Watching The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King For the First Time Part 1 - Movie REACTION 

8:07 fun fact: Sir Christopher Lee (Saruman) was a legend. Not only in his acting career, but the dude was in the British secret service during WWII. Basically James Bond. He argued with Peter Jackson, who wanted a big yelp and cry, about the sound a man made when stabbed in the back…because he’s actually stabbed someone in the back before. He swiftly corrected the director lol.

The line "The crownless again shall be king," voiced by Arwen just before the Blade That Was Broken is reforged is actually the last line of a prophetic poem Tolkien put in (he had a perhaps overly zealous propensity to interrupt his narrative with poetry, but this is likely his best): "All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king.” As Strider tells the Hobbits after the poem is revealed to them, "I am Aragorn, and those verses go with that name."

Something to keep in mind: Sméagol was enthralled by the Ring and murdered his cousin (and only friend) Déagol within moments, despite the fact that the Ring was still "dormant," Sauron still centuries from rising to power once more. Bilbo was tempted briefly to kill Gollum after getting the Ring, but pity stayed his hand. It says something about their characters, doesn't it?

It's a crying shame that the scene at Isengard was cut from the theatrical version. Theoden's monologue towards Saruman is so badass

Eowyn is not the King of Rohan's daughter, she is his niece and her brother is the lord that was exiled and came at the last minute to save the king at Helms Deep.

Almost all of the best lines in the movies are taken straight from the books. Tolkien was a genius.

Regarding the Elves: they are immortal. They can be slain, but even then they don't die in the same way as mortals (that's kinda complicated, though, for all intents and purposes they're dead). The Eldar is what Elves call themselves. By saying the life of the Eldar is leaving Arwen, Elrond remarks on how she's becoming mortal.

Eowyn was sleeping in the hall because she had duty as the Hearth Maiden (I think that's what it's called). Her responsibility was to make sure the fire in the hearth didn't go out, which is why she was sleeping with her feet toward the fire.

"Is that their job? just hang out there, Sitting next to that thing all day untill it needs to be lit up?" "Do they have to walk up the mountains every time or do they live in a hut?" "These are probably dumb questions..." Ive seen these movies more than once, and I ask myself the same things every damn time.

I always love that Christopher Lee gets a final stake through the heart in memory of his years playing Dracula. 😂

32:05 The words to Pippin's song were written by Tolkien, but came at a different point in the books. But the melody in the version performed here was written by Billy Boyd, the actor who played Pippin, a few days before filming. He was asked to do it, and came up with several versions. This is the one that was picked.

Yes, that is Andy Serkis playing both Smeagol and Gollum. You should watch how they filmed him as Gollum. It's really cool. Esp where he's flopping about in the river stream. (He's amazing with those type of characters. He also plays Cesar, the leading role in Planet of the Apes. He's fantastic at displaying emotion with only his eyes.

The men of Rohan have their own language. When Eowyn greets Aragorn, "Westhu Aragorn, ha" she is speaking that language.

Smeagol and Deagol were from a clan of hobbits that never migrated to The Shire. The Shire was founded about 1400 years ago (not long in Middle-Earth history) by a mass migration of hobbits fleeing from their ancestral homelands in the Anduin River valley after those lands became dangerous. A large majority of hobbits made the trip, but some stopped in Bree and settled there, some turned south into other lands, and some, like Smeagol's people stayed near the Anduin River, the same river the Fellowship canoed down and the same river that Isildur lost the One Ring in when he died.

Denethor had a Palantir (Seeing Stone) like Saruman and Sauron which is how he knew about Aragon etc. He has spent months/years looking into the Palantir to try and get information and an advantage in the War but all he really saw was Sauron’s build up of armies and this taunting and fear tactics basically sent Denethor mad.

41:44 Can we just talk about what a power move that was? "By you and whose army?!" "...This army...." and the ghosts just charge right through them and their leader's face just pops right out of Aragorn's...

the skulls were actually all individually made in miniature for the few seconds they were in the movie. Its just insane how much effort they put into such small details. They also had two guys sitting in a room for like a year, making the chain mails piece by piace by hand.

The opening sequence was originally part of the second movie, right after Frodo calls Gollum by his original name in the swamp. There's even a vestigial link when Gollum says "Yes, that was my name," linking to the last line in the fishing sequence, "You even forgot your name."

Mithrandir is name that the Elves have for Gandalf. It means 'Grey Wanderer' or 'Grey Pilgrim' in Sindarin which is the most prominent Elvish language in Middle-Earth. Because the Dunedain (of Gondor in the South and Arnor in the North) are descendants of the 3 houses of Men that aided the Elves in the wars of the First Age, their royalty and upperclasses still use Sindarin.

The light that Gandalf lit from his staff wasnt just any kind of light, but the Light of the Valar (Angelic Rulers of Arda) itself; remember, Gandalf wasnt a Man, nor even an Elf, but of the same divine ranks as the Valar, but to a lesser degree. He is a Maia, angelic, divine spirit (as the other Wizards are, same with Sauron) and much, much more powerful than any of those Nazguls. Nazguls, how powerful they might seem, are still mere mortal Men who have became wraiths and slaves to the the will of Sauron. Their fate is actually really sad, because Death was originally a gift from Eru, the sole real God in Tolkiens world. Sauron has twisted that fate into an unbearable suffering, not allowing them to die and pass on by corrupting them by the Rings of Power Sauron gave to them. Men are really meant to leave Arda after they die, not even the Valar know whither their souls go after death. Nazghuls are living kind of "Un-life", not really dead but not living either. Just imagine their terror, when they see Gandalf in his true, radiant form in the Unseen world, that is a true plane where Gandalf and the other maiar and the valar reside. Their true essense is a spiritual, not physical one.

9:58 Rohirric is the language of Rohan. Tolkien based it on Old English. We had to study a bit of the original _Beowulf_ in my high school days, so it was kind of cool to hear what the poem would have sounded like when I watched this series. Adding: the Anglo-Saxon and Rohirric cultures are not the same. For one thing, the Anglo-Saxons didn't do cavalry charges or mounted attacks. (Opinions differ as to whether they didn't have stirrups, or they had them but didn't understand the advantages of using them in battle.)

The transition between 35:38 and 35:48 is always so epic.

Winner of 11 Oscars including Best Picture! It was the third film in a trilogy of Epic Oscar Winning Films to take home 11 Academy Awards: This BEN HUR TITANIC.

Eowyn uses the Rohirric language here and when she sang the funeral song. Rohirric is basically Old English / Anglo-Saxon.

19:08 "I don't think you can really argue with a wizard. Can't he just do something with his staff?" Not really. Other people have explained in the comments that Gandalf is a Maiar, and as such, he has to follow certain rules, like an angel. He is meant to provide guidance to the peoples of Middle Earth, not direct interference in their government.

Eowyn was speaking in the language of Rohan, not in Elvish.

Smeagol was not from the Shire; he wasn't exactly a Hobbit, but rather a Stoor from the Gladden Fields, north of Lothlórien. Also Théoden is not Éowyn and Éomer's father, but their uncle. Therefore, Théodred was their cousin.

I have to read it a few more times before I remember the majority of it but I believe in the lore of LOTR that Smeagol was never really what you'd call an upstanding citizen even before he saw the ring. That's why he was corrupted so quickly. The scene between Sarumon and Wormtongue happens much later in the book and Legolas did not kill Grima Wormtongue in the book. Alk if that takes place in an entire amazing section of the book involving all 4 hobbits that wasn't put into the movie. Gandalf is called by different names in different places in Middle Earth. Most Orcs, Nasghul and fell-beasts are creatures of darkness and don't like the light, especially the magical light from Gandalf's staff. Also, in the book, the Witch King did not break Gandalf's staff. They were basically in a stand off when the horns of Rohan sounded on the battlefield.

in regard to your question of the beacons, we know that in history this technique was used as a way to signal either for reinforcements from a distant ally, or to warn others from a distance of danger (would use different colours by burning powders to change the colour of the smoke), in terms of how they were managed, it depended upon the wealth and overall strength of the nations that employed this tactic, sometimes they would have a small garrison at each beacon along the path of 4-5 men, usually trained soldiers who would essentially live at this sites for a duration, and would change the garrison on a rotation making sure each beacon was well stocked and ready to go at any moment.

Fun fact,the guy on the ship that was hit with an arrow,is Peter Jackson!!

So, the book gives a little more context than the movie on what's going on between Pippin, Gandalf, and the Palantir. Yes, there is a bit of a magical compulsion like with the ring, but there's a little more to it than that and it's not a possession. It's a little supernatural fuel thrown onto the fire of what's already going on inside his head. The first thing to keep in mind is that Hobbits come of age at 33, and a Pippin is 29. So he's basically a teenager. Second, he's a Took. Out of all Hobbit families, the Tooks are known for their sense of adventure, and as a teenage Took, Pippin is very curious which often gets him into trouble, but also very clever, which often gets him out. At this point in the story, after they brought the Ents into the fight and helped defeat Saruman, Merry and Pippin were just starting to see that they could be more than just a nuisance, and could actually help and make a difference in the war, even though they're small and inexperienced. They just accomplished something great. But when Gandalf showed up at Isengard with Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Théoden, and Éomer, they greeted them, and then went on to deal with Treebeard and just left the Hobbits to the side, which made them feel overlooked and unappreciated for what they did. They saved the day, and then were just shunted off to the side so the big folk could talk, and they didn't appreciate it. And when Pippin found the Palantir, Gandalf just said "Peregrine Took! I'll take that, my lad. Quickly now." With no explanation of what it was or why it was dangerous. And Pippin was frustrated with Gandalf in particular because, in addition to not seeming grateful for what the hobbits did, he was being condescending and keeping secrets. So with the natural curiosity of a Took, the rebellion of a teenager, the feeling of being overlooked and taken for granted by the big folk, and resentment toward Gandalf for his secretiveness, Sauron had plenty to work with to draw Pippin to the Palantir. In the book, the two of them talked on the ride to Minas Tirith, and Pippin explains all that to Gandalf. And Gandalf apologizes, saying he didn't tell Pippin what it was and why it was dangerous because he thought that would only make Pippin want to see it more. Pippin tells him that, had he known what it was and what would happen, he never would have wanted to see it again, let alone touched it, and Gandalf admits he was wrong to underestimate him. And I love it. It wasn't all Pippin's fault, and I love to see someone taking ownership of their mistakes.

The scene where Pippin rides with Gandalf to Minas Tirith is the first time in the movies that the two Hobbits are separated.

I love how consistent everything is. It was a good decision that they filmed all 3 movies back to back with the same director. It is so immersive.

Elves are immortal but can be killed, wounded, poisoned and so on. They don't become ill. They have a very very low birthrate, which is why Middle-Earth is not overpopulated by elves. In fact, so many elves died in the big war in the prologue that they have never really recovered as a people.

39:54 "where's all the animals for the good guys?" The horses of Rohan 😉 they're nothing to sneeze at.

What is most important about the LoTR movies is the quantum leap forward in film making. The mocap of Golum was the beginning of the modern age of motion capture filming. It was done in the 90s but it was only in its infancy. The software that came out of LoTR launched a number of graphics houses. The perspective filming was also impressive. This was also probably the last major movie to rely on massive paintings. Most of the scenes around Rivendale and the White City of Gondor Minas Tirith were massive paintings and some practical scale modeling. Now it is much easier to do background all in graphics post. The LoTR series is the turn from what Lucas and Spielberg created in the late 70s and early 80s to what we see now with the Marvel MCU, WB DCEU, and current Star Wars content.

The answer to all your questions about the lighting of the beacons is… yes, yes, yes, and yes.

The language we heard Éowyn singing in was actually old English; this is because the Rohirrim culture was based on the Anglo-Saxon culture.

The people of Rohan have their own language called Rohirric (based on Anglo-Saxon) that they use, they generally speak the common tongue. Eowyn was singing in Rohirric at her cousin's funeral.

19:47 "does that have to do with the king of Gondor, or is that just a coincidence?" Like I said, one of the central themes in LOTR is hope, and two of the things often used to symbolize that are flowers and beams of light. That scene has both. It was a sign of hope for Frodo and Sam, hinting to them about Aragorn.

Eowyn didn't sing in elvish in the two towers, she sang in old Rohan language, and I think it's old english, but I am not sure about that. But yes, in this scene she spoke in elvish to impress Aragorn

King Theoden really shines in this movie!

Eowyn is not speaking (or singing) in Elvish, she is using her own language, the language of The Rohirrim. Tolkien was a professor of ancient languages at Oxford University. One of his favourite studies was the Anglo-Saxons. He based the Rohirrim on them (though the Anglo-Saxons were not known particularly as great cavalry) & gave them the Anglo-Saxon language, Old English. The Angles & The Saxons were originally Germanic tribes that settled in England after The Romans left so Old English sounds more Germanic. In fact, Theoden's Golden Hall of Meduseld at Edoras is taken directly from the Saxon epic poem Beowulf, which Tolkien is noted for translating.

"Whats in the tunnel?" Famous last words :D

“Run, Shadowfax. Show us the meaning of haste.” Gets me amped every time I hear it.

Gandalf is known among many names, Mithrandir, grey wanderer, stormcrow, and at least like 10 more. None of these are his actual name though, that would be Olorin. :)

I love the "I see you" that Sauron does Something almost Lovecraftian - this super ancient god-like (angelic/maiar I know) being, that you couldn't hope to truly comprehend, is looking straight at you! Acknowledging your very existence!

A wooden stake through the heart of Christopher Lee--one last time.

Arwen and other Half-Elves are given a choice: either they choose the fate of Elves, granted eternal life in the Undying Lands / Valinor (even if their bodies die in violence) but tied to the fate of the world and doomed to linger there until its end; or else they choose the fate of Men, who are mortal and eventually succumb to old age, but are granted a mysterious afterlife known only to Eru (God) that allows their spirits to leave the physical world behind rather than dwelling in it until the end. If a Half-Elf chooses the fate of Elves, their children eventually receive the same choice. If they choose the fate of Men, then they and their descendants live much longer than a normal Man but the choice of the Half-Elven is taken away from them. Arwen's paternal grandfather Eärendil was a Half-Elf, son of Tuor (a Man) and Idril (an Elf). Eärendil (who chose the fate of Elves for the sake of his wife Elwing) had two sons, Elrond and Elros. Elrond also chose the fate of Elves, becoming Arwen's father. Elros chose the fate of Men and became the first King of Númenor, founding the line of human kings that eventually produced Aragorn. (This technically makes Arwen and Aragorn first cousins 60-some-times removed.) Arwen is also a Half-Elf through Eärendil's wife Elwing. Elwing's grandparents were the famous mixed-species couple Beren and Lúthien, of whom Aragorn sings in the extended version of Fellowship of the Ring. Beren was a Man, while Lúthien was the daughter of Thingol (an Elf) and Melian (a Maia). Maiar and Valar (collectively Ainur) are divine beings, analogous to Angels in Christianity, sent into the world by Eru (God). Sauron, Saruman, Gandalf, and the balrogs are all examples of Maiar (Lesser Angels), of which there were hundreds or thousands. Sauron's old boss Melkor / Morgoth was one of the 15 Valar (Archangels), and the only one who became corrupted. (Melkor was essentially the Satan figure in Tolkien's work.) Anyways, the above means that Elrond, Arwen, and Aragorn all have a tiny amount of divine ancestry. Interestingly, Arwen's maternal grandmother Galadriel does not, but Galadriel is nonetheless one of the most powerful beings in Middle Earth, more powerful than some Maiar. That's mostly due to her wisdom from spending lots of time with Melian (the Maia mentioned above, Thingol's wife and Elwing's great-grandmother), as well as her having absorbed some of the Light of the Trees when she grew up in the Undying Lands / Valinor under their influence. (The Two Trees in Galadriel's childhood, long before the First Age, were the direct predecessors of the Sun and the Moon in the era of Lord of the Rings. The Light, which was provided first by the Two Lamps, then by the Two Trees, and finally by the Sun and Moon, is a source of divine power and guidance that helps those who follow Eru's will, while harming those who turn against it. This is why Orcs fear the Sun's Light, and why Trolls turn to stone when exposed to it.)

Most of the really good dialogue that uses archaic terminology and grammar comes from the books.

Tolkien actually states that Elves are not immortal, but they age so slowly that they are virtually immortal compared to other races. Galadriel is probably the oldest Elf on Middle Earth, being thousands of years old. It's a little misleading & confusing in the films but, Arwen isn't actually giving up her immortality to be with Aragorn. She will however, have to live on in grief after Aragorn dies. The appendices of the book say that she was seen wandering alone in mourning, a shadow of her former self, eventually dying from a broken heart.

Eowyn wasn't singing in Elvish. She was singing in Old English, Anglo-Saxon.

11:05 I don't know why but this scene always makes me kind of sad. I've always wondered if Pippin was looking at Gandalf with some guilt (because sorry, but he basically killed him in the Caves of Moria)

Great video! All of your questions are really great, and as always you're very expressive

Being a beacon watchman is a Generational thing. You and your family's entire purpose is to live up there and light the beacon if you see another beacon lit.

The beacon post was a 3 year service i believe. It was considered an honor to maintain the beacons

Amazing detail about Gollum/Smeagol: you can tell which personality is in control at any given moment by the eyes. If the pupils are contracted, it's Gollum. If they're dilated, it's Smeagol.

14:20 we have seen Minas Tirith in the first movie, when Gandalf went there to look for information about the ring

The people of Rohan are basically Anglo-Saxons. They are our ancestors.

I just binged the trilogy over the past three days. I recommend watching the extended versions.

A bit late to the party, so you may not see this, but you were asking what kind of architecture Minas Morgul was: it's Gondorian, but with added bits of metal to make it more Orcish. It was once called Minas Ithil (or Tower of the Moon) before it was taken over by Sauron and his forces and renamed Minas Morgul (Tower of Sorcery). Minas Tirith (Tower of Watch) used to be called Minas Anor (Tower of the Sun) and was the sister city of Minas Ithil.

FYI in Tolkien similarity in names indicates close kinship so you can tell just from their names that Smeagol & Deagol were related.

@14:23 If I am not mistaken Minas Tirith is in Fellowship of the Ring when Gandalf rides to the "library" and sees the scrolls of the Last Alliance of Men and Elves during the 2nd Age. I think its on the theatrical but it might be on the extended.

Elves are immortal, but they can be "killed" by injury, mishap or wasting away in despair. But even if they are killed their spirits travel to Mandos (sort of a spirit prison) in the Undying Lands where they walk among the other slain Elves and await a new body, and are then again released and "live" again. Elves are bound to the fate of the world forever, but when Men die, they leave the world and nobody knows what happens to them after that. Elves who do evil stay in Mandos indefinitely, like Feanor. He was forced to stay there and walk among all the thousands of Elves who were killed because of him. Elves who are selfless and good like Galadriels brother Finrod get a new body almost immediately.

Gandalf has a lot of names. One of them is Mithrandir (the Grey Pilgrim in Elvish). Gandalf's not his real name, either.

24:51 “Meriodic” esquire of Rohan 😂

Smeagol kinda made up Gollum to help him deal with his trauma issues... A channel called Cinema Therapy has done some awesome analisys of his character. One of the guys is an actual therapist, so the video is really interesting and informational...

Elves are immortal, and half-elves can choose whether they want to be mortal or immortal

Elves are immortal. Their physical bodies can be killed but their souls will be taken to the Halls of Mando's and will eventually be re-bodied. However Arwen is from a special bloodline and has the ability to forsake immortality and is an elf no more. She made the choice to live a mortal life with Aragorn.

Elf wine is way more powerful than those of humans and dwarves... so Legolas was just starting to feel the alcohol effects and gimli was way to drunk already. A human can get drunk with just a sip of elf wine

Peter Jackson did a huge disservice to Denethor by not showing a quick one minute scene of him wrestling with Sauron through the seeing stone, like Pippin did earlier, but many times over years and Sauron has driven him mad with despair. In the movie he just comes off as a huge dick with no redeeming qualities but in the book he was a decent and noble man.

Elves are basicaly immortal. They can die of physical trauma, poisoning (i think?) and from saddnes/broken heart. Arwen is not fully an elf, the same goes for Elrond, her father. His parents were a mixed couple (an elf and a human). After their death, he could choose his 'life'. He chose to live as an elf. Arwen, being his daughter, kinda can make the same choice. She chose to become a long-lived mortal (in theory) to stay in Middle Earth with Aragorn. Aragorn was 210 when he died. Arwen died of a broken heart only one year after him (age of 2901). She surrended her spirit/soul on the very hill her and Aragorn got engaged, in Lórien, which was already abandoned by then, I believe 💔

Denethor wasn't that crazy in the books. He never send Faramir to a suicide mission...

We do see a glimpse of Minas Tirith in The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers

I know you react in parts for these long movies. But I would love it if you would release on same day.

Haven’t finished watching the premier yet! Love everything so far, your reactions are actually super great to see for these movies! You ever gonna do the rest of the trilogy for prequels of Star Wars by chance? Or maybe even the maze runner series is also good

I love your reactions. You ask great questions, you have a good memory and you have a voice that is very easy on the ears. Happy to be a subscriber! Would very much enjoy you reacting to the new Amazon Prime Series, the Legend of Vox Machina, based on the Dungeons & Dragons game streamed by Critical Role.

We need part 2 ASAP!

Is that a Plini shirt? Frickin awesome!

"The time of the Orc has come." "So they're gonna be the new humans?" Wellll......they certainly THINK so. hehe.

Elves are immortal. They last as long as the Arda (Earth) lasts. They can be slain in battle, but even then they dont really die, at least not in the same sense as Men do. They can also grow weary of the griefs (just imagine being thousands of years old and loosing your beloved, for example, and mourning them for thousands of years) of the world and kind of just loosing your will to live. In that case, the spirit of the Elf leaves it body (unnatural state for an Elf) and goes to Halls Of Mandos (kind of afterlife for the Elves) waiting to be either re-embodied again, or for the End of the World, when the Arda is made new and perfect.

Arwen is Half-Elven and has “The Choice” she may choose to be counted among the Eldar (Elves) and immortality or she may choose mortality and die as any other mortal after a very long life.

IIRC Saruman's death is only in the extended editon. It's definitely something we want to see happen.

LOTRO takes a while to get into for sure haha I saw you made it passed the tutorial. Gets better as you go by like lvl 10 it feels a lot better. Auto run key is a must, turn camera by holding right click in Glad you’re enjoying the movies!

41:28 RIP Peter Jackson

Most of the comments here are GOLD!

🎼Anduril🎶 Most beautiful song in LOTR.

12:05 I can't believe you missed the fly on Gollums head ;D @Cyber Manor (or was it cut?)

Why not let us see the moment he draws the sword. Real "bruh" moment.

You stopped at the tunnel???!!!! Well, I guess that's someplace.

The guy shot on the ship is Peter Jackson.

I love when people are watching the second movie and are like “i want to see more of smeagol’s background”.... and i say in return “no, no you don’t”. He looks worse transitioning because of the shred of humanity on his face.

Release part 2 asap

41:28 well Gimli shot the director , now who is going to finish the movies :(

You should really consider watching the six "mission impossible" movies if you haven't already, from 1996 to 2018, before the seventh one comes out :)

"Is that their job?" Actually, I don't think it's a dumb question at all. I've always wondered if beacon duty was considered an honor or if it was a punishment. I could see it either way.

Woow, GOOD LUCK

It's easy to see why these movies grossed over a billion dollars.

Smeagol and deagol are river hobbits. They are not from shire.