Yes Especially that the extended gives us a satisfying ending to Saruman and Wormtongue as well being an homage to Christopher Lee's Dracula with having him be impaled

[@theamazingg3773]

Except I feel for his movie the extended edition ruins the pacing and the whole plot with the ghost soldiers. There is no suspense in the final battle because we know they are coming in the extended edition

[@marcolechuga5292]

Yeah, the extended ruins the pacing and spoils a lot of the great moments. Theyre nice for a rewatch tho

[@DragnS1n]

After I watched the extended editions including the hobbit I refuse to go back to theatrical

[@SDfan2002]

I prefer the theatrical editions because they keep a better flow of pace.

[@sunnstrider]

Return of the King swept the Oscars for the entire trilogy.

[@MrBiochronic]

Back when oscars werent an open scam.

[@michaelwolf7840]

People thought the i am no man thing was cringy because they didnt really explain the reason why a man cant kill him. The profecy said he would not be killed by a man so he would have always know that he can not be killed by a man. Another thing they dont explain about his death is if it wasnt for merry she wouldnt have been able to kill him. By stabbingg him in the leg with the elvish blade that he was given by galadriel it broke the spell that was keeping him immortal therefore stabbing him in the face would definetly kill him and it was not a man that did it.

[@ArturZmienko]

ppl should not yap theirs gums if they are to lazy to atleast google this if not read books

[@omni-nerdno7191]

Nerdy correction but it's not meant to be the elvish dagger its meant to be the sword aragorn gives him which is meant to be the sword they get from the barrow downs. It's a relic from the kingdom of anor and the dunedain

[@michaelwolf7840]

I know but that's a deeper part of the lore, if you watch the extended version you see him get the dagger so in the peter Jackson interpretation it was the dagger

[@michaelwolf7840]

@@ArturZmienko well all this information isn't in the lord of the rings trilogy books you need to dive deep to know the whole story

[@tilltronje1623]

No, they hate women. Stop trying to sugar coat it. People who cry "woke" do not care about nerdy sword magic explanations

[@SaraTiggs]

If for no other reason than to watch their reaction to the scene with the Mouth of Sauron, I NEED to watch them react to the extended edition. It's such a crime that that scene was cut in the theatrical version.

[@Ovilagallantcyr]

Saruman’s scene is worst for me

[@CrimsonRevenant666]

Every Orc extra actor, was allowed to completely customize their appearance, given tables of random props.

[@willcline5918]

Sam being hesitant to give the Ring back to Frodo wasn't because he wanted to keep it for himself. Sam was just disturbed at how Frodo was reacting to him having it (how it's corrupted him) and wasn't sure if giving it back to him was the best idea. It was out of an instinct to protect him

[@JeM130177]

Well tbf I think the director wanted Sean Astin to play it like he wanted it but Sean didn’t like it so he tried to make it ambiguous enough that it could be interpreted differently..and good for him I agree 😂

[@gryphonvert]

@@JeM130177 Also, the hesitation fits in with the book -- the Ring does try to tempt Sam. So you have to like, give it a moment to convey that. (As said above: the only thing the Ring can find to tempt Sam with is like... with the Ring he could make Middle Earth the biggest, best garden ever. And Sam is like... well, that sounds like way too much to manage, no thanks. And thus ended Sam being tempted by the Ring.)

[@MrGBH]

Merry and Pippin's growth from foolish adventurers to respected heroes may be my favourite part of these movies.

[@Adrianne519]

@@MrGBH Me too! They didn’t have any idea what they were getting into when they literally bumped into Frodo and Sam. But they saw their friends in danger and wanted to help. That’s why the extended versions are so much better because they dive way more into Merry & Pippin’s growth.

[@Bokugo1]

Sam was not the only person to hold the ring and give it back to Frodo. Boromir did that too

[@gloomygloomstalker3878]

^ This! He may have fallen to its corruption but so does everyone at the important moment, the ring corrupts absolutely and those who manage to snap out before the end are impressive!

[@Random_Guy_20xx]

​@@gloomygloomstalker3878and then theres tom.

[@gloomygloomstalker3878]

@ we don’t talk about Tom here, mans is an enigma XD

[@zacharyjamesdixon]

I ALWAYS bring that up when I watch this with someone that hasn’t seen it before. It’s important lol

[@brianalambert1192]

Something that I think is very touching with this story is that one of Tolkien's inspirations was his experience in war and the friends he had. The end of the movie, the hobbits return home but they still carry the weight of everything they've seen and done. The idea that you don't just get to live happily ever after; you're going to be haunted. The movie leaves some stuff out of the books, but I really appreciate them sitting at the table in the pub and the looks they exchange. They have an empty look in their eyes where you know they're somewhere else right now. No words need to be said, you just get it

[@cemiller]

I always think im gonna get through return of the king without crying then i get hit with 'you bow to no one' and the end. Everytime.

[@captcrunch1358]

Yes to re-watching the series for the extended edition! It's shocking how noticeable the extra scenes are. Thank you all though for giving the series a watch! It's my favorite movies on my favorite reaction channel. It's like I got a christmas present from you, haha.

[@amberbucknall3072]

I’m so here for that. I love showing people the extended version to people who haven’t experienced it ❤. Please

[@KnightGuardian-u4t]

42:02 so if my memory serves me correctly there is a KZbinr that broke down the amount of forces each side had at the battle of Minas Trith. Sauron’s forces had roughly between 75,000 - 95,000 orcs and evil men from the East. Gondor at this time since only had about 5-6k defending the city. They do have way more but Densthor in his despair and delusions refused to raise the rest of his army . If he did it’d be around similar numbers of Sauron’s ( so let’s be generous 80k). Now Rohan has roughly 6-7k Calvary army which is only half of their entire force( thanks to Saruman wreaking havoc in Rohan’s kingdom) So if we add everything up in this current battle here is the total for both sides : Gondor and Rohan: 13k-14k Sauron’s forces :75k to 95k And here’s one more piece of info that’ll really put things into perspective. This is only one battle raging right now . Sauron sent multiple armies to attack all the races of middle earth . The woodland elves(Legolas people were fighting a massive army the dwarves and men of Dale way up North at Erebor ( from the hobbit movies )were facing another huge force. All similar in size to the one happening in this film.

[@Joyful_Traitor]

I can't remember where I read it but I recall reading that Saurons army was 10 times the size of the force that attacked Helms Deep so your higher end of 95K sounds correct to me

[@LizabethRobinson]

And wasn’t there a battle going near Lorien also?

[@KnightGuardian-u4t]

@@LizabethRobinson I believe so . I know Galadriel led that one and level Dol goldur

[@jakubtrtilek9114]

I will be more and I mean MORE than happy to see you rewatch it in extended. Plus I rewatch them all the time

[@coreozurn4950]

The movie doesn't say it but Smeagol was not a good person before he saw the ring. He wasn't quite murderer level but a regular pos

[@malphone7940]

I am so bummed they didn't watch the extended version. The last scene of Sarumon is one of the best scenes and I was so wanting to see their reactions.

[@Commander_Shepard.]

Yeah that's the only scene that I wish the theatrical cut has. Other than that, theatrical cut is a good start for a newcomer.

[@cynicat74]

@@Commander_Shepard. I'd include the scene between Gandalf and the Witch King, too, simply because the latter doesn't really do much in the theatrical releases lol

[@kcojco]

I don’t understand why they didn’t watch the extended if they have them, some great scenes, M. O. S. More Eowyn.

[@cynicat74]

@@kcojco If one of them's already daunted by the prospect of a three-hour movie, I don't think extending it would make it more appealing lol

[@moonlitskylight5740]

​@@kcojcoIt's Ruff. He wasn't willing to do it at first.

[@samcrorie]

Definitely watch the extended edition. It's a must. Well worth it. Watch all the things LOL. Read the books including The Silmarillion. The Silmarillion is a big book but ut contains so much history and lore. If youre not up for reading it, get the audiobook.

[@captainobvious8949]

Lord of Lings?

[@SmokersStaircase]

I respect everyone riding for the extended edition in the comments, but how many of us saw the theatrical cut first as well? We all know the extended edition is the best, but let’s still appreciate how great the reaction is to these amazing films 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@SmokersStaircase]

Would also still gladly watch an extended edition reaction or reaction to anything else LOTR related. There’s also a Lord of the Rings cartoon movie from the same time period as that Hobbit cartoon

[@kevind4850]

Yeah, I watched them as they were first released in theaters (with a year between watches), then bought the DVDs, then the extended Blu Rays. The theatrical versions did whet my appetite to grab the extended versions as soon as they came out. Fine to watch the theatrical versions first - but they are one of the few movies that make you want to learn more so bad that you buy the extendeds (and the books).

[@mogwiawolf4354]

Fun fact after aragons death of old age his friends leave and legolas takes gimli to the undying lands as well making gimli the first dwarf to go to the elves home land and i liked that that both of them stayed with their friend to the end of his days and then went off together

[@dissolution9843]

I really recommend checking out the extra features! The behind-the-scenes production is one of the most well-documented and special things to witness. The comradery and adventure of the film crew is its own movie in its own right. Sometimes I'll go back and just watch the extra features for good vibes.

[@Towelgravy]

1:26:18 He's proud of his daughter and he's also proud of Aragorn. In the books, he was basically his teacher and father figure until he chose exile since he was afraid he would falter as his ancestor did. So he's looking at his former student who finally accepted his fate and saved the world... and his daughter is marrying the most eligible bachelor in middle earth. You are damn right he's proud.

[@joshjames582]

Eowyn killed the Witch King in the books, too. They go into more detail about the prophecy about his death and why Merry's knife hurt him. The regular cut movie gives zero explanation for that and the extended version gives an explanation but it's a bit different than the books.

[@revolutionary-pirate]

So glad you guys finally sat Ruff down to watch this series! Always a pleasure to revisit these movies I knew he'd love them. If you guys have never heard of it you should definitely see minecraft middle earth! It's one of the longest on going minecraft projects that's been in progress for almost 14 years now recreating middle earth in minecraft to scale. It's gorgeous! their website has a photo gallery and the server is open to visitors to explore

[@willythebeer]

Its always a treat watching people see the extended editions, the extended loveliness of the hobbits to the everything it does for Boromir. And the heartbreak of Christopher Lee

[@kayshinae9023]

My mother brought me up on LOTR; we had a dog named Frodo that was born the same day as me. The cartoons are SEARED into my memory. And going to the films in theater, including the world premiere of Return of the King, and even MEETING Andy Serkis, will always be some of the most favorite times in my life. When it came time for Andy to sign my Gollum poster, it was made out to Carol, my mother, and I framed it and gifted it to her for Christmas. Happy Holidays everyone, and thank you for the journey!

[@abigail_blair]

1:06:00 fun fact-Tolkien wrote Eowyn killing the Witch King as a direct response to his annoyance at Macbeth’s death, about whom it was prophesied that no man from woman born could kill. Tolkien believed it should have been a woman to kill Macbeth and so wrote Eowyn killing the Witch King, whom no man could kill.

[@FloppsyMoppsy79]

Dude, seriously, if I woke up after all that and the first thing I lay eyes on is the one guy I thought was dead you'd have a hard time convincing me I wasn't dead myself.

[@vikkajackson929]

The behind the scenes commentary is free on KZbin and incredible! Peter Jackson really did his best to honor Tolkens story, and its why these films have held up. Loved the reactions!

[@The_Jantof]

The boat at the end and the elven island is a metaphor that’s actualized in the world of Middle Earth. “Sailing to the West” is the equivalent of they are dying and going to heaven. Basically, Frodo, Bilbo, and Gandalf are being rewarded for their deeds by being allowed into elf heaven. Everyone on that boat was a Ring Bearer. Frodo and Bilbo bore the One Ring, and Elrond, Galadriel and Gandalf bore the Three Rings made for the elves. When it’s his time, Sam will be awarded the same honor since he also bore the One Ring, even if only for a short while. That’s why the other hobbits didn’t know Frodo was leaving. He didn’t tell them “Hey bros, come watch me die and go to heaven.”

[@Rmslennon]

As far as the actors, Sean Aston was definitely well known. He was in the Goonies like 15 years before (Rudy, etc). Orlando Bloom was an unknown…POTC didn’t come out until maybe the same year Return of the King came out? John Rhys-Davies was in Indiana Jones. Bernard Hill had been in Titanic among other things, Liv Tyler was well known. But none were considered a huge box office draw, for sure.

[@eviljbrian]

And Sean Astin's father (adopted when Sean was 3 years old) is John Asin, the OG Gomez Addams.

[@Rmslennon]

@ oh yeah - and his mom was Patti (sp?) Duke…who I watched on Nick at Nite, when they used to play all the old black and white shows in the late 80s.

[@amberbucknall3072]

@@Rmslennonloved nick at nite ❤

[@MrJamaigar]

26:37 Back then, when a feudal lord (king, governor, etc.) went to war, you'd follow him or be punished for treason. Those were your only choices. Refusal to fight, or even enlist, would make you a traitor; and for that crime, it was either prison (if you were lucky) or execution.

[@epaitech]

Aragorn and Arwen are the third joining of Númenóreans (the most noble race of Men) and Elves. In Lord of the Rings, Númenóreans had significantly longer lifespans than regular men, often living for around 3 times as long, while Elves are considered essentially immortal. While Elves can live for thousands of years, the Númenórean could live hundreds of years, with some roayl lifespans reaching closer to 400-500 years. The ancestors of the Númenóreans, were close allies of the Elves during the First Age; fighting alongside them against Morgoth (Sauron's master). The first King of Númenor, was half-elven, giving the Númenórean lineage a trace of Elvish blood. His father was a great human hero of the First Age and his mother was an elf princess. In the second age, the human Beren wed the elvish Lúthien (their stories are told in the Silmarillion). The second age ended when Morgoth's general, Sauron (first identified as a Necromancer) appeared and eventually had his body destroyed (seen in LoTR movies) The third age ends when Sauron's spirit is destroyed with the destruction of the one ring, the crowning of Aaragorn, and the marriage of Aragorn to Arwen. Gondor is what remains of the ancient Numenorean kingdom. The white tree of Minis Tirith mirrors the white tree of life in the Undying Lands which Morgoth destroyed in the first age. When all good in the world is gone, the white tree dies and only evil will remain.

[@willadeefriesland5107]

Looking on the official map of Middle Earth, see how far Rohan is from Gondor. Imagine getting stuck with the punishment duty station on top of a mountain, far away from either kingdom, ALWAYS waiting for a beacon fire, to light your own...

[@LukaBlight69]

Denethor is a POS, BUT he was corrupted by a Palentir; He wanted to gauge Mordor's army strength and what he saw mortified him. He also lost part of his sanity to his wife's death. What he did to Faramir was terrible, but he was a victim of Sauron's malice. Also Sam was not the first to willingly give up the ring; it was Bilbo, when Gandalf urged him to give it up back in Fellowship. Great reactions and I wish you doods a Happy holidays!

[@KayveePlays]

As I'll always say. Samwise Gamgee is the main character of the Lord of the Rings.

[@moopotatokimchi]

Hearing the discussion of how long to wait between movies makes me giggle. I didnt see the first in theatres. I was 7, and my parents werent sure i was old enough. But my 9 year old sister got to see them and i had FOMO so bad that they relented. I was there for every in theatre moment for all the others - my parents even pulled us from school to watch the day they came out. And every year since then, at least twice, i marathon all 3 extended. When we were in highschool we would host a movie marathon over the summer at our house, showing the films. I remember my younger sister sitting in the floor next to the dvd player, ready to pull the disc out the second side a continued to flip it over. She had it down to a science. Lord of the Rings is interwoven into so much of my childhood and now adulthood.

[@JCrushFitness]

Sam and Gimli also are allowed to go to the undying lands. Sam because he was a ring bearer for a short time while Frodo was poisoned by Shelob, and Gimli because of the hair strands he received from Galadriel

[@GaimeGuy]

Regarding the undying lands: It's basically the garden of eden, a paradise untainted by evil. Frodo spends months waking up with nightmares and PTSD from the ring, with Sam as his caretaker. Those who bore the one ring are too damaged spiritually to remain in middle earth, in this way. At the end, Frodo and Bilbo are basically going into hospice care to allow their weary spirits the peace they require in a pure, untainted land. It's the only place they can heal. Since sam also briefly carried the ring, he also sails to the undying lands like 70 years later, after Rosie dies. Oh, and when Legolas finally sails to the undying lands, he gets permission to bring Gimli with him.

[@Courier_Seven]

1:27:25 this is physically the highest point of Gondor, so in this moment those four hobbits quite literally stood taller than anyone in the kingdom, including the king himself.

[@danerixgames]

My body is ready for the extended version!

[@danielsbar373]

I'd love to rewatch you all watching through all the Extended Editions. IMO it's the only way to watch it.

[@hiddendesire3076]

1:37 For Orlando Bloom, it was about $125,000. I don’t remember if that was just for one film or all three, but he was also just starting his filming career.

[@adambulmash6880]

He’s also said he would do the movies again for half that amount. Also if one considers the amount of money they all made in sheer exposure, it’s *a lot more.* Every person attached to these movies had their careers made by them.

[@charlesbaldwin3166]

Sean Astin had been an actor since he was kid in the 80's. Historical note on the actor's commentary track for Goonies, Sean disappears half way through it, and at one point the other people wonder where he is. He had ducked out of the room to take the call about getting the role of Sam.

[@amberbucknall3072]

I love little nuggets like t. Thank you

[@karmehed]

There are some interesting theories about the ending at mount doom. One is that it is actually physically impossible to willingly throw the ring into mount doom that it's will to survive is too great for anyone to manage it and it had to be gollum who accidentally fell into the fire with the ring. Also the fact that there are 3 eagles coming to mount Doom suggest that Gandalf had hoped that Gollum had actually managed to redeem himself and he hoped to save him.

[@cronus-kumo]

Fun fact: There was a gofundme which raised 1.8 billion dollars to build the city Minas Tirith in real life in a 1:1 scale

[@willadeefriesland5107]

Sooo... did SOMEBODY say "...fishing is boring."? Not if you're hobbit sized...😁

[@mannequinmar20]

1:27:53 2 hobbits destroyed the ring and defeated Sauron, 1 was crucial in defeating the Witch King, and the last saved the last of the Steward's line. The last 2 are also the reason Sarumon fell and were the first to charge the armies that came out of the Black Gate

[@jacobbosecker6916]

Pippin also has a kill assist on Gandalf.

[@mannequinmar20]

@jacobbosecker6916 which was essential for Gandalf to become powerful enough to defeat Saruman

[@SilvershotStudios]

MERRY F*CKING CHRISTMAS. I'm about to finish up cooking my Christmas dinner for one, and this is exactly what I needed to have to watch while I eat- hope everyone in the reaction community has a great start to the new year.

[@rhylin26]

1:24:50 The third eagle with Gandalf was supposed to be for Sméagol. 😢

[@flywoodpaperplanes]

1:06:07 The funny thing about this is that Tolkien was so disappointed with the ending of Macbeth that “no man born of a woman” prophecy turned out to be a man born from cesarean instead of it actually being “no man” like a woman. Tolkien was woke before woke was even a thing people should put respect on the name

[@Zando91]

Great reaction Billy’s! This is an amazing trilogy. But in the words of Lord Denethor “Boromir would have watched the extended editions” 😂😂

[@spencergrady4575]

Sam deserves ALL of the praise he gets, but I always feel Frodo doesn't get enough. Granted, we never hear an internal monologue, so there's only so much to pick up on a cursory watch, but the Ring was a physical, emotional, and mental weight; for him to make it as far as he did, (yes with Sam's, Gollum's, and Smeagol's help) is a testament to his fortitude. Tolkien has stated that no living being could have dropped the Ring at that point in Mt. Doom, where the Ring's will was at its absolute strongest and most desperate. From a movie standpoint, it even shows Sam briefly struggling to hand the Ring back after having it no more than an hour, in an attempt to showcase just how powerful it had become.

[@theLEGENDisLIVE]

I agree my friend

[@JCrushFitness]

This is the first movie I’ve noticed you aren’t watching the extended editions. There’s some really good scenes that didn’t make it in this version

[@checkm88]

Keep in mind the last time Frodo saw Gandalf, he died in Moria. And he and Sam accepted they were going to die on the volcano. So the first thing he probably thought was "either I'm dead and this is the afterlife or I'm hallucinating"

[@eviljbrian]

There is plenty that happened after this. The Undying Lands are usually reserved for dieties and elves, however very few non-elves were permitted passage. Bilbo and Frodo were ringbearers, and Frodo hasn't healed fully from his wound from the first movie, and they were permitted passage to heal from the ring's influence. There was one more battle, and it was to liberate the Shire after Wormtongue took over. Sam married Rosie and had 13 children, and was elected Mayor of the Shire for almost 40 years. He passed the Book of the Hobbit to his children, and he was given passage on a ship tot he Undying Lands to be reunited with Frodo, as he was a ringbearer for a short while. Aragorn begame King Elissar and ruled for 122 years until his death at age 210. Arwen passed a year after. Merry and Pippin returned to the Shire, but they still travelled to both Gondor and Rohan. They were buried in each respective kingdom until Aragorn's passing, in which they were entombed alongside him. Gimli became Lord of the Glittering Caves - a large cave in the back of Minas Tirith (where the civilians took shelter during the battle) as it was revealed to contain a massive deposit of Mithril. He went on adventures with Legolas for many years. When Legolas boarded the final ship tot he Undying Lands, Gimli was also permitted passage, due to his close friendship with Legolas, along with the blessing that Lady Galadriel gave him when they first met.

[@SixFour0391]

19:20 100% Watch the Extended Editions!!! We're here for it!! So much more story to soak in!!

[@MikeKat11]

“My friends…you bow to no one.” Gets me EVERY time.

[@theviewfromsixfeetunder6565]

The sad part about Elrond is that he's a half-elf as well. All Elves are immortal...even at death they return to the Halls of Mandos to await rebirth. They're an old, tired race but they're always promised a chance to reunite with loved ones. Half-Elves are different because they're given a choice to either live a mortal life and die a mortal death or live an eternal life. Elrond's brother chose the mortal path and he's suffered a lot of death over the years. He knows that Arwen choosing mortality means he will never, ever see her again. She'll never see her mother again (Celebrian who sailed to the West long ago) or either of her brothers, Elladan or Elrohir. It's tough, but a lot of the reason he acts hard is thousands of years of grief.

[@emilylewis5373]

The story behind the undying lands. The undying lands is basically elf heaven. Elves can’t really die, (unless they fade which is a whole thing), they get reincarnated into the undying lands. However they can also just leave for the undying lands (really complicated but shorthand). Non-elves aren’t allowed, but for Frodo and bilbo, they had poison in their mind from the ring that would never heal, and going to the dying lands would basically heal that poison (for Frodo the knife wound from the first movie especially would never heal and always be poisoning him). They are not immortal but will basically pass peacefully of without pain. Now Arwen is interesting because by choosing to stay (because she is actually half elf), she is giving up immortality and will never be allowed to go to the undying lands. She will die a mortal and not reincarnate. Which is why Elrond didn’t want her to stay.

[@kevind4850]

This is one of those movies that makes it worthwhile to buy a projector, a great quality sound system, and paint a big wall white. And yeah, the extended editions add a lot more understanding of things skipped in the short theatrical version (and even then, they don't seem anything like as long as they are).

[@robhope1119]

One wild thing that got changed from the books (if im remembering correctly...feel free to correct me) but im pretty certain that aragorn literally got the reforged sword as he set out with the fellowship from rivendale (so in the books he had the sword basically the entire time)

[@nicklancial7103]

Just some info: Frodo and Bilbo were the first to go to the undying islands mainly because they were the ringbearer's the longest and neither of them would've found peace in middle earth but eventually everyone from the fellowship save Aragorn Pippin and Merry went to the undying lands: Sam was able to go when he got old enough because even though it was brief he did bear the ring and fought off it's temptation and Gimli went because Legolas invited him out of their strong friendship after Aragorn's death making him the only dwarf to ever go there ....apparently Merry and Pippin moved to Gondor at some point and were highly respected

[@chilibreath]

Eowyn and Faramir met in the infirmary at Gondor and eventually got married. The book version had Frodo and his fellow hobbits have to deal with "Sharkey" taking over their Shire. Turns out it was Saruman--banished from Isengard--trying to get himself settled into the Shire as a new overlord. He was eventually fatally stabbed by Wormwood. The extended cut had a different interpretation of Saruman's death. I hope you guys get to watch the Hobbit trilogy next.

[@dodoarsenalfc]

1:13:00 he almost didn't give the ring because he knows what frodo is becoming and what the ring made him do, not because he wants it for himself, but he doesn't want frodo to suffer

[@patch5383]

Honestly I would be so down to watch you guys watch the extended editions after these, even if you only show us highlights and the new bits. Its would be really interesting to see your thoughts on it!

[@EvelyntMild]

I would absolutely watch an extended edition reaction!

[@foxfirelives6677]

Unpopular opinion but I'm glad you guys didn't watch the extended editions. The theatrical cuts are the better movies (sorry but yes, they are) and I think the extended cuts are just confusing if you haven't read the books. The extended versions are just better on a rewatch, because you get bonus scenes, but as objective movies, their pacing is all off and they waste a lot of time and ruin certain surprises. A lot of the added jokes are kinda lame too. You guys should someday watch the extended cuts, but as a LotR lover, I approve of you not watching them for your first watch.

[@jonasgustafsson9807]

Hard agree, the extended cuts are awful as a first time experience

[@erikbyrge2024]

Merry Christmas Sorta Stupid Crew!

[@cobrallama6236]

I remember crying three times when I was a teenager. The first time was in front of my mother, the second time was in front of my first girlfriend, and the third time was in the theater during the entire last 40 minutes of The Return of the King. I couldn't stop crying, it was just nonstop tears. But unlike the other two times, these were from pure catharsis and not sorrow.

[@hiddendesire3076]

1:24:04 Apparently it depends on the type of lava. There is volcano in the world that has “cold” lava, because it is comprised mostly of a different mineral base. I believe it is in Africa. A tour guide had fallen in and was able to actually clamber out and live. The temperature was about what you’d experience working near blast furnaces or forges.

[@prodmowery]

Whooda thunk it? I learned something today :) Thank you!

[@prodmowery]

"An accident last August highlights the hazards of summit access. On his 21 August 2007 ascent, Chris Weber's group evacuated a local Maasai porter who had fallen into an active lava flow (around 500°C) in the crater. The porter had managed to get out of the lava, but with both legs and one arm seriously burned. Initial treatment at an Arusha hospital was financed by Weber's tour company. As of January 2008 he was bedridden in his home near Engare Sero, experiencing pain and muscle wasting." It was Carbonatic lava, the "coolest" of the lavas 😎

[@ryanflake3481]

The fact that they finished with "Where there's a whip, there's a way" makes me so happy .....

[@theLEGENDisLIVE]

Great Rankin Bass Return of the King reference 👏

[@Big_Tex]

Howard Shore’s score is incredible, but it’s a fact that the Rankin Bass “Where there’s a whip there’s a way” is the most rocking LOTR music of all.

[@eb4771]

YOU GUYS DIDNT WATCH THE EXTENTED EDITION? Well you have to watch it again then

[@sortastupid]

Oh no, rewatching lotr. That would just be the worst…

[@eb4771]

@@sortastupid Right lol Second time is always the best

[@zarinshapurjee9430]

Orlando just graduated from film school when he got cast in these movies so the fellowship of the ring was his very first movie he shot ever

[@cloudstrife428]

I would absolutely watch your reactions to the extended editions, the Hobbit movies, and Rings of Power! Please don't listen to the haters. You enjoyed the Star Wars prequels regardless of the hate, so give Rings of Power a fair chance too! Season 1 is a little unpolished, but season 2 really kicks off.

[@osirex5495]

14:20 A youtube channel called AWE Me actually talks about the reforging and how it wouldn't be strong this way. But also, its the elves, it can be chalked up to magical sorcery

[@Ev1L0rd]

Bernard Hill RIP made one of the funniest observations in the Special Edition commentary where he compared the ghosts moving through Minas Tirith being like the green toilet cleaner floating across the porcelain and its still one of the funniest visuals. The ghosts literally cleaning out the shit. XD

[@breeziest_wheezy]

If you guys want lore videos to watch, I can't recommend Nerd of The Rings enough. He gives amazing lore and his videos have very nice visuals to help explain things. Lotr lore outside the movies and books is wild. Also amazing reaction! I really love your guys stuff. EDIT: Also the Hobbit movies are also very very good. Hope to see you all reacting to it soon!

[@damiettamataram3492]

Agree! I have been following NERD OF THE RINGS for years, and I love getting new insights about the lore. Did you see the vid when he unboxed the Witch-King miniature? It is awesome

[@BlandSpagetti]

I also recommend CivilizationEx videos on lord of the rings as well

[@piercewise1]

10:50 Bad news: Sauron knows everything Pippin knows Good news: Pippin doesn't know shit. XD

[@wmloxley]

the LEGO LOTR game is unironically so good. would totally watch two of y'all play it co-op lol

[@Commander_Shepard.]

I know a lot of people are asking to watch the extended cut (with good reasons of course) but I feel the theatrical cut is a good choice for a newcomer. It has a lot better pacing as a movie, while the extended sometimes slows down for more exposition. The extended edition is best for a 2nd watch once you've immerse yourself into the series.

[@BlandSpagetti]

Agreed first time watching should be theatrical and then all subsequent watches should be the extended editions

[@JadusMoltriel]

I mean, if you don't have a good attention span or lack a decent IQ, sure. But you're underestimating the ability of the average nerd/ movie fan to appreciate and digest the extra info in the Extended Editions. They are, objectively, better. And if you can already consume the trilogy as a whole, which is quite beefy, then you can consume the extended editions first time. If he was lost multiple times throughout the movies, then it would make sense, but he followed it fine.

[@Commander_Shepard.]

@@JadusMoltriel Lol you already lost me with that "lack of decent IQ" babbling. 😄

[@Thylax_]

Back in the day my best friend and I would do sleepovers and watch all three movies in a row! I've seen these so many times I can dream them. They hold up so well over time and they are my favourite movies.

[@dejavu2030]

The Hobbit trilogy is absolute 🔥🔥🔥

[@michaelbowen2343]

Funnily enough Sam IS the main character according to Tolkien who called him the "chief hero" or something to that effect.

[@brettmurphy3237]

came to this channel on my daily lotr reaction check and you guys are awesome, the humour is so close to my heart and your appreciation for these movies warms my soul, i couldnt sub quick enough, gonna delve into ur backlog of vids, i feel this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship

[@redranger807]

Dude, seeing all of these movies in theaters this past year. (Yes, they were the extended editions) and yes it was a marathon. Holy hell. Something about the theater experience, a WHOLE NEW perspective on the audio, there were things that i didnt notice that i heard in the theaters that you can't hear with surround sound. Its other worldly. If any of the movies come to theaters near you. You better take that shit cause its an EXPERIENCE!!

[@resessmann217]

MERRY CHRISTMAS BILLY!!! THE BEST GIFT IS A SORTA STUPID LORD OF THE RINGS UPLOAD

[@TheHunterkiller96]

One of the larger changes from the books was how intelligent Denethor was. He is an abusive asshole in both versions, but in the books Faramir's suicide mission was a prolonged harassment campaign to delay Mordor's advance as long as possible, rather then sending them head first into a fortified position.

[@DbleOohWoo7]

Yes you should be at watch the EEs! And drag Bree along for them aswell =P

[@redranger807]

37:32 in a YTP. this scene was edited to have Elrond wearing black sunglasses and have Agent Smith's lines dubbed over.

[@devinalder4777]

Please rewatch the extended editions with us!!!