THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES | FIRST TIME WATCHING | MOVIE REACTION

[@corynydam2361]

“Leave Sauron to me” was, I believe, Christopher Lee’s last line on screen before his death. Appropriate for one of the biggest Tolkien fans ever, and the only member of the cast to meet the man personally.

[@jimmygreer6172]

It was not. He appeared in Angels of Notting Hill. And he's also done other voice work since as well. In fact, there's a TV series in post-production where he is the narrator for it. So it's not the last we've heard from Christopher Lee. He's done voices for video games. And I believe his actual last work was vocals for some Swedish Death Metal band. But he truly was a living legend. And he will live forever in his roles as Saruman & Count Dooku. But I do hope his roles as Dracula & Rasputin are well remembered as well.

[@CorvusTX]

Facts

[@bellsknell3297]

@@jimmygreer6172 "And I believe his actual last work was vocals for some Swedish Death Metal band." An album over Charlemagne, his ancestor, no less! Here is one of the songs kzbin.info/www/bejne/iGSrnJKrapxrqZo&ab_channel=ChristopherLee-Topic

[@jimmygreer6172]

@@bellsknell3297 The dude really had one of the most amazing voices ever. I could listen to him read the freakin phone book. And it was a stroke of brilliance to cast him as Saruman. It's just a shame they didn't do the true ending to LOTR. I would've really enjoyed seeing what Lee could've done with that small bit. But I suppose they had to do it that way to explain the palantir stone. Would've been harder to explain Grima having thrown it from some lower level. And I suppose in the end it is exactly what happens to Saruman & Grima.

[@ronweber1402]

@@jimmygreer6172 He was such a serious badass. Just a legend.

[@rio20d]

Thorin's last word to Bilbo before his death is really beautiful : “Farewell, Master Burglar. Go back to your books, and your armchair. Plant your trees, watch them grow. If more people valued home above gold, this world would be a merrier place.”

[@EricErardy]

Cry everytime so good 😢❤

[@paulwagner688]

Thorin's death as told in the book: There indeed lay Thorin Oakenshield, wounded with many wounds, and his rent armour and notched axe were cast upon the floor. He looked up as Bilbo came beside him. "Farewell, good thief," he said. "I go now to the halls of waiting to sit beside my fathers, until the world is renewed. Since I leave now all gold and silver, and go where it is of little worth, I wish to part in friendship from you, and I would take back my words and deeds at the Gate." Bilbo knelt on one knee filled with sorrow. "Farewell, King under the Mountain!" he said. "This is a bitter adventure, if it must end so; and not a mountain of gold can amend it. Yet I am glad that I have shared in your perils - that has been more than any Baggins deserves." "No!" said Thorin. "There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. But sad or merry, I must leave it now. Farewell!"

[@Cameron5043]

Ok. And . crying again.... yep.

[@TamadorStoneskin]

The part that hits me is as follows “Of the twelve companions of Thorin, ten remained. Fili and Kili had fallen defending him with shield and body, for he was their mother’s elder brother.” It says so much, in so few words.

[@djcprofyre]

No...I’m not crying you’re crying what are you talking about 😢

[@thomaskim2159]

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold" I guess the studio didn't read the book

[@eevee9111]

@@thomaskim2159 I guess you didn't know that Ian Mckellen was on site at almost all times with his own personal copy of the Hobbit constantly talking about what lines they should keep and what lines they should change. If a line from the book wasn't directly carried over then it was because a veteran to the industry as well as the series agreed it should be changed.

[@Grizzlox]

For such a little guy, Bilbo sure did have some incredible strength carrying this whole franchise on his shoulders.

[@darylobey8867]

His back alone is almost mythical for the burdens it can hold :)

[@killer92173]

He kind of had some help with Gandalf, Thorin, and Smaug. Lol

[@robbob5302]

And I thought Sam carrying Frodo up Mount Doom was impressive.

[@AaronSmith-x6o]

​@@killer92173these guys like to complain. They think it makes them cool.

[@fallofcamelot]

Three of Thorin’s company, Balin, Ori and Oin, were killed in Moria when the orcs overwhelmed them. When the Fellowship were attacked in the tomb by the Cave Troll that was actually Balin’s tomb and the book that Gandalf reads from is written by Ori. “We cannot get out, they are coming” are his final words.

[@RJALEXANDER777]

Survived the quest to Erebor, only to die on a failed reclamation of Moria attempting a similar feat. Must've been quite the feeling for folk who read the Hobbit and remembered those names later.

[@SalsaSharky]

You watch Gimli's heart break upon realizing that Balin died in Fellowship and you're sort of like "I feel sorry for you, I guess?" Then this Hobbit trilogy shows Balin to be the wisest & kindest of all of Thorin's company & in retrospect you understand why Gimli just lost it.

[@Cydonius1]

Drums in the deep ...

[@earendilthemariner5546]

Ori is the one pippin makes fall down the well i think. I cant remember and i cant find it. I did remember hearing it was one of them though

[@issyd2366]

@@earendilthemariner5546 No it was the one who had chronicle.

[@hoshinoutaite]

Galadriel is one of my favorite Tolkien characters. At this point in the story, she's literally several millennia old. This alone gives her incredible power, as she was alive when the world was very young.

[@enrique7208]

Not to mention she lived in Valinor and was taught by many of the Ainur, had seen the two trees, and was in possession of one of the rings of power. She is one of the strongest elves in Tolkien’s books.

[@bungholeshagnasty]

At this point she's at least 17,000 years old.

[@justBeOrDontB7568]

@@bungholeshagnasty more like 11000 to 12000. combine 3000 years from Years of the Trees, 3000 years of first, second and third age each. By the time frodo met her, she was the last of the elves born in Valinor, the last surviving heir of Finarfin, King of Noldor. Her daughter, Celebrian (wife of Elrond, Arwen's mother) was killed by orcs on Caladhras, the same snowy passage on the Misty Mountains that the Fellowship attempted to cross but failed (and had to go through Moria).

[@JoseT2705]

@@justBeOrDontB7568 I was about to say this but you did before me, so, i second this

[@ianburns1167]

Yeah. There's a REASON when she describes herself with the Ring it's "Beautiful and Terrible as the Dawn" rather than something more conventional. She saw the first sunrise, she *knows* what it meant.

[@cloudstrife428]

The gems that Thrandruil is after belonged to his late wife. Aside from Legolas, they're all he has left of her. He's also seen dwarves destroy his homeland before, and murder his king, during the First Age. His father, Oropher, was killed in the War of the Last Alliance, and is one of the elves in the Dead Marshes.

[@parissimons6385]

Well said. And seeing a class difference play out in the Woodland Realm, with Thranduil warning Tauriel (who is Silvan, or 'wood elf') not to get involved with Legolas (who is Sindar, one of the Eldar), is tricky without knowing the historical context that Prof. Tolkien created outside what can be shown in the movie.

[@brettpeacock9116]

Thranduil's wife was tormented by Gundabad orcs after being captured, and it affected her so deeply that she took ship to the west, never to return. Legolas was quite young at the time and was raised largely by his father. Her jewels Thranduil passed to the Dwarf Kingdom for safekeeping, until he was ready to take ship. Then Thror basically stole them and refused to return them. Thranduil would never leave Middle Earth until he recovered them, so important it was, but it also soured him on the hazards of the world outside his realm. There are three kinds of elve, the Sindar, elves who sailed west in the days before the first age, many of whom returned with Feanor after Morgoth (Sauron's Master) stole the Silmarils (great Jewels that Feanor made), the Sylvan elves who never sailed to the west and the majority of the elves in the West, who first walked there and never left the Blessed Isles. Both the Sylvan and Sindar first awoke in the lands of Middle Earth....

[@cloudstrife428]

@@brettpeacock9116 She was killed by the Gundabad orcs. You're thinking of Elrond's wife Celebrian, who sailed West.

[@brettpeacock9116]

@@cloudstrife428 OK. You are correct. It has been a few years since I read that part of the Silmarillion. Plus I forgot about the passage in LOTR about Elrond's sons and their orc hunting "hobby"

[@JakubNaceradsky]

@@brettpeacock9116 You have kind of elves wrong, Quendi (Elves) are 1) Avari, those who refused to take travel to the west, Amayar (elves who traveled to Valinor) are Vanyar (Light Elves), Noldor (Elves who made and seek Silmarils), and Falmari (Elves who live by water of Amar / Valinor), third are brothers of Teleri who traveled with Valar, but some group of them settled and waited in Beleriand, these are later know as Sindar and some of them do not want to make their trip to west anymore. There is one more larger group, group who were late and settled in Vales of Anduin, they were afraid to cross Misty Mountains alone, some of them stay there and become Silvan, some of them live there some time and in nostalgia for brother kinds they take travell later around the mountains, they become a pilgrim lives in Eriador and Gondor region in First age and were forced to flee into Beleriand by raids of Evil forces on them, that is Nandor who founded realm of Ossiriand, after fall of Beleriand rest of this kind returned to Lorien. Only Sindar Elf who returned from Valinor is Glorfindel who killed Balrog and were allowed to return from hall of Mandos. (Sindar, Silvan and Nandor are as group caled Unmayar, those who not get to Amar / Valinor or Moriquendi, Elves of Darkness, because they did not ever seen Light of Two Trees of Valinor)

[@SammyRebbo]

Glad you enjoyed this trilogy. I hope it also urges you to not completely listen when people say things like "don't watch this movie cause it's trash." You never know when you'll get an unexpected journey!!!

[@wickuswoss7257]

It was an unexpected journey of disappointment

[@corrinabarnett8226]

​@@wickuswoss7257 savage 🤣🤣

[@Frogiexplayz]

I still thoroughly enjoy all the movies and yes I’ve read the books. I think some people will never be satisfied unfortunately. Mostly all movies not all that are made from books never cover the book verbatim and that’s ok.

[@NYC_Goody]

@@Frogiexplayz I did read the hobbit, but I have awful memory with everything. From what I remember, I don't think many of the dwarves got too much development in the book either. Either way, I thought the movies were completely fine.

[@AMortalDefiant]

​@@wickuswoss7257 The disappointment of some people is almost always coupled with their ignorance of certain topics; in this case, the practicalities of filmmaking. The primary cast almost *DOUBLES* between LotR, and the Hobbit, which would normally demand a substantially LONGER edit to provide the appropriate amount of time to fill in backstory, etc. Film is consumed completely differently than books; there are time constraints. Most people don't read the any of Tolkien's works cover-to-cover in one sitting as they would a movie; they have the freedom to take breaks as they see fit. That doesn't fly in the film business. Unless the studio was willing to commit to a tetralogy (at minimum) to flesh out the vastly expanded primary cast, they were always doomed to not get fleshed-out like they deserved. Peter Jackson was basically written into a corner by the source material; he could either cut characters, and enrage a portion of the audience, or he could have made more movies (which the studio likely didn't commit to funding), which would have pissed off another group of fans. It really was a no-win situation, but he made an admirable effort. It's easy to be an armchair quarterback, and to have impossible expectations, or one can go into these things realizing they will never get a word-for-word adaptation of any material; let alone one as robust as Tolkien's works.

[@dwhitaker86]

The interesting thing was that Martin Freeman (Bilbo) and Benedict Cumberbatch were actively playing Watson and Sherlock in the BBC Sherlock series during the filming of these.

[@randallshaw9609]

And that series is absolutely fantastic! If you're a fan of Sherlock, a must-see.

[@Mr.Ekshin]

I'm thinking of starting a Bunkerdrip Chowdercatch fan club.

[@thomast8539]

Yep and much better than this trilogy of tripe.

[@jamiewallis2797]

@@randallshaw9609 Cassie NEEDS to watch them...

[@thickasabrick2293]

I was thinking the same thing ... They were an AWESOME Sherlock & Holmes

[@joshargenbright01]

When Gladriel says, “I am not alone” and Elrond comes in draws his sword… that’s my favorite image of this entire trilogy.

[@kingscorpion7346]

"This guy is exactly like the cartoon Brave..." actually, Billy Connelly as Dain, is the one who voiced Fergus in Brave!"

[@MrTristy22]

And wouldn't ya know it? It also has someone who turns into a bear.

[@kingscorpion7346]

@@MrTristy22 OMG, ROFL! how could I even forget that???

[@MrTristy22]

I also did want to mention for those who didn't know he was in Muppet Treasure Island. ("Bewarrrrrre the one-legged man!")

[@kingscorpion7346]

@@MrTristy22 that was the movie that introduced me to Billy Connelly, and Muppet Treasure Island is my most favorite muppet movie. Boom! Sha-kal-aka!

[@DonMeaker]

@@kingscorpion7346 "Helloooo, Loooong Johnnn Silverrr!"

[@Yakandbleezies]

Galadriel was one of the three most powerful beings in middle earth during the third age. Also, Billy Boyd (fool of a Took!) is an actual singer for a band called Beecake. The song he sang in LOTR while Denethor ate his cherry tomatoes was done in one take, first time.

[@seanobrien798]

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” I first read The Hobbit when I was eleven. This line I've always remembered and is one of my favorite from Tolkien's books

[@seanobrien798]

@hephner78 For the Lord of the Rings books I was thirteen or fourteen when I first read them. I wasn't able to get through The Silmarillion until I was in my late twenties. Along the way I feel in love with some of the other Inklings (Tolkien's friends) writings. Screwtape Letters and The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis and Dorothy Sayer's translation of Dante's Divine Comedy.

[@Marandahir]

Yup, people can say what they will about the Hobbit films, but they come in clutch when it comes to the best lines in the books making it in and getting delivered absolutely perfectly. The Hobbit has a lot less dialogue and a lot less setting details than the Lord of the Rings - that's why the movies had to expand on the books as opposed to condense them like LotRs did. They had to fill in gaps. But as a result, almost ALL of the iconic scenes and lines DO make it in. The one particularly missing scene is "Thag You Very Buch" - even though clearly that scene could have happened as we see Bofur waking up from the festivities when Bilbo says that in DoS and missing the boat. But the reference to that line was cut from Fellowship too, so I can see why that one wasn't as important. But when it comes to the morals of the story at the end, Gandalf and Thorin and Bilbo really delver. And that's what's most important about these films. Also, the expansions regarding Wargoat chariots are brilliant, imho

[@TheNightshotBR]

14:02 the effect when they overlap Thorin´s voice with Smaug´s was pretty awesome. And most of you already know this, but in the theatrical version, elves and dwarves don´t even cross swords in battle. Orcs arrive and the elves jump over the dwarf lines to meet them head on. I like both versions, tbh.

[@gabe6550]

I just think that the overlapping of Thorin's and Smaug's voice didn't work. This scene was supposed to be serious but ended up unintentionally funny. I cringed in the theater. Also I hated that the elves in the theatrical version just jumped over the dwarves. I thought "finally we see the dwarves kick ass by themselves" and then the elves just stole the show. The extended edition is better IMO because through the battle scene before it was shown that the dwarves are very very dangerous enemies to mess with, even for elves. This scene was still unfaithful to the book, but at least it did more justice to the dwarves.

[@TheNightshotBR]

@@gabe6550 I didn't think it was funny in the slightest. But like they say, different strokes,, right?

[@NYC_Goody]

@@gabe6550 I didn't get the impression of unintentional funny at all. Also this whole "it wasn't faithful to the book, so therefor it wasn't as good or just completely sucked" stance is so old and annoying and just comes off as snobby and elitist. It isn't always the case. You can take liberties and be completely fine in the quality of your work.

[@bellethilrancthalion1109]

In the books the Elves and Dwarves didn’t clash either, as Gandalf stops them before they start doing rash things. So I have to appreciate the theatrical version for that, though I’m not opposed to seeing deleted scenes. I also didn’t like how the elves jumped over the dwarven shield defense. It basically cut the elves off from the back and rendered the dwarven spears completely useless in the frontal assault/clash.

[@davida7153]

Galadriel looks and sounds way more menacing than Sauron in that scene. I love how she insults him by calling "servant of Morgoth", not using his name and remembering him that he is a pale shadow in comparison with the true Dark Lord.

[@ianburns1167]

Indeed! Also, while I didn't like the idea of her taking on her Beautiful and Terrible as the Dawn form for this at first, in retrospect I like that this makes her moment in Lorien simply powering up. Also, she SHOULD look scarier than Sauron. She's the one who constantly engages him in mental battle all through the war of the ring, and is winning.

[@kimberlyhicks3644]

It's a spiritual battle actually. This is the way Christians are to fight the devil and demons. Just rebuke them, bind them up and order them into the abyss in the NAME OF JESUS. Gandalf the White performs an exorcism in The Two Towers on Theoden in a similar manner. That's why Ephesians tells us to put on the whole armor of God.

[@Whoisrem]

Rich from someone that got tricked by him, the elves helped with forging he rings of power

[@Lu_R]

It's not like Sauron is even his actual name. His name is Mairon but Elves call him Sauron and in their language, it means "foul stench". Yes, Elves basically calls him Stinky and it's the absolute best part of the LOTR

[@ouatedephoque2961]

@@Whoisrem The Gwaith-i-Mírdain (the Elven smiths) did indeed get tricked by Sauron, but neither Elrond nor Galadriel were part of that order. In fact, they suspected Sauron (or Annatar as he was known to them at the time) and refused his counsels.

[@toanzhou]

“Thorin needs some fresh air...” this might be the most sensibly practical idea I’ve heard. If ever I must go on a quest, you are now on my short list for people I’d like in my company.

[@davijoski]

Re: "....10 years later, technology was probably better": Peter Jackson had over 3 years of pre-production for LOTR with lots of emphasis on practicle effects . This one was a rush job, and PJ was at the mercy of 5 different studios, an impossible timetable, etc, so in the end many more of the effects were CGI compared to LOTR. I agree with you that it's a much better movie than is given credit.

[@m_nivon1652]

True, another thing I might add, Peter Jackson wasn't supposed to direct these films in first place, for much of the pre production and development Guillermo Del Toro was supposed to be the director of (at that time) the duology, but as expected with many Del Toro projects he left the project (love the man's work but list of projects Del Toro left unfinished or in late parts of development stages is actually more than his actual filmography)

[@mycroft16]

Yeah, the studio politics surrounding this, and who owned the rights to film, to produce, to distribute... it's a serious miracle this happened at all. Are they perfect? Nope. Are the a lot of fun and full of some truly awesome stuff? Sure are. :D

[@Zteezoo]

The Hobbit movies were filmed with 3D cameras too, so required more CGI, as the forced-perspective practical effects of the LOTR movies could no longer be utilised.

[@jkhristian9603]

He wanted to do it just like LOTR but the studio kept making changes and not giving him anymore time to adjust. The only way to finish in time was CGI.

[@ianburns1167]

There is one thing I'd complain of that isn't the cgi, despite loving these films, and that's the choreography. It's too video-gamey. You see it particularly in Goblin Town but it crops up everywhere - the fights are filmed like you're watching a video game rather than a movie, and it shows.

[@Stinger-gk1re]

I know someone has probably beaten me to this but here goes anyway. The reason Smaug lets the Dwarves live and attacks Laketown is because due to Bilbo's title of "Barrel Rider", Smaug believes (correctly, even if the nickname was unrelated) that Laketown aided the Dwarves in reaching the mountain, so Smaug wants to make the Dwarves watch as he shows them the price of involving others in their quest.

[@johnwaters8640]

The lord of the rings orcs were all in makeup and prosthetics, the Hobbit orcs were entirely cgi. That's why they looked more real in the lord of the rings.

[@davis.fourohfour]

Yeah. Jackson only had a year to prep this time. The Marvel movies look faker now, too. It's the mismatched lighting and lack of weight, all with very flat scenery.

[@chasecreamer727]

There is that one orc that is full make up when Legolas and Thranduil are interrogating him.

[@cranederoc]

nah man, that ain't true, only Bolg and Azog where CGI, and the background armies. All close up and other orcs where prosthetics. Just watch the extras. The main problem of the hobbit was a lack of pre and post production time to polish it where LOTR had way more. Can blame the fkn executives for that

[@OdileOdile19]

The orcs in dale were practical

[@chasecreamer727]

@@cranederoc Yes, you’re right. They are real in those scenes.

[@Cameron5043]

I am so glad you gave us a glimpse of the credit roll, with the utterly incredible artwork! You're the first reactor that I've ever seen that actually showed even a glimpse of them. They are incredible on Return of the King too. Thank you so much for that and for letting us go on this journey with you!

[@checkyhuf]

I was so happy about that too

[@robbob5302]

I put RotK in, just to watch the credits!

[@hudsonball4702]

FYI, interesting fact, the attack of Dol Guldur by Saruman, Galadriel, Gandalf, and Elrond *DID* in fact happen. Just not in the Hobbit book. Is was told about in the Appendices at the end of Return of the King Book. It did happen pretty much just before the Battle of the Five Armies.

[@danielallen3454]

It is, in fact, the reason Gandalf left the Company at the edge of Mirkwood. Tolkien never explained it in the Hobbit, and only touched on it (very briefly) at the Council of Elrond in LotR.

[@ethanquirk28]

Galadriel also went back again after the War of the Ring and personally tore its walls down with her own power before setting her eyes on sailing west

[@optimusakc]

I really enjoyed this part of the movie. A lot of people give the trilogy flack for "padding" the Hobbit books but they just dont realize it comes from other Tolkien sources.

[@pyktukasplays4945]

@@optimusakc the movies had to take many things into account that came from later retcons. The existence of Legolas is one of those things.

[@optimusakc]

@@pyktukasplays4945 his edition wasn't needed in my opinion but he might have been present during the dwarf capture. Cameo would have been fine. Guess I should say SOME padding to the hobbit story was great. Like the Galadriel, Elrond Gandalf sub plot since it actually happened. There was definitely some things I could do without. No need for love triangles for a start.

[@azaiav2480]

The end always brought me back to the very beginning of Lord of the Rings 🥺🥺 As a New Zealander/Kiwi I grew up with LOTRs ever since I was a child born from 2000 🥺 New Zealand became so popular and worldly known because of LOTR and the Hobbit 🥺❤️

[@jamiek1714]

You are so lucky to live there! -A Canadian

[@kevinslayzak1214]

I hope you guys really capitalized on it...I really wanna see the LOTR airport I've heard about..👍✌️

[@matthewpulido7912]

The battle between the White Council and the Nazgul was beyond epic.

[@Edd25164605]

I remember in the Cinema when Galadriel said 'You have no power here Servant of Morgoth' and the blank look on people's faces as if to say 'who?'. Dear oh Dear

[@metallicavlad]

@@Edd25164605 lol I remember that feeling.

[@parissimons6385]

Sadly, the White Council banishing Sauron from Dol Guldur happens offstage in the book, The Hobbit. Still canon, but not shown directly or in detail through the text. I appreciate having it added to the cinematic experience, and seeing how powerful they all are.

[@NecropsY1]

@@Edd25164605 my dream is to have a well made movie that covers Morgoth :)

[@TallisKeeton]

@@NecropsY1 there is no cinema theater than could stand epicness of Morgoth's age :)

[@atari303]

Billy Boyd's "The Last Goodbye" song at the end of the film hits me hard EVERY damn time I hear it. You definitely have to watch the official video for it.

[@jkhristian9603]

LOTR is better than The Hobbit but The Hobbit is still better than most movies.

[@christucker7655]

No

[@HollowBagel]

@@christucker7655 Yep.

[@pduidesign]

True. Unfortunately you have to get through the first movie to get into the thick of it.

[@jkhristian9603]

@@pduidesign I think I like the first one the best.

[@pduidesign]

@@jkhristian9603 really? I liked the 2nd and 3rd ones. I think it’s because Legolas and the elves were in those movies, along with the dragon and the big battles. Granted the first is probably the most “Tolkien” of the three movies.

[@blake714]

The staff that Radagast gives him is the staff you see at the beginning of the Fellowship film with Gandalf. The branches are broken off of it due to the Battle of the Five Armies/time

[@matthewpulido7912]

In the end Thorin freed himself from his grandfather's madness and his sacrifice ensured that the line of Durin survived through Dain (who is also a member of the line of Durin). In the end Thorin died a hero and a legend.

[@jsmith1214]

Gimli is after Dains son, 3 in line to be king under the mountain. After Dain, and Gloin

[@Casserole391]

"If you're referring to the incident with the dragon, I was barely involved. All I did was give your uncle a little nudge out of the door" Gandalf in Fellowship of the Ring

[@markstott6689]

If you're going to read the books Cassie please keep us updated with your progress and thoughts. I'm certain that you will have an audience from day one.

[@charlesmills8712]

Hear Hear

[@angelamitchinson8439]

Absolutely! I made a similar comment! 👍

[@andruidos13]

And be sure to read The Hobbit first!

[@bryanobrien2726]

A reaction after finishing each book would be great .

[@jamesmoy8665]

Cassie if you do read the books. Can I suggest either start or end with The Silmarilion. It is not a story in and of itself but rather a collection of stories that together tell the history of middle earth from it's creation to the end of the 3rd age into the 4th. It is quite dry but personally I love it as it gives a whole new level of understanding to so many things, why the animosity between elves and dwarves, the powers of the first born, the corruptive power of Sauron and the ring... the list is almost endless.

[@mithroch]

"I want to see someone kill him in revenge!" Whoa Cassie going all dark Galadriel!

[@bibbitdubois]

At some point you should really watch the behind the scenes features they made of Benedict Cumberbatch performing as Smaug and Andy Serkis performing as Gollum. I think you would find them really interesting to see how they did all the acting and everything for those two characters. You really see them come to life.

[@mayorjimmy]

This trilogy was carried by Martin Freeman. People can dump on it (and they do) but he made it a worthwhile watch.

[@LordVolkov]

"Why does Smaug ignore the dwarves?" Cause he never meets them in the book... 😅 He only meets Bilbo, and by misreading his riddles assumes he is a thief from Laketown, so Smaug goes to burn the city. It makes zero sense for him to get attacked by dwarves and then leave Erebor with them loose and alive in his treasure hoard.

[@parissimons6385]

You're right. At the same time, in the book Smaug does mention to Bilbo eating dwarf-ridden ponies around the Lonely Mountain, and he smashes the little bay with the secret door and much of the side of the mountain before he flies off to attack Laketown. And as a reader, I inferred that Smaug must have thought he'd smashed and crushed the dwarves, too. But Tolkien does not tell us in the text. (Hope I've got the correct order of events. It's been ages since I read the book.)

[@Klaital1]

It does actually make some sense when you take in how sadistic he is, he wants to make them suffer by having them watch him destroy the town and everyone in it first before coming back to kill them.

[@TheRealRealMClovin]

I thought it makes sense cuz why would he care about dwarfs. They arnt a threat and by killing a whole city he would put bad concience on the dwarfs. I think it makes a lot more sense of a vengeance. Killing many thousand of people instead of killing 12 simple dwarfs.

[@ruud9761]

@@TheRealRealMClovin Yeah I think dwarves, humans and such are like mouses to Smaug. He felt frustrated going after 12 individual mouses he couldn't seem to catch, so instead he went to lose his frustration on a "nest" of mouses. It's like a human trying to catch a mouse on his own without traps, you'd get frustrated rather quickly when you see how hard it is to catch those quick, agile, little things.

[@celticnoble5650]

@@Klaital1 This. It was for REEVVEEENNGE!

[@LuLu-Sil]

I love that Bilbo helps Thorin by just being himself 🖤

[@VaningDC]

Bilbo Baggins' final, tearful goodbye to the rest of the dwarves at the end of this movie was also his final scene with everyone so those tears were genuine! You can really see it in the faces of the dwarves too

[@drhkleinert8241]

Same as the end of "Return of the King" when the "Hobbits" and Gandalf had the last day and scene together.

[@Tommy1977777]

"Doesn't Smaug need to recharge?!"" So damn adorable!

[@mycroft16]

Other Dragons wish they were as awesome as Smaug.

[@Cydonius1]

dragons are not Teslas ...

[@mattyice2099]

@@mycroft16 best dragon depiction in cinema for me. Would love to see a movie creation of Ancalagon the black - the largest dragon ever created by Morgoth himself, with a wingspan the size of an entire mountain range. Terrifyingly unstoppable if it wasn't for magic elf sky ships.

[@UndyingRavyn]

I would think that a dragon's "fire" is actually part of their breathing, so no, they wouldn't have to "recharge".

[@mycroft16]

@@mattyice2099 I would love for so many of the stories from The Silmarillion and other Lost Tales to be made into films. There are some incredible stories that would be amazing to see. Fall of Gondolin, Ancalagon, Ungoliant...

[@catherinelw9365]

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World!

[@LloydChristoph]

I don't know what it is about this movie, but I always find myself watching it when I'm feeling a sense of wanderlust. Never fails to sate my appetite for adventure and exploration.

[@JordanJMyers]

This is the second time he's done this to me. There will not be a third.

[@CloneByDesign]

One of the best movies of the 21st century. Such a shame it never got a sequel, I loved all the characters and wanted to see what they got up to next (which was the original intention I believe)

[@JordanJMyers]

@@CloneByDesign Yeah I wish it got a sequel. I watch it atleast a few times a month lol sometimes more. So entertaining. One of my fav Russell Crowe movies.

[@ronweber1402]

This movie does not get enough love. It is a masterpiece and although the USS Constitution was changed to the French ship Acheron the ships and seamanship are historically accurate and the story is compelling.

[@NotMorganFreeman.]

The thing I've noticed about your videos is that you remember characters, places and events really well and piece things together easily. The perfect movie companion.

[@grahamduff7383]

The Last Goodbye is one of my favorite songs of all time. Billy Boyd has a beautiful voice.

[@tchalla8744]

He is Pippin right?

[@grahamduff7383]

@@tchalla8744 yessir

[@nickshale6926]

26:30 ‘He’s got a skull jockstrap’ 😂

[@nickshale6926]

Just wanted to say: really enjoying the spooky October reactions too. Got my fingers crossed that ‘The Omen’ and ‘Doctor Sleep’ get a view. Two of my absolute faves!

[@icyboi13]

Laughed so hard at this 😹

[@itsglennn]

The actors who played Merry & Pippin just started a podcast. They had Elijah Wood (Frodo) come on as a guest. Its called an The Friendship Onion. You can watch it on KZbin.

[@ScottGraham1976]

Popcorn I love your reactions so much, its so refreshing to see you showing us exactly how you feel and what your thoughts are keep up the great work!

[@rovhalt6650]

"Radagrass and his bunnies" sounds very woodstocky 😄

[@khankrum1]

I thought this depiction was stupid!

[@samellowery]

It's funny you say that because there was multiple Gandalfs at Woodstock these books became very popular in the 60s especially with the "pipe smoking" hippies

[@sullivanlaramie2901]

"Find the Dunedain. There's a young ranger among them- or well not really because he's about 10 years old and living in Rivendell under the name Estel."

[@stonie0212]

No Aragon is 27. This is 60 years before LOTR, and Aragon tells Eowyn he is 87.

[@felixoberhuber9450]

The timeline for the movies is different; Frodo sets off on his quest in the same year as Bilbo's party (unlike the book where Gandalf gathers Information for many years)

[@jp.iglesias1]

@@felixoberhuber9450 it actually doesnt say it was the same year, it may as well have been the 17 years after since he still was very young. They only didnt add a 17 years later text

[@Gaia_Gaistar]

Reading the books in the mid 90's changed my life. I was maybe 13 and it got me into reading more and more till I was reading all the time. And I still read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings once or twice a year every year along with everything else I was reading.

[@gabrielwoolf1037]

"If this is love, i dont want it" hits like a bullet everytime! Thank you for giving it a chance, its a good series if you dont compare it to LOTR

[@SleepySloth2705]

2:55 Smaug had a "THEIR DEATHS ARE ON YOUR HANDS"-type of plan when destroying Laketown

[@NecropsY1]

they broke into smaug layer so he felt he would attack their layer

[@vezner]

I rewatched The Hobbit trilogy recently and I agree, it’s much better than I remember. It’s definitely underrated.

[@wickuswoss7257]

R u a real person

[@vezner]

@@wickuswoss7257 of course I am. Are you?

[@divya6911]

@@wickuswoss7257 just because "u" didn't like it doesn't mean most people don't

[@wickuswoss7257]

@@divya6911 it's objectively bad, I'm sorry truth hurts. Also most people are kinda simple

[@divya6911]

@@wickuswoss7257 ew and?

[@ghyslainabel]

Even the actress and Peter Jackson were not a fan of the love story. That was a demand of the studio.

[@ugaladh]

Elves and Dwarves?! - Blasphemy!

[@harrypike5140]

Honestly it was my least favourite part of the Hobbit movies. It just felt so random, unnecessary and forced. Very out of place and shoehorned in for the sake of it. It literally added nothing to the plot other than an extra layer of drama for Kili's death

[@ghyslainabel]

@@harrypike5140 I agree. In the book, Fili and Kili died while defending their uncle, Thorin.

[@carelesscloud9816]

It actually made me cringe a bit. It really was unnecessary.

[@TopTwom]

The actress was so sick of being the love interest, that she asked them to promise her that she wouldn't be one in this. They agreed, rewrites happened, then she was a love interest. I feel so bad for her.

[@brucehuffman2967]

The Hobbit movies are really good movies, I think; just not as well recieved as the trilogy since a lot of the changes feel really unnecessary, where the changes to the trilogy make more sense. I remember going to see this in theaters and being a sobbing mess at Thorin's death scene, and couldn't agree with you more that Martin Freeman and Richard Armitage nailed their performances; everybody did, really

[@zizu274]

Lol

[@JoshuaG]

It's impressive considering Peter Jackson didn't have time to prepare these film's , he was burned out by it with little sleep, he just winged it due to Warner Bros. demands.

[@JustKelso1993]

​@@JoshuaG Plus the medical issues he was going through.

[@david941010]

They're terrible

[@wickuswoss7257]

I pissed myself laughing

[@calebharvey8979]

When they filmed The Hobbit, they built Hobbiton as a real place with long lasting materials so u can visit the little hobbit holes. Once covid has calmed down feel free to fly down under to my home country New Zealand and visit the set. U will love it.

[@Marandahir]

Glad you liked them. Be aware that the Hobbit is a lot shorter and they added a TON to the movies to fill in the missing details - the opposite of the LotR books where they had to cut scenes to fit it all in. The LotR narrator pretty much shares every little background detail down to the thoughts of foxes looking curiously on Hobbits journeying in the wild, so they had to translate those background details into set pieces and costume design and character design, etc. But for the Hobbit, because it lacks a lot of the detail its sequel has, they had to expand to fill in the gaps. Luckily they had the same art and design team as on the LotR films so they could build on the same world they established with costumes and characters. But when you read them, I still highly recommend going The Hobbit -> The Lord of the Rings -> the relevant stories from The Unfinished Tales (the ones specific to the former two books) -> The Silmarillion, rest of the Unfinished Tales, and Great Tales trilogy (Beren & Lúthien, The Children of Húrin, The Fall of Gondolin). Note that of the last three, only The Children of Húrin is a single complete narrative; the other two are just as important stories but Tolkien never completely them in a form that fit perfectly with the rest of his stories. And The Silmarillion itself is a bit of frankenstein work stitched together by his son from stories Tolkien wrote at different times in his life and even hired a fantasy author to smooth over a chapter or two that had no finalized version. So definitely keep anything other than The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings until AFTER you've read those two works, since they're in as finalized form as we'll ever see them (there was a revised 1960s Hobbit in the style of the LotR but it was abandoned by the time Bilbo got to Rivendell because Tolkien felt he wasn't giving it the same heart he had when he first wrote it).

[@catherinelw9365]

Those two adorable little girls are actually the daughters of actor James Nesbitt, who was Bofur the dwarf.

[@Chadwich]

Ive actually gotten really addicted to watching these. You're fun to watch. Nice job.

[@reinsama5436]

I love how the dwars and elfs perfectly sync on the battlefield

[@diisomoto]

It's worth checking out the music video for "The Last Goodbye" by Billy Boyd (Pippin). Shows scenes from not only the entire Middle Earth saga, but behind the scenes as well. As someone who watched every film in theaters, it was nostalgic to revisit, not only the characters, but the cast and crew as well.

[@bigfrankfraser1391]

when they shout "to the king" i love that thorin shouts "to mankind" showing he has truly come to his senses

[@tonysmith5504]

Sorry I’m a total Tolkien nerd lol remember the mines of Moria the tomb? That was balin the grey haired dwarf that was supper close with bilbo his brother was the one with the bald head and a few others died trying to retake Moria that was why gimly was so upset he was his cousin grew up on tales of thorin and his father’s adventure to retake the lonely mountain the one holding the book that Gandalf read from was the youngest of the 14 dwarfs

[@TheMightyCrucibleKnight184]

Which one?

[@tonysmith5504]

Not sure what you mean witch one

[@TheMightyCrucibleKnight184]

@@tonysmith5504 I mean't which one of them are the youngest of the company?

[@tonysmith5504]

In the movie Ori but in the book it was different

[@tonysmith5504]

In the movie Ori but in the book it was different

[@scottvanhille5688]

Always good seeing Bilbo's adventures and what he went through with Gandalf. It really explains a lot about their friendship.

[@aflyonthewall8177]

You are one of the few youtubers I'll keep watching after both the Hobbit and LotR reactions. I'll watch your older videos too. You are very sweet and perceptive. You could share your thoughts on the books after you've read them and I recommend you react to Pirates of the Caribbean sometime. That's a pretty good series as well.

[@callmeshaggy5166]

The end of TDoS really made it seem like Smaug wouldn't just die within 5 minutes of reaching Lake Town.

[@krissuyx]

His death should've been left in Desolation. It was very anti-climactic in this one.

[@pedanticperson1149]

Now that you've watched both trilogies you might want to try Willow (1988) as a lighter hearted fantasy film, it doesn't have Dwarfs or hobbits, but it does have Nelwyn (little people) and a quest to save the world.

[@cobbycaputo3332]

It's one of the better fantasy movies. My kids back in the day and my grandson more recently all loved it.

[@TallisKeeton]

love this movie, esp the prologue, and the music is unforgetable :)

[@KreshWC]

The novelization is very good as well and worth a read if you can find it. It includes backstory to the kingdom and Madmartigan as well as scenes that were cut from the film.

[@marthapackard8649]

Oh, yes. Willow! I have seen it in many years but what a fun movie.

[@Greenythemeany]

Thank you for namedropping it, for the life of me I couldn't remember the title and it's been bugging me on and off for months now. I probably haven't seen that film for more than 15 years.

[@willmartin7293]

Thank you, Cassie, for watching all of the LOTR and Hobbit trilogies, and sharing your reactions with us. It has been very enjoyable to be on this adventure with you.

[@saiien2]

In Lord of the Rings when the Fellowship enters Moria some of these dwarves where there (just their skeletons at that time). Balin (the old wise dwarf and later king of Moria) was at that sarcophagus where Gimli cried. Others were lying around.

[@ianbassett8365]

One of the biggest differences between Tolkien's books and the movies made from them is that, if you read the books, it's immediately quite obvious that Tolkien had very little interest in writing action scenes. Understandable, in many ways, as he was a linguistics professor more interested in creating what amounts to a whole mythology and presumably didn't want to get bogged down in too much detail, but it left some pretty large gaps for the movies to fill in. In the book of The Two Towers, for example, the Battle of Helm's Deep, which probably accounts for forty minutes or so of screen time, is dealt with, in my copy, about ten pages of a 700-plus page book. This also explains, to some extent, how they got three movies out of The Hobbit, which is not an overly long book. The book follows Bilbo for the majority of the time and Tolkien made the decision to have Bilbo be knocked unconscious early in the Battle of the Five Armies and only awaken after the fight is over, so much of the detail never appears in the book - Fili and Kili are killed entirely off-page, for example. Likewise, with the book narrative following Bilbo, much of Gandalf's storyline is missing - in the book, he simply leaves them at the edge of Mirkwood, citing "pressing business" elsewhere, and vanishes from the story entirely until he reappears shortly before the battle. Tolkien did explain in other writings where Gandalf went, so the filmmakers have included all of that in the movies, but it's all stuff that's not in the actual book of The Hobbit. Equally a lot of other details have been drawn from Tolkien's other writings, in order to flesh out what is a relatively slight book. And, yeah, some stuff has been entirely made up - Tauriel, I think, is entirely a creation of the filmmakers and, while I'm not entirely convinced her story works that well, I do understand the "jeez, we should try to have a woman in this occasionally" thinking that led to her appearance. I think The Hobbit always faced something of an uphill struggle because I think it had to overcome the initial sense that making three movies out of one book was nothing more than a cash grab by the studio and, let's face it, it would have hardly been the first time a studio stretched things out for purely financial purposes, so it's not an unreasonable approach for people to take. So there was, I think, something of a pre-disposition to dislike the movies, which is not an easy thing to deal with. It wasn't helped by the fact that, unlike The Lord of the Rings, they were much more rushed. Jackson had to step up as director relatively late in pre-production after Guillermo Del Toro dropped out, leaving him with not nearly as much prep time as he had on the first trilogy. He freely admitted that time pressures meant that he had to go into shooting before he was entirely happy with the scripts and, unlike the LOTR trilogy, which used storyboarding extensively to plan out action sequences, had to design many shots on the fly. The movies have their flaws, unquestionably, and I totally get that some people dislike them for that, and that's fine. For me, while they never hit the heights of The Lord of the Rings, they're still very enjoyable movies in their own right.

[@akse]

Though I do like the part where Gandalf visits Dol Guldur and the fight with white council etc. This is really interesting background info about how things are unfolding in the bigger picture. About the movies in general yeah it's not so great piece but enjoyable anyways.

[@SleepySloth2705]

11:43 Thranduil's steed is more based on the real life extinct Megaloceras, aka the Irish Elk 😁

[@cartertran270]

When You said “he’s Gandolf the gray do you know who you’re talking to.” Made me so proud.

[@Eidlones]

"I know some people weren't a fan of that love story, that wasn't in the book" Like Evangeline Lilly, who only joined the movie on the one condition her character not have a love story.

[@lurkingknight]

I enjoyed their addition to the story, though it was a little underdeveloped, as were a lot of the other dwarves of the company, there was plenty of time across 3 movies to explore them better but they chose to do set piece battles and a lot of running to fill time.

[@lavans5721]

Damn that ain't right

[@lawrenceschuman5354]

One thing different about the books, and this is for both Hobbit and LOTR, is that Peter Jackson apparently decided Sting is the only weapon that glows in the presence of Orcs. In the books, most elvish weapons do. Certainly any from the First Age. Glamdring and Orcrist glow. Orcrist is placed at Thorrin's tomb so the glow would warn of orcs approaching the city. And the elvish arrowheads glow. So the archer volleys against the orc/goblin army are like a swarm of shooting stars. I guess he didn't want a Star Wars vibe.

[@Enterprisek143]

While others covered how several of the dwarves in these movies were the among the dead in the Mines of Moria in LOTR, I'd like to also mention that should you go back and rewatch fellowship, shortly before the hobbits and aragorn make it to Weathertop (Where Frodo gets stabbed), there is a brief scene where they camp among three statues of trolls. Those were the same trolls that captured Bilbo in the Hobbit.

[@phousefilms]

One of the things that, unfortunately, didn't get the full attention it needed was Thranduil's motivation. It takes the extended editions and a deleted scene to fully explain. The White Gems are revealed to be the gems of Thranduil's wife, and you see his shock in "AUJ"when Thror reveals them to him, only to slam the lid shut before Thranduil can touch them. Thranduil, after losing his wife, only wants those gems and for that alone was ready to punish the company to get them. The statue at the entrance to Mirkwood that is found defaced with the Eye is a statue of Thranduil's wife. In the deleted scene(which takes place after Tauriel and Thranduil's confrontation after he tries to pull the elves back), Gandalf says , "Those gems are not all your wife left you. She left you a son. Which of them do you value more?" This gives Thranduil the motivation to join the battle again.

[@jdspencer60]

Balin is a true hero. I love this story so freakin much

[@lazyidiotofthemonth]

The Jewels THranduil is obsessed with are formed from the shards of a Silmaril, which were forged with the Light of the Two great trees within them.

[@simongregson859]

You are so spot on with all your analogies, yes it’s not as good as LOTR but it deserves far more credit than it gets. I’d love to see you rewatch LOTR after you read the books to get your take on it all over again 😁

[@christopherlawley1842]

Lots of folk forget or don't realise that the writers of "The Hobbit" incorporated some of Tolkien's stories that happened alongside in time but were not part of the book.

[@mrsmi1ey]

I will never understand the hate on these movies. Of course they aren't as good as LotR, but they are still amazing. Thank you for the wonderful reactions!

[@bellethilrancthalion1109]

Aside from some of the cheesy action sequences and cgi, most of the hate comes from the fans who were hoping to have the book more accurately portrayed without any bloating. Beorn missed his triumph, the Eagles don’t talk or bring them to their Eyries, Bilbo didn’t sing the Old Fat Spider song… small things that would have made the fans incredibly happy but weren’t put in. As stand alone films, however, they’re not bad at all. I can still enjoy them, even though there are many places where I think- “oh, I wish they had done THIS instead of THAT.” No hate.

[@mrsmi1ey]

@@bellethilrancthalion1109 Yeah except the LotR trilogy also has tons of "bloat" and isn't accurate to the books - yet those films are beloved. You really just can't win when it comes to book-to-movie adaptations I suppose.

[@Journeyman.71]

Thank you for allowing us to experience these again, through your eyes! You make them so much more enjoyable!

[@beowulf1005]

Cassie: The Battle of the Five... Me: Squads!

[@Parkinovich]

Battle of the Five Pages

[@Gort-Marvin0Martian]

Tolkien fought in World War One, and I believe he wanted those who read his works of the Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings to feel war. I think it helped him to pass the experience to others, so the desire for war might and efforts would be to end wars. Great reaction. Been coming here almost as long as you've been on! 😊💯 As we say in Texas; y'all be safe.

[@rxhawk75]

“He’s got a skull jock-strap” LMAO

[@johnfletcher8931]

One big thing to remember, The Hobbit was one book. Split into 3 movies. Fellowship of the rings, Two Towers and Return of the king are each there own books.

[@parissimons6385]

Thanks for doing these reactions to the Middle Earth movies, Cassie! I've enjoyed them all, and you are giving me a chance to recall the surprise of seeing them for the first time. And I appreciate seeing and hearing your open-eyed, sensitive and clear-headed responses. In my case, I read the books before seeing the movies. More than 30 years before first seeing Fellowship in the cinema when it was released. (Btw, BBC Radio produced an audio version of LotR in the early 1980s, starring Ian Holm as Frodo. Holm, who died recently, plays older Bilbo in all of the movies you have just watched. He was in other movies, like Alien, The Sweet Hereafter (a Canadian movie by director Atom Egoyan), The Fifth Element, and many more. His stage career started in the 1960s, and I have a DVD of him starring in a production of Shakespeare's King Lear. The other Sir Ian in the movies, Ian McKellen, who plays Gandalf, is playing one of the oldest Hamlets ever this month in London, and I believe the show is available online.) I've enjoyed a number of your other reactions as well, and thank you for tackling Schindler's List. Very difficult and important movie, portraying one horrible historical version of institutionalized prejudice, cruelty and greed leading to genocide. Aside from (not so) distant history, recent discoveries are bringing another horrible example to the surface in Canada these days. Great fiction, in books and on screen, helps us all find and understand human truth, even though it is fiction. Hope you can keep it going. Thanks, again!

[@richardrose7382]

I dearly love your emotional investment in this video. Several times you expressed such hatred for these orcs and goblins! Even the forest elves at times. As they say these days: “all the feels”

[@willcool713]

I'll say it again, The Hobbit, is a book (a single book) for children that should be cherished and read at bedtime as often as desired. The movies conflate the story of, The Hobbit, with other writings, such as, The Simirilian, and appendices from, The Lord of the Rings. As well, because CGI has fewer budgetary restraints than practical effects, they were able to take lots of creative liberties with the telling. All of the modern fantasy genere, as well as all roll playing games (à la Dungeons & Dragons), owe their begining to Tolkien's inspiration. So, basically all creative liberties taken in roll playing or fantasy writing are an homage to Tolkien, imitation being the highest form of flattery. And that's how I see, The Hobbit, movies, the highest form of flattery to Tolkien: an earnest, fun, modern take on a romp in his world.

[@Frelzor]

This is such a good take. Kudos!

[@leedog396]

You're right, The Hobbit is a must read and a must read to for children.

[@bigdream_dreambig]

"So, basically all creative liberties taken in roll playing or fantasy writing are an homage to Tolkien, imitation being the highest form of flattery." A living story is told and retold, changing with every telling -- sometimes better, sometimes worse, but ever-evolving. A dead story is written down, if it's lucky, but is otherwise forgotten. I'm sure Tolkien would be proud to know that his stories live.

[@whade62000]

Where did you learn to talk so beautifully, you bring tears to my eyes xD

[@GeekGirl-ub7ki]

So to let you know part of the material he uses in the movie is from the appendixes of the LOTR was used for the stuff involving Sauron regaining power. Tolkien basically answered people's questions on where Sauron was, what Gandalf was doing when he wasn't with the Dwarves and Bilbo during the Hobbit with those Appendixes. Some other Lore stuff is covered into books complied from letters and notes by Tolkein's son.

[@sorryiwasjustbrowsing3651]

A couple of nerdy comments: As Sauron gradually comes back more and more into his old power, the more powerful the One Ring is. Also the closer the ring gets to Mount Doom, the more powerful it is. So Frodo was being corrupted because he was approaching Mount Doom as Sauron was coming to a head. These movies feel disjointed because, as a 300-some page book for kids, the base material is a little simpler (not quite as silly as the floating barrel scene, but simpler). The added stuff (dwarf-elf romance, orcs/goblins attacking constantly, most of the stuff at Laketown, the protracted jog through Erebor while fighting Smaug) clashes strangely. Turning a 300-some page fairy tale into a 8-hour cinematic epic makes pacing quite an issue. You expect a traditional story like this to have an intro, the point when the hero involves themselves in the drama, some major plot points when we learn new things and the heroes are challenged, the midpoint when the hero becomes an active plot driver instead of a passive participant, the darkest/lowest point when everything is hopeless, then the climax. The Hobbit (the book) had these elements. But how do you turn a normal 3-act story into three 3-act stories? You need 3 separate hero archs (or contrive some), three darkest points (which you are gradually starting to doubt they are truly that dark) and three climaxes (meaning you need to elevate things that were minor in the original story). Makes the story feel like a bunch of stuff has been shoved into it. There are some lovely edits of these movies that knock them down to one 3-hour movie that work so much better.

[@DBZ-Mousa]

Christopher Lee I believe was also the only person from the cast to have actually met and talk with Tolkien!

[@paulwagner688]

Dain was Thorin's first cousin, descended from kings as well. The line of Durin was strong--Dain, Balin, Dwalin, Oin, Gloin, Dori, Nori, Ori (more distant).

[@HickoryDickory86]

I always get tickled hearing or reading lists of dwarf names. 😂

[@TallisKeeton]

@@HickoryDickory86 read "Poetic Edda" thats where all those names come from :)

[@ComeOnIsSuchAJoy]

Kudos for watching the extended cuts of these; quite a few people merely did the theatrical cuts, for whatever reason. My only real gripes with this trilogy were how underwritten Fíli (given his fate) and Glóin (given his ties to LOTR) were, the lack of closure given to Tauriel's character, and the lack of any sort of explanation as to why Radagast was MIA during the events of LOTR.

[@Alandennis1]

The Hobbit movies get better as you go. A totally enjoyable ride. Nothing compares to LOTR so people shouldn't try. The movies are a version...it doesn't matter if they came from a thick book, a thin book or a pamphlet. If people prefer the books, they are free to read them. Great reaction to both trilogies. Glad you enjoyed them.

[@Grimlock1979]

The Hobbit might be the first book that you can read in less time than you can watch the movies.

[@lifelover515]

LOTR is condensed, expertly so. Hobbit is expanded, clumsily so. A 'handsome' dwarf (Kili) would have been impossible in Tolkien's cosmology, as they were a botched attempt to create life by one of the Ainur (angels - I forget which) in imitation of Eru Illuvitar, the supreme being. and therefore stunted and misshapen by definition. The additional giant Orc leader was superfluous, Azog the Defiler was quite enough, and they could have made much more of the shapeshifter Beorn for additional action, instead of more bloody Elf warriors, male or female. That said, we still get a highly entertaining romp through Middle Earth. The battle with the shadow of Sauron in Dol Goldur was one of the more satisfying additions. I love the commitment you show in your reactions and look forward to more. After the terror of Schindler, last time I recommended some 'feelgood' tonic. If you haven't already seen it, I can't encourage too highly a viewing of Richard Curtis's 2003 'Love, Actually'. Just about every major actor of British cinema is in it. Laughter and tears galore.

[@ethanquirk28]

The Ainur was Aulë, the god of crafts. Funnily enough, he was also the original Ainur that both Sauron and Saruman served under. They all inherited his greed. Aulë thirsted for creation, he was over eager, he wanted desperately for a creation of his own, and in his greed he could wait no longer for his father to create the elves, who he had ordained would be the first race to be given life in the world. As a result he secretly created seven dwarves under a mountain out of sight so he had someone to teach his crafts, though they were not truly alive as they had not seen the secret fire and were instead merely animated bodies by his own will. When Eru/Illuvatar found out he was of course angry. He scolded his son and cast the dwarves back into the mountain, decreeing they should never wake again until the elves had been breathed into the world (part of the reason the rivalry between elves and dwarves is so deep set). This greed, this need for satisfaction was then passed on to the dwarves, who coveted the crafts taught to them by their creator once they were born again and coveted even more the precious materials used in their manufacture. Aulë’s servant, Sauron, inherited a similar greed, a desire for greater upon greater power that he could not help but move to satisfy, just as his original master had done in creating the dwarves. Saruman then suffered the same fate. He coveted his titles and high position and guarded them jealously. When he had overheard some say Gandalf should have been the leader of the Istari, that position was no longer enough and he needed more, a position that Gandalf feared, a position such as Sauron’s. So he sought the ring out for himself. Once again, he could not bare to allow oaths sworn to prevent him from fulfilling his passions and desires.

[@bricehatcher8391]

The additional orc leader was bolg and he's actually in the hobbit book. Azog was actually killed in the battle for moria. I'm not sure why they brought him back to life for the movie. But w/e

[@lurkingknight]

smaug was perfect.

[@HowtoRPG]

This movie is very emotional. Peter Jackson stopped production on the last movie because he had no script, was exhausted and didn't know what to do with it except a big battle, this is even with the studio scheduling filming. Crazy stuff.

[@charlesmills8712]

"He has a skull jock strap." That made my day!

[@leffelantis]

I have seen alot of your reactions and I must say, you are my favorite reactor! I truly love to follow your journey through all kind of movies. Keep doing you!

[@Corn_Pone_Flicks]

Me and my wife watch all six films once a year, starting with the Hobbit films and going through chronologically. I've never really been a snob about changes from the books...frankly, there's not really much that was outright changed, as opposed to added in (a lot of which came from other writings of Tolkien anyway). The Lord of the Rings movies straight-up changed more things than the Hobbit films did, especially The Two Towers. People just like to complain.

[@nathcascen473]

cool now u should watch all of them again with rings of power as first since it covers first era and second one ^^

[@CYB3R2K]

You think it's about the changes? Is also about the presentation. The orcs and creatures in the old movies were mostly practical and costumes, here is just ugly glossy cgi

[@Br0bin]

"That king is the worst" - Even worse than the steward of Gondor? Its so much fun watching these reactions of you! Keep it up! :)

[@congaplaya]

The part where the chariot splits the orcs heads was left out of the theatrical version to keep the film from earning an R rating.

[@mgreg8134]

Out of all of these videos I have watched by different personalities I like watching yours the best. You really get into the experience of watching the film and feeling the emotions portrayed in it.

[@Masterfighterx]

Thorins Cousin on the Pig is a comedian whom is also in The Boondock Saints, can recommend those movies! Also, maybe some Terminator or other Arnold movies and Jurassic Park.