THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003) MOVIE REACTION PART 1 - FIRST TIME WATCHING
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- Опубликовано: 1 мар 2024
- Welcome to my first-time watching as we react to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). This was my (Ari) first time watching and boy! This trilogy has been such an amazing experience. This will be part 1 of the culmination of our journey watching these incredible film.
Starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, and directed by Peter Jackson, "The Return of the King" is the final chapter in the legendary trilogy. This film was able to deliver masterful storytelling as it explores the emotional depth of its characters. I was immediately captivated by the bonds of friendship, the sacrifices made, and the ultimate triumph of good over evil. And this is a story that will stay with me forever.
We hope that you enjoy our reactions, commentary and discussions as we delve into why this movie made such an impact on cinematic history. It has everything you wish for as an ending to an already truly epic story! The groundbreaking visual effects are breathtaking! But it's the themes and these characters that have made this such an unforgettable journey. "The Return of the King" exceeded all of my expectations and I mean absolutely shattered every concept I thought I had of what this would be like. From the climactic Battle of the Pelennor Fields (which was absolutely mindblowing!) to the emotional farewell at the Grey Havens, there is so much to love and so much to talk about with you guys.
Music: The Ring Goes South by Howard Shore, t.lickd.co/KdyEgxdwPbq License ID: 3G0bq9kyzY5
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Watch our reactions early! / @officialmediaknights
#TheLordoftheRingsTheReturnoftheKing #Reaction #TheMediaKnights 
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If you enjoyed this reaction leave a like and subscribe! It helps us out a ton! I truly thank all of you for being such an amazing audience. You guys have been nothing but the best. Enjoying each step of the way alongside you amazing people has been one of the highlights of having this platform. You guys have a heart of gold and we are truly grateful and lucky to have you all here.
This incredible story, the comments that gave us some deeper insights into this fantastic lore and all of your excitement to watch this alongside us will forever stay with us. Thank you for being a part of this, our brave and loyal knights.
If you'd like to support the channel and gain access to the full length reaction become a member of our patreon bit.ly/3ICVrJ6
Watch our reactions early! ruclips.net/channel/UCiCUz1bHid4H9mu6g2IOjXgjoin
Where do you think you'd both live in Middle-Earth? For me and my preferences I'd live either in the Shire or Rohan
The beacons are based on ones that actually existed (and some still do) when the vikings invaded the UK, they would light a chain of them as warnings... (I live near the old location of one myself in the English Midlands called beacon hill)...
@@user-pu9bj2qi3wthey’ve been very clear that she has seen it and he hasn’t. So it is his first time watching.
@@user-pu9bj2qi3wBecause it is Ari's first time watching it. They make it very clear that Denise has watched it before in both the video itself and in the description.
Reaction to the 3 films’ appendices would be equally entertaining, enlightening and well worthwhile. They truly are amazing. The dedication to detail, love of the story and commitment to make all three films spectacular make these special features second to none. Some on the Return of the King movie are also quite moving. Recommended viewing.
My ultimate fun fact Christopher Lee was a war veteran from WW2, and when they filmed of Sauruman gets stabbed,Peter Jackson suggested ideas to him of how to sound, and Christopher Lee simply replied "I know how a stabbed man sounds like." Which is absolutely BADASS.
Christopher Lee, what a legend!
In general... Christopher Lee is such an amazing and interesting person.
If I remember correctly, he was a spy in ww2 and also almost married a princess he denied because he loved someone else.
Not sure there. But he definitely has a lot of interesting stories in his life.
His Wikipedia page is ridiculous. He lived enough interesting life for fifteen people. In addition to knowing what it was like to kill someone he was the only member of the production who had actually met Tolkien.
False, he wanted Christopher Lee to scream in pain to which he ASKED "Have you any idea what kind of noise happens when someone is stabbed in the back? Because I do." Don't dishonour with false quotes.
@@SilverViper1000 if I remember correctly, he is also a knight as well.
Favorite line of the reaction: "..and if we don't have a Sam we have to be a Sam."
For real.
The best thing to take away from these stories, hands down. Be a Sam.
Came here to say exactly the same thing! I *literally* (and, being of a certain age, I use the word "literally" correctly) threw both fists in the air and yelled "YES", when she said that. Sorry, first time viewer - and new subscriber- to this channel, so I don't know any names yet.
Literally brought a tear to my eye when she said it!!! ❤
I've read 'em all from Gilgamesh to Sun Wukon to Hercules to Arthur to Superman and the greatest hero in human literature is Samwise the Hobbit.
And one of the greatest things about Sam the Hero, is you don't have to have amazing martial arts skills, or superhuman strength to be a Sam. You just have to be an indefatigable friend and we can ALL do that.
That theme hitting after "And Rohan will answer" never fails to give me chills.
That theme is so damn good!
I love the line itself, emphasized by Theoden's realizing that, despite his anger at Gondor in Helm's Deep, he cannot abandon his country's ancient ally.
And also when the Nature’s Reclamation theme starts to swell when Theoden is having his inner monologue and then Eomer starts rallying the Rohirrim. I love how they gave the Nature’s Reclamation theme to many epic Rohan moments
It’s the first time we hear the Gondor theme so close to the Rohan theme, only separate by a moment of silence. Later , we hear the themes meshed during the charge of the Rohirim. This particular theme of unity of men builds from the very first movie, so it hits hard thematically when we see it.
@@BobBlumenfeld They put so much unseen attention to detail in these movies, an example being king Theoden's Tunic being heavily embossed on the inside.
RIP Sir Christopher Lee.
He didn't just die, he completed life!
Yeah his life was so interesting!
Well put. I’ll have to remember that.
Denethor is broken from the loss of his first born son, but he also, according to the books, has been using a palantir like the one Saruman had. His fears and grief were amplified greatly by the time Gandalf arrived with Pippin.
Faramir, the younger son, looks like his mother, who died giving birth to him, which likely adds to Denethor's lack of attention/affection for him.
Thank you for the insight! Aside from grief we were wondering why he was acting a bit strange. I guess it was more of a nod to the fact that he was using the Palantir off screen!
The fact that the influence of a Palantir not being included in the film leaves a HUGE plot-hole in my opinion. Thank you so much for this information! This explains a LOT about Denethor.
The thing about Denethor is that he was a very strong man, and had the will to use the palantir and Sauron could not dominate him directly through it.
But he could subtley direct Denethor's gaze, ensuring that he only saw the worst of every situation.
For years this slowly sapped Denethor of all hope.
The final straw was when Sauron allowed Denethor to see the Corsair ships, sailing up the river to join the battle, but not that it was Aragorn and company who were on those ships.
That was what finally broke him to the point where he wanted to die in despair, with his son.
John Noble's performance is magnificent, but movie Denethor is a pale charicature of the real Denethor.
He was a great Steward, without whom Gondor would not have stood as long as it did.
But for Denethor, there would have been no kingdom for Aragorn to reclaim.
I was literally checking the comments so I could say this
@@Murdo2112 this is exactly what I came to say!! The continuous mental battle he fought with Sauron eroded his sanity and pushed him further and further into despair. Really quite a tragic figure.
It always brings me joy to imagine the King of the Dead after he dismisses Aragorn. Sitting on his ghost throne chuckling to himself that "I sure showed him, who is he to boss me around? I'm the god damn Ghost King!". Then he goes quiet. He looks around at the ghost hall he's stared at for three thousand years, and the sad ghost guards who has stood there all this time. His smirk slowly fades away. After what seems like an eternity the king starts impatiently tap his foot, and eventually groans "Oh fuck it okay then..."
Just so you know - you get that many upvotes and relatively little in the way of comments because - what the hell else could follow that up? Heh. 🤣
Gohst King to Aragorn "Sorry, Mate. Force of habit.."
LOL I love it
Legolas is that friend that you don't want to go drinking with. You'll start out with a beer at the Prancing Pony and probably wake up somewhere in Mordor.
One does not simply wake up in Mordor.
@@drafezard7315😅😅😅😅
@@drafezard7315true, you crawl there on your hands and knees shitfaced 🤣
@@drafezard7315 not without a lot of Elven wine that is
@@drafezard7315 LOLOL .
One subtle aspect of the culture of Rohan that even Aragorn was not aware of was that taking that goblet of wine from Éowyn in the way that he did implied that he returned her affections, and basically was like the first step toward becoming engaged! That's how Éowyn took it, which was *not* Aragorn's intention at all. What he saw in her was an impressive, likable, winsome, good, strong young lady who was nevertheless in a vulnerable state, and he was just being careful not to put her down or hurt her feelings too much.
But the unintended consequence was that she really got her hopes up that with Arwen leaving, she (Éowyn) and Aragorn might just have a chance to be together eventually, which was nowhere near the truth. Aragorn was really fond of her, but she was not his type, and was not the far more mature kind of partner he would have been looking for, if he had been looking--he liked her in more of a fatherly way.
Obviously, this is only even a subject at all because Arwen was leaving, and it was way too soon for him to have gotten over a soulmate love for the ages like he had (has) with her. He might well have never married at all, to be honest. It was Arwen or no one.
Ultimately, as great a character as she is, Eowyn would've made a shit queen for Aragorn. She fits a million times better with Faramir.
I swear, the 2000s were the best year for CGI. Gollum literally holds up in more ways than one.
Andy Serkis is not winning an oscar in this scene counter : Ding!
Also the CGI for Davey Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean still look top notch
“I think you have strength of a different kind.” Spot on. Aside from Aragorn, Faramir is the only human we’ve seen who has been able to resist the Ring.
"Muster the Rohirrim" is one of the greatest lines in all the movies. It's the perfect word. He could have said gather, summon, assemble......all okay but "muster" just hits different.
People during The Two Towers: "Ooohh, poor Smeagol, I feel so sorry for him, maybe he will change and become good at the end!"
People during The Return of the King: "Gollum, you piece of sh*t, just d*e already!"
Denise at 23:18 this was such and epic eye-roll, I am dying 🤣
I felt bad for Smeagol til the end, because he did not choose to be corrupted by the ring. None of the people did. Considering how long he was under the influence, there was no saving him, like some others. So in my mind, he deserved to be put to rest
Not me. I was already rooting for Gollum to die already in The Two Towers!
@@nishal8020real
Gandalf being done af when he sees Merry and Pippin just chillin and smokin weed 😂😂😂
Ahahahah you just see it in his eyes, he'd just like smdh 😂
I don't think "pipeweed" was supposed to have been anything but tobacco in the books, although obviously the movies imply otherwise.
@@rbrtck yeah the movies pretty strongly imply that it's weed, not tobacco that they smoke.
@@OfficialMediaKnightsThe books (not really a trilogy but a novel which the publishers made T divide into 3 books, which themselves r each divided into 2 books. Now one book of The Wheel of Time is about as long as TLOTR. How times change) richly deserve their reputation as a source of inspiration for many writers. Truly great stuff
True, but the scene in the book is lovely - Treebeard informed the hobbits that King Théoden was coming and directed them to welcome him with as honorable words as they could think of, and they tried their best.
You guys are fun to watch! In the Appendix that follows ROTK, Tolkien describes the relationship between Boromir and Faramir: "So time drew on to the War of the Ring, and the sons of Denethor grew to manhood. Boromir, five years the elder, beloved by his father, was like him in face and pride, but in little else...Faramir the younger was like him in looks but otherwise in mind...He welcomed Gandalf at such times as he came to the City, and he learned what he could from his wisdom; and in this as in many other matters he displeased his father. Yet between the brothers there was great love, and had been since childhood, when Boromir was the helper and protector of Faramir. No jealousy or rivalry had arisen between them since, for their father's favor or the praise of men."
Andi Serkis is a genius. The way you can see Smeagol get INSTANTLY ensnared by the ring. His face, his eyes. It just overtakes him immediately
He is such an amazing actor! I'd love to see him pop up in more projects!
It's so upsetting he's never been nominated for all his wonderful motion capture work. He's given multiple animated characters their soul.
@@OfficialMediaKnightsand he's the coolest guy someone could meet in real life
The lighting of the beacons will always be one of my favorite scenes ever.
I have always thought whose boots did you have to piss on to get beacon duty. Perched on top of a cold, windy mountaintop where you have to carry up all your food and supplies to tend beacons that hadn't been lit in hundreds of years. Either that or it was initiation for new recruits to prove their mettle.
It's my favorite. The song is so epic
Legit thought I was having a heart attack watching it in the cinema
The music!!!
Mine as well, was blown away when I saw it the first time
One of my favorite explanations of Pippin and the Palantir is basically "Pippin told that Sauron everything he knows. Luckily, Pippin doesn't know jack shit." Love it.
Pippin did a good deal of bleathering to Sauron about multiple breakfasts elevenses, lunches, afternoon teas, dinners and suppers and told him just as much again about pipe weed and beer he's the ultimate hobbity distraction 😂😂😂😂
@@Garrystephens92 I could imagine Sauron rubbing his temples as Pippin explains why second breakfast is important
sauron: what do u know about frodo?
pipin: he's my 3rd cousin twice removed
sauron: where is he?
pipin: somewhere in middlearth that's for sure
sauron: (argh) where is the ring?!
pipin: it's with frodo of course
sauron: son of b***ch, tell me something useful now!!
pipin: did u know that 2nd breakfast was invented in hobbiton in the year....
sauron: @##£@%@#
@@vkdeen7570
S: where's the ring?
P: which ring would that be?
S: THE ONE RING
P: well that could be alot of rings y'see
S: MY RING
P: did you lose it? Aye that was careless
S: IT WAS STOLEN
P: still seems careless if it means that much to ye
I actually love one react series of these movie that had a great theory about the destructive potential of Pippin, that if they just tossed him at the black gate, like a day would go by and the dark tower and sauron explode. And the more i think about it it actually seems plausible. Pippin is mostly responsible for 3 Maiar being destroyed. By causing a clanging in Moria he caused Gandalf's death but with that he also led the Balrog to death. And then it was Pippins plan to "Head south" towards Isengard with Treebeard to get them into action, with the destruction of the fires of Isengard and Saruman being trapped, angry and murdered. So really i feel that joke plan could actually work XD
The cliffhanger for this video is equivalent to the cliffhanger of the fellowship of the ring...well done! ❤ glad you're doing a 2 part because 1ish hour doesn't do justice
Haha thank you so much that's a huge compliment!! Stay tuned for Part 2, it's just around the corner!
This week It is 20 years since 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' swept the Oscars, winning all of its nominations and taking home 11 statuettes. 😌
Peter Jackson's masterpiece managed to mark a before and after in the collective memory👏🏻👏🏻
Ian McKellen should have gotten at least one Oscar for his performance as Gandalf
Ikr?! His eyes and whole face expressions tell so much ❤️
I've a cute gay Asian friend in London who has a prized photo of himself with Ian and Patrick Stewart (an old buddy of his) in the street at London Pride about ten years ago, with Ian wearing a colourful Nobody Knows I'm Gay t-shirt. Delightfully himself, always.
"That still counts as one!"
Legolas and Gimli's rivalry is too good 😂
Ahahah gotta love that banter!
@@OfficialMediaKnights the Ring can amplify it's lustful powers even if you're just looking at it.... An easy snare for even the innocent
@@OfficialMediaKnights Andy serkis stole the show as Golem.....
@@OfficialMediaKnights there are tons of Christian messages in this story it's ridiculous
@@OfficialMediaKnights this interaction between Gandalf and Sarumon, insane.
Andy Serkis' performance is monstrous, he made a great contribution to the evolution of special effects and gave a great boost to his career.
And yes, some people were more susceptible to the ring power, Smeagol was one of them.
“Power attracts the corruptible.” - Frank Herbert
The race of Men, being quite corruptible, had little to no chance of resisting the power of the Ring.
Even the Hobbits, who were the most peaceable race in Middle Earth, were not fully immune.
He was already a petty thief and a big trouble to his grandma ...
@@Stogie2112No one is immune. Men are not necessarily weaker than elves or hobbits. Each race is tempted in it's own way. The only race said to have greater powers of resistance are dwarves. Because they came during the time of Morgoth. Their maker Aule made them hard to mentally dominate.
@@bobc538 But they are more susceptible to the want of riches...
Fun fact: this is one the three films that won 11 Oscars. The others being Titanic (1997) and Ben-Hur (1959).
Although it's tied for most Oscars for a single film, it's the only film to go 11 for 11. It won every Oscar it was nominated for that year.
Titanic and LotR are featuring Bernard Hill ! The only actor who was in 2 movies which won 11 Oscars !
Fans of the book were so very worried when they announced they were doing a movie, but Peter Jackson and his crew made such a terrific job, we couldn't have dreamed for a better adaptation. Thanks for your fantastic reaction and comments !
If only the Hobbit stood up to this lofty standard...
I was one of them. I didn’t want to see it because I was convinced there’s no way they could do justice to such an epic story and rich world. I finally went to the theatre when all people literally sang praises who saw it.
Never been so happy to be proven wrong.😊
Well don't speak for all fans of the books, there are many who have serious issues with the movies. But we can agree that it's definitely not terrible:)
I enjoyed the movies, seen them more than once, have the extended versions box set, but Jackson could have done much better. For me he did a poor job on his portrayal of the characters and "assassinated them" IE Gimli as comic relief, Aragorn having doubts about his destiny, Legolas as some super mutant ninja elf, the portrayal of Denathor and Faramir, Froda getting made at Sam and dismissing him based on the words of Smeagol, not enough of Eomer and didn't establish the close bond he and Aragorn came to have.
Ok I also had a huge issue with why Jackson had the ridiculous idea to tie Arewen's fate with the One Ring and she would die if the quest failed. What the hell was that all about? We will never know cause it was not explained. I don't think Jackson had any idea either, he just needed a reason for Elrond to come and give Aragorn a kick in the ass, which book Aragorn certainly didn't need.
But of all my criticism of the movie compared to the book, I really enjoyed the movies.
@@nataliestclair6176 Yes, you listed many of the issues I had as well. Add to that the ridiculous scene of the Witch King breaking Gandalf's staff, and making the Gandalf v Saruman duel in the first movie into pure comedy. There's a lot of questionable decisions by Jackson. I've reconciled with the movies over the years, but I will always be reminding people that it's the Tolkien part which is a masterpiece while Jackson's part is merely decent.
THE BEACONS ARE LIT! GONDOR CALLS FOR AID!
38:50 fun fact about this scene. The cut shots between Frodo and Sam are actually done a year apart. There was bad weather when they were meant to be outside and they used a building to create the rock formation and decided to start shooting these scenes. Filmed one day with one side, next day the weather cleared up and they returned to their other scenes. Took them a year to come back and film the other side of the conversation. So you are literally time jumping watching it 😂
That is the insane amount of commitment that made me fall in love with these films. Waiting till the right moment to lock the perfect shot! This trilogy was something else ❤️
@@OfficialMediaKnightsthe behind the scenes videos are almost as amazing as the movies.
@@OfficialMediaKnights Oh yea Watch the Behind the Scenes when you can. There is a lot of insight on everything that went down during the filming process!
I love these fun facts. I didn't know about this one. Cool to know!
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! What a cliffhanger! 😂 I can't wait for tomorrow.
I have to say guys your editing is absolutely immaculate! You manage to get so much content from the films in it's incredible. I'm so impressed 🙌🏻
Haha Part 2 is coming during Christmas time to honor the real atmosphere there was back in the day waiting a year for these 😂 in all seriousness thank you! We put a bunch of work into these putting in as much as we were allowed. Really pushed the limits with these. ❤️
@@OfficialMediaKnights hahahaha!🤣 Oh my god having to deal with that once was enough! I can't wait for RotK til Christmas twice🤣
@@OfficialMediaKnightsYou scared me!!! LOL!!! I’m not sure I can wait a few hours..let alone months…. I can’t even imagine the amount of work that you put into these. Y’all are just wonderful. ❤. Watching with you it almost seem like watching it for the first time. Your reactions are the best on RUclips.
@myroselle6987 Thank you for watching these and giving us so much love and support. You guys are truly the best ❤️
This is the manliest film in which the male leads hold each other while openly weeping
And one of the heroes is a Woman
@@krisfrederick5001 but not THE hero, who lectures us about her heroism
"Its been such a thrill to live vicariously through as tou get to experience this for the first time."
Denise, that's exactly why we all watch these reactions on your channel and others.
We all need a Sam. "Yeah, and if we don't have a Sam, we gotta be a Sam". You are a beautiful soul Denise, 100% agree
To this day, I still get goosebumps when Elrond reforges the sword.
Poor John Rhy-Davies but what an ultimate professional and trooper. Being allergic to the Gimli prosthetics had him in so much pain and his skin so inflamed that he cluld barely see during the entire filming. Imagine enduring that for a year and a half.
What a trooper! I can't imagine how difficult it must've been to act under those circumstances!
26:16
John Howe and Alan Lee were the geniuses responsible for most of the designs you can see in the trilogy. They did a fantastic job, but of course they had Tolkien's descriptions to rely on, and those descriptions were amazing.
Let me show you; this is how Tolkien described Minas Morgul as Frodo saw it for the first time:
"[...] he looked wearily up; and then he saw it, even as Gollum had said that he would: the city of the Ringwraiths. He cowered against the stony bank.
A long tilted valley, a deep gulf of shadow, ran back far into the mountains. Upon the further side, some way within the valley's arms, high on a rocky seat upon the black knees of the Ephel Dúath, stood the walls and tower of Minas Morgul. All was dark about it, earth and sky, but it was lit with light. Not the imprisoned moonlight welling through the marble walls of Minas Ithil long ago, Tower of the Moon, fair and radiant in the hollow of the hills.
Paler indeed than the moon ailing in some slow eclipse was the light of it now, wavering and blowing like a noisome exhalation of decay, a corpse-light, a light that illuminated nothing. In the walls and tower windows showed, like countless black holes looking inward into emptiness; but the topmost course of the tower revolved slowly, first one way and then another, a huge ghostly head leering into the night."
You just gave me such a case of chils!!!!
The snarky banter in this movie is so skilfully, and articulately written. Instead of saying “Aragorn is not fit to rule” he says “the last of a ragged house long bereft of lordship”. So poetic.
Always makes me smile the way they always talk of "Hope" throughout the 3 movies. Since Aragon was raised by the Elves, Aragon's given Elfin name means Hope. 😊
Estel
Ikr?! Especialy when someone say so to him that he brings/gives hope ❤️
The scene in Orthanc went very differently than Peter Jackson did here. They went into Orthanc and spoke with Sauruman which they do a little here, but they left Sauruman in the tower. Him and Grima then left and took over The Shire which the Hobbits then had to free. Grima did stab Sauruman in the back but it was in The Shire in front of Frodo and the other hobbits along with a company of Hobbit Archers. When Grima ran after stabbing Sauruman who was going by "Sharky" the hobbits who are exceptional archers shot Grima full of arrows.
Legolas is the son of King Thranduil of the Woodland Relm, the Wood Elves were very heavy drinkers and drank exceptionally strong wine daily, so the Rohan beer was basically like water to Legolas.
Also Anduril Flame of the West was reforged before they even had the Council of Elrond, Aragon was actually carrying it the entire time. Peter Jackson changed it to probably just to have that moment of Elrond giving Aragorn a motivational speech.
Correct me if I'm wrong but weren't the elves who reforged the sword Elrond's sons?
It's been forever and a day since I read the books, but I know Elrond wasn't the one who came to the Rohan camp that day. In my fading memory I remember it being a Dunedain ranger who brought Aragorn the sword, but it's possible I'm just getting my memory twisted, and that he didn't bring a sword so much as came to encourage Aragorn to go see the oathbreakers.
I think he changed it for simplicity's sake. The thing that commanded the wraith's loyalty wasn't the sword, it was the Ring of Barahir, which you see Aragorn wearing throughout the films. But the sword is a more visually powerful symbol, better to get the point across in a movie, so a change was made.
@@Vimdraa The sword was reforged before the fellowship left Rivendell. The rangers brought a banner from Arwen 🙂
@@markfoshee4768 If I remember it correctly, yes.
Davies was in so much pain under the Dwarf prosthetics. On the last day they gave it to him so he could burn it. He 'ran' to the fire and was so delighted to burn it :)
If I recall, it's because he's allergic to the latex they were made from. He had a perpetual itchy, scratchy rash all over his face. The show must go on. That's dedication.
Allergic reactions tend to get worse with continued exposure.
I heard an interview, where he was talking about filming the stair scene in Moria. He said that the line "Not the beard!" was genuine. He meant, "Don't rip off my makeup!"
Haha, the cut to "End Part 1" was great! :D
Such an epic moment! That scene jolted my hopes back up 😄
Your reactions are a complete joy. Intelligent commentary. Respecting the narrative and enjoying the ride. No immature, inane gibberish which is so refreshing. And Denise’s all knowing side eyes and looks to camera have me chuckling. Thanks for sharing.
One of the Seeing Stones that Gandalf had mentioned in the first movie was in Minas Tirith. Denethor had it in his possession. And essentially what happened to him was, he spent so long looking into that thing, and seeing what Sauron was brewing, that he essentially lost his mind with all the despair and hopelessness that filled him.
Yeah, when it comes to the soundtrack, some characters, locations, even the ring, have their own theme/motif. Sometimes they switch scale, the instruments played, to add more context and emotion.
Howard Shore really did something special with this one. It literaly tells the story on its own level ❤
Denethor's line about knowing more than Gandalf realizes is a nod to the book in which Minas Tirith had a seeing stone that Sauron had corrupted and was using to feed Denethor visions of doom and despair so as to keep Gondor weak until he was ready to strike.
It's funny seeing Denise having this reactions when she already know about key points of the story 😂😂😂
I was thinking the same thing. haha
Some of those side-eyes are gif-worthy.
Extended cut is WILDLY different from the theatrical cut.
It has enough extra material for the whole extra regular length movie.
I don't know if anyone had mention this, but the beacon of Minas Tirith has a back history. Rohan people was originally a nomaden horsemen tribe. Their chief once led his warriors to help and fight for Gondor in a battle, and Gondor king gave the chief lands for the tribe to settle, lands that suits their horse riding culture. For that the chief (Rohan's first king) took an oath, followed by his warriors, to always ready to answer whenever Gondor calls for aid in battle, signified by the built of the beacon of Minas Tirith. The oath has been taken by every generation of warriors of Rohan as an inauguration ritual. That's what it means when Eomer said, "Now is the hour! Riders of Rohan, oaths you have taken. Now fulfill them all - to Lord and land!"
That's why when King Theoden was reluctant to help Gondor, Gandalf had to ride to Minas Tirith to lit the beacon to actified the oath. He asked Denethor to lit it which was denied then had to arranged Pippin to do it. When the beacon is lit, Rohan has to answer or their honor is at stake. Remember the ghosts in the mountain, their king denied their oath to Gondor therefore cursed.
One thing the movie made better than the books (IMHO) is Aragorn's journey : In the books he carries the broken sword with him since the beginning and it's being reforged before the Fellowship leaves Rivendell.
Having him receiving it only after Helm's Deep makes more sense : He finally accepted his destiny as king, he's okay with being Isildur's heir, he proved what a leader he is, he earned the right to wield the sword of kings
Yeah, they gave him more of an emotional journey, which makes for a far more interesting character.
Sure, but in the books he never questioned his destiny (at least once he got older) as becoming king or considered the blood of Numenor as a "weakness".
What! Only 51 minutes for a ROTK reaction?
Sees Part 1 of 2...the world is right again.
You're in for a treat because Part 2 is sitting at the hour and 24 min mark!
This is an "ultra" masterpiece! I'm actually nervous that in my life time i'll never see another trilogy as good as this. When Peter Jackson made this, he immediately became in my top5 best directors ever. For this trilogy alone!
Thanks for not delaying the second part of reaction for another week ❤
We got you guys! Thank you for watching ❤️
"He's an ugly one. Particularly ugly. He's not even symmetrical" 😂😂😂
Fun Fact: the design of this orc in particular was based on Hollywood Producer and general all-around sleazeball Harvey Weinstein...
The soundtrack when the beacons are lit is a special sort of epic. Howard Shore knocked it out of the park.
"If we don't have a Sam, we gotta be a Sam" that was a beautiful comment!
LOVE the cliffhanger to his reaction at the end!!
"We fight!"
The almost universal response by reactors to this line: LET'S GOOOOOO
Winner of 11 Oscars including Best Picture!
It was nominated in all categories, including Best Director, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design and Best Film Editing.
And each of them is so well deserved it's crazy!! What a masterpiece!
I think it wasn't nominated in all categories, but it won the Oscar of every category it was nominated in. I think there were only 3 movies with a clean swipe and return of the king was the one with the most actual won Oscar's.
Sorry for beeing too lazy to look this up. Just Google clean swipe and Oscars 😅
Whoah! That was the BEST place to cut part one of your reaction, can't wait for part 2!
06:55 the way it starts and shows the 2 friends fighting, ending in d3ath.....then showing frodo and sam.... it shows how good of a heart Sam has. After all this time close to the ring, he doesn't really get "affected".
Fun facts
The two who forged the sword were Elrond sons they had a quite a role in the books but obviously minimised
The orc who’s leading the armies to Minas Tirath was modelled after Harvey Weinstein. They specifically made him extra ugly, and to quote Peter Jackson “f*** him” (Harvey) 😂 Gosh I love this trilogy
And I believe the sword forging scene was two real blacksmiths, not actors, from New Zealand.
I have a sob story about this movie and you'll see the same story in my comment on James Vs Cinema's reaction to this move.
_Lord of the Rings_ was my dad's favorite movie series and _Return of the King_ was his all-time favorite movie. And some time between 2005-2007, we watched it and I sung along to the end credits song "Into The West" just for fun. But my dad loved how I sang it so much (because I could actually sing well when I was younger), that after the movie was over and I was getting ready to go to bed, he made me promise I'd sing that song on the day of his funeral. I was like, "Uh...okay. but that better not happen for another 20 or 30 years."
He passed away in 2017 and my singing voice wasn't what it used to be. But I still ended up singing it on the day of his funeral. And I gotta tell ya, when I was at the podium, I refused to look up because I knew I'd choke up and stop if I saw anyone cry (especially my grandpa) and I was also holding on to the sides of the podium due to my hands shaking so badly.
Ever since, I've made a vow to myself to watch the whole _LOTR_ trilogy on the day of his birthday to honor him. And it's very cathartic for me as it's a good way of getting any baggage out of my system after singing along to the end credits song after watching the whole trilogy.
Wow... Thank you so much for opening up and sharing this with us. It's definitely a story worth sobbing to.
I'm (Denise) so glad you got to keep your promise to your dad, and though I don't know if there is anything beyond this mortal coil, I am certain he was so proud and happy.
Having this kind of comfort movie is truly a fantastic way to cope! I have my own comfort movies and it's amazing how they sometimes make it through those mental barriers that protect us from feeling the grief in our day to day. I hope you keep singing that song for yourself and for your dad ❤️
@@OfficialMediaKnights Thank you.
That was ...oh my heart! Thank you! You are very brave to share this with us! We honor you and your father!
I don't know when his birthday is, but the next time I watch Return of the King, I will think of you and remember him!
In the Eighties and Nineties i read hundreds of fantasy books with big own worlds and all the time we were waiting for a movie to cover these whole worlds for us. And by the time we didn't think we get one "Lord Of The Rings" came along. All of us now older people were tearing up watching the three movies. Til this day.
Denethor has access to a Palanthir like Saruman was, in his pride he thought he could use it to spy on Sauron and gain knowledge of his plans. But like Saruman, Sauron manipulated him into thinking Mordor was invincible and Gondor would be unable to defeat him. So much of the despair of Denethor comes from the sense of doom because of Sauron's manipulation. In the books he's not a bad man, but overly proud and battle driven like Boromir, but with the knowledge he would be defeated sooner or later
A slight correction, Saruman wasn't actually manipulated in any form by Sauron like Denethor. He grew an obsession over the ring. Where he willingly chose to side with Sauron but secretly planned to attempt to take the ring for himself.
@@jenniferhamels1176 ok, but I also remember how sure he was about the power of Sauron, thinking he would never going to be defeated, most of the time he's scared of Sauron, even when it's obvious Eru will never allow Sauron to succeed
@@TheLaFleur Saruman was fascinated about this trinket, this ring, long before obtaining a palantir. He simply wanted the ring all to himself. He feared Sauron's power because he knew if Sauron found out his actual intention of keeping the ring, Sauron would have taken him out immediately before the ring would have ever gotten to Isengard.
There are some important information regarding Denethor:
He had one of the Palantir (Seeing Stones). He regularly looked into it and tried to battle with Sauron himself, which drained out most his energy. Seeing the images in the Stone and hearing of the Death of his son made him loose any hope. But in the books he was the one to lighten up the Beacons.
He also saw images of the Black Ships but since he already lost any hope he thought these Black Ships were actually ships of the enemy and not Aragorn who would arrive to save the day.
The thing to remember is that the Ring had been alone for 3000 years when it came to Sméagol. It was very potent.
As someone who's seen these movies dozens of times, it's always fantastic to watch along with a new arrival. I'm having such a blast...!!!!
Little tidbit: The guy (elf) in the scene of Arwen seeing her future son, the one who says something about them needing to go..is a fan favorite from the Council Of Elrond in “Fellowship Of The Ring”. He doesn’t speak or do much of anything but a lot of fans noticed him because of his looks. etc. They started calling him “FIGWIT”, which stood for “Frodo Is Great, Who Is That?” That’s why he’s in this movie. It’s kind of a nod to the fans… Just kind of an interesting fun fact, I think….
Hahahah whaaat?? How did I never hear that that's hilarious 😂😂😂
Weren’t they all filmed at the same time?
@@NsTheName Kind of but they obviously weren’t filmed “in order”. They were still working on “Two Towers” and “Return Of The King” when “Fellowship” was released. Apparently there’s a lot of redoing and “pick up work” done in films of this magnitude. Then there’s the editing which, on these films was almost life changing because of how complicated and difficult it was. There’s a story of the film makers going to one of the premieres and finding out that Peter hadn’t even seen the whole finished product. I can’t remember which one it was but I know that with “Return Of The King” they barely made the deadline so that might have been the one. They were working on it right up to the very last second. There are lots of commentary tracks and “making of” appendices along with the extended edition videos and they’re really fun. Sorry for the run on reply….lol!
@@OfficialMediaKnights LOL!! I’m just filled with lots of useless….but FUN information. I read and think too much. Like a female Spencer Reid on “Criminal Minds” but without the intellectual brilliance. I have to be careful because when I get going on something peoples eyes tend to glaze over…lol!
OK, that makes a lot of sense. Thanks!@@myroselle6987
'He's not even symmetrical.' That one killed me lol😂
Can't wait for part two. You guys are awesome👍
😂 Dude was UGLY! Thank you so much for watching this with us. You guys are the best ❤️
@@OfficialMediaKnights There are some people I used to LARP with that called that orc "Tumorco" (I'm from Spain. The name is a mixture of tumour and orc)
@@aryblack
Well, I could be mistaken, but if my memory serves me right, at least in the original release version of the movie, he was listed as "Leper Orc", referring to the condition (illness) of leprosy, a sickness that gives you swelling and boils, to the point of changing your appearance from what it originally was. Now, I'm no expert on this, and I'm just giving my description based on my knowledge, and what I've heard through the years. But please, don't take my description as facts, and if you really want to know precisely, look up 'Leprosy' for yourself, if you want the textbook definition of the disease. And I know at least in the west, leprosy is kind of an old disease, not so common these days. But in some poor countries, leprosy and lepers, can still be found.
@@JarodMoonchild1975 I do know what leprosy is and I don't know why you decided to info dump when I have just mentioned what some of my friends used to call that orc.
Not a lot of movies are able to be as good as the books, because of what the readers pictures in their heads, but because of the great cinematography and the score, etc. Lord of the Rings accomplished that.
I wish I had a better memory because there’s been around 3 films or so that perfectly captured books in my opinion.
If I could remember them I would have said what they were right now. Maybe they will come back to me later, but I’m open to hearing opinions of anyone who knows films like this. Comment left, waiting for replies.
The green mile is a good example I would say@@DarkKnightBatman420
A lot of that comes down to having the filmed helmed by someone who is actually a fan of the original material. So often, the Hollywood adaptations that fail are ones that are produced and directed by people who don't really know the IP and don't care about it. Or, worse yet, people who actively think the IP is stupid and can't resist changing things around just to put their own stamp on it (because ego). After the success of Marvel and the LotR movies, I'd kind of hoped studios would learn the lesson that the core audience for these types of movies - the people who will set the tone of the buzz that spreads to the larger populace - are the fans of the IP and those fans want a faithful version of the IP they love. And the best way to get that is to put someone in charge who knows and loves the IP and ALSO wants a faithful version of it. But, as always, that lesson seems to fade from their consciousness pretty quickly and we get right back to schlocky, remixed versions of beloved material being made and then the studios get all salty that the fans are upset. It's like, man, people love the IP for a reason. Meanwhile, they don't care about Joe Director-for-hire's original vision that he wants to lay over the top of it, so, y'know, stick with what made the property magic in the first place. Classics are classics for a reason.
I worked as a Game Designer for Activision and EA for many years (and several of their satellite studios) and I've run into that issue several times myself. I once turned down a leadership role on a snowboarding game so I could work as a designer on a Marvel game based on a comic I'd been reading and loving since I was a kid. We had one of the writers of the comics doing the script and I was so excited to bring this thing to life. And then, day after day, I sat in meetings with producers and the studio head in which horrifying things were said. They talked about how they thought the characters' superpowers were stupid so, instead, they wanted to give them weapons (grenades for one, double bazookas for another, etc) when the characters VERY specifically don't use weapons. One of the producers kept referring to one of the male superheroes as "she" because that producer didn't actually know anything about the characters and couldn't remember their names (but was full of notes and story "ideas"). At one point, they decided to stop working with the actual writer of the comics because the head of the studio's wife decided she wanted to try her hand at writing and so, despite her not knowing the comics or having any experience, he had her write the story for the game. I ended up leaving halfway through the project and, thankfully, it crashed and burned on release, getting one of the lowest ratings for a game I've ever seen.
Anyway, yeah, you're never going to get a good movie (or game) when the people making it actively look down on the original material and think they know better than the original author. The LotR movies were full of talented people who cared about what they were doing and had reverence (or at least respect) for the IP, but having Peter Jackson at the helm made all the difference, imo.
@@johnplaysgames3120 Dld you work on Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects? Because I just wanna say that the character play in that game was great. It felt like playing the actual marvel characters with respect to their power sets. It was absurdly difficult and broken with ways to abuse getting in damage but I liked it. You had to do it to win.
I find it rare that people like that game but I’m among the ones that do. 😁
One of my favourite scenes is when Pippin sings within the hall while the Steward feasts. The cracking and breaking of the bones and the red juice of the tomatoes running down his mouth representing blood is such amazing symbolism as his son and small force go to their deaths. It's a tragic and beautiful scene.
Funny fact - Theoden King was also a a Cap on Titanic 😃
“I take my leave.” There is a whole herd of memes built around how to replace common phrases with LotR dialogue
The music during the whole lighting of the beacons sequence is more fire than the fire that lights the beacons.
“He’s an ugly one. Especially ugly. He’s not even symmetrical.” Ok, that got me laughing! 😂 Denise, you said you were loving seeing this vicariously through Ari’s first-time-watching eyes. That’s what I try to explain to people when they look at me skeptically for watching reaction videos. THAT’S the joy of them! We can no longer see something for the first time, but we can feel that experience again when you watch someone else discover something you love. And you two are the best of the best about really feeling the impact of the movies you watch! ❤❤
it's a pure addiction that i can get all of this emotions again and again, time after time even after 20 years of film and thousand of reactions that i've already watched and keep watching
Denise, I love your little smirks and looks right into the camera when you know about the significance of a moment or where things are going and can't say anything just yet! Soo good!
I love watching something that means so much to me with somebody who doesn't know it yetbflr exactly those moments when you feel all giddy waiting for the reveals!
That ending cut from you guys was chill inducing. Your reactions are just as enjoyable as the movies themselves! Best ''reactors'' on youtube and it's not close
I just learned that this was Orlando Bloom's 1st acting role after drama school.. and the part of Aragorn was offered to Russell Crowe but he felt it's too similar to his role as Maximus in the Galdiator.
Whoooa that's one helluva job to book fresh after drama school, good for him!!
We're glad that it didn't work out with Russel Crowe because Viggo Mortensen did such an incredible job as Aragorn - we couldn't picture anyone else!!
@@OfficialMediaKnights They tried, they even started filming with another actor and Jackson had to fire him because he felt he didn't fit. Viggo got the offer and was filming scenes 3 days later if I recall correctly. I believe there was a "I said yes because my children told me to" component but I'm not sure, suffice to say he fell in love with the role and gave everything he got.
@@LordBaktor am I making it up or the other actor was Stuart Townsend? I'm trying to remember from back then.
@@LordBaktor Yeah, you'd be right. Viggo's son Henry is a huge fan of the books and had read them by that point. He had heard about the film's and convinced his dad to take the job. So we all have to give a big thanks to him.
@@aryblack I seem to remember the surname Townsend, so it was probably him.
Arwen and Elrond's forefathers were Beren and Luthien. A man and an elf who fell in love. Since then their children, grandchildren ect. have been given the choice to either been human or elf. Elrond choose to be elf. His twinbrother Elros choose be human. Arwen is choosing to be human here. Since elves are only allowed to cross the sea she can no longer leave.
The palintir (ball which Saruman uses). There are seven of them. Some were lost. Sauron obviously also has one. It's the one from Minas Morgul / the death city. It was once a city of Gondor, twin city of Minad Tirith. It was conquered by the Witch King and the forces of darkness. It was then brought to Barad Dur. Saurons castle with the eye on top.
That end cut though. Gave me goosebumps. I have to say, your editing and weaving of the movie into your speaking is perfect. There parts where the movie cuts away aren't too long.
Oh that cut at the end: the cheeky side eye, "we fight!" and the the huge gasp. Perfect!
Damn you, that cliffhanger! hahahaha.. Her faces, BTW, hilarious.
Thank you for not making me wait another week for part 2
I’m loving your reaction to this trilogy
A+ on the timing for that end cut! Looking forward to part 2
Christopher Lee was Tolkien's cousin and they spent many hours discussing LOTR. He would give Peter Jackson insight no one else had about the story
Wait what!? They were related!?
I stumbled over these reactions and really enjoyed them. I rarely subscribe to reactors because I don't want my feed to be full of just reactions, but you guys earned yourself a new subscriber today.
i always burst out laughing when Saruman falls and its impaled, its SO unintentionally funny
I remember seeing this movies for the first time and falling in love for it. Once a year I need to see all three movies. The score it's beautiful and the history that Tolkien created too. And I had the most amazing experience of seeing the previous two movies with a live orchestra and this March 17th I'll see this movie with full orchestra in London. It's an out of this world experience.
Ari's gasp at the last second...Priceless! I love watching ya'lls reactions. Best on RUclips.
I've just discovered the world of movie-reaction-videos and I am amazed that I can relive watching these movies for the first time when seeing someone who actually does. This is awesome! I like her look when he raves about how good the first two films were ... "you haven't seen anything yet"
3:36 Yep, that's the Rohan theme. But normally it is played on strings, while the Gondor theme is played on brass instruments. Here we get the Rohan theme on brass to symbolise Rohan riding to the aid of Gondor. The score is a masterpiece!
11:22 this whole bit is in the Shire, at the end of the book. I'm so glad they put this in the extended version, cuz it at least calls reference to the true book ending (which arguably was rightfully changed for the movie)
Another fun fact about Gimli he’s literally the tallest cast member at like 6’3 or something. I think that’s kind of funny
I'm 19 minutes in and Denise's side-eyes and knowing grins are killing me! I know exactly how she feels! You go girl!😅😅😅😅😅
Omg Thank You!! I have to admit, when you said you were splitting this into two parts, I worried about where you would end this and how it would feel but applause, applause! You did it soooo perfect with Ari's surprise. It was so satisfying how you chose to do that. Thank you. I can't wait to finish the journey with you both.❤
PS: Thank you Ari, for addressing your expectations in both comment and here at the beginning. That too was very satisfying.
You can thank Fran Walsh, Peter's Jackson's wife, for that horrible Nazgul shriek. She was the one who recorded it after he couldn't get what he wanted from the sound guys.
The horrible pale lumpy orc was designed as a caricature of Harvey Weinstein. Peter had dealings with the guy, and let's just say he was not impressed.
Denethor was not evil. He was gaslit. Just like Saruman, Denethor had one of the Palantirs in his keeping, and again like Saruman he fell into the trap of believing what Sauron showed him. The Dark Lord showed Saruman a fantasy of partnership and power, while to Denethor he showed a fantasy of limitless armies raining death on Minas Tirith. The Steward didn't realize it was a lie, and committed Tolkien's greatest sin: despair. He gave up. Not seeing a way out, he believed he was living in the last days of Gondor, just waiting to be consumed. As to his feelings about Faramir, John Noble (who played him) says he believes Denethor blamed Faramir for his mother's death, as she died giving birth to the boy. Also, Faramir resembles his mother, and thus is a constant reminder of his grief. It's not fair but it's very common, sadly.
That disparity between the Steward sitting at his meal and the soldiers riding out to die is a visual proof that Denethor is not a king. Every king in this story rides to war at the head of his men, while Denethor sits in his tower and orders others to ride out for him.
Amazing input, thank you!
To see her not spoil anything for him is such a wholesome thing ❤
I remember seeing this movie when it was new. How much joy these films had given me, and now it was over. When those credits rolled, I was in tears 😥
I genuinely would be so excited if you guys reacted to the behind the scenes. They're so in depth and interesting and fuelled the love of filmmaking in so many people.
You’re by far the best reactors to these movies I’ve seen. I’ve seen a lot of them on RUclips but I’ve enjoyed yours the most
I'm new to the channel but this has to be one of the best and most genuine reactions to the films I've ever seen. I've watched the films millions of times and saw lots of reactions. However yours has been the one I've enjoyed the most. I know Denise saw the theatrical editions but it has been a joy to watch. Thank you
It’s so cool when you can introduce your friends or loved ones to good movies. My wife has always been more of a book reader, but over the years I have gotten to show her the film versions of these classic books.
What a perfect edit! And especially that last second! Lmao
Outstanding!!!