The Fellowship of the Ring is the Best Fantasy Film Ever

[@captainmidnight]

Which Lord of the Rings is your favorite? To try everything Brilliant has to offer for free for a full 30 days, visit brilliant.org/midnight You’ll also get 20% off an annual premium subscription.

[@chasehedges6775]

All 3 of the PJ films

[@chasehedges6775]

The Hobbit Trilogy was decent but nowhere near the level of LOTR

[@CinnamonGrrlErin1]

I think Fellowship, although if I'm being honest, the Rankin-Bass Hobbit is my overall favorite Tolkien adaptation

[@matthewhecht9257]

Fellowship is my favorite.

[@PiscatorLager]

Moving Treebeard's RotK lines to Galadriel's opening scene is recycling book quotes done right. It's using pieces of brilliant text to build the world while you tell the story. Pretty much the opposite of Tom Bombadil's attempt to manipulate Meteor Man into sacrificing friends via Gandalf's talk to Frodo about pity.

[@TemplinInstitute]

"But there were some... who resisted" It's not wise to trust anyone who wasn't fully engaged by that line.

[@singletona082]

Not just the line, but the way it was voice. I heard that and had a full body shiver. The lady narrates well. Better than most, and due to poor vision? I grew up listening to books on tape. the opening mythic beginning is beautiful.

[@througtonsheirs_doctorwhol5914]

i am sad we dont see the conclusion of the hobbits : they save the shire BY THEMSELVES! 4 warri0r hobbits at level 20 saving the shire ffrom grima wormtongue and the orcs... THAT is the lone failure of the trilogy. NOT having the home destroyed at return.. that was ULYSES story from Odyseus (greek name of Ulyses). He returns home country in shamble, Daphne tracked by all... Sam comes backl, his wffe in orc territory in the occupied shire...

[@MrCoolio214]

I read it and had a full body shiver aha

[@Shah_Aznable]

I met the guy who made the Uruk-hai “dirt placenta” a few years back, he’s renowned in SFX for slime work. He was also responsible for the red slime Neo is in when he ‘wakes up’ in the real world in the Matrix.

[@Taurusus]

Hell of a calling card. "Oh heck I know *exactly* what this scene needs... get my slime guy on the phone!"

[@RedFloyd469]

-"So what do you do for a living?" -"I slime stuff"

[@-solidsnake-]

Wow. His work is awesome. Once I complimented a guy on his Neversoft shirt and he said thanks and told me he did lighting fx on crash bandicoot for psone

[@Level_Eleven]

Wow. If you ever see him again tell him he did a great job. LOTR and The Matrix are basically my two favorite movies ever

[@Hollyucinogen]

That's a really weirdly specific line of work. 😂

[@RayMcElroy50]

"To the bridge of Khazad-dum!" Cue the most epic musical score of all time

[@chasehedges6775]

“YOU SHALL NOT PASSSS!”

[@chasehedges6775]

“Go back to the shadow.”

[@Windwalker88]

I have listened to that track way to many times

[@harbl99]

The stage directions in full for that amazing 'balancing on a collapsing staircase under fire' sequence: "They run down the stairs."

[@Dayman98]

The must epic, followed by the most tragic after Gandalf's fall

[@transformersrevenge9]

Saw LOTR in the cinema just recently. Seeing Fellowship on the big screen was straight up a magical experience. So pure, fantastical, whimsical, epic, dark and passionate movie. Loved every second of it.

[@flemit35]

I seen in when I was around 12, it was an award day for people who delivered the local paper, didn't know what film we were watching never heard of LOTR before didn't hear a critics review of it. no idea the film had been made. I've not experienced anything like it since.

[@reek4062]

Passionately abusive

[@bernRA]

did u see all 3? lucky ! that was this past June in the US?

[@ComedyBros5]

@@reek4062Blasphemy like that demands an explanation.

[@ofboriken]

Saw them when they came out. Pure magic.

[@NerdoftheRings]

Amen to this, brother!

[@DVFHAFYT]

Oh it's the soulless shill.

[@reek4062]

Fellowship is the least bad of the three, but still a stupid, embarrassing mess which ''eviscerated'' the book.

[@loganfortune7990]

@@reek4062womp womp greatest movie of all time

[@reek4062]

@@loganfortune7990 Empire Strikes Back would like to have a word with you

[@smittywerbenjagermanjensen320]

@@reek4062Empire < ROTJ imo

[@AMoniqueOcampo]

The scene where Boromir dies makes me cry EVERY single time I watch it!

[@isaacruiz3991]

“I would’ve followed you my brother, my captain, my King.” One of my favorite lines in cinema, especially given all of its nuanced implications.

[@ComedyBros5]

@@isaacruiz3991 You beat me to this exact comment! Absolutely one of the greatest lines in all of cinema!

[@1Dreamking]

Imo one of the best scenes in movie history. Boromir was done so well in the movies. 😢❤😢

[@First-Name--Last-Name]

Soft

[@hyteclowlife]

The relationship between Boromir and Aragorn is incredible. Aragorn's vow to protect Gondor hits even harder when you realize that he feels responsible for pushing Boromir to desperation. In their conversation in Lothlorien we see Boromir's facade truly crack and he lets his walls down. He tells Aragorn of his fear and his hope, as well as his pride for his city. And for a moment he dares to dream that Aragorn will take up the mantle of King and return triumphant to Gondor, giving his people the salvation that Boromir could not - but Aragorn doesn't reassure him, doesn't affirm that yes, he will stand by Boromir and defend his land. Would Boromir have taken a different path if he knew that Aragorn was on his side?

[@antoniomay167]

As an adult who spends an hour in traffic going to and coming home from work, and seeing homeless everywhere, the Shire hits differently than it did as a child. It feels like paradise nowadays.

[@ComedyBros5]

This couldn't ring any more true.

[@christianpollard3966]

Wait, you lived in the Shire as a child?

[@mattmattmatt131313]

It's just largely pre-industrial rural English countryside as Tolkien remembered it from before the horrors of WW1. It still exists in places, but it's getting overrun by orcs as we speak.

[@estebanacosta3385]

Same here man, founding this stories again as an adult makes you understand why this characters fought for

[@grandmufftwerkin9037]

The Fellowship shows us the importance of loyalty. The Two Towers shows us the importance of hope. The Return of the King shows us the importance of sacrifice.

[@rorylynch7775]

Thank you Grand Moff Tarkin.

[@naturaljoe7397]

I was gonna say endurance rather than sacrifice

[@greenleafe1238]

cheesy

[@kmatlockii]

also ROK: the importance of having a secret unkillable ghost army

[@througtonsheirs_doctorwhol5914]

i am sad we dont see the conclusion of the hobbits : they save the shire BY THEMSELVES! 4 warri0r hobbits at level 20 saving the shire ffrom grima wormtongue and the orcs... THAT is the lone failure of the trilogy. NOT having the home destroyed at return.. that was ULYSES story from Odyseus (greek name of Ulyses). He returns home country in shamble, Daphne tracked by all... Sam comes backl, his wffe in orc territory in the occupied shire...

[@CD-ek3iq]

Literally just watched this yesterday with my daughter as she had read the Hobbit in school. Damn. Over 20 years old and this film hasn’t aged a day.

[@sccleong]

its the ring

[@ComedyBros5]

It really is the power of the ring! Even putting them up against Hollywood's most acclaimed blockbusters of recent times, they still don't hold a candle to these LoTR films!

[@jackmiller5144]

Kids read the hobbit in school???

[@TotallyNotElPresidente]

"I know some people find the Shire part of this movie slow" My brother in Christ, it's honestly the best part of the film once you become a fully functioning adult with responsibilities :')

[@chasehedges6775]

You are right but he’s also not wrong.

[@scottwerner279]

When I was stressed in college and grad school, I would just put on the shire parts of LOTR. It kind of made me feel better, but also made me wish I was a little farmer eating eggs and mushrooms

[@DestinyAwaits19]

Its only slow and boring if you watch the extended edition. Which is not the official film.

[@rikk319]

@@DestinyAwaits19 What's all this about "official" and not official? Who cares? Enjoy what you want, and let others do the same.

[@DestinyAwaits19]

@@rikk319 No.

[@lancefullmer9384]

Timing for this video is perfect as Bilbos birthday is tomorrow(September 22nd)

[@KlingonCaptain]

Tomorrow is also the first day of Autumn. 🍁🍂

[@KlingonCaptain]

P.S. Bilbo and Frodo have the same birthday! 🎉🎂

[@MrOtistetrax]

And it’s the anniversary of Darth Vader’s first communion a week after that.

[@vee-bee-a]

​​@@MrOtistetrax As in a Sith communion?! Elaborate, please.

[@vee-bee-a]

He's more than 111, that's for sure.

[@dunkelwalde695]

"This opening might not seem that spectacular to you" - Dude, it blew me away the first time I saw it and I still love it.

[@castlekirk9106]

The way the film transitions from location to location is cool. You start at the shire then whisked away to Bree, rivendell, snowy mountaintop, Moria, lothlorien, Amon hen. It’s thrilling

[@manoz6194]

and epic!

[@vee-bee-a]

Better watch your feet, you might not know where you'll be swept off to. God, the nostalgia... 🥲

[@ComedyBros5]

Absolutely! It's all so seamless, too. Such an adventure!

[@babyblue3717]

the first lotr movie came out 3 years before I was born. my dad was a huge nerd, and at some point when I was 4 years old, he sat me down at our living room and played the fellowship of the ring to me. now, when I tell this to people, most of the times the reaction is something like "how could he think a 4yo would enjoy watching this long ass, complicated movie?" when, in reality, that is the most cherished, beautiful memory I have. it's one of my first memories, and I cannot fully explain the wonder and marvel it was to watch this on our small TV. I was HOOKED. my dad says that was the first time little me ever managed to sit down in silence for more than 20 minutes. this movie is simply my favorite piece of art EVER. even after so long, whenever I sit down to watch it, I can still feel the same sense of whimsy. this movie made me who I am, and although my dad wasn't the best parent, I will still always love him for introducing me to fantasy. needless to say, I'm a huge nerd now too, and I'm graduating in the same field as Tolkien because of his influence on me. I cannot even begin to imagine who and where I would be if it wasn't for this one moment, this one movie. there is nothing that will ever compare.

[@DragonBornish]

"No small feet", I saw what you did there, Bravo good sir!

[@Z11J11B]

Feels like I’m the only one who ever says Fellowship is the best when I talk to friends about these movies! This is one of those trilogies where I think a case could be made for any of the 3 being the best and it’d be totally fair. Fellowship just nails it for me though.🤘🤘⚔️

[@aimlevel]

I've been saying this since the end of the trilogy and 99% react with insults or incomprehension. Most people are simply superficial followers for whom only Oscars, or awards in general, count. Similar with The Departed by Scorsese. Certainly a very good film but not even close to being his best.

[@Z11J11B]

@@aimlevel I think they finally felt obligated to accept that a fantasy movie could in fact be “worthy”, and award Return of the King its pile of Oscars. All three movies should’ve won Best Picture in my opinion.

[@dontyouworryaboutit_]

it’s the most rewatchable

[@alexcoleman2735]

I used to have ROTK as my top pick but the three endings really bogs the end down. #1 just has such a great blend of genres and creates such magic and suspense

[@christiancameron2997]

I have always said this FOTR is the best, and the further along they went the more they diverged from the books. I was baffled by all the reviews saying the Return of the king was the best and why it won all the awards and FOTR and the Two towers didn’t- felt a little bit like some top down decision by the press.

[@ComedyBros5]

It is so awesome to see videos like this almost still released daily after what, over 20yrs?! Truly a great testament to how incredible these films are!

[@Avarn388]

The trilogy is my favorite movie trilogy of all time. A series of movies we will NEVER see again because of how much lightning this was in a bottle. Especially compared to the Hobbit and ROP… But Fellowship is a rare film I would give a 10/10. There are issues but it manages to introduce its premise so effectively and is well paced, written and shot. There’s so much I could mention but the Council scene serving as the midpoint is by far one of the best expository/ introduction scenes I’ve ever seen. When you think what the scene needed to accomplish, setup the world building and introduce the remaining Fellowship; it’s incredible. Phlipa Boyens and Fran Walsh outdid themselves with the screenplay and it should be studied on how you adapt/ pen a story. Nothing is wasted.

[@reek4062]

Walsh and Boyens: ''Tolkien is an amateur writer.'' Boyens: ''And it's not slick. He needed an editor.'' Jackson: ''We definitely enhanced the dialogue.'' Boyens: Boromir's death is ''a failing of professor Tolkien.''

[@benconnolly9883]

Oh, a Captain Midnight Lord of the Rings video? Instant click

[@josecarr6464]

The Lords of the Ring Trilogy is still to this day the best trilogy ever made and you cannot argue against it🤷🏾‍♂️

[@chasehedges6775]

💯💯💯💯. It’s a masterpiece

[@into_play3226]

I think you could argue that the original Star Wars trilogy was better, but I agree that the Lord of the Rings was the best.

[@davidchristie6003]

I think there are some trilogies with higher highs, but I can't think of many that maintain the same high level for all 3 consistently. The cornetto trilogy maybe, if they count for this. I can't remember Back to the Future well enough to recall if one is a bad one or not. The original 3 Indiana Jones and Toy Story films maybe too? Either way I think TLOTR is as good or better than any of them.

[@walli7754]

​@@into_play3226i love star wars, but I think lotr Is way better

[@JamailvanWestering]

@@into_play3226I disagree with that. The OT has some okay action scenes but also some awful ones

[@connorgoosen2468]

I agree with all your points. I also have always felt that Fellowship has the best pacing of the trilogy. I love the others don't get me wrong but the way it moves from location to location, revealing more about the world and the characters makes the long run time go by so quickly for me. Great video as always!

[@DannerBanks]

100% agree. Balrog is amazing. Gandalf giving Frodo a pep talk in the mines. The Hobbits running from the ring wraiths. The shire is adorable. The battle in the mines of moria with the cave troll. Weathertop. So good

[@Pedro-zu3uq]

The moment of Boromir's weakness framed to the ruins of Numenor its so poetic and tragic. The predecessors of Gondor also fell to the insidious corruption of the darkness.

[@quoc-nam6286]

Well thank you, captain midnight, I GUESS I have no other choice but to start a 12-hour long version trilogy run AGAIN WELL DONE

[@franug]

these movies never get old and/or boring. I've seen them a dozen times by now; just a month ago I finished watching all of them in their extended versions, again. Every time I get something different in them; I remember mostly loving the aesthetics when I first saw them as a teenager, but now, being over 30 and a parent, the themes of hope and sacrifice and dignity are in the forefront to me. I almost cried with the scene of Arwen having a vision of Aragon and their future son together! I guess as I grow even older other things will pop up more...and I can't wait for my daughter to see them when the time comes.

[@octavianpedigree5866]

It's because the film is entirely earnest. There is no irony, no awkwardness about genuine affection, all the jokes are for the characters not the audience, and all the weight of the drama is handled appropriately. It's the perfect start. It lays the perfect tone to get you genuinely invested in the story, and does nothing to pull you out. Very few blockbuster movies are so genuinely straightforward without being metatextual. Like seriously not a single character ever makes light of the existential danger they are facing. In a post Iron Man filmscape this trilogy is always a breath of fresh air. OverlySarcasticProductions has a great video on bathos that also highlights this.

[@100navat]

Gimli is constantly making jokes for the sake of the audience. When you're literally bantering about who has the highest bodycount mid battle Id say you're making light of the situation. You clearly have no idea what you're talking about

[@octavianpedigree5866]

@100navat I'm talking about just fellowship, not the whole series. Did you not understand that?

[@guitarreilly]

The fellowship is the stand out in this masterpiece trilogy. I still remember in the cinema seeing the intro and i couldn't believe what i was seeing.

[@RichKnight36]

The intro to Fellowship of the Ring is one of my favorite intros of all time. It doesn't even feel like an info dump

[@NatePuderbaugh]

I've always said making Boromir best pal to Merry and Pippin is the best decision they made with that character. It completely humanized him as the one guy who didn't completely dismiss their value to the group

[@Tannhauser62]

Spot on.

[@nystateofmind53]

Your description of Boromir & Sean Bean's performance is excellent: "this thin line between slightly insecure petulance and a true sense of honor," and "most flawed and maybe the most admirable character in the movie," yes! Well-said.

[@ComedyBros5]

Sean Bean really nailed the performance. It was perfect.

[@adamgeigerjr6995]

IMO LOTR stands head and shoulders above any other fantasy film series because of his unparalleled strength of the source material. While many movies today are adapted from books, what sets J.R.R. Tolkien’s work apart is his genius-level forethought and eloquent vernacular. He didn’t just create a fantasy world; he constructed an alternate history so rich and detailed that it feels like a lost chapter of our own past. His meticulous recollection of Middle Earth’s history, languages, and cultures gives the impression that he was the last scholar of a forgotten era, chronicling the tales of a people and places that no one else quite understood or will ever unearth again. Of course, Peter Jackson deserves every applaud and award for being one of the only directors to actually honor its source material. But when the depth and authenticity of the books are so elevated above its "competition", the LOTR resonates with a sense of reality and gravitas unmatched by any other series, largely thanks to a very articulate WW1 soldier

[@AMTRAX]

The shire part of the film is probably my favorite stuff in the whole series. So cozy

[@Bamgeutcutiepie]

the shire part is literally the best part for me. or at least it's a necessary part in order to start this epic journey. and the extended version spends even more time in the shire and that is just heaven to me 💗

[@williamhamilton1154]

Growing up Two Towers was my favourite. As I’ve grown older Fellowship is closest to my heart.

[@Frongo]

3000 years of history in 10 minutes made easily comprehensible is just awesome

[@kremesauce]

Boromir sparring with merry and pippin is one of my favorite scenes, while they still have innocence and optimism about the journey only to be crushed by the spies in the sky

[@ghost21501]

It's crazy what you can accomplish when you have a fantastic story and a filmmaker who is willing to honor it. Yes, I'm pointing fingers at you Rings of Power.

[@anni.68]

"They (Peter Jackson's movies) eviscerated the book by making it an action movie for young people aged 15 to 25. The chasm between the beauty and seriousness of the work, and what it has become, has overwhelmed me. The commercialization has reduced the aesthetic and philosophical impact of the creation to nothing. There is only one solution for me: to turn my head away." (Christipher Tolkien) "But Jackson, with the bill rising all the time and pressure on his back actually from the money men back in Los Angeles. He had got to think about making a return on the investment, and as a result I think there was on him a strong sense of what I call reverse audience pressure. He got to try to figure out how he was gonna sell this movie and he got to start doing things, which he thought would appeal to the target audience. And the target audience was teenagers. Well as a result, it's quite clear that much of the movie has been teenagerd." (Tom Shippey: The Medium and the Message )

[@reek4062]

Jackson did not honor the book. On the contrary, it's obvious he showed contempt for it. There are plenty of examples. I'll name the most insulting ones: -The butchering of Frodo, Faramir, Denethor and Gandalf the White. -Frodo sending Sam home. -The entire Council of Embarrassment. -At Amon Hen, Frodo having to ask Aragorn for permission to continue the quest alone. -Theoden trying to kill Grima, and being stopped by Aragorn in front of his subjects. -Faramir. -The entire battle of Helm's Deep. -Lothlorien Elves at Helm's Deep. -Gandalf the White beating up Denethor, and later killing him while saving Faramir. -Gimli sitting in Denethor's chair at The Last Debate. -Aragorn decapitating the Mouth of Sauron during parley. -PJ actually writing and filming Aragorn fighting Sauron at the Black Gate; luckily it was cut, but it never should have been written, let alone filmed. -Aragorn and Arwen skinn-dipping in the Glittering Caves (not in the films, but PJ wrote it in the scripts he pitched to Miramax). -Faramir.

[@anni.68]

@@reek4062 IMO Aragorn simply murdering the Mouth of Sauron and Faramir and his men mistreating Gollum were the two most serious mistakes. I can accept most of the changes, but these 2 scenes contradict everything Tolkien stands for.

[@talithakoum3922]

​@@anni.68 "Reek" is a paid shill from Amazon who copy/pastes his tantrums on behalf of "Rings of Power" on EVERY LotR video. He's not a real Tolkien fan. He's okay with Prime's girl boss Galadriel who has a crush on Sauron. His points are nonsense and he's not worth debating or replying to.

[@vezolf4313]

@@reek4062 disagree. Love Master Tolkien masterpiece. But understand that movies are just diffrent. Love trilogy.

[@MatthewGClarke]

When it comes to the 'slower' character moments, it certainly helps that it's Ian McKellen and Ian Holm playing the hell out of those two roles!

[@JonCofer]

From the entry to Moria through the end of the movie, FOTR is just perfection. The whole movie is good, but that stretch is unbelievable. Two Towers was my favorite as a kid, but as an adult Fellowship keeps me coming back to the start of the journey

[@samuelwebb2404]

It is a masterpiece. So much in it, and yet so tightly written and shot. Full inspired choices, brilliant casting, evocative music and atmosphere.

[@Hironidin]

When that clip of them rowing past the feet of the statue played I thought for sure we were gonna get another "that's no small feat" joke

[@wavetactics13]

Merry is not the master of Buckland. That would be his father. Other than that, I agree Fellowship is an excellent film. An element I particularly enjoy are the brief cutaways to Saruman and his Uruk-hai. There are more present threats in the Fellowship's journey, but the slowly building menace in those scenes make it clear who the climax will be against.

[@wstine79]

Fellowship and Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's stone came out at the right time. People needed escapism after September 11th and they did the job.

[@chasehedges6775]

LOTR and HP were and are THE BEST!

[@mediamaniac898]

Tolkien’s books are my happy place, a great escapism even with all the danger and death.

[@odilusporce8814]

Chamber of secrets is better

[@rogue]

What a time for cinema. Also had Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith around the same time

[@forestgrump4723]

Fellowship is my favourite of the three and the time spent in the shire is so peaceful and tranquil I love it. You know something I would love if they’re gonna milk every teat lotr presents is a sit com type show about life in the shire. Small stakes, maybe an episode about someone tracking down a pumpkin thief or another about someone trying to put on an impressive feast but they are missing key ingredients that parents in season. I would honestly enjoy that lol

[@benwasserman8223]

One does not simply praise The Fellowship of the Ring… without preparing videos for the other movies in Peter Jackson’s LotR trilogy.

[@RealCoolGuy]

...except those ones aren't as good...

[@benwasserman8223]

@@RealCoolGuy I’m not talking about Hobbit.

[@RealCoolGuy]

@@benwasserman8223 Huh?

[@Vivi_9]

@@RealCoolGuy Two Towers is better

[@christofferjenzen78]

​@@Vivi_9Most obvious middle movie in history and it does suffer from it.

[@RocketshipSails]

I agree 100%! Fellowship is my favorite of the trilogy for many reasons. I just uploaded a video on LOTR talking about my favorite scenes/shots/dialogue in the trilogy and I’ve been watching other channel’s content for days. Super cool hearing other people talk about the same thing so passionately, these films are classics!

[@christofferjenzen78]

Sean Bean really elevates the first one and Jackson,Boyen and Walsh's adaptation of Boromir is pretty great. The first one is so good cause you get the whole ensemble playing off eachother and It's such a thrilling adventure.

[@maxworley5314]

I used to like ROTK the most but recently after a couple rewatches of the Fellowship I had a complete change of heart! Something about every single person in the core fellowship I love. Borimir does not the respect he deserves!

[@chasehedges6775]

The Peter Jackson films cannot be surpassed. They’re superb.!

[@reek4062]

Schindler's List is a more pleasant experience.

[@chasehedges6775]

True but The Pianist(2002) and Boy In The Striped Pajamas(2008) hit harder, IMO.

[@ComedyBros5]

@@reek4062 Lol - please do not try comparing a true story film to these fiction adventure films.

[@reek4062]

@@ComedyBros5 ''true story'' Are you sure?

[@ComedyBros5]

@@reek4062 Ummmmm yeah, about 100% sure actually. Oskar Schindler is absolutely real and the things he did were without a doubt real and forever in history.

[@linkz35]

Fellowship has always been my favorite film of the three. I feel like that time spent in the Shire really gives the trilogy stakes and you truly understand why the Hobbits fight as hard as they do.

[@Vincent.Morreale]

Thank you for this video essay ! You managed to express an idea that I had for years, in the back of my head, about majesty in movies.

[@xdecatron2985]

I’ve always argued that The Lord Of The Rings is not 3 movies, it’s one, and it’s the best movie ever made. But when pressed to choose a favorite, I’ve always said Fellowship, which no one seems to understand, but you’ve expressed it perfectly.

[@RealRoknRollr3108]

You're spot on about the ruins of past civilisations being ever present and couldnt agree more about the feeling it evokes. I remembering commenting about it to wife when I rewatched it a few years back how it enhanced the world and story so much with an vibe of ancient past glories. Theyre just decrepit, discarded and ignored in the forests and rivers but you as a viewer want to know what they're about and from them feel as if this world is so much more real. Verisimilitude is the word I believe

[@Kinuhbud]

Blew me away in theaters like no other movie

[@atomicclockagency]

I watched Episode 2 of Rings of Power yesterday - the episode with the harfoots meeting the stranger (🙄) and Elrond going into kazad-dun. Both these scenes were so bloated and could have established their relationship in a single scene rather than played (painfully) out over an episode. The amazing thing about the LOTR films is how much they convey in a half sentence or look, improving the relationship of the characters without losing pace

[@TheCountofToulouse]

The reaction videos to these movies really do give you confirmation about how great they are. Seeing young people, born AFTER these movies were shown, suddenly see them for the first time, you understand the impact it has on them. They all regret not seeing them sooner and they all say that they see why everyone likes them so much. Fellowship is the best opening movie to a 3 part trilogy ever made and it's not even close.

[@thomassnyder9020]

It’s wild that you JUST posted this - I literally just finished rewatching the movie twenty minutes ago. I cried when Boromir died.

[@korvo3427]

I'll do you one better, I saw it at the theater just last week! I'm pretty sure he posted it to coincide with Hobbit day/Bilbo's & Frodo's birthday.

[@thomassnyder9020]

@@korvo3427 Oh, I didn’t know that was a thing! I just felt like it was time for a rewatch, but I might have been subconsciously influenced. Lol

[@korvo3427]

@@thomassnyder9020 Funnily enough I've been rewatching them at this time of year even way before I knew about it. It somehow just feels like lotr season.

[@kuvasz5252]

The trio of the LOTR films are the only ones I've seen that seem to invite the viewer into being a participant in the journey instead of that of simply the observer. The visual and audio technical aspects, the acting and the story telling are so seductive that feel you are treading the same ground in Middle Earth.

[@Tannhauser62]

A masterful analysis. But I think that Cap M's view of The Shire scenes as less familiar than the high fantasy elements is coloured by the perspective of a youngish American guy extrapolating his own exposure to video games to 'the audience'. However, with the film's broad appeal, there was certainly a section of the FOTR viewers for whom it was the other way round. They weren't raised on DnD, but rather on stories of village/small town life, say, Flora Thompson-type adaptations. For them, those bucolic dreams of essentially rural England were more familiar. And of course, dramatically The Shire scenes are essential in the overall narrative of a tiny community that doesn't want to engage with the outside world, but cannot shut out the forces swirling around it.

[@captainmidnight]

Well put.

[@geemelone9974]

Youre a hero for placing the ads to the end 🙇

[@georgie-jp]

Every time I watch this trilogy, I'm blown away by how *clean* the movie looks. There's really nothing like a movie shot on film.

[@sdpc9182]

My wife agrees with Captain Midnight that the shot of Sauron in Mt Doom is goofy as hell. She almost always laughs at it! I fell in love as soon as the prologue started. I could tell that they just got it. They nailed it. They ate, devoured, and left no crumbs. The best cinematic prologue ever i think.

[@tylerelli6565]

As time has passed I’ve become more fond of fellowship. One of my favorite scenes is right after Bree when Aragorn is talking about the Nazgûl and it shows them just sitting still on their horses. There is something so eerie about it as it shows how lifeless they are when they are not pursuing the ring.

[@willyboods5197]

there’s just something warm and cozy about Fellowship. I instantly feel like a wow’d 8 year old when that shire music comes on

[@wirilome]

"this intro might not be spectacular to you" WRONG it is the love of my life and i quote it at least once a week

[@biocapsule7311]

I think a comment I recently saw in a 'What We do in The Shadows' Clip, most encapsulate this issue: "'Interview with a Vampire' is how you want your World of Darkness game to go, but most of the time 'What We Do in The Shadows' is how it ends up." Same can be apply to D&D. 'Lord of the Rings' is how you want your D&D game to go, but 'Honor Among Thieves' is how it usually ends up. I think the success of Fellowship (and yes I too agree it is the best of the 3), is that Jackson approach the movie, *not like a 'Fantasy', but like a period piece.* The lore of any places is secondary, treated as you already know it, live in it; instead of needing any overlong and out of place exposition. It is a very specific storytelling skill, that is not always successful.

[@lindildeev5721]

Every movie has its strenghs. Fellowship of the Rings had the funny scenes of the Shire, the stunning landscapes (the Ring goes South) and Boromir (oh, Captain, my Captain, why did you leave so early?) The Two Towers had Andy Serkis' stellar performance as Gollum and the great Rohan scenes (that violin theme). But The Return of The KIng had everything: great speeches, Legolas and Gimli arguing about who killed the most, Frodo finally falling and these two magnificent scores: The End of All Things and The Grey Havens.

[@ungenbunyon5548]

Ill often just watch the opening part, bilbos birthday, because its just so chill and pleasent

[@CaptainIrvitron]

Aw man, the opening segment of “Fellowship of the Ring” is one of my favorite parts of the whole movie. Love Cate Blanchett’s dialogue but Ian McEllen’s voice would’ve worked too. He has a sort of elegance to his way of speaking in the trilogy. The one line Cate says that I have yet to see comments on is when she says “but none now living remember it” then approximately an hour or so into the movie, Lord Elrond says that he was there almost 3 thousand years ago. None of the videos I’ve seen so far on those movies have mentioned this subtle mistake but as thoroughly as the trilogy and JRR Toilken is covered somebody must’ve said something about it concerning the Fellowship movie dialogue … I absolutely loved Sean Bean’s role as Boromir. I remember when reading the books noticing the title of the chapter “The departure of Boromir”. Before I read it I wondered what that meant, (the departure of) ?!?! Yep, the best fantasy movies ever !!! 😊

[@drumbum9963]

One thing I really appreciate of this movie and older movies in general is the commitment to aesthetic and immersion. Costume and visual effects were memorable and really put you in the world of the film. Today, when I watch a movie it feels like actors in cosplay going around saying lines, but I don't get the feeling like that IS the character. I never thought that was Elijah Wood as Frodo, I just thought that was Frodo. Maybe its the cost of getting older and losing the mystique of naivete inherent with youth.

[@piecesof9]

My first introduction to LOTR was the movies, and I was blown away, since then I've delved too deep into everything related to it. So much lore, so much history. Also the Shire is England

[@Gum_Cuzzler]

The streamlining of LotR to adapt it to the screen without losing the quality of the story is one if the most impressive aspect of the films imo

[@foreversevenfold1666]

I am McKellen's performance in the scene running from the Baalrog was such an out of body experience for me as a kid seeing this in theaters. I was hooked on fantasy from then on.

[@davidtrueblood1384]

These movies are a masterclass in "show, don't tell"

[@svetlanaandrasova6086]

Its my fav from the trilogy. All characters get introduced, everything is set up, Shire is magical and reminds me of village I come from, its just incredible.

[@TheLyricalCleric]

Watched Fellowship with my best friend when it came out in theaters. We walked out of the movie and cried together, hugging each other. We called each other Frodo and Sam, and we knew the movie was something special, one of a kind. I’m glad to have been part of the adventure.

[@WildVoltorb]

It takes a hell out of courage to tell such story. Thanks for sharing

[@niallgaffney2475]

I used to pretend to be sick so I could stay home from school and watch these movies, I love them so much ❤️

[@gurratell7326]

One of the things I really love about The Fellowship of the Rings is the cinematography. It looks so good, but also so natural even though it's a fantasy world. Sure the elven places to get a bit more of a glowy fantasy vibe, but that suits it just perfectly. The other two movies do crank up the unnatural lighting and bloom quite a lot more all throughout the movies, with The Hobbit movies overdoing it way to hard. So yeah, I do like the subtle natural feel of the first movie so much, just looks so good while still very much feeling like a fantasy movie and I wish they would have kept the same style in the rest of the movies as well.

[@maxbaker1803]

Thank you for randomly making a video about this movie. I read the book for the first time about a month ago and everyone is sick of me talking about it. I knew you’d have my back. You continue to amaze me, Mr. Midnight.

[@midgeman90]

Having watched all three extended editions over the past month in the cinema, TFOTR is head and shoulders above the other two. It was always my favourite, but my friends came out saying the same. Glad you showed love for Boromir. He really does steal the show and his death is so very well done. Great video, thank you.

[@tmartin95]

Not only the only great medieval fantasy movies, but arguably the peak of escapist cinema

[@theoian]

You are correct.

[@chasehedges6775]

💯💯. Definitely

[@mojungle3054]

The opening Shire scene makes me tear up for some reason

[@pzalterias5154]

This movie is so good there's a video essay dropping every two weeks and it's always interesting and there's always more to talk about it. It's a masterpiece that will never be topped, there's so many passion, luck, work, and spirit poured into it. The current movie industry cannot bring that. Sometimes I watch a single scene of lotr, and I'm amazed how often a few minutes of lotr are better than entire movies.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Correct.

[@captainmidnight]

Woah, this is so crazy, I was literally just watching your Lonesome Dove review yesterday.

[@i.warrenhastings2526]

These may be my favorite films of all time, and unusually (apparently), Fellowship is my favorite of the trilogy. That said, Sean Bean's take on Boromir is the standout performance through the entirety of the films. He was alternatively strong and weak, admirable and dishonorable, though consistently, deeply human throughout. Honestly though, I just always love me some Bean.

[@QuiltGuildFilms]

Fellowship is my favorite of the three. It’s just so good and the ‘action’ scenes are some of my absolute favorite

[@LeonardoKlotz]

I was 8 years old when I saw the first Harry Potter in theaters with my aunt Though I was too young to truly grasp the world building, I was sunked into its fantastical world I couldn't be invested the same way with LOTR at that time. I just wasn't ready at the time. My little mindset just wasn't ready Only after turning 18 that I was able to dive into that world and become fascinated by its fantastical landscape the same way I became fascinated with Harry Potter when I was 8 years old

[@Mogorman87]

I was like 15 when it came out. Man it was perfect timing for me! Blew my little mind… Potter couldn’t hold a candle to it for me though.

[@ComedyBros5]

Absolutely spot on. While I was too young to get invested in either when they were first releasing, I've grown to the point now where I rewatch all the HP films and LoTR films annually. The vast and expansive world-building and adventuring is such a lure for me, I can never get enough of it. Every time the credits roll for Deathly Hallows 2 and Return of the King, I feel this overwhelming sense of sadness, happiness, and satisfaction that no other films create for me.

[@alexleal1216]

Totally agree with this take! I love Fellowship of the Ring.

[@maxmansullivan999]

this video couldnt have come at a better time. I just watched LOTR for the first time!! I watched the theatrical cut twice over. Now I need to see the extended cut. Thanks again captain midnight. I love your videos

[@mr.dr.prof.patrick7284]

i grew up thinking lord of the rings was nothing but nerdy wizards and goblins and nothing that would interest me… but then one day i decided what the hell i’ll watch it.. and it became my favorite trilogy ever

[@ComedyBros5]

Hahaha, right there with you!

[@througtonsheirs_doctorwhol5914]

Willow and Ewoks, were my party movies of the 1980s, team of heroes adventuring. And then the LOTR movie changed my life too.

[@Bugge5001]

I think the Fellowship opening is awesome. It tells so much in so little time and looks amazing.

[@dlargom97]

I have just seen all 3 extended this week and my favorite is Fellowship and Return for different reasons. Fellowship because of the Shire alone, the 9 components of the fellowship are united and alive and because is a bit lighter. Return is my favorite of the other two films because is more epic and it is the conclusion.

[@yukariis]

lord of the rings is one of my fav things ever, the fellowship is my favorite one of the trilogy and boromir it my fave character and i also really love aragorn and their relationship, also really love sean bean and his performances every damn time. so yea this video was literally everything to me. amazinggggg

[@devincreislerstudios]

One of my favorite movies ever!

[@SamUHells]

It’s funny as a kid watching these movies I genuinely hated Boromir. I didn’t understand the power of the rings influence at the time so I thought he was truly just an insane man switching from good to bad, especially when he attacks Frodo. Now actually understanding the franchise, I have respect for boromir and his death is much more profound

[@Wallyworld30]

Boromir was weak going after the ring like a mad man. I didn't trust him after that so when he died while it was sad I felt they were better off without him after that.

[@SamUHells]

@@Wallyworld30 he was the perfect example of the weakness of the race of men, easily susceptible to the influence of power and the ring. but also on his deathbed showed why the elves version of men isn’t all true. he was still honorable in the end and sacrificed his life for merry and pippen

[@pavelplsek2000]

The prologue on its own is exposition done better than anyone ever has. Shire part needs to be slow, homely... so we can understand how hobbits are unprepared for the wider world + so we can see what haven is at stake if sauron wins. Jackson not only has confidence in the source material - he knows that it is the best fantasy writing he could get... and he fully taps into that. Also Ian Holm and Ian McKellen are the best actos you could wish for and they bounce off of each other so well. The Nazghul in fellowship are so terryfying - I was really young when I saw LotR for the first time and they were genuinly scared tf outta me. Cutting out Tom was a god idea, for the movie... Vigo was great freaking choice... He lived by the role, as he does with every role. The older I get the more I love Boromir. And the sadder his departure is... being the second main death in the movie (we did not know Gandalf was coming back) he hit harder than Gdalf. (Sean Bean was freaking awesome!