The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | First Time Watching! | Movie REACTION! 

Thanks to Boromir's mishandling of the sword, all museum displays are behind glass now.

"3 hours? How do you justify that?" *3 hours later "I wanna watch it again, right now!"

The deepest cave in Australia was named Khazad-Dum by the person who discovered it - obviously a Tolkien freak.

Your enthusiasm was wonderful! To answer your question, My father read “The Hobbit” aloud when I was 11 and my brother was 7. It was a family tradition to read aloud at the beach, where there was no TV in those days. A year later I read LOTR in my father’s fine hardcovers. Flash forward to 2001. When I took my 73-year-old dad to see this in the theater, he commented afterward, “It’s so good to have lived long enough to see this made into a perfect movie.” And he lived long enough to see the others with me, too.

Lady was a joy to watch her reactions, And Dude gets props for keeping a pretty good poker face and just letting Lady experience it without putting his own spin on it ☮️🏆

Sindarin (the main Elvish language) feels like an actual language because it is. Tolkien started developing it modeling it after Welsh and then for the movies another linguist, David Salo worked it out more, so that it became almost a functional language. Fun fact: Liv Tyler (Arwen) is fluent in it to this day. Another Elvish language, older and less used, mainly for ceremonial occasions (almost like an Elvish Latin) is Quenya, you hear it only a few times in the movies, it was based on Finnish. The Dwarves' language, Khuzdul has only a few words established in canon because according to the lore they keep their language secret, they very rarely speak it in front of others. It is Semitic in structure resembling closely languages like Hebrew and Arabic. The only Khuzdul phrase that others hear often is their battle cry: Barukh Khazad! Khazad ai-menu! = Axes of the Dwarves, the Dwarves are upon you! You'll also hear a bit of the language of Rohan, for which they used Old English in the movies. The Black Speech of Mordor is a language developed in lore by Sauron, but Orcs being rather stupid can't really learn it, they speak a debased form of it mixed with words of Westron, the common Mannish tongue (English in the book/movies). There are very few words known, mainly the inscription of the ring: Ash nazgh durbatuluk Ash nazgh gimbatul Ash nazgh thrakatuluk Agh burzum-ishi krimpatul. As for the music, it is probably the best movie soundtrack of all time, Howard Shore's absolute masterpiece. I teach musical illustration (essentially film music) to Digital Media majors at a university and this soundtrack makes out a large part of the curriculum.

7:10 I love that Bilbo, at his own birthday, chose to tell stories to the kids. It's not like they would make him play babysitter at his own party; he *wanted* to tell them stories :)

You know how, when you read a book, you envision what things look like, then you see a movie adaptation, and you're disappointed that it looks different from how you imagined? Well, I had my imaginings of the Lord of the Rings and the famous paintings by the Hildebrandt brothers shaping my expectations, and Peter Jackson's movies looked different from what I expected, but instead of being disappointed, I thought "I had it wrong. THIS is what it should look like!" I can't remember any other movie adaptation of a book that I thought looked truer to the book than what I imagined while reading the book.

Aragorn took Boromir's bracers and put them on as a reminder of his promise to Boromir to not let the White City fall or their people fail. They formed a strong kinship and they grew to admire and love each other as brothers in arms. Boromir was a phenomenal man.

The 20 minutes of credits at the end of "Fellowship" included everybody that had been involved in the fan website that was launched when the movie series was announced. Anyone that took part in online discussions was given the opportunity to have their name listed. I was one of those fans. I won tickets to the Fellowship premiere in Orlando,Fl. I have a 18" replica statue of Gandalf that I won on-line. I have a replica "Sting" sword that looks like and is as heavy as a real sword. But when you slide a switch, it glows blue and hums! I also have polystone statues of Golem and Smeagol, The Argonath and Minas Tirith. My wife an I attended a LOTR marathon when the "Return of the King" was released. It included the Extended editions of the first two movies as well. It started @ 9:30 am, included meals & breaks between the movies and movie related giveaways. It ended the next morning at 1:30 am... and 10 years later we did the "Hobbit" movies at the same theater the same way!!!

Fun fact : When Aragorn is fighting the Uruk-Hai leader, the uruk throws a knife and Aragorn deviates it with his sword. That wasn't supposed to happen, the knife should have been thrown much to the side but the stunt guy mised his shot so Viggo Mortensen deflected it it with his sword out of pure reflex. Peter Jackson (director) loved that shot so much he decided to keep it.

Elvish is an actual language, Tolkien was a professor of linguistics at Oxford university. He made languages and then basically wrote books to feature the languages he made. I am sure other people have said this lol, but good to know.

Not surprised this so often reminded you of D&D. The creators were heavily inspired by Lord of the Rings.

Extended Editions going forward. They’re the only movies where it’s absolutely non-negotiable. 😂

Boromir’s last stand never ceases to impress me. I had a guy I worked with in college get me into bow-building and man, real war-bows are scary! An English longbow with heavy draw weight hits with more energy than a .44 magnum at close range. The fact that it took three arrows to take that man down makes him an absolute beast!

"Is that the first time they dropped this music?" Yes, that is the "Fellowship theme". Notice that after Gandalf dies, we never hear the theme in its complete form again.

What utterly amazes me everytime I watch any of the trilogy movies is the incredible *subtility* of some of the effects. The scaling of the characters is nothing short of astonishing. Everytime I see him, I find it so hard to believe that John Rhys Davies - Gimili - is actually one of the tallest members of the cast at 6' 2".

Viggo was actually a fantastic swordsman for these movies. Bob Anderson, the master of arms, the fight choreographer, who had a 50year career training actors for combat scenes, said that Viggo was the best he'd ever trained. So skilled was Viggo that he was allowed to perform all of his combat stunts, and use a real sword instead of a foam replica.

I know it may seem daunting but you really should see the extended editions going forward. None of it is bad and some of it is actually quite important to the plot. Some things might not make sense if you haven't read the books and one character just isn't in the third movie at all, in the theatrical version.

LOTR is the basis for pretty much all modern fantasy, you see its influence everywhere in movies and games and D&D especially. One of the reasons why it’s so beloved by so many.

One thing I don't see people mention is when Sam follows Frodo and almost drowns. I always notice Frodo's reaction, because we know from the book that Frodo's parents drowned in a boating accident, so watching Sam go underwater like that must have been terrifying. (Idk if Peter Jackson and Elijah Wood took that into account for that moment, but I wouldn't be surprised)

They are who central casting sends over when you say you need a “wholesome and charming couple” for your next film. So fun and refreshing watching these two.

Absolutely amazing to see a D&D player finally watching all the things they imagined while playing perfectly and lovingly presented in film. That made this particular reaction special.

Enjoy the magnificent lore of LOTR ❤

That is a perfectly summerized description of this trilogy: it's endlessly rewatchable

I am amazed how many people conclude after the ferry scene that Nazgul are afraid of the water in general. Ringwraith didn't want to jump with the horse onto the ferry, because it would tip over and they are clad in armour. Combined with chainmail it is really heavy - if you fall into water with it, you're going straight to the bottom. Who knows how many medieval knights and men-at-arms drowned in rivers and lakes during all those battles.

FYI- the stone Trolls are mentioned in the Extended version. Background of the Hobbits and all the gifts that Galadriel gave to the Fellowship are also highlighted. Worth the watch!

Part of what makes these movies so good is that they were all shot at once. They were released 1 year apart each, but they were filmed all in one go. Lots of sequels are made, and unfortunately ruined, because the first one is successful, and then the sequel tries to pander to the fandom. For example, making a character do too much or something out of character in a sequel because that character was especially liked. These movies are continuous, well written, you can tell there is a story to be told throughout all the movies, and the care and passion put into them is astounding. All movie adaptations can’t 100% be accurate to the books, so there are some changes, but these are still very faithful to the books, so much so, that even lore purist don’t really complain about the changes. It’s just amazing.

It will always astonish and impress me, how of ALL the world's Directors/Producers/Crew(s), it was Sir Jackson and 'Party' who got handed the reins of this amazing Saga, and then created what has to be the most respectful, most impressive story/film possible. I cannot imagine anyone else pulling this feat, now!

The more I re-watch the trilogy, the more amazed I am at the brilliance of its conception. The idyllic tone set at the onset by the innocence and simplicity of the Shire, for example. The finest films ever made, IMHO.

Luckily it is impossible to "overstate" how good this Trilogy is, everyone is more than impressed when they watch for the first time, it always "exceeds" expectations.

There is a famous quote that may apply here, "don't meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger". I could counter that with another one, "don't meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and tasty with a bit of ketchup".

Excellent reaction. Him for staying quiet and not spoiling, and her for hitting all the beats. 👏 But I agree, extended editions for the next two.

The extended editions are they way to go if you enjoyed it that much. Pretty much all the fantasy movies of the 80s are worth watching. Willow, legend, dark crystal to name a few

Yes! Watch the extended edition and break them into 2 parts. It seems to be easier. Loved your reaction. More please! Like tomorrow?

I’m not sure what’s better: seeing the reaction of someone watching for the first time, or the excitement of the person who’s seen it before, just waiting to show the other all the things they enjoy about this movie. Well done!

"Endlessly Rewatchable" truer words have never been spoken

The extended version explains things so much better, especially boromir

She is so cleaver. She immediately realized how important Sam was to this story.

These books are the reason for D&D (despite legal filings to the contrary in Tolkien estate lawsuits. For instance, "He looks just like a halfling in D&D!" LOL They're called "halflings" because they got sued for calling them Hobbits.) People wanted to continue playing and adventuring in Middle Earth, and from war gaming RPGs were born, the progenitors of today's MMOs and first person shooters. Tolkien transformed literature and transformed the fantasy genre by being the first to attempt a cohesive fictional mythology. This paved the way for modern fandom, which mythologizes all sorts of franchise canons, across many genres now. I think Marvel, in particular, has an exceptional pantheon. Star Trek, likewise, built notable heroic epics with its series and films. And Star Wars split the difference between a full pantheon and heroic cycles, being based itself upon the heroic journey as described by Joseph Campbell's studies in comparative mythology. Many online book communities and literary organizations gave The Lord of the Rings trilogy The Book of the Millennium, for having the most profound influence on human philosophy and metaphysics since the Arthurian Grail myths.

“It feels like a real language” That’s because it actually is. Tolkien was fascinated with language and created several fully functional languages and even sub dialects for this universe. Some of the more diehard fans out there actually speak these languages. The first time you hear the Fellowship theme, is when Sam takes his farthest step from home. It’s subtle, but it’s there.

I won't subtract any points for not watching the extended editions, but will suggest that you do. They fill out the story and the characters even further, subtracting nothing from the whole. Very worth while. A little factoid: Christopher Lee was the only member of the cast to have ever met Tolkien, who thought he would have been a great Gandalf. For the elven language, Tolkien created that entirely, and Liv Tyler loved it so much that she became fluent in it. And in the final fight, where Aragorn deflects the knife with his sword, that was not intended. The man wearing the Uruki suit misjudged where he was throwing, and Viggo Mortensen managed to knock it aside - creating that awesome scene. This trilogy has become a yearly watch for me, and with the extended editions that is 9 incredible hours!

Peter Jackson wanted people to see the long versions. The studios forced the shorter versions, for various practical reasons. The reasons for "directors cuts" can vary wildly, and sometimes it's nothing more than a marketing trick, but in this case the director prefers the extended cut. These movies are so well made, that even with extended versions, people want "more".

Please do extended editions!

Most of the effects used to make the Hobbits looks smaller is a lot of shot perspective, for example when Frodo and Gandalf are on the horse and cart in the beginning, Elijah Wood is actually sitting about 2 feet back from Ian McKellen, but with using certain camera angles it makes it appear they are sitting next to each other and Frodo is just smaller. It's another example of the brilliant filmmaking of Peter Jackson

The languages you hear are actual languages. Tolkien was a philologist and created the languages even before he created the whole legendary world inhabited by the people who spoke them :D

Enjoy these classics! I also recommend the extended editions of the next two, but at the VERY least doing the extended version of the third film, Return of the King which has some material that never should have been cut from the theatrical version.

It's the only film I've seen in the cinema where, once the final credits came up, the whole audience stood up and applauded.

I’m sure I’m not the only one to suggest it but… Extended Editions are a must! None of the added scenes are throw aways. You won’t regret it.

I'm gonna throw my 2cent in and say the Extended Editions will be well worth it. They may slightly longer but once you've watched fotr, you will want so much more. Thanks for this reaction!

The song Aragorn sings has huge importance! Here is the full version: “The leaves were long, the grass was green, The hemlock-umbels tall and fair, And in the glade a light was seen; Of stars in shadow shimmering, Tinúviel was dancing there, To music of a pipe unseen And light of stars was in her hair And in her raiment glimmering There Beren came from mountains cold; And lost he wandered under leaves; And where the Elven-river rolled. He walked alone and sorrowing. He peered between the hemlock-leaves; And saw in wonder flowers of gold Upon her mantle and her sleeves And her hair like shadow following Enchantment healed his weary feet That over hills were doomed to roam And forth he hastened, strong and fleet And grasped at moonbeams glistening Through woven woods in Elvenhome She lightly fled on dancing feet And left him lonely still to roam In the silent forest listening He heard there oft the flying sound Of feet as light as linden-leaves Or music welling underground In hidden hollows quavering Now withered lay the hemlock-sheaves And one by one with sighing sound Whispering fell the beachen leaves In the wintry woodland wavering He sought her ever, wandering far Where leaves of years were thickly strewn By light of moon and ray of star In frosty heavens shivering Her mantle glinted in the moon As on a hill-top high and far She danced, and at her feet was strewn A mist of silver quivering When winter passed, she came again And her song released the sudden spring Like rising lark, and falling rain And melting water bubbling He saw the elven-flowers spring About her feet, and healed again He longed by her to dance and sing Upon the grass untroubling Again she fled, but swift he came Tinúviel! Tinúviel! He called her by her elvish name And there she halted listening One moment stood she, and a spell His voice laid on her: Beren came And doom fell on Tinúviel That in his arms lay glistening As Beren looked into her eyes Within the shadows of her hair The trembling starlight of the skies He saw there mirrored shimmering Tinúviel the elven-fair Immortal maiden elven-wise About him cast her shadowy hair And arms like silver glimmering Long was the way that fate them bore O'er stony mountains cold and grey Through halls of ireon and darkling door And woods of nightshade morrowless The Sundering Seas between them lay And yet at last they met once more And long ago they passed away In the forest singing sorrowless” The true elvish version is far greater and so full of beauty & nuanced mournful sadness that’s break the hearts of mortals from its beauty and sadness so the true song has been sort of taboo and the mannish tongues that retell it is stated to only be a shadow beneath the tree of the true story!

The Shire was a fertile land in area about the size Great Britain. It had been depopulated by war and plague about 1500 years before the events in the books. There was a large settlement of Hobbits in the area of Bree Hill . The High King of Arnor gave it to the Hobbits 400 years before the kingdom fell. The only condition was that they keep The Great East-West road, that ran through its Northern bordor, and its bridges in good repair. One big omission in the movies is the timeline as it would have confused the audience. Gandalf, alarmed by Bilbo's behavior spent 17 years researching the ring and tracking how it came into Gollum's possession. Hobbits are counted as Mortal Men but their lifecycle is different. They mature more slowly and aren't considered adults until the age of 33. Frodo shared a birthday with Bilbo and turned 33 the day of the party. Bilbo had wanted to leave The Shire for some time, but had waited until Frodo achieved his majority and could own Bag End and its contents free and clear, including the ring. Frodo set out from the Shire when he was 50, but because of the ring he still seemed a young adult. ( The equivalent of our 21.) Samwise Gamgee's family had worked at Bag End as gardeners and domestics for three generations. He was in his late 30s when he accompanied Frodo to Rivendell. Merry, 31, was the eldest son of The Master of Buckland, on the Eastern side of the Brandywine River. Pippin Took, 29 and still an adolescent, was the eldest son of The Thain of the Shire, somewhere between a chieftain and a king. Both of the younger Hobbits threw their futures to the wind to help their friend and cousin Frodo. The Nazgul avoid water when they can because Ulmo, the demigod who sang it into existence, still dwells within it along with his servants. They really hate the Ringwraiths. So if a powerful Elf lord asks the river that borders his land to set up a flood trap that can be triggered at need, The River spirit is likely to do do it. And if a Wizard suggests foam horses would look impressive would probably agree with that. Also the cloaks The Nine use to give shape to their nothingness got washed away so they had to make their way back to their master anyway they could. Gandalf lured the Balrog onto the bridge on purpose. He knew two things. There was nothing to prevent it from chasing after the company and in the past one method for killing a Balrog had been to make it fall from a great height, so he broke the bridge. Aragorn 's mission was to protect the ring bearer and the remnant of the bridge couldn't have taken any more weight. That's why Gandalf told them to run, before one of the orc's arrows killed them.

Fun fact: the 9 actors in the "fellowship" all got a tattoo of the number 9 in Elvish.

I’m definitely on the side of watching the extended versions first, especially if you’ve never read the books. I can’t stress that enough. There are parts of the story you’ll understand so much more by doing so. I’ll say the same thing for The Hobbit movies as well. The additional scenes are so important.

This story is for everyone. I truly hope you enjoy your journey to Middle Earth, and am certain you’ll find your own meaning along the way. I echo others in tackling the Extended Editions for the next two. There’s so much more detail and immersion you won’t want to miss out on, especially as DnD players. May the Blessings of Elves, Men, and Free Folk go with you!

This Trilogy is a hand hammered Masterpiece! Made with love & admiration for Tolkien.

I read the books in elementary school. Years before the movies. I also grew up with the Hobbit animated movie, so this story has been a constant in my life. I was definitely tearing up in theaters, seeing it come to life. It always makes me happy to see people discover, and appreciate this story. ❤️

If you're interested, I can tell you a few things, without spoilers, that aren't detailed enough in the film: Galadriel (the Lady of the Light, from the elven word "galad") is a very powerful sorceress who in her millennial life fought many battles (most likely as heavy artillery) against the original dark lord Morgoth, the one who taught Sauron the way to the "dark side". Galadriel and Elrond, the elven king of Rivendell, have telepathic powers, can communicate at a distance and he also has the gift of foresight. Galadriel's daughter married Elrond and therefore Arwen, the one who swears eternal love to Aragorn, is Galadriel's granddaughter. Galadriel's gifts to the company are enchanted and the two daggers given to Merry and Pippin have already been used in combat, as she tells them. the palantir, Saruman's seer stone, is not the only one, there are others (another is kept in the city of Gondor, where Gandalf went to find information about the ring) and looking into it for too long can lead to addiction and folly. Saruman doesn't actually seek the ring for Sauron but he believes he can bend its powers to his will. Pippin comes from a noble family and he is the heir to the title of earl of the shire.

One major change from the books was Saruman summoning the storm that hit them as they tried to cross the mountain… In the books, that’s the mountain itself that does that, as it doesn’t like human feet upon it… it’s not evil, just a force of nature that doesn’t like humans intruding on its domain. But I think it would’ve been hard to show in the movie, and this gave them another chance to illustrate the power of Saruman. But that may be why you thought there were less wizard battles (if you read the book). Great reaction! 👍

Nominated for 13 Oscars including Best Picture but won for Best Visual Effects Best Cinematography Best Sound Editing Best Makeup

When Liv Tyler started dialect training, she was so taken with the Elvish languages that she successfully argued for a bunch of her English scenes to be filmed in Elvish instead. There was actually a lot of this sort of adaptation in the films; for instance, one actor's performance at a karaoke night led to his character getting to sing on-screen, and it's a highlight of that film.

“It feels like an ancient world” I think I know what you were trying to say, which is, “It felt less like we were watching this happen on sets that were made for us, and more like we were observing parts of an entire world that already exists.”

The ring feels heavy in those shots for a few reasons. Sometimes they used oversized prop replicas of the ring to give it that heft and so you could really zoom into it without losing detail, and another thing they did was put magnets under the floor to make it immediately stick.

So fun to see someone who is coming from the perspective of a D&D player seeing one of the major inspirations for the game being visualized in such a remarkable way. It can be argued that the entire reason we have so many dungeon crawls in D&D is because of Moria alone. I look forward to y'all watching the rest!

Seeing Fellowship of The Ring on the week it opened was such an experience; as was seeing all the films in the cinema. Hobbiton is a really practical set. The set crew did something clever & that was to build it & plant all the additional foliage….& then they left it for a year prior to filming on it. That way, it allowed the plants to become established & give it a more natural look. The scale issue between Hobbits, Humans, Dwarfs was accomplished with the clever use of forced perspective, shooting scenes on two different scale sets & the digitally compositing them, as well as scale doubles for certain scenes. The technological accomplishments of the trilogy are amazing & still stand up today. It’s worth watching the making of to get a insight into what WETA workshop did. Fun Fact: the reason Sean Bean has his head in his hand during the council of Elrond scene is because he had his lines taped to his leg. The cast got numerous script re-writes; sometimes daily & he had issues remembering them. I have a personal connection to the Lord of The Rings, through my uncle. He was part of the cast for the BBC Radio Adaptation in the early 1980s. He played several roles; namely the Black Rider who utters the immortal line ‘Shire. Baggins’ as well as the character Beregond who despite being in the book, doesn’t appear in the film. Other notable cast members for the radio adaptation are Ian Holm as Frodo (Holm played Bilbo in the films), Bill Nighy as Sam, John Le Mesurier as Bilbo (he’s best known for as Wilson from cult tv show Dads Army) & Michael Hordern as Gandalf (best known for narrating the Paddington animated series). In 2007 I had the immense honour of being able to meet & have a conversation with Sir Christopher Lee; it is something I’ll never forget. We spoke at length about his career with Hammer Films & also The Wicker Man.

Loving it so far!... two things to consider... (1) post each movie in two parts (allows for more content and doubles your views) and... (2) consider the extended edition for the last movie which you could do in three parts (triple your views).

Yeah if you love D&D this is absolutely a must see. The characters, the Inn, mines, orcs, goblins, trolls. Gandalf and the Balrog was just so good. Love that you picked up on the ring being heavy.

The names Balin, Norri, and Orri you would probably remember. Balin died as leader of a colony expedition to Khazad-Dum. Norri died as victim of the Kraken-like creature in the dark water. Orri was the corpse holding on to the book before Balin's tomb.

See the extended then! I've seen the movies at least once every year, and I still see new things!

"Stardust" by Matthew Vaughn is also a great Fantasy-Movie starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Daines, Charlie Cox, Robert deNiro, Henry Cavill, etc.

(Missed) Galadriel's gift to Gimli has deeper meaning behind it, like most things in this movie & reflects the expanded lore of the middle earth universe. Galadriel is one of the 2-3 most powerful & wise elves remaining in Middle Earth since the time the land was young. She was born in a place called Valinor, or the Undying land... which is basically the place of residence of the Valar, the local pantheon, the local "gods" as you may call them. Back then, the world was not illuminated by the sun&moon, (only the stars, but rather by 2 trees of gold and silver, Telperion and Laurëlin that lit the world before the sun & moon were born from their last flower & fruit as they were basically killed by Melkor when he struck them with his Lance and Ungoliant the primordial Eldrich Terror, Ungoliant she was named by the Eldar). It is said that Galadriel's hair had somehow captured some of the shine of those two trees. Her uncle Fëanor, who was a great king of the Elven people after his father Finwë was slain by Morgoth(Formally known as Melkor). Fëanor arguably was their greatest craftsman to ever live, asked if she could give him a lock of hair, so that he could use it to fashion 3 gems that would shine of the same light as the trees. Sensing his pride & a shadow that wasn’t exactly belonging to him brewing from within, she refused his request 3 times. He stopped asking and made the gems anyway, managing to complete the task he had set for himself even without her hair. Around these 3 gems, the possession of which became the driving force for many of the great events in the world, entire wars that lasted for centuries exploded, and other events. The gems actively shaped the fate of the races of middle earth to the point that the aforementioned Valar got involved directly. During these times, events surrounding the gems brought about the traditional enmity between Dwarves and Elves... the same enmity that Gimli still feels towards them. That enmity however does not survive his encounter with the wise Galadriel, whom Gimli basically falls platonically in love with. By giving him 3 of her hair, Galadriel is opening a door, offering an olive branch that might one day close the gap that divides these two races. Legolas, himself being an Elven prince and centuries old, knows of the story through his father Thranduil & grandfather Oropher, as it shaped the lives of all Elves, and his subtle smile is possibly the first act of acknowledgment and reconciliation. it is also a way for Peter Jackson, the director of the film, to give a nod to all of the fans who know these facts and backstories... a way to make us feel seen, and to make us appreciate just how deeply the makers of the film respect the books and larger universe created by Tolkien. The thing with the hair may seem weird, but there is a significance to it in real life as well as in the lore of the story. In real life, it was not uncommon for wives, fiancés, or even girlfriends to give their men (who were going off to war), a lock of their hair as a keepsake, particularly in WWI, which Tolkien fought in. The lore part of it comes into play in The Silmarillion, Tolkien's tales of the creation of Arda, the Undying Lands of Valinor, and Middle Earth. Galadriel is many, many thousands of years old, & was born in Valinor before the sun & moon were even created. At the time, the world was lit by two trees, one gold and one silver which would shine at different times from each other, but would shine together once a day when one would fade and the other brighten. Galadriel's hair was said to look like the light of the mingled light from the two trees, which may have inspired Feanor, a master craftsman and heir to the high king of the Ñoldor, to craft the Silmaril's which were three jewels that captured the light of the two trees, one golden light, one silver light, & one co-mingled light. Fëanor had a bit of a thing for Galadriel and begged her for her hair three different times, which she rejected because she could perceive the inner darkness of his heart and rejected him, which made them "un-friends" after that. There is a lot more to the lore than that, so this is the super crib-notes version. But the point is, it was VERY significant that she granted Gimli three of her hairs to a dwarf, when she would not to the son of her king many 10s of thousands of years ago of which she is related to all three kings who were brothers and Elu Thingol of Doriath was one of the brothers that didn’t stay in Valinor even though he was one of the elven ambassadors along with his three brothers and that king I mentioned was VERY close friends with Thingol)

Next The Lord Of The Ring Extended Edition Of The Two Tower Extended Edition

For the next two make sure to watch the extended editions. Major scenes are cut from the original that are important.

Amazing video and so cool to see I caught this relatively recent to you two watching. Thanks for watching and recording - felt like watching with friends. My wife and I watch the trilogy every couple of months! The lore of these stories (books and movies) continually gives and gives and never gets old, arguably the best stories ever written and some how never gets old... either way it's just a damn good tale. Watch LOTR : Two Towers and Return of the King next (extended editions)!

I like how you just sit there smiling and not giving any details while she’s reacting! Good job of not spoiling it for her!

I don’t know if you live near a theater like Alamo Drafthouse, but many theaters show all 3 movies on the big screen once a year. Sometimes with food and drinks! It’s the best time ever. Everyone there is a fan, and people cheer and cry, and it’s a wonderful experience. You have to do it at least once. I’ve done all 3 movies in one day at least 4 times. It’s such a blast. Can’t wait to see more from you two. Cheers!

40:15 😄 I know exactly that face when I first saw 😁 and yes, Balrog is the coolest character I've ever seen 😉

Shondra caught that which I noticed as well. Years ago someone remarked about a lady who went down stairs so elegantly that she “descended the stairs,” instead of going down them. Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) did exactly that. 👏🏻

Wonderful reaction, Candra (and Jordan)... best of all, you'll enjoy the movies second (or third) time around even more!

I’ve read the books 8 times and watched the extended versions 25 times, trust me it’s way better extended. You can start out two towers with extended with no problems 😊

The music right after Gandalf's fall was so powerful. Ultimate sadness and grief. 😭

If its endlessly rewatchable react to the extended editions and use this as a way to sit back and relax, noticing things you didn't before. Many channels do this as soon as they realize there is a true extended version out there.

Gandalfs speech in his last stand against the Balrog of Morgoth actually hints to who and what he is. "I am servant of the secret fire" The secret fire is the fire of creation the thing which allows Eru'Eluvitar (God) to make the world and all things "Wielder of the flame of Anor" Anor is the elvish word for sun and is probably the name of the Sun in this time (we call it Sol now) Gandalfs power comes from purity and light. "The dark fire will not will not avail you" Here he is calling out the fruitlessness of the Balrogs attacks as it was of corrupted impure fire and Gandalf is beyond him "Flame of Udun" Udun is the elvish word for hell or the underworld Mordor is sometimes called Udun as well. Gandalf is a Maia, a lesser angelic spirit and servant to the Valar which were demigod like greater spirits all servants to Eru. The Balrog is a Maia too but fallen and evil. When Eru sent Gandalf (whose real name is Olorin) he said that he and the other Maia sent could not use their true powers and put them in the bodies of old men. However this was an exception as Gandalf was facing his equal here and the rules were laid aside for this battle.

The shot where the nazgul is coming and Frodo says to "get off the road" is done with either a Dolly shot on a long track or a Techno Crane (extendable mechanical arm with a camera on the end). As you move the camera backwards, you zoom in with a zoom able lens. It creates that elongating corridor horror effect. Oh and Elven is an actual fully fleshed out language. As is dwarvish, dothraki, klingon, amongst others.

The language the Elves speak in this film feels like an actual language because it is an actual language. Tolkien was a professor of Philology (linguistics) at Oxford University and he created his own languages for his books. Seriously, there's all kinds of RU-vid content that teaches the viewer how to speak Quenya (Elvish).

"It makes it seem like an actual language"😂😂😂 my sweet summer children

When the video first started and I noted your name is the Maplenuts and the girl was happy and talking excitedly it reminded me of the Canadians with the flapping heads on South Park lol.

You both should watch the extended versions of all the movies... Since she ended up not having any problems with the 3 hour runtime of this one, then she would probably appreciate all the extras!

I'll never forget the first time I saw this in the cinema back on release - this reaction was almost close to how I felt. It was a lovely experience. Please do more - but you do need to do the extended editions if you can. It'll be interesting to see if you like the next two, but the finale of the third movie (and by that I mean an hour at least) is the most I've wept in a cinema ever.

Hello Jordan & Chandra!😊 I am not a huge LOTR fan, but this trilogy is easily the most epic series I have ever scene. I'm glad this is your very first viewing, Chandra!😊 The actor that plays Saruman (Christopher Lee) first became famous in the 60s and 70s playing Dracula in the UK Hammer Films.😉 Sam is a big hero! Great reactions to your very first film in the LOTR trilogy, Maplenut Kids!!!!🎬👏👏👏👏

Thank you Jordan for suppressing any instinct to spoil anything. You let her enjoy it naturally without dropping constant factoids. Only where necessary

you've got a sharp lady there friend. Many reactors ive seen for these films dont pick up on half the details she's caught. Well done

Great reaction! Cant wait to see you check out the next two. HIGHLY RECOMMEND the Extended versions for the next two. They provide even more meaningful detail. Also - fun fact- in the last fight scene between Aragorn and the lead Uruk Hai, the actor mistakenly threw that dagger at Aragorn’s head during filming. He was supposed to throw it to the side. But when Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) actually hit the dagger out of the air, they kept that take.

I cant stress how much more you will enjoy the extended versions of the films. Please watch them. When i did many things just came together more clearly.

I know maybe many have said it, but I think you would enjoy the extended versions. You seems to like the lore and the worldbuilding, and the extended versions gives us more of that. In addition in the next 2 movies we get some story points that I feel are actually missing from the theatrical versions. :) This was a great reaction. subbing to see more :)

Its true, here in Canada you have "literature" class and I chose Lotr so a lot of young Canadians get an introduction to LOTR's books from college.

You still have the extended versions to look forward to 👍

Hope you two are having an great and awesome day ❤

The Shire still exists in New Zealand. Tourists visit it regularly. The actor playing the evil wizard Sarurman is Christopher Lee, a British legend whom I got to know in the classic Hammer horror films. He was a huge fan of Tolkien his entire life so this had to be a high point for him. He also played the evil General Dooku in the Star Wars prequels. The fact that you made a Cthulhu reference, and even pronounced it properly, made me fall in love with you guys.

Part 1 of “Galadriel's life was marked by much loss & tragedy”. She lost many family members, including her brothers Aegnor & Angrod, who died in the War of Wrath, a great conflict between the forces of the Valar and Morgoth. She also lost her grandfather, Finwë, who was slain by Morgoth by a terrible & unholy lighting strike that left his body broken but one can imagine he was just as mighty as Fëanor by being the FATHER, Morgoth himself being responsible for the deaths of her uncles Fëanor (& Fingolfin quite a bit later on when he faced off one on one with Morgoth/Melkor and left the fallen Valar 7 permanent wounds which left him eternally limp to the point of being mocked by his generals and the like indefinitely which left Morgoth in intense pain forever!) Fëanor was Galadriel's half-uncle, as he was the son of Finwë by his first wife Míriel. Fëanor's sons were therefore Galadriel's first cousins. Most of Fëanor's sons died in the wars that followed the theft of the Silmarils, including the tragic deaths of Celegorm & Curufin, who were slain by their own cousin, Lúthien's son Dior. Galadriel also lost her relative Aredhel, who was her cousin, & Aredhel’s brother; king Turgon of the hidden kingdom of Gondolin. These losses weighed heavily on Galadriel, but she remained strong and resolute in the face of adversity. Fëanor's death was a tragic event that marked the beginning of the First Age of Middle-earth. After Morgoth stole the three Silmarils, Fëanor swore an oath to retrieve them, even if it meant going to war with the Valar themselves. Fëanor led the Ñoldor in their rebellion against the Valar, & he and his sons played a significant role in the events that followed. Fëanor was eventually slain by Balrogs, demonic creatures who served Morgoth, during the flight of the Ñoldor from Middle-earth. His death marked the end of an era, & his legacy continued to be felt in Middle-earth for many ages to come. Fingolfin's death was no less tragic. He challenged Morgoth to single combat & fought valiantly against him, but he was ultimately slain by the Dark Lord. His death inspired many to rise up against Morgoth, & his legacy continued to inspire the people of Middle-earth for many ages to come. Despite the many losses she suffered, Galadriel remained a powerful and influential figure in Middle-earth, & her wisdom & knowledge continued to be sought after by many. Galadriel's history is rich & complex, & she played a significant role in the events of Middle-earth. She was born in the Undying Lands before the creation of the sun and moon, and she was a member of the Noldor, one of the three Elven races. Galadriel's family, the House of Finarfin, was closely connected to the Vanyar, the first of the three Elven races to journey to the Undying Lands. Galadriel's grandmother, Indis, was a Vanya, and her mother, Eärwen, was a Teleri princess who married Finarfin. Galadriel's father & brothers participated in the rebellion of the Noldor against the Valar, which resulted in the exile of the Noldor from the Undying Lands. Galadriel, however, did not participate in the rebellion and remained in the Undying Lands. As I recall her father was with the others that returned to Valinor at the Doom Of Mandos which in basic terms set a warning prophesy sort of thing where if they left Valinor it’d cause a domino effect throughout time etc. but Fëanor’s fire burned inside and he had a HUGE bone to pick with Morgoth. So that’s what was mainly leading him there but it was several years long of travel on what was called the Helcaraxë (grinding ice wastes) Galadriel did end up there but through other means as her way to middle earth let’s just say lead her to there where she sort of rendezvoused with her family and helped lead her people to middle earth. Many died on this trip of HARSH conditions.). During the Third Age, Galadriel played a key role in the events leading up to the War of the Ring. She helped the Fellowship of the Ring by giving them gifts, advice, and guidance, and she played a significant role in the defeat of Sauron. (She played a bigger role than shown in the movies) Galadriel possessed many magical abilities, including the power to read minds, the ability to communicate telepathically, & the power to cast spells but above all was her ability to project herself across large distances(not teleporting, think more like a sort of mental and spiritual projection similar to astral travel) She was also renowned for her beauty & grace, and her wisdom and knowledge were highly respected by the Free Peoples of Middle-earth. Overall, Galadriel's long life and rich history make her one of the most intriguing and powerful characters in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. Galadriel is one of the oldest and most powerful beings of the Elven race left in middle earth. According to Tolkien's writings, Galadriel was born in Tirion in the Undying Lands(which means untouched By Morgoth’s Ring where he poured his essence & malice into the earth itself. Middle Earth. Not all of Eä(the world), also known as Aman, which existed before the creation of the sun and moon. And this landmass used to be closer to middle earth and existed long before Middle Earth became what it was as a landmass in itself due to the reshaping of the world a few times due to Valar’s battles with Melkor along with natural shifts over the millions of years etc. The creation of the sun and moon occurred after the Two Trees of Valinor, which provided light to the world, were destroyed. This event, known as the Darkening of Valinor, marked the end of the First Age of Middle-earth. Based on Tolkien's timeline, the events of the First Age occurred approximately 5,000 years before the start of the Second Age. The Second Age lasted for approximately 3,441 years, and the Third Age lasted for approximately 3,019 years. Therefore, if Galadriel was born in the Undying Lands before the creation of the sun & moon, it is estimated that she would be at least 25,000 years old by the end of the Third Age, which is when the events of The Lord of the Rings take place. This calculation is based on the assumption that Galadriel was born before the start of the First Age and that she has lived through all three ages, which is supported by Tolkien's writings. Most important thing here is about Galadriel’s eldest brother Finrod: Finrod Felagund, also known as Findaráto, was a noble elf of rarer mixed heritage just like his younger sister & brothers, the Noldor/Vanyar/Teleri renowned for his wisdom & fairness but also his valiance. He was the eldest son of Finarfin, one of the three sons of Finwë who was the High King of the Noldor. Finrod played a crucial role in the events that led to the creation of Númenor. When the Valar summoned the Noldor to return to Valinor, Finrod and his companions chose to stay in Middle-earth and establish their own kingdoms. During their travels, they encountered the Edain, a group of mortal Men who were the mightiest of them all and the elves considered them equals!!! They became friendly and open to the elves. Finrod was particularly impressed by their courage and loyalty, and he became the first elf to befriend them. As time passed, Finrod & the 3 main Houses Of The Edain formed a close bond. Teaching them many things about the world and the lore of the elves. He also helped them in their struggles against the dark forces of Morgoth since even before meeting the elves. The Edain pledged their allegiance to the elves and fought alongside them in many battles. He even learned their language due to his way of reading hearts and minds which essentially aided hugely in his learning how their language worked etc. Eventually, the deeds of Finrod and the Edain were recounted in the halls of the Valar, and the Valar took pity on the mortal Men. They decided to give them a gift, and thus Númenor was created, a great island kingdom in the middle of the sea, where Men could live in peace and prosperity. As for Finrod Felagund **Galadriel’s Eldest Brother]** he did not live to see the rise of Númenor, for he perished in a battle against a werewolf in the dungeons of Tol-in-Gaurhoth, also known as Sauron's Isle. Protecting Beren, saving his life by breaking free from his own chains to kill that same werewolf with his bare hands and teeth. Facing off with Sauron before that. He and Beren were forced to watch the elvish companions who were most loyal to Finrod get ripped apart by said werewolves. - He was a true friend to the first of mankind to show up in middle earth, the Edain, and played a key role in the creation of Númenor. He was also close to his sister Galadriel, and together they shared many adventures and battles. (I’ll share the significance of Elrond’s father which is the main character in how his deeds lead to the assistance from Valinor to help insurmountable odds and circumstances regarding Morgoth to take his physical form out of the picture for good in what’s called the War Of Wrath which was 80 years long nonstop. But I’ll go into it more when I share about Elrond in a different comment which I may save for the second movie or if you want I can post it below this video!) In the end, Finrod's legacy lived on through his deeds and his influence on the fate of Middle-earth. His noble example inspired many, including Aragorn, who was born centuries later & gave him the chance to claim the throne of Gondor & Arnor/Anor as a descendant of the line of Elronds Twin brother who was first king Of Númenor and started the line of the Faithful Númenoreans.