I wanna point out a very small thing that is often overlooked about Boromir. A lot of people give him crap in the first movie because of his trying to take the ring from Frodo. But notice here, Frodo still says Boromir is his friend even after that (without knowing that Boromir defended Merry and Pippin as well). Because Frodo, more than anyone, knows that Boromir wasn't himself. He knows what it feels like to be called by the ring, and he does not blame Boromir for his moment of weakness. Frodo still recognized the reality of who Boromir was, a flawed man yes, but a good man full of courage and noble intent. it's easy to overlook. It's just one line. But it speaks volumes of Boromir's character.

So about the languages... Tolkien was a philologist at oxford. He studied the development of languages, and in his spare time created languages... for fun. He wrote the lord of the rings to create a world for the languages he created, and felt they needed a story and world to be finished. Language needs a story to tell, and the story is of the people who speak it.

The tree symbol they wear is the tree of Gondor. Boromir had the handcuffs, and when he died Aragon took them, as a symbol of him starting to embrace his destiny of becoming the king of Gondor.

All 3 films were shot in New Zealand together. Amazing, astounding, absolutely beautiful landscapes all throughout. Definitely an amazing place to visit. It took a long time to film these on location, but it was so worth it even though actors etc sacrificed a lot to achieve this as they literally had to live there for more than a year. This trilogy is kinda old in terms of technology, CGI is at a bare minimal here when it comes to this kind of films, most stuff is done via practical effects, and it was done so right, that the final result is far better than majority of CGI films out there even by today's standards. This has aged so well. A true achievement.

I don't know what caused you to think Aragorn's destiny is to find and help Frodo. He specifically let Frodo go because Aragorn knew he couldn't promise that he wouldn't fall to the Ring's temptation. Aragorn realised that destroying the Ring was explicitly NOT his destiny; it was Frodo's. Aragorn's destiny is to try and reclaim the throne of Gondor. I mean, he is literally Isildur's heir. The same goes for your remark about how Faramir's men should "help" Frodo and Sam. No they should not; they would just get tempted by the Ring again (also, they can't really abandon their homeland like that). The fewer people, especially Men, are involved, the better.

About Aragorn's age: Thousands of years ago, Earendil and Elwing, both of whom had mixed elf and human heritage, married and gave birth to twin boys named Elrond and Elros. Because of their mixed heritage, Manwe, lord of the Valar (the gods of Arda) gave them a choice to live as either men or elves. Elrond chose to be an elf and became the powerful lord we have in these movies. His brother Elros chose to live as a mortal man and became king of the island nation of Numenor. Although mortal, he was granted an extraordinary lifespan of over 500 years. All his descendants also had a prolonged lifespan, although it has lessened with the passage of time. Aragorn is a direct descendant of Elros, and thus has inherited that extended lifespan.

Saruman representing Industry is spot on, the author, Tolkien, grew a distaste for industry, automobiles, etc. and had a profound appreciation for trees. He valued the lifestyle of the English countrymen and that is what the hobbits represent, a people who appreciate the simple things in life

Glad you guys enjoyed that. Don't take too long to see the return of the king. one of the best films ever made.

Aragorn isn't trying to find Frodo because he knows Frodo doesn't want to be found - he also places his trust in him and that he will carry out his quest.

@11:08 they didn't run out onto the collapsing bridge to try to save Gandalf because... the bridge was collapsing, orcs where raining arrows down on them, and Gandalf literally told them to run. He let go so that none of them would die in the vain attempt to save him. He knew his battle with the Balrog was only begining.

The Composer, Howard Shore, is an absolute genius! The full score/soundtrack is wonderful to listen to, even by itself. I’ve watched these movies so many times, I can actually recite the script, based on the part of the soundtrack I’m listening to (mostly the Fellowship).

God I love Theoden. Every scene and line, never fails to bring a tear to my eye. Gollum/Smeagol it's fascinating how they do such a good job making you feel sorry for him, love him, but know that he will betray theme.

1:09:45 - "There won't be a Shire Pippen" - This is the moment that it finally sinks in with Pippen just how serious the situation is. He was the last of the Hobbits to truly grasp the gravity of the situation. Up until this point Pippen just wanted to Help his friends on an adventure etc.... But now he's finally realised what is at stake and what he does next is the turning point in the whole Saga IMHO.

Elves are immortal but can be killed by physical means. Which makes the Mirkwood elves arriving at Helms Deep to fight alongside Rohan, sacrificing their immortal lives even more significant. They could have easily not involved themselves and left Middle-Earth as many of the other elves did. A very touching gesture.

The bracers that Aragorn is wearing was boromirs. If you watch Aragorn after boromirs death you can see him wear it

Everything Frodo did, he did to protect Smeagol. He didn't "not do a good job." Smeagol is a creature of treachery and, as such, interpreted Frodo's actions as treachery when in reality, those actions saved Gollum's life.

Even though you might have been slightly off, I cannot do anything but admire the effort you put into this taking notes and trying to get into the world of Tolkien, read the books you will love them! thank you for reacting!!!

If you remember from the opening of the first movie, Smegaol had the Ring for 500 years - then Bilbo found it, and 60 years later, is when these movies happen. So he's likely well over 600 years old. Also.. you might have caught Gandalf saying he had walked this earth "300 lives of men".. so that should give you a hint how long its been since he and the other Wizards were sent on their mission to Middle-Earth to help/guide the Free Peoples to fight Sauron.

While enjoying watching your reaction, I'm also sitting here in New Zealand looking out at a valley with green pasture, and of course sheep, thinking wow we kiwi's do amazing CGI:)

1:19:59 Remember they can’t escort them because it will eventually corrupt minds of men. They start attacking Frodo for the ring. “The ring wants to be found.”

Sam never calls Frodo "Master." It's "Mister Frodo." And that's because Frodo, Merry and Pippin are Shire gentry, while Samwise is of the working class.

I don't consider this a spoiler because it's all backstory that isn't fully explained in the movies. The Tree of Gondor represents a species of tree that originated in Valinor, the place the elves are going during the events of the movies. The elves gifted a sapling of this tree to the Men of Numenor, an island nation that fell thousands of years before the beginning of the movies. The Men who founded Gondor were survivors of Numenor, who were able to save a sapling of that tree and bring it to Middle-Earth. It represents both the origin of Gondor as a people of Numenor and that people's historical friendship with the elves. It represents more as well, but that is all talked about in the next movie, so I'll leave that for you to find out when you watch it.

39:38 Oh its way more than just the series. Professor Tolkien had been developing languages since he was a child, and he was a philologist by trade (which is the study of the history of languages). He spent his whole life tinkering with his own invented languages and eventually invented a fictional secondary world for them to inhabit. Those writings eventually coalesced into the setting that the published Lord of the Rings would take centre stage in. All of Tolkien's writings are framed with the conceit that he is himself translating the Red Book of Westmarch (written by Bilbo about all these events) into English for us to read. He stated that he wanted to create a unique mythology for England, which he felt it had historically lacked after being invaded by countless outside forces during its classical and medieval periods. All of these stories take place in our world, even if it is an imagined, secondary version of it, similar to the way Arthurian Legend is.

29:22 Gandalf is basically an Angel, so just like he said, he was sent back until his task was done.

Good catch with the same decoration Faramir wore on his chest as on the wrist guard Aragorn was wearing. If you recall at the end of the first movie, Aragorn took it from Boromir after he died to wear in remembrance of him. He's shown putting it on as he watches Sam and Frodo make their escape into the forest across the river. After all the times I've seen this movie I never caught that detail.

He originally wrote this all as one book but the publishers made him split it into three. (So 3 Movies) The title Two Towers was just some random thing he made up. He wasn't even sure which two towers he was referring to, until he made up his mind later. He decided it was Saruman's tower and the Nazgul Leader's Tower. But the movie implies it's Saruman and Sauron's towers respectively.

Sam does call Frodo "master" sometimes. It's not literally that he's a master, as in a master/slave relationship or similar. It's a title which often used to be used about someone who has a household. Basically it means he's the "master of his house". In Sam's case it also signifies that he's employed by Frodo.

LOTR is obviously written in English, but Tolkien "translated" it from the original languages. The language spoken by the Men of the West is called the Westron, and Tolkien translated this as English. In the book, the Rohirrim speak their own language (their leaders, like Theoden and Eowyn, also know Westron), and Tolkien translated this language as Anglo-Saxon, or Old English. Peter Jackson & Co. have simplified the story in many ways, and they haven't made the distinction between these two languages. The song Eowyn sings at Theodred's funeral is in Anglo-Saxon, as are the words Aragorn speaks to Brego the horse. In Anglo-Saxon, the word for "horse" is "eoh," which is why many names of the Rohirrim start with "Eo-".

1:34:07 When you were pondering your notes on "Gollum is scared of death" I had a thought about that; the Ring gave Gollum eternal life, and while he had it, it was all he had. He had nothing else but loneliness, pain, hunger, shame, e.t.c. But the Ring was the only thing that didn't hurt him, not only that - it protected his life forever. Now that he's without it, he has nothing good in his life and has to face mortality for the first time in over 500 years. So it makes sense why he needs the Ring. Whereas Bilbo accepted his death, Gollum does not. Giving up the Ring is synonymous with coming to peace with your own mortality, letting the Ring go is akin to willingly sacrificing your life. You can imagine how hard that would be to resist let alone to voluntarily let go.

Correction: "They" did not come up with the language of Rohan. Tolkien himself did, as he did for the Dwarfs, and several for the Elves.

To add to your list of who is who, they don't say it in the films, but Galadriel is Elrond's Mother in law and Arwen's grandmother

Sam calls Frodo "Mister Frodo" because he works for him as a gardener. Frodo, as his uncle Bilbo, is rich, where Sam belongs to common people of the working class. Merry and Pippin are also of higher status.

"That's the most epic scene I've ever seen!“ wait for the 3rd...

The men you see at the Gates of Mordor, are known as the Easterlings. They were from a kingdom of men in the far East that was slowly infiltrated by Sauron and turned to his will in the past. When Gandalf comes in with Eomer at Helms Deep Eomer had 2000 men.

Tolkien served in WW1, and that experience undoubtedly colored his tale. For instance, perhaps at some point his squad took a prisoner, and wondered what to do with him, and that inspired the scene where Frodo and Sam capture Gollum. WW1 also made use of horses, and perhaps that inspired the scene where Aragorn decides the ill-tempered Rohan horse in the stable has "seen too much of war," and should be released. No doubt many horses were shocked by the artillery of WW1. And the swamp with the bodies in the water and the flames ... I think I read somewhere that Tolkien actually came across an area like that in the war. So while LotR isn't an allegory of WW1, it still contains a bit of a record of his experiences.

Galadriel = Arwen's grandma

Can't wait for you guys to see the finale. Theoden is an epic king too, you have to take into account that they would have never withstood such an army had they remained where they were. They had to go to Helms Deep, no matter how risky it was. And he led the charge too.

Fellowship will always be my favorite. I just love seeing the characters all together, and Boromir's redemption is so heartbreaking and inspiring. And we get to see so much of the beauty of the world they are defending before the ugly onset of war.

The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit Trilogies were all filmed in New Zealand. 90% of the landscape-wide shots are pure camera shots (the remaining 10% includes “ancient ruins” or mythical animals that might be included in the shot). Each trilogy, while shot 10 years apart, was filmed in one “trip”. They weren’t filmed in accordance with their release dates; the filming of the entire trilogy was done by the end of 2002 (the Return of the King came out Christmas 2003), but the editing didn’t finish until near each release date.

I like the way Caley is so involved with the films and how he appreciates the various elements, like the musical score and the cinematography, that contribute so much to the total effet.

The Frodo failing Smeagol part- it was some forbidden sacred pool that Faramir said incurs death. He had to have them beat him a little if he wasn't going to kill him as a leader or he would be questioned as a leader. As for Frodo he chose the lesser of 2 evils but was pretty powerless either way.

About the part where you said Gollum wanted a roast chicken after spitting out the bread actually connects to the rope if I’m not mistaken. Because Gollum was so corrupted by the ring, things made by the elves have an adverse effect on him. The rope burns his skin and the bread chokes him/tastes badly to him. Also the fact that he’s gone about 500 years without genuine food, not just whatever gross stuff he scavenged/killed, probably didn’t help either

We need the return of the king reaction !!!

47:01 Great catch! BUT… remember that Aragorn took that brace from Boromir, after he died.

The tree of Gondor is an ancient tree, it was planted there by Isildur and has a deep history. Thousands of years before the events of this movie take place, there was a large island called Numenor and it was inhabited by the greatest race of men.The island itself was founded by Elrond's brother Elros who became the first king of Numenor. From his line came Isildur hundreds of years later, long story short Sauron corrupted Numenor heavily and the island was destroyed and sank into the ocean by Eru Illuvetar (The god of the LOTR universe). Isildur, and his father Elendi whol were amongst those who were not corrupted, and left the island before it was destroyed. Isildur stole a fruit from the white tree of Numenor before he left, and the seeds of that fruit were planted years later when Isildur established Gondor.

Everytime you see something epic in these movies remember those movies caused the world to use the word "epic" with the signifiance we know today. They served as a point of reference of epicness for all movies since.

Great reaction guys. 01:13:47 If Frodo seems more fragile and breakable compared to Sam it is because he's the one who is carrying the heavy burden of the ring and is being slowly poisoned by its influence. Sam selflessly helps in any way he can and that is his role But he can't bear the real burden. As Galadriel stated in the last movie: "To bear a ring of power is to be alone" therefore Frodo is alone in that sense.

I read that there are 1300 hours hours of film we have not seen! Insane amount of visuals. Who knows what characters and beasts we have never seen. Great reaction / review as always y'all. As we say in Texas; y'all be safe.

Eowyn didn't leave with her brother Eomer because he was forced to leave immediately. Grima even tells Eowyn that her brother abandoned her. And I'm not sure Eomer would have taken her with him, either.

Galadriel was tempted by the ring, which gave Sauron a chance to corrupt her. She showed what she would become if she accepted the ring from Frodo, and she resisted, refusing the ring. If she had failed, she would have been doomed to remain in Middle Earth, subordinate to Sauron. She passed the test and was allowed to leave Middle Earth with the rest of the Elves.

the movie was mostly shot in new zealand. i recently watched the haka dance that the new zealand stuntmen used to say goodbye to viggo mortensen after filming aragorn's last scene. amazing sight! even after all these years we can come across things from the filming of the movie we haven't heard of and stay fascinated.

A few places have matte-painted backgrounds or are done with miniatures, but most of it is the real landscapes of New Zealand, where all of it was filmed. Hobbiton was really built and is still there to be visited, although the interiors were studios. There are nine Nazgul/Black Riders, they are the Men who had rings of power (not the Elves or Dwarves). Their real flesh and blood horses were drowned, but they all now ride 'fell beasts' which are not the same as dragons. Oliphaunts are way bigger than elephants or the largest of prehistoric mammoths. They are carrying little forts, bigger than a howdah, on their backs. Helm's Deep is a valley in the Kingdom of Rohan. It has been fortified with a wall and a castle called the Hornburg. It also has large caves for many people to take refuge in. Pipe-weed is tobacco, they do not smoke any other type of plant.

Its kinda insane that you notice Faramir's bracer is the same as Aragorn's. You missed the part where Aragorn took it from Boromir tho.

Fantastic reaction. Your analysis was pretty astute overall. One thing I would point out is, you mentioned that you didn't want to get religious, but LOTR is a specific kind of tale in that regard. Tolkien was a devout Catholic and LOTR is a Christian allegory in many ways. Tolkien hated allegories, so it's not as overt as his good friend C.S Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, but it's there. He even said the tale is a - "fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision". Tolkien also drew inspiration from Norse and Germanic mythologies and old tales. For example, Tolkien draws a lot from Wagner's opera Der Ring des Nibelungen (which in turn draws on Germanic legends and myths). Can't wait for your Return of the King reaction. Love the channel.

When Aragorn kicked the helmet and screamed. The actor actually broke 2 toes and channeled the pain from the broken bones into that cry.

Tolkien was a master of language. The archaic ways of saying things in the movies are because that is how he wrote the books. Different characters speak differently, even within the same language.

It's great you're watching the extended version...yes...their are longer versions too... behind the scenes n whatnot.....the personal conversations and speeches are one of the best parts of these movies...🤟

Saruman's tower is named 'Orthanc' the area around it is named 'Isengard' after the River Isen that flows through it.

Cant wait for ur reaction to Return of the King, Love ur reactions!! Keep it up!

Regarding the "old pipes like in the cartoons". It takes practice and skill to smoke a pipe well enough to enjoy it. It's not like a cig where you just breath and you're done. It's an artform.

Maybe this will help- Sam not only could not swim at all, he was weighted down with multi cast iron pans at his waist as well as the huge backpack. Water even a foot or two deeper than him would take him down. So Frodo leaning in and reaching his outstretched hand was viable.

“Thats the most epic thing I’ve ever seen… that clash” Return of the King: hold my beer

Don't worry about your list bro...by the time you get to the end of the movies it'll feel like they lived down the block your whole life....no joke😅🤟💪✊

I am deeply impressed how seroius you take the story. With the recap in the beginning and all. Your effort is much appreaciated!

It will never cease to amaze me how some reactors just can't understand the "why?" evil people do evil things lol

"That's the most epic thing I've ever seen". Return of the King: "Hold my beer".

Guys its been 2 months 🥲

I think this is the best reaction channel. The film isn't cut much, the audio is good, the commentary is interesting, you don't seem to take any shortcuts, and unlike some reactors, I'm convinced these are genuine first time watches and not acting.

29:20 there’s a lot of missing context to Gandalf that further explains why Aragorn and Legolas reacted with such reverence to his return. Gandalf isn’t a Wizard. He’s a Maiar, think like an archangel. He serves under the Valar, the Gods in Tolkiens mythology. He, along with six other “Istari” (name of their kind of Maiar), we’re sent to oppose the growing power of Sauron in middle earth. The elves and the Dunedain (the Men that Aragorn is part of) are very devout in the religion of the Valar, so Aragorn and Legolas understand how important Gandalf actually is. So watching him fall in Moria would have been similar to the Biblical Apostles witnessing the crucifixion of Christ. It was impossible. Unbelievable. It shouldn’t have happened. And then now, when they see Gandalf again in his “glorified” form, it would have also been very similar to the resurrected Christ appearing to the Eleven Apostles. It should be a very hallowed and sacred experience.

Was left out of the film, but in the books, the ring projects an image into Sam's mind of being the greatest gardener in the whole world

19:33 everything was shot in New Zealand. They even built the real live Hobbiton, the town on hobbits, that you can visit. They first built it using plastics and that kind of materials, but for The Hobbit trilogy they rebuilt it on the same spot using better materials, like wood and concrete.

Just to explain Elven immortality: it is true that they can only really die by being killed, or by relinquishing their life in a handful of very specific scenarios throughout the entire legendarium. However, Elves' souls are tied to the earth, so their souls stay on earth. Specifically, the souls of dead Elves go to a place known as the Halls of Mandos, where they are judged; if they were good Elves, they will eventually be rehoused into a new body. Otherwise, they stay forever in the Halls. This is different from the fates of mortals, whose spirits simply 'move on' when they die. What that means exactly is a mystery, much like in real life. Presumably, the only way for Elven spirits to 'move on' is for the very earth itself to be destroyed. Well, or if they give up their immortality for love.

Regarding frodo saving sam in fellowship, we never see him lean into the water so we dont know how deep he'd gone to save him. My personal theory is that he was hanging off the boat's side by his extra-sturdy hobbit feet 😂

49:25 while aragorn was thinking about arwen, he doesn't even know that she's still in middle earth. He told her to go and be with her people so he thinks she's already gone to valinor. Which one she goes there she can never return. And he can never go there because humans and dwarves aren't allowed It's just for the elves. So again as far as he knows, she's gone. But at the same time there was never anything in his heart about eowyn. She just falls in love with him.

Hey, i wanted to point something that seems to be confusing yet and it is why they go alone, if you remember what galadriel said the ring would be corrupting one by one everyone in the fellowship putting the mission on risk, that is why they purpously dont go looking for frodo, or they dont get scort or anything, the only reason sam is with frodo is because he literally said i will drown myself if i dont go with u 😅

Something people forget about Gandalf is that's only the name men gave him. Elves gave him the name Mithrandir which still wasn't his real name. He's ancient as are all wizards because they aren't how most authors portray them. In a sense, wizards are a type of angel, not human, according to Tolkien. They are spirits in human form who were sent to Middle Earth to council the nations. His real name is Olorin before being sent to Middle Earth.

The guard left Gandalf the staff on purpose, because he hoped he would help.

Love how much you are enjoying this amazing story and world..Sam's speech towards the end is arguably my favorite moment of the entire triology, as well as a brilliant piece of writing.. Makes me tear up every time.. XO

“…if he had pants on, maybe I’d let him touch my ring” 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

1:10:18 Correct. Which is why elves prefer to live away from other races and not get involved in their wars. They technically have much more to lose. This is also why they're so much more disciplined, organized, and better in battle. They have an eternity to train. Though, as I understand it, even when killed they eventually come back to life. But their souls have to wander Valinor, which is far away (and not always accessible from Middle-Earth), for an indeterminate amount of time. In video game terms, they have infinite lives, but there's an annoyingly long respawn timer.

Sam calls him "Mister Frodo" because tolkien based the Shire on turn-of-the-century england mores, and Sam is Frodo's SERVANT- IE his gardner, so its a "class" thing, Prof Tolkien based his vision of Frodo/Sam's relationship on the "Officer/Batman" relationships between British Army regulars around circa 1900

@29:58 Fun fact: Yavanna (Goddess of nature, specifically plants) created the Ents in response to the creation of the dwarves. She knew that the dwarves would want to cut her trees down due to their industrious nature, so the Ents were made to protect the deep forests and stop those who would harvest thoughtlessly. That's basically why Gimli is all jumpy at the sounds of creaking trees, he understands on an instincual level that those trees will pack his ass up if he steps out of line.

lol... you guys did great with the first movie... so confused for the start of part two 😆👍 but a very nice one again🙏

Aragorn is indeed a Ranger but definitely not the Park Ranger variety. More like an Army Ranger and a phenomenal tracker for that matter, which you pretty much need to be if you're going to be a successful hunter, of animals or humans.

34:45 the flag ripping off the flagpole and blowing away were actually unscripted. It was just such a windy day that it just happened and Peter Jackson liked how symbolic it seemed and decided to keep it instead of reshooting.

"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands." -Aragorn "Do not regret your choice to leave him." -Gandalf Also how would Aragorn find Frodo at this point? There is a lot of wilderness where Frodo could be. The marshes alone were a multiday trip to get through. Aragorn doesn't know the exact route Frodo took and at this point it would be pretty much impossible to find tracks to follow.

These reactions have been excellent. You two are more thoughtful and genuine than 99% of reactors. I’m really looking forward to Return, and I know you guys will be blown away. You’ve got a new subscriber for sure!

So Aragorn has the Tree of Gondor on his arms because after Boromir died in the last movie Aragorn took Boromirs arm guards in honor and remembrance of him. He wears them throughout all 3 movies. Pretty cool way of keeping the spirit of Boromir with the fellowship even after his death

Concerning your question about the tree symbol of Gondor, I'll try to make it short :D In the first age the source of light were huge towers with lights on top that enlightened the whole (probably flat) world. Melkor, the corrupted vala (god) starte a war in which he destroyed the towers out of jealousy. Later, to bring back light, one of the good valar planted two trees, a golden one (day) and a silver one (night) - at this point time itself was first created. Again in a war later the trees were killed but a little seed could be saved. It was carried to Middle Earth and planted in Numenor, an island where the half-elvish ancestors of Elronds brother Elros settled down. And for the third time, a war killed the tree, but again, a seed was saved and got to continental Middle Earth. This tree is standing in Minas Tirith, the big fortress/city of Gondor and as a symbol of hope - that light overcomes darkness - the tree is the symbol of Gondor. It is said that when the rightful king of Gondor comes back one day, the tree will grow leaves again. Title of film no3: The Return of the King :D

Helm's Deep is a castle in the land of Rohan. They prefer open war because they typically fight from horses, but the castle has been used as a last ditch line of defense throughout Rohan's history, namely King Helm Hammerhand lead his people there during the war with the Dunlandings, thus "Helm's Deep"

Return of the King have probably the most epic/goosebumps scene ever. Can't wait to see your reaction on that one 😛

I'm sure that Tolkien definitely meant the smokables to be tobacco but I also think that Peter Jackson was being tongue in cheek in treating the smoke as possibly being marijuana. There were many times in the movie that it is shown as a possibility of being pot just through the context around it. This is most obvious with the joy Merry and Pippin finding the barrels and they way they were giggling and carrying on as they smoked it. By being coy about it, Jackson could avoid any possible backlash from people thinking he was promoting drugs.

Just want to say, I really love both of yours post-movie analysis. It's very insightful and I can legitimately tell that you're both really engrossed and invested in it just by the fact that you try to find meaning in things that a lot of people would easily just overlook and accept as just a "moment" in the movie.

The reason for Aragorn and company to not looking for frodo and sam is hinted at the end of the fellowship of the ring when Aragorn says "lets hunt some orcs". Wich means that they are going to make the dark forces buzy while Frodo and Sam tries to sneak behind the black gates into mordor and to mount doom. To keep the eye of sauron off them.

58:39 the White Tree. When Eru Illuvitar (Tolkien’s One God) first created the world it was illuminated by two great Lamps. Morgoth (the devil) destroyed these Lamps and in response Illuvitar created the Two Trees of Valinor, Laurelin and Telporion, which cast light across Arda (the world). Many years later, Morgoth would sneak into Valinor and poison the Two Trees. But not before their Light was preserved in three jewels called Silmarils crafter by Feanor the greatest of Elven smiths. Many hundreds of years later, after the War of Wrath and the remaking of the world at the end of the First Age, the Kingdom of Men on the island of Numenor was gifted a sapling of the White Trees by the elves of Middle Earth. This tree, called Nimloth, was a symbol of the friendship and kinship between the elves and their Numenorean cousins. When Numenor fell into wickedness, Sauron convinced the evil king Ar Pharazon to cut down Nimloth. But learning of this, a young Isildur (the one who cut the Ring from Sauron’s hand) fought his way through the temple on Armenelos (spelling?) and rescued a sapling of the Tree. But Isildur was badly wounded and lay near death for weeks until the sapling took root and the Faithful were sure it would grow. When Numenor was finally destroyed, Isildur’s father Elendil brought the sapling with them as they escaped to Middle Earth. There Elendil and his sons Isildur and Anarion founded the kingdoms of Arnor (northern kingdom ruled by Elendil) and Gondor (southern kingdom ruled by Isildur and Anarion together). And the sapling was planted in the Gondorian Capitol of Minas Ithil. Then Minas Ithil was captured by the Nazgûl during Sauron’s wars against the Men of Gondor and Arnor. And a sapling of that tree was saved and taken to Minas Anor which was later renamed Minas Tirith, which is now the Capitol city of Gondor. You’ll see the remnants of this tree in the third movie.

Just a side note on the Nazgûl, they are now riding what Tolkien called “fell beasts”. This distinction is important because there were actual Dragons throughout Middle Earth history. All the way back to Morgoth, the first DarkLord. They all have 4 legs and some had wings. Tolkien’s dragons are intelligent, cunning, very greedy and capable of speech. The last the Great Dragons can be seen in The Hobbit trilogy.

I've said it before on other reactions, Gollum/Smeagol is a perfect example of the gateway that anger, bitterness & unforgiveness provides into our lives, for the evil one to enter. I always felt so sorry for Smeagol for that reason. He only knew to react with emotion and defensiveness and that was enough to allow the bad influence (which had left him) to return & take over.

The entire trilogy was filmed in New Zealand in just over 18 months. The cast basically moved to NZ until filming was over. They at times stayed in camps set up in remote areas. Although precautions were taken, over 180 horses became sick, or lame during filming and died. The most of any film, losing animals.

Wow. Just in the prologue you guys paid attention with names! Lurtz I mean wow.

It’s “Mister Frodo”, y’all. Sam was technically at the shore, but HE being the height of a toddler he was covered by the water but was able to be reached from the boat.🤦🏽‍♀️The willingness to drown in his attempt to get to Frodo is still there and still important. The first Dark Lord Melkor took hostage some Elves from Cuiviénen. He tortured them, beat them, and broke their bodies for generations into the first deformed and twisted beings known as Orcs. Sauron then took them and twisted them more crossbreeding them further to make his Uruk-Hai. Just for fun, I wanted to share this info -- Put simply: Gandalf is younger than Galadriel, for he is roughly only two thousand years old (‘only’…) whereas Galadriel is many MANY millennia older than him. If you were to ask which is older: Galadriel or Olorin, well, that would be another matter. Gandalf is the physical incarnated human-like form of an immortal god-like/angelic being of supreme power. Keep in mind that Gandalf is one who was present and party to the creation of Arda (the Earth, our world) called "Olorin". He was tutored under Lorien (a Vala) and Nienna (one of the Aratar: ‘High Ones’), both of whom are essentially gods. Olorin has in fact been incarnated as an elf before he took his human Istari form. So Gandalf (as Gandalf) is a few millennia younger than Galadriel, but his essential substance (his soul or spirit, if you will) is/was existent ‘before’ Time was even a concept. A general list for all major characters during the LotR: Eowyn - 24 Eomer - 28 Pippin - 29 Faramir - 36 Merry - 37 Samwise - 39 Boromir - 41 Frodo - 51 Theoden - 71 Aragorn - 88 Denethor - 89 Bilbo - 129 Gimli - 140 Gollum - aprox. 589 Arwen - 2901 Legolas - 2931* (exact age not known, but Tolkien's son did say, years ago, that Legos has older siblings and he looks the most like his mother and that is why his father is over protective of him for many ages until he has a vision that Legolas will go to Aragon and befriend him; only then does he let him go. He leaves a boat for him that Legolas later takes to the Undying lands and brings elderly Gimli with him after they've travel the world together.) Radagast the Brown (Aiwendil) - Unknown (Like Gandalf he too was a Maia spirit of Yavanna from Valinor and inhabited peacefully in Middle-earth in the year 1000 3A. During his first years in Middle-earth, Radagast would protect the great forests.) Gandalf (Olórin) - 3000* (exact age is not specified, but he is considerably younger than both Galadriel and Elrond. He is not immortal nor a God, but more of an angelic being called a Maia. Gandalf walked in Middle-earth for approximately 2,019 years, un-aging and appearing as a grey bearded human of about 60 years old or so. He was around long before Middle-earth was created and before the Years of the Lamps. He, Saruman and Sauron are approximately the same age - give or take.) Saruman (Curumo) - 3300** (Guestimations in fandom based purely on ability and strengths only experience and age could grant) Sauron 3790** (Guestimations in fandom based purely on ability and strengths only experience and age could grant) Elrond - 6000+ Galadriel - 7000+ Alatar - Unknown (Alatar (Quenya - "After-Comer"), meaning Darkness-slayer, was a Maia and an immortal Istar Wizard. He travelled to Middle-earth in the Second Age with Rómestámo (Pallando), and they became the Ithryn Luin, or "Blue Wizards". -- Pallando - Unknown Balrog Unknown Eru Oldest being in all of creation - Exact Age Unknown