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@@joshhunt4146 I've heard maybe 3 people say that HP influenced LOTR, and I'm pretty sure 2 of them were being sarcastic. So no, it doesn't really happen that much, it's mostly just a strawman argument made up by a small group within the LOTR fandom
Gandalf's race isn't really discussed in the movies, however it is covered in the Silmarillion book that Tolkien wrote as a sorta of pre-curser to the events of middle earth. Gandalf is actually considered to be a demi god (Or Maiar) that has been trapped into a human form which has diminished his powers. The gods of the lore (Valar) sent the wizards to act as emissaries to middle earth. This is the reason that the wizards take human forms, it was deemed that these mortal forms would be more suitable for their emissary goals. Gandalf and Saruman are somewhat similar to Sauron in certain aspects, except for the fact that Sauron is not bounded by a mortal form, hence we see slightly more grandeur displays of power from Sauron. (It is also worth noting that Sauron was considered a very powerful demi god in comparison to Gandalf and Saruman even before they received their mortal forms and worked directly under the god Morgoth who is sort of the fallen angle of the group of gods. ) Edit: By trapped I was more so referring to the existence after accepting the mortal forms. The wizards did accept the missions to act as emissaries to middle earth and therefore accepted the mortal forms they would be taking on. I believe Gandalf was even originally asked by Saruman to accompany him (As he was the leader of this emissary mission.)
Not to mention that Sauron took the form of an elf which I think was his true form and also lured them into a false sense of security into accepting the 3 rings of power and then betrayed them when he forged the one ring, i think that’s accurate, correct me if I’m wrong please
Sauron and Saruman used to be friends long ago. As for Sauron not being bound to a physical from... Sauron cannot take a body, without the ring he is too weak to do so. And bodies do not weaken the wizards, they are meant to teach, guide and help lead natives of the Middle Earth in their struggle, not fight in their stead. They could fight Sauron directly, but he was building Mordor up for centuries if not longer, it is his place of power, so they would have to use a lot of power to fight him... And last time something like that happened a huge chunk of Middle Earth sank into ocean. So the Wizards each have their own specific task in how to hinder Sauron, Radagast the Brown is mainly concerned with protecting nature that does not speak for itself like plants and animals, two Blue Wizards, Alatar and Pallando (or Morinehtar and Rómestámo, "Darkness-slayer" and "East-helper") who are such good friends they finish each other´s sentences and have pseudo foresight because they remember a lot of blueprints for the world and events in it, they went east to lands controlled by Sauron worshipers to cause long term disruption to his forces there and support the rebellions against him, Gandalf The Grey is meant to find, motivate and raise spirits of those who would fight against Sauron and Saruman the White was supposed to study Sauron and advise the rulers of Middle Earth on how best to oppose him. But while Blue Wizards succeeded in weakening Sauron in the East and South, they also caused magic cults to spring up in those lands (which is not good) and Sauron´s servants probably managed to kill them by the events of the movie, though Tolkien only strongly hinted that and evaded stating with any certainty what was their eventual fate. I can´t write more here without spoilers, but Blue Wizards are some of the best mysteries in Tolkien lore, because we know so little of what they did.
Can I just say? I appreciate Jen’s honesty that she’s not super interested in LOTR going into it. Hopefully she’ll become a fan as the films progress. Also, I love Forged in Fire too!
I have 7 nephew and nieces, all of whom i've been dreaming of sharing this awesome fictional world with them ever since they were young. Now that they've all grown up and I've introduced the movies to them, none of them like it. They're more into the quick action of Marvel films, or thrillers or horror films. I guess it's always about the instant dopamine rush for them when it comes to movies (which shouldn't be the only way to enjoy films but I aint gonna stop them). Where as a movie like the Fellowship (my favourite) has at least an hour that all takes place in the shire and is mostly talking (my favourite bits). I just accepted that some people won't like it, unfortunately for me all my nephews and nieces are uninterested by it.
Literally everyone that has been ignorant to it that long says the same thing. But everyone loves it by the end. They are the closest things to literary and film masterpieces we have.
One important thing to note is how this first movie changed all other fantasy movies & special effect movies after it premiered. It was a game changer - the sound engineering, special effects, etc.
I really hope Jen comes to like the trilogy. There's a reason it's won 17 Oscar's and so many other awards. It truly is a masterpiece. From the Score to the cast and everything in between.
A lot of people don't like the first half of the first movie I find. The whole time is spend introducing plot and characters but once you start to see these things in motion I find it gets way more interesting.
@@Humanipathic in some cases, yes but awards are a general point of grading a movie, and in this case i fell like its totally fair to look at the awards because they really are deserved
19:15 Gandalf was one of the Maiar, a race of beings who assisted in the original creation of Middle-Earth and he was incredibly powerful originally Gandalf served as a divine emissary for the gods of creation and was tasked with defeating Sauron.
Also gandalf shows alot of respect for Galadriel and Elrond as even though they are Elves, they have been inmiddle earth longer than gandalf who (correct me if I'm wrong) was sent to middle earth after isildur took the ring.
Also for when it come up in Part two: the reason Gandalf can take on the ‘foe on the bridge’ (spoiler) is cause they are both ‘Angel’ like beings, more or less on the same power level of existence… they just serve different sides and have chosen different forms in the mortal world.
Their designation within Maiar was known as Istari, or wizards. There were five sent to middle earth. Gandalf the Grey, Saruman the White, Radagast the Brown, and the two blue wizards, Alatar and Pallando who not much is known as they were sent to the east of middle earth and weren’t heard of again.
These films are everything to me. Anytime I hear some of the score or see a reference to LOTR on my day to day, can't help but get the urge to watch them all over again.
I'm gonna go ahead and clear this up because it's always something people dont get when they watch LotR for the first time: Yes, The One Ring is semi-sentient but it's real power is that it amplifies the power of the wearer while also corrupting them. That's one of the reasons why Gandalf couldnt just take The Ring to Mordor himself, the temptation would be too great for someone as powerful as him; he'd eventually use The Ring with good intentions & ultimately just turn into another Sauron. This is why Gandalf chose Frodo to bear the ring, Hobbits are the least powerful people in Middle-Earth and thus are the least susceptible to the temptation of The One Ring. That's also why the only power Frodo & Bilbo get when they put The Ring on is the base "invisibility", they have no power for The Ring to amplify to begin with. Edit: Was just giving a surface level explanation here guys lol. I, too, am a LotR nerd and am aware of the nuances I left out here.
thx you for the explanation. I'm not a huge fan, but I've watched all three and because I'm a nerd in other fandoms, it's always good to know more about the lore and explanation nevertheless
@Suike Pretty sure that J K Rowling took the concept of the ring and applied it to Harry Potter, because the 'one ring' is essentially Sauron' Horcrux. It has part of his soul, it can corrupt others and only by destroying it, can you destroy Sauron as well.
All they do is walk In these movies I don’t know why but I could never sit down and watch any of the lord of the rings without falling asleep or getting bored
@@mrgamerwatch100 fair enough, not everyone is gonna like all the same movies, i do appreciate their honesty in their reactions, rather have genuine people than fake reactions to gain likes etc
10:10 Gandalf is a Maia, a race of spirits that helped the Valar to create the world. Simplest description is basically Maia being Angels, with the Valar being Archangels and then there is Eru Illuvitar, the "GOD" of middle earth. Saruman and Sauron are also Maiar. The five wizards are Maiar sent by their respective Valar to aid the Free Peoples of Middle Earth in the fight against Sauron. They are NOT there to challenge Sauron directly, but are their to inspire courage. They took the forms of wise old men as they believed that would make them more trustworthy.
The greatest movie series of all time. Last month I got to meet Elijah Wood at Comic Con and got his autograph. These 6 movies will always have a special place in my heart.
Tolkien disliked imposing allegory in his works, although he later admits that it's inevitable for authors as it arrives, at least in some sense, from their subconscious . A famous quote from Tolkien: "I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history - true or feigned- with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think that many confuse applicability with allegory, but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author." Tolkien seemed to have been perfectly fine with applicability from the reader, but seemed to have disliked the linear or narrow lessons that can be imposed by an author that works in a purely allegorical sense. The Lord of the Rings contained undertones of his Catholic faith but not singularly so, it also contained many other undertones from other myths, religions, and events from Tolkiens life.
Oh wow. That is eye-opening. I should read up on Tolkien himself a bit more. I had assumed LOTR was a giant metaphor for his experiences with the war, and primarily so.
Lol I watched the Extended editions too and when I watch the non extended editions I'm like "wait, wheres that one scene?" Like through the whole movie. The extended editions really are the best to watch
I love the fact that every time a movie character is "supposedly" killed off Holden always says "hope you weren't too attached to---", Jen never figures out whether he is lying or not regardless of how many times he does it, I hope one day an actually loved character is killed off and Holden says it making Jen believe a character is still alive, that would be hilarious because she'll probably get mad when she realises 😂.
Like Jen said, when Fellowship came out, it really wasn't my thing (i was 11, so i was stupid to be fair). My family kept trying to convince me to go see it that Christmas as they had read the books. Long story short, they finally convinced me & to this day I've never had a better 'cinema experience' (The Dark Knight came close). I so quickly fell in love with that whole world, the characters & just the way it was so brilliantly told. I fully credit LOTR & the hours of brilliant behind the scenes films on the extended editions with my choices to study film production & now be working on them.
Yer exactly it not really a film for young kids they prefer quick action films but saying that I first watched this film at 7 and I loved and become obsessed with LOTR world
@@declanhardie9273 my dad was obsessed with the books and so collected the original extended edition releases that came out in 02, 03, and 04. When he finally had the full extended trilogy, he sat me down at the age of 4 (in 2004) to watch them, and i was hooked.
So as not to overload the Holden server with LotR trivia: "Eavesdropping" is when you can overhear someone's conversation like Sam outside the window. The eaves of a house is the edge of the roof and where rain falls off the roof is called the 'eavesdropping'. So the figurative 'eavesdropping' is standing close to the house or at the 'eavesdropping' where you could hear conversations inside the house!
@@Eidlones English is not my first language, and while I believe my vocabulary is great some things like this that come from earlier sayings etc. I might not know 🙂
I'm tickled by the fact that when the hobbits first bump into each other and are on the road, when Frodo looks down the path and you hear the ringwraith screeching, it was synched up with Jen yawning at the same time.
Regarding The Ring's effect on different races, that's somewhat right but more complicated: Basically, The Ring amplifies the bearer's need for power, but since hobbit's are generally content with their simple lives of drinking, eating, and smoking up, it take's longer for them to be corrupted.
Aragorn is a badass taking on all those nazgul by himself with a sword and a torch. Remember that fight after you see all the other movies and see how powerful one nazgul is let alone like six at the same time. Also loved Holden’s subtle “mr Anderson”. Hugo Weaving will forever be agent Smith to me even though he has done so many amazing roles. Including this one.
@@hint1k They were also very far from Sauron, who is the source of their power (most evil things attached to him seem to grow in strength the closer they get to Mordor), and Sauron also likely hadn't housed a great deal of his power in them at that time, because he didn't believe it necessary.
I think what makes LOTR so great and so accessible to so many people is that, while Tolkien’s faith and beliefs undoubtedly impacted his writing, he actually greatly disliked allegory and said many times that his stories were not meant to be taken as allegorical. So, for me, as someone who is of the Christian faith, I can obviously see the impact and morals that he had that work themselves into his story, but it still is a story for everyone, no matter what they believe. That’s why I think it’s so great that Tolkien and Lewis were friends, because Tolkien was like “Do NOT put extra meaning into my stories where there is none. My stories are NOT an allegory.” And then my man Clive is just straight up, “ASLAN IS JESUS YA’LL” 😂
I think as far as allegory goes it's best put that his Christian beliefs shaped his desires for his fictional world but that does not mean his fictional world is a Christian one. He wanted to write his own mythology that stood on it's own merits and disliked it being compared to other things because that was reductionist towards to the creativity and effort he put into it.
This is an excellent comment. Most such comments I see on videos take a very terse "Tolkien hated allegory" stance without any expansion. This does a good job of avoiding that trap and giving some commentary and interpretation on the thought. And I think it highlights some things that are odd to us -- or, at least, to folks like me. Tolkien certainly said many times that he despises allegory in all of its forms and that his works are not allegorical. He also said that his work is undeniably Catholic -- unintentionally at first, but consciously so upon revision. Which leaves [at least] me in a bit of a pickle. If the works are not allegorical, then how can they be undeniably Catholic? If they are undeniably Catholic, then how can they not be allegorical? As near as I can work out, it seems to be that Tolkien understood 'allegory' to imply that the author had a very direct, symbolic, one-to-one understanding of their work and attempted to tell the reader what the work means. In the Chronicles of Narnia, "Aslan is Jesus" is very direct and clear and it is undoubtedly Lewis' intent to communicate that to the audience. This is, as far as I can tell, what Tolkien meant when he referenced 'allegory'. He certainly hated that sort of thing, and he and Lewis actually had a rather sizeable falling out over Tolkien's dislike the Chronicles of Narnia. I find no such direct relationships between Tolkien's work and his Catholicism. The themes are certainly all there. The imagery is there. He seems to have written his own paradigm (which, as noted, is deeply Catholic) or scriptural text in different words and organized it in a way that made sense to him. After all, he set out to write a grand mythology for England to rival those that the Greeks or Romans lay claim to (and to see whether he was up to the task). But he does not direct the reader that "this means that" or anything of the sort. Which is, as you noted, the greatest thing about Arda; it invites everyone in and accepts them. The stories themselves impart meaning and wisdom, whether or not you share the ideas of the author. I find, personally, that the more I study the text, the more I come to see the world from Tolkien's point of view. But he doesn't force it on me. And this, I think, is the balance between Tolkien's dislike of allegory and the undeniable Catholicism of his text.
I think the word “applicability” describes the relationship between Tolkien’s writing and the real world. The themes are universal and we keep seeing those themes play out around us.
I've always been of two minds when it comes to introducing people to the extended editions. They are great movies, with a lot of details from the books the theatrical cuts missed, and they explain more about the world, but the theatrical cuts have tighter pacing, which I normally prefer when introducing someone to these movies.
Agreed, the theatrical cut is a much better way to introduce someone. If they jump right in and love it, you can always just restart with the extended. But asking someone to sit down and watch a 3.5 hour movie is basically asking them to go into it with the wrong frame of mind.
It’s much easier to enjoy something like this when you have a huge community of people to enjoy it with. This is one of the most rich, developed worlds ever put to literature (thank you Tolkien! 🙏)...and Peter Jackson knocked these movies out of the park.
Im really grateful for you guys. I've been in a place for about the past year that I don't really get out much and hang out with people, so watching along with you guys gives me that sense that I'm watching movies with friends. Sometimes your videos are the highlight of my day. So I guess just thanks for posting so often and being the good people you are.
The lord of the rings is NOT Christian allegory. Tolkien probably would have hit you with a stick for saying that. However, he did state that Catholic values are inevitably intertwined in the work. But Tolkien despised allegory.
"I dislike Allegory - the conscious and intentional allegory - yet any attempt to explain the purport of myth or fairytale must use allegorical language." (Letter 131) He says he dislikes allegory, but specifically the "conscious and intentional allegory." This is why Tolkien didn't like Narnia, because it's a literal direct Christian allegory where Aslan is Jesus in every way shape and form for the entire time. Tolkien much preferred having several characters portray specific aspects of Jesus, not one character be Jesus for the entire story. This is because this type of allegory is much more indirect and less intentional and doesn't shove anything down your throat as a reader. Anyone who reads Narina can see what Lewis intended. Not everyone who reads Tolkien's work can see the Catholic symbolism in it, which is exactly what he wanted. So you're not technically wrong, but it's also still not wrong to say there's very direct and purposeful connections that can be found from Lord of the Rings to Tolkien's Catholic faith.
@@hc-04 Exactly. I'm an atheist and to see The Lord of the Rings and still say there is no allegory in it is just sticking your head in the sand. Jesus is embodied in the sacrifices of Frodo, Boromir, Gandalf, and so many characters in the greater body of works. Mary Magdelene is embodied in the character of Aragorn, when he helps clean and stitch the wounds of all of his soldiers after the battle of Minas Tirith as she did with Jesus' body before he was entombed. You can see aspects of patron saints in the Valar and Maiar; Denethor is allegorical to King Herod, who when he heard that a new "King of the Jews" had been born, did everything in his power to keep the power he had and prevent any dissention; Gollum is allegorical for Judas, who betrayed Jesus', and interestingly Gollum throws away what was supposed to be Frodo and Sam's Last Supper away. There are many more, but to say that there is no allegory because of some misinterpreted quote by Tolkien is absurd.
@@josephcerasuolo3563 I've heard Jesus is embodied in Aragorn, Gandalf, and Frodo. Aragorn because he's the king, like Christ is the King of Heaven. Gandalf cause Gandalf is basically a sort of priest, and Jesus was a priest. And Frodo because Frodo carries the Ring like Christ carried the Cross. The Ring is supposed to be sin, and Gollum isn't Judas so much as a representation of what happens to normal people when they become absorbed by sin, which is why Tolkien made Gollum a Hobbit who turned into Gollum. The Steward of Gondor is supposed to be like the Pope. Not the king, but simply a leader for the Church while the King is away. Eowyn and Arwen are both at different times the Virgin Mary, most obviously when Eowyn stabs the Witch-King in the head, much like Mary crushes the serpent's head. Lembas bread is the Eucharist, the Ainur (Maia and Valar) can be thought of as sort of angels, Melkor is Lucifer while Morgoth is Satan, and Sauron and other fallen Ainur are the fallen angels (demons). And the awesome thing is, unlike Narnia, these comparisons aren't always set in stone. For example Gandalf could be thought of as an angel since he's an Ainur I believe, but he could also be thought of as a priest. So the comparisons aren't like Aslan in Narnia, who is always Jesus and obviously so. The comparisons are much more complex and elaborate and subtle, which makes Lord of the Rings better than Narnia in my humble opinion. So yes, in summary, there's a LOT of comparison between LotR and Tolkien's faith. Not only by accident (although Tolkien did say it was by accident at first), Tolkien himself admitted he put those comparisons in purposefully.
@@hc-04 see I think the ring being a representation of sin is a little too much. I think the ring, as well as the creation of the Uruk-hai are meant as a representation of the impact of technology on war. The ring is devastating and shows how increasing technological capabilities of warfare can corrupt politicians while the common people who fight wars are the real casualties. The tearing down of all the natural things to create the Uruks is a representation of the rape of our planets natural resources and beauty in order to kill more of ourselves. Due to trench warfare in ww1 the ground was mangled and destroyed, artillery and mines are still being found from ww1 and ww2 today, and the demonization and portrayal of any country's "enemy" as less than human breeds hatred and resentment after wars are over and peace is trying to be reached. How many people today still say terrible things to modern Germans faces when as a society they have realized how horrific the acts of Hitler and the nazi regime was and their complicitenss in it and teach about it to never again follow the same ideology? There is Christian allegory for sure, but the heaviest allegory is of ww1 and the depression and ptsd that Tolkien himself faced, along with that of his friends.
@@josephcerasuolo3563 I disagree. Obviously WWI was a big influence in LotR but the Ring has nothing "technological" about it. It's literally just a Ring. It's only power is corrupting others (like sin). Your other points about the destruction of the world or whatever may possibly be valid but they have nothing to do with the Ring itself. The Ring is supposed to represent sin, because sin corrupts people in much the same way as the Ring. And just like Christ carried the weight of man's sin with the cross, so Frodo carries the Ring which represents sin. And once the Ring is destroyed, Sauron loses his power, just like once sin is defeated, Satan no longer has any power over us.
Fun fact this film turns 20 in around 3 weeks. I saw it for my 15th birthday on opening night. I started reading the books afterwards. Tolkien who was a linguist created 2 languages of Elvish, Sindarin and Quenya. He also created Dwarvish and Black Speech
20:45 Funny thing about this part is when you see Sean Bean with his hand on his forehead looking down, he’s actually looking at the paper he had written his lines down. I believe he was given his lines quite recently prior to shooting this scene so he taped his lines to his leg. This iconic scene also birthed thousands of memes over the years lmao
I freaking LOVE the extended editions but if I’m being honest, I think the best viewing order is theatrical first just because it’s a bit more digestible and then if you’re really into it by the end then dive into the extended editions. It’s also more fun that way bc you get all this extra content in between scenes the 2nd time through that fleshes out the world a bit more.
I agree. I immediately said, “Poor Jen.” When I saw the title. I love the extended editions, but it’s not what you watch when you want to get someone into them.
I have been waiting so long for yal to do this! And it's the extended edition the only way to really watch them. Hope Jen enjoys them. Thanks for all the great videos 😁👍
Just a sidenote: The power of the ring isnt dependabele of the race. Smeagol and his cousin was a hobbit too and the ring got hold of them instantaniously. It depends of the heart. And bilbo, frodo and sam just has lesser desires the can use for itself.
It's worth noting though that Smeagol just wanted to keep the ring, he didn't try to use it to gain more power or conquer kingdoms, which is probably how he kept it so long.
Yes, this is about how I understand it too. The ring grabs hold of a person's ambitions and desires, amplifying them, and twisting them into a consuming need for the ring itself. To the affected the ring comes to represent the manifestation of their deepest desires, the most precious thing they can imagine. Because hobbits tend to be relatively content, benign, and have few if any aspirations, the ring needs more time to take root. There's more I'd like to write, but I feel like I'd be getting into spoiler territory.
Yea, as someone mentioned Smeagol was not a Hobbit, but one of the separate breeds of Hobbits with very different characteristics. There are bound to be variation within races as well, but generally speaking all Hobbits will be more resistant than other races - so the description is not inaccurate.
Though the run time can be intimidating for each movie, I think once Jen gets to know all of the different characters and each of their stories, she may consider herself a fan by the end of the series. The Lord of the Rings movies have such beautiful storytelling, cinematography and score throughout, along with characters who were perfectly casted, that you grow to love. It will always be one of my favorite movie series.
I felt exactly like the good lady before I watched FOTR. I actually waited until TT had been released on DVD before I bothered to sit down and watch the first one. When I actually watched it I was blown away. Went and read the books and became a huge lifelong fan.
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is my favourite film. I was changed by these films. I watched them so many times. Watched ALL 50+ hours of the special features more than once. It made me fall in love with cinema. I got two separate degrees in Film Studies because of these films. Words can't cover how deeply these films have affected my life.
Gandalf is one of the Maiar a race of beings that assisted in the creation of Middle Earth.He was tasked to defeat Sauron and chose the appearance of an elderly man so that people would trust him and assist him with his task.
I’m so immersed in this stuff, it’s amazing to me someone can go their whole lives without seeing these popular culture movies. I guess it’s why I like watching their reactions.
Gandalf is one of the Istari (wizards), five Maiar spirits sent to guide the people of Middle Earth. There are further classifications(Istari-Maiar-Valar-Ainur...) but I'd argue it's not required to understand the basic story of LOTR
The 5 Istari (wizards) are of the Maiar race, the same as Sauron, the Dark Lord. The Maiar are the servants of the Valar, who are basically the gods of Middle-Earth. When they came to Middle-Earth to aid the peoples there in their fight against Sauron, the wizards took the form of men.
I had initially heard about the Fellowship from one of my friends. It was like this super epic show about dwarves, elves, wizards and hobbits. I tried to watch it twice. The slow pace of this first movie made my 16 year old self quit it. But I finished it eventually when the Two towers came out.... And I was hooked, ... 4-5 watches later, + books + audiobook + games. And it is, for me... the most epic story that was ever created + the the best book to screen production ever. The amount of Oscars that the third movie won made me cheer like I had won the Olimpics or something. Hope you get to enjoy it at least 10% as much as I, or other fans do.
I wish Narnia would get the treatment it deserves. The Disney movies weren't necessarily bad, but were well, not good. Narnia would probably do better as a series, since the casting would change a lot, and it's definitely more episodic, no HUGE BATTLES ending every novel. I get Tolkien's angle, where the Christian elements should be undertones, not overtones, but also respect CS Lewis for his blatancy.
@@Rorujin The third is surprisingly decent. I enjoyed it the most of the all 3. The first one felt like it was going to be good at the start, and the casting was solid, it just meandered a lot. We need a labor of love.
@@sydhamelin1265 Perhaps... It's been a while since I've seen it, but I remember the special effects were amazing (specially the practical ones... Indeed they were done by WETA) and the final battle is pretty awesome.
One of my favourite scenes which is very underrated in most reactions on youtube is when they are gathered in rivendell and boromir questions aragorns importance, Legolas defends Aragorn stating that he is Isildurs heir, showing his loyalty.
Jen - many of today's 'fantasy' style movies, games, etc. are derived from Lord of the Rings in some way. To answer the question about what a Wizard is I would refer you to the 'Nerd of the Rings' channel. Very good, and relatively concise, explanations on many topics.
I know Jen thinks this series isn’t for her, but I really hope she actively pays attention. If she watches and gives it a chance, I think she will love it!
Yuss, been waiting for this one. Jen being up front in the beginning of "this might not be up my alley, everyone likes and dislikes other things" is awesome, because thats exactly right, a lot of us might love LotR to death, but she might not and thats absolutely fine, at least shes giving it a go, yknow? and no fault to her if she doesnt end up enjoying it, though i do think shell come around by the end, the first movie is the slow one with not a whole lot going on. I WILL say though, Holden, i think you screwed up a little bit, i would NEVER recommend a newbie watch the EXTENDED versions on first viewing, i freaking LOVE LotR, but i can still admit that the extended versions add so much pointless fluff into it that doesnt actually add to the story in a meaningful way, and can, and often does, make it a more dull watch for newbies. Theatrical release on first viewing, THEN extended if they liked it.
I just started rewatching these. Jen I hope you enjoy them, cause these movie are such a masterpiece of cinema! Love these videos, they always are so fun and enjoyable to watch!
“Look, Forged in Fire!” Jen-“I love that show!” Further proof that Holden has hit the life lottery. I don’t suppose that Jen has a cousin who’s just like her but single? Asking for a friend…ok that’s a lie!
Im so happy your finally onto this trilogy, imo best trilogy of all time. Everything is near if not perfect and I watch them every few months with my family as a tradition. Hobition holds a special place in my heart and ill always consider it home for me, so much so that I cry whenever I hear the flute at the start
19:10 - Gandalf is a member of is a Maiar (a type of angelic spirit) who takes the form of an old man; he is not just a old man who has magic like Dumbledore.
13:44 😂😂😂 Jen is yawning at the same time there is the screeching sound of Nazgul. It felt like she was making the noise. The timing was impeccable. Hilarious 😂😂🤣
Gandalf is an Istari (or Wizard), one of the 5 sent over to Middle-earth by the Valar, to aid Elves, Men and Dwarves in their struggles against evil forces.
You gotta be like a very specific kind of nerd to love Lord of the Rings. Couldn't ever get into it in my first and second watches but learned to appreciate how influential it has been to current cinema. Can't wait to see Jen's reaction to Gollum.
Tolkien released a book I read, it's called something like " the lore if middle earth and it explains why Gandalf the grey dies and is reborn stronger as Gandalf the white. He belongs to the illuvitar, a race celestial beings sent to live amongst them as basically guardians whose main job is to help keep balance in the world. Members other then Gandalf include Elrond, Sauroman the white, and lady Galadriel. Also each one has a separate divine task they are given, Elrond was tasked to make sure sauron Was defeated and the ring destroyed to balance the scales of good and evil. When he failed, that task moved to Gandalf. I believe it also says sauron had been a member of the illuvitar and I can't remember why he turned evil. He did later corrupt Sauroman. The ring is regarded as a possessed item he eludes the type of magic used is blood magic basically so when he his finger was severed his soul was bound to the ring, so it became like a horacrux from Harry Potter. Biggest difference is the ring is fully sentient where in Harry Potter the only sentient horacrux is Tom riddle's diary, since it could write back to him, and answer questions and show him the memory. It's a very interesting book. I think he als released book with the full languages like elvish, dwarven, others that he created; and one on all the animals of middle earth. Strangely in that book he goes into the origins of monsters that are not in the books or movies. He made them up as additional beings, creatures, ect but some of them he later felt were either to evil or didn't think they really belonged it the world. He had originally removed the balrog because he felt as a demonic titan it would of been destroyed a long time ago and wiped out by the illuvitar but he put it back in because he needed Gandalf to one display his celestial powers, and two he needed Gandalf to make a noble sacrifice to be able to be gifted more celestial strength as Gandalf the white. Crazy thing is he gets a new body since his last one was too badly damaged after the battle, but he retains most of his memories when his soul is put into his new body.
Elvish is based on old Scandinavian. The best example of this language is in the a song collection called the Kalevala witch is still taught in Finish schools. The Kalevala is so massive however, that only a portion of the songs have been preserved throughout history.
Fun facts: Christopher Lee actually met J.R.R. Tolkien in person, and read all of his Middle Earth Books once a year. Viggo's first day as Aragorn was the scene where he fought the Nazgul! In terms of casting, over 2000 actors auditioned for the role of Frodo, including the actor who ended up playing Mary! Nicolas Cage was going to play the role the role of Aragorn, but was forced to drop out due to family reasons. Russell Crowe was approached for the role also, but he declined due to the fact that he found the role too similar to Gladiator!
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I hope you could feel the beatiful track The Breaking of the Fellowship, during the last 5 minutes of the movie.
I'm pretty sure the extended editions are on HBO Max
Would love to see a dagonball or dbza series reaction
Would love to see a dagonball or dbza series reaction
do you also have the full reactions available on the Patreon, or only early access to edited videos?
You can visibly see Holden's happiness when he pulled out his LOTR Extended Collector Blu-Ray 4K set. So relatable.
Ikr
Yup atlast the best book adaptation ever in socio fantasy genre
Seen this so many times but my bf bought me this set last Christmas, we watch it every few months 😄
That’s not the 4K set, that’s only blu-ray extended
@@patricgmuer2988 Take a close look when he holds it and briefly opens it..
"I didn't realise we were watching Harry Potter!?!" And then the look of "BLASPHEMY" on Holden's face
With good reason!
When folk think even for a second that Harry Potter somehow influenced LOTR, it makes my head explode.
I cry every time. The basis of modern fantasy being second to derivatives 😭
There is no one on this planet that thinks that right?
@1993DJC that's not necessarily true, it just would have been different. There's plenty more fiction and lore that deal with these subject matters.
Yeah that's sad. Lord of the Rings came way before Potter. I love both franchises but Lord of the Rings is more epic.
@@joshhunt4146 I've heard maybe 3 people say that HP influenced LOTR, and I'm pretty sure 2 of them were being sarcastic. So no, it doesn't really happen that much, it's mostly just a strawman argument made up by a small group within the LOTR fandom
Gandalf's race isn't really discussed in the movies, however it is covered in the Silmarillion book that Tolkien wrote as a sorta of pre-curser to the events of middle earth. Gandalf is actually considered to be a demi god (Or Maiar) that has been trapped into a human form which has diminished his powers. The gods of the lore (Valar) sent the wizards to act as emissaries to middle earth. This is the reason that the wizards take human forms, it was deemed that these mortal forms would be more suitable for their emissary goals. Gandalf and Saruman are somewhat similar to Sauron in certain aspects, except for the fact that Sauron is not bounded by a mortal form, hence we see slightly more grandeur displays of power from Sauron. (It is also worth noting that Sauron was considered a very powerful demi god in comparison to Gandalf and Saruman even before they received their mortal forms and worked directly under the god Morgoth who is sort of the fallen angle of the group of gods. )
Edit: By trapped I was more so referring to the existence after accepting the mortal forms. The wizards did accept the missions to act as emissaries to middle earth and therefore accepted the mortal forms they would be taking on. I believe Gandalf was even originally asked by Saruman to accompany him (As he was the leader of this emissary mission.)
Pretty tight summary. There are videos that spend 30, 40 minutes *trying* to do that.
And Sauron increased his power using the ring as well.
Came here for this
Not to mention that Sauron took the form of an elf which I think was his true form and also lured them into a false sense of security into accepting the 3 rings of power and then betrayed them when he forged the one ring, i think that’s accurate, correct me if I’m wrong please
Sauron and Saruman used to be friends long ago. As for Sauron not being bound to a physical from... Sauron cannot take a body, without the ring he is too weak to do so. And bodies do not weaken the wizards, they are meant to teach, guide and help lead natives of the Middle Earth in their struggle, not fight in their stead. They could fight Sauron directly, but he was building Mordor up for centuries if not longer, it is his place of power, so they would have to use a lot of power to fight him... And last time something like that happened a huge chunk of Middle Earth sank into ocean. So the Wizards each have their own specific task in how to hinder Sauron, Radagast the Brown is mainly concerned with protecting nature that does not speak for itself like plants and animals, two Blue Wizards, Alatar and Pallando (or Morinehtar and Rómestámo, "Darkness-slayer" and "East-helper") who are such good friends they finish each other´s sentences and have pseudo foresight because they remember a lot of blueprints for the world and events in it, they went east to lands controlled by Sauron worshipers to cause long term disruption to his forces there and support the rebellions against him, Gandalf The Grey is meant to find, motivate and raise spirits of those who would fight against Sauron and Saruman the White was supposed to study Sauron and advise the rulers of Middle Earth on how best to oppose him. But while Blue Wizards succeeded in weakening Sauron in the East and South, they also caused magic cults to spring up in those lands (which is not good) and Sauron´s servants probably managed to kill them by the events of the movie, though Tolkien only strongly hinted that and evaded stating with any certainty what was their eventual fate. I can´t write more here without spoilers, but Blue Wizards are some of the best mysteries in Tolkien lore, because we know so little of what they did.
Can I just say? I appreciate Jen’s honesty that she’s not super interested in LOTR going into it. Hopefully she’ll become a fan as the films progress.
Also, I love Forged in Fire too!
I am devastated but that’s just me 😆 LOTR is the Bible to me
I have 7 nephew and nieces, all of whom i've been dreaming of sharing this awesome fictional world with them ever since they were young. Now that they've all grown up and I've introduced the movies to them, none of them like it. They're more into the quick action of Marvel films, or thrillers or horror films. I guess it's always about the instant dopamine rush for them when it comes to movies (which shouldn't be the only way to enjoy films but I aint gonna stop them). Where as a movie like the Fellowship (my favourite) has at least an hour that all takes place in the shire and is mostly talking (my favourite bits). I just accepted that some people won't like it, unfortunately for me all my nephews and nieces are uninterested by it.
@@sameehkins5957 😭 Shame. I grew up reading about the Middle Ages, history, Greek mythology so Lord of The Rings was really really close to home
@@sameehkins5957 shame. Sorry to hear that. At least they have good taste in superheroes.
Literally everyone that has been ignorant to it that long says the same thing. But everyone loves it by the end. They are the closest things to literary and film masterpieces we have.
One important thing to note is how this first movie changed all other fantasy movies & special effect movies after it premiered. It was a game changer - the sound engineering, special effects, etc.
I would even venture to say there would be no GOT w/o the advances of LOTR. IMHO
I really hope Jen comes to like the trilogy. There's a reason it's won 17 Oscar's and so many other awards. It truly is a masterpiece. From the Score to the cast and everything in between.
The score of this movies is one of the most beautiful things my ears have heard
A lot of people don't like the first half of the first movie I find. The whole time is spend introducing plot and characters but once you start to see these things in motion I find it gets way more interesting.
I used to listen to the sound track on long road trips as a kid
Awards don’t mean anything. Lot of great films and actors in them not nominated - let alone win
@@Humanipathic in some cases, yes but awards are a general point of grading a movie, and in this case i fell like its totally fair to look at the awards because they really are deserved
19:15 Gandalf was one of the Maiar, a race of beings who assisted in the original creation of Middle-Earth and he was incredibly powerful originally Gandalf served as a divine emissary for the gods of creation and was tasked with defeating Sauron.
Basically Angels. Although Gandalf is something more like an Arch Angel.
Also gandalf shows alot of respect for Galadriel and Elrond as even though they are Elves, they have been inmiddle earth longer than gandalf who (correct me if I'm wrong) was sent to middle earth after isildur took the ring.
Also for when it come up in Part two: the reason Gandalf can take on the ‘foe on the bridge’ (spoiler) is cause they are both ‘Angel’ like beings, more or less on the same power level of existence… they just serve different sides and have chosen different forms in the mortal world.
They were forbidden to take any direct actions against Sauron. Their task was to guide the free people.
Their designation within Maiar was known as Istari, or wizards. There were five sent to middle earth. Gandalf the Grey, Saruman the White, Radagast the Brown, and the two blue wizards, Alatar and Pallando who not much is known as they were sent to the east of middle earth and weren’t heard of again.
These films are everything to me. Anytime I hear some of the score or see a reference to LOTR on my day to day, can't help but get the urge to watch them all over again.
This so much. I recently bought the 4k extended editions, and just want to sit down to watch them again after this!
@@ZeroFX1 i just got the day off and found this video. Know how I'll be spending my day ;D
I'm gonna go ahead and clear this up because it's always something people dont get when they watch LotR for the first time:
Yes, The One Ring is semi-sentient but it's real power is that it amplifies the power of the wearer while also corrupting them. That's one of the reasons why Gandalf couldnt just take The Ring to Mordor himself, the temptation would be too great for someone as powerful as him; he'd eventually use The Ring with good intentions & ultimately just turn into another Sauron.
This is why Gandalf chose Frodo to bear the ring, Hobbits are the least powerful people in Middle-Earth and thus are the least susceptible to the temptation of The One Ring. That's also why the only power Frodo & Bilbo get when they put The Ring on is the base "invisibility", they have no power for The Ring to amplify to begin with.
Edit: Was just giving a surface level explanation here guys lol. I, too, am a LotR nerd and am aware of the nuances I left out here.
thx you for the explanation. I'm not a huge fan, but I've watched all three and because I'm a nerd in other fandoms, it's always good to know more about the lore and explanation nevertheless
Great comment and probably the most important one to make for this point in the movie.
@Suike Yeah, "ambition" might be a better word for it than "power." Appreciate the follow up.
@Suike Pretty sure that J K Rowling took the concept of the ring and applied it to Harry Potter, because the 'one ring' is essentially Sauron' Horcrux. It has part of his soul, it can corrupt others and only by destroying it, can you destroy Sauron as well.
This better get comment of the day
If Jen doesn't like Lord of The Rings, i don't know if i could cope 😂
I might call the wedding off
All they do is walk In these movies I don’t know why but I could never sit down and watch any of the lord of the rings without falling asleep or getting bored
@@mrgamerwatch100 fair enough, not everyone is gonna like all the same movies, i do appreciate their honesty in their reactions, rather have genuine people than fake reactions to gain likes etc
@@mrgamerwatch100 Short attention span?
@@YetiCoolBrother he's making a Clerks 2 joke reference. Hence his profile picture.
10:10 Gandalf is a Maia, a race of spirits that helped the Valar to create the world. Simplest description is basically Maia being Angels, with the Valar being Archangels and then there is Eru Illuvitar, the "GOD" of middle earth. Saruman and Sauron are also Maiar.
The five wizards are Maiar sent by their respective Valar to aid the Free Peoples of Middle Earth in the fight against Sauron. They are NOT there to challenge Sauron directly, but are their to inspire courage. They took the forms of wise old men as they believed that would make them more trustworthy.
Bro let them finish the movies without knowing all that stuff. It kinda spoils some parts of what's next don't you think?
What does gandolf the white signify then?
Did you realize: gimli is the only character that performs an action intended to destroy the ring?
@@Bubba_1776 he died and then God said: go back down there your job isn't done yet, here's a little power boost.
Came to the comments to make sure someone had already jumped on this!
"gandalf is just a man wizzard"
tolkien readers : * laugh in istari *
I agree with today's comment of the day: having you both on the couch makes the conversation so much more natural!
I agree!
The greatest movie series of all time. Last month I got to meet Elijah Wood at Comic Con and got his autograph. These 6 movies will always have a special place in my heart.
Ok bro, but who asked?
@@wooshbait36 it's an appreciation post, it doesn't have to be...
Tolkien disliked imposing allegory in his works, although he later admits that it's inevitable for authors as it arrives, at least in some sense, from their subconscious .
A famous quote from Tolkien:
"I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history - true or feigned- with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think that many confuse applicability with allegory, but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author."
Tolkien seemed to have been perfectly fine with applicability from the reader, but seemed to have disliked the linear or narrow lessons that can be imposed by an author that works in a purely allegorical sense.
The Lord of the Rings contained undertones of his Catholic faith but not singularly so, it also contained many other undertones from other myths, religions, and events from Tolkiens life.
Oh wow. That is eye-opening. I should read up on Tolkien himself a bit more. I had assumed LOTR was a giant metaphor for his experiences with the war, and primarily so.
I grew up on the extended versions and love seeing people’s reaction when I tell them there is a 4 hour version 😂 Fool of a Took
Me too haha
Lol I watched the Extended editions too and when I watch the non extended editions I'm like "wait, wheres that one scene?" Like through the whole movie. The extended editions really are the best to watch
@@nerdcantina5097 completely agree, I went to see them in theater recently but it was the theatrical versions and I felt like I did miss a good bit
I can never watched the theatrical versions anymore, Extended or nothing! 😂
I love the fact that every time a movie character is "supposedly" killed off Holden always says "hope you weren't too attached to---", Jen never figures out whether he is lying or not regardless of how many times he does it, I hope one day an actually loved character is killed off and Holden says it making Jen believe a character is still alive, that would be hilarious because she'll probably get mad when she realises 😂.
Like Jen said, when Fellowship came out, it really wasn't my thing (i was 11, so i was stupid to be fair). My family kept trying to convince me to go see it that Christmas as they had read the books. Long story short, they finally convinced me & to this day I've never had a better 'cinema experience' (The Dark Knight came close). I so quickly fell in love with that whole world, the characters & just the way it was so brilliantly told. I fully credit LOTR & the hours of brilliant behind the scenes films on the extended editions with my choices to study film production & now be working on them.
Yer exactly it not really a film for young kids they prefer quick action films but saying that I first watched this film at 7 and I loved and become obsessed with LOTR world
@@declanhardie9273 my dad was obsessed with the books and so collected the original extended edition releases that came out in 02, 03, and 04. When he finally had the full extended trilogy, he sat me down at the age of 4 (in 2004) to watch them, and i was hooked.
So as not to overload the Holden server with LotR trivia:
"Eavesdropping" is when you can overhear someone's conversation like Sam outside the window. The eaves of a house is the edge of the roof and where rain falls off the roof is called the 'eavesdropping'. So the figurative 'eavesdropping' is standing close to the house or at the 'eavesdropping' where you could hear conversations inside the house!
Cool, thanks!
Do... people not know this?
@@Eidlones English is not my first language, and while I believe my vocabulary is great some things like this that come from earlier sayings etc. I might not know 🙂
@@CloudburnGaming Good point.
@@Eidlones:
Most people know that "eavesdropping" means to overhear something; extremely few people know the etymological origin of the word.
I'm tickled by the fact that when the hobbits first bump into each other and are on the road, when Frodo looks down the path and you hear the ringwraith screeching, it was synched up with Jen yawning at the same time.
I love the open mindedness and honesty of the lovely lady. It’s always great to see new people watch LOTR. Hopefully we’ll win her over. :)
Regarding The Ring's effect on different races, that's somewhat right but more complicated: Basically, The Ring amplifies the bearer's need for power, but since hobbit's are generally content with their simple lives of drinking, eating, and smoking up, it take's longer for them to be corrupted.
Imagine what Holden’s channel would be if his girlfriend had ever seen any movie ever🤣🤣🤣
Aragorn is a badass taking on all those nazgul by himself with a sword and a torch. Remember that fight after you see all the other movies and see how powerful one nazgul is let alone like six at the same time.
Also loved Holden’s subtle “mr Anderson”. Hugo Weaving will forever be agent Smith to me even though he has done so many amazing roles. Including this one.
At the time of the 1st movie Nazguls are weak. Later they become stronger. Their power grew up with Sauron's power.
@@hint1k They were also very far from Sauron, who is the source of their power (most evil things attached to him seem to grow in strength the closer they get to Mordor), and Sauron also likely hadn't housed a great deal of his power in them at that time, because he didn't believe it necessary.
I think it would be important for Jen to know that this is where it all started, the fantasy genre as we know it came from these books.
I think what makes LOTR so great and so accessible to so many people is that, while Tolkien’s faith and beliefs undoubtedly impacted his writing, he actually greatly disliked allegory and said many times that his stories were not meant to be taken as allegorical. So, for me, as someone who is of the Christian faith, I can obviously see the impact and morals that he had that work themselves into his story, but it still is a story for everyone, no matter what they believe. That’s why I think it’s so great that Tolkien and Lewis were friends, because Tolkien was like “Do NOT put extra meaning into my stories where there is none. My stories are NOT an allegory.” And then my man Clive is just straight up, “ASLAN IS JESUS YA’LL” 😂
I think as far as allegory goes it's best put that his Christian beliefs shaped his desires for his fictional world but that does not mean his fictional world is a Christian one. He wanted to write his own mythology that stood on it's own merits and disliked it being compared to other things because that was reductionist towards to the creativity and effort he put into it.
This is an excellent comment. Most such comments I see on videos take a very terse "Tolkien hated allegory" stance without any expansion. This does a good job of avoiding that trap and giving some commentary and interpretation on the thought. And I think it highlights some things that are odd to us -- or, at least, to folks like me.
Tolkien certainly said many times that he despises allegory in all of its forms and that his works are not allegorical. He also said that his work is undeniably Catholic -- unintentionally at first, but consciously so upon revision. Which leaves [at least] me in a bit of a pickle. If the works are not allegorical, then how can they be undeniably Catholic? If they are undeniably Catholic, then how can they not be allegorical?
As near as I can work out, it seems to be that Tolkien understood 'allegory' to imply that the author had a very direct, symbolic, one-to-one understanding of their work and attempted to tell the reader what the work means. In the Chronicles of Narnia, "Aslan is Jesus" is very direct and clear and it is undoubtedly Lewis' intent to communicate that to the audience. This is, as far as I can tell, what Tolkien meant when he referenced 'allegory'. He certainly hated that sort of thing, and he and Lewis actually had a rather sizeable falling out over Tolkien's dislike the Chronicles of Narnia.
I find no such direct relationships between Tolkien's work and his Catholicism. The themes are certainly all there. The imagery is there. He seems to have written his own paradigm (which, as noted, is deeply Catholic) or scriptural text in different words and organized it in a way that made sense to him. After all, he set out to write a grand mythology for England to rival those that the Greeks or Romans lay claim to (and to see whether he was up to the task). But he does not direct the reader that "this means that" or anything of the sort.
Which is, as you noted, the greatest thing about Arda; it invites everyone in and accepts them. The stories themselves impart meaning and wisdom, whether or not you share the ideas of the author. I find, personally, that the more I study the text, the more I come to see the world from Tolkien's point of view. But he doesn't force it on me. And this, I think, is the balance between Tolkien's dislike of allegory and the undeniable Catholicism of his text.
The funny thing is, I didn't make that connection with Aslan until this comment, as a Christian lmao.
I think the word “applicability” describes the relationship between Tolkien’s writing and the real world. The themes are universal and we keep seeing those themes play out around us.
@@chrisRundeJr Really? Did you not read "The Last Battle"?
The wizards were Maiar, basically angels, who were sent in the form of old men to provide aid to the races of Middle-earth against Sauron.
And Sauron was a Maiar as well but fallen and corrupted.
And Gandalfs ture Maia name is Olórin
Correct me if I'm wrong....but maiar can take any form right?....I read somewhere that the maiar took the form of old wizards cuz they were wise
I've always been of two minds when it comes to introducing people to the extended editions. They are great movies, with a lot of details from the books the theatrical cuts missed, and they explain more about the world, but the theatrical cuts have tighter pacing, which I normally prefer when introducing someone to these movies.
Same
counting myself lucky that i've never seen the theatrical cuts but i fell in love anyway
Agreed, the theatrical cut is a much better way to introduce someone. If they jump right in and love it, you can always just restart with the extended. But asking someone to sit down and watch a 3.5 hour movie is basically asking them to go into it with the wrong frame of mind.
Yeah theatrical for me. Once you love them do the extended
It’s much easier to enjoy something like this when you have a huge community of people to enjoy it with. This is one of the most rich, developed worlds ever put to literature (thank you Tolkien! 🙏)...and Peter Jackson knocked these movies out of the park.
Stormlight archive is much better
Best moment of the video is Jen’s sigh of resignation after asking about dwarves elves and hobbits. 11:34
Im really grateful for you guys. I've been in a place for about the past year that I don't really get out much and hang out with people, so watching along with you guys gives me that sense that I'm watching movies with friends. Sometimes your videos are the highlight of my day. So I guess just thanks for posting so often and being the good people you are.
❤❤❤
The lord of the rings is NOT Christian allegory. Tolkien probably would have hit you with a stick for saying that.
However, he did state that Catholic values are inevitably intertwined in the work. But Tolkien despised allegory.
"I dislike Allegory - the conscious and intentional allegory - yet any attempt to explain the purport of myth or fairytale must use allegorical language." (Letter 131)
He says he dislikes allegory, but specifically the "conscious and intentional allegory." This is why Tolkien didn't like Narnia, because it's a literal direct Christian allegory where Aslan is Jesus in every way shape and form for the entire time. Tolkien much preferred having several characters portray specific aspects of Jesus, not one character be Jesus for the entire story. This is because this type of allegory is much more indirect and less intentional and doesn't shove anything down your throat as a reader. Anyone who reads Narina can see what Lewis intended. Not everyone who reads Tolkien's work can see the Catholic symbolism in it, which is exactly what he wanted. So you're not technically wrong, but it's also still not wrong to say there's very direct and purposeful connections that can be found from Lord of the Rings to Tolkien's Catholic faith.
@@hc-04 Exactly. I'm an atheist and to see The Lord of the Rings and still say there is no allegory in it is just sticking your head in the sand. Jesus is embodied in the sacrifices of Frodo, Boromir, Gandalf, and so many characters in the greater body of works. Mary Magdelene is embodied in the character of Aragorn, when he helps clean and stitch the wounds of all of his soldiers after the battle of Minas Tirith as she did with Jesus' body before he was entombed. You can see aspects of patron saints in the Valar and Maiar; Denethor is allegorical to King Herod, who when he heard that a new "King of the Jews" had been born, did everything in his power to keep the power he had and prevent any dissention; Gollum is allegorical for Judas, who betrayed Jesus', and interestingly Gollum throws away what was supposed to be Frodo and Sam's Last Supper away. There are many more, but to say that there is no allegory because of some misinterpreted quote by Tolkien is absurd.
@@josephcerasuolo3563 I've heard Jesus is embodied in Aragorn, Gandalf, and Frodo. Aragorn because he's the king, like Christ is the King of Heaven. Gandalf cause Gandalf is basically a sort of priest, and Jesus was a priest. And Frodo because Frodo carries the Ring like Christ carried the Cross. The Ring is supposed to be sin, and Gollum isn't Judas so much as a representation of what happens to normal people when they become absorbed by sin, which is why Tolkien made Gollum a Hobbit who turned into Gollum. The Steward of Gondor is supposed to be like the Pope. Not the king, but simply a leader for the Church while the King is away. Eowyn and Arwen are both at different times the Virgin Mary, most obviously when Eowyn stabs the Witch-King in the head, much like Mary crushes the serpent's head. Lembas bread is the Eucharist, the Ainur (Maia and Valar) can be thought of as sort of angels, Melkor is Lucifer while Morgoth is Satan, and Sauron and other fallen Ainur are the fallen angels (demons). And the awesome thing is, unlike Narnia, these comparisons aren't always set in stone. For example Gandalf could be thought of as an angel since he's an Ainur I believe, but he could also be thought of as a priest. So the comparisons aren't like Aslan in Narnia, who is always Jesus and obviously so. The comparisons are much more complex and elaborate and subtle, which makes Lord of the Rings better than Narnia in my humble opinion. So yes, in summary, there's a LOT of comparison between LotR and Tolkien's faith. Not only by accident (although Tolkien did say it was by accident at first), Tolkien himself admitted he put those comparisons in purposefully.
@@hc-04 see I think the ring being a representation of sin is a little too much. I think the ring, as well as the creation of the Uruk-hai are meant as a representation of the impact of technology on war. The ring is devastating and shows how increasing technological capabilities of warfare can corrupt politicians while the common people who fight wars are the real casualties. The tearing down of all the natural things to create the Uruks is a representation of the rape of our planets natural resources and beauty in order to kill more of ourselves. Due to trench warfare in ww1 the ground was mangled and destroyed, artillery and mines are still being found from ww1 and ww2 today, and the demonization and portrayal of any country's "enemy" as less than human breeds hatred and resentment after wars are over and peace is trying to be reached. How many people today still say terrible things to modern Germans faces when as a society they have realized how horrific the acts of Hitler and the nazi regime was and their complicitenss in it and teach about it to never again follow the same ideology? There is Christian allegory for sure, but the heaviest allegory is of ww1 and the depression and ptsd that Tolkien himself faced, along with that of his friends.
@@josephcerasuolo3563 I disagree. Obviously WWI was a big influence in LotR but the Ring has nothing "technological" about it. It's literally just a Ring. It's only power is corrupting others (like sin). Your other points about the destruction of the world or whatever may possibly be valid but they have nothing to do with the Ring itself. The Ring is supposed to represent sin, because sin corrupts people in much the same way as the Ring. And just like Christ carried the weight of man's sin with the cross, so Frodo carries the Ring which represents sin. And once the Ring is destroyed, Sauron loses his power, just like once sin is defeated, Satan no longer has any power over us.
Fun fact this film turns 20 in around 3 weeks. I saw it for my 15th birthday on opening night. I started reading the books afterwards. Tolkien who was a linguist created 2 languages of Elvish, Sindarin and Quenya. He also created Dwarvish and Black Speech
Finally Jen will experience one of the best trilogies
The Best
20:45 Funny thing about this part is when you see Sean Bean with his hand on his forehead looking down, he’s actually looking at the paper he had written his lines down. I believe he was given his lines quite recently prior to shooting this scene so he taped his lines to his leg. This iconic scene also birthed thousands of memes over the years lmao
I freaking LOVE the extended editions but if I’m being honest, I think the best viewing order is theatrical first just because it’s a bit more digestible and then if you’re really into it by the end then dive into the extended editions. It’s also more fun that way bc you get all this extra content in between scenes the 2nd time through that fleshes out the world a bit more.
Agree but that would cause too much anger within the nerd-mob that insists the extended editions are bett0r in all teh wayz
I agree. I immediately said, “Poor Jen.” When I saw the title. I love the extended editions, but it’s not what you watch when you want to get someone into them.
Yep, definitely wouldn't have started a newbie on the extended cut.
@@danhalstead705 yup. There would def have been some backlash 😂
YOUR OPINION IS WRONG!
Frodo: “Take it, Gandalf!! I want you to have it!!”
Gandalf: “NOOOO TAKESIES BACKSIES, FRODO!!!!”
I have been waiting so long for yal to do this! And it's the extended edition the only way to really watch them. Hope Jen enjoys them.
Thanks for all the great videos 😁👍
Just a sidenote:
The power of the ring isnt dependabele of the race.
Smeagol and his cousin was a hobbit too and the ring got hold of them instantaniously.
It depends of the heart.
And bilbo, frodo and sam just has lesser desires the can use for itself.
It's worth noting though that Smeagol just wanted to keep the ring, he didn't try to use it to gain more power or conquer kingdoms, which is probably how he kept it so long.
Yes, this is about how I understand it too. The ring grabs hold of a person's ambitions and desires, amplifying them, and twisting them into a consuming need for the ring itself. To the affected the ring comes to represent the manifestation of their deepest desires, the most precious thing they can imagine. Because hobbits tend to be relatively content, benign, and have few if any aspirations, the ring needs more time to take root. There's more I'd like to write, but I feel like I'd be getting into spoiler territory.
Although they are very similar to Hobbits, smeagle and deagle were a slightly different race
Yea, as someone mentioned Smeagol was not a Hobbit, but one of the separate breeds of Hobbits with very different characteristics. There are bound to be variation within races as well, but generally speaking all Hobbits will be more resistant than other races - so the description is not inaccurate.
Though the run time can be intimidating for each movie, I think once Jen gets to know all of the different characters and each of their stories, she may consider herself a fan by the end of the series. The Lord of the Rings movies have such beautiful storytelling, cinematography and score throughout, along with characters who were perfectly casted, that you grow to love. It will always be one of my favorite movie series.
The series (books and movies) is always going to hold #1 top film/book ever
I felt exactly like the good lady before I watched FOTR. I actually waited until TT had been released on DVD before I bothered to sit down and watch the first one. When I actually watched it I was blown away. Went and read the books and became a huge lifelong fan.
Finally it’s here!!! The other franchise I’ve been waiting for Jen to react to, after Star Wars this is my favourite franchise! Love you guys! 🥰❤️
I am so excited for this reaction this franchise is my absolute favorite of all time!
7:58 ...I'm now imagining Gollum replacing Dobby in Harry Potter. It'd be amazing.
"Smeagol protects nice Potter, oh yes, precious. Nice Master is kind to Smeagol. Smeagol will always protect nice Master, oh yes."
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is my favourite film.
I was changed by these films.
I watched them so many times. Watched ALL 50+ hours of the special features more than once. It made me fall in love with cinema. I got two separate degrees in Film Studies because of these films.
Words can't cover how deeply these films have affected my life.
Gandalf is one of the Maiar a race of beings that assisted in the creation of Middle Earth.He was tasked to defeat Sauron and chose the appearance of an elderly man so that people would trust him and assist him with his task.
I’m so immersed in this stuff, it’s amazing to me someone can go their whole lives without seeing these popular culture movies. I guess it’s why I like watching their reactions.
"LIKE Harry Potter elves?" Such excitement in that little question.
OH MY GOD IT'S HAPPENING!!
YES FOR THE EXTENDED EDITION THAT'S THE ONLY WAY TO DO IT WOOOOOO
Jen will forget about X Men soon enough. Welcome to New Zeland.
So happy you're showing Jen this!
Gandalf is one of the Istari (wizards), five Maiar spirits sent to guide the people of Middle Earth.
There are further classifications(Istari-Maiar-Valar-Ainur...) but I'd argue it's not required to understand the basic story of LOTR
I could basically see Jen picturing Dobby in her dead when she said "like Harry Potter elves? " 😂❤️
I love how much of a film fan Holden is, it's so cool to see that he has the collector additions of both the Rami trilogy and Lord or the Rings.
The 5 Istari (wizards) are of the Maiar race, the same as Sauron, the Dark Lord. The Maiar are the servants of the Valar, who are basically the gods of Middle-Earth. When they came to Middle-Earth to aid the peoples there in their fight against Sauron, the wizards took the form of men.
I swear I had to do a double take at 13:42 when there was that Nazgul type scream and Jen had her mouth wide open 😂😂
That was so damn funny 🤣
I was watching for Jen’s reaction when Saruman’s Uruk Hai orc comes out of the mud.
I was not disappointed 😂
I had initially heard about the Fellowship from one of my friends. It was like this super epic show about dwarves, elves, wizards and hobbits. I tried to watch it twice. The slow pace of this first movie made my 16 year old self quit it. But I finished it eventually when the Two towers came out.... And I was hooked, ... 4-5 watches later, + books + audiobook + games. And it is, for me... the most epic story that was ever created + the the best book to screen production ever. The amount of Oscars that the third movie won made me cheer like I had won the Olimpics or something. Hope you get to enjoy it at least 10% as much as I, or other fans do.
Thanks Holden, been looking forward to this one!
If pacing is the issue I am hoping that The Two Towers will be more satisfying for Jen 👍
Pacing was not Tolkien's strong point.
Two Towers was where I stopped reading the books. They were just boring.
The movie handled it much better.
@@MrGBH pacing of the movies and pacing of the book are 2 different things
@@SamuelSaveli Uhhh, yes. Exactly the same as what I pointed out when I said the movie handled it much better.
The pacing of the non extended editions are definitely better I think its mistake showing a first time watch the extended editions.
@@MrGBH we are talking about movies here, not the books 😁🤷
Jen : "Elves are different from Dwarves? And Dwarves are different from Hobbits?"
Mark : "Yes."
Jen : *sighs heavily
I wish Narnia would get the treatment it deserves. The Disney movies weren't necessarily bad, but were well, not good. Narnia would probably do better as a series, since the casting would change a lot, and it's definitely more episodic, no HUGE BATTLES ending every novel.
I get Tolkien's angle, where the Christian elements should be undertones, not overtones, but also respect CS Lewis for his blatancy.
The first Narnia was pretty sweet. The second one dispersed a bit, but I dug it. Haven't seen the third.
@@Rorujin The third is surprisingly decent. I enjoyed it the most of the all 3.
The first one felt like it was going to be good at the start, and the casting was solid, it just meandered a lot. We need a labor of love.
@@sydhamelin1265 Perhaps... It's been a while since I've seen it, but I remember the special effects were amazing (specially the practical ones... Indeed they were done by WETA) and the final battle is pretty awesome.
@@Rorujin Tilda Swinton really stole the show in the first one as well.
The BBC did a version back in the 80s or 90s that I used to love when I was a kid. Definitely has no aged well though.
One of my favourite scenes which is very underrated in most reactions on youtube is when they are gathered in rivendell and boromir questions aragorns importance, Legolas defends Aragorn stating that he is Isildurs heir, showing his loyalty.
Jen - many of today's 'fantasy' style movies, games, etc. are derived from Lord of the Rings in some way. To answer the question about what a Wizard is I would refer you to the 'Nerd of the Rings' channel. Very good, and relatively concise, explanations on many topics.
I know Jen thinks this series isn’t for her, but I really hope she actively pays attention. If she watches and gives it a chance, I think she will love it!
Yuss, been waiting for this one.
Jen being up front in the beginning of "this might not be up my alley, everyone likes and dislikes other things" is awesome, because thats exactly right, a lot of us might love LotR to death, but she might not and thats absolutely fine, at least shes giving it a go, yknow? and no fault to her if she doesnt end up enjoying it, though i do think shell come around by the end, the first movie is the slow one with not a whole lot going on.
I WILL say though, Holden, i think you screwed up a little bit, i would NEVER recommend a newbie watch the EXTENDED versions on first viewing, i freaking LOVE LotR, but i can still admit that the extended versions add so much pointless fluff into it that doesnt actually add to the story in a meaningful way, and can, and often does, make it a more dull watch for newbies. Theatrical release on first viewing, THEN extended if they liked it.
I just started rewatching these. Jen I hope you enjoy them, cause these movie are such a masterpiece of cinema! Love these videos, they always are so fun and enjoyable to watch!
“Look, Forged in Fire!”
Jen-“I love that show!”
Further proof that Holden has hit the life lottery. I don’t suppose that Jen has a cousin who’s just like her but single? Asking for a friend…ok that’s a lie!
The very subtle editing to make it sound Ike the narrator is saying “the smoking of weed” 😂
This woman is too dense for these movies. Stick to children's movies like Potter.
Im so happy your finally onto this trilogy, imo best trilogy of all time. Everything is near if not perfect and I watch them every few months with my family as a tradition. Hobition holds a special place in my heart and ill always consider it home for me, so much so that I cry whenever I hear the flute at the start
19:10 - Gandalf is a member of is a Maiar (a type of angelic spirit) who takes the form of an old man; he is not just a old man who has magic like Dumbledore.
I put the extended trilogy from time to time, especially when I'm writing. I love listening to the music, the dialogue. A fantastic trilogy!
20:00 “he said he said the thing” lmfao Holden you’re such a man of culture
I have been waiting for this!!! I thank you
Holden - "Forged in Fire, am I right?"
Jen - "Oh, I love that show."
I really liked Jen, but now I love her!!!
13:44 😂😂😂 Jen is yawning at the same time there is the screeching sound of Nazgul. It felt like she was making the noise. The timing was impeccable. Hilarious 😂😂🤣
The content you guys are bringing out is insane 👏🏻 can’t wait to see Jens reaction to Return Of The King
At 13:43 the screeching is synced perfectly with Jen yawning lol
Gandalf is an Istari (or Wizard), one of the 5 sent over to Middle-earth by the Valar, to aid Elves, Men and Dwarves in their struggles against evil forces.
Haven't watched the vid yet, just opened it.
YES YES YES YES! This is the series I was waiting for!
So excited to see her reaction.
I have been waiting for you guys to watch this. The most epic story ever!
You guys are by far my favorite react channel. I love watching you guys!!
The drunk who beltched in the Hobbit's faces was Peter Jackson.
This is what I've been waiting for!!!
Thank god you chose the extended edition! The experience is so much better, and it ties in a lot of things that enhances the story :D
Man, I’m so damn exited for this series!! Thank you… this is the beginning of a long and beautiful journey!
You gotta be like a very specific kind of nerd to love Lord of the Rings. Couldn't ever get into it in my first and second watches but learned to appreciate how influential it has been to current cinema. Can't wait to see Jen's reaction to Gollum.
Tolkien released a book I read, it's called something like " the lore if middle earth and it explains why Gandalf the grey dies and is reborn stronger as Gandalf the white. He belongs to the illuvitar, a race celestial beings sent to live amongst them as basically guardians whose main job is to help keep balance in the world. Members other then Gandalf include Elrond, Sauroman the white, and lady Galadriel. Also each one has a separate divine task they are given, Elrond was tasked to make sure sauron Was defeated and the ring destroyed to balance the scales of good and evil. When he failed, that task moved to Gandalf. I believe it also says sauron had been a member of the illuvitar and I can't remember why he turned evil. He did later corrupt Sauroman. The ring is regarded as a possessed item he eludes the type of magic used is blood magic basically so when he his finger was severed his soul was bound to the ring, so it became like a horacrux from Harry Potter. Biggest difference is the ring is fully sentient where in Harry Potter the only sentient horacrux is Tom riddle's diary, since it could write back to him, and answer questions and show him the memory. It's a very interesting book. I think he als released book with the full languages like elvish, dwarven, others that he created; and one on all the animals of middle earth. Strangely in that book he goes into the origins of monsters that are not in the books or movies. He made them up as additional beings, creatures, ect but some of them he later felt were either to evil or didn't think they really belonged it the world. He had originally removed the balrog because he felt as a demonic titan it would of been destroyed a long time ago and wiped out by the illuvitar but he put it back in because he needed Gandalf to one display his celestial powers, and two he needed Gandalf to make a noble sacrifice to be able to be gifted more celestial strength as Gandalf the white. Crazy thing is he gets a new body since his last one was too badly damaged after the battle, but he retains most of his memories when his soul is put into his new body.
Ooooh I'm so excited for this series!!! Sidenote, Jen's hair looks amazing in this video!
I just discovered a few weeks ago that the Extendeds were on digital. My life is complete.
I can’t express with words how much I want Jen to like this lmao
It's not looking good so far. She seemed bored and frustrated
Been waiting for this series for a long time :)
I've been watching your videos for over 2 weeks now and I love it and this was the movie series i wanted to see
Elvish is based on old Scandinavian. The best example of this language is in the a song collection called the Kalevala witch is still taught in Finish schools. The Kalevala is so massive however, that only a portion of the songs have been preserved throughout history.
"are dwarves different from elves? which are different from hobbits??" "oh yeah" "sigh" .. lmao
Fun facts: Christopher Lee actually met J.R.R. Tolkien in person, and read all of his Middle Earth Books once a year.
Viggo's first day as Aragorn was the scene where he fought the Nazgul!
In terms of casting, over 2000 actors auditioned for the role of Frodo, including the actor who ended up playing Mary!
Nicolas Cage was going to play the role the role of Aragorn, but was forced to drop out due to family reasons. Russell Crowe was approached for the role also, but he declined due to the fact that he found the role too similar to Gladiator!