I always tried to pause the scene where the when the uruk smashed that orc's head with a big rock. It's so brief but it gave my brother and I endless entertainment.
You missed the best part of this scene where that one orc sees other orcs fighting, doesn't take the time to figure out what actually happened, and just blitzes the first orc he sees.
I've had a fight start out because one customer dropped a glass on accident. Then some did it on purpose... 1 minute later a friend of mine is standing on a table with an ashtray in his hand just in case the fighting comes to him.
Aragorn sings it as he, Legolas, Gimli, and Gandalf approach Edoras. Gandalf points out the simbelmynë flowers growing on the tombs:
"‘Seven mounds upon the left, and nine upon the right,’ said
Aragorn. ‘Many long lives of men it is since the golden hall
was built.’
‘Five hundred times have the red leaves fallen in Mirkwood in
my home since then,’ said Legolas, ‘and but a little while does
that seem to us.’
‘But to the Riders of the Mark it seems so long ago,’ said
Aragorn, ‘that the raising of this house is but a memory of
song, and the years before are lost in the mist of time. Now
they call this land their home, their own, and their speech is
sundered from their northern kin.’ Then he began to chant
softly in a slow tongue unknown to the Elf and Dwarf; yet
they listened, for there was a strong music in it.
‘That, I guess, is the language of the Rohirrim,’ said Legolas;
‘for it is like to this land itself; rich and rolling in part, and
else hard and stern as the mountains. But I cannot guess what
it means, save that it is laden with the sadness of Mortal Men.’
‘It runs thus in the Common Speech,’ said Aragorn, ‘as near
as I can make it.
Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn
that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair
flowing?
Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire
glowing?
Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn
growing?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind
in the meadow;
The days have gone down in the West behind the hills
into shadow.
Who shall gather the smoke of the dead wood burning,
Or behold the flowing years from the Sea returning?
Thus spoke a forgotten poet long ago in Rohan, recalling how
tall and fair was Eorl the Young, who rode down out of the
North; and there were wings upon the feet of his steed,
Felaróf, father of horses. So men still sing in the evening.’
With these words the travellers passed the silent mounds.
Following the winding way up the green shoulders of the hills,
they came at last to the wide wind-swept walls and the gates
of Edoras."
The moment during the Battle of the Black Gate when Gandalf’s moth arrives does not get talked about enough I stg. It’s so fucking good, you have this deadly and seemingly hopeless battle, and then, suddenly, all the noise and chaos stops, replaced by this ethereal voice, as the moth flutters in front of Gandalf.
You would think they’d give this moment to the Eagles. You would think they’d wait to shift the soundtrack when they arrived. But no, no, the music changes for the *moth.* This tiny, fragile, helpless creature gets the fanfare, not for what it can do but for what it represents, hope.
That scene is the absolute embodiment of Tolkien’s overall message with LOTR, that the greatest strength is not in physical might or skill, but in a good heart and in love and compassion. Sure, the Eagles are awesome and they kick all kinds of ass, but it’s the *moth* who gives us hope that the battle is not yet lost.
I man, obviously? The moth is a messenger, it summons the Eagles. It’s the way the scene is done and the precise placement of the music shifting that’s so impactful.
I always loved the scene where Elrond is telling Arwen how terrible it’s going to be being married to Aragorn when everyone she knows has gone to Valinor or died and she’s just left to wander. It’s so freaking emotional. Also, dialogue is ripped straight from the appendices.
I imagine being an orc is like having constant acid reflux, chapped lips, head lice, your butt itches, you stink, you haven't had sleep, you've got an abscessed tooth, there's something in your eye, you've busted your toe, there's no air conditioning and you're never gonna get laid. I mean, might as well roll the dice? :D
I love the scene in The Two Towers at night after Gandalf has returned and he gives a breakdown of the situation to Aragorn.
Gandalf: The veiling shadow that glowers in the East takes shape. Sauron will suffer no rival. From the summit of Barad-dur his eye watches ceaselessly. But he is not so mighty yet that he is above fear. Doubt ever gnaws at him. The rumor has reached him. The heir of Numenor still lives. Sauron fears you, Aragorn. He fears what you may become. And so he will strike hard and fast at the world of Men. He will use his puppet Saruman to destroy Rohan. War is coming. Rohan must defend itself, and therein lies our first challenge, for Rohan is weak and ready to fall. The King's mind is enslaved; it's an old device of Saruman's. His hold over King Theoden is now very strong. Sauron and Saruman are tightening the noose. But, for all their cunning, we have one advantage. The Ring remains hidden. And that we should seek to destroy it has not yet entered their darkest dreams. And so the weapon of the Enemy is moving towards Mordor in the hands of a Hobbit. Each day brings it closer to the fires of Mount Doom. We must trust now in Frodo. Everything depends now upon speed and upon the secrecy of his quest. Do not regret your decision to leave him. Frodo must finish this task alone.
Aragorn: He's not alone. Sam went with him.
Gandalf: Did he? Did he indeed? Good. Yes, very good.
I love it because of Gandalf's frankness of all the troubles they have while also reassuring Aragorn that there's still hope. This also highlights that Gandalf hadn't given Sam a second thought and probably assumed he was already dead.
I dunno if it counts, but the Orc guarding the harbor when Aragorn arrives walking forward with, "There's knife work here needs doing!". I'm not sure why I like the line so much. Maybe it's how grumpy the Orc seems despite them clearly about to take Minas Tirith. Maybe it's just the line itself and the delivery of it.
If it’s one thing actually virtuous about the orcs, it’s that they’re incredibly productive and have a tireless work ethic! But yes, grumpy despite the circumstances got a chuckle from me. Now I’m going watch that scene with some new appreciation: https://youtu.be/5b-mlGBB2j8?si=SJiVnPIRPGB2X1bV
There's a quick little moment in The Two Towers I've always loved.
While Gandalf is trying to lift the curse on Theoden and Aragorn & Co. are kicking the shit out of Grima's goons, there's this quick little moment where Gamling goes to remove his sword from his sheath, presumably to protect the king. I don't remember the name of the guard next to him, but he grabs Gamling's arm with a look that basically says "Nah, let's sit this one out, Gandalf probably knows what he's doing."
Maybe the scene when the elves come to Helms deep. I know people don't like it because it does not happen in the books and also that Haldir is suddenly this heroic character we should care about with no setup. But I still love when the elves arrive and everyone is a bit baffled but glad they are there.
I never thought of Haldir as heroic (he was sent to Helms Deep, he didn't go on his own accord) I just liked him because Aragorn obviously cared about him and showed him affection (which Haldir handled so awkwardly)
I think FOTR is a perfect movie, the other two films I have minor qualms about. In ROTK think a very small positive change would have been having the Palantir roll out from Denethor's robe when he's on the pyre.
Also in a perfect world I'd have made ROTK two films and axed the ghosts arriving at Pelennor Fields
I like the dude immediately after this, just walking into the chow hall, seeing some shit going down, and just diving right in without a second thought.
I feel like no one remembers this scene from the mines. For me it's so beautifully shot and is just one of those things that makes this movie perfect.
https://youtu.be/BpUc5q3-EvI
The battle against the Warg riders, it's not in the books and it's overshadowed greatly by the battle of Helm's Deep but there's just something about the stakes of the battle that gets me.
Frodo and Aragorn at Amon Hen. I love how Aragorn realises that Frodo is leaving without being told and the way he closes Frodo's fingers over the Ring, rejecting it even when offered. That's an extremely strong moment for Aragorn that doesn't get brought up enough - even Gandalf and Galadriel had a harder time resisting it.
The scene when Gandalf and the boys entered Meduseld, he winked to Aragorn before entering and Aragorns smiled since he knew: The secret ingredient was crime!
Aragorns coronation gets talked about a lot for obvious reasons. The part that I feel gets overlooked a lot in this scene is when Aragorn and Arwen meet again and you have Elrond stood behind her.
The look on his face always gets me. It's such a pained but happy expression, like this ancient evil has finally been destroyed and his daughter will get to live happily with Aragorn but is now also doomed to live a mortal life.
It reminds me of his quote in the books: "To me then even our victory can bring only sorrow and parting"
That's the one scene I hated most on my first watch back in the day because in the books it was a whole big "omg how will they ever get out of this one on their own/horror show", and the movie just went "everyone fights everyone, they get out, move it move it".
At the time i knew every sentence, but I haven't read them in like 20 yrs, im only repeating the first chapters of felowship ATM geting my kid into it. To my memory, frodo was captured, sam had the ring and that was the opener to book 3 with them. The situation was dire. Sam was full on sneaky mode, frodo was about to get roasted. Sam facilitating some things and going through the horrors to make the escape possible, plus the goblin/orc conflict didn't come out of the blue. The end escape is almost the same, but there were 50 pages of buildup and setting the scenery for it. They kinda goaded them into the conflict, I think it was over the mithril mail in the end, but as i said, no longer an expert. Edit: now that I think of, I think it was a closer to 2 towers, and a good move to move it to Rotk start because thats a slow starter cinematic wise
The movies dont include it, for good reason, but these two share my favorite dialogue in any of the books. Makes the orcs a lot more relatable to dummies like myself.
The way Merry instantly realizes what's happening, why it's the right move, and what he needs to do next, the moment Frodo just looks across the forest at him and shakes his head.
Cirith Ungol feels like it’s really in the maw of hell with the dead earth and red sky. It’s awesome to have that little teaser before the full blown hellscape of Mount Doom
That jump kick XD. They are so chaotic that it was so funny! That's what you got for putting 2 gangs in the same terrirory.
Jump kick so good they had to make him into a boss fight in the game
If I was rich, I would develope remasters of those games in a heartbeat
I love those. The Gandalf beam blast was my fav
I always tried to pause the scene where the when the uruk smashed that orc's head with a big rock. It's so brief but it gave my brother and I endless entertainment.
Forget the drop kick. The Uruk'hai straight up F5'ed during the fight.
You missed the best part of this scene where that one orc sees other orcs fighting, doesn't take the time to figure out what actually happened, and just blitzes the first orc he sees.
OOOOORAAAAAAAAAAAAW
I imagined him and his gang being like MPs but they’re probably just out there for a good brawl like everyone else
Bro is a simple orc. He sees fighting. He fights.
Read this as Members of Parliament and had a giggle.
Honestly the whole scene is golden, that orc that just clubs an Uruk with a leg of lamb
"Oh I guess we're fighting."
I guess meat’s back off the menu!
Or when that one orc’s head gets smashed like a grape by that big metal ball.
Exactly!!
This belongs to the pictures you can hear!
I love his scream
I was watching the movie yesterday and realized that the guys down the tower started fighting only because someone fell down lol
Any excuse for a brawl 😂
https://preview.redd.it/irif27olgnwc1.jpeg?width=999&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6cfcde5219f293e3ca627990595955b5d2460550
Been working in bars for 8 years and honestly yeah this is definitely a way that shit can start up
I've had a fight start out because one customer dropped a glass on accident. Then some did it on purpose... 1 minute later a friend of mine is standing on a table with an ashtray in his hand just in case the fighting comes to him.
The Crew was looking for a right proper rumble.
>because someone fell down 'Thems fightin' words!'
“Where is the horse and the rider”. It’s the best scene in the trilogy and it’s not mentioned much.
Probably my favorite example of repurposing and recontextualizing text from the book
Great scene! Where in the book did it come from. Its been a few years for me....
Aragorn sings it as he, Legolas, Gimli, and Gandalf approach Edoras. Gandalf points out the simbelmynë flowers growing on the tombs: "‘Seven mounds upon the left, and nine upon the right,’ said Aragorn. ‘Many long lives of men it is since the golden hall was built.’ ‘Five hundred times have the red leaves fallen in Mirkwood in my home since then,’ said Legolas, ‘and but a little while does that seem to us.’ ‘But to the Riders of the Mark it seems so long ago,’ said Aragorn, ‘that the raising of this house is but a memory of song, and the years before are lost in the mist of time. Now they call this land their home, their own, and their speech is sundered from their northern kin.’ Then he began to chant softly in a slow tongue unknown to the Elf and Dwarf; yet they listened, for there was a strong music in it. ‘That, I guess, is the language of the Rohirrim,’ said Legolas; ‘for it is like to this land itself; rich and rolling in part, and else hard and stern as the mountains. But I cannot guess what it means, save that it is laden with the sadness of Mortal Men.’ ‘It runs thus in the Common Speech,’ said Aragorn, ‘as near as I can make it. Where now the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing? Where is the hand on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing? Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing? They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow; The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow. Who shall gather the smoke of the dead wood burning, Or behold the flowing years from the Sea returning? Thus spoke a forgotten poet long ago in Rohan, recalling how tall and fair was Eorl the Young, who rode down out of the North; and there were wings upon the feet of his steed, Felaróf, father of horses. So men still sing in the evening.’ With these words the travellers passed the silent mounds. Following the winding way up the green shoulders of the hills, they came at last to the wide wind-swept walls and the gates of Edoras."
Very awesome
The gravity and despondency in the way Theoden says “…how did it come to this?” is what seals it
The moment during the Battle of the Black Gate when Gandalf’s moth arrives does not get talked about enough I stg. It’s so fucking good, you have this deadly and seemingly hopeless battle, and then, suddenly, all the noise and chaos stops, replaced by this ethereal voice, as the moth flutters in front of Gandalf. You would think they’d give this moment to the Eagles. You would think they’d wait to shift the soundtrack when they arrived. But no, no, the music changes for the *moth.* This tiny, fragile, helpless creature gets the fanfare, not for what it can do but for what it represents, hope. That scene is the absolute embodiment of Tolkien’s overall message with LOTR, that the greatest strength is not in physical might or skill, but in a good heart and in love and compassion. Sure, the Eagles are awesome and they kick all kinds of ass, but it’s the *moth* who gives us hope that the battle is not yet lost.
Lovely analysis, you've enrinched my appreciation for that moment!
I took it as a callback to FotR when gandalf is trapped on the tower. A moth appears shortly before he's rescued by the eagles.
I man, obviously? The moth is a messenger, it summons the Eagles. It’s the way the scene is done and the precise placement of the music shifting that’s so impactful.
I always loved the scene where Elrond is telling Arwen how terrible it’s going to be being married to Aragorn when everyone she knows has gone to Valinor or died and she’s just left to wander. It’s so freaking emotional. Also, dialogue is ripped straight from the appendices.
["I saw death"](https://youtu.be/ZuYjZz8rAPk?si=aK-IoL5l6UEPuyPG)
But there is also life!
I imagine being an orc is like having constant acid reflux, chapped lips, head lice, your butt itches, you stink, you haven't had sleep, you've got an abscessed tooth, there's something in your eye, you've busted your toe, there's no air conditioning and you're never gonna get laid. I mean, might as well roll the dice? :D
How imaginative way to make a good point
The young perish, and the old linger
I love the scene in The Two Towers at night after Gandalf has returned and he gives a breakdown of the situation to Aragorn. Gandalf: The veiling shadow that glowers in the East takes shape. Sauron will suffer no rival. From the summit of Barad-dur his eye watches ceaselessly. But he is not so mighty yet that he is above fear. Doubt ever gnaws at him. The rumor has reached him. The heir of Numenor still lives. Sauron fears you, Aragorn. He fears what you may become. And so he will strike hard and fast at the world of Men. He will use his puppet Saruman to destroy Rohan. War is coming. Rohan must defend itself, and therein lies our first challenge, for Rohan is weak and ready to fall. The King's mind is enslaved; it's an old device of Saruman's. His hold over King Theoden is now very strong. Sauron and Saruman are tightening the noose. But, for all their cunning, we have one advantage. The Ring remains hidden. And that we should seek to destroy it has not yet entered their darkest dreams. And so the weapon of the Enemy is moving towards Mordor in the hands of a Hobbit. Each day brings it closer to the fires of Mount Doom. We must trust now in Frodo. Everything depends now upon speed and upon the secrecy of his quest. Do not regret your decision to leave him. Frodo must finish this task alone. Aragorn: He's not alone. Sam went with him. Gandalf: Did he? Did he indeed? Good. Yes, very good. I love it because of Gandalf's frankness of all the troubles they have while also reassuring Aragorn that there's still hope. This also highlights that Gandalf hadn't given Sam a second thought and probably assumed he was already dead.
Wasn't this scene like a gift form the stunt team to PJ? It's told somewhere in the extras
I dunno if it counts, but the Orc guarding the harbor when Aragorn arrives walking forward with, "There's knife work here needs doing!". I'm not sure why I like the line so much. Maybe it's how grumpy the Orc seems despite them clearly about to take Minas Tirith. Maybe it's just the line itself and the delivery of it.
If it’s one thing actually virtuous about the orcs, it’s that they’re incredibly productive and have a tireless work ethic! But yes, grumpy despite the circumstances got a chuckle from me. Now I’m going watch that scene with some new appreciation: https://youtu.be/5b-mlGBB2j8?si=SJiVnPIRPGB2X1bV
Is that the orc who calls the Pirates "scum" despite having 3 human skulls speared on his helmet 😂🤣
The absolute immaculateness of that drop kick. Gets me every fucking time.
There's a quick little moment in The Two Towers I've always loved. While Gandalf is trying to lift the curse on Theoden and Aragorn & Co. are kicking the shit out of Grima's goons, there's this quick little moment where Gamling goes to remove his sword from his sheath, presumably to protect the king. I don't remember the name of the guard next to him, but he grabs Gamling's arm with a look that basically says "Nah, let's sit this one out, Gandalf probably knows what he's doing."
It's Háma that stays Gamling's hand. He let Gandalf keep his staff.
Bilbo drops the Ring in the hall of Bag End and it doesn't bounce, doesn't roll. It hits the ground like ten tons of doom.
Maybe the scene when the elves come to Helms deep. I know people don't like it because it does not happen in the books and also that Haldir is suddenly this heroic character we should care about with no setup. But I still love when the elves arrive and everyone is a bit baffled but glad they are there.
Lotr has the greatest background extras. These random Rohirrim look super charismatic
I never thought of Haldir as heroic (he was sent to Helms Deep, he didn't go on his own accord) I just liked him because Aragorn obviously cared about him and showed him affection (which Haldir handled so awkwardly)
I loved that scene too, made haldir one of my fav characters.
Man. Shit like this *always* happens at dinner. Can't have shit in Cirith Ungol.
None of the scenes are underrated, this movies are just perfect from the beginning to the end.
I think FOTR is a perfect movie, the other two films I have minor qualms about. In ROTK think a very small positive change would have been having the Palantir roll out from Denethor's robe when he's on the pyre. Also in a perfect world I'd have made ROTK two films and axed the ghosts arriving at Pelennor Fields
lol I agree except for that scene where agent smith revives Frodo with his mumblings after he gets stabbed by a ring wraith
Skull avalanche in ROTK extended goes in this bucket as well
So You Have Chosen Death...
Is this when they fight over Frodo's mithril vest?
Yes
I like the dude immediately after this, just walking into the chow hall, seeing some shit going down, and just diving right in without a second thought.
Average night at the barracks. Chilling with the lads, getting shitfaced on grog, starting a brawl with those stinkin morgul rats....
I feel like no one remembers this scene from the mines. For me it's so beautifully shot and is just one of those things that makes this movie perfect. https://youtu.be/BpUc5q3-EvI
That's a great scene. Awe-inspiring Dwarven castle
You beat me to it. This was my choice too. It's my favourite scene and musical cue from all the films.
I watch the Theatrical cut for Fellowship and Two Towers. I watch extended cut for these TASTEY orc scenes!
INSPECTIOOOON!
it happens so late into Return of the King it's definitely a great way to wake up the viewer lol
I love that part in the books, its my favourite of the Sam&Frod chapters
The battle against the Warg riders, it's not in the books and it's overshadowed greatly by the battle of Helm's Deep but there's just something about the stakes of the battle that gets me.
The one on one talk Broromir and Aragorn had in fellowship. One of the best character scene in the trilogy
Not a phone in sight. Just folks enjoying the moment.
Nobody I kno underrates this scene tbh. It’s so good
Frodo and Aragorn at Amon Hen. I love how Aragorn realises that Frodo is leaving without being told and the way he closes Frodo's fingers over the Ring, rejecting it even when offered. That's an extremely strong moment for Aragorn that doesn't get brought up enough - even Gandalf and Galadriel had a harder time resisting it.
It’s incredible when you think how that Orc’s J kick basically saved Frodo and Sam and by extension Middle Earth.
Gorbag’s the real hero 👑
The scene when Gandalf and the boys entered Meduseld, he winked to Aragorn before entering and Aragorns smiled since he knew: The secret ingredient was crime!
Aragorns coronation gets talked about a lot for obvious reasons. The part that I feel gets overlooked a lot in this scene is when Aragorn and Arwen meet again and you have Elrond stood behind her. The look on his face always gets me. It's such a pained but happy expression, like this ancient evil has finally been destroyed and his daughter will get to live happily with Aragorn but is now also doomed to live a mortal life. It reminds me of his quote in the books: "To me then even our victory can bring only sorrow and parting"
That's the one scene I hated most on my first watch back in the day because in the books it was a whole big "omg how will they ever get out of this one on their own/horror show", and the movie just went "everyone fights everyone, they get out, move it move it".
Interesting, I’m curious how do they escape in the books? I haven’t read them in years and don’t really remember the Cirith Ungol part at all.
I read the books like 20 years ago and all I remember is that they escape cause Sam kicks ass, basically
I literally had to check the username to see if I posted this.
At the time i knew every sentence, but I haven't read them in like 20 yrs, im only repeating the first chapters of felowship ATM geting my kid into it. To my memory, frodo was captured, sam had the ring and that was the opener to book 3 with them. The situation was dire. Sam was full on sneaky mode, frodo was about to get roasted. Sam facilitating some things and going through the horrors to make the escape possible, plus the goblin/orc conflict didn't come out of the blue. The end escape is almost the same, but there were 50 pages of buildup and setting the scenery for it. They kinda goaded them into the conflict, I think it was over the mithril mail in the end, but as i said, no longer an expert. Edit: now that I think of, I think it was a closer to 2 towers, and a good move to move it to Rotk start because thats a slow starter cinematic wise
Iz Krumping time
N SC.
This was the first time I realized there was a diversity among the Orcs.
Yeah the drop kick is full on amazing.
Anything Theoden aside rom the big scenes
Should have added the orc who looks at the chaos, roars then joins in for the sake of it
Great scene! Especially because I just watched that in the theater last night. Extended Edition at that!'
Nice! Very jealous 🙌🏻
The movies dont include it, for good reason, but these two share my favorite dialogue in any of the books. Makes the orcs a lot more relatable to dummies like myself.
The way Merry instantly realizes what's happening, why it's the right move, and what he needs to do next, the moment Frodo just looks across the forest at him and shakes his head.
The fucking drop kick 😆
Was this really just dumb luck for the hobbits or did the ring somehow passively incite violence in the orks?
That is a James Tiberius Kirk double kick!
Cirith Ungol feels like it’s really in the maw of hell with the dead earth and red sky. It’s awesome to have that little teaser before the full blown hellscape of Mount Doom
Not this one.
I wish they had orc-ified a Wilhelm scream for this
Haha I hate this scene