Sword Expert Reacts To The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

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Watch a sword expert react to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. How realistic is the Battle of the Pelennor Fields? We got sword expert Matt Easton to look at the most iconic battle of the War of the Ring, from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and break down this massive battle between The Witch King and Gondor, Rohan's armies.
Matt shares his expertise on siege and sword warfare, as he breaks down just how realistic this city siege is, to the use of war elephants and a whole lot more!
From dealing with cavalry and infantry units to sidestepping Fellbeasts and Nazgul attacks, Matt breaks down these exciting Peter Jackson fight scenes! In this detailed The Lord of the Rings reaction video, prepare to learn all about realism in The Lord of the Rings, and whether Tolkien's fantasy sieges are as true to life as a real siege.
Matt Easton is a Historical European Martial Artist (HEMA), Antique Arms Dealer, and owner of the fencing club Schola Gladiatoria.
#IGN #LordOfTheRings #LotR

КОМЕНТАРІ: 909

@IGN Рік тому

A massive thank you to Matt Easton, of scholagladiatoria, for helping us with these Lord of the Rings Expert Reacts videos! Want to see more from Matt? Check out his channel here: ukposts.info/the/t14YOvYhd5FCGCwcjhrOdA.html

@cmdrzdenek-joerg5628 Рік тому

Regarding the flail - there is a section about this item on the extra materials. Peter Jackson wanted it to be huge. The prop makers had to rebuild it like 3 times until it was big enough for the director. And when the actor playing the Witch King saw it, he was shocked. Everyone was in awe from the size but his comment was "It's too damn heavy". So your objections are spot on, but this look was the directors aim and target :)

@PalleRasmussen Рік тому

@@cmdrzdenek-joerg5628 so basically the same mess that PJ made of the story...

@nathanwinning8331 Рік тому

Fun Fact: When Aragorn is fighting that troll at The Black Gate, he was filmed fighting Sauron in his physical form. After the film was done shooting, Peter Jackson decided it would be best if we didn't see Sauron in physical form at all. So they digitally replaced him with the troll that's now in the final cut of the movie.

@uzakhaas Рік тому

If only we had directors like Peter Jackson today, who cared about source material so much

@Crocthunder Рік тому

@@uzakhaas You realize the estate hates him right. They didnt want him to do more because they feel he did not capture it

@bobross8585 Рік тому

@@uzakhaas LOL what?

@pawemarsza9515 Рік тому

@@Crocthunder that's why they sold the rights to Amazon who gets Tolkien themes so well... Oh, wait

@luisar5755 Рік тому

Jackson said the REAL full cut is 8.5 days long.. DAYS, not hours..

@mattpeterson7603 Рік тому

The which king’s strongest character trait is hubris. He went in thinking he, as an undead wraith, was impervious to all attacks. This changes his mentality and informs his choice of weapons. Instead of a well balanced weapon, he goes for a weapon of terror to demoralize and intimidate his opponent.

@thodan467 Рік тому

He used a mace in the book

@kobarsos82 Рік тому

@@thodan467 Mace is too different from a flail though. especially when it comes to how easy it is handled compared to a flail. but indeed the problem is this flail looked too huge in the movie. more than it should honestly.

@thodan467 Рік тому

@@kobarsos82 that does not change that in the book he used a nace

@Omnilatent Рік тому

His biggest weapon is actually fear. That's why Gandalf is basically his main enemy: Gandalf inspires and kindles the hearts of those around him (due to his Ring of Power)

@NickSibz Рік тому

this

@mcarpen89 Рік тому

Fun fact about the flail: the prop team made several versions of the flail and they kept getting told to make it bigger, so finally they made the most absurdly oversized flail they could manage, and they were told it was perfect. So the flail size was a very deliberate creative decision, so much so that it occupied the prop team for much longer than normal.

@Chalkie219 Рік тому

IIRC they made the ludicrously big one thinking they'd surely be told it was too big, then Peter Jackson asked them to make it even bigger

@ForgottenHonor0 Рік тому

In fact, it was so large that in the scene where the Witch King starts to raise it up and we get a close up of it, it was so heavy an assistant had to lay down on his back and help lift it up from below the camera!

@8rynjar Рік тому

Yeah Peter kept saying make it bigger :D

@sassyviking6003 Рік тому

Yea, that flail always bothered me. It is comically, cartoonishly big. It kind of takes you out of it.

@_E.J_ Рік тому

@@sassyviking6003 so a giant flail in a world with giant elephants, orcs, elves, dragons, magic….took you out of it? 😂

@MrCovi2955 Рік тому

Not saying this as an excuse for the Witch King's weapon, but I'd always gotten the impression that the flail was as large and unwieldy as it was because it was more of a terror weapon than a dueling weapon. Just as the shriek of the Witch King could turn men running. It likely wasn't intended to be used in single combat. More of a crowd control (like Sauron's mace) and/or "make them run away" weapon. But crap happens in battle and suddenly he's left without a ride and just has to deal with it. And then Eowyn doesn't flee like she's supposed to in the face of it.

@yourmajestythegoldentoilet6744 Рік тому

On another hand, Witch King literally held a wonderful sword in a different hand that was very much available for use.

@saldiven2009 Рік тому

It was a weapon selected solely because it looked cool in the movie. In reality, long chained flails like that are more of a danger to the person wielding it than to anybody they're trying to hit with it.

@QualityPen Рік тому

@@saldiven2009 Agreed. Very ill-conceived weapon.

@NomadBale Рік тому

Plus he also has his sword in his right hand

@ScathingMobile Рік тому

That was my impression as well. People also forget the context. The Witch King was believed to be unkillable due to the prophesy and it's common interpretation. A significant part of his and his Nazgul's intimidation comes from the fear they generate as much as their toughness and martial skill. If you don't think you can be killed and you want to scare the everloving crap out of everyone, do you choose a nimble weapon that makes precise wounds on your enemy but can also (pointlessly to you) defend...or do you wield something that no-one with any fear for their own mortality would try to fight with and will squish any opponent who gets hit with it like hitting an overripe tomato with a bat?

@JohnVikingFilms Рік тому

Fun fact about the Witch King's flail, in the behind the scenes they had a decent sized weapon for him. However PJ kept wanting them to make it bigger. So big the actor couldn't lift it and it took two people to lift it.

@Blokewood3 Рік тому

Even the designer of the flail was embarrassed to bring it on set!

@Lasmelan Рік тому

Which really fits, since the Nazgul aren't portrayed as amazing fighters but they terrify and instill despair in their enemies. Plus, the guy thought he was immortal and could afford to get cocky that way. :D

@b.kogotmay Рік тому

@@Lasmelan q p

@sokandueler9578 Рік тому

All that time making a massive practical prop, and it ended up having to be digital.

@aahyana Рік тому

Peter Jackson having fun spinning the giant prop is one of my favourite videos ever. So sweet.

@SnakeMan448 Рік тому

Bernard Hill, who plays King Théoden, was the one who came up with the idea of tapping the spears with his sword. It was most likely just to look cool.

@Randoman590 Рік тому

It's a hell of a moment to call back to when they sing songs of that day.

@Herbert_Eder Рік тому

It always bothered me that when the Rohirrim get ready for battle and Theoden gives his speech, there is an awful lot of lances (which is great!) but when they start riding and then crash into the Orcs, all the lances seem to have magically disappeared and replaced with swords and axes. Would not the lances be the right weapon when attacking infantry full frontal?

@davidhimmelfahrt3732 Рік тому

Yes, you are right.

@christophlade7796 Рік тому

Simple If you look close. Many of the Rohirrim are armed with Longaxes or Swords from the begining and many outhers throw them what makes Sense. If a Rider rames a Spear into an Orc, it is very hard to pull the Weapon Out and when the Horses slow down a Spear is Not very useful to kill Enemies left or rigth of them.

@Nerobyrne Рік тому

Yeah that realy annoyed me as well

@FlinnGaidin Рік тому

@@christophlade7796 charge with the lance and then switch to your sidearm when it's no longer effective or lost/broken.

@thisdude9363 Рік тому

@@christophlade7796 Its called carrying multiple lances, which cavalry regularly did.

@jimmyt4598 Рік тому

The giant flail duscussion reminds me of an episode of Stargate SG-1 when O'Neill compares the staff weapon to a P-90. The staff was a weapon of terror, meant to intimidate the enemy. The P-90 is a weapon of war, meant to kill the enemy. The giant flail is quite ludicrous compared to the trusty sword.

@MegaZeta Рік тому

The real problem with that _Stargate SG-1_ scene is that no military with sci-fi levels of technology would ever accept the extremely poor accuracy of that sci-fi weapon. Forget grouping; it can’t put three out of three in a _gigantic log._ Which would be fine if the show hadn’t specifically tried to be a gun nerd about it.

@WolfWoof_ Рік тому

Wasn't expecting to see a Stargate comment but I'm pleasantly surprised

@JayGriffinblaze Рік тому

@@MegaZeta Doesn't matter if you're subjugating planets full of Bronze Age humans.

@Thomas.Wright Рік тому

In the book, the weapon the Witch-King used was a mace rather than a flail. But Jackson wanted to distinguish the Witch-King from Sauron from the introduction of FOTR. And a mace makes more sense, because he did use it to break her shield.

@edoardoprevelato6577 Рік тому

13:00 they allowed themselves to be sorrounded because they had to lure every last orc in the area to them in order to give Frodo and Sam a chance to slip into the mountain unseen. There is a deleted scene before the battle where Aragorn walks up to the Gate and calls out Sauron for a face off.

@ryanhamstra49 Рік тому

Is he watching the theatrical instead of the extended versions? It seems like a lot of comments are ignoring the extended versions….

@MrEMVme Рік тому

No doubt deleted because PJ went a route that seems to imply that Sauron never had a physical form during the events of the third age.

@TheCrispmister Рік тому

The books are different, they position themselves on 3 separate hilltops in defensive positions with marshland between them and the enemy. They still have the sense to take proper defensive positions, because they need to give Frodo as much time as possible. Letting yourself be surrounded never makes any sense.

@9308323 Рік тому

Luring of enemy's army and not getting yourself surrounded are not mutually exclusive. In fact, the latter is really the only way to accomplish the former in this context. If you're already surrounded, the opponent would no longer need to dedicate their forces to eliminating yours.

@NestedQuantifier Рік тому

That's the dumbest thing I've heard. What? Just stand there and wait for them to surround you?

@leoderiviere1685 Рік тому

How does he dare understimating the strength of Aragorn, son of Arathorn, heir of Isildur Elendil's son of gondor...

@johnevergreen8019 Рік тому

He still has limitations…

@adamgrimsley6455 Рік тому

And a man has to know his limitations

@daddada2984 Рік тому

Aragon has Plot armor. Hahaha

@BradBrassman Рік тому

Men are weak.

@cyril4046 9 місяців тому

He barely won against Lurtz.

@Arnaas13 Рік тому

The battle at the black gate was a distraction. Sauron was meant to think that aragorn had been seduced by the ring and that the ring drove him to recklessly attack the gate.

@adamhuskey5306 Рік тому

Well said.

@razvanefros411 Рік тому

if they fought in a shell formation they would have lasted longer, should that have been necessary

@NeoMark627 Рік тому

Regardless of the intention of the battle, it was still a silly formation to choose. They could distract longer if they had a better formation.

@skyrimnoopy Рік тому

@@NeoMark627 Its almost like it might be a fantasy movie or something......hmmmmmm.

@agimpeterer7789 Рік тому

@@skyrimnoopy It's almost as if Tolkien described the battle differently

@squamish4244 Рік тому

_"So passed the sword of the Barrow-downs, work of Westernesse. But glad would he have been to know its fate who wrought it slowly long ago in the North-kingdom when the Dúnedain were young, and chief among their foes was the dread realm of Angmar and its sorcerer king. No other blade, not though mightier hands had wielded it, would have dealt that foe a wound so bitter, cleaving the undead flesh, breaking the spell that knit his unseen sinews to his will."_

@seanpoore2428 Рік тому

Theoden with the spears: It's motivational!! Think of how pumped you'd be if on the eve of battle Your king takes his legendary sword and taps YOUR spear as if to bless it. Also the orcs are breaking and running as they're being charged into so it's a little more forgivable

@PolishGod1234 Рік тому

Plus orcs are much smaller and lighter than men, so they get send flying easier

@1Plebeian Рік тому

The amount of wars that were won on a motivational & emotional basis is way too many. It's a geek thing to get caught up in only the technology of the fight. (Technology definitely wins most fights)

@Uncle_T Рік тому

My issue when the orcs are shooting arrows is that they use the command "fire" which came into use for fire(!)arms, no fire involved in shooting arrows (unless it's a hollywood movie of course), so "shoot" or "loose" would be a better word.

@v1e1r1g1e1 Рік тому

Having done archery myself, you are SO right! There is nothing more irritating to me than to see historical (or quasi-historical / fantasy) films where arrows are being loosed to the command of ''fire!'' No-one fires an arrow, anymore than someone ''looses'' a bullet.

@yurimolino5435 Рік тому

That was luckily corrected, cause in the Italian dub they use the equivalent of "loose". Minor things but yeah, should be noted.

@thodan467 Рік тому

@@v1e1r1g1e1 but only if you use night arrows

@v1e1r1g1e1 Рік тому

@@thodan467 ''Night arrows""...? Ah yes. They would be what they used in ancient times. In these modern times we use bullets with headlamps.

@anthonyplant6537 Рік тому

@@v1e1r1g1e1 you mean like tracer bullets?

@SaulOhio Рік тому

The Witch King's using that crazy weapon was probably just a result of his ego. Knowing his history, plus the prophesy that no man could kill him, he chose his weapon more like a mall ninja would than someone looking for something practical.

@obsidiancrow450 Рік тому

Hes the og dark souls boss

@blizzardgaming7070 Рік тому

And he also has a sword for when he faces a proper foe such as against Gandalf.

@9308323 Рік тому

Just because someone can't kill him doesn't mean that he can't be overwhelmed or captured. He really didn't think through that prophecy. It has so many loopholes, it basically meant nothing.😅

@toddellner5283 Рік тому

Looking at the text of _The Return of the King_ , "tall Duinhir with his sons, Duilin and Derufin, and five hundred bowmen" managed to kill several of the mumakil. They had to get close enough to put arrows through the eyes. Duinhir, both sons, and most of the archers were trampled to death. Also the Men of the West were not "crazy" to let themselves be surrounded. It is clear from the text that they knew they had one job - to distract Sauron and be bait for the forces of Mordor. They had no chance of prevailing. The only hope was for Frodo and Samwise to destroy the Ring. If that happened Sauron would be defeated. If it didn't Sauron would be victorious and all the bravery and tactics would mean nothing. It was a feint, and the Armies of Middle Earth were there to be sacrificed.

@DalekSquirrel Рік тому

If they were a distraction it makes more sense for them to try and remain alive as long as possible to buy more time, not get surrounded and die as fast as tactically possible.

@partyboi8773 Рік тому

Except that, in the books, Aragorn orders the men of Gondor and Rohan into a defensive position on the high ground of two slag-hills in front of the Black Gate, not just to charge willy-nilly or simply stand there and be encircled on all sides. Interpret it as you like, but Tolkien had a solid grasp of battle tactics and PJ had none.

@sergarlantyrell7847 Рік тому

@@partyboi8773 Not for Frodo then?

@partyboi8773 Рік тому

@@sergarlantyrell7847 Yes, it's for Frodo. But a diversion doesn't have to involve suicidal tactics.

@Brendissimo1 Рік тому

If you want to last as long as possible as a distriction, the last thing you'd want to do would be to get surrounded. If anything you'd want to lure the enemy into attacking you on a broad front on favorable terrain.

@jackychen6261 Рік тому

Fun thing about the Witch King’s flail is actually that they made it that big purely for cinematic reasons. Peter just kept demanding it to be bigger so it hammers home Eowyn’s fear for it the moment it appears on screen. In fact it was so big the actor playing the Witch King could barely swing it

@conchobar1987 Рік тому

Just a small Detail about the Horses fighting elephants Thing in the Indian Manuskript. The horse is Not rearing but in a terre-a-terre movement a very collected canter, the usual "Battle-gait" for Horses, using a compketely different muscle compkex then the one for rearing. A rearing Horse is extremely unstable while a collected one is not

@chasehedges6775 Рік тому

The Return Of The King is a masterpiece

@Ghxsty08 Рік тому

🧓🏿

@bighand1530 Рік тому

Agreed

@blackmage665 Рік тому

but not perfect.

@RichterBelmont2235 Рік тому

@@blackmage665 Nothing is complete without flaws. And perfection doesn't existed.

@aesir1ases64 Рік тому

@@blackmage665 it is a close as it can get!

@graysylvian Рік тому

The witch kings weapon doesn't need to be easy to use. It is a weapon of terror for an entity that thought itself invincible.

@aesir1ases64 Рік тому

exactly, the witch king beat others trough fear, that was his real weapon

@harryhotspur4142 Рік тому

HE F***D AROUND AND FOUND OUT.

@NestedQuantifier Рік тому

A weapon of terror should be wieldy.

@graysylvian Рік тому

@@NestedQuantifier It doesn't have to be wieldy, just terrifying.

@ryanslayton5694 Рік тому

The witch king was at least implied to use the flail as more of a crowd control weapon, but either way he (to his knowledge) couldn’t die anyways, so why not double down on the fear factor

@danielearley5062 Рік тому

I'm now trying to imagine the Witch King doing modern crowd control at a football match, protest or parade. Could be interesting!

@NestedQuantifier Рік тому

Because you want an effective weapon to kill people with.

@mrniceguylff1 Рік тому

Little known fact. Elven swords in Tolkien have magical properties that amplify the weirder in battle. Gandalf’s sword Glamdring increases the force he strikes with. Sting can be effortlessly thrust into a wooden beam by an old hobbit. Anduril is clearly shown to have magical properties when Aragorn fight with the dead king. And he never shows this level of capability when fighting the troll in Fellowship. So it stands to reason that some property of Anduril might be what allows him to parry a troll.

@aesir1ases64 Рік тому

Indeed but he should be able to parry by himself, he is the greatest of his kind, descedant of a powerful lineage.

@luisar5755 Рік тому

Well, the ring melted in like 20 seconds, only very weak poor quality alloys do that ON THIS PLANET.. So their best metal its nothing against or best steel alloys..

@rubz1390 Рік тому

@@luisar5755 think it's more to do with the magical properties of the fires of mount Doom. Since the Ring couldn't be destroyed anywhere else.

@ImReverseGiraffe Рік тому

@@rubz1390 exactly this. The other rings of power could be destroyed by dragon fire, but the one ring could only be destroyed by the fires of mount doom where it was made.

@jonathonfrazier6622 Рік тому

Glamdring doesn't hit with added force. It does glow blue around orcs though,, like Sting.. Also Anduril is a dwarvish sword. Wrought by Telcar. The elves just fixed it.

@BrettCaton Рік тому

The Witch-King was very fashion conscious, it's one of the things that people forget about him, he was perfectly willing to sacrifice functionality for looking cool, and it's not like he was going to die if it went wrong, the prophecy made it very clear ...

@NestedQuantifier Рік тому

No, but he was going to be massively inconvenienced by carrying around a huge, heavy waste of space. There are ways to look cool without being a dumbass.

@not-a-theist8251 Рік тому

Love Matt's channel. Have been subscribed to him for years. Always fun to see him here

@Verbose_Mode Рік тому

For parrying the troll, there is a reason it works: magic swords have much more authority than regular ones. One of the best showings is in The Hobbit is when the massive Goblin King tries to block a swing from a magic sword with his staff and gets sent flying backwards from the force of the blow (to the shock of the dwarf with the sword). They seem to magically put more "oomph" into the moment of contact.

@serpent645 Рік тому

There is a movie made in the 1950s, called "The Black Shield of Falworth". In this flick, much attention was dedicated to training, armor selection, sword fighting and jousting. I'd really like to get your take on this classic.

@rainstand2772 Рік тому

In the books the rhohirrim formed shieldwalls while on foot and it’s sad it wasn’t illustrated in the movies and therefore justify the shields being there

@markussmedhus9717 Рік тому

In the book the battle took all of half a page.

@Rommel12 Рік тому

But why wouldn't they use them on horseback?

@GriffinPilgrim Рік тому

@@Rommel12 We must give a Doylist explanation and say that finding enough skilled horse riders in New Zealand was already tricky, finding enough riders who know how to control a horse without using reins would be impossible.

@NestedQuantifier Рік тому

It doesn't justify the shields not being used here.

@GaldirEonai Рік тому

Horses just randomly tripping has had a huge influence on history, even. If a certain horse hadn't tripped and killed its rider, for example, the whole hundred years' war between england and france might either not have happened at all or looked very different...

@kageshira Рік тому

"they did the one thing that they shouldn't have done, allow themselves to be surrounded" Wasn't that entirely the point, they had to make Sauron feel so confident, to think he had the victory so at hand that he emptied Mordor for Frodo to go to Mt Doom safe?

@andrewpaige1194 Рік тому

Exactly

@9308323 Рік тому

That only goes so far. If Sauron is as intelligent as he's depicted in the lore, there's no way he'd commit his forces against opponents he's extremely sure he'd win against.

@kageshira Рік тому

@@9308323 Sauron is really intelligent but he's also incapable of understanding self-sacrifice, altruism, selflessness, etc. He couldn't imagine that Aragorn would be ready to sacrifice himself to give time to Frodo, for him the only possible situation imaginable was that Aragorn had the ring and that's why he was facing him on his own land and his gates, because that's what Sauron would do in his case. Sauron couldn't also conceive someone wanting to destroy the ring and not use it either

@9308323 Рік тому

@@kageshira That's...completely irrelevant to my reply though. Huh? My point is that if Sauron is as intelligent as he's depicted, he won't completely commit his army _if_ he's so assured of victory. There *has* to be a reason why he'd want to end the fight all at once by (of all things) committing his entire army to an "already defeated" opponent. Not to mentioned already surrounded.

@kageshira Рік тому

@@9308323 Aragorn is the heir of the only mortal who managed to hurt him real bad to the point of never recovering completely (even in his spiritual form lacks a finger). Sauron completely believes Aragorn has the ring due the ruse with the palantir and Pippin (who he thinks is the current ring bearer snached by Saruman and later saved by Aragorn). He thinks they have the ring and intend to use it against him because that's what he would do, he can't envision anyone wanting to destroy the ultimate power. So yes he commits all his army to retrieve it from the place he's 120% percent sure is, Aragorn's hands and at the same time be sure Aragorn doesn't get to use it. Sauron is, as all Aule's maiar, really intelligent, knowledgeable and crafty but doesn't understand self-sacrifice, empathy, etc which is what makes him not realize he has to protect Mt Doom to avoid the fellowship to destroy the ring and becomes his ultimate demise.

@adamb8317 Рік тому

On the arrows, typically the horses would have a small breastplate guarding their vital area from the front, which would be incredibly hard to hit anyway. You hit a horse on the flanks or the shoulders with an arrow, it shouldn't stop it. You have to hit it square in the chest or neck

@yehudisfriedman8459 Рік тому

About the craftsmanship: when they made the chainmail, they connected each ring by hand, and ended up wearing off their fingerprints

@aesir1ases64 Рік тому

now thats legendary effort!

@NikozBG Рік тому

Dude, all chainmail historically was made by hand and even nowadays top-quality reproductions are made by hand and people are most certainly not wearing off their fingerprints doing it.

@RayvenQ Рік тому

@@NikozBG @Nikolay Manev it was just two people that made a ridiculous amount of chainmail for the entire production, both metal chainmail for the hero armor and more commonly, plastic for extras made from a technique they developed for the movies. All day every day for two years, thats a lot to go through. Infact there is a video out there of them in which either one of them or Peter Jackson jokes theyre ready for a career as criminals because of it.

@nubreed13 Рік тому

@@RayvenQ they then developed a special injection molded chainmail that was plates in metal. They could make entire sheets of the stuff. It's still in production now but it's very expensive.

@mose717 Рік тому

Eowyn had a shield. His name was Merry.

@ranger178 Рік тому

merry killed the witch king with his enchanted sword making him human and able to die

@t.a6159 Рік тому

So true..they complemented each other perfectly.

@ilikeswords5877 Рік тому

@@ranger178 well yes, but the killing was done by Eowyn, not Merry

@ranger178 Рік тому

@@ilikeswords5877 but her sword would have had no effect if merry had not stabbed him first so they both killed him

@barbarossarotbart Рік тому

About the Battle at the Black Gate: They even got surrounded in the novel. It was part of the plan, because the whole attack was a diversion.

@partyboi8773 Рік тому

No, in the novel, Aragorn arranges his forces on two hills so they have what high ground advantage they can get. He's never one to throw away lives needlessly, even if the battle is hopeless.

@notfeedynotlazy Рік тому

@@partyboi8773 He arranges his forces AFTER he is surrounded (remember, he is surrounded, and he _knows_ it, even before the gates open, for the hills around him are chock-full of hidden Orcs, which are the ones charging at him in the battle proper), to be fair. The silly part of the movie is replacing his actually large-ish army of 6000 footmen and 1000 riders by a small bunch of soldiers...

@awesomehpt8938 Рік тому

They were trying to draw out the armies of Mordor and distract Sauron from Frodo and Sam. They let themselves be surrounded in order to do this.

@RikestRik42 Рік тому

So at the battle of the black gate, it's made clear in the books that they knew it was hopeless to win by force. The whole point was to draw Sauron's attention away from the mountain in order to give Frodo a chance.

@malthevinther2029 Рік тому

Would be interesting to see Matt reacting to the Braveheart battle scenes, especially the horse charge at Stirling.

@xiongpaolee Рік тому

Love these videos with Matt! Learning so much! 👏👏👏

@HafdirTasare Рік тому

12:59 because they wanted to. They wanted to loure out all the armies of Mordor to give Frodo a chance. This was basicly just a suicide mission to buy Frodo time. And for that manner, at least they formed a circle... what they surely should not have done is, slit up the group and attack first, that destroys the whole purpose of a defensive circle.

@thodan467 Рік тому

and a shot to the Orodruin

@justsomeguywatchingyoutube8104 Рік тому

in the battle of the black gate they were actually trying to draw Sauron's forces away from Frodo and Sam

@TheCrispmister Рік тому

@dy325214 Рік тому

Man the Rohirrim Charge gives me chills everytime.

@gandalfthewhite4245 Рік тому

in the books Eowyn is insanelly strong, she cuts through the Fell Beasts neck with a single strike also Rohan horses are supposed to be much more powerful than real horses so yeah they should be able to both run through orc armies an tank several arrows, so its indeed a mistake on the movie when they fall by a single arrow

@aesir1ases64 Рік тому

Aragorn is also absurdly strong so he should be able to easily parry the troll's strike.

@davidhimmelfahrt3732 Рік тому

@@aesir1ases64 in the book? Do you have an example?

@justsomeguywatchingyoutube8104 Рік тому

@@davidhimmelfahrt3732 it was probably mentioned in one of of Tolkien letters or in a lore book

@diegoandrade467 Рік тому

It’s done to build up for the movie. The people watching the movie most likely aren’t the same ones who read the books.

@Asterix958 Рік тому

@@justsomeguywatchingyoutube8104 even generic Gondor infantry block Olog-hai strikes with their shield but in the book, Trolls and Olog-hai is smaller.

@stetsonhendrix9103 Рік тому

I’m sure I’m not the only one to comment this, but the purpose of that final battle was to act as arrogant as possible to convince Sauron that Aragorn had the ring. So yes, they made major tactical flaws, but those were very purposeful.

@notfeedynotlazy Рік тому

Very true.

@TheCrispmister Рік тому

@Vincorin Рік тому

You could argue that at the black gate Aragorn and his army actually got himself deliberately surrounded, as the intention of marching against Sauron was never to win the fight but to draw his army out and distract them from frodo. Letting themselves get surrounded would be a great way to convince Sauron to commit his whole army.

@TheCrispmister Рік тому

@kugelblitz7948 Рік тому

Interestingly, in the game The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth the Rohirrim cavalry units would slow down after trampling enemy infantry and even fight from horseback. More elite or upgraded infantry that took the charge could even survive (albeit with low health and/or temporarily unable to fight).

@TheManOWrath Рік тому

Glad to see Mr. Easton in the mainstream!

@WimRijksen Рік тому

Why did they let themselves get surrounded at The Black Gate? Because they wanted Sauron to concentrate all his forces on them, so Frodo could reach Mount Doom without being seen and stopped. That is also why they didn't fly the eagles to Mt Doom. It was a stealth mission. Small silent hobbits to get the real job done while a big army bought them time.

@scottwallbank4794 Рік тому

Also its stated in the books that the eagles aren't willing to openly oppose Sauron and get involved at the start of the war. They are like the elves in that they leave middle earth at the end of the third age.

@mindstalk Рік тому

@@scottwallbank4794 No, it's not stated.

@Swiftbow Рік тому

The eagles would have been either intercepted by the Nazgul or shot down. Taking the eagles to Mordor WOULD have been the most efficient way to deliver the Ring to Sauron, though.

@WimRijksen Рік тому

@@Swiftbow It might have been efficient but not effective, as you described. So they would have utilised the least amount of their resources to reach zero percent of their target. The books and movies would have been shorter but not better.

@hrotha Рік тому

The problem with this is that sensible tactics would have achieved exactly the same thing, and for a longer time

@pathindsley Рік тому

Of note, Eowyn doesn't actually cut the fellbeast's head off. She only gets about two-thirds of the way through and the weight of the head rips the rest of the way when it tries to rear up.

@9308323 Рік тому

Her sword looked like it bounced back not even a tenth of the way, honestly. Which makes perfect sense. Those hides are thick AF. What doesn't make sense is that it actually affected the creature. It's like seeing a person falling unconscious because of a papercut to their fingertips.

@GriffinPilgrim Рік тому

@@9308323 It looked to me like she got at least to the bone. In terms of real creatures it likely would have died or at least passed out from the pain but not have it's head fly off. Then again it's an unnatural monstrosity created by a mad demigod with a taste for the gothic, who the hell knows how it's biology works?

@Belphegorite Рік тому

@@9308323 I've seen a person fall unconscious because of a papercut on their finger. Some people just really cannot handle the sight of even a tiny amount of blood.

@volrath77 Рік тому

The battle at the Black Gate was actually intended as a diversion. It may not be a smart thing to do, allowing themselves to be surrounded but it was mentioned that they want to keep the big bad guy's gaze on them.

@bookaufman9643 Рік тому

If you look at the scene where the horses are riding in towards the orc Lance's you can see that some of the horses are being knocked over and are rolling or tumbling along with their riders and the orcs. It's just done very quickly. It's not in the initial shot but in the shots that follow.

@Adam_okaay Рік тому

Calling Matt Easton an expert is like calling my unit small, it's both accurate and obvious but still ends up feeling like a vast understatement.

@benjaminholcomb9478 Рік тому

Wow. Had us in the first half, not gonna lie

@nath9091 Рік тому

Yes and partially no. HEMA is heavily focussed around duelling manuscripts therefore emphasising sword types not the actual main battlefield weapons of polearms. Matt's major focus is also later duelling weapons in 17C to 19C swords which were not primary battlefield weapons apart from cavalry. Frankly Gondor should be using a lot more polearms especially with monstrous entities being a thing and as orcs aren't that well known for ranged units.

@chevalliert Рік тому

Regarding the weapon used by the witch king, would you say it was too big to flail? 😂

@sea_triscuit7980 Рік тому

Thank you for bringing that up. I've been shot several times by arrows and I'm still trotting along

@camelcasee Рік тому

In the behind the scenes videos the actor/stuntman who played The Witchking remarked how heavy and awkward the flail prop was to use, it kept getting caught on his cloak.

@casaroli Рік тому

My only defense of the flail is: It’s just for intimidation. The witch king was, very likely one of the kings of Númenor, they were corrupted by the rings of power, he never thought he’d have to fight directly. He chose the biggest weapon he could reasonably wield to intimidate his enemies.

@9308323 Рік тому

"Reasonably wield" needs a lot of quotation marks. 😅 And the intimidation goes out the window the second he starts fighting directly.

@bobo577 Рік тому

Not one of the kings but possibly a lord of Numenor. Although it is possible the Witch-King wasn’t a Numenorean.

@kuroiuzu9754 Рік тому

lotr is visually amazing to watch

@bighand1530 Рік тому

Indeed

@joeallen2259 Рік тому

One of those films where they just nailed it. They made a fantasy movie feel like a historic drama.

@v1k1ng80 Рік тому

The flail is quite clearly not supposed to be a real weapon, rather a tool of intimidation. When hunting Frodo he was just using a fairly normal sword, as there he was just trying to be effective. in this battle, he is the commander, aswell as air support along with the other nazgul. Though his main objective was most likely to scare of the defenders. He could not die until stabbed with a magic blade, and so his armor was just for intimidation, along with his flail. Now, usually that is what the fell beasts are for, but would he happen to be on foot, he would still need to be scary. He thought he was in no real danger, so he tried to use that to his advantage, by being a psychological weapon.

@hulkhogan4203 Рік тому

In one of the episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, they had an exact replica of this sword heavily featured in a scene and thought nobody would notice.

@davidhimmelfahrt3732 Рік тому

Which sword?

@hulkhogan4203 Рік тому

@@davidhimmelfahrt3732 the one in the thumbnail.

@danburns4265 Рік тому

From a dramatically logical standpoint, the witch king needs a weapon that physically hinders his ability to fight so eowyn actually stands a chance at surviving for more than five seconds. Give him just a sword and she dies instantly from the setup of that battle in the movie

@Asterix958 Рік тому

In the book, Witch King had a mace and knocked Eowyn instantly. Peter Jackson expanded fight scene for showing more fight scenes.

@BlyatBlaster Рік тому

No, because it wasn’t Eowyn’s ability to fight that defeated the Witch King. When Merry stabbed him, using a Barrow Blade, it broke the enchantments on the Witch King. The Barrow Blades were Second Age weapons forged by the Men of Arnor in their wars with the Witch King. And they had specific “anti Witch King” spells laid upon them. Eowyn won because Merry had a sword that was specifically designed to kill the Witch King. Which allowed Eowyn to then deal the killing blow.

@mindstalk Рік тому

@@BlyatBlaster Third Age. The Second Age ended shortly after the Downfall of Numenor and the founding of Arnor and Gondor.

@skyrimnoopy Рік тому

@@mindstalk The Barrow downs existed before Númenor existed, it was created at some point in the First age. The barrow downs housed both the Dead of the Edain, and then afterwards, men of Númenor beginning in the second age. The men of Númenor settled the area early in the second age, again. Although at that point they were technically no longer Edain, but decedents of the Edain. So the blade could have been crafted from the second age and onwards.

@mindstalk Рік тому

@@skyrimnoopy Not when the blade was explicitly made against the Witch-king of Angmar.

@TikkaQrow Рік тому

14:00 in some deleted scene stuff, Aragorn was filmed fighting Sauron, but they changed Sauron to a troll in post. For the better. Sauron didn't field that battle in the books, and leaving him a semi mysterious 'enemy' to the end had a greater impact on his role as a villain in the srtory.

@zweihanderpancakes1855 Рік тому

On the Black Gate attack army allowing themselves to be surrounded - they weren't going there to fight and win. They wanted to create as much of a distraction as possible, while giving their own lives in the process if necessary. The best way to do that was to make themselves an easy and appealing target, and allowing themselves to be surrounded, while disadvantaging them incredibly, also occupied as much of the enemy force as their force size could possibly manage for the duration of the fight, thus accomplishing their primary objective.

@danielnightingale1505 Рік тому

The reason the which King has such a large weapon is it would be easy to kill many combatants quickly. He didn't use defence because there were few weapons (the dagger being one of them) that could even hurt him.

@kobarsos82 Рік тому

indeed. not only that but those few daggers were long gone and forgotten in middle earth, their mere existence doubtful at that point. Merry literally had no idea what powers the dagger he had held. It was a real one in a million chance what happened there. Normally the witch king was completely invulnerable, its the kind of tricks Tolkien liked to pull off to surprise readers, hehe. :)

@ranger178 Рік тому

@@kobarsos82 in the book when they found the swords, he told the hobbits they were special swords

@Swiftbow Рік тому

@@ranger178 Bombadil did say they were special, yes, but he never said "These are great for murdering Ringwraiths." Imagine if he had... Aragorn might have borrowed one at Weathertop and reduced the number of Nazgul right off the bat.

@Azhureus Рік тому

Regardless this is still the best trilogy ever made !

@MikeD56034 Рік тому

speaking for the horses with arrows, it looks to me that some of them at leaste merely reacted to the arrow hitting them and loosing track of their footing. similar to how when you are running and get hit by a fly in an unexpected place, you react and loose footing which may ( in the horses case) or may not cause one to trip and BAM...down on the ground.

@Kacpa2 Рік тому

Troll fight is a bit iffy because it was meant to be Sauron in physical form fighting Aragorn and was much more closely matched visually, but they decided against and overlaid a troll with a sword over the footage instead.

@pwns247 Рік тому

The battle of Helms Deep is EASILY one of the best battle scenes of all time!

@torstenneuer1560 Рік тому

Nicely spotted the shields not being used on horseback - which is wrong. Because the horses also have the wrong type of bridle for horseback combat. Historically, there would have been a special bridle for that which allows for the rider to have full control over the horse while still having full control over the shield as well (there is a nice episode on Time Team about that which features a Norman bridle used in horse combat).

@Griede26 Рік тому

AND, they made shields with 2 sling handles, so you could strap it to your forearm. alowing you to hold the sheild AND the reins.

@woodtroll3279 Рік тому

The last army of men at the black gate let themselves be surrounded because they needed to empty out Mordor. Their objective wasn’t to win the battle but to give Frodo and Sam the best chance at succeeding, even at the cost of their own lives.

@HighHurdleDude Рік тому

That doesn’t mean they needed to just let themselves be surrounded and then run head long into the enemy when surrounded.

@woodtroll3279 Рік тому

@@HighHurdleDude Sure. But ‘tis more epic this way.

@Hannah-kr8sd Рік тому

We absolutely need you to react to the Game of Thrones Battle for Winterfell in Season 8.... it would just be so satisfying to see the level of 'they did what?' from Matt!

@finncullen Рік тому

You missed my favourite bit of pedantry... nobody would shout "fire" before a volley of arrows. "Fire" came in with black powder weapons and referred to using flame to touch off the powder. They'd probably have shouted "Loose!"... but then again these are Orcs that attend restaurants ("Meats back on the menu!") so who knows what anachronisms lurk in the catacombs beneath Dol Guldur

@dislikecounter5191 Рік тому

One thing for narsil is the sword was meant for a much taller guy. Elendil was especially tall like 8ft. So makes sense if his sword is a bit too long

@wlaba272 Рік тому

About horses, you see Matt... arrows killed all the super fragile ones and that's why all the other left were those super overpowered beasts :D :D :D

@ernonikkola1084 Рік тому

The orc leader yells "fire" eventhough there are no firearms being shot.

@aesir1ases64 Рік тому

crimes against realism, simple as that

@RobG001 Рік тому

Looking forward to your thoughts on the "look like meat is back on the MENU boys) Lol

@partyboi8773 Рік тому

Yes: big pet peeve for me.

@camthur5050 Рік тому

When you are an nigh-immortal undead who can swing that weapon all day, a flail like that is fine. You might dodge it for a while, but eventually that thing is gonna turn you into a red streak on the ground. Imagine what that thing would do against a group of people. It would be nasty.

@Donnybrook10 Рік тому

You criticized the tactics in the battle at the black gate where Aragorn and crew allowed themselves to be surrounded. That was intentional because their goal was to sacrifice themselves to give Frodo a chance to get through to his destination at Mount Doom. They had to draw the army out and move Sauron's gaze away and onto them. It was a suicide mission from the start and they never expected to make it out alive. They were laying down their lives for the cause. That's why Aragorn says "For Frodo" then rushes into the front lines and go down fighting. If any leader were asking his army to ride to their certain deaths, they would need to be at the front of the charge. So this scene made complete sense once you know the context.

@GirlOfTheTardis Рік тому

I'd really like to know your thoughts on Aragorn's sword. That scene you showed briefly at the end of the video where he draws the reforged sword in the tent, its so long and wobbly I'm surprised you didn't say anything bad about it

@politedog4959 Рік тому

The sword was originally made for a man who stood 2,4m high, it would have been just a regular size longsword for Elendil. Also the wobble seems pretty standard for a sword, after all you want your sword be able to flex and bend and not break the first time it hits anything metal, like armor

@BlyatBlaster Рік тому

Swords wobble. A rigid sword would be an absolutely awful idea because it wouldn’t have any flex when you struck something. You’d break it very easily.

@BlyatBlaster Рік тому

@@politedog4959 actually, the sword wasn’t made for Elendil. Narsil was a Dwarven made sword forged in Nogrod during (likely) the First Age. It then came to the elves of Beleriand before the War of Wrath and presumably made its way to either Elros, the first king of Numenor and was passed down to Elendil, or came to Elendil from maybe Gil-Galad.

@GirlOfTheTardis Рік тому

Surely the length would make it very difficult to use in real life though?

@memyshelfandeye318 Рік тому

@@GirlOfTheTardis Nope, Matt handles such swords just fine. Go to this channel and watch.

@user-bx6wd1yb5s Рік тому

No comment on Supergolas Mumak scene?

@pavelstrouf8998 Рік тому

Scene of Aragorn fighting troll.. In the working version of the movie, he fought Sauron, so it doesn't work too well with the troll. In the end, they decided not to give the enemy a physical body and used troll instead.. It is possible to find this original scene on YT 🙂

@seanmaier4941 Рік тому

Curious why you did not touch the usage of maces by the Orks against the Gondorian soldiers in the lower city? Mace > Plate Armor?

@similaritiesendhere Рік тому

Fun Fact: Elendil was just short of 8ft tall, almost a foot and a half taller than Aragorn. King Thingol was 9ft tall. Narsil (Anduril) would've been a huge (unwieldy?) weapon.

@FlinnGaidin Рік тому

Whatever the length and weight it'd been before, I'm sure Elrond's smiths would've forged it anew to a scale that suited Aragon.

@garrenbrooks4778 Рік тому

It would have been a Zweihander sized sword.

@similaritiesendhere Рік тому

@@garrenbrooks4778In the movies it shows the Dunedain soldiers fighting with sword/shield during the Battle of the Last Alliance. Elendil using a two-handed grip was likely due to difficulties finding an 8ft tall actor.

@cocodojo Рік тому

Elendil was known as Elendil the Tall and Narsil was probably closer to a bastard sword to him? For King Thingol, it was probably just about the right size for an arming sword though.

@similaritiesendhere Рік тому

@@cocodojo Before Elendil was king he was just a Numenorean noble (knight). He likely fought using a sword and shield like everyone else in his armies. That's how formations work. Elendil was closer to Thingol's height than to Aragorn's. Only the movies show Elendil wielding Narsil like a two-handed great sword. If that were canon, Narsil's blade would be about 4ft long by itself. Aragorn would have to carry it on his back.

@jonathonfrazier6622 Рік тому

Well let's just keep in mind this is a fantasy. Aragorn is over 7 feet tall and belongs to a race of super men with strength beyond what you can expect from men in real life. Also it's a dwarvish sword remade by elves so for all we know it may be magically light to the wielder whilst coming down heavy on the enemy.

@AngmarCosplay Рік тому

Agreed. Anduril has many magical properties, so it wouldnt surprise me that dampening blows would be one

@BlyatBlaster Рік тому

Aragorn is not over 7 ft. Isildur, Aragorn’s ancestor, was 7 ft tall. and Numenorean’s we’re on average taller than “lesser” Men. But after a few thousand years and mingling bloodlines with those “lesser” Men, Aragorn came in at about 6’6” according to Tolkien.

@empoweredshemphoward Рік тому

All surviving weapons of the first age were pretty much enchanted, the craftsmanship was never matched so the likes of Glamdring, sting, and orcrist are one of a kind. Narsil was similar in the fact that the blade was never able to dull and was still sharp enough to cut the ring from sauron's hand and cut boromir an age later when he handled the hilt.

@BlyatBlaster Рік тому

@@empoweredshemphoward being masterfully crafter by means lost to the Ages of Middle Earth isn’t the same thing as “enchanted.”

@empoweredshemphoward Рік тому

@@BlyatBlaster on the contrary, narsil never went dull, sting, glamdring and orcrist were high elf weapons that would glow when orcs were near. Sounds enchanted to me...

@sj-xb4yz Рік тому

Shield on a horse is on the blind side of the riders sword swing.... gives some protection in melee while on a horse

@zarokaleon4974 Рік тому

Your comment about the battle of the black gates and letting themselves be surrounded. That was part of the plan. they had to provide something Sauron couldn't resist. Their total vulnerability was part of the bait.

@zakan4898 Рік тому

In troll scene Aragorn just fight with Sauron (Sauron with sword) but Jackson decidet that this is a bad idea so just print sauron with troll model :P

@davidhimmelfahrt3732 Рік тому

Would have Aragorn managed to defend himself against Sauron?

@zakan4898 Рік тому

@@davidhimmelfahrt3732 with elvish sword againds sauron without ring? Ofcourse.

@ranger178 Рік тому

in books he just fought lieutenants of Mordor Sauron was back home watching on his TV

@hesterparnham-ellis6135 Рік тому

The Witch-King was flailing to handle his flail! Ha

@benmcdonald1898 Рік тому

Some of his points are really insightfull and make so much sense when he pointa them out, some of them are just incorrect never mind pedantic but they are that as well lol

@merlin.peters Рік тому

Aragorn has a magical sword. So you can't just look at his actual strength. The sword might help him to not feel the impact of the troll's hits.

@BigSexyWizard Рік тому

the witch kings real weapon is fear so thats why he carries a huge flail. it would be terrifying to fight that.

@KusacUK Рік тому

Fear. Fear and surprise. And a ruthless efficiency. Etc.

@MandoWookie Рік тому

It's also great for crowd control. It's unwieldy against a single target,(even for an undead super being), but to clear a wide swath in front of him it would do wonders, even just from getting people to back off, because no one wants to get hit with that thing.

@Lalaafastroli Рік тому

In my opinion the bows were always overpowered in lotr. It kinda made everything seem so weak and fragile

@TheMrReee Рік тому

One point about the Rohan charge is why they didn't keep formation, it what makes a cavalry charge so devastating.

@CloudHiro Рік тому

honestly as unwieldy as the flail was it was effective specifically because the wielder was immortal (except for a loophole to said immortality staring him in the face at the moment) and didnt have to worry about getting attacked in the middle of his swings. it was more about intimidation and brutality than effectiveness with him.

@TheProteanGeek Рік тому

So the whole thing of being surrounded in Return of the King was entirely intentional and they knew they were marching to was was almost certainly their death. They were there to distract Sauron and his armies as the Ringbearer made his way to destroy The Ring. Pippin is there because Sauron actually thought he had the ring. Sauron never considered they were trying to destroy The Ring he would have assumed they were coming to try to use its power against him (which would fail).

@nougan_gamer Рік тому

For a cavalry army charging an infantry army holding spears/pikes, wouldn't it help if the cavalry hang their shields in front of their horses - instead of on the side, to protect their horses when they clash head on to the spears/pikes? That would give a reason for the riders not holding the shields also since as Matt says, arrows usually don't deal immediate fatal wounds to the horses, but a spear/pike head-on may incur significantly more serious injuries to the horses?

@FaceJP24 Рік тому

That would be unwieldy given how horses move. Their necks and forelegs would constantly bump with the shield. Really, it might have been better if the horses had barding but that would be extremely expensive both for the prop department as well as knights in the medieval period. Barding overall was rare because of its cost and its heaviness, but in a fateful battle like this it might have been useful.

@QualityPen Рік тому

Protection for the rider is more important. Horses are hard to take down, and the rider is the real danger, not the horse. The rider can also maneuver the shield to cover some parts of the horse. If protection for the horse is the goal, that’s what barding (horse armor) was for.

@anonymone453 Рік тому

13:30 Yall ever notice that when they show up to the black gate they all have horses, then the horses disappear because Peter Jackson wanted the army to run at the gate on foot

@Rembanspellsong Рік тому

one thing about them being surrounded at the black gate- they WANTED the full attention of mordor, and were massively outnumbered. Sauron threw all his forces at Aragorns army. The force that attacked Minas Tirith was described as a mere finger of the might of Sauron. So he had many times that number. The battle wasn't going to be a fully tactical event, it was a distraction against a vastly larger force. The hosts of Mordor had enough of a numbers advantage that they were able to dictate that the forces arrayed against them were going to be surrounded and without a full retreat which would have failed the purpose of even approaching the black gate the orcs were going to surround them.

@ttlpwn34 Рік тому

My biggest issue with The Pellenor is that Theoden engages the Haradrim at all. He threw away so many men and horses to deal with an enemy that wasn't a threat to the city. It would've been much smarter to disengage, get some men into the city to help clear it, and pull everyone else back in a fighting retreat.

@QualityPen Рік тому

He’d have had to swarm into the city to avoid that confrontation, and a proper spear line or several should hold for multiple minutes or even hours. Guarding a narrow chokepoint like the gates of Minas Tirith, even orcs should be able to stop all cavalry from entering. Then he’d end up in the middle of a hammer-and-anvil maneuver, which is an atrocious place to be.