I've seen people saying it's scientifically inaccurate for Gandalf to catch his sword falling at that speed, but an easier explanation for that would be that it's a movie and he's a fucking _wizard_
In the falling battle sequence, i have the impression that Glamdring "responds" to Gandalf, like a familiar, although nothing as such has ever been mentioned in the books. I feel it has a soul on its own, but very subtle, cryptical. Its not a dancing sword, its not alive, but i have the impression that it has a presence just like the One Ring has, but a benevolent one though. Glamdring was spinning away before Gandalf reached it back, but not really tumbling around in a chaotic way. Gandalf didnt have to throw in hand forward in an effort to catch it; he just opened his hand at his hip and Glamdring positioned and seemed to perfectly clutch itself in his palm, at the right timing. Like it was saying "Oh hey mate, i was just waiting for you! Alright... theeere ya go... **Gets into Gandalf's hand** Right on! Now, let's kick some demonic ass". Like i said, nothing confirms this in anyways, im inventing that but i dunno, i like to think of it this way :)
WELL 1 IT SOUNDS EXACTLY LIKE A MALE LION SO YOUR JUST ABSOLUTELY WRONG! AND 2 THEY ACTUALLY USED A LIONS ROAR SO YOUR EXTREMELY EXTREMELY WRONG LMFAO!!!
Because they did so much of it practically. They built those sets painstakingly. They build every costume down to the nth detail /9 much done practically.
It’s fitting that Gandalf slew the Balrog with the sword “Glamdring the Foehammer”. Since it was the sword of the king of Gondolin, and this Balrog took part in the sack of Gondolin. It’s like the sword itself took its revenge on its ancient enemy.
Out of all the members of the fellowship they show Legolas when Gandalf explains what is coming.. And for the first time you can see pure FEAR in Legolas eyes.. He have heard the stories, he may even have talked to and elf or two who remembered fighting Morgoth and his servants. In short you can say that Legolas has a true "OH SHIT!!"-moment there.. And yes, the Dwarfs have many stories and know how to tell them like few others, but there are no dwarces who were alive anywhere close to the Age we are talking about.. The Elves however have lifespans that permit them to bring the memories to life far after all other races only have legends of the events.
Mate. Legolas is bitch. Galadrieeeel from ROP would f..k it, make children with it, and then make it go it's own way into Moria deepest place in shame with relationship drama in slow motion while riding the horsieeee! :)
It's a nice tip of the cap to the original text too, as it is actually Legolas who first identifies the balrog in the book. Gandalf came against ... something ... when putting a locking spell on the door, he described the counter-spell cast by the ... something ... as "terrible", and "It nearly broke me", and it tore the door to pieces. It's always been a bit of a puzzle to me that in the book Gandalf knew well that the Dwarves had inadvertently awoken Durin's Bane in Moria, and it's implied that he feared they might encounter it, yet he never caught on that it was that very same balrog that opposed him until Legolas identified it as such. Perhaps he just wasn't sure exactly what it was, as there are things even the balrog feared. "Far beneath the roots of the mountain, the world is gnawed by nameless things...even Sauron knows them not. They are older than he." Make of that what you will.
Everything is perfectly done. Let me break down 1. The Balrog’s Perspective The Balrog, Durin’s Bane, had been lying dormant for centuries deep beneath Moria. By the time Gandalf and the Fellowship entered Moria, the Balrog had established dominance over the Orcs and other creatures inhabiting the mines. The Balrog likely hadn't encountered a being of significant power in a very long time, certainly not another Maiar like Gandalf. Here’s what might have been going through the Balrog’s mind: Initial Reaction: The Balrog was probably awakened by the disturbance and commotion caused by the Fellowship’s battles with the Orcs and the Cave Troll in the Chamber of Mazarbul. It wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary-it was simply reacting to intruders in its territory. When the Balrog arrived, it likely assumed it was dealing with lesser beings-mortals, like the Dwarves who had once disturbed its slumber and been easily driven out. Confronting Gandalf: The Balrog may not have immediately recognized Gandalf as a fellow Maiar (both Gandalf and the Balrog are lesser Ainur spirits), especially because Gandalf was in the form of an old man. The Balrog, at first, might have considered Gandalf and the Fellowship to be insignificant, especially compared to its own ancient power. In the movie, you can see that the Balrog approaches slowly and imposingly, as if it's sizing up the situation, initially not expecting much resistance. Realization of Gandalf’s Power: Once Gandalf stands firm on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm and declares, "You cannot pass," it becomes clear to the Balrog that this is not an ordinary enemy. Gandalf, wielding Glamdring and commanding with authority, directly challenges the Balrog, which would have caught its attention. The power of Gandalf’s words and the barrier of light he conjures likely would have surprised the Balrog, making it realize that it was facing an opponent of significant strength. Aggression and Fury: The Balrog, as a creature of Morgoth and a being of pure malice and brute force, responds to Gandalf’s defiance with fury. It had ruled over Moria unchallenged for ages, and now this wizard-who stood between it and the rest of the intruders-was trying to stop it. The Balrog likely viewed Gandalf’s challenge as a direct insult to its power and authority in Moria. The confrontation turned into a contest of power, and the Balrog, in its arrogance and pride, believed it could overpower Gandalf. 2. Gandalf’s Perspective Gandalf, on the other hand, was acutely aware of the danger posed by the Balrog even before it appeared. Gandalf is also a Maia, like the Balrog, and would have sensed its presence as the Fellowship ventured deeper into Moria. Here’s what might have been going through Gandalf’s mind: Sensing the Balrog: As the Fellowship descended into Moria and faced various dangers, Gandalf likely sensed a growing darkness and the presence of something far more powerful than the Orcs or trolls they had encountered. This is hinted at in both the book and the movie when Gandalf becomes increasingly troubled and warns the Fellowship that there are deeper and older powers in the world than just Orcs. Recognition of the Threat: By the time Gandalf confirms the presence of the Balrog, he understands the immense danger they are facing. The Balrog is an ancient evil, a servant of Morgoth, and its power far exceeds that of the creatures they had faced so far. Gandalf knows that the Balrog is one of the few beings that could pose a real threat to him and the Fellowship. A Decision to Fight: As the Fellowship flees toward the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, Gandalf makes a calculated decision to confront the Balrog. He knows that only someone of great power can stand against it, and that if the Balrog is not stopped, the Fellowship will be destroyed. Gandalf, as a protector of Middle-earth, sees this confrontation as his responsibility. In the film, he sends the others ahead, fully aware that he is the only one who can face Durin’s Bane. The Weight of His Mission: In Gandalf’s mind, there is also the awareness of his larger mission. He is a Maiar sent by the Valar to aid the Free Peoples of Middle-earth in the fight against Sauron. The confrontation with the Balrog becomes a crucial moment in his journey. Gandalf is prepared to sacrifice himself to ensure the survival of the Fellowship and their quest to destroy the Ring. The "You Shall Not Pass" Moment: When Gandalf stands on the Bridge and declares, “You cannot pass,” it’s a pivotal moment of courage and authority. Gandalf is drawing on all his power, fully understanding the stakes. He knows the narrow bridge is a tactical advantage, and he uses it to limit the Balrog’s movement and hold the creature at bay. He pours his will and strength into this moment, creating a barrier of light to counter the Balrog’s darkness. Realization of the Cost: As Gandalf shatters the Bridge with his staff and sends the Balrog plummeting into the abyss, he likely believes that he has won. But when the Balrog lashes out with its whip of fire, dragging Gandalf down with it, Gandalf would have realized that this fight wasn’t over. At that moment, he accepts the personal cost and understands that he must go further, even if it means sacrificing himself to ensure the Fellowship's survival. The Balrog likely initially underestimated Gandalf and the Fellowship, seeing them as insignificant intruders in its realm. It only recognized Gandalf's true power when he stood against it on the Bridge. At that moment, the confrontation became a matter of pride and fury for the Balrog, as it sought to destroy Gandalf, whom it now recognized as a serious threat. Gandalf, on the other hand, was fully aware of the Balrog’s ancient evil and the danger it posed from the moment he sensed its presence. He knew that only he could stand against it, and his decision to face the Balrog was rooted in his duty and sacrificial courage. He understood the stakes and the personal cost but accepted it to protect the Fellowship and continue the mission against Sauron.
I know this probably won’t get much attention given the age of f the video, but I want to say that I appreciate this detail. Gave me insight I did not have before. Thank you.
My late grandfather was one of those ancient legends of geekdom who was highly educated and well-versed in literature, already an adult when the LotR books came out, and he loved the books so much that til the day he died, he was worldbuilding and inventing languages of his own in his mini library at home. I remember attempting to grind my small-vocabularied mind through the Silmarillion at 11 years old, just to try and impress him. He was the uber-LotR nerd. Grandpa was so curmudgeonly about all movies being stupid and a waste of time that he literally _never_ watched them. But... when the Fellowship of the Ring came out... we all managed to drag him to the theater _just this once._ He went in making sure we all knew he expected the worst. Who wouldn't be worried that this enormous chunk of his identity and nostalgic soul would be trampled on by Big Hollywood idiots with no care for what The Lord of the Rings truly _means_ to the world of literature and high fantasy? And of course, he left the theater running off the full list of inaccuracies, changes, omissions, etc. But when we asked him if he regretted it... he said no. And that was huge. When The Two Towers came out... he joined us again. And once more with Return of the King. I won't lie or be melodramatic and say I saw him shed a tear during the final end credits, or anything like that... I'll just say that in the early 2000s, one old man chose to get up from his armchair and go to the theater 3 times in his entire adult life... and it was to see these movies. And to me, that is magical.
@@donaldpack402 In general he wasn't a very happy guy... but he found peace in fantasy literature (and watching his college football team). Any way to connect with him was worth it, so I'm glad our interests aligned on something as special as LotR... I was happy watching them, so I like to think he was too.
The demonic rumble at 1:14 straight up haunted me when I first saw the movie in the cinema as a kid. The suspense in this scene is nothing short of perfect. Just hearing something threatening and unknown in the distance hunting for you, seeing the glow of the Balrog's flames hit against the far-off pillars, and hearing that low growl and booming footsteps. It's absolutely terrifying! Still gives me goosebumps as an adult today.
It gave me child nightmares and to this day I still have those nightmares but to be honest? Those nightmares are good dreams in disguise because this is one of the best scenes in cinema history so for that to have been imprinted on my subconscious I consider it a blessing. So when I have nightmares they are really just good dreams with me appreciating them just when I wake up.
0:50 to 1:30 ... 40 seconds of just standing there when he knew what it was the moment of the first deep demonic growl. Thats 40 seconds they could have put on the Balrog and safely crossed that bridge.
Valar: "So what happened?" Gandalf: "Sauron has reemerged, Saruman has betrayed us and joined him, and a hobbit is taking the one ring to Mordor to be destroyed." Valar: "How did you die?" Gandalf: "Oh I fought and killed a Balrog." Valar: "You're promoted."
Yes, Eru personally intervened. And if I am not mistaken, since the Ainulindale, Eru intervened in the affairs of Arda on two occasions. The first being the Changing of the World, and the second being the resurrection of Gandalf.
I seriously, and gladly, admit that Tolkien fans are some of the most knowledgeable, and generally politest commentators on the whole of the internet. This thread is so different than many. And yes ... I did see Tolkien's writing desk at my daughter's college. The wardrobe that C.S. Lewis played in as a child as well.
The dread and anticipation when the party suddenly stands all alone, with that orange glow coming closer. The deep resonating noises and the growling. The look in their eyes, speaking volumes. Must have looked the same watching this. Rarely, if ever, felt a movie scene on such a visceral level. Absolute masterpiece.
"This foe is beyond any of you." That is the moment that the audience and the Fellowship realized just how fucked the situation was. If Gandalf was scared, they really should be.
@@Feril1 I assure you that he definitely talks about how he was scared of the Balrog in the book. When it starts countering his locking spell on a door, he has a overwhelming sensation of dread.
Not just the line, but the way gandalf is concentrating stating at the ground and his weary look as he looks up... INCREDIBLE. Cinema and acting at its finest
@@Feril1 I think he was scared, but he had the courage to face that fear. That's the whole theme of the story, good people standing up to overwhelming terror and overcoming it
@@theprinceofthebadlands5204 The balrogs and Gandalf are the same sorts of beings. They are maiar, so is Sauron. Gandalf is even of the same "tribe" as the balrogs in that he has an affinity to fire. The balrogs were corrupted by Morgoth which may have made them more powerful than they were to begin with. But the maiar varied in power individually so Gandalf truly had no way to know how powerful this balrog was at the start. Gandalf was also very limited in his "human" form. He was supposed to inspire and guide not act. Clearly at some point the valar let him go full power once he was fighting another maiar that wasn't Sauron and he was able to defeat the balrog with the aid of the Narya.
It's all about the time,effort,quality and hard work. So that's why the effects still hold up 20 years later.Jurassic Park is almost 30 years old and Terminator 2 IS 30 years old as of this year and they STILL hold up to this day!
@@JR-ju3kj To be fair, Jurassic Park used an absolute fuck ton of practical effects that were then hybridized with just *some* CGI. The raptors in the kitchen scene for example, those are actual people in specially designed suits that were then touched up with CGI. The T-Rex was almost entirely an animatronic except for perhaps the chase scene and the T-Rex vs raptor scene. In fact I think the only full CGI dinosaurs in the entire movie are the brachiosauruses at the very beginning.
The balrog's roar doesn't sound like a normal sound. It literally sounds like the gates to hell opening up and the explosion of heat that comes with it. These movies are irreplaceable.
@@Phloxnova no lion's roar. In a comment above, they say they took concrete bricks, and dragged them on the floor. The resulting sound, after being heavily modified, is this iconic roar.
5:09, as they fall into the water: In Dwarvish the chorus chants: "To the End, Servant of Fire, For you must Fight....... To the End". Goddamn that is so fucking epic
Gandalf catching his sword and fighting the Balrog mid-air is probably one of the most epic and crazy action scenes of all time. Very under-appreciated for how well executed it is.
@@eyegnieesllAmany swords in Tolkien's universe have been forged for a reason. And they seem to have their own "will" to complete the purpose they were built for. An example is Merry's sword. That sword was forged with the explicit purpose to wound and impair the Witch King, since the land where Merry found it (not far away from the Shire) was a kingdom he laid waste upon. Since Glamdring (Gandalf's sword) was a named sword notorious for killing Balrogs when Morgoth was around, it may very well be interpreted as the sword letting itself be caught by Gandalf as well. Even the hissing it does while falling seems unnatural. It's almost as if crying "Wield me Gandalf! At long last, today we slay a Balrog once more!"
I always imagined this scene like " gandalf catches his staff first (because it's so light and falls slowly) and uses magic to pull his sword towards him."
1:24 the look on Legolas says it all. His father lived through the First Age and all its wars, and no doubt told his son of his stories. He knows exactly what is coming for him.
In reality here's what happened. The Balrog and Gandalf are actually the same species but Gandalf and other wizards were deliberately weakened while the Balrog is at full power. What happened there was Gandalf casting a spell to contaik the Balrog but the Balrog being his equal countered it and that was how Gandalf confirmed it was indeed a Balrog
Gandalf the Grey uses lightning sword. It's super-effective! Balrog fainted! What's this? Gandalf the Grey is evolving! ... ... ... Your Gandalf the Grey has evolved into Gandalf the White!
@@manictiger Gandalf the White is trying to learn Holy, but Gandalf the White already knows 4 moves. Should a move be forgotten to make space for Holy?
I just love how at first on the bridge, when Gandalf turns around and shouts "You cannot pass!" the Balrog seems kinda... confused. He stands up and turns up his flame, it nearly feels like his body language expresses "Hold up, that little thing isn't scared?" Then Gandalf makes his declaration: "I'm a servant of the secret fire [..]", revealing himself as a fellow maia, a loyal servant of Eru/God, and the Balrog just IMMEDIATELY goes into attack mode and draws his fire sword and slashes at him. That Balrog did NOT expect to enter into a death match with a servant of Eru himself when he woke up that morning 😂
Neither off them wanted to fight each other because both were scared off of each other. the Balrog now had to fight an eternal enemy he usually wanted to avoid since...Well fighting Maia really isnt a great time for them.
@@ginjaedgy49 Ungoliant is something like the Watcher in the water. The closest I can equate it to is a byproduct or glitch of the song of creation, spawned from in part from Morgoth's discordant song.
"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass! The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow! You shall not pass!" Gandalf is making three very specific references as both warning and challenge to the Balrog. By identifying himself as a servant of the secret fire (or Flame imperishable), Gandalf is identifying himself as a Maia, an embodied angelic servant of the Valar protecting the light of Creation that Eru Iluvatar (or God) has set to burn at the centre of Arda (Earth). Wielder of the flame of Anor is a reference to his ability to draw on the power of the sun possibly through the Ring of Fire Narya but maybe also through his own divine origins. Finally as he refers to the Balrog as the Flame of Udun, he informs the Balrog that he knows it to be a corrupted Maia in the service of Morgoth from the earliest time when he resided as Melkor in his dark fortress of Utumno broken by the Valar at the awakening of the Elves. He orders it to retreat (go back to the shadows) or face the consequences of divine conflict and final judgement before the Vala Mandos, the fate of all slain creatures.
Caleb Smith So you seem pretty knowledgeable when it comes to LOTR. Outside of the original books, what would you say is the best way to learn the majority of the lore?
You can find a great deal of this info in the Silmarillion, which covers the creation through the Second Age and parts of the Third Age concerning the rings of power.
Because most of things were made with incredible cure and attention and dedication. They hand-made all those costumes. As chain mails, each ring of them was hand made. There is a work behind this trilogy any normally can’t even realize
the funny thing is that the Balrog knew what Gandalf was and still chose to fight him. Gandalf's speech was basically saying "buddy me and you are basically equal in power and if we choose to fight one of us or both of us might die, so turn around and go home so we can avoid that". And the Balrog just said screw that.
Also, can we all just appreciate Ian McKellen's facial acting here. He truly conveys the feeling of "this was the one thing I really feared would happen in Moria and it is coming our way".
It’s kind of crazy that the fellowship of the ring has been grounded in reality, yes there’s orcs and Nazgûl, but like it’s realistic fantasy, then all of a sudden there’s a ginormous demon. It really makes the balrog more menacing in my opinion
@@jruth77 it's literally a fallen angel that's even more terrifying because they arnt facing some random beast their facing a being that help sing creation into existence
@@WYJAFAK2 It's more like Balrogs are insanely powerful. They helped create all of creation, they're fallen Angels. Gandalf himself may be a divine being, but he obviously has doubts on his ability to not only fight it but protect the one thing he was brought onto middle earth to do, which was destabilize Saurons power and try to destroy the ring. None of the Hobbits/Humans would have really stood a chance. If it helps, you can rank the Fellowship in terms of power like this 1. The Balrog 2. Gandalf 3. Legolas 4. Aragorn (Aragorn is one of the better Human derivatives, and is around like, 200 years old if I recall?) 5. Everyone Else. Gandalf specifically did not want to go into Middle-Earth because he was goddamn terrified of Sauron, so essentially fighting a fallen angel (The Balrog) is similarly goddamn terrifying.
So this man fought the Balrog the whole way down, fought him underwater in the giant lake, pursued him through tunnels dug at the at the dawn of time, dug by things even Sauron can't comprehend, for TEN DAYS, all the way BACK UP to the TOP of the mountain, and then fought him at the snow capped peak for ANOTHER TWO DAYS, before killing it. That does it. Gandalf is the official archetype for Fantasy world badass.
I'm not a Tolkien expert, but Gandalf and the other wizards aren't actually fully regular humans. They're like angels sent to Earth to guard the realms of Men against... basically against leftover military assets from the insanely High Magic past. The Balrog? Sauron's boss used to have an *army* of those. The Balrog is like a leftover nuke or something. Gandalf was doing his duty. He has that moment where he kind of hangs his head -- because he knows he can *probably* take the Balrog. But it could likely finish him as well. Either way, he won't be there when the party needs him. Gandalf didn't know the Valor would send him back.
Gandalf is basically an angel, sent from heaven. He was NOT sent to defeat Sauron, rather, he was sent to teach mortals how to do it themselves. He isn't allowed to show his full angelic strength in front of normal people, that's why he turns into a badass the moment they can't see him. Fun fact: Gandalf didn't want this assignment. He thought he was too weak to help anyone. When he died, he thought he was going to be disgraced. Instead, the gods went, "You're doing great Gandalf! We're sending you BACK IN! GO GET IM!" That's why he becomes more confident as the white wizard...
@@jacobwiren8142 The Valar has said “Don’t fight Sauron head on”. If he had wanted to, he could have built up an army like Saruman but fought Sauron directly. Gandalf wasn’t even supposed to be fighting a Balrog - totally outside his job requirements. But because he did good Eru sent him back, and gave him an upgrade.
There's so much beautiful depth and history to this entire scene. The existence of the Balrog, a creature which realistically fought and killed Feanor, helped level Gondolin, experienced the War of Wrath, potentially saw Eonwe himself annihilate Morgoth's forces, potentially saw a fucking air battle between Earendil and Ancalagon The Balrog pulling out a whip which was used to rescue Morgoth from Ungoliant The Balrog was also possibly there for the destruction of Utumno and saw Tulkas beat the shit out of Morgoth and drag him back to Valinor Gandalf, a Maiar who reluctantly went to Middle Earth, the literal embodiment of hope, fighting this creature to death, a creature that he sang the Music of the Ainur with at the beginning of time. This battle is a follow up to literally thousands of years of divine warfare, long after Morgoth himself has been defeated.
100%. Couldn't agree more, and there are just too many little details to appreciate to even try and list, but you poetically and articulately did the best job anyone could to summarize it all 🙂Even little silent things like posture and facial expressions, from the Balrog standing up and "showing off" his fiery power that Morgoth granted "him/her" to Gandalf, almost as if boasting and mocking Gandalf, a fellow Maiar, to Gandalf throwing it right back in the fallen Maiar's face with his words on the bridge, showing a hint of his TRUE power, and that there is only one Flame Imperishable, and it's not "the Dark Fire;" The way he basically, poetically calls out the Balrog, his fellow Maiar, that was there singing the Music with him (as you stated) for being a sad puppet of Morgoth, Morgoth who is currently hacked up, bound, and banished, while Gandalf, a meek, power-restricted, afraid, and reluctant fellow Maiar, is standing in front of his fallen brother/sister, defiant and seemingly not afraid, although he likely very much is. Even the Balrog seems confused for a moment. But Gandalf, for his reluctance and fear, is the kindler of hope, and it's amolst as if this is a moment of both sadness at the state of this Maiar in front of him, but also resolved defiance and testament of his purpose as an Istari and for the original intented purpose of the Maiar that he is upholding, in front of one who abandoned their purpose and fell to greed and the corrupting allure of Morgoth. It takes real power to obstain from that, and in this moment Gandalf is reminding that Balrog of their shared history you mentioned, and putting that Balrog, more or less, in his/her place. "You shall not pass." That's more than a literal statement about crossing the bridge...it's all of their intertwined histories throughout all time, and despite his fear and any differences in power or abilities, this is the line that Gandalf/ Olorin will simply not allow this fallen, pathetic fellow Maiar to cross, or pass. 🙂
Technically it was Gothmog, not Durin’s Bane, who killed Feanor. But otherwise, hell yes. This comment brilliantly puts thousands of years’ worth of unimaginable history into perspective. It’s almost like Anakin fighting Obi-Wan in Episode III, a battle between two of the greatest warriors of their time as young men in their prime-but in the battle between Gandalf and Durin’s Bane, it’s the opposite. In this, it’s more or less a battle between two battle-hardened old men at the peak of their power, with thousands of years of near-incomprehensible history and experience behind them-experience that the rest of the Fellowship can scarcely imagine. And this battle lasted for *days.*
@user-nt5lr7kl2e yes. It says there was at least three and no more than 7 I'm pretty sure. He changed it from saying hundreds to just those numbers. Literally angels and demons at war
“This foe is beyond any of you” Gandalf low-key flexing his strength I know people think this is weird, but i have to say its nice to see so many people with a similar opinion to mine. Thanks for the likes =P
Many years have passed and still nothing can compete with this scenes in terms of "epicness". Not Avangers, not any super hero or fantasy movie, not this puny Rings of Power, nothing. This is truly a piece of art. Part of humankind legacy.
real literature, real art is only preserved by those recognize it and remember its name. in time, the chants will fall silent and dull, but right now, right here, in this moment, it is poignant that you can perceive that true art and its propagation is a beautiful thing. mankind is naturally attracted to beauty and here you are, proving something we will forever know time and time again.
I love how the camera very purposefully show us Legolas’s reaction to the Balrog. For movie enjoyers it shows that even the stoic and wise elf is beyond terrified. For Book readers and nerds its basically Peter Jackson and his crew acknowledging they did their homework of the lore and knew Legolas would have DEF heard about the Balrogs from the elves around him who survived the first age
@@KororaPenguin Yes, the dwarves of old also fought Balrogs in Beleriand but those generations were far removed, and on top of that they were not Longbeards (Durin’s folk) but rather different dwarven clans descended from different original ancestors (the Broadbeams and Firebeards) who eventually lost their kingdoms and were taken in by the kingdoms of the Longbeards. Meanwhile Thranduil was born in the First Age and would have been well aware what a Balrog was, not to mention any other elven veterans from the First Age.
A lot of people don’t realize that when the balrog swung his sword at Gandalf and the explosion happened it blew the balrogs sword up, pissing him off. Hence why he roared afterwards and pulled out the whip.
It's interesting to note that, of all the Fellowship, Legolas is probably the only one with an inkling of what's actually going on with this battle. He knows the power of Elves, and has heard of Balrogs, and he knows somewhat that the Wizards are more than they seem...but even he probably doesn't understand the sheer gravity of willpower and magical contest underlying what looks like just flashy swords and light and shadow. To the others this probably just looks like an old man against a monster, but Legolas knows there's more at play even if he doesn't know what it is.
True. I think in the book it's Legolas that mentions it's a Balrog. Nevertheless, these 3 movies were awesome when they first came out and still are too.
@@Macebigi No. Legolas says it first, "Ai, ai, a Balrog", followed by Gimli calling it "Durin's Bane". Then Gandalf says that now he understands what it is.
@@Solais1019 i believe legolas predates the wizards by at least 900 years or so, maybe a few thousand more. important to note these are human years, not valar years. we see his grandfather is present in the second age. his birth isn't recorded, as is usual of elves only born in the first age, but i take the evidence of his grandfather appearing in a battle and not him as evidence he was yet to be. Plus his father and Elrond were born at roughly the same time so I put their children within a few thousand years of each other in my headcannon
@@schwartzy65 I think it was because CG effects were more expensive back then so they made real miniatures/props, use some perspective camera tricks and just put the CG on top of those. Now its reversed. Its more costly to build stuffs, so everything is CG and fixed post production. :(
I am re reading and wanted to see this part. And goddamn the whole sequence is so great. I know they had good material to work with from tolkien, but I can only imagine how delighted he would be to SEE A balrog himself. It's just fantastic work from the art department. Absolutely stellar. I really hope we can see more in the Amazon series.
I recently watched the animated LOTR and it really show, how much a good actor can make a scene, the barlog scene in particular looks ridiculous in the animated version,
It helps when you are making a film adaptation of a book or in this case a series of them to get actors and actresses that are big fans of them which Ian McKellen was a huge fan.
Bananarama probably yeah because in the beginning Eru taught the ainurs music which is call the Music Of The Ainurs and then visualize the beautiful Vision(middle earth, arda) that Eru showed to the ainurs to see for themselves what they sang, so the ainurs want it to be real and Eru made it real and he call it Eä but he told the ainurs that they are not coming back until the end of the world. The ainurs agree and enter Eä (including melkor)they turn into valars and maiars, that's was the beginning of arda, so yeah Gandalf, saruman,sauron and the balrogs they were once ainurs that enter Eä.
Sauron is the most powerful of the Maiar (Before falling into darkness he was said to be "the greatest smith of the house of Aulë" and was called Mairon), although Eonwë, Arien (the sun), Melian, Ossë and Uinen were similar to him in power. Then lower to them, come all the Istari (Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast, Alatar and Pallando), the Balrogs, the Dragons and Tilion (the Moon) among others.
Gandalf is at the same level as the Balrog he is fighting. The Balrogs are also Maiar, of the level of Gandalf and Saruman, so lower in Power than the high Maiar (Ossë, Eonwë, Sauron...), that felt into darkness like Sauron did. So yeah he most likely knew each other before the ages of the trees, in the ages of the lamps and before that, before the maia spirit that forms the Balrog was corrupted by Melkor and brought into his serving.
It would’ve been so easy for the roar of the Balrog to be a standard monster roar and none of us would’ve cared. But the sound design is unique and impeccable. The roar sounds like the roar of a blazing fire. It sounds like heat. Like hell. The sound is of burning and destruction. You can even hear crackling, like a log on a fire. So unique, fitting, and perfect. These movies are perfect.
The appearance of the balrog is one of my best cinema memories that I have. By that time in the movie, 2 hours had passed, the epic fight with the cave troll just happened and I was like well this was a good movie, I'm satisfied if it ends here. The scene with orcs running away from the light, seemed like a perfect cliffhanger for the next movie. But then, this motherfucker jumps and roars like anything that we have ever heard before and Gandalf faces him. My mind was blown away into the stratosphere.
I love how this is the only moment in the whole trilogy where Legolas looks genuinely afraid. Even in situations where he is hopelessly outnumbered and probably facing almost certain death, he almost takes joy in battle. But here -- there is real terror on his face. It's the only scene where he shows that. Really great acting on Orlando Bloom's part, and great filmmaking choice by Jackson to use that to drive home how deadly the Balrog was.
1:24 I love the face he makes. Besides Gandolf, Legolas is probably the only member of the fellowship to have even heard of a Balrog. He probably thought it was just a myth.
When the balrog first roared at 2:13 in the cinema, the whole room shook. It was awesome. I'd love to see the LOTR series make a comeback to theatres. It was a really awesome moment.
@@brainrich1358 exactly! It sounds like something burning VERY violently rather than a big monster or demon with vocal cords. I remember when it happened in the cinema and was like okay okayy this is something new and awesome.
harry potter's issue was, amusingly, jk rowling's lack of imagination in choreography. you're telling me these characters have magic that can do so many things and they just wave their sticks and shoot flashing lights at each other? doesn't help that the "evil" wizards effectively have a "gun" spell that instantly ends fights. no interesting manipulation of items around them. its why my favorite "fight" is the confrontation with the Basilisk in Chamber of Secrets. no stupid magic, it's just Harry attempting to avoid it for as long as he can until Fawkes helps him and he can get an angle to attack it from. It's tense, the stakes are high, it's climactic.
The Balrog having a furnace for a mouth is to this day one of the coolest visual decisions an art team has ever made. That shit terrified me at 9 and it terrifies me today.
Makes my face feel hot as hell every time that roaring shot happens. The air distortion was a great touch, impressing upon us the *blazing heat* coming out of it's mouth. Only thing i ever see exhale similar blasts of hot air are military jets & rockets...
@@davecrupel2817 one of the sounds they used to make the roar was that of two bricks being ground against each other, to get that cracking earthen tone. Genius. Really makes it feel like burning rock come alive
+Ranatosk Gandalf THE GREY is a lv 15, Gimli Aragorn and Legolas are at lv 10. Boromir is a lv 8 and the Hobbits are lv 3. Balrog is lv 15. That's why Gandalf said that XD
***** No, lv 20 is god like, at Valar level, Gandalf and Balrog are Maiar (Celestial beings but weaker than Valar). And in the LotR, everything that is corrupted is weaker. So Balrog would be at 15 and Gandalf the WHITE would be at 20. Valars and Ancalagon would be around 22 to 24. And Morgoth at lv 25
If I were one of the hobbits and heard Gandalf say “this foe is beyond any of you” with Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Boromir by my side I would shit myself.
@@VoiceOfTheEmperor the balrog is basically Sauron but take away his spells and tricks and the one ring. actually balrog is a pure warrior and would probably kill sauron too. it killed Durin and caused an entire race to flee. the maiar are crazy powerful... gandalf never shows his true power we all kno but even then he kicks ass.. in the defense for minis tirith we can see some of his sword skills .. killing the attack troll and so on. if only they showed him using his voice powers and true abilities.. would have been badass
After extensively watching and reading more about Gandalf's origins and the Balrogs, this scene becomes more and more epic. The Balrog seems like a large, unintelligible beast. But he is in fact, an equal to Gandalf the Grey and very much so understands exactly what Gandalf is shouting at him. 2:56 After Gandalf announces himself as a Maiar, the Balrog acknowledges his power and shortly after draws his sword, knowing full well that Gandalf is a great foe.
@@XDarkBrotherhoodHD There is not that much of an info........... BUT......................... spoiler alert................... Gandalf and this balrog knew each other very well. For during the First Music of Ainur (basically the creation of world) all Valar and Maiar participated together. It was on the level of sharing their thoughts/motives they wanted to add to Iluvatar´s work. So at least at this point they had to be aware of each and evry one´s existence. Valar and Maiar alike. Some Maiar later became these fiery beasts/demons, serving under Melkor (later known as Morgoth Bauglir) and some his servants - like f. e. Sauron (Mairon). Gandalf (Olorin), Saruman (Curumo) or f. e. Radagast (Aiwendil) were sent to thwart Sauron´s conquering plans to dominate over Middle-earth. So this is (on a very base level) another meeting of old colleagues from work :) .
@@XDarkBrotherhoodHD good luck. Tolkien died before he wrote much of it. Most everything in it is based on what his son wanted. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy is the only fully Tolkien stories. This is why some things don't seem to match.
@@charleshodgdon6168 silmarillion is still based on tolkien's notes. but yes, his son did fill some things in or assume some things, so there are some bits where things don't always seem to make as much sense as they should.
The Balrog is akin to a Fallen Angel, being only slightly weaker than Sauron, basically if you aren't a Wizard or someone of equal power to Sauron you don't fight a Balrog, you just die.
He heard of the balrogs since he was a kid from the people that actually fought them, so yes, he knew the mission completely changed at that point, if it wasn't for Gandalf that would be another story entirely
Yes, I just finished reading that part. Gandalf sensed evil, but could not tell what it was. Legolas froze in place when he felt it coming, and he was the one to point out it was a balrog.
"I am a servant of the Secret Fire... Wielder of the Flame of Anor! The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udûn!" Some Tolkien Geek musings on that excellently delivered line by Sir Ian McKellen: The movie doesn't dig into the deep nuances of Middle Earth and its history (nor does it need to), but even movie goers unfamiliar with any of the writings of Tolkien knew something significant was being said. Gandalf/Mithrandir was issuing a dire warning to the Balrog and this is perhaps the first time that viewers saw Gandalf the Grey display what he was really capable of. Up to that point, viewers knew he was a powerful "wizard" but Tolkien "magic" is much more subtle than the flashy D&D magic that you'd see in video games and other fantasy movies. You don't often see Gandalf levitating objects, teleporting, throwing fireballs and lightning bolts from his fingertips in every scene. What readers only learn much later in the books is that Gandalf was secretly carrying Narya, the Red Ring of Fire, entrusted to him by Cirdan the Shipwright. The movie viewers briefly see him as Gandalf the White wearing a red ruby ring, but I have no strong memory of him ever explaining it to the Fellowship (or the movie viewers). The word "Anor" (not to be confused with the lost kingdom of Arnor) is Sindarin elvish meaning "sun". So, I think ol' Mithrandir could be referencing Narya and he's trying to warn the Balrog that he's packing heat. Sun > Dark Fire Flame of Udûn: This could trip up even well-read Tolkien nerds. In this sense, Udûn doesn't refer to the valley area in between Mordor and Dagorlad. The Udûn it's referencing is the birthplace of the balrogs, Morgoth/Melkor's fortress Uttumno. For those interested in the deep lore, give The Silmarillion a try. It's it's not for everyone, I will warn you. It can be a tough read; fragmented and disjointed, and almost like a religious or mythological text, it is sometimes not even contemporaneously consistent within itself and the Unfinished Tales. But, if you have the mind to dig into it like a historian or a philologist, it can be very rewarding. Rewatching the Peter Jackson trilogy after having read The Silmarillion and the LotR will highlight hundreds of little tidbits like this that are hidden in plain sight, in the tiniest lines of dialogue.
And it also happens when the Balrog tried to intimidate him with his size and flames. Like "I'm a Balrog" while Gandalf be like "I'm a Maia too, bitch"
I guess we'll never know, but it'd be interesting to speculate what was going through the Balrog's mind when Gandalf starts warning him just who he's dealing with. Like, he's all gangsta "I'm a Balrog" - did he pee his pants just a little when Gandalf goes "Please, bitch, I'm a Maia and a wielder of the Flame of Anor, take a seat!"
I also love that Gandalf shatters that very sword with minimal effort on its first strike. The pure will always have more strength than those who fell from grace into corruption.
Both the Valar and Maiar are angelic spirit beings known as the Ainur. The Valar are more powerful, the Maiar less so although still incredibly powerful in comparison to the mortal earthly races. The Valar were sometimes considered as "gods" although they weren't the one true God is because in comparison to the mortal races, they really were gods. Such was their power and might. Even the Maiar could be considered as gods and receive worship as one. Sauron being a prime example.
@@KingGhidorah777 the Valar were the more powerful gods. The Maiar were the lesser god. Gandalf, Saruman and. Sauron could be considered lesser gods but still powerful compared to mortal races
@@_im_stupid_ There is only one true God in the legendarium, Eru Iluvitar and the Vala are his most powerful servants, followed by the Maia, servants of the Vala
I love how Aragorn has a look of terror and amazement on his face during Gandalf's fight with the Balrog. He is witnessing for the first time in his life, a battle between two higher beings, one the representation of darkness and evil and the other a paradigm of hope and courage. Plus for the fellowship, this is the first glimpse they get of Gandalf's incredible power (which is probably a fraction of his actual celestial form), as opposed to the eccentric old wizard he happily guises himself as.
But remember...Hes a Wizard and how He catches the sword is a hint something deep the creator wanted this Fight and gives Gandalf what He needs...Run you fools!!! Why He calls them this?because they cant See what He Sees and knows...
I just realized that when we see Legolas after Gandalf says that there’s a balrog, the wide expression he has is one of terror. Acceptable since the balrogs were one of the firercest foes in the history of the elves.
I literally just read this passage in the book and it elaborates several times how terrified Legolas was when the Balrog appears. Just a great reminder how awesome these movies are (and the books even more so).
Can u imagine that the elves of the past were so powerful that they killed Balrogs? I mean they usually died doing it like Gandalf but still. It's mad impressive
Nelson Senna I don’t remember reading that he fought 50 of them, I agree that the noldor elves that Feanor took with him were extremely powerful. If I remember correctly, either his brother or his nephew fought Morgoth in single combat and nearly one. So yeah, that first generation of elves were wicked strong. Which explains why Galadriel is so powerful compared to elves like Elrond and Legolas
@@ranger3576 Feanor fought many Balrog's at once with a portion of his forces, he never fought 50 on his own. Two were enough to kill him, granted one of them was the mightiest of their number and the second got a sneak attack on him. Also, no, his son didn't "nearly win" he did wound him seven times, which is impressive, but not enough to almost defeat Morgoth.
Notice how Gandalf says “this foe is beyond any of you” he does not say “us” Gandalf was always much more powerful than he let other people believe he was. According to other Tolkien material, The beings that sent the five wizards to Middle Earth, had wanted to make Gandalf their leader, but he did not wish it so they gave it to Saruman instead
Belim Sajjad Gandalf had the power to defeat a balrog and he warned Frodo not to tempt him with the ring because through him the ring could have done terrible things. I believe that Gandalf did have the power to destroy an army. But I also think that the more power that he used either he less control over it and risked possible friendly fire or that the more power he used the more his physical form he possessed became weakened.
Belim Sajjad also according to the lore, when Gandalf and the other three wizards were sent to middle earth They were ‘forbidden to dominate the free peoples of Middle-earth or to match Sauron's power with power.’ So it is also quiet possible that the reason why we never see Gandalf use all the the power he is supposedly supposed to have, is because he is simply obeying the rules he was commanded to follow
TheDeviantLord In the Bible, the angels didn’t have much of a will of their own. They followed as God instructed. Since Tolkien was a devout Christian, I assume there is some correlation to this idea. Although powerful, he couldn’t use all of his abilities.
Victor Beauregarde according to the lore, of the five wizards, Gandalf was the only one who remained true to his mission and kept his vows regarding the use of his powers. So he was the only one who was allowed to return to the Undying Lands.
@@TheDeviantLord i think Gandalf saying "don't tempt me" was his acknowledging his own weakness and remembering Sauron and how he and his predecessor succeeded in tempting the Maiar with power, hence Balrogs. If Gandalf had taken the ring, there was a good chance he would he tempted to ue its power for more than just defeating Sauron. It shows a human side of him.
To this day, the "you shall not pass" scene still remains as spectacular and iconic as ever, and no one could have ever pulled off that delivery of this line as perfect as Sir Ian Mckellen. Absolutely perfect scene.
It's great lines for him. 'I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Arnor. Dark fire shall not avail you, flame of Udun. Go back to the Shadow...' Straight from the scene in the novel more or less.
Tolkien actually had Gandalf say "You CANNOT pass". It was said moreover with great authority but not shouted as McKellen does here, but then Jackson was always incapable of subtlety
After Gandalf commanded, “You shall not pass” to the Balrog, teachers had some fun with students. On a separate note, I named my car “Gandalf the Grey.” My car color is obvious.
It's worthwhile to appreciate the buildup leading to the Balrog's appearance: 1. Gandalf's hesitation to enter the mines; it's really the last resort 2. Saruman noting that the dwarves "Dug too greedily and too deeply" and showing the picture of the monster - stylized enough that you get just a hint. 3. The horde of orcs immediately fleeing on hearing it coming 4. The Balrog's growls/roars and the light approaching the party, getting closer as they flee
@@kkandsims4612 I can't remember if that was ever explained. I am not an expert. But the Balrogs were servants to Saurons master, the true dark lord. And the Balrogs had a head Balrog as well. But when the heroes defeated the Dark lord and his armies they killed both the dark lord and the head Balrog, scattering the remaining Balrogs to dark places and to hibernated until awakened.... Sauron wasn't their master so he needed the one ring to bend them them to his will. They could still be useful like Shelob and Smaug were but not controlled.
@@CountryLifestyle2023 The Balrogs retreated into the deepest, darkest recesses of Middle Earth and awaited a more evil hour. There were 7 in total and Gothmog their chief was slain as well as 4 others during the fall of Morgoth. That left Durin’s bane and another unknown Balrog slumbering deep under Middle Earth somewhere. Maybe the last one went back to its original home of Utumno, where the tunnels were dug to such a level that some of Morgoth’s monstrosities could still be lingering there.
And his facial expression whilst looking at the Balrog is so epic that it gave out a hidden meaning that perhaps this Balrog before it became a demon was his angelic friend and it hurts him to see him that way.
You realize of course that he is NOT Gandalf. He was just pretending to be one. And how did he know what to say? The words were written down for him in a script.
This sequence (from bridge to end of fall) is in my top 3 most epic movie scenes ever, and luckily I got to watch it in theaters opening day in 2002 when I was 14. A cinema experience that still hasn't been topped to this day. Peter Jackson is a genius, and it's the little touches that make it all the better. Like the sound of the balrog's whip cracking, the subtle sound of Gandalf's aura surrounding him, the sound of Glamdring whirring in the air before he catches it. Freakin amazing. I consider LOTR to be the very last great movie to come out of Hollywood.
Ólorin, before being sent to earth as Gandalf, was a very peaceful Maia, even a self confessed coward. He feared Sauron. That is exactly why Manwë chose him of all his servants to be part of the order of the Istari, so he could find his courage. Manwë truly trusted him. Gandalf proved himself worthy of the trust and became a brave leader, much so that Saruman, his "boss", became jealous. But this is the final test. Sacrificing himself to save the fellowship and fight the Balrog at the cost of his own life. Ilúvatar took his spirit after he defeated the demon and granted him the greatest power ever given to any of the Istari before returning him to the Middle earth as Gandalf the white, because he was the only one that was worthy of it. And the only one who could (and ultimately did) lead mankind to defeat Sauron.
That's the part missing in the movies ! Gandalf was the one who orgenized the defense for minas tirith, he reunited the scattered rohan warriors and came up with a defense so great that the witch king himself was slain without him taking part directly. he then expelled Saruman of his powers and broke his staff.
"We fought far under the living earth, where time is not counted. Ever he clutched me, and ever I hewed him, till at last he fled into dark tunnels. They were not made by Durin's folk, Gimli son of Glóin. Far, far below the deepest delving of the Dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things. Even Sauron knows them not. They are older than he."
@@gg2fan Well if anything it would have been the other way around since Lovecraft released most of his books in the 1920's but yes, I agree that there are many similarities and a cosmic horror-vibe to a lot of Tolkien's writing.
I love how Gandalf says "I'm a servant of the secret fire, wielder of the flame of Anor" as a direct threat for the Balrog letting him know that he´s an Istar and one of the first beings that participated on the Ainur's music
This fight is beautiful and a testament to how "magic" works in Tolkien's world, his is a magic of being and words. Gandalf when faced with a foe of a similar level is largely unbound by his restrictions, so he declares who he is (I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor), acknowledges his enemy and his history (dark fire... Flame of Udun), then states his intention. By saying "You cannot pass" he's literally shaping reality: there is no version of Arda where the Balrog can pass. So when he tries, the bridge falls. Remember in Tolkien's world, the "World that is" (Ea) was shaped by music and word and put in motion by the Secret Fire (Eru's).
Props to Orlando Bloom for portraying Legolas in that moment when he realizes exactly what is approaching them. An Elf would know just how HORRIFYING a Balrog is, and seeing the true terror in his eyes while one side of his face is cast in shadow is probably one of the most perfect moments in film.
The same could be said for gimli since he just came face to face with the most feared creature in the history of the dwarves. The dwarves of middle earth feared durins bane even more than they feared Smaug
@@MrGentilushi Bruh you can't compare third and fourth age elves, men and dwarves to those of the first age or even to the elves from the years of the trees, it's not fair ;/
Legolas is actually the first one from the whole group to realize its a Balrog and he cries out a balrog!! And balrog is coming!! Read the books if you have time or watch Tolkiens work itself its so much more than the movies gives us
This sealed the Foe Hammer as the greatest weapon of all time, for me. Who better than the humble Olorin to wield it. My favorite fictional character of all time.
@@abdallahhafidh8733 every time I see this scene, I have that same thought. Glamdring is straight up SINGING here, going into glorious battle! Brings tears to my eyes!
I like gandalf's approach to this fight it wasn't a fight that he wanted, and he did everything he could to avoid it, but accepted the fight as soon as he knew their was no retreat.
That's something that's very important in Tolkien's work in general, and I'm glad it was preserved in the film adaptation here. Tolkien's characters don't *seek out* battle as something good or to be sought after for its own sake. They fight reluctantly, only when they know they have to, and while they don't shy away from it when it *is* necessary, they don't revel in the destruction or prolong it unnecessarily. His characters are mature enough to realize and understand the actual horror of war and that it is something to be *avoided* if one can, and even if that isn't always an option it is something to be ended as soon as possible. Gandalf isn't setting out to fight the balrog because it'd be awesome, he is *forced* to fight the balrog to allow the fellowship to escape. The free peoples don't *want* to fight Sauron, they just know they *have* to. And whenever the characters can, they show mercy even to their defeated foes, seeking to *break* the cycle of war instead of perpetuate it. Gandalf gives Saruman multiple chances to repent. The dunlendings Saruman duped into attacking Rohan are allowed to return to their lands. The host of the west accepts surrenders after Sauron's fall. Aragorn gives the southlands of Mordor to Sauron's former subjects. Frodo makes sure that the ruffians in the Shire who surrendered are merely shown the borders rather than killed. At the very end on the steps of Bag End, Frodo gives both Saruman and Wormtongue one last chance to repent. One can see in this Tolkien's own experience with war in WWI. He fought in the battle of the Somme and came home from the war exhausted and sick in mind and body. Many of his closest friends did not come home at all. He knew the actual horrors of war that hide behind the sanitized news stories and propaganda. It's something that's missing from all too many stories that treat war as something glorious.
Yes, he knew immediately that it was his tasks to face the balrog, concious of that he might be the only one at that era with the authority on power to put a stop to the balrog, maybe Elrond and Galadriel were up to the task as well, not only their mission were going to fail, that balrog was going to destroy and cause inmense destruction to great part of the people on that era for sure, plus was going to be on the side of Sauron most probably, he had to put a stop and he could put a stop on it, he started to get ready since the orcs flew, he needed all his power and connection with the creator in order to end the Balrog of Moria, that was an important battle right there for the world
Gandalf was a humble Maiar. He doesn't like to show off even if he knows what he is capable off. He knew he was the only one that can stand toe to toe against a fallen maiar and he does it without being so blunt with his companions. No elf nor man could have block that first initial blow from the balrog.
@@muonneutrino2507 couldn't Gandalf just break the bridge and run away with the others? Without waiting to face the Balrog and trade blows first? There was no other bridge over this chasm (it was a dwarven defense plan). I guess it's a bit like saying the Eagles could carry Frodo and the Ring and drop them into the Volcano. It's silly and wouldn't be an Epic story then. Maybe Gandalf didn't even think about breaking the bridge like that. Until he did.
1:24, you can see how terrified Legolas is. He is the only member of the fellowship that grew up on stories of the Balrogs. His father, Thranduil, was alive in the First Age and was alive during the War of the Jewels, culminating in the War of Wrath, so he knows the history behind the Balrogs and the Elves.
I love your comment! In all other scenes, no matter how hopeless (e.g. the battle at the gates of Mordor), Legolas never really shows fear - apart from this scene where horror is written all over his face. I explain it like this: He never fears death itself, but here the figure from tales, legends and nightmares manifests itself, which no heroic courage can match. Only the fact that Gandalf wears Narya (the ring of fire) saves them here. But apart from Círdan, Galadriel and Elrond, no one knew Gandalf's secret.
Even back in First Age, Balrogs were Morgoth's elite troops along with dragons (both winged and wingless ones). More like honor guards actually. After all, Gothmog, the greatest of all Balrogs was one of Morgoth's officer. By Third Age, Balrog of Moria is one of the strongest being in the Middle Earth. Only beings that can be stronger than him could be Smaug and Sauron. Of course, if Gandalf decides to use all of his power as Olorin (Gandalf's name as a Maiar) he can defeat Balrog with moderate difficulty but right now his power is limited due to his status as Ishitari.
@@BENSHlN I’m not sure he entirely knew what durins bane was He would be able to put two and two together now upon seeing the Balrog and seeing what it is
I always loved that cocky little snort the Balrog gives just after Gandalf tells him he cannot pass. For a creature which only had a few minutes of screen time, he sure made an impact.
@@paleface171 I'm hoping they rerelease it for the twentieth anniversary coming up in December. There are so many people who haven't seen it the way it should be seen.
@@sleepingdogpro I'm old, and saw these when they came out in the theatre, but I'm totally surprised that it hasn't seen a re-release since. So good in the theatre.
Aragorn's face when he realizes Gandalf is scared shitless is priceless. He does attempt to go and fight but you can see for a brief moment he is just completely shocked at how scared Gandalf is.
Gandalf a peaceful mia had no choice but face a servant of Morgoth. Yes he was terrified but Gandalf knew that if an Elf could defeat a Balrog of Morgoth then he could. So he drew up his courage and announced to the demon that Gandalf is also a Mia a servant of the Valar and Eru. Telling the Balrog that a righteous Mia will defeat the Demon of Morgoth. At that moment the Balrog knew his foe and responded accordingly. He knew this was no elf or man but a Spirit that sang the song of Eru in the time before Arda.
For the actor who's got his very first major role at that time, Orlando's performance on the delivery of sheer horror and glimpse of fear in his eyes is pretty outstanding.
The score in this is fantastic! Especially as he's descending into the depths and reunites with his sword, the choir and orchestra come together brilliantly to highlight a truly epic moment
I've seen people saying it's scientifically inaccurate for Gandalf to catch his sword falling at that speed, but an easier explanation for that would be that it's a movie and he's a fucking _wizard_
In the falling battle sequence, i have the impression that Glamdring "responds" to Gandalf, like a familiar, although nothing as such has ever been mentioned in the books. I feel it has a soul on its own, but very subtle, cryptical. Its not a dancing sword, its not alive, but i have the impression that it has a presence just like the One Ring has, but a benevolent one though.
Glamdring was spinning away before Gandalf reached it back, but not really tumbling around in a chaotic way. Gandalf didnt have to throw in hand forward in an effort to catch it; he just opened his hand at his hip and Glamdring positioned and seemed to perfectly clutch itself in his palm, at the right timing. Like it was saying "Oh hey mate, i was just waiting for you! Alright... theeere ya go... **Gets into Gandalf's hand** Right on! Now, let's kick some demonic ass".
Like i said, nothing confirms this in anyways, im inventing that but i dunno, i like to think of it this way :)
Also, questioning logic in a fantasy film.
Lmao morons
c") The rest of LOTR is scientifically accurate. No ? Please say it is so, I am shaking here...
Anytime you see something like that, a wizard did it.
I always loved that the Balrog's roar didn't sound beastial. It just sounded like a roaring inferno.
um barulho seco e assustador kk
WELL 1 IT SOUNDS EXACTLY LIKE A MALE LION SO YOUR JUST ABSOLUTELY WRONG!
AND 2 THEY ACTUALLY USED A LIONS ROAR SO YOUR EXTREMELY EXTREMELY WRONG LMFAO!!!
@@danielwhittaker695 Some perfect Dunning Kruger there. And all in caps too.
Didn't they use sounds from a volcano for that?
@@danielwhittaker695 They dragged a brick across a wooden floor and edited it. They did not use a lion roar
Gandalf: *defeats Balrog*
Gimli: that still only counts as one!
Here you go 🏆
XD
Revenge for all dwarves
Gandalf: sheeeit more like one thousand
@@United-Federation-of-Planets d
Gandalf: I just slew Durin's bane. You really going to insist it only counts as one?
Gimli (meekly): Noooo!
this movie is 23 years old, and to this day i'm still puzzled how the visuals and sfx hold up so good.
truly a masterpiece for the ages.
Many PCs died horrifying deaths rendering that beast.
Because they did so much of it practically. They built those sets painstakingly. They build every costume down to the nth detail /9 much done practically.
In order to make the scene convincing Peter Jackson Made Ian fall in an actual pit while fighting an actual balrog. Respect
Lmao dude no just no lol
True dedication
method acting
The rumor about CGI being used is all lies. Hmph!
It sucks no other film director does this
It’s fitting that Gandalf slew the Balrog with the sword “Glamdring the Foehammer”. Since it was the sword of the king of Gondolin, and this Balrog took part in the sack of Gondolin. It’s like the sword itself took its revenge on its ancient enemy.
Turgon of Gondolin?
Great vengeance it was.
Plus didn't that king kill a Balrog himself (Specifically the Lord of Balrogs)
James Burgess no that was ecthelion of the fountain that killed gothmog. Turgon died when the Gondolin tower collapsed on him.
Nicely said. These weapons were more than just steel.
i love how everyones confused except legolas whos in sheer terror
I think because he's been around for the longest among the fellowship, apart from Gandalf of course. He knows exactly what Gandalf is talking about.
@@Mojo842 He does, all Elves would know of the Balrogs, even if they were not alive at the time they were at war with them and other dark forces
I think even Gimli would be aware of what the Balrog is, since it is also known as Durin's Bane...
Out of all the members of the fellowship they show Legolas when Gandalf explains what is coming.. And for the first time you can see pure FEAR in Legolas eyes.. He have heard the stories, he may even have talked to and elf or two who remembered fighting Morgoth and his servants.
In short you can say that Legolas has a true "OH SHIT!!"-moment there..
And yes, the Dwarfs have many stories and know how to tell them like few others, but there are no dwarces who were alive anywhere close to the Age we are talking about.. The Elves however have lifespans that permit them to bring the memories to life far after all other races only have legends of the events.
You know you’re screwed when Legolas is panicking
1:23 fantastic attention to detail.
Legolas has heard all the stories. He knows EXACTLY what Gandalf is talking about.
Middle Earths version of Boogiemen come to hunt
Mate. Legolas is bitch. Galadrieeeel from ROP would f..k it, make children with it, and then make it go it's own way into Moria deepest place in shame with relationship drama in slow motion while riding the horsieeee! :)
@@connorhilchie2779 Except his forebears have fought these Boogiemen in the ancient times
@julianmarpez3931 only the most powerful and skilled of his forebears would fight a balrog, that's why he looks so terrified
It's a nice tip of the cap to the original text too, as it is actually Legolas who first identifies the balrog in the book.
Gandalf came against ... something ... when putting a locking spell on the door, he described the counter-spell cast by the ... something ... as "terrible", and "It nearly broke me", and it tore the door to pieces. It's always been a bit of a puzzle to me that in the book Gandalf knew well that the Dwarves had inadvertently awoken Durin's Bane in Moria, and it's implied that he feared they might encounter it, yet he never caught on that it was that very same balrog that opposed him until Legolas identified it as such. Perhaps he just wasn't sure exactly what it was, as there are things even the balrog feared.
"Far beneath the roots of the mountain, the world is gnawed by nameless things...even Sauron knows them not. They are older than he."
Make of that what you will.
You know that a movie is good when, after 21 years, it still can get people to have goosebumps watching it.
2:32 I have goosebumps
And it's cgi is so much better than most 20 years later
I know right. I have watched the trilogy 50+ times. xD
21 years ? Great !
goosebumps? I m fucking crying right there
Can we admit Gandalf fighting the Balrog while falling is one of the most epic scenes ever
@Luc Germain in my opinion?
Still good, not like what we got now.
Him catching up to his sword mid air and starting to swing made the entirely trilogy
@Luc Germain Because it's not CGI. This really happened
Source: Me. I was the cameraman.
Reminds me so much of battling Ridley in Metroid prime 3 while falling
AGREED.
“I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountain side” is the most hardcore shit anybody has ever said in a movie lol
Its a nice waying of saying he threw his body down like trash.
And only Sir Ian McKellen could've delivered the line with such gravitas.
Love it
@@TJSaw Damn right.
How about "Go back to the Shadow!"?
Everything is perfectly done. Let me break down
1. The Balrog’s Perspective
The Balrog, Durin’s Bane, had been lying dormant for centuries deep beneath Moria. By the time Gandalf and the Fellowship entered Moria, the Balrog had established dominance over the Orcs and other creatures inhabiting the mines. The Balrog likely hadn't encountered a being of significant power in a very long time, certainly not another Maiar like Gandalf. Here’s what might have been going through the Balrog’s mind:
Initial Reaction: The Balrog was probably awakened by the disturbance and commotion caused by the Fellowship’s battles with the Orcs and the Cave Troll in the Chamber of Mazarbul. It wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary-it was simply reacting to intruders in its territory. When the Balrog arrived, it likely assumed it was dealing with lesser beings-mortals, like the Dwarves who had once disturbed its slumber and been easily driven out.
Confronting Gandalf: The Balrog may not have immediately recognized Gandalf as a fellow Maiar (both Gandalf and the Balrog are lesser Ainur spirits), especially because Gandalf was in the form of an old man. The Balrog, at first, might have considered Gandalf and the Fellowship to be insignificant, especially compared to its own ancient power. In the movie, you can see that the Balrog approaches slowly and imposingly, as if it's sizing up the situation, initially not expecting much resistance.
Realization of Gandalf’s Power: Once Gandalf stands firm on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm and declares, "You cannot pass," it becomes clear to the Balrog that this is not an ordinary enemy. Gandalf, wielding Glamdring and commanding with authority, directly challenges the Balrog, which would have caught its attention. The power of Gandalf’s words and the barrier of light he conjures likely would have surprised the Balrog, making it realize that it was facing an opponent of significant strength.
Aggression and Fury: The Balrog, as a creature of Morgoth and a being of pure malice and brute force, responds to Gandalf’s defiance with fury. It had ruled over Moria unchallenged for ages, and now this wizard-who stood between it and the rest of the intruders-was trying to stop it. The Balrog likely viewed Gandalf’s challenge as a direct insult to its power and authority in Moria. The confrontation turned into a contest of power, and the Balrog, in its arrogance and pride, believed it could overpower Gandalf.
2. Gandalf’s Perspective
Gandalf, on the other hand, was acutely aware of the danger posed by the Balrog even before it appeared. Gandalf is also a Maia, like the Balrog, and would have sensed its presence as the Fellowship ventured deeper into Moria. Here’s what might have been going through Gandalf’s mind:
Sensing the Balrog: As the Fellowship descended into Moria and faced various dangers, Gandalf likely sensed a growing darkness and the presence of something far more powerful than the Orcs or trolls they had encountered. This is hinted at in both the book and the movie when Gandalf becomes increasingly troubled and warns the Fellowship that there are deeper and older powers in the world than just Orcs.
Recognition of the Threat: By the time Gandalf confirms the presence of the Balrog, he understands the immense danger they are facing. The Balrog is an ancient evil, a servant of Morgoth, and its power far exceeds that of the creatures they had faced so far. Gandalf knows that the Balrog is one of the few beings that could pose a real threat to him and the Fellowship.
A Decision to Fight: As the Fellowship flees toward the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, Gandalf makes a calculated decision to confront the Balrog. He knows that only someone of great power can stand against it, and that if the Balrog is not stopped, the Fellowship will be destroyed. Gandalf, as a protector of Middle-earth, sees this confrontation as his responsibility. In the film, he sends the others ahead, fully aware that he is the only one who can face Durin’s Bane.
The Weight of His Mission: In Gandalf’s mind, there is also the awareness of his larger mission. He is a Maiar sent by the Valar to aid the Free Peoples of Middle-earth in the fight against Sauron. The confrontation with the Balrog becomes a crucial moment in his journey. Gandalf is prepared to sacrifice himself to ensure the survival of the Fellowship and their quest to destroy the Ring.
The "You Shall Not Pass" Moment: When Gandalf stands on the Bridge and declares, “You cannot pass,” it’s a pivotal moment of courage and authority. Gandalf is drawing on all his power, fully understanding the stakes. He knows the narrow bridge is a tactical advantage, and he uses it to limit the Balrog’s movement and hold the creature at bay. He pours his will and strength into this moment, creating a barrier of light to counter the Balrog’s darkness.
Realization of the Cost: As Gandalf shatters the Bridge with his staff and sends the Balrog plummeting into the abyss, he likely believes that he has won. But when the Balrog lashes out with its whip of fire, dragging Gandalf down with it, Gandalf would have realized that this fight wasn’t over. At that moment, he accepts the personal cost and understands that he must go further, even if it means sacrificing himself to ensure the Fellowship's survival.
The Balrog likely initially underestimated Gandalf and the Fellowship, seeing them as insignificant intruders in its realm. It only recognized Gandalf's true power when he stood against it on the Bridge. At that moment, the confrontation became a matter of pride and fury for the Balrog, as it sought to destroy Gandalf, whom it now recognized as a serious threat.
Gandalf, on the other hand, was fully aware of the Balrog’s ancient evil and the danger it posed from the moment he sensed its presence. He knew that only he could stand against it, and his decision to face the Balrog was rooted in his duty and sacrificial courage. He understood the stakes and the personal cost but accepted it to protect the Fellowship and continue the mission against Sauron.
I know this probably won’t get much attention given the age of f the video, but I want to say that I appreciate this detail. Gave me insight I did not have before. Thank you.
Underrated comment. Love to know anything new information about this movie i grew up with and love to death
Very well written 👍
Brilliant
i like this
My late grandfather was one of those ancient legends of geekdom who was highly educated and well-versed in literature, already an adult when the LotR books came out, and he loved the books so much that til the day he died, he was worldbuilding and inventing languages of his own in his mini library at home. I remember attempting to grind my small-vocabularied mind through the Silmarillion at 11 years old, just to try and impress him. He was the uber-LotR nerd.
Grandpa was so curmudgeonly about all movies being stupid and a waste of time that he literally _never_ watched them. But... when the Fellowship of the Ring came out... we all managed to drag him to the theater _just this once._
He went in making sure we all knew he expected the worst. Who wouldn't be worried that this enormous chunk of his identity and nostalgic soul would be trampled on by Big Hollywood idiots with no care for what The Lord of the Rings truly _means_ to the world of literature and high fantasy? And of course, he left the theater running off the full list of inaccuracies, changes, omissions, etc. But when we asked him if he regretted it... he said no. And that was huge.
When The Two Towers came out... he joined us again. And once more with Return of the King. I won't lie or be melodramatic and say I saw him shed a tear during the final end credits, or anything like that... I'll just say that in the early 2000s, one old man chose to get up from his armchair and go to the theater 3 times in his entire adult life... and it was to see these movies. And to me, that is magical.
Thanks so much for sharing this
Daniel Morris indeed it is. I suppose that’s all one can ask for between the relationship of an Author and his or her reader.🙂
Thanks so much for sharing this [2]
Amazing story man, I hope your grandpa was happy
@@donaldpack402 In general he wasn't a very happy guy... but he found peace in fantasy literature (and watching his college football team). Any way to connect with him was worth it, so I'm glad our interests aligned on something as special as LotR... I was happy watching them, so I like to think he was too.
Props to the camera man jumping after Gandalf and the Balrog so he can film the fight from the best angle!
"guys, the cap was on, we need to repeat this"---walks back through fucking miles of moria xD
😂😂😂😂
@@alucardzutain6062 the climb was a pain, but you gotta love that Union rate overtime.
LOL DUDE 😂😂😂😂
He fought the devil in hell and returned: gandalf the grey
Gandalf falling: "Call an ambulance!"
*grabs sword*
Also Gandalf: "But not for me!"
Best comment I've seen in awhile!
Ohhh 😏
100/10
@@hunterjj1280 still funnier than you are
@@eddieloera2951 Now that's sarcasm
The demonic rumble at 1:14 straight up haunted me when I first saw the movie in the cinema as a kid. The suspense in this scene is nothing short of perfect. Just hearing something threatening and unknown in the distance hunting for you, seeing the glow of the Balrog's flames hit against the far-off pillars, and hearing that low growl and booming footsteps. It's absolutely terrifying! Still gives me goosebumps as an adult today.
It gave me child nightmares and to this day I still have those nightmares but to be honest? Those nightmares are good dreams in disguise because this is one of the best scenes in cinema history so for that to have been imprinted on my subconscious I consider it a blessing. So when I have nightmares they are really just good dreams with me appreciating them just when I wake up.
Gandalf slays the balrog.
Gimli: That still only counts as one.
Funniest comment by far 🤣 🤣
Lol
😂😂
Good one!
And you still only count as half
*"A Balrog. A demon of the Ancient World. This foe is beyond any of you...RUN"!!!!*
Chills. The delivery of this line is epic.
I can’t think of a single line Sir Ian delivered that didn’t go hard as fuck lol
"...beyond any of you..."
But not to good 'ol Gandalf as I'm about to show y'all
0:50 to 1:30 ... 40 seconds of just standing there when he knew what it was the moment of the first deep demonic growl.
Thats 40 seconds they could have put on the Balrog and safely crossed that bridge.
In these days movies Balrog would have been defeated by struggeling to get the pronouns of the feminists right.
@@MrNoamCh0mskywow thats cringey. you work in a troll factory ? You need a demotion.
Valar: "So what happened?" Gandalf: "Sauron has reemerged, Saruman has betrayed us and joined him, and a hobbit is taking the one ring to Mordor to be destroyed." Valar: "How did you die?" Gandalf: "Oh I fought and killed a Balrog." Valar: "You're promoted."
Technically it was Eru who did that, rather than the Valar.
@@suchiuomizu This is true.
Yes, Eru personally intervened. And if I am not mistaken, since the Ainulindale, Eru intervened in the affairs of Arda on two occasions. The first being the Changing of the World, and the second being the resurrection of Gandalf.
I seriously, and gladly, admit that Tolkien fans are some of the most knowledgeable, and generally politest commentators on the whole of the internet. This thread is so different than many. And yes ... I did see Tolkien's writing desk at my daughter's college. The wardrobe that C.S. Lewis played in as a child as well.
@@grandpatzer and a possible third time, when he made Gollum slip into the crack of doom with the Ring, leading to its destruction
The dread and anticipation when the party suddenly stands all alone, with that orange glow coming closer. The deep resonating noises and the growling. The look in their eyes, speaking volumes. Must have looked the same watching this. Rarely, if ever, felt a movie scene on such a visceral level. Absolute masterpiece.
Not to mention the thunderous footsteps getting closer..
"This foe is beyond any of you."
That is the moment that the audience and the Fellowship realized just how fucked the situation was. If Gandalf was scared, they really should be.
He wasn't scared he just knew that the only being present that could stand up to a Balrog is himself because they are on more or less even footing.
@@Feril1 I assure you that he definitely talks about how he was scared of the Balrog in the book. When it starts countering his locking spell on a door, he has a overwhelming sensation of dread.
Not just the line, but the way gandalf is concentrating stating at the ground and his weary look as he looks up... INCREDIBLE. Cinema and acting at its finest
@@Feril1 I think he was scared, but he had the courage to face that fear. That's the whole theme of the story, good people standing up to overwhelming terror and overcoming it
@@theprinceofthebadlands5204 The balrogs and Gandalf are the same sorts of beings. They are maiar, so is Sauron. Gandalf is even of the same "tribe" as the balrogs in that he has an affinity to fire. The balrogs were corrupted by Morgoth which may have made them more powerful than they were to begin with. But the maiar varied in power individually so Gandalf truly had no way to know how powerful this balrog was at the start. Gandalf was also very limited in his "human" form. He was supposed to inspire and guide not act. Clearly at some point the valar let him go full power once he was fighting another maiar that wasn't Sauron and he was able to defeat the balrog with the aid of the Narya.
I love how the Balrog's roar isnt that of an animal, but the roar of a blast furnace.
Its roar sounds like the layers of the Earth griding against itself, it's the sound of a volcano screaming.
It is an ancient demon I believe
Iirc in the making of they only used sound effects made from stones, rocks, gravel, and concrete for the Balrog.
@@RoseyCakess a foe beyond any of us?
From what I remember they drug slabs of concrete on concrete to record the base.
That deep, heavy rumbling.
The year is 2024. This was not in your recommendations. You searched for this epicness.
When Gandalf says run you might want to listen 😮
Damn straight I did.
true dat
It was in my recommendation
❤❤❤❤❤❤😂
This movie is almost 20 years old and the Balrog looks more real than some CGI villains from modern film
Ikr, the scary part about this is tha the movie came out in 2001 but they started filming and doing set in 1999
It's all about the time,effort,quality and hard work. So that's why the effects still hold up 20 years later.Jurassic Park is almost 30 years old and Terminator 2 IS 30 years old as of this year and they STILL hold up to this day!
@@JR-ju3kj To be fair, Jurassic Park used an absolute fuck ton of practical effects that were then hybridized with just *some* CGI. The raptors in the kitchen scene for example, those are actual people in specially designed suits that were then touched up with CGI. The T-Rex was almost entirely an animatronic except for perhaps the chase scene and the T-Rex vs raptor scene. In fact I think the only full CGI dinosaurs in the entire movie are the brachiosauruses at the very beginning.
@@ChicoDusty oh piss off. The CGI in avengers is fine
@@digiquo8143 when they lift up and fall back down after getting some leaves I could almost feel that.
The balrog's roar doesn't sound like a normal sound. It literally sounds like the gates to hell opening up and the explosion of heat that comes with it. These movies are irreplaceable.
It sounds like a blast furnace roaring at full blast.
It's great sound design. I wonder if they used lion or tiger roars for it, I hear a bit of that in there.
@@Phloxnova no lion's roar. In a comment above, they say they took concrete bricks, and dragged them on the floor. The resulting sound, after being heavily modified, is this iconic roar.
@@92edoy Really? Wow. Never thought it'd have been bricks being dragged along the floor.
Well yeah, what'd you think? Our boy Balrog hasn't brushed or flossed since before the First Age! lolz :D Nothing like "Balrog Breath".
That Balrog fight for opening "The Two Towers" is one of the best best movie intros of all time. Still get goosebumps after years.
Fully agreed
ill never forget seeing this in theatres it was the most memorable scene ive ever seen in my life
Goosebumps? I get freakin' tears. I remember as a kid, jumping up and down in my seat when this came out in the theaters shouting "Go Gandalf!!"
Absolutely! Without question! One of the most amazing things I've ever seen on film!
boozin12 Which scene? I can't remember
5:09, as they fall into the water:
In Dwarvish the chorus chants: "To the End, Servant of Fire, For you must Fight....... To the End".
Goddamn that is so fucking epic
That's fucking amazing
Both of the, one the Servant of Anor and the other, the Servant of Udun, fought until the end.
Yet no one can rival the might of Eru Illuvatar
Had no idea that song was dwarvish
So frickin epic!!!!! Thanks for information bro
"Until at last, I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside"
Gandalf, Original Gangster.
The only reason I even watched this is for that line
deBebbler
A fancy way of saying he curb-stomped someone.
or a lyric from a heavy metal song
... and the Balrog was smitten.
smote? is that a word? i always thought he says _smoked_
Gandalf catching his sword and fighting the Balrog mid-air is probably one of the most epic and crazy action scenes of all time. Very under-appreciated for how well executed it is.
I've always wondered if Gandalf used some sort of magic to alter the swords fall so he could catch it or if it was just chance.
@@eyegnieesllAelven blades are light so they probably fall slower
@@eyegnieesllAmany swords in Tolkien's universe have been forged for a reason. And they seem to have their own "will" to complete the purpose they were built for.
An example is Merry's sword. That sword was forged with the explicit purpose to wound and impair the Witch King, since the land where Merry found it (not far away from the Shire) was a kingdom he laid waste upon.
Since Glamdring (Gandalf's sword) was a named sword notorious for killing Balrogs when Morgoth was around, it may very well be interpreted as the sword letting itself be caught by Gandalf as well.
Even the hissing it does while falling seems unnatural. It's almost as if crying "Wield me Gandalf! At long last, today we slay a Balrog once more!"
@@92edoyThe sword didn't hiss.
It sounded more like humming.
I always imagined this scene like " gandalf catches his staff first (because it's so light and falls slowly) and uses magic to pull his sword towards him."
1:24 the look on Legolas says it all. His father lived through the First Age and all its wars, and no doubt told his son of his stories. He knows exactly what is coming for him.
Legolas was like: 😫
The monsters that scared you when you was a child in other words
And the hobbit films imply Thranduil was there for the Dagor Bragollach or the Nirnaeth Arnoediad , so he knows PERCISELY what Balrogs can do.
imagine going for a walk one day and actually finding an actual goddam dragon.
...and then grandpa sqaures up to it!!
A demon of the ancient world
Gandalfs resigned face at 1:10 like hes thinking "ffffffffffuuuuuck my liiiiife. We're a level 5 party facing a level 13 boss"
He's literally a minor god, the balrog would vaporize anyone there in one swipe
In reality here's what happened. The Balrog and Gandalf are actually the same species but Gandalf and other wizards were deliberately weakened while the Balrog is at full power.
What happened there was Gandalf casting a spell to contaik the Balrog but the Balrog being his equal countered it and that was how Gandalf confirmed it was indeed a Balrog
@@aaronokafor1354 crazy how gandalf had to solo the equivalent of sauron that early in the films
Then he able to defeat the optional boss alone, which give him massive level up and also class upgrade
@@darkkaizoku8008Balrog is significantly lesser then Sauron
It's like Gandalf got so many experience points defeating the Balrog so he leveled up to Gandalf the white.
Gandalf the Grey uses lightning sword. It's super-effective!
Balrog fainted!
What's this? Gandalf the Grey is evolving!
... ... ...
Your Gandalf the Grey has evolved into Gandalf the White!
Congratulations your Gandalf the grey has evolved into Gandalf the white
Multiclassed to cleric.
@Fluff Your Garfield Olorin did not die. He just lost consciousness as he was evolving into White Olorin.
@@manictiger Gandalf the White is trying to learn Holy, but Gandalf the White already knows 4 moves. Should a move be forgotten to make space for Holy?
Fun fact, none of this is CGI, they actually hired a Balrog
He laughed in their faces when they asked, then he heard Howard Shores score and agreed
Yes, he's a new Zealand local actually...his real name was Oliver 😬👍
Oh wow. That was funny. And so original too! 🙄
@@jacobadam6804 Ok
Nice
I just love how at first on the bridge, when Gandalf turns around and shouts "You cannot pass!" the Balrog seems kinda... confused. He stands up and turns up his flame, it nearly feels like his body language expresses "Hold up, that little thing isn't scared?" Then Gandalf makes his declaration: "I'm a servant of the secret fire [..]", revealing himself as a fellow maia, a loyal servant of Eru/God, and the Balrog just IMMEDIATELY goes into attack mode and draws his fire sword and slashes at him. That Balrog did NOT expect to enter into a death match with a servant of Eru himself when he woke up that morning 😂
"Uhhh... hello? Is it blind?"
"OH SHIT REALLY NOW?"
Neither off them wanted to fight each other because both were scared off of each other. the Balrog now had to fight an eternal enemy he usually wanted to avoid since...Well fighting Maia really isnt a great time for them.
@@tramachi7027 It took seven balrogs to fight and defeat Ungoliant and save Morgoth from ruin death. she was really nasty. deadlier than Morgoth.
@@joefish6091 isnt ungoliant something beyond even eru? a nameless thing or a god before eru came along and made the music?
@@ginjaedgy49 Ungoliant is something like the Watcher in the water. The closest I can equate it to is a byproduct or glitch of the song of creation, spawned from in part from Morgoth's discordant song.
Ian Mckellen's performance as Gandalf is the greatest movie interpretation of a literary character, in my opinion. He's perfect.
Gandalf falling into the abyss while fighting the Balrog has to be one of the most epic scenes in cinema to this day.
It is mine friend.
@@richmondlandersenfells2238 Heh... and they call it a mine.
A MINE.
@@DirtyDingo419 well if I was a dwarf, everything is MINE!
When I saw this in the theatre I was totally blown away
Totally agreed. My number one beginning of any movie today. Little old man, fighting and destroying a 50 foot fire demon.
"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You
cannot pass! The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to
the Shadow! You shall not pass!"
Gandalf is making three very specific references as both warning and
challenge to the Balrog. By identifying himself as a servant of the
secret fire (or Flame imperishable), Gandalf is identifying himself as a
Maia, an embodied angelic servant of the Valar protecting the light of
Creation that Eru Iluvatar (or God) has set to burn at the centre of
Arda (Earth).
Wielder of the flame of Anor is a reference to his ability to draw on
the power of the sun possibly through the Ring of Fire Narya but maybe
also through his own divine origins.
Finally as he refers to the Balrog as the Flame of Udun, he informs
the Balrog that he knows it to be a corrupted Maia in the service of
Morgoth from the earliest time when he resided as Melkor in his dark
fortress of Utumno broken by the Valar at the awakening of the Elves. He
orders it to retreat (go back to the shadows) or face the consequences
of divine conflict and final judgement before the Vala Mandos, the fate
of all slain creatures.
Caleb Smith awesome thanks for that
welding the ring Narya is probably the reason why he was immune to Balrog fire attack.
Caleb Smith So you seem pretty knowledgeable when it comes to LOTR. Outside of the original books, what would you say is the best way to learn the majority of the lore?
The wiki page is great, lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
You can find a great deal of this info in the Silmarillion, which covers the creation through the Second Age and parts of the Third Age concerning the rings of power.
The LOTR trilogy is almost TWO decades old yet the effects are still incredible. A timeless and epic masterpiece with no doubt.
Absolutely. The effects are still better than most movies now
The effects, soundtrack, and sheer epicness has never been matched since.
Because most of things were made with incredible cure and attention and dedication. They hand-made all those costumes. As chain mails, each ring of them was hand made. There is a work behind this trilogy any normally can’t even realize
It is Cinema's Sistine Chapel.
@@VoiceOfTheEmperor that's a great way of putting it.
the funny thing is that the Balrog knew what Gandalf was and still chose to fight him. Gandalf's speech was basically saying "buddy me and you are basically equal in power and if we choose to fight one of us or both of us might die, so turn around and go home so we can avoid that". And the Balrog just said screw that.
Good analogy!
😂❤
*RUN THEM HANDS- WE ENDING IT TODAY!*
Also, can we all just appreciate Ian McKellen's facial acting here. He truly conveys the feeling of "this was the one thing I really feared would happen in Moria and it is coming our way".
It’s kind of crazy that the fellowship of the ring has been grounded in reality, yes there’s orcs and Nazgûl, but like it’s realistic fantasy, then all of a sudden there’s a ginormous demon. It really makes the balrog more menacing in my opinion
@@jruth77 it's literally a fallen angel that's even more terrifying because they arnt facing some random beast their facing a being that help sing creation into existence
@@theenderdestruction2362 yeah that’s really crazy. One of the last survivors from the war of wrath and he emerged from his deep slumber
I don’t know the lore. Could you explain why he didn’t want to fight it and avoid it? Is it a case of, if he saw it then he HAS to try and kill it?
@@WYJAFAK2 It's more like Balrogs are insanely powerful. They helped create all of creation, they're fallen Angels. Gandalf himself may be a divine being, but he obviously has doubts on his ability to not only fight it but protect the one thing he was brought onto middle earth to do, which was destabilize Saurons power and try to destroy the ring. None of the Hobbits/Humans would have really stood a chance. If it helps, you can rank the Fellowship in terms of power like this
1. The Balrog
2. Gandalf
3. Legolas
4. Aragorn (Aragorn is one of the better Human derivatives, and is around like, 200 years old if I recall?)
5. Everyone Else.
Gandalf specifically did not want to go into Middle-Earth because he was goddamn terrified of Sauron, so essentially fighting a fallen angel (The Balrog) is similarly goddamn terrifying.
So this man fought the Balrog the whole way down, fought him underwater in the giant lake, pursued him through tunnels dug at the at the dawn of time, dug by things even Sauron can't comprehend, for TEN DAYS, all the way BACK UP to the TOP of the mountain, and then fought him at the snow capped peak for ANOTHER TWO DAYS, before killing it.
That does it. Gandalf is the official archetype for Fantasy world badass.
I'm not a Tolkien expert, but Gandalf and the other wizards aren't actually fully regular humans.
They're like angels sent to Earth to guard the realms of Men against... basically against leftover military assets from the insanely High Magic past. The Balrog? Sauron's boss used to have an *army* of those.
The Balrog is like a leftover nuke or something.
Gandalf was doing his duty.
He has that moment where he kind of hangs his head -- because he knows he can *probably* take the Balrog. But it could likely finish him as well.
Either way, he won't be there when the party needs him.
Gandalf didn't know the Valor would send him back.
Gandalf also isnt human, so yeah, it does add up why he can do such stuff
Gandalf got all the experience points for killing the Balrog and came back new gear and stronger magic
Gandalf is basically an angel, sent from heaven. He was NOT sent to defeat Sauron, rather, he was sent to teach mortals how to do it themselves.
He isn't allowed to show his full angelic strength in front of normal people, that's why he turns into a badass the moment they can't see him.
Fun fact: Gandalf didn't want this assignment. He thought he was too weak to help anyone. When he died, he thought he was going to be disgraced. Instead, the gods went, "You're doing great Gandalf! We're sending you BACK IN! GO GET IM!" That's why he becomes more confident as the white wizard...
@@jacobwiren8142 The Valar has said “Don’t fight Sauron head on”. If he had wanted to, he could have built up an army like Saruman but fought Sauron directly.
Gandalf wasn’t even supposed to be fighting a Balrog - totally outside his job requirements. But because he did good Eru sent him back, and gave him an upgrade.
There's so much beautiful depth and history to this entire scene.
The existence of the Balrog, a creature which realistically fought and killed Feanor, helped level Gondolin, experienced the War of Wrath, potentially saw Eonwe himself annihilate Morgoth's forces, potentially saw a fucking air battle between Earendil and Ancalagon
The Balrog pulling out a whip which was used to rescue Morgoth from Ungoliant
The Balrog was also possibly there for the destruction of Utumno and saw Tulkas beat the shit out of Morgoth and drag him back to Valinor
Gandalf, a Maiar who reluctantly went to Middle Earth, the literal embodiment of hope, fighting this creature to death, a creature that he sang the Music of the Ainur with at the beginning of time.
This battle is a follow up to literally thousands of years of divine warfare, long after Morgoth himself has been defeated.
100%. Couldn't agree more, and there are just too many little details to appreciate to even try and list, but you poetically and articulately did the best job anyone could to summarize it all 🙂Even little silent things like posture and facial expressions, from the Balrog standing up and "showing off" his fiery power that Morgoth granted "him/her" to Gandalf, almost as if boasting and mocking Gandalf, a fellow Maiar, to Gandalf throwing it right back in the fallen Maiar's face with his words on the bridge, showing a hint of his TRUE power, and that there is only one Flame Imperishable, and it's not "the Dark Fire;" The way he basically, poetically calls out the Balrog, his fellow Maiar, that was there singing the Music with him (as you stated) for being a sad puppet of Morgoth, Morgoth who is currently hacked up, bound, and banished, while Gandalf, a meek, power-restricted, afraid, and reluctant fellow Maiar, is standing in front of his fallen brother/sister, defiant and seemingly not afraid, although he likely very much is. Even the Balrog seems confused for a moment. But Gandalf, for his reluctance and fear, is the kindler of hope, and it's amolst as if this is a moment of both sadness at the state of this Maiar in front of him, but also resolved defiance and testament of his purpose as an Istari and for the original intented purpose of the Maiar that he is upholding, in front of one who abandoned their purpose and fell to greed and the corrupting allure of Morgoth. It takes real power to obstain from that, and in this moment Gandalf is reminding that Balrog of their shared history you mentioned, and putting that Balrog, more or less, in his/her place. "You shall not pass." That's more than a literal statement about crossing the bridge...it's all of their intertwined histories throughout all time, and despite his fear and any differences in power or abilities, this is the line that Gandalf/ Olorin will simply not allow this fallen, pathetic fellow Maiar to cross, or pass. 🙂
Exactly.
Once you understand the context (which I didn't when watching the films), the scene is even more epic.
exactly my thoughts whenever I rewatch this. makes it so much better and the feelings that come from it
Technically it was Gothmog, not Durin’s Bane, who killed Feanor. But otherwise, hell yes. This comment brilliantly puts thousands of years’ worth of unimaginable history into perspective.
It’s almost like Anakin fighting Obi-Wan in Episode III, a battle between two of the greatest warriors of their time as young men in their prime-but in the battle between Gandalf and Durin’s Bane, it’s the opposite.
In this, it’s more or less a battle between two battle-hardened old men at the peak of their power, with thousands of years of near-incomprehensible history and experience behind them-experience that the rest of the Fellowship can scarcely imagine.
And this battle lasted for *days.*
@user-nt5lr7kl2e yes. It says there was at least three and no more than 7 I'm pretty sure. He changed it from saying hundreds to just those numbers. Literally angels and demons at war
“This foe is beyond any of you”
Gandalf low-key flexing his strength
I know people think this is weird, but i have to say its nice to see so many people with a similar opinion to mine. Thanks for the likes =P
He wasn't wrong though
Where is the lie!?🥴
@@ibertshanka I detect none here hahaha. Gandalf was tooting his Maia status like a horn signaling a calvary charge lol
OMG you american zoomers with your stupid phrases "low key"...
And not one cellphone in sight. A felloship just enjoying the moment.
Many years have passed and still nothing can compete with this scenes in terms of "epicness". Not Avangers, not any super hero or fantasy movie, not this puny Rings of Power, nothing. This is truly a piece of art. Part of humankind legacy.
real literature, real art is only preserved by those recognize it and remember its name. in time, the chants will fall silent and dull, but right now, right here, in this moment, it is poignant that you can perceive that true art and its propagation is a beautiful thing. mankind is naturally attracted to beauty and here you are, proving something we will forever know time and time again.
"I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountain side" Most badass line ever.
Pretty close to the exact line from the book too
Untill At last.
said in a J peterman style from Seinfeld
What I wanna know is how exactly did these two fight their way from the bottom of a pit on to the mountain top...
The Balrog knew of an ancient staircase from the very bottom to the the very top and Gandalf followed him up@@sudanemamimikiki1527
I love how the camera very purposefully show us Legolas’s reaction to the Balrog. For movie enjoyers it shows that even the stoic and wise elf is beyond terrified. For Book readers and nerds its basically Peter Jackson and his crew acknowledging they did their homework of the lore and knew Legolas would have DEF heard about the Balrogs from the elves around him who survived the first age
And while Gimli was the first Dwarf to learn WHAT Durin's Bane was, he realized that this horror had to be it.
"we are fucked"
- Legolas
@@KororaPenguin
Yes, the dwarves of old also fought Balrogs in Beleriand but those generations were far removed, and on top of that they were not Longbeards (Durin’s folk) but rather different dwarven clans descended from different original ancestors (the Broadbeams and Firebeards) who eventually lost their kingdoms and were taken in by the kingdoms of the Longbeards. Meanwhile Thranduil was born in the First Age and would have been well aware what a Balrog was, not to mention any other elven veterans from the First Age.
In the book it was Legolas who cried out "Balrog!!!"
He was also scared of it in the book
Ah, the old conspiracy, Galdalf scare away his teammate, so he can take all the exp for himself, gain max level, plus some end-game loot and a pet
Woooow, Gandalf you glory hog.
You learn to create your own satisfaction other than xp when you play support.
*are you sure you want to leave your clan?*
What pet?
@@mammontustado9680 a white horse mate
A lot of people don’t realize that when the balrog swung his sword at Gandalf and the explosion happened it blew the balrogs sword up, pissing him off. Hence why he roared afterwards and pulled out the whip.
Legolas' face whenever Gandalf says "Balrog". He has to have known how many great elves have died in battle with Balrogs throughout history.
It's interesting to note that, of all the Fellowship, Legolas is probably the only one with an inkling of what's actually going on with this battle. He knows the power of Elves, and has heard of Balrogs, and he knows somewhat that the Wizards are more than they seem...but even he probably doesn't understand the sheer gravity of willpower and magical contest underlying what looks like just flashy swords and light and shadow. To the others this probably just looks like an old man against a monster, but Legolas knows there's more at play even if he doesn't know what it is.
His ol man would know...
True. I think in the book it's Legolas that mentions it's a Balrog. Nevertheless, these 3 movies were awesome when they first came out and still are too.
@@Macebigi No. Legolas says it first, "Ai, ai, a Balrog", followed by Gimli calling it "Durin's Bane". Then Gandalf says that now he understands what it is.
@@Solais1019 i believe legolas predates the wizards by at least 900 years or so, maybe a few thousand more. important to note these are human years, not valar years. we see his grandfather is present in the second age. his birth isn't recorded, as is usual of elves only born in the first age, but i take the evidence of his grandfather appearing in a battle and not him as evidence he was yet to be. Plus his father and Elrond were born at roughly the same time so I put their children within a few thousand years of each other in my headcannon
The special effects in this film though... nearly twenty years later and this somehow still looks incredible.
Thats why its a timeless classic
Somehow... People back then put way more effort into cgi particularly because it was harder to make and used it as sparingly as possible.
@@schwartzy65 I think it was because CG effects were more expensive back then so they made real miniatures/props, use some perspective camera tricks and just put the CG on top of those.
Now its reversed. Its more costly to build stuffs, so everything is CG and fixed post production. :(
I am re reading and wanted to see this part. And goddamn the whole sequence is so great. I know they had good material to work with from tolkien, but I can only imagine how delighted he would be to SEE A balrog himself. It's just fantastic work from the art department. Absolutely stellar. I really hope we can see more in the Amazon series.
Better than anything ive seen today.
Ian McKellen brought So much life and personality into this character it's insane!
He really did. It was perfect casting.
I recently watched the animated LOTR and it really show, how much a good actor can make a scene, the barlog scene in particular looks ridiculous in the animated version,
It helps when you are making a film adaptation of a book or in this case a series of them to get actors and actresses that are big fans of them which Ian McKellen was a huge fan.
It could have been Sean Connery. Imagine that.
I can literally see NO ONE playing as Gandalf than Ian McKellen!!
Nothing will ever compare to this. And I’m happy about it.
It's interesting to think that during the creation of middle earth, Gandalf and this Balrog probably knew each other
Probably. It would likely be akin to Obi Wan fighting Darth Vader one last time, only this time, Obi Wan wins the fight (but still dies).
Bananarama probably yeah because in the beginning Eru taught the ainurs music which is call the Music Of The Ainurs and then visualize the beautiful Vision(middle earth, arda) that Eru showed to the ainurs to see for themselves what they sang, so the ainurs want it to be real and Eru made it real and he call it Eä but he told the ainurs that they are not coming back until the end of the world. The ainurs agree and enter Eä (including melkor)they turn into valars and maiars, that's was the beginning of arda, so yeah Gandalf, saruman,sauron and the balrogs they were once ainurs that enter Eä.
Even more interesting is that Gandalf knew the sun and the moon personally... the sun was likely this balrog's cousin or so.
Sauron is the most powerful of the Maiar (Before falling into darkness he was said to be "the greatest smith of the house of Aulë" and was called Mairon), although Eonwë, Arien (the sun), Melian, Ossë and Uinen were similar to him in power. Then lower to them, come all the Istari (Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast, Alatar and Pallando), the Balrogs, the Dragons and Tilion (the Moon) among others.
Gandalf is at the same level as the Balrog he is fighting. The Balrogs are also Maiar, of the level of Gandalf and Saruman, so lower in Power than the high Maiar (Ossë, Eonwë, Sauron...), that felt into darkness like Sauron did. So yeah he most likely knew each other before the ages of the trees, in the ages of the lamps and before that, before the maia spirit that forms the Balrog was corrupted by Melkor and brought into his serving.
Probably old mates who went down to the pub together all the time
It would’ve been so easy for the roar of the Balrog to be a standard monster roar and none of us would’ve cared. But the sound design is unique and impeccable. The roar sounds like the roar of a blazing fire. It sounds like heat. Like hell. The sound is of burning and destruction. You can even hear crackling, like a log on a fire. So unique, fitting, and perfect. These movies are perfect.
This a million times, the roar is absolutely incredible
It’s a rock being dragged on the ground.
yeah, I too watched the behind the scenes. It was a cinder block and some fire sounds. Works perfect for the Balrog
The appearance of the balrog is one of my best cinema memories that I have. By that time in the movie, 2 hours had passed, the epic fight with the cave troll just happened and I was like well this was a good movie, I'm satisfied if it ends here. The scene with orcs running away from the light, seemed like a perfect cliffhanger for the next movie. But then, this motherfucker jumps and roars like anything that we have ever heard before and Gandalf faces him. My mind was blown away into the stratosphere.
I never even noticed that, thanks for pointing it out!!!
I love how this is the only moment in the whole trilogy where Legolas looks genuinely afraid. Even in situations where he is hopelessly outnumbered and probably facing almost certain death, he almost takes joy in battle. But here -- there is real terror on his face. It's the only scene where he shows that. Really great acting on Orlando Bloom's part, and great filmmaking choice by Jackson to use that to drive home how deadly the Balrog was.
Elves are terrified of morgoths creations
Likely because he's the only one, aside from Gandalf, that's old enough to really know the history behind the Balrogs
@@donpula6349 so there are still 2 or 3 out there???
Yeah, and in the book, Legolas straight up wails after hearing it's a balrog, and claims they are doomed.
@@donpula6349 why they hid themselves? Are Balrog also afraid of sunlight like the Orcs??
1:24 I love the face he makes. Besides Gandolf, Legolas is probably the only member of the fellowship to have even heard of a Balrog. He probably thought it was just a myth.
When the balrog first roared at 2:13 in the cinema, the whole room shook. It was awesome. I'd love to see the LOTR series make a comeback to theatres. It was a really awesome moment.
That will never happen, too many white men, Christian values…all the ‘wrong’ things they wouldn’t dare risk showing to children
They are showing it in Vue cinemas in England now for its anniversary. Extended versions aswell!
Making the Balrog's roar sound like a roaring fire instead of just a typical monster roar was genius on the sound designer's part
This movie is timeless. No sex scenes, no vulgarity no excessive blood yet it still one a trophy room worth of awards. Take notes movie makers!
@@brainrich1358 exactly! It sounds like something burning VERY violently rather than a big monster or demon with vocal cords. I remember when it happened in the cinema and was like okay okayy this is something new and awesome.
This entire comment section is a flexing challenge of Tolkien lore knowledge
Something something silmarilion.
This gave me a good laugh was thinking the same :-D
(Laughs in Gimli)
could hardly agree more lmao
I'm cool with it. I haven't read the simirilion.
4:13 props to the cameraman for jumping after gandalf just to bring us this epic fight scene.
Kind of sad that he yanked the editor down with him though.
this time, he did not survived
I thought it was a falcon with a camera taped to its head.
And to the guy who lit himself on fire to play the Balrog 🙃🙃
Cringe Overused, Unfunny joke
Harry Potter weeps in a corner: "No fight I ever did was this grand".
harry potter's issue was, amusingly, jk rowling's lack of imagination in choreography. you're telling me these characters have magic that can do so many things and they just wave their sticks and shoot flashing lights at each other?
doesn't help that the "evil" wizards effectively have a "gun" spell that instantly ends fights. no interesting manipulation of items around them.
its why my favorite "fight" is the confrontation with the Basilisk in Chamber of Secrets. no stupid magic, it's just Harry attempting to avoid it for as long as he can until Fawkes helps him and he can get an angle to attack it from. It's tense, the stakes are high, it's climactic.
The Balrog having a furnace for a mouth is to this day one of the coolest visual decisions an art team has ever made. That shit terrified me at 9 and it terrifies me today.
same
Makes my face feel hot as hell every time that roaring shot happens.
The air distortion was a great touch, impressing upon us the *blazing heat* coming out of it's mouth.
Only thing i ever see exhale similar blasts of hot air are military jets & rockets...
@@davecrupel2817 one of the sounds they used to make the roar was that of two bricks being ground against each other, to get that cracking earthen tone. Genius. Really makes it feel like burning rock come alive
Aww I was that age when this came out actually I think 9 when the second one came out .
Always liked this, too. The most unnerving things are not always the biggest/baddest/loudest. The sound of that heat is intense.
"This foe is beyond any of you."
In other words, they're too low level to fight it.
+Ranatosk You have to be like lvl 45 to enter Moria. Lotro players out there can confirm that?
Laurentius Majestein
i was thinking about D&D rules, but i guess that applies too.
+Ranatosk Gandalf THE GREY is a lv 15, Gimli Aragorn and Legolas are at lv 10. Boromir is a lv 8 and the Hobbits are lv 3.
Balrog is lv 15. That's why Gandalf said that XD
1504Shawn
Nah, he and the Balrog would probably be Epic Level (lvl 20)
***** No, lv 20 is god like, at Valar level, Gandalf and Balrog are Maiar (Celestial beings but weaker than Valar). And in the LotR, everything that is corrupted is weaker. So Balrog would be at 15 and Gandalf the WHITE would be at 20. Valars and Ancalagon would be around 22 to 24. And Morgoth at lv 25
If I were one of the hobbits and heard Gandalf say “this foe is beyond any of you” with Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Boromir by my side I would shit myself.
Dude, you are literally fighting a Demon that is probably as old if not older than fucking Sauron.
@@VoiceOfTheEmperor As old; they are both Maiar of the Ainur.
@@VoiceOfTheEmperor the balrog is basically Sauron but take away his spells and tricks and the one ring. actually balrog is a pure warrior and would probably kill sauron too. it killed Durin and caused an entire race to flee. the maiar are crazy powerful... gandalf never shows his true power we all kno but even then he kicks ass.. in the defense for minis tirith we can see some of his sword skills .. killing the attack troll and so on. if only they showed him using his voice powers and true abilities.. would have been badass
@@hosenOne1 All through the trilogy, I was thinking, "C'mon, Gandalf, let loose with some of that wizard shit."
@@hosenOne1 Yes, he was forbidden to use his full power (or limited by those who sent him). His mission was to provide wisdom, not muscle ...
_How much can you still love this trilogy after decades?_
Everyone: *YES*
After extensively watching and reading more about Gandalf's origins and the Balrogs, this scene becomes more and more epic. The Balrog seems like a large, unintelligible beast. But he is in fact, an equal to Gandalf the Grey and very much so understands exactly what Gandalf is shouting at him. 2:56 After Gandalf announces himself as a Maiar, the Balrog acknowledges his power and shortly after draws his sword, knowing full well that Gandalf is a great foe.
Im starting the Silmarillion soon and hope to gain more info on the Balrog and Gandalf :)
@@XDarkBrotherhoodHD
There is not that much of an info........... BUT......................... spoiler alert................... Gandalf and this balrog knew each other very well. For during the First Music of Ainur (basically the creation of world) all Valar and Maiar participated together. It was on the level of sharing their thoughts/motives they wanted to add to Iluvatar´s work. So at least at this point they had to be aware of each and evry one´s existence. Valar and Maiar alike.
Some Maiar later became these fiery beasts/demons, serving under Melkor (later known as Morgoth Bauglir) and some his servants - like f. e. Sauron (Mairon).
Gandalf (Olorin), Saruman (Curumo) or f. e. Radagast (Aiwendil) were sent to thwart Sauron´s conquering plans to dominate over Middle-earth.
So this is (on a very base level) another meeting of old colleagues from work :) .
@@XDarkBrotherhoodHD good luck. Tolkien died before he wrote much of it. Most everything in it is based on what his son wanted. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy is the only fully Tolkien stories. This is why some things don't seem to match.
@@Mithrandir1983 I know him! He's a friend from work!
@@charleshodgdon6168 silmarillion is still based on tolkien's notes. but yes, his son did fill some things in or assume some things, so there are some bits where things don't always seem to make as much sense as they should.
This scene is the only time I’ve seen Legolas genuinely afraid in the whole series. And Gandalf’s sorrow and acceptance of doom, perfect acting!
Legolas knows exactly what a Balrog is and how screwed they are.
@@TheEquus92
*Legolas:* Ai! Ai! A Balrog! A Balrog is come!
*Gimli:* Durin's Bane!
The Balrog is akin to a Fallen Angel, being only slightly weaker than Sauron, basically if you aren't a Wizard or someone of equal power to Sauron you don't fight a Balrog, you just die.
@@thefanwithoutaface8105
Even if you do defeat the Balrog, you die. Look at Glorfindel, Ecthelion, and Olórin.
Pminvto!
Amazing how you can see the dread in Legolas' eyes in 1:23. He, as an elf, is old enough to know what kind of threat a Balrog is
Only one elvish generation away from someone that fought balrogs.
He heard of the balrogs since he was a kid from the people that actually fought them, so yes, he knew the mission completely changed at that point, if it wasn't for Gandalf that would be another story entirely
I believe in the books that he is the one that actually points out what it is, not Gandalf who is more unsure actually if it is or isn't a Maiar.
Yes, I just finished reading that part. Gandalf sensed evil, but could not tell what it was. Legolas froze in place when he felt it coming, and he was the one to point out it was a balrog.
Was looking for this comment
"I am a servant of the Secret Fire... Wielder of the Flame of Anor! The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udûn!"
Some Tolkien Geek musings on that excellently delivered line by Sir Ian McKellen: The movie doesn't dig into the deep nuances of Middle Earth and its history (nor does it need to), but even movie goers unfamiliar with any of the writings of Tolkien knew something significant was being said. Gandalf/Mithrandir was issuing a dire warning to the Balrog and this is perhaps the first time that viewers saw Gandalf the Grey display what he was really capable of. Up to that point, viewers knew he was a powerful "wizard" but Tolkien "magic" is much more subtle than the flashy D&D magic that you'd see in video games and other fantasy movies. You don't often see Gandalf levitating objects, teleporting, throwing fireballs and lightning bolts from his fingertips in every scene.
What readers only learn much later in the books is that Gandalf was secretly carrying Narya, the Red Ring of Fire, entrusted to him by Cirdan the Shipwright. The movie viewers briefly see him as Gandalf the White wearing a red ruby ring, but I have no strong memory of him ever explaining it to the Fellowship (or the movie viewers). The word "Anor" (not to be confused with the lost kingdom of Arnor) is Sindarin elvish meaning "sun". So, I think ol' Mithrandir could be referencing Narya and he's trying to warn the Balrog that he's packing heat. Sun > Dark Fire
Flame of Udûn: This could trip up even well-read Tolkien nerds. In this sense, Udûn doesn't refer to the valley area in between Mordor and Dagorlad. The Udûn it's referencing is the birthplace of the balrogs, Morgoth/Melkor's fortress Uttumno.
For those interested in the deep lore, give The Silmarillion a try. It's it's not for everyone, I will warn you. It can be a tough read; fragmented and disjointed, and almost like a religious or mythological text, it is sometimes not even contemporaneously consistent within itself and the Unfinished Tales. But, if you have the mind to dig into it like a historian or a philologist, it can be very rewarding. Rewatching the Peter Jackson trilogy after having read The Silmarillion and the LotR will highlight hundreds of little tidbits like this that are hidden in plain sight, in the tiniest lines of dialogue.
The Balrog only draws his sword once Gandalf starts to explain who he's dealing with.
I never realized that
And it also happens when the Balrog tried to intimidate him with his size and flames. Like "I'm a Balrog" while Gandalf be like "I'm a Maia too, bitch"
@devilseyecry My flame is bigger than yours lol
I guess we'll never know, but it'd be interesting to speculate what was going through the Balrog's mind when Gandalf starts warning him just who he's dealing with. Like, he's all gangsta "I'm a Balrog" - did he pee his pants just a little when Gandalf goes "Please, bitch, I'm a Maia and a wielder of the Flame of Anor, take a seat!"
I also love that Gandalf shatters that very sword with minimal effort on its first strike.
The pure will always have more strength than those who fell from grace into corruption.
Literally Fallen Angel vs an Angel.
BADASS and Glorious.
Gandalf is not an angel. He is a god, albeit a lesser one
@@_im_stupid_ you're thinking of the Valar, the Maia were more like Angels than anything else
Both the Valar and Maiar are angelic spirit beings known as the Ainur. The Valar are more powerful, the Maiar less so although still incredibly powerful in comparison to the mortal earthly races. The Valar were sometimes considered as "gods" although they weren't the one true God is because in comparison to the mortal races, they really were gods. Such was their power and might. Even the Maiar could be considered as gods and receive worship as one. Sauron being a prime example.
@@KingGhidorah777 the Valar were the more powerful gods. The Maiar were the lesser god. Gandalf, Saruman and. Sauron could be considered lesser gods but still powerful compared to mortal races
@@_im_stupid_ There is only one true God in the legendarium, Eru Iluvitar and the Vala are his most powerful servants, followed by the Maia, servants of the Vala
- *"Swords are no use here."*
- (Starts stabbing the sh*t out of the balrog with a sword)
Butt he uses a thunder sword! .-)
He might be referring to their swords because gandalf's is a first age sword the same things that were used against Balrogs and dragons.
Glamdring is no ordinary blade! >83
@@Th3ba1r0n then he should have given it to Aragorn
@@StudioMod aragon would have stood absolutely no chance against a balrog
I love how Aragorn has a look of terror and amazement on his face during Gandalf's fight with the Balrog. He is witnessing for the first time in his life, a battle between two higher beings, one the representation of darkness and evil and the other a paradigm of hope and courage.
Plus for the fellowship, this is the first glimpse they get of Gandalf's incredible power (which is probably a fraction of his actual celestial form), as opposed to the eccentric old wizard he happily guises himself as.
The scene where gandalf catches his sword mid air and fights the balrog has been one the most badass scenes since i first saw it as a little kid
notice how the sword is pointing handle down then when he grabs it, its pointing front down? very subtle but not mnay people notice it.
@@Iceman-135 if you notice it rotates back just before Gandalf grabs it.
The sounds the sword makes always gives me chills
But remember...Hes a Wizard and how He catches the sword is a hint something deep the creator wanted this Fight and gives Gandalf what He needs...Run you fools!!!
Why He calls them this?because they cant See what He Sees and knows...
All I was thinking is that Gandalf was more aerodynamic, achieving a higher terminal velocity than the balrog.
This trilogy is a fucking masterpiece
Its not that great...
+Keddie Vobaine
You shut the fuck up
joshua cuentas Did I hurt your feelings? 😥😥
+Keddie Vobaine
I'm sorry dude I shouldn't have said that. This movie was my childhood back in my day again sorry.
joshua cuentas k
I just realized that when we see Legolas after Gandalf says that there’s a balrog, the wide expression he has is one of terror. Acceptable since the balrogs were one of the firercest foes in the history of the elves.
I literally just read this passage in the book and it elaborates several times how terrified Legolas was when the Balrog appears. Just a great reminder how awesome these movies are (and the books even more so).
Can u imagine that the elves of the past were so powerful that they killed Balrogs? I mean they usually died doing it like Gandalf but still. It's mad impressive
Fëanor alone fought against 50 balrogs, he died after that, but elves used to be one of the strongest beings on middle earth
Nelson Senna I don’t remember reading that he fought 50 of them, I agree that the noldor
elves that Feanor took with him were extremely powerful. If I remember correctly, either his brother or his nephew fought Morgoth in single combat and nearly one. So yeah, that first generation of elves were wicked strong. Which explains why Galadriel is so powerful compared to elves like Elrond and Legolas
@@ranger3576 Feanor fought many Balrog's at once with a portion of his forces, he never fought 50 on his own. Two were enough to kill him, granted one of them was the mightiest of their number and the second got a sneak attack on him. Also, no, his son didn't "nearly win" he did wound him seven times, which is impressive, but not enough to almost defeat Morgoth.
The way the scene transitions from Fellowship of the Ring to The Two Towers is so seamless!!
Notice how Gandalf says “this foe is beyond any of you” he does not say “us”
Gandalf was always much more powerful than he let other people believe he was. According to other Tolkien material, The beings that sent the five wizards to Middle Earth, had wanted to make Gandalf their leader, but he did not wish it so they gave it to Saruman instead
Belim Sajjad Gandalf had the power to defeat a balrog and he warned Frodo not to tempt him with the ring because through him the ring could have done terrible things.
I believe that Gandalf did have the power to destroy an army. But I also think that the more power that he used either he less control over it and risked possible friendly fire or that the more power he used the more his physical form he possessed became weakened.
Belim Sajjad also according to the lore, when Gandalf and the other three wizards were sent to middle earth They were ‘forbidden to dominate the free peoples of Middle-earth or to match Sauron's power with power.’
So it is also quiet possible that the reason why we never see Gandalf use all the the power he is supposedly supposed to have, is because he is simply obeying the rules he was commanded to follow
TheDeviantLord In the Bible, the angels didn’t have much of a will of their own. They followed as God instructed. Since Tolkien was a devout Christian, I assume there is some correlation to this idea. Although powerful, he couldn’t use all of his abilities.
Victor Beauregarde according to the lore, of the five wizards, Gandalf was the only one who remained true to his mission and kept his vows regarding the use of his powers. So he was the only one who was allowed to return to the Undying Lands.
@@TheDeviantLord i think Gandalf saying "don't tempt me" was his acknowledging his own weakness and remembering Sauron and how he and his predecessor succeeded in tempting the Maiar with power, hence Balrogs. If Gandalf had taken the ring, there was a good chance he would he tempted to ue its power for more than just defeating Sauron. It shows a human side of him.
Gandalf reached Level 50
Skill unlocked: clean clothes
And a new staff
You win the internet
lmao
Immunity to dirt
Nokle dude this is fantasy time not a future time
To this day, the "you shall not pass" scene still remains as spectacular and iconic as ever, and no one could have ever pulled off that delivery of this line as perfect as Sir Ian Mckellen. Absolutely perfect scene.
It's great lines for him. 'I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Arnor. Dark fire shall not avail you, flame of Udun. Go back to the Shadow...' Straight from the scene in the novel more or less.
Can you imagine if Sean Connery was actually cast as Gandalf? (Peter Jackson's first choice for the role)
@@renehenckens The name's Dalf. Gandalf.
Tolkien actually had Gandalf say "You CANNOT pass". It was said moreover with great authority but not shouted as McKellen does here, but then Jackson was always incapable of subtlety
After Gandalf commanded, “You shall not pass” to the Balrog, teachers had some fun with students. On a separate note, I named my car “Gandalf the Grey.” My car color is obvious.
This scene in IMAX is something to behold. My local theater rereleased all 3 films extended editions and this scene was breathtaking
It's worthwhile to appreciate the buildup leading to the Balrog's appearance:
1. Gandalf's hesitation to enter the mines; it's really the last resort
2. Saruman noting that the dwarves "Dug too greedily and too deeply" and showing the picture of the monster - stylized enough that you get just a hint.
3. The horde of orcs immediately fleeing on hearing it coming
4. The Balrog's growls/roars and the light approaching the party, getting closer as they flee
It's also worth noting in the books that Aragorn warns Gandalf specifically about Moria, as he senses Gandalf may not make it out alive.
How did it get there tho the balrog I get so into game of thrones history it takes a second for me to switch back into lofr history .
@@kkandsims4612 I can't remember if that was ever explained. I am not an expert. But the Balrogs were servants to Saurons master, the true dark lord. And the Balrogs had a head Balrog as well.
But when the heroes defeated the Dark lord and his armies they killed both the dark lord and the head Balrog, scattering the remaining Balrogs to dark places and to hibernated until awakened....
Sauron wasn't their master so he needed the one ring to bend them them to his will. They could still be useful like Shelob and Smaug were but not controlled.
@@CountryLifestyle2023 The Balrogs retreated into the deepest, darkest recesses of Middle Earth and awaited a more evil hour. There were 7 in total and Gothmog their chief was slain as well as 4 others during the fall of Morgoth. That left Durin’s bane and another unknown Balrog slumbering deep under Middle Earth somewhere. Maybe the last one went back to its original home of Utumno, where the tunnels were dug to such a level that some of Morgoth’s monstrosities could still be lingering there.
@@rossl5908 Yup, what I said.
1:45 “Lead them on Aragorn...i want all the loot and XP for myself”
Dude he literally leveled up with the XP from a single enemy.
Hahahahahaha
Gandalf Jenkins?
@@guilhermetorresj levelled up from a shade of Black to Pure White Power. LOTR = Lord of the Racists confirmed.
Hahahaha bwitettttt!!!! 😂😂😂
Ian McKellen absolutely smashed the role of Gandalf. His speech to the Balrog in this scene is epic. Gives me goosebumps. Awesome!
And his facial expression whilst looking at the Balrog is so epic that it gave out a hidden meaning that perhaps this Balrog before it became a demon was his angelic friend and it hurts him to see him that way.
"Sir. Ian McKellen": U peasant
You realize of course that he is NOT Gandalf. He was just pretending to be one. And how did he know what to say? The words were written down for him in a script.
He probably mean how he brought the speech to life. You can't hear speeches on a script or books. You can only read. @@spost1986
Go back to the Shadow, Flame of Udun!
This sequence (from bridge to end of fall) is in my top 3 most epic movie scenes ever, and luckily I got to watch it in theaters opening day in 2002 when I was 14. A cinema experience that still hasn't been topped to this day. Peter Jackson is a genius, and it's the little touches that make it all the better. Like the sound of the balrog's whip cracking, the subtle sound of Gandalf's aura surrounding him, the sound of Glamdring whirring in the air before he catches it. Freakin amazing. I consider LOTR to be the very last great movie to come out of Hollywood.
Ólorin, before being sent to earth as Gandalf, was a very peaceful Maia, even a self confessed coward. He feared Sauron. That is exactly why Manwë chose him of all his servants to be part of the order of the Istari, so he could find his courage. Manwë truly trusted him.
Gandalf proved himself worthy of the trust and became a brave leader, much so that Saruman, his "boss", became jealous.
But this is the final test. Sacrificing himself to save the fellowship and fight the Balrog at the cost of his own life.
Ilúvatar took his spirit after he defeated the demon and granted him the greatest power ever given to any of the Istari before returning him to the Middle earth as Gandalf the white, because he was the only one that was worthy of it. And the only one who could (and ultimately did) lead mankind to defeat Sauron.
That's the part missing in the movies ! Gandalf was the one who orgenized the defense for minas tirith, he reunited the scattered rohan warriors and came up with a defense so great that the witch king himself was slain without him taking part directly. he then expelled Saruman of his powers and broke his staff.
"We fought far under the living earth, where time is not counted. Ever he clutched me, and ever I hewed him, till at last he fled into dark tunnels. They were not made by Durin's folk, Gimli son of Glóin. Far, far below the deepest delving of the Dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things. Even Sauron knows them not. They are older than he."
Such a poetry and biblical words on how Tolkien writing is
Both captivating and utterly terrifying. Incredible writing.
I feel like Lovecraft was probably inspired by Tolkien. This is real cosmic horror shit, except with a fantasy edge instead of a scientific one
@@gg2fan Well if anything it would have been the other way around since Lovecraft released most of his books in the 1920's but yes, I agree that there are many similarities and a cosmic horror-vibe to a lot of Tolkien's writing.
@@gg2fan There's a great video on these 'Nameless things' here on YT, I'll link it if you haven't seen it.
ruclips.net/video/lBjypmueZUI/видео.html
I love how Gandalf says "I'm a servant of the secret fire, wielder of the flame of Anor" as a direct threat for the Balrog letting him know that he´s an Istar and one of the first beings that participated on the Ainur's music
Also that he has a flame that this Balrog master 'Morgoth' didnt had
I think the moment when the lightning charged his sword was when Manwë decided to aid him.
Oh I thought it might be the Ring of Fire he had
@@charliefarmer4365 no its not. balrog is not familiar with that useless ring. Fire he is talkin about is that the imperishable fire of Ilu Vatar
Like Olorin, the Balrog Durin's Bane also participated in the music of the Ainur except that it got Corrupted by Morgoth later on.
This fight is beautiful and a testament to how "magic" works in Tolkien's world, his is a magic of being and words. Gandalf when faced with a foe of a similar level is largely unbound by his restrictions, so he declares who he is (I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor), acknowledges his enemy and his history (dark fire... Flame of Udun), then states his intention. By saying "You cannot pass" he's literally shaping reality: there is no version of Arda where the Balrog can pass. So when he tries, the bridge falls. Remember in Tolkien's world, the "World that is" (Ea) was shaped by music and word and put in motion by the Secret Fire (Eru's).
Props to Orlando Bloom for portraying Legolas in that moment when he realizes exactly what is approaching them. An Elf would know just how HORRIFYING a Balrog is, and seeing the true terror in his eyes while one side of his face is cast in shadow is probably one of the most perfect moments in film.
The same could be said for gimli since he just came face to face with the most feared creature in the history of the dwarves. The dwarves of middle earth feared durins bane even more than they feared Smaug
Feanor would have laughed in front of this Balrog. Legolas Weeksperm
@@MrGentilushi Bruh you can't compare third and fourth age elves, men and dwarves to those of the first age or even to the elves from the years of the trees, it's not fair ;/
@Julius Gothmog.
Legolas is actually the first one from the whole group to realize its a Balrog and he cries out a balrog!! And balrog is coming!! Read the books if you have time or watch Tolkiens work itself its so much more than the movies gives us
I just love the roar of the balrog, its like mixind the sound of fire and the roar of a hundred lions
It was actually made with the grinding of stone across stone.
It roar not like any living creature
@@Elthenar Thats DOPE
@@mayraledee8136 Yeah, when you listen to it and know what it is, you can see it. Still sounds great though
YESSS I loved it too. It’s the sound that fire makes when it burns things I noticed that too
I always loved how the Balrog’s roar sounds just like a raging flame.
Yeah, it's refreshing to hear that kind of roar instead of those cringe godzilla roars for example.
Thanks
I have read that part of that sound is an actual erupting volcano.
Weta Workshop had some serious artistry to it.
They actually made that sound by dragging a massive cement block across a cement pad
This will never get old!!
4:22 they had no right making the sword sound this badass
I take it as a war-cry of vengeance for Gondolin.
This balrog may participated in the fall of Gondolin and Glamdring knows it and wants vengeance.
This sealed the Foe Hammer as the greatest weapon of all time, for me. Who better than the humble Olorin to wield it. My favorite fictional character of all time.
I'm told Christopher Lee informed them that's exactly what a sword falling down a deep chasm sounds like.
@@abdallahhafidh8733 every time I see this scene, I have that same thought. Glamdring is straight up SINGING here, going into glorious battle! Brings tears to my eyes!
@@venomdrenched”that’s not the sound a balrog makes when you stab them in the heart”
I like gandalf's approach to this fight it wasn't a fight that he wanted, and he did everything he could to avoid it, but accepted the fight as soon as he knew their was no retreat.
That's something that's very important in Tolkien's work in general, and I'm glad it was preserved in the film adaptation here. Tolkien's characters don't *seek out* battle as something good or to be sought after for its own sake. They fight reluctantly, only when they know they have to, and while they don't shy away from it when it *is* necessary, they don't revel in the destruction or prolong it unnecessarily. His characters are mature enough to realize and understand the actual horror of war and that it is something to be *avoided* if one can, and even if that isn't always an option it is something to be ended as soon as possible.
Gandalf isn't setting out to fight the balrog because it'd be awesome, he is *forced* to fight the balrog to allow the fellowship to escape. The free peoples don't *want* to fight Sauron, they just know they *have* to. And whenever the characters can, they show mercy even to their defeated foes, seeking to *break* the cycle of war instead of perpetuate it. Gandalf gives Saruman multiple chances to repent. The dunlendings Saruman duped into attacking Rohan are allowed to return to their lands. The host of the west accepts surrenders after Sauron's fall. Aragorn gives the southlands of Mordor to Sauron's former subjects. Frodo makes sure that the ruffians in the Shire who surrendered are merely shown the borders rather than killed. At the very end on the steps of Bag End, Frodo gives both Saruman and Wormtongue one last chance to repent.
One can see in this Tolkien's own experience with war in WWI. He fought in the battle of the Somme and came home from the war exhausted and sick in mind and body. Many of his closest friends did not come home at all. He knew the actual horrors of war that hide behind the sanitized news stories and propaganda. It's something that's missing from all too many stories that treat war as something glorious.
Yes, he knew immediately that it was his tasks to face the balrog, concious of that he might be the only one at that era with the authority on power to put a stop to the balrog, maybe Elrond and Galadriel were up to the task as well, not only their mission were going to fail, that balrog was going to destroy and cause inmense destruction to great part of the people on that era for sure, plus was going to be on the side of Sauron most probably, he had to put a stop and he could put a stop on it, he started to get ready since the orcs flew, he needed all his power and connection with the creator in order to end the Balrog of Moria, that was an important battle right there for the world
Gandalf was a humble Maiar. He doesn't like to show off even if he knows what he is capable off. He knew he was the only one that can stand toe to toe against a fallen maiar and he does it without being so blunt with his companions. No elf nor man could have block that first initial blow from the balrog.
@@muonneutrino2507 couldn't Gandalf just break the bridge and run away with the others? Without waiting to face the Balrog and trade blows first? There was no other bridge over this chasm (it was a dwarven defense plan).
I guess it's a bit like saying the Eagles could carry Frodo and the Ring and drop them into the Volcano. It's silly and wouldn't be an Epic story then.
Maybe Gandalf didn't even think about breaking the bridge like that. Until he did.
1:24, you can see how terrified Legolas is. He is the only member of the fellowship that grew up on stories of the Balrogs. His father, Thranduil, was alive in the First Age and was alive during the War of the Jewels, culminating in the War of Wrath, so he knows the history behind the Balrogs and the Elves.
I love your comment! In all other scenes, no matter how hopeless (e.g. the battle at the gates of Mordor), Legolas never really shows fear - apart from this scene where horror is written all over his face. I explain it like this: He never fears death itself, but here the figure from tales, legends and nightmares manifests itself, which no heroic courage can match. Only the fact that Gandalf wears Narya (the ring of fire) saves them here. But apart from Círdan, Galadriel and Elrond, no one knew Gandalf's secret.
Even back in First Age, Balrogs were Morgoth's elite troops along with dragons (both winged and wingless ones). More like honor guards actually. After all, Gothmog, the greatest of all Balrogs was one of Morgoth's officer. By Third Age, Balrog of Moria is one of the strongest being in the Middle Earth. Only beings that can be stronger than him could be Smaug and Sauron. Of course, if Gandalf decides to use all of his power as Olorin (Gandalf's name as a Maiar) he can defeat Balrog with moderate difficulty but right now his power is limited due to his status as Ishitari.
IIRC, in the book, Legolas *freaked out* upon realization that the Balrog was coming.
Surely Gimli must have heard of Durin's Bane as he grew up. A shot of a horrified Gimli whispering "Durin's Bane" would've been really cool.
@@BENSHlN
I’m not sure he entirely knew what durins bane was
He would be able to put two and two together now upon seeing the Balrog and seeing what it is
Probably the most hardcore depiction of an Angel versus a Demon as we are likely ever to see in all of film.
I always loved that cocky little snort the Balrog gives just after Gandalf tells him he cannot pass. For a creature which only had a few minutes of screen time, he sure made an impact.
The Balrog is also one of the coolest looking demons I have seen in a movie so far. I wish I could have seen it in theatres.
@@paleface171 I'm hoping they rerelease it for the twentieth anniversary coming up in December. There are so many people who haven't seen it the way it should be seen.
@@paleface171 I have a statue of the balrog...
@@sleepingdogpro in the US at least it’s being shown on IMAX soon
@@sleepingdogpro I'm old, and saw these when they came out in the theatre, but I'm totally surprised that it hasn't seen a re-release since. So good in the theatre.
Aragorn's face when he realizes Gandalf is scared shitless is priceless. He does attempt to go and fight but you can see for a brief moment he is just completely shocked at how scared Gandalf is.
Gandalf a peaceful mia had no choice but face a servant of Morgoth. Yes he was terrified but Gandalf knew that if an Elf could defeat a Balrog of Morgoth then he could. So he drew up his courage and announced to the demon that Gandalf is also a Mia a servant of the Valar and Eru. Telling the Balrog that a righteous Mia will defeat the Demon of Morgoth.
At that moment the Balrog knew his foe and responded accordingly. He knew this was no elf or man but a Spirit that sang the song of Eru in the time before Arda.
@@timesthree5757 to be fair they killed each other
@@dirkdiggler5581 but one was cast adrift it's spirit no more than a mist. The other returned more powerful then before.
@@timesthree5757 Wow, very well explained thank you.
@@timesthree5757 no elf could defeat a Maia, these were early versions of Balrogs
For the actor who's got his very first major role at that time, Orlando's performance on the delivery of sheer horror and glimpse of fear in his eyes is pretty outstanding.
And then he got a Razzie nomination for Will Turner in At World's End
@@kynandecoster3752 wait! He got a razzie for that!? It wasn't the best of films but it wasn't god awful.
Too bad he never really kicked on
@@jordangustafson1365
I mean, at World's end isn't a bad movie. It's a fun movie which is what it counts.
@Ben Kenobi "He was taken by both shadow and flame: a Balrog of Morgoth." - Legolas
The score in this is fantastic! Especially as he's descending into the depths and reunites with his sword, the choir and orchestra come together brilliantly to highlight a truly epic moment