On December 17th, 2003, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King premiered in worldwide cinemas, ending a trilogy that had completely engrossed the public since the premier of its first installment. This marks the date that the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy can now be said to officially be 20 years old.
This is a thread for sharing you experiences with the trilogy, whether or not you actually saw them in theaters when they released. Favorite scenes, lines, shots, even just little things you remember from watching them that you associate with the movies. Let's celebrate this certified kino 20 years on, and for those of us that are old enough to remember seeing them in theaters, gawk at the fact it was 20 years ago.
wow time passes
wow
i passed my penis through your moms narrow slit
>OP's mom
>narrow
i saw return in theatres in my bumblefrick hometown in rural canada. theatre was PACKED, people standing in the aisles and at the back of the theatre. there was an intermission too, but i can't remember where it was inserted. people clapped at the end, something i've never seen in a theatre before or since
also, favorite scene is the rohirrim charge. it's an amazing payoff after like 6 hours worth of buildup. seeing the unleashed fury of the indomitable human spirit obliterate the ranks of evil will always bring a manly tear to my eye.
Was it 20 years ago? That means I was 10 when I watched Fellowship, and I don't really remember the experience. I do have the extended trilogy on bluray, and I think I spent an entire day watching the movies one time. I vaguely remember doing that. That's not even all the content, because there's hours of behind the scenes footage.
I don't know what to say about Lord of the Rings; They're just the greatest Fantasy movies of all time, and nothing ever came close.
The Hobbit wasn't nearly as good, and Rings of Power was even worse, so I don't think something like Lord of the Rings will ever happen again. Legitimately once in a lifetime.
The Lord of the Rings series is unironically the greatest achievement in cinematic history
I'll have to agree with that. It's the fact that Lord of the Rings isn't set in reality (which means a lot of work needs to be done to make the movie immersive) and it's also a trilogy, which means they had make three good movies, and managed to do so.
>There were audible sobs during the "I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you"
Yeah, the level of sacrifice and love in Lord of the Rings is unmatched. It's like white culture: the movie. It makes sense, because I remember reading on Cinemaphile that Tolkien created Middle Earth as a combination of European cultures. The Hobbits are meant to be the British.
the whole thing is meant to be a myth for england. tolkien was a christian but was sad there wasn’t more documentation of anglo saxon religion
Absolutely.
i argued a few days ago that they are the literal peak of filmmaking, the climax of the craft. legions of autists pouring years of their lives into every minute detail. made far enough back that practicals HAD to take precedence over CGI. madmen at New Line greenlighting the consecutive productions of all three movies. huge talent like christopher lee, ian mckellen, viggo mortensen, bernard hill, brad dourif, andy serkis. a nobody b movie director from new zealand known for splatterhouse horror pulling the entire thing off. unbelievable story
This. It will never happen again. It was literally fate that at the peak of White civilization the greatest White fantasy was created with the peak of our cinematic crafts.
Literally climactic.
I remember being super-excited when the films were announced as I adore the book but then when they said the director was going to be this unknown low-budget film-maker I was horrified - I thought for sure he would not be up to it.
I feel like no other trilogy even comes close and the whole production was just lightning in a bottle stuff that can never happen again. Flawless casting with extreme dedication to their roles and everyone from the writers to the costume and set makers working their fricking hardest. It's not absolutely flawless all the way through, but God damn if it isn't as close to flawless as you could have hoped.
>The Lord of the Rings series is unironically the greatest achievement in cinematic history
BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
This is an unironic post too, fricking hell
What do you think takes that place instead then
Some things I personally remember from seeing the movies as they premiered
>During Fellowship, the audience gradually went from somewhat talkative to totally engrossed by the time the Ringwraith was trying to sniff out Frodo
>The entire Moria sequence was mind-blowing and you could feel how hyped people were during the Balrog fight
>An older man in the theater said "unbelievable" under his breath at the Argonath scene
>There were constant murmurs whenever Gollum was on screen in Two Towers ranging from "Poor thing" to "How did they pull this off?"
>The last charge of the Rohirrim was met with hollering, especially when Eomer's forces charged into the battle
>The audience was mostly quiet during Return of the King until a little girl said "UH-OH" when Shelob started stalking Frodo and everyone burst into laughter
>There were audible sobs during the "I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you" and "You bow to no-one" moments
>Hardly anyone left when the credits started and didn't actually leave until "Into the West" had concluded, even then half of the theater stayed behind to watch them all the way through, like nobody really wanted the movies to be over
>>An older man in the theater said "unbelievable" under his breath at the Argonath scene
The CGI is still the highest quality. Just like the giant statues they depicted, the CGI was done in a time of mastery now lost to time. Our forefathers were capable of greater fears than us. We are the lesser sons of greater sires.
The Lord of the Rings is the peak of cinematic achievement. We are in a Dark Age by comparison.
Greatest twelve hours ever put to film, I've watched it every year since. I've heard that it was very nearly a disaster, the original filming for the 2nd and 3rd movies were a mess and it was only the extra funding and a year of reshoots that saved it.
The Argonath were not actually all cgi, they were massive "miniatures" with cgi background. It's like Jurassic Park, the film-makers used a perfect blend of miniatures, sets and cgi to give realism that stands up even today.
i think the feet were actually built weren't they, for the shot where they sail past?
Now that you mention it, I'm not exactly sure myself, but I wouldn't put it past them, Jackson and that Weta workshop put a LOT of effort into these films.
>Hardly anyone left when the credits started and didn't actually leave until "Into the West" had concluded, even then half of the theater stayed behind to watch them all the way through, like nobody really wanted the movies to be over
This was me. I was in 6th grade I think when Return of the King came out. It was formative. I read the entire trilogy in 4th - 5th grade after watching Fellowship. It was my life.
After Return came and left sailing away into the West, I truly was left without any purpose left in my life. LotR had been my life for three long years. I am forever grateful to its creators from Tolkien himself to Jackson and all the actors. It is the peak of cinema.
I'm literally in the middle of rereading Return of the King today.
Yeah the final credits with the beautiful music and the gorgeous sketchwork is gold, wish more films made their credits sequences as enjoyable to sit through
>somewhat talkative
Shut the frick up.
>could feel how hyped people were
Shut the frick up.
>"unbelievable"
Shut the frick up.
>constant murmurs
>"Poor thing" to "How did they pull this off?"
Shut the frick up.
>met with hollering
SHUT THE FRICK UP!
>mostly quiet during Return of the King
Shut the frick up.
>everyone burst into laughter
Shut. The. Frick. Up.
>audible sobs
Shut the frick up.
I can't even begin to describe how fricking tired I am of double digit IQ Black folk.
>"duuuuuuuuuuuurrrr, I can't be quiet for a little while"
When these people wake up in the morning, do they just start screaming randomly, because it's too quiet? Frick sake.
Only time I've heard people crying in a cinema was at the end of RotK when Frodo leaves the Grey Havens with Bilbo.
I literally cried in the theater at the ending.
They are overrated. Only the first one is remotely good. The changes to the story, shitty cgi and flanderizing of characters like legolas and gimli are difficult to stomach. Certain changes to the story, like helms deep no longer being humanity's long night and fight against the darkness to prove they are capable of defending middle earth now turned into super elves showing up to be frontline warriors with all the cool shots while bumbling humans fire arrows randomly and are jokes ruin an entire theme of the story. ghost army does the same thing in the third movie. its just legitimizing him as king, doing what his ancestors could not, writing wrongs to the cursed army and using them as a jump scare so they could take the boats. they have no physical presence and do not end the entire war and kill all orcs on their own. they dont completely nullify the struggle and fight and coming together of all mankind to defeat the ultimate evil and defend middle earth. they do not destroy the entire theme of the books and story because the hack director couldnt wrap up a war scene and was out of time.
there are more nitpicky things, but these are fundamental themes of the books destroyed. fellowship is the only movie that felt like they had captured the books properly, even with excised content like bombadi and expanding roles for women, etc.
>helms deep no longer being humanity's long night and fight against the darkness to prove they are capable of defending middle earth now turned into super elves showing up to be frontline warriors with all the cool shots while bumbling humans fire arrows randomly and are jokes ruin an entire theme of the story. ghost army does the same thing in the third movie.
did you forget the part where all the elves at helm's deep die, and Gandalf brings Eomer's cavalry back to save the day? i agree the elves didn't need to be there, but mankind saved itself at helm's deep, with a little welcome prodding from gandalf. i understand the ghost argument, but i would counter-argue that the charge of the rohirrim is the actual climax of that battle, and it is presented as so. i don't begrudge Jackson for using the ghosts to wrap up pelennor field in an already 3+ hour movie, since he had Theoden's assault presented as the centerpiece, and the rohirrim as the force that breaks mordor's line (not to mention they wheel, reform and charge again to meet the mumakil head-on). basically i think you're hyperfocusing on the 'Hollywood' moments and not just appreciating the broader strokes
Queer.
Your criticisms are even valid, but to not see the absolute achievement that still holds up over two decades for those little nitpicks is the culmination of 20 years of contrarianism.
LotR is a triumph
honestly this, they're far greater than the sum of their parts (which is considerable in itself). middle-aged housewives in the early 00s were heavily invested in these movies.
no one cares what women are 'invested in'.
sorry, i forget the IQ disparity among you fa/tv/irgins. let me explain: these movies were so well-made and entertaining that women, who rarely care about anything like this, were lining up to see them in a crowded theatre. it is a good indicator of their quality when women, who traditionally spurn fantasy stories such as LotR, are clamouring to see movies about elves and dark lords and magic rings.
it's the worst storytelling in a movie ever.
i didn't see the Black person version lately, though.
LotR is to be successively put on screen, some day.
I received the two towers dvd when I bought a ps2. Good times
I remember the games being really good. They were like hack and slash games that you could play with friends and control the different characters. A real dream scenario for LOTR fans of all ages.
>Bros I feel like everything became worse after 2015
I don't need to guess, because I can just look at modern media. What's the difference between then and now? Media is
>less masculine
>more diverse
>less mature
Bros I feel like everything became worse after 2015
What's up with that, any guesses? Am I imagining things?
>Bros I feel like everything became worse after 2015
>What's up with that, any guesses? Am I imagining things?
I saw them all in theaters. Fellowship is the only one that is truly worthy of the word "iconic." I do distinctly remember being blown away by the battle of helm's deep though. Return of the king just bored the shit out of me.
>christmas eve: fellowship
>christmas day: towers
>boxing day: return
it's the mooost comfiest tiiiiime of the yeeeaarr
I like to spread them out a week apart.
i kneel
Fellowship is the most consistent and has this kind of ancient tone that the others lack, maybe just because of where they cast is travelling through but even the music feels like it's written to sound "older" and more somber than the rest of the trilogy
Two Towers feels like a slight downgrade to me, still very consistent but it never quite hits the same highs as Fellowship and its especially dour tone never gripped me in the same way
Return of the King has the highest highs and lowest lows I think. Stuff like the lighting of the beacons and "I can't carry it for you" scenes are amazing, but then you have the ghost army ending the battle of Pelenor and Denethor's almost comical portrayal. Also I actually loved the final sequence in the Shire, it really felt like returning home after a long journey and tonally blended right back into Fellowship
>it really felt like returning home after a long journey and tonally blended right back into Fellowship
I feel you there, I'll never get the "multiple endings" criticism from when the movie first came out. If it really just ended with the Ring being destroyed it would have felt abrupt as hell, giving the audience that time to unwind and sending us back to the beginning was a great way to end things.
Thats...not possible....there is no way....
Theres just no way I was only 18 when they came out...
...God please help me
Weird, it still seems like another new CGI piece of shit to me. I guess this is what it's like to become a boomer.
I remember being so blown away by the Fellowship that I could hardly believe it. I was almost stunned. I wanted that same feeling going into the next two films but it didn't happen again.
I think all of the best scenes from the Trilogy are in Fellowship, except Deagol's descent at the start of RotK.
RotK specifically has some green screen moments that have aged poorly, and I think as more time passes, Fellowship will be the one film that becomes timeless.
fellowship is already widely accepted as the best of the lot but the movies are an inseperable package. no matter how many times i watch frodo and sam crest the hill and see mordor at the end of fellowship, i will always have a burning desire to fire up towers right after and continue the journey. fellowship is certainly the best, but the trilogy wouldn't be The Trilogy without the last march of the ents, or eomer's charge at helm's deep, or sam's speech, or the lighting of the beacons, or the charge of the rohirrim, or 'for frodo'. together they make a complete package
Seeing these movies in the theater was the first indication, that I can remember, of me realizing I have autism, and also how many people are NPCs.
>"you could've picked a better spot"
>*everyone laughs*
>why are they laughing loudly?
>why are they doing it at the same time?
>did they have a meeting before to agree to only laugh as a group?
>what the frick is going on?
It really is incredible how most people are just mindless drones.
>Be socially moronic autist
>Cannot grasp situational comedy of a short dwarf being unable to see (literally babby-tier complexity)
No it's everyone else who is mindlessly wrong NPCs
>basic b***h joke no one asked for
>basic b***hes laugh
No, I fully understand comedy, but I don't need to laugh when it's not funny, and I definitely don't need to laugh just because a bunch of people around me are.
Stay mad, NPC.
>There is a conspiracy against me
Kek. Keep seething and coping mental midget.
>don't want to be in a room full of morons
>"c-cope"
Stick to watching The Big Bang Theory, champ.
You are the moron. Humans are animals with a shared psychic space. You don't laugh because you lack the connection that makes us human.
You are the NPC.
I laugh at funny things, whether or not there are people around.
I bet you're the kind of moron who is afraid of laughing by himself in public, or view someone who does as weird.
You and people like you are the main reason everything is shit.
You aren't smart because you were born broken. Autism doesn't make you better. Sometimes something is made funny by the emotional energy in the room. Viewing something in a vacuum is the ultimate downfall of autism. Sure you can Lazer focus in on the minutia, but your disability causes you to miss the overarching truth.
>You aren't smart because you were born broken
Correct, I'm smart because I'm smart.
>Autism doesn't make you better
Also correct. Not being a boring piece of shit does.
>Sometimes something is made funny by the emotional energy in the room
Translation: Just feel what we tell you to feel at this point.
I'm wasn't fricking sad when I visited Auschwitz, it's just a museum now with information about something that happened 80 years ago.
I have now lost interest, and will just leave it like this.
God imagine basically needing a laugh track IRL to tell you when things are funny. And you call him broken?
LOTR was lightning in a bottle. It'll never ever happen again.
Christian crap from a sick racist for an equally hypocritical audience of gays. Berserk does a much better job of being an HONEST fantasy than this clownery.
>subhuman newbie
opinion discarded
I agree with the others saying Fellowship is the best, but the trilogy is greater than the sum of its parts and taken as a whole it's an absolute triumph even with its few missteps. I can't imagine a world where we only ever got Fellowship, and at the same time the whole experience makes that "The End" message at the end of RotK hit like a ton of bricks.
Teleporno.
Only Redditors like these flicks
Countless people highly connected to the movies and the film industry think they are crap
They are not even considered within the top 100 movies of the 21st century
>They are not even considered within the top 100 movies of the 21st century
can you post the ones that are? Just out of interest. I partially agree with you
>Listening to reviewers and critics instead of knowing kino in your soul
This is the ultimate bane of discussing art and media. People aren't confident or competent enough to form their own value based judgments and defer to some gay with throat cancer.
>defer to some gay with throat cancer.
As in the star of the trilogy who hated the movies so much he refused to ever work with Jackson again?
>A literal prostitute
>Jawless McBadopinion
>Cuckstopher Tolkien
Bernard Hill improvised the part where Theoden draws his sword and runs it along the spears of the Rohirrim, and I appreciate that very much.
His crying was also authentic after his line about how no parent should have to bury their child. Fricking S-tier actor.
and he also publically said the rings of power show was basically just mindless crap. he is truly a gift
My favorite bit of improv from the movies was how the actor for Lurtz accidentally drew his real knife out instead of the stunt knife, and Viggo immediately realized the mistake, so that desperate sword swing to deflect the knife throw was done out of legitimate panic.
>Watch the same commentary (e.g. Cast, Director or Production) for each of the three films before then going back and doing it all again with a different commentary
Or
>Watch every commentary for each extended edition before then moving on to the next film
Probably prefer the latter tbf
>watching behind the scenes stuff before finishing the three movies
cringe
Lord of the Rings is shallow dogshit
Peter Jackson is possibly the most overrated director of all time.
The only time he ever did anything decent it's because he is just copying exactly what Tolkien wrote (plot points only, can't into themes or tone) whilst directly replicating the visual reference provided by talented artists like Howe and Lee, or directly plagiarising scenes from superior LOTR creatives like Ralph Bakshi.
Whenever he went 'off script' and went along with his own vision he produced some of the absolute worst examples of blockbuster film making seen this century.
BAD TASTE, MEET THE FEEBLES and BRAINDEAD are all great films. Dude should never have gone mainstream.
We know the real reasons for the hate. No Black folk, gays or trannies. Too bad israelite, you lose.
>Thread making fun of alternate Balrog designs becomes totally comfy
>Thread openly made to praise the movies is filled with people calling them shit
I'm convinced there are some people here that just look for any positive sentiment and try to bring it down
ignore them, fren. what are your top three non-battle scenes? for me, it's
>frodo resolving to go to mordor alone at the end of fellowship, essentially deciding to sacrifice himself in order to save the lives of the fellowship and the rest of middle earth (all while gandalf's speech plays over top)
>sam's speech at the end of two towers (kind of a battle scene but not the focus)
>the lighting of the beacons in return
>Bilbo and Frodo's interaction in Rivendell during Fellowship. Jumpscare aside the scene is really well-done
>Boromir's "It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing" remark upon picking up the Ring
>Tossup between lighting of the beacons or "I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you!"
Honorable mention to Gollum's internal fight in Two Towers, the one where the camera switches back and forth between Gollum and Smeagol.