Lord Of The Rings: The Return of the King / Part 1 /Movie Series Reaction

Thing is, Denethor reject of Aragorn doesn't come from ambition, it come from bitterness. The movie make it look like Sauron woke up a few years ago. But in reality, Gondor fought an impossible battle for almost a century a this point. And they were slowly grinded down as they were fighting a literal God able to constantly pop troops. Kinda like these game where there is no victory, you just keep fighting until you die and your score depend how long you survived. Except here it's for real and people die when you fail. During all this time, they were royally ignored by elve and dwarves, and even other men. And the king was camping in some elven wood. Denethor started to use the Palantir to get intel in his war, but like Saruman he fell under Sauron's influence. While Saruman switched Side, Denethor managed to resist, but it grinded down his sanity. And now, after a century, when Gondor has litteraly be grinded to its last leg and Denethor lost everything, you have Gandalf just popping and claim "hey, you kinda suck at that, so i'm gonna remind you to do your job, and i bring the camping guy to replace you" Yeah, not surprising that Denethor is angry.

a bit late, but one thing about Denethor is he's bitter. It's not shown in the movie, but the gondor spent DECADES fighting against a litteral god, slowly losing strengh, lives, energy, in the hope of resisting a few more days. And during this time, nobody else moved. Rohan did nothing. Elves did nothing or even left. Dwarves did nothing but to try to enrich themselves. The king lived its live in the forest or with the elfs. Denethor gave his whole life to contains the threat, it wasn't sufficient so he gaves his sanity too (by using the palantir), and then he gaves his son. And now suddenly, where everything is already lost, Gandalf arrive, tell him he sucks at his job, and give him order while preparing his replacement. Yeah, i would be angry too.

Obligatory apology for my comment as I am sure it will be long. 1:14 Please tell me how you liked the books! 2:30 I LOVE that Peter Jackson included this scene of Smeagol! Gave Andy a chance to actually SHOW his face as the character for once. Andy didn’t believe it would make the final cut of the film when Peter told him to direct it himself. Good for you Andy Serkis! I am so glad you knew it was him immediately, btw. That made me happy! It took less time with these “Hobbits” because it was over 300 years ago and they are River-hobbits. Not like the Shire-hobbits. 11:33 Uraeus’ (I think he had Uraeus here, anyway) gait here is mesmerizing. I sometimes re-watch this bit just because I like watching that horse’s steps. 13:44 OMG! How have I not noticed Legolas’ big smile here before! Ty for pointing it out! 14:05 Treebeard is the oldest thing alive under the sun. To him Gandalf would seem young. 16:42 Funny thing is, we never get to see Viggo as Aragorn sitting on the throne of Gondor. Like physically. WHY DIDN’T THEY AT LEAST TAKE A PICTURE!!! LIKE MY GOD! 19:22 In the book, this plays out VERY differently. But it is impossible to fit what is done in the book into this film. I hope you read the books so I don’t have to explain “the Scouring of the Shire” On another note. Peter Jackson tried to tell Chris Lee to scream when he got stabbed but Chris cut him off saying, “Do you know what sound a human makes when they get stabbed in the back? Well, I do. It’s a sort of gasp. As the air is being driven from your body.” Proceeds to do a very convincing gasp. Peter didn’t argue. Because Chris sounded like someone who has either seen someone get stabbed in the back or has actually stabbed someone in the back. In the war. Which is crazy… Chris Lee was a legend. 22:45 the poor girl has what we all have. Infatuation. I mean, he’s gorgeous! 32:24 “Aragorn, you’re not helping.” Most accurate statement ever. But he genuinely does care about her. Just platonically. He is too good to not make sure she’s comfortable. The dream she describes was actually one Faramir had. It’s a dream that Tolkien himself had recurredly and he put it in his story. 33:55 Apparently these two were not in the same room together and they filmed their parts months apart. Legolas on location (which might’ve been a bluescreen, let’s be honest) then Aragorn on a blue screen overlaid into the scene. 34:44 It’s a Palantir. It doesn’t have the same effect as the Ring per se. Pippin is just overly curious. 44:07 I love this little bit. I don’t know how to explain it. But the fact that her choice was swayed to what her heart really wanted because she knew there was to be a child and she saw him, is just beautiful. In her heart she always wanted to stay. If she had left, she would have regretted it forever. She would not have had a happy life. 46:40 ABOUT FRICKIN TIME! Something that happens in Rivendell in the Fellowship finally gets done in the RotK movie. 49:37 Just how Tolkien described it in his book! This was a miniature they built and that is why it looks so garsh darn good! 50:43 This line my family quotes all the time. “To give him news of his beloved son’s death would be most unwise. And do not mention Frodo or the Ring. And say nothing of Aragorn either. In fact, it’s better if you don’t speak at all, Peregrin Took.” 53:47 This is VERY subtle. But the line, “I have seen more than you know.” implies that he has a Palantir and has looked in it. This happens in the books. And it’s why he goes insane and why he treats Faramir so badly. 59:27 They got this so right! This alone brings tears to my eyes after reading the book, holy cow! 1:17:33 RIGHT! How can they do that? Making lighting fires epic! 1:21:25 My heart breaks for Faramir here every time. The look on his face! He just wanted to hold out in the hopes of victory so he wouldn’t have to go to his father in defeat. But because of how good a captain he is, he knows the right thing to do is get the surviving men to safety. Even if it means facing his father. Even over him letting Frodo and Sam and Gollum go when the law is to bind them and bring them to the Steward. 1:23:18 The music, the visuals, the VOICE! I LOVE THIS GANDALF MOMENT! It’s so good! 1:28:35 This hurts me physically! Poor Faramir! He just wants his father’s respect and love. 1:35:22 “my lord” not “my father” Faramir is trying so hard to talk sense into him. But when Denethor asks if there is a captain here who will do his lord’s will, it’s either Pippin he will send out, or Faramir. Faramir volunteers. He’s too good for this world. 1:35:40 This kills my heart every time! As a 15 year old when I first watched this, I didn’t understand this scene. Rewatching it as a 25 year old, I literally bawled my eyes out for Faramir. 1:42:00 that whole sequence doesn’t happen in the book. They don’t separate. 1:46:00 This whole sequence makes me cry so much! Billy Boyd sings like an angel! The eerie silence and the orchestra barely aiding Pippin’s singing halfway through. Ah, it’s so good! 1:51:55 I mean, he’s right. Men are the best suited for fighting. 1:54:15 She is having a hard time dealing with the darkness that spreading over Middle-Earth now that she is mortal. 1:56:30 I know this is not how it happens in the books, but I don’t care who you are, this is epic! 1:58:05 Time to break Eowyn’s heart! Oh no! Poor Eowyn. 1:58:35 In other words “You are in love with a dream (fantasy, if you will)” 2:00:52 I literally can’t explain why, but this scene has always hit me a bit hard. Especially after Bernard Hill (Theoden) passed away. I get moved to tears more often than not. 2:03:53 Your face! I can’t!!! 2:10:42 Only Aragorn can physically touch them. At least in the movie. In the book, no one can. They just make men mad with terror. They made all the men jump off the boats in the book. Then Aragorn released them before taking the boats to Minas Tirith. 2:12:41 This is a fun watch behind the scenes.

Just got to the end and glad you decided to read the books. The movies are amazing but the books are a complete masterpiece. Forget that comment I left on the first movie, yesterday!

I believe in the Tolkien's lore, since Gandalf is part of the order of the Maiar (essentially angelic-like beings that helped the Valar in the creation of the world) he was only allowed to use his power against either other Maiar or against immortals and was forbidden to use his power in order to interfere with the events of the natural world. That is why you see him using his powers against Saruman, the Balrog (who was also considered Maiar even though it was corrupted by Morgoth), or in the riding scene, against the Nazgul - while they are not Maiar, they are immortal because of their Rings of Power.

I subscribed here on Patreon after watching part of your first edited reaction on YouTube to the Fellowship of the Ring, because watching these with you has made me feel the same magic I first felt when I watched all of these in the theater. They came out while I was in high school, and they have remained a piece of me ever since. You are very perceptive and you pick up on a lot of key details and connections between characters and places, more than almost any other person I've seen reacting to these films on social media. Your genuine appreciation and fascination for the brilliance of not only Tolkien's masterpiece within the story itself, but Peter Jackson's exceptional directing, gives me indescribable joy. The vastness of Middle-earth and Tolkien's universe goes FAR beyond what you can probably imagine. If you ever have a question about any character, place, or thing mentioned in the story and want to know how it connects to everything else, I would highly recommend you check out the Encyclopedia of Arda: https://www.glyphweb.com/arda

I love these videos! One small note about the beacons, they weren’t lit across the entirety of middle earth, it’s only one line that connects Rohan and Gondor, as those were the only two remaining great realms of men at that point, they had an alliance and that’s also all that was left lol These reactions are so good I got Patreon just for this series!

I'm not sure if I remember it well, but Faramir's mother got sick after giving birth to him and died when he was five. Denethor probably blamed him for this.

Loving these LoTR reactions, your analysis is always on point! Just wanted to point out though, the ghosts are not tangible to anyone but Aaragorn, the king of Gondor. Legolas shoots an arrow that flys directly through one of their heads. The ghost was surprised to actually be touched because he thought "the line was broken". Thats also why the king of Gondor is the only one who can release them from their curse as well. Somewhere down the line many years ago they betrayed their oaths to a King of Gondor and were cursed to live on as spirits ever since.

From what I can tell, Gandalf chooses only to use his power when the enemy uses similar power. Old or unworldly magic. Against the Balrog, or Saruman, or the Nazgul, or Sauron. Otherwise he just uses it for minor conveniences, like a light in the dark or fireworks for the children. Basically, he's trying to prepare the humans to deal with their own problems on their own, but sees the other beings like him as more his problem than the humans. Like a father that teaches his to stand up to bullies, but will step in if the bully's parents get involved.

The Palantir (The round globe) is nothing more than a communication device that originally belonged to the Elves and Numenorians (men), but Sauron took at least one and uses his will to manipulate the fears of others.

"Gondor calls for aid." "And Rohan will answer!" I swear...Sam is my favorite character - but Theoden has the most epic lines. I love him so much 🧡

Seeing you getting teary eyed when the beacon were lit was so sweet🥹 this is why I love these movies sooo much! Each scene can make you cry out of joy, happiness, sadness, hope and just the beautiful scenery with the music🥹 so nice to watch these movies with you🤗

The beacons scene followed by the mustering of the Rohirrim is just fantastic

if you can listen to Gandalf all day, you could almost also say you can read Tolkien all day!

Doh! 2 parts I see—the 1st part at the tail end of November and the 2nd one in December? Now you got me paying for 2 months for RoTK instead of just one. Lol! Well played!!

Pretty sure the Arwen fate tied to the ring is just the Director & writers telling the audience that her fate like everyone else's is relying on the ring being destroyed. Not that if Sauron gets it she drops dead on the spot... by choosing Aragorn & staying in Middle Earth she is no longer connected to the star giving her immortality. & this scene is Aragorn learning that fact about her.. Would of been cringe for Elrond to say "you must destroy the ring or Arwen will die" they just jazzed it up a bit

I don't blame you for being confused about the "Arwen is dying because ring" crap. It's a stupid and confusing thing that the filmmakers made up to raise the stakes. They obviously put very little thought into it, hence the predictable confusion. These morons thought they could mindlessly throw this shit in a meticulously crafted lore and somehow audiences would just swallow it... but in every single reaction I have seen, live or here on YT, people are confused, just as we were in theaters 20 years ago. It's stupid. In a trilogy that for me is basically perfect, this is one of the very flaws. Thankfully it's a silly thing ultimately.

Delighted to hear that you plan to read the books. Please consider doing videos about them too! How they differ from the films, what significance you see in the whole mythology, Tolkien’s prose style... “Thus came Aragorn son of Arathorn, Elessar, Isildur's heir, out of the Paths of the Dead, borne upon a wind from the Sea to the kingdom of Gondor; and the mirth of the Rohirrim was a torrent of laughter and a flashing of swords, and the joy and wonder of the City was a music of trumpets and a ringing of bells.”

For a little bit of insight, Sofie - Professor Tolkien seems to have based the great city of Minas Tirith upon "Byzantine" Constantinople at its height, c. 9th - 11th centuries AD, with its massive walls. Likewise, the system of warning beacon-fires (so majestically shown in the movie!!) also draws from the same idea of beacons on mountain-tops used to warn Byzantine Anatolia against Muslim invasions during the same period.

Re Arwen and your lore queries. Arwen's character is exaggerated from the books, in quite a few ways. I won't spoil if you intend to read them. I think others have explained about Elronds line being able to choose mortality so effectively she is dying from the moment she made that choice due to being mortal. Her fate is only tied to the ring in the same way everyone elses. If Sauron wins, they are all probably going to be dead, she can no longer go to the Undying Lands and will be fated as all others on middle earth. The films basically bloated this out to make it sound like she specifically was dying in that moment, and her life was intimately tied to the ring unlike others. This isn't the case so there is nothing about it in the books.

Part 2 coming today? 🙂

When is the second part will be dropped off?

A few of years ago, Ian McKellen came to my local theatre to perform a one man show. There were anecdotes, plenty on the history of Shakespeare (as well as some readings) and, most enjoyably for me, he performed some of his scenes as Gandalf. To get to see the character that had brought me so much joy brought to life thirty feet from where I sat was an incredible experience. He really is the most amazing actor but what came across the most when seeing him live was just the natural warmth he has. It’s what sets him apart from so many other classically trained actors because I don’t think it’s something you can teach - it’s just an inate quality he has.

Going to rep again, with hope against hope for a reaction to the behind the scenes. :D Loved this so much.

Smeagol was originally a stoorish Hobbit. They were heavier and broader in build than the other Hobbits, and had large hands and feet. Among the Hobbits, the Stoors most resembled Men and were most friendly to them. Stoors were the only Hobbits who normally grew facial hair.

It's hard to explain, but just watching rewatching this trilogy is a magical experience.

You asked, is Sauron an elf, or a wizard? Sauron is one of the volar. The spirits of Middle Earth that govern all magic. The gods of Middle Earth in a sense. Sauron turned evil and then sought to rule.

Since you made the comment about how Ian McKellen, the actor who plays Gandalf conveys so much with his eyes, I hope you will check out this video that is about that very subject. It’s a fairly short YouTube video that is titled How Ian McKellan Acts with His Eyes. And while he has been in many movies, and is in fact, one of England’s top Shakespearean actors, this video focuses on how he played Gandalf. https://youtu.be/TzLXHViyW7I?si=WKomxR2vDJ6LVbDW

My Lore-OCD is ticking in AGAIN. Sorry 'bout that feel free to ignore me if you like. The exchange between Legolas and Gimli about war finding Gimlis' Kinsmen as well is a hint on the fact that the part of this war we are seeing is just a the most important bit to the story of it. It is not completely explored in the books but Tolkien explained that, among others, there was fighting between the free people and the various servants and vassals of Sauron across middle earth. Various Dwarf-Holds are defending against Cave Orc/Goblin forces, other independent Human states are engaged elsewhere and there are skirmishes in other parts of Gondor and its Vassals (a concept explored further in the books, Minas Tirith is essentially the place of the overlord of various human thiefdoms which collectively make up the "Realms of Gondor". Also the Elves of the Woodland realms, Legolas' own people under his Father King Thranduil are quite busy sticking arrows in Orcs and the Elves of Lothlorien (Galadriels' place) are busy defending their own boarders even after the defeat of Isengard. Thats the in-world explanation why there isn't a host of a couple thousand Dwarves and Elves enroute to help kick Saurons butt. Its also a mirror of the conflict Lord of the Rings is an allegory to. I think someone already mentioned that this is to a good part J.R.R. Tolkien working though his lived experiences during WW1, which also was a conflict we mostly hear about in terms of Germany invading France, but extended well beyond that.

Once again I am compelled by a LOTR reaction do do my lore-bit on our four hobbits: The four lads are essentially three hobbit "nobles" and a gardener they happen to enjoy hanging out with. Peregrin Took is a member of the Took-Clan, they were a big part in the founding of the shire and establishment if it as a "country" under the protection of the now fallen kingdom of Arnor. They own a large plot of land called Tookland with a HUGE estate called the Great Smails, imagine An interconnected collection of Hobbit-Holes that spans a collection of hills. Its basically a small hobbit-town on its own, owned by the family and the surrounding farmland. All with Farm-Hands and other employees. So thats why Pippin has never done a "hard days work", hes a nepo-baby xD. Their family has also held the (these days purely ceremonial) title of Shire-Thain, a outside representative of the Shire and leader of the Shire Militia (which at this point in time does not actually exist) for 18 generations. Meriadoc Brandybuck is the direct descendant of the current master of Buckland. Buckland is an exclave of the Shire, settled across the river Brandywine and an independent Territory governed by Merrys' family for generations. Brandybucks are, on average, more adventurous than other Hobbits and have more contact with the "big folk" than most Shire-Hobbits. Merry has also never in his life done a "hard days work". Frodo Baggins is, after his adoption from his "uncle" (actually his fathers cousin) Bilbo, the heir to Bag End, which makes him again fairly wealthy for a hobbit. Bag End itself comes with a good chunk (for hobbits) of grounds that are tended by the Gamgee family for at least two generations, making Sam, at the time of the start of the journey, Frodos employee. So in essence we have three nepo-babies who took a liking to a lowly gardener and made him part of their social circle. Mind you, hobbits do not really thing of it in that way to the extent a human would, as you already noticed that ownership over land and people and political power are not REALLY a big deal in Hobbit-Culture. But it puts the worry-free life they all have willingly left behind into perspective. It also tells you that Merry and Pippin stealing crops from the farmer in the first movie is a bit of a dick-move on them and 100% pure boredom and youth shenanigans.

I’m glad to hear that you are planning to get the books. I always love hearing when the movies inspire people to read the books. You might want to consider the audio version of the books. If it is all possible, it is really nice to be able to both read and hear the audio version. And a new version of the audiobooks came out in the last couple of years, which is narrated by Andy Serkis, the actor who played Gollum. He is such an excellent voice actor that he is a real joy to hear him bring the books to life. Plus, you can enjoy the audiobooks when you have other things to do and might not have the time to just sit and read.

Sauron is like a fallen angel. Once upon a time there a powerful "angel" or valar as they are called in this story called Morgoth. Morgoth is like a Satan figure. He lead a type of rebellion for a group of the valor against Eru Ilúvatar (God). One of the valar who followed Morgoth was Sauron. Morgoth was eventually defeated but Sauron continued his own agenda. All of the wizards are also valar but much lower ranking than Morgoth or Sauron. The Balrog was another one of the valar who followed Morgoth. Gandalf and the Balrog were about equivalent rank.

One of the few knocks to this top 3 award winning film is it's failure to show how Denethor held off Sauron when a Maiar such as Saruman succombed.

The thing with Gandalf is that he is just supposed to be a guide, but will use his powers when dealing with supernatural beings like the nazgul/ring wraiths and the balrog.

All Hail Theoden King

Came for LotR, stayed for Safae.

Kept refreshing the page until I saw this posted!!! Can’t wait for part 2!!!!

When part 2??? Do you will the Hobbits films also? They are wow

To answer a question you had near the end, Sauron is a Maia, essentially a fallen 'angel' to give it a real world equivalent, he is the same type of being as Gandalf and the Balrog.

Will part 2 be out over the weekend too?

Awesome! Thank you for posting this tonight! NOW that the trilogy is over, you should definitely consider watching the documentaries that go behind the scenes about the making of this trilogy... fascinating to see the depth and passion behind it. See playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRzqXH8K0HzFqmf0D5dtqZIVVVwxaWVVh

Woohoo! Here we go!

Yay!

Yeeeeeah oh my god - my pizza was just delivered and now your reaction to LOTR - this evening couldn't get any more perfect ♥