Part Two is here: ruclips.net/video/HUxR9VOfEWg/видео.html This video is dedicated to my Grandpa that passed away about two weeks ago now. Thank you to everyone for your patience as I worked to edit and release this while I was traveling home! Thanks for watching and for being here! This movie was everything yall promised and more. Much love- Cole
What an awesome tribute! Sorry about losing your Grandfather. And no need to apologize for the length of edits. I’m really enjoying this for the 100th time. Denethor also had a seeing stone like Sauraman. Sauron was messing with Denethor’s mind through it.
I think the reason why LOTR reaction videos get so many views is because those of us who have watched it a million times already, wish we could experience watching the wonder and magic of this world for the first time again , so we get to live through these viewers' lenses and see the sheer joy, sadness, and multitude of emotions and thoughts as they discover the trilogy. am i right?
Spot on. 😄 It's also so interesting to see how people react to it when they don't have to wait a year between movies. I was in highschool at the time, and it was such a huge cultural phenomenon.
That and elves are immune to basically every poison and therefore more resistant to things like even the Nazgûl’s black breath that caused plagues throughout Arnor
And he got his wish, sort of. Saruman fell from his tower, and got killed thrice (Dagger, Wheel Spike, Drowned)... there's an old story supposedly that you have to kill a wizard three times.
Sauruman's end in the book is quite different. After everything is over, when the hobbits returned to the shire, they found he had escaped Isengard and had been enslaving the Shire. The boys rally the hobbits, build a small army, and defeat him and his army, becoming heroes of the Shire. It's been years since reading them, so details are hazy, but I'm pretty sure that's how it happened.
In both cases though, Wormtongue kills him. I think I remember that being the “cosmic reason” Aragorn spared him. (I don’t even remember if he did in the books, but I thought he had a “role to play” in destroying evil like Gollum. In the sense of being a pawn of destiny sort of.)
Movie wise it would be suicide to come to a great climax like the last battle and then oops, lads, you've come home and everything's been ruined, what are you going to do now? Not to say that it didn't have plausibility and realism, and the boys in their shiny gear couldn't handle the thugs, but it's the sort of twist that makes people upset as they leave the theater.
@@dangerbook4807 Yeah, I don't think it would've made sense for the structure of a film. It'd work better if it were a TV show, where the penultimate episode has a lot more action and activity, but you still have the entire finale to conclude things.
@@TheDorkSideTVAnd he gets some fantastic lines. Those battle words! Now for wrath, now for ruin… … and fear no darkness Forth Eorlingas! Gods, I always want to join the charge of the Rohirrim during that scene 😁
I think an important thing to know about denethor that they left out in the movies is that he himself had a palantir and was mentally battling Sauron for years but he slowly lost hope due to the corruption
As a lotr fan it’s my duty to tell you what a bad ass Christopher Lee (Saruman) was. When I came time to film the scene where he gets stabbed by wormtongue, Peter Jackson wanted Christopher to scream but Christopher who was a spy during WWII was like, “do you know what sound a man makes when he gets stabbed in the back, cuz I do” and so he gasped instead
Let's just say that Smeagol wasn't the most upstanding citizen before Deagol found the ring. That's why he was affected by it almost immediately..to the point of killing his cousin to get it. Seeing Sam cry always breaks my heart.
21:36 It is really a very honorable thing that Pippin did when he impulsively swore fealty to Denethor to try to repay his and Merry's debt to Boromir. In the book, Gandalf was not upset by Pippin's gesture. In the movie, Faramir said part of this Gandalf quote from the book: "I do not know what put it into your head, or your heart, to do that. But it was well done. I did not hinder it, for generous deed should not be checked by cold counsel. It touched his heart, as well (may I say it) as pleasing his humour."
At 19:43 you wonder why they haven't reforged the sword since then. The book works a bit differently, but essentially they were waiting for the Ring to be re-found.
One of the great things about this trilogy is that it DOES stick the landing, unlike the fumbling and clearly-made-up-as-we-go conclusion to, say, the Disney Star Wars trilogy, or the widely-perceived drop in quality in the later seasons of Game of Thrones. Adapting the foundational work of modern fantasy, Peter Jackson always knew EXACTLY where he was going with this, since he had Tolkien's solid original novel to work from. A devout Catholic, Tolkien did believe in the victory of good over evil, but as a veteran of World War I, he also knew that a cheesy all-euphoric conclusion was not on the menu. The tale may not end with Sauron as the eternal ruler of the world, but things will ultimately be bittersweet rather than Hollywood's simplistic idea of a "happy ending". For as it happens, you cannot just go home if "you" are simply no longer the same person as the one who left home in the first place.
Although I didn't care for the Disney Star Wars sequel trilogy, one thing I'll say in their defense is that Rian Johnson screwed up any chance at a decent third film, considering he killed off the mastermind pulling the strings for a cringe "subversion of expectations". Even if JJ Abrams wasn't a total hack, the third movie would've still been shaky because TLJ screwed up a lot of stuff. MAYBE a world-class director could've saved it, but it would've been nothing short of miraculous.
I love the "not the giant spider monster" reaction, don't you know, Tolkien invented all the horrible fantasy things too lol. (well, if he didn't invent them ALL, he sure knew how to use them)
Andy Serkis is the motion capture actor for Gollum on set and acted out all the dialogues and facial and body movement. He was wearing a green suit and the facial expression and voice acting was all him. Incredible technical achievement as animators made gollum alive. Andy deserves an acting Oscar… just so incredible. My favourite acting of the entire series
"I give Hope to men, I keep none for myself" is the epitaph of Gilraen, Aragorns mother. Aragorns' elvish name is Estel, which means Hope. He visited her grave in Rivendell when they left.
Galadriel intentionally matched Arwen & Aragorn together while they were both visiting in Lothlorien! Arwen & Aragorn met in Rivendell, & that is where Aragorn fell in love with her, although it doesn’t sound like she felt the same at the time. Aragorn’s mother Gilraen warned him that he was aiming too high, and Elrond was not happy about it either, and Aragorn took heed of this and left Rivendell, to learn how to be a Ranger and to oppose Sauron’s forces. Many years later, he came to Lothlorien, seeking rest and shelter, and Galadriel allowed him to enter. We have this line in the Tale of Aragorn and Arwen: ‘But Aragorn was grown to full stature of body and mind, and Galadriel bade him cast aside his wayworn raiment, and she clothed him in silver and white, with a cloak of elven-grey and a bright gem on his brow. Then more than any kind of Men he appeared, and seemed rather an Elf-lord from the Isles of the West. And thus it was that Arwen first beheld him again after their long parting; and as he came walking towards her under the trees of Caras Galadhon laden with flowers of gold, her choice was made and her doom appointed.’ LOTR Appendices. To me, that makes it rather explicit that Galadriel wanted Aragorn to appear at his best. Why? Who could he possibly impress in Lothlorien, except for Galadriel’s grand-daughter? I think it is quite clear that she wanted them matched, and perhaps her foresight told her that they needed to be matched, as it was part of destiny, to begin the Dominion of Men (something Elrond probably also realised, but couldn’t willingly promote, since it would mean Arwen and Elrond would be parted forever). Plus there is the scene in Lorien, where Galadriel gives Aragorn the Elessar, which went from Galadriel to Celebrian to Arwen and then back to Galadriel in order that she give it as a gift to Aragorn. Again it speaks to me as a collaborative act, and part of Galadriel helping bring the two together: And Aragorn answered: “Lady, you know all my desire, and long held in keeping the only treasure that I seek. Yet it is not yours to give me, even if you would; and only through darkness shall I come to it.” “Yet maybe this will lighten your heart,' said Galadriel; for it was left in my care to be given to you, should you pass through this land.” Then she lifted from her lap a great stone of a clear green, set in a silver brooch that was wrought in the likeness of an eagle with outspread wings; and as she held it up the gem flashed like the sun shining through the leaves of spring. “This stone I gave to Celebrían my daughter, and she to hers; and now it comes to you as a token of hope. In this hour take the name that was foretold for you, Elessar, the Elfstone of the house of Elendil!” From LOTR FOTR BOOK
Peter Jackson, let it be remembered, is at heart a horror director. This shows up a *lot* in Fellowship but I agree with your comment that Gollum's opening has horror tones.
Denethor (& Faramir) was done dirty unintentionally: Denethor was way more noble & mighty in the books. Not to mention he contended wills with Sauron for decades nonstop & ontop of that even now he was never broken nor could Sauron alter what Denethor would see in the palantir even then he couldn’t control what Denethor had control of which was how he CHOSE to INTERPRET the visions given to him. Using it all to Gondor’s advantage! ❤ he also lit the beacons and got the women & children far away from the city longer ahead of time. So the movie butchered him as well as faramir but they didn’t butcher faramir as badly thankfully. He could have been shown to give Pippen his newest order to light the beacons so then it wouldn’t change the scene much at all as presented! The story here is Faramir’s birth ended up killing his mother Finduilas(named after an elvish princess from the era of Children Of Hùrin was set in);she was a Numenorean woman of the Faithful which her ancestors survived the Cataclysm of Númenor by the way! He was hurt deeply by her death and ontop of that Faramir had the likeness both in temperament as well as his appearance/bearing so he ways reminded of his wife over and over again by Faramir who was just like her, and all it took was a simple look or what-have-you to drive the knife in deeper into his heart about his wife. But also Aragorn when he went by the name gifted to him as Thorongil Denethor’s father basically overshadowing him from his own father so he is as psychology goes: treated Boromir the same way his father treated Aragorn/Thorongil. Note that Boromir and Faramir are half Númenorean which is a big thing as far as the legendarium goes! And it’s something to note that he treated Boromir like his father treated the clandestine Aragorn as Thorongil. Denethor actually did many things the movie shows him not doing or neglecting. He was VERY competent and mighty in many craft and (even a lore-master to a degree). He had quite alot of mental and “magical” might which is why he could contend with Sauron too without being harmed in there process in any way!
“This cat orc is really causing some issues here; he doesn’t even wear a helmet his head is so fucked up” I almost stopped breathing laughing at that 😂 “cat orc” did me in and it just got funnier with every word he said lmao
That just made my day 😂 I’m glad my idiocy is quotable! I hope your friends enjoyed! Thanks for taking the time to write this comment and watch along 💪
It isn’t explained in the movie but Denethor has basically been driven mad, not only by the death of Boromir, but also by Sauron. He had a Palantír (like the one that Saruman used Pippin used) and Sauron gave him visions of the overwhelming forces heading to Minas Tirith and drove him to despair.
0:20 The longest I've ever committed to watching a movie in cinema was waiting for 12 hours in front of the box office with my ticket to enter the theater. I made some friends that day, as we all met and waited lol And with the extended versions of each movie releasing just before the next hit theaters, we all had a chance to be that immersed beforehand. Sitting next to my friends, watching this movie for the first time, was fething amazing - and I'm toning it down. These movies were so well made - thanks for letting us see your reaction to them, all these years later 💙💙💙
I don't know if anyone else said it: the dwarves (Gimli's folk), elves (Legolas' homeland, and Lothlorien and Rivendell) were all attacked as well independently from what's shown in the films. I don't recall all the specifics, but everything from whole armies from Mordor (dwarves, woodland realm) to offshoots/allies of Mordor that were sort of smaller regional groups attacked the various factions. Sort of war on all fronts. Never seen the like in another book, Tolkien wrote about these battles in the appendices of the LotR.
1:47 One of many moments I love. For two movies, I'm sure everyone assumed it was Smeagol who found the Ring. What makes this story so good is being able to keep in the story and not edit out: It was more complicated than that. So much of this is lol It's beautiful 💙💙💙
Oh my gosh COLE! Oh I feel the same as you about Gollum/Smeagol I didn't trust him from the beginning. Oh when Eowyn tells Merry to go to the Smithy's, she meant like a swords smith to sharpen his sword for him. Yeah, Aragorn had friend zoned Eowyn, it had to happen. I agree with you about Theoden, he grew on me too about this time. Cole you said "...it was meant for you to be scrubs in your life for this moment right here, it was all Destiny baby." when the ghost king said they would fight after all! Made me cheer along with you and high-fived you virtually! YES! Excellent reaction! I am off to see your part two now!
25:10 Another thing I love that these movies got to do: Build up details like this one a long time (and I'm going to say) thence. Gollum talked about the Stair when he stopped them at the Black Gate. We knew about the Marshes before the Breaking of the Fellowship - and we knew about Minas Morgul before we even knew what was going to happen in this movie about a Lord and a Fellowship. The fact that the running time is as long as it is, is actually part of what makes it so good to rewatch, at least once, if you enjoy it - and the second experience is so much more when you see it and are now more familiar with the lore they're bumping into . and you see it . everywhere Peter Jackson led a really awesome project, making this trilogy 💙
At 33:07, what was Pippen doing riding with Gandalf here? You're the first reactor I've watched who has asked that question. Apparently, the first intention of the screenwriters was to have Gandalf and Pippen encounter the retreating Men of Gondor and the Nazgul just as they were arriving from Edoras. That time line doesn't follow the book, and it was decided that it would be too hard to make it work. Having Pippen with Gandalf allows Faramir to see another Halfling right away, instead of encountering him later in the city. For whatever reason, it was decided to have Pippen accompany the White Rider out on the Pelennor
At 26:34 you say, "The Great Battle of our Time--like Helm's Deep wasn't just the #$% most badass battle I've ever seen!" I remember reading the chapter in T2T about Helm's Deep at about 2 a.m. my freshman year in college and thinking, "Boy, Tolkien has really written himself into a corner. Because there's obviously going to have to be an even bigger battle in the last book, and how can he possibly top this?" I needn't have worried...Strap in--it's going to be a wild ride.
it’s important to note that although not shown in the movies really, denethor had been battling sauron for YEARS and years to this point. he even had a palantir of his own that he used to mentally fight sauron, but due to many factors he slowly began to lose and become corrupted. he was once a strong-willed and capable steward, but by the main story he is defeated and corrupt
That opening shot of the white city... That was the 2nd largest miniature set-piece that had ever been made in the world ...at that time. The only one bigger was the same movie's Isangard "bigature"
Denathor was a good ruler and very smart but due to him battling with Sauron on his own palantire he began to lose hope. Boramires death pretty much took the final toll on him
Denethor was done dirty in the movies. They make him out like he's JUST a horrible person, leaving out that he's had one of the palantir and was being whispered to by Sauron for years. Originally, he was a great steward, but he was slowly driven mad.
At 48:49, in the book Merry is given a ride to Gondor by one "Dernhelm," who Merry had previously seen while riding with Theoden while he was reviewing his troops: "A young man, Merry thought as he returned the glance, less in height and girth than most. He caught the glint of clear grey eyes, and then he shivered, for it came suddenly to him that it was the face of one without hope who goes in search of death." Merry doesn't learn "Dernhelm's" true identity until the climax of the battle. I'm happy with either version; it is hard to believe that Merry could ride for three days or more without figuring out who "Dernhelm" was.
Saruman’s scene was not in the theatrical release of the film. He was merely mentioned with being locked in the tower and was powerless, but never was shown at any point. Sir Christopher Lee who played the character was apparently kind of upset about it and later made a joke saying something to the effect of: “Am I still in the movie?” When they announced that the extended cut of the film. They fixed the issue in this version.
Fun fact for this movie straight from New Zealand - The giant tree above Bilbo's home Bag End is a giant oak tree. In New Zealand where the hobbit holes were created, there was no large oak tree above Bag End so one needed to be moved there. Peter again wanting to be 'authentic' actually cut down a real oak tree into pieces somewhere else on the property and had it reassembled above Bag End. Naturally when you disassemble a tree, you kill it so all the leaves came off. So Peter had the art department make leaves...thousands and thousands of leaves to manually attach to the tree to replace them. They were made of plastic and painted green. Filming started and everything was going alright for a bit. They hit a snag in filming that caused a delay (I don't remember why) of a couple weeks. This tree had plastic leaves painted green left out in the elements for a couple weeks. When filming was set to resume, the art department noticed the color of the leaves had faded and were not the same color as before. They hoped Peter wouldn't notice...but he did. The art department had to redo the whole tree - this time out of silk leaves - before they could continue.
Welcome back! I'm sorry for your loss and take all the time you need. I was laughing each time Denethor appeared on screen because of your absolute DONE-ness about him. Everyone loathes Denethor, but he does have a reason for the way he acts - I'm sure lots of people told you about the Palantir. The movies also cut out a huge portion of the books called the Scouring of the Shire (Saruman escapes and takes over the Shire toward the end of the book, and the returning hobbits have to fight him off). I'm glad you're enjoying LOTR, The Hobbit has always been my favorite book (not so much the movies, save for the first one) and I hope you will always remember your first viewing.
I actually didn’t know Denethor was affected by the Palantir so thank you for that! And Saruman taking over the shire sounds like its own movie 😂 I appreciate you watching along and leaving great comments along the way! I’m excited to check out The Hobbit real soon! You’re amazing Chris! ❤️🙏
Denethor is a bit hard done by in the films. In the books he is a far more tragic character. In his youth and early stewardship he was a great Warrior and Leader, like Boromir, but as the times darkened his wisdom failed him and he started to use the Palantir (Seeing Stone) that was kept in the Tower of Gondor. (one of the 7) As time passed his visions became less ands less an aid and more like a dark prophecy - One caused by Sauron, who also had a Stone - Probably the one from either Osgiliath or Minas Ithil (Now Minas Morgul) Sauron is far more powerful than Denethor (a mere Human), being a Maiar, like Gandalf. While he could not make the Stones create false visions (or lie) he had the strength to force the stones to show ONLY what he wanted the others stone(s) to show and he constantly showed Denethor dark and terrible visions of his Sauron's growing armies, of defeats of the free peoples and his enslavement of them. Eventually Denethor was driven to despair, something he was prone to. (The reason he is so "down" on Faramir is that his Beloved wife died soon after Faramir was born, and part of Denethor blames Faramir for that. The other reason is more subtle- Boromir was very like the Youthful Denethor, but Faramir was more bookish and loved lore and learning, sometimes with Gandalf as tutor. Gandalf even states in the book, that "The Blood of Numenor ran more truly in Farramir, than it did in either Boromir or their father".) Given all of this, the prospect of the coming war essentially drove Denethor over the edge of madness.
Denethor (is corrupted when we see him). In fact both him and Saruman were corrupted in the same way, bu trying to see into the mind of Sauron to gain an advantage. The fact that Denethor went mad, versus joining Sauron actually shows how strong and good he actually was. Since you have seen both parts. We do get hints that this is what happens, my sister realized it and she never read the books, but many do not. But he talks about the eyes of the White Tower, and when we see the thrown room, you see him set below the actually thrown. But there is a palantir there (the crystal ball object). Sauron's mind is not something a mortal would be able to use without eventually being corrupted. The ring is much the same as it has the will and power of Sauron behind it. The books make in clear that no one in this film would be able to resist the ring, on one. Eventually (or depending on the situation it would be instantaneous) you will would be corrupted.
Remember, the Big G God, Eru Iluvatar, works through the characters sometimes. So, when signs like showing pity on another or showing love and deference to another. Even the huge mess ups of Pippin are all part of Iluvatar’s plan. Pippin is the most carefree of the Fellowship, so Iluvatar can more easily work through him, as he has fewer blocks weighing his mind down like the others do. ❤💕👍🏼
3:15 The ring had been sitting there waiting for 2500 years when Deagol and Smeagol came by. No doubt it put forth all the power it could to be attractive to them so it wouldn't have to sit around in the mud another millennium or two.
LET'S GOOOOO! So excited to see you wrap up this series. Mad respect for uploading both parts at the same time, but gotta give you shit for the shirt lol I think my favourite part is how Gollum says "we forgot the taste of bread" during the intro, only for that same sentiment to be echoed by Frodo near the end. Such masterful, nuanced storytelling!
You are by far my favorite reactor to the movies and I’ve been watching reactions for years!! I hope you haven’t seen more awesome stuff so I can watch you watch them! God I’m a dork lol
Dude, you should look into narrating audiobooks. Great vocal quality, I need you to put out a version of Heinlein's Starship Troopers narrating it as our own dear Johnny Bravo. Winning audiobook gold right there, man. And it's a shorter book so not the longest project! Think about it! lol. (in the copious free time, of course, but you already have the recording setup you could use.)
This is one of the coolest compliments I’ve ever gotten! I really appreciate that. I might have to look into it now 👀 as long as they don’t mind a slight southern accent in the narration lol
A big part of the reason Boromir's father Denethor is so messed up isn't really shown in the movie. He actually has one of the missing Palantirs, like the ball Saruman had. Through the Palantir Denethor thought he was clever and spying on Sauron, but Sauron was using the Palantir to corrupt Denethor and drive him mad.
Hi Cole! I hope you and your family are doing ok, first of all. ❤ I think this is the best reaction you've ever done, brother. It was downright hilarious from start to finish. Your hype is contagious! 😂 A few things just to add as always. The sword was never reforged up until now because the conditions were not met. Sauron wasn't at full strength and no heir of Isildur had come forward to take him on when he was. They were a scattered breed. That is, until Aragorn. And up until now, Aragorn has been denying his birthright. He didn't want the responsibility. Only now has he begun to accept his lordship and so the power of the sword will work for him now as he fully accepts the position of King of Gondor. Lord Denethor isn't quite so cruel in the books. He is a noble man. However, though you don't see it in the movie and it's only alluded to by the things he says, he is in possession of another Palantir (one of the seeing stones like Saruman had) and Sauron has been feeding him lies and corrupting him through it by making him think the situation is hopeless and that they have no chance of winning. Denethor is out of his mind with fear. As for why the dwarves and elves didn't provide much help, what Legolas said to Gimli was true. They were fighting Sauron in their own lands. While the fellowship were fighting down south, there was also a war in the north (there's a game made of it, although it's not entirely canonical, it's still really good). Gimli and Legolas' kingdoms (Erebor and The Green Wood) were fighting an equal sized army of orcs and easterlings as Gondor and Sauron also sent armies to Lothlorien (where Galadriel is) and Rivendell. Everyone was fighting the war at the same time. It would've just been too much to try and cover it all in one story. You can see Erebor and The Green Wood (Mirkwood) kingdoms in The Hobbit trilogy. As well as meet Gimli and Legolas' fathers. Gimli stood no chance against Legolas in a drinking competition. Wood elves love nothing more than drinking. Legolas' father Thranduil is literally the king of alcoholics. They have vast wine cellars and a special wine is made for them from a city called Dorwinion. It's really powerful, because dwarf or man made alcohol isn't strong enough to give the immortal elves even a buzz. Yes, Legolas knows a ton of lore. He's over 3000 years old. Smeagol wasn't always a dick. The ring just corrupted both him and Deagol really quickly. It provoked them to murder. Which is very much unheard of for a hobbit. They're not a lawless or evil race at all. Frodo fell for Gollum's manipulations because the ring is weakening him and corrupting him and Gollum is playing on those fears and vulnerabilities. Frodo also knew they wouldn't find their way without Smeagol. It wasn't as easy as just following the ash clouds to the volcano. There were only those 2 entires into Mordor. Sauron had surrounded the land with steep cliffs that were impossible to scale. One of the things that were changed majorly from the books is that the Witch King broke Gandalf's staff. In reality, the Witch King wouldn't stand a chance against Gandalf. They just did that in the movie for dramatic emphasis on the 'no man may kill him' thing, but it annoyed a few people. 😂 Oh, just editing to add, those corsairs on the ship were actually most of the production staff. The one Legas shot was the director Peter Jackson himself lol He has cameos in every movie, as do a lot of the team and Peter's kids. Right, onward to the conclusion! See you in part 2.
"Where are the dwarves" - If I'm remembering correctly during the battle for Helm's Deep much of the Sarumans army is actually divided as most are attacking the dwarven homelands and it's only a smaller portion that actually is attacking Rohan as men are "weak" and does not see them to be such an issue. I also believe they are continuing that fight for most of the 3rd movie and it only really ends in the finale, most dwarves are slain and only a small number remain.
Pippin maybe foolish but he's always coming through & is far better than he shows. "And Rohan will answer!" Theoden fully returning to the king he once was. "No but we shall meet them in battle none the less" he's accepting his situation & not going to deny the facts but still show his people that he's ready
The Riddle of Strider, written by Bilbo Baggins and which Arwen partially quotes. All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king.
The conflict between Sam and Frodo is controlled by the ring. Frodo was exhausted because of the weight of the ring. The ring influenced his mind and Sam's
I hate the scene where the Witch King breaks Gandalf's staff because in the books it was kinda the opposite...Gandalf sent the Witch King fleeing in terror and certainly didn't have his staff broken...
Fun Fact: Peter Jackson based that pinkish Orc, Gothmog, off of Harvey Weinstein because he really hated how he wanted the trilogy crammed into 1 movie. However given what we know about Harvey i think Peter captured his likeness perfectly
The ring took Sméagol and Déagol so fast because they were already kind of POS’s. Imagine Merry and Pippin but psychos. Also not included in the books/movies but was in the letters from Tolkien, in the years after Sméagol got the ring he turned into like a Brothers Grimm horror character, he was notoriously well known for sneaking into the river folks houses at night and eating their children. This is part of why Bilbo and Frodos compassion and mercy towards him is so impressive, and also gives Sam’s anger a complete pass.
Sméagol and Deagol were extremely similar to Merri and Pippin. Both came from well-to-do families who were the leaders of their own communities. Both were a little spoiled, mischievous, and liked to play games. They weren’t evil, just a little bit selfish. The Ring was lying in wait for 2500 years, powering up, so it easily took the mischievous nature of the two, and the desire of a birthday present by Sméagol and turn it in on them quickly, with the horrible result. Tolkien wanted the reader to second guess what might have happened if Merri or Pippin ended up with the Ring rather than Frodo. I think Peter Jackson brought it out a bit in the movie too. 💕👍🏼🇨🇦
Yes!! I’m going to wait until a little later in the year so I can digest everything I watched so far. There’s a new Lord of the Rings movie coming out this year so it’ll probably be around then! I don’t want to over-spoil myself with the world of middle earth all in one go! I can look forward to one more adventure (like bilbo 😉)
A couple of fun facts. Christopher Lee (Saruman) was famous as Dracula starting in the 50’s and him being impaled by a wooden stake was a reference to that. In addition, the super ugly orc was based on Harvey Weinstein. He owned the company that PJ first went to to pitch the films, and they told him the LOTR needed to be just one movie and they wanted to kill off one of the hobbits.
Even more context - Peter Jackson wanted people to see the extended (uncut) versions in the theatres, but Harvey Weinstein stopped him. In fact, Harvey wanted just ONE movie in the threatres, not a trilogy. 5 years of court proceedings - and the 'harvey weinstein orc" in return of the king (made at Jackson's specific direction) was the result. Too many people don’t realize they are arguing in favour of a version of this movies that was only shown in theatres because of legal reasons - not for artistic reasons. - Peter Jackson’s passion project team was forced to not show their full content as it would cut into what the cinema CEOs literally called the theatrical edition to get more screen time in and more mulla for themselves. It’s a such a nasty business. 80 percent true that money be the root of all evil. It’s the reason the real pumped out the EE as fast as possible in DVD format before the second and third film hit theatres to get back at Harvey Weinstein, again, they wanted people to see the whole movie which invites feelings of completion in one’s heart. But he just announced that’s he found 1300 hours worth of footage from a warehouse he finally got access to so we will see more specially made super extended edition cinema extravaganzas that no cinema would pass on the opportunity to ride on his coattails again. The EE wasn’t just for fans. He literally was adapting the books to film as honestly as possible. the DVD documentaries showed that they didn’t want to cut anything. And weaselled around things to create the EE. (EE is extended edition by the way! ❤️). Without the extended for the next two films I always say “Good luck missing the Boromir backstory. Good luck explaining why the cloak turns into a rock. Good luck explaining the elves that had explained their current situation since the first film. It all ties together good luck skipping the gift scene with Galadriel and Celeborn and the extra scenes between Aragorn and Celeborn & Galadriel to Aragorn!” It’s seriously needed for the film worldbuilding and heightening the stakes. Also, I’d rather have faith people have the emotional and intellectual IQ high enoug to understand it or shall we have changed the title to something else same as how JK was forced to change the title in America to sorcerers stone instead of PHILOSPHER as Americans don’t even know what a Philospher is anymore these days which is sad. Relating to that: Tolkien was very sad about people losing connection to their past and heritage etc!
Denethor in the books is not as he is in the movies.. long was he a noble man, a fine ruler, Lord and steward.. his downfall came about because he used the Palantir to gain information and news, but Sauron controlled the Palantir and only allowed Denethor to see in it what Sauron wanted him to see, and little by little he weakened Denethor's will, and gradually unsettled and eventually unhinged him, essentially depriving Gondor of sound leadership at a time when that was exactly what it needed.... Sauron launched his attack at a time when he judged Denethor to be broken and ripe for defeat......... the Denethor that we see in the movie is the result of Sauron's insidious working, indecisive, unwise, verging on madness and riddled with doubt and defeatism...When he goes out and sees the vast array of Sauron's army drawn up outside the city walls, he breaks, and had Gandalf not been there, the city would have been helpless and leaderless.....
Part Two is here: ruclips.net/video/HUxR9VOfEWg/видео.html
This video is dedicated to my Grandpa that passed away about two weeks ago now. Thank you to everyone for your patience as I worked to edit and release this while I was traveling home! Thanks for watching and for being here! This movie was everything yall promised and more. Much love- Cole
Sorry for your loss mate.
I'm sorry for your loss and I hope you're doing ok. Best wishes from the UK.
Sorry for your loss bro😢. May he rest in peace.
May your grandfather's memory be a blessing to all who knew him.
What an awesome tribute! Sorry about losing your Grandfather.
And no need to apologize for the length of edits.
I’m really enjoying this for the 100th time.
Denethor also had a seeing stone like Sauraman.
Sauron was messing with Denethor’s mind through it.
I think the reason why LOTR reaction videos get so many views is because those of us who have watched it a million times already, wish we could experience watching the wonder and magic of this world for the first time again , so we get to live through these viewers' lenses and see the sheer joy, sadness, and multitude of emotions and thoughts as they discover the trilogy. am i right?
Totally.
Totally summed it up
Factz
Yes! And same for many other fandom videos
Spot on. 😄 It's also so interesting to see how people react to it when they don't have to wait a year between movies. I was in highschool at the time, and it was such a huge cultural phenomenon.
Cole: Oh god, please not a spider thing
Narrator: but to Cole's dismay....
Legolas was trolling Gimli with the drinking game. Elves have wine that's aged for centuries. He's no stranger to drinking.😂
Especially not considering who his dad is lolz
That and elves are immune to basically every poison and therefore more resistant to things like even the Nazgûl’s black breath that caused plagues throughout Arnor
@@NoelleMar Oh yeah. His dad gets that special stuff!
🤣🤣🤣
And as we learned in The Hobbit, they can get blitzed on strong wine too.
The comedic timing of “we might be fucked if that door opens” and “that's way worse than the door opening” 🤣🤣
I’m happy that gave you a laugh! Which part was this btw?? I can’t remember that part lol!
@@TheDorkSideTV 25:37
@@Sgrunterundt thank you!! 💪🙏
“I want you to jump off that tower and see me face to face dawg” 😂😂😂 can already tell this’ll be the greatest reaction
And he got his wish, sort of. Saruman fell from his tower, and got killed thrice (Dagger, Wheel Spike, Drowned)... there's an old story supposedly that you have to kill a wizard three times.
😂😂😂 I needed Gandalf to get his rematch after Saruman threw him around the tower in Fellowship lol
Sauruman's end in the book is quite different. After everything is over, when the hobbits returned to the shire, they found he had escaped Isengard and had been enslaving the Shire. The boys rally the hobbits, build a small army, and defeat him and his army, becoming heroes of the Shire. It's been years since reading them, so details are hazy, but I'm pretty sure that's how it happened.
In both cases though, Wormtongue kills him. I think I remember that being the “cosmic reason” Aragorn spared him. (I don’t even remember if he did in the books, but I thought he had a “role to play” in destroying evil like Gollum. In the sense of being a pawn of destiny sort of.)
@@NoelleMar I thought so but wasn't positive, so I'd just said he was defeated.
Movie wise it would be suicide to come to a great climax like the last battle and then oops, lads, you've come home and everything's been ruined, what are you going to do now? Not to say that it didn't have plausibility and realism, and the boys in their shiny gear couldn't handle the thugs, but it's the sort of twist that makes people upset as they leave the theater.
@@dangerbook4807 Yeah, I don't think it would've made sense for the structure of a film. It'd work better if it were a TV show, where the penultimate episode has a lot more action and activity, but you still have the entire finale to conclude things.
"Half orc, half fucked-up cat!" 🤣
I’m glad you’re enjoying Theoden, he’s such a great character.
Underrated in my opinion! I loved him in this movie!
@@TheDorkSideTVAnd he gets some fantastic lines.
Those battle words!
Now for wrath, now for ruin…
… and fear no darkness
Forth Eorlingas!
Gods, I always want to join the charge of the Rohirrim during that scene 😁
I think an important thing to know about denethor that they left out in the movies is that he himself had a palantir and was mentally battling Sauron for years but he slowly lost hope due to the corruption
As a lotr fan it’s my duty to tell you what a bad ass Christopher Lee (Saruman) was. When I came time to film the scene where he gets stabbed by wormtongue, Peter Jackson wanted Christopher to scream but Christopher who was a spy during WWII was like, “do you know what sound a man makes when he gets stabbed in the back, cuz I do” and so he gasped instead
That story is always such a banger. Christopher Lee was amazing.
This might be the coolest thing I’ve ever heard…
Let's just say that Smeagol wasn't the most upstanding citizen before Deagol found the ring. That's why he was affected by it almost immediately..to the point of killing his cousin to get it.
Seeing Sam cry always breaks my heart.
21:36 It is really a very honorable thing that Pippin did when he impulsively swore fealty to Denethor to try to repay his and Merry's debt to Boromir.
In the book, Gandalf was not upset by Pippin's gesture. In the movie, Faramir said part of this Gandalf quote from the book: "I do not know what put it into your head, or your heart, to do that. But it was well done. I did not hinder it, for generous deed should not be checked by cold counsel. It touched his heart, as well (may I say it) as pleasing his humour."
At 19:43 you wonder why they haven't reforged the sword since then. The book works a bit differently, but essentially they were waiting for the Ring to be re-found.
One of the great things about this trilogy is that it DOES stick the landing, unlike the fumbling and clearly-made-up-as-we-go conclusion to, say, the Disney Star Wars trilogy, or the widely-perceived drop in quality in the later seasons of Game of Thrones. Adapting the foundational work of modern fantasy, Peter Jackson always knew EXACTLY where he was going with this, since he had Tolkien's solid original novel to work from.
A devout Catholic, Tolkien did believe in the victory of good over evil, but as a veteran of World War I, he also knew that a cheesy all-euphoric conclusion was not on the menu. The tale may not end with Sauron as the eternal ruler of the world, but things will ultimately be bittersweet rather than Hollywood's simplistic idea of a "happy ending".
For as it happens, you cannot just go home if "you" are simply no longer the same person as the one who left home in the first place.
Although I didn't care for the Disney Star Wars sequel trilogy, one thing I'll say in their defense is that Rian Johnson screwed up any chance at a decent third film, considering he killed off the mastermind pulling the strings for a cringe "subversion of expectations". Even if JJ Abrams wasn't a total hack, the third movie would've still been shaky because TLJ screwed up a lot of stuff. MAYBE a world-class director could've saved it, but it would've been nothing short of miraculous.
@Hank..
Nah man, Kylo taking over as a deranged, rabid animal would have been a fun villain for the third movie.
5:50 It sounds like Pippin said "we are sh!tting on a field of victory".
I love the "not the giant spider monster" reaction, don't you know, Tolkien invented all the horrible fantasy things too lol. (well, if he didn't invent them ALL, he sure knew how to use them)
Andy Serkis is the motion capture actor for Gollum on set and acted out all the dialogues and facial and body movement. He was wearing a green suit and the facial expression and voice acting was all him. Incredible technical achievement as animators made gollum alive. Andy deserves an acting Oscar… just so incredible. My favourite acting of the entire series
"I give Hope to men, I keep none for myself" is the epitaph of Gilraen, Aragorns mother. Aragorns' elvish name is Estel, which means Hope. He visited her grave in Rivendell when they left.
Galadriel intentionally matched Arwen & Aragorn together while they were both visiting in Lothlorien!
Arwen & Aragorn met in Rivendell, & that is where Aragorn fell in love with her, although it doesn’t sound like she felt the same at the time. Aragorn’s mother Gilraen warned him that he was aiming too high, and Elrond was not happy about it either, and Aragorn took heed of this and left Rivendell, to learn how to be a Ranger and to oppose Sauron’s forces.
Many years later, he came to Lothlorien, seeking rest and shelter, and Galadriel allowed him to enter. We have this line in the Tale of Aragorn and Arwen:
‘But Aragorn was grown to full stature of body and mind, and Galadriel bade him cast aside his wayworn raiment, and she clothed him in silver and white, with a cloak of elven-grey and a bright gem on his brow. Then more than any kind of Men he appeared, and seemed rather an Elf-lord from the Isles of the West. And thus it was that Arwen first beheld him again after their long parting; and as he came walking towards her under the trees of Caras Galadhon laden with flowers of gold, her choice was made and her doom appointed.’ LOTR Appendices.
To me, that makes it rather explicit that Galadriel wanted Aragorn to appear at his best. Why? Who could he possibly impress in Lothlorien, except for Galadriel’s grand-daughter? I think it is quite clear that she wanted them matched, and perhaps her foresight told her that they needed to be matched, as it was part of destiny, to begin the Dominion of Men (something Elrond probably also realised, but couldn’t willingly promote, since it would mean Arwen and Elrond would be parted forever).
Plus there is the scene in Lorien, where Galadriel gives Aragorn the Elessar, which went from Galadriel to Celebrian to Arwen and then back to Galadriel in order that she give it as a gift to Aragorn. Again it speaks to me as a collaborative act, and part of Galadriel helping bring the two together:
And Aragorn answered: “Lady, you know all my desire, and long held in keeping the only treasure that I seek. Yet it is not yours to give me, even if you would; and only through darkness shall I come to it.”
“Yet maybe this will lighten your heart,' said Galadriel; for it was left in my care to be given to you, should you pass through this land.” Then she lifted from her lap a great stone of a clear green, set in a silver brooch that was wrought in the likeness of an eagle with outspread wings; and as she held it up the gem flashed like the sun shining through the leaves of spring.
“This stone I gave to Celebrían my daughter, and she to hers; and now it comes to you as a token of hope. In this hour take the name that was foretold for you, Elessar, the Elfstone of the house of Elendil!” From LOTR FOTR BOOK
Peter Jackson, let it be remembered, is at heart a horror director. This shows up a *lot* in Fellowship but I agree with your comment that Gollum's opening has horror tones.
Denethor (& Faramir) was done dirty unintentionally: Denethor was way more noble & mighty in the books. Not to mention he contended wills with Sauron for decades nonstop & ontop of that even now he was never broken nor could Sauron alter what Denethor would see in the palantir even then he couldn’t control what Denethor had control of which was how he CHOSE to INTERPRET the visions given to him.
Using it all to Gondor’s advantage! ❤ he also lit the beacons and got the women & children far away from the city longer ahead of time. So the movie butchered him as well as faramir but they didn’t butcher faramir as badly thankfully.
He could have been shown to give Pippen his newest order to light the beacons so then it wouldn’t change the scene much at all as presented! The story here is Faramir’s birth ended up killing his mother Finduilas(named after an elvish princess from the era of Children Of Hùrin was set in);she was a Numenorean woman of the Faithful which her ancestors survived the Cataclysm of Númenor by the way!
He was hurt deeply by her death and ontop of that Faramir had the likeness both in temperament as well as his appearance/bearing so he ways reminded of his wife over and over again by Faramir who was just like her, and all it took was a simple look or what-have-you to drive the knife in deeper into his heart about his wife. But also Aragorn when he went by the name gifted to him as Thorongil Denethor’s father basically overshadowing him from his own father so he is as psychology goes: treated Boromir the same way his father treated Aragorn/Thorongil. Note that Boromir and Faramir are half Númenorean which is a big thing as far as the legendarium goes! And it’s something to note that he treated Boromir like his father treated the clandestine Aragorn as Thorongil.
Denethor actually did many things the movie shows him not doing or neglecting. He was VERY competent and mighty in many craft and (even a lore-master to a degree). He had quite alot of mental and “magical” might which is why he could contend with Sauron too without being harmed in there process in any way!
I was dropping those eaves pimp😂😂 best line in a reaction I’ve ever seen!❤
Dude I needed this today🔥🔥 thank you so much for letting us be on this journey with you! So sorry again about your grandfather ❤️
“This cat orc is really causing some issues here; he doesn’t even wear a helmet his head is so fucked up” I almost stopped breathing laughing at that 😂 “cat orc” did me in and it just got funnier with every word he said lmao
Cat Orc really had a hold on me 😂 glad he got dealt with! This comment made me smile real big so thank you for sharing your joy and laughter ❤️
Your face when Smeagol was eating the fish...haven't seen that expression since the Saw reaction days.
Ahhh, the Saw days lol. We’ve come a long way in just a few months!
In memory of Cole’s Grampa ❤
That is so sweet of you! Thank you ❤️🙏
Dude you are so hilariously quotable. I've clipping parts of your reaction and sending them to my friends. 😆
That just made my day 😂 I’m glad my idiocy is quotable! I hope your friends enjoyed!
Thanks for taking the time to write this comment and watch along 💪
I'm so happy to see you enjoyed the Lord of the Rings trilogy!
It isn’t explained in the movie but Denethor has basically been driven mad, not only by the death of Boromir, but also by Sauron.
He had a Palantír (like the one that Saruman used Pippin used) and Sauron gave him visions of the overwhelming forces heading to Minas Tirith and drove him to despair.
0:20
The longest I've ever committed to watching a movie in cinema was waiting for 12 hours in front of the box office with my ticket to enter the theater. I made some friends that day, as we all met and waited lol
And with the extended versions of each movie releasing just before the next hit theaters, we all had a chance to be that immersed beforehand.
Sitting next to my friends, watching this movie for the first time, was fething amazing - and I'm toning it down.
These movies were so well made - thanks for letting us see your reaction to them, all these years later 💙💙💙
I don't know if anyone else said it: the dwarves (Gimli's folk), elves (Legolas' homeland, and Lothlorien and Rivendell) were all attacked as well independently from what's shown in the films. I don't recall all the specifics, but everything from whole armies from Mordor (dwarves, woodland realm) to offshoots/allies of Mordor that were sort of smaller regional groups attacked the various factions. Sort of war on all fronts. Never seen the like in another book, Tolkien wrote about these battles in the appendices of the LotR.
1:47
One of many moments I love.
For two movies, I'm sure everyone assumed it was Smeagol who found the Ring.
What makes this story so good is being able to keep in the story and not edit out: It was more complicated than that.
So much of this is lol
It's beautiful 💙💙💙
Oh my gosh COLE! Oh I feel the same as you about Gollum/Smeagol I didn't trust him from the beginning. Oh when Eowyn tells Merry to go to the Smithy's, she meant like a swords smith to sharpen his sword for him. Yeah, Aragorn had friend zoned Eowyn, it had to happen. I agree with you about Theoden, he grew on me too about this time. Cole you said "...it was meant for you to be scrubs in your life for this moment right here, it was all Destiny baby." when the ghost king said they would fight after all! Made me cheer along with you and high-fived you virtually! YES! Excellent reaction! I am off to see your part two now!
25:10
Another thing I love that these movies got to do:
Build up details like this one a long time (and I'm going to say) thence.
Gollum talked about the Stair when he stopped them at the Black Gate. We knew about the Marshes before the Breaking of the Fellowship - and we knew about Minas Morgul before we even knew what was going to happen in this movie about a Lord and a Fellowship.
The fact that the running time is as long as it is, is actually part of what makes it so good to rewatch, at least once, if you enjoy it - and the second experience is so much more when you see it and are now more familiar with the lore they're bumping into . and you see it . everywhere
Peter Jackson led a really awesome project, making this trilogy 💙
At 33:07, what was Pippen doing riding with Gandalf here? You're the first reactor I've watched who has asked that question. Apparently, the first intention of the screenwriters was to have Gandalf and Pippen encounter the retreating Men of Gondor and the Nazgul just as they were arriving from Edoras. That time line doesn't follow the book, and it was decided that it would be too hard to make it work. Having Pippen with Gandalf allows Faramir to see another Halfling right away, instead of encountering him later in the city. For whatever reason, it was decided to have Pippen accompany the White Rider out on the Pelennor
At 26:34 you say, "The Great Battle of our Time--like Helm's Deep wasn't just the #$% most badass battle I've ever seen!" I remember reading the chapter in T2T about Helm's Deep at about 2 a.m. my freshman year in college and thinking, "Boy, Tolkien has really written himself into a corner. Because there's obviously going to have to be an even bigger battle in the last book, and how can he possibly top this?" I needn't have worried...Strap in--it's going to be a wild ride.
it’s important to note that although not shown in the movies really, denethor had been battling sauron for YEARS and years to this point. he even had a palantir of his own that he used to mentally fight sauron, but due to many factors he slowly began to lose and become corrupted. he was once a strong-willed and capable steward, but by the main story he is defeated and corrupt
That opening shot of the white city... That was the 2nd largest miniature set-piece that had ever been made in the world ...at that time. The only one bigger was the same movie's Isangard "bigature"
Denathor was a good ruler and very smart but due to him battling with Sauron on his own palantire he began to lose hope. Boramires death pretty much took the final toll on him
Denethor was done dirty in the movies. They make him out like he's JUST a horrible person, leaving out that he's had one of the palantir and was being whispered to by Sauron for years. Originally, he was a great steward, but he was slowly driven mad.
At 48:49, in the book Merry is given a ride to Gondor by one "Dernhelm," who Merry had previously seen while riding with Theoden while he was reviewing his troops: "A young man, Merry thought as he returned the glance, less in height and girth than most. He caught the glint of clear grey eyes, and then he shivered, for it came suddenly to him that it was the face of one without hope who goes in search of death." Merry doesn't learn "Dernhelm's" true identity until the climax of the battle. I'm happy with either version; it is hard to believe that Merry could ride for three days or more without figuring out who "Dernhelm" was.
The way Denethor is eating is the way to eat when filled with fear and anxiety. Then ultimately despair.
Saruman’s scene was not in the theatrical release of the film. He was merely mentioned with being locked in the tower and was powerless, but never was shown at any point. Sir Christopher Lee who played the character was apparently kind of upset about it and later made a joke saying something to the effect of: “Am I still in the movie?” When they announced that the extended cut of the film. They fixed the issue in this version.
Fun fact for this movie straight from New Zealand - The giant tree above Bilbo's home Bag End is a giant oak tree. In New Zealand where the hobbit holes were created, there was no large oak tree above Bag End so one needed to be moved there. Peter again wanting to be 'authentic' actually cut down a real oak tree into pieces somewhere else on the property and had it reassembled above Bag End. Naturally when you disassemble a tree, you kill it so all the leaves came off. So Peter had the art department make leaves...thousands and thousands of leaves to manually attach to the tree to replace them. They were made of plastic and painted green. Filming started and everything was going alright for a bit. They hit a snag in filming that caused a delay (I don't remember why) of a couple weeks. This tree had plastic leaves painted green left out in the elements for a couple weeks. When filming was set to resume, the art department noticed the color of the leaves had faded and were not the same color as before. They hoped Peter wouldn't notice...but he did. The art department had to redo the whole tree - this time out of silk leaves - before they could continue.
Oooooh it's here! Gonna get comfy and binge these two videos
It's midnight here but I don't need sleep
The beacons being lit were a long distance communication device used by Gondor to summon help from Rohan.
Just found your channel recently so only catching your reactions now, so I know this is late but my condolences about your Grandfather.
Shoutout to the beautiful intricate work on Grond who would have known the orcs could have such talented artisans
Welcome back! I'm sorry for your loss and take all the time you need. I was laughing each time Denethor appeared on screen because of your absolute DONE-ness about him. Everyone loathes Denethor, but he does have a reason for the way he acts - I'm sure lots of people told you about the Palantir. The movies also cut out a huge portion of the books called the Scouring of the Shire (Saruman escapes and takes over the Shire toward the end of the book, and the returning hobbits have to fight him off). I'm glad you're enjoying LOTR, The Hobbit has always been my favorite book (not so much the movies, save for the first one) and I hope you will always remember your first viewing.
I actually didn’t know Denethor was affected by the Palantir so thank you for that! And Saruman taking over the shire sounds like its own movie 😂
I appreciate you watching along and leaving great comments along the way! I’m excited to check out The Hobbit real soon! You’re amazing Chris! ❤️🙏
Yes i have been waiting for a while lets freaking go.
Denethor is a bit hard done by in the films. In the books he is a far more tragic character. In his youth and early stewardship he was a great Warrior and Leader, like Boromir, but as the times darkened his wisdom failed him and he started to use the Palantir (Seeing Stone) that was kept in the Tower of Gondor. (one of the 7) As time passed his visions became less ands less an aid and more like a dark prophecy - One caused by Sauron, who also had a Stone - Probably the one from either Osgiliath or Minas Ithil (Now Minas Morgul) Sauron is far more powerful than Denethor (a mere Human), being a Maiar, like Gandalf. While he could not make the Stones create false visions (or lie) he had the strength to force the stones to show ONLY what he wanted the others stone(s) to show and he constantly showed Denethor dark and terrible visions of his Sauron's growing armies, of defeats of the free peoples and his enslavement of them. Eventually Denethor was driven to despair, something he was prone to. (The reason he is so "down" on Faramir is that his Beloved wife died soon after Faramir was born, and part of Denethor blames Faramir for that. The other reason is more subtle- Boromir was very like the Youthful Denethor, but Faramir was more bookish and loved lore and learning, sometimes with Gandalf as tutor. Gandalf even states in the book, that "The Blood of Numenor ran more truly in Farramir, than it did in either Boromir or their father".) Given all of this, the prospect of the coming war essentially drove Denethor over the edge of madness.
Denethor (is corrupted when we see him). In fact both him and Saruman were corrupted in the same way, bu trying to see into the mind of Sauron to gain an advantage. The fact that Denethor went mad, versus joining Sauron actually shows how strong and good he actually was. Since you have seen both parts. We do get hints that this is what happens, my sister realized it and she never read the books, but many do not.
But he talks about the eyes of the White Tower, and when we see the thrown room, you see him set below the actually thrown. But there is a palantir there (the crystal ball object). Sauron's mind is not something a mortal would be able to use without eventually being corrupted.
The ring is much the same as it has the will and power of Sauron behind it. The books make in clear that no one in this film would be able to resist the ring, on one. Eventually (or depending on the situation it would be instantaneous) you will would be corrupted.
Remember, the Big G God, Eru Iluvatar, works through the characters sometimes. So, when signs like showing pity on another or showing love and deference to another. Even the huge mess ups of Pippin are all part of Iluvatar’s plan. Pippin is the most carefree of the Fellowship, so Iluvatar can more easily work through him, as he has fewer blocks weighing his mind down like the others do. ❤💕👍🏼
Thank you for this journey. You were with Frodo, Aragorn etc. In thiers journey and we were with you in yours. Waiting for the next one.
Theoden is back to his full certainty as king
3:15 The ring had been sitting there waiting for 2500 years when Deagol and Smeagol came by. No doubt it put forth all the power it could to be attractive to them so it wouldn't have to sit around in the mud another millennium or two.
The Steward of Gondor had a Palantir which he would gaze into at night...Sauron drove him mad with despair
every time you say megapimp you add 10 years to my lifespan i swear to god it's so funny omg
8:25
Saruman didn’t just backhand Grima. He Will Smithed him!😂
Finally!!! It’s here!!!
Sauroman would’ve never given up any info. He always kept his cards close to his chest, he didn’t even tell his entire plan to his cohorts.
LET'S GOOOOO! So excited to see you wrap up this series. Mad respect for uploading both parts at the same time, but gotta give you shit for the shirt lol
I think my favourite part is how Gollum says "we forgot the taste of bread" during the intro, only for that same sentiment to be echoed by Frodo near the end. Such masterful, nuanced storytelling!
The king has returned with another excellent reaction!
You are by far my favorite reactor to the movies and I’ve been watching reactions for years!! I hope you haven’t seen more awesome stuff so I can watch you watch them! God I’m a dork lol
Hell yeah baby lets gooo!
Great reaction man, love how into it you are, on to part two!
Dude, you should look into narrating audiobooks. Great vocal quality, I need you to put out a version of Heinlein's Starship Troopers narrating it as our own dear Johnny Bravo. Winning audiobook gold right there, man. And it's a shorter book so not the longest project! Think about it! lol. (in the copious free time, of course, but you already have the recording setup you could use.)
This is one of the coolest compliments I’ve ever gotten! I really appreciate that. I might have to look into it now 👀 as long as they don’t mind a slight southern accent in the narration lol
@@TheDorkSideTV I think I can speak for many of us, we all like your slight accent!
A big part of the reason Boromir's father Denethor is so messed up isn't really shown in the movie. He actually has one of the missing Palantirs, like the ball Saruman had. Through the Palantir Denethor thought he was clever and spying on Sauron, but Sauron was using the Palantir to corrupt Denethor and drive him mad.
Hi Cole! I hope you and your family are doing ok, first of all. ❤
I think this is the best reaction you've ever done, brother. It was downright hilarious from start to finish. Your hype is contagious! 😂
A few things just to add as always.
The sword was never reforged up until now because the conditions were not met. Sauron wasn't at full strength and no heir of Isildur had come forward to take him on when he was. They were a scattered breed. That is, until Aragorn. And up until now, Aragorn has been denying his birthright. He didn't want the responsibility. Only now has he begun to accept his lordship and so the power of the sword will work for him now as he fully accepts the position of King of Gondor.
Lord Denethor isn't quite so cruel in the books. He is a noble man. However, though you don't see it in the movie and it's only alluded to by the things he says, he is in possession of another Palantir (one of the seeing stones like Saruman had) and Sauron has been feeding him lies and corrupting him through it by making him think the situation is hopeless and that they have no chance of winning. Denethor is out of his mind with fear.
As for why the dwarves and elves didn't provide much help, what Legolas said to Gimli was true. They were fighting Sauron in their own lands. While the fellowship were fighting down south, there was also a war in the north (there's a game made of it, although it's not entirely canonical, it's still really good). Gimli and Legolas' kingdoms (Erebor and The Green Wood) were fighting an equal sized army of orcs and easterlings as Gondor and Sauron also sent armies to Lothlorien (where Galadriel is) and Rivendell. Everyone was fighting the war at the same time. It would've just been too much to try and cover it all in one story. You can see Erebor and The Green Wood (Mirkwood) kingdoms in The Hobbit trilogy. As well as meet Gimli and Legolas' fathers.
Gimli stood no chance against Legolas in a drinking competition. Wood elves love nothing more than drinking. Legolas' father Thranduil is literally the king of alcoholics. They have vast wine cellars and a special wine is made for them from a city called Dorwinion. It's really powerful, because dwarf or man made alcohol isn't strong enough to give the immortal elves even a buzz.
Yes, Legolas knows a ton of lore. He's over 3000 years old.
Smeagol wasn't always a dick. The ring just corrupted both him and Deagol really quickly. It provoked them to murder. Which is very much unheard of for a hobbit. They're not a lawless or evil race at all.
Frodo fell for Gollum's manipulations because the ring is weakening him and corrupting him and Gollum is playing on those fears and vulnerabilities. Frodo also knew they wouldn't find their way without Smeagol. It wasn't as easy as just following the ash clouds to the volcano. There were only those 2 entires into Mordor. Sauron had surrounded the land with steep cliffs that were impossible to scale.
One of the things that were changed majorly from the books is that the Witch King broke Gandalf's staff. In reality, the Witch King wouldn't stand a chance against Gandalf. They just did that in the movie for dramatic emphasis on the 'no man may kill him' thing, but it annoyed a few people. 😂
Oh, just editing to add, those corsairs on the ship were actually most of the production staff. The one Legas shot was the director Peter Jackson himself lol
He has cameos in every movie, as do a lot of the team and Peter's kids.
Right, onward to the conclusion! See you in part 2.
No true king, no need to reforge the sword. Only a true king has the power to wield that sword.
Our guy Elrond had a hard life... Oh boy, he had it the worst, especially when looking up into the stars every night...
What always kills me is how you see Sam literally tighten his belt bc he lost so much weight just before Gollum accuses him of eating all the Lembas
Good to see your back! Although, all I can see is your front. With the right word, it's good to see you're back and watching this amazing movie.
Dude you are hilarious. Loved your reaction. Subbed.
Fav. line ... ""Oh, shut up." and then the smile. lol.
"Where are the dwarves" - If I'm remembering correctly during the battle for Helm's Deep much of the Sarumans army is actually divided as most are attacking the dwarven homelands and it's only a smaller portion that actually is attacking Rohan as men are "weak" and does not see them to be such an issue. I also believe they are continuing that fight for most of the 3rd movie and it only really ends in the finale, most dwarves are slain and only a small number remain.
I’m excited to watch this laying in bed at 8pm on a Sunday lol
Pippin maybe foolish but he's always coming through & is far better than he shows.
"And Rohan will answer!" Theoden fully returning to the king he once was. "No but we shall meet them in battle none the less" he's accepting his situation & not going to deny the facts but still show his people that he's ready
The Riddle of Strider, written by Bilbo Baggins and which Arwen partially quotes.
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.
😏 "stairs" Gollum and I have different definitions of stairs.
Have no idea how anyone ever gets sleep around Gollum, he's so loud.
Return of the King is like The Endgame of Lord of the Rings
The conflict between Sam and Frodo is controlled by the ring. Frodo was exhausted because of the weight of the ring. The ring influenced his mind and Sam's
The sword was reforged before they left Rivendell in the books (i.e. at the start of the fellowship of the ring).
I hate the scene where the Witch King breaks Gandalf's staff because in the books it was kinda the opposite...Gandalf sent the Witch King fleeing in terror and certainly didn't have his staff broken...
The Riders of Rogan have no hope of victory but they will ride nonetheless. That's honor and courage.
Elrond is her father, he’s only trying to protect her. He doesn’t want to lose his daughter.
Fun Fact: Peter Jackson based that pinkish Orc, Gothmog, off of Harvey Weinstein because he really hated how he wanted the trilogy crammed into 1 movie. However given what we know about Harvey i think Peter captured his likeness perfectly
The ring took Sméagol and Déagol so fast because they were already kind of POS’s. Imagine Merry and Pippin but psychos. Also not included in the books/movies but was in the letters from Tolkien, in the years after Sméagol got the ring he turned into like a Brothers Grimm horror character, he was notoriously well known for sneaking into the river folks houses at night and eating their children. This is part of why Bilbo and Frodos compassion and mercy towards him is so impressive, and also gives Sam’s anger a complete pass.
Denethor filled with anxiety and despair.
The one-eyed goblin/orc is in fact played by a one eyed man.
Sméagol and Deagol were extremely similar to Merri and Pippin. Both came from well-to-do families who were the leaders of their own communities. Both were a little spoiled, mischievous, and liked to play games. They weren’t evil, just a little bit selfish. The Ring was lying in wait for 2500 years, powering up, so it easily took the mischievous nature of the two, and the desire of a birthday present by Sméagol and turn it in on them quickly, with the horrible result. Tolkien wanted the reader to second guess what might have happened if Merri or Pippin ended up with the Ring rather than Frodo. I think Peter Jackson brought it out a bit in the movie too. 💕👍🏼🇨🇦
Are you planning on doing the hobbit bro? These have been my fav reactions to LOTR
Yes!! I’m going to wait until a little later in the year so I can digest everything I watched so far. There’s a new Lord of the Rings movie coming out this year so it’ll probably be around then!
I don’t want to over-spoil myself with the world of middle earth all in one go! I can look forward to one more adventure (like bilbo 😉)
A couple of fun facts. Christopher Lee (Saruman) was famous as Dracula starting in the 50’s and him being impaled by a wooden stake was a reference to that. In addition, the super ugly orc was based on Harvey Weinstein. He owned the company that PJ first went to to pitch the films, and they told him the LOTR needed to be just one movie and they wanted to kill off one of the hobbits.
Even more context - Peter Jackson wanted people to see the extended (uncut) versions in the theatres, but Harvey Weinstein stopped him. In fact, Harvey wanted just ONE movie in the threatres, not a trilogy. 5 years of court proceedings - and the 'harvey weinstein orc" in return of the king (made at Jackson's specific direction) was the result.
Too many people don’t realize they are arguing in favour of a version of this movies that was only shown in theatres because of legal reasons - not for artistic reasons.
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Peter Jackson’s passion project team was forced to not show their full content as it would cut into what the cinema CEOs literally called the theatrical edition to get more screen time in and more mulla for themselves. It’s a such a nasty business. 80 percent true that money be the root of all evil. It’s the reason the real pumped out the EE as fast as possible in DVD format before the second and third film hit theatres to get back at Harvey Weinstein, again, they wanted people to see the whole movie which invites feelings of completion in one’s heart.
But he just announced that’s he found 1300 hours worth of footage from a warehouse he finally got access to so we will see more specially made super extended edition cinema extravaganzas that no cinema would pass on the opportunity to ride on his coattails again.
The EE wasn’t just for fans. He literally was adapting the books to film as honestly as possible. the DVD documentaries showed that they didn’t want to cut anything. And weaselled around things to create the EE. (EE is extended edition by the way! ❤️).
Without the extended for the next two films I always say “Good luck missing the Boromir backstory. Good luck explaining why the cloak turns into a rock. Good luck explaining the elves that had explained their current situation since the first film.
It all ties together good luck skipping the gift scene with Galadriel and Celeborn and the extra scenes between Aragorn and Celeborn & Galadriel to Aragorn!”
It’s seriously needed for the film worldbuilding and heightening the stakes. Also, I’d rather have faith people have the emotional and intellectual IQ high enoug to understand it or shall we have changed the title to something else same as how JK was forced to change the title in America to sorcerers stone instead of PHILOSPHER as Americans don’t even know what a Philospher is anymore these days which is sad. Relating to that: Tolkien was very sad about people losing connection to their past and heritage etc!
2:50 Cousins, I believe, actually.
The couldn't reforge the sword until the king of gondor was there to receive it i assume
Denethor in the books is not as he is in the movies.. long was he a noble man, a fine ruler, Lord and steward.. his downfall came about because he used the Palantir to gain information and news, but Sauron controlled the Palantir and only allowed Denethor to see in it what Sauron wanted him to see, and little by little he weakened Denethor's will, and gradually unsettled and eventually unhinged him, essentially depriving Gondor of sound leadership at a time when that was exactly what it needed.... Sauron launched his attack at a time when he judged Denethor to be broken and ripe for defeat......... the Denethor that we see in the movie is the result of Sauron's insidious working, indecisive, unwise, verging on madness and riddled with doubt and defeatism...When he goes out and sees the vast array of Sauron's army drawn up outside the city walls, he breaks, and had Gandalf not been there, the city would have been helpless and leaderless.....
Missed your reaction
If we talking about fantasy, you'll definitly should watch after LoTR "The Ckronicles of Narnia". It's a great series and you'll love it!! ❤
The BEST trilogy ever !!!
Jackson The Orc Captain designed to look as much like Harvey Weinstein as possible.