We were so impossibly lucky to have these films made 20 years ago. God, I miss films like this. Not just fantasy epics, but something with heart.

About Sam, i love Faramir`s line in Two Towers about him “The Shire must truly be a great realm, Master Gamgee, where gardeners are held in high honor.” just after the greatest monologue in movies.

I always get choked up at the end, when the 4 hobbits bow to Aragorn, and he stops them and says “my friends… you bow to no one.” And then the king and everyone else bows to the hobbits. So much emotion in Viggo’s performance that it gets to me.

Theoden thought as Saruman said ... "You are the lesser son of greater sires"
But when he was dying under his horse "I go, now, to the halls of my fathers, in who's mighty company, I shall not now feel ashamed."
Ooo right in the feels!

Theoden was a display of how to build in a powerful female character arc as a hero without degrading the male counterpart.

Just because she had to prove herself and defy norms it doesn’t mean the men are evil or degrading, he’s also great but the priority was the continuation of their people hence her struggle, not that they felt her weak.

*old crumbly voice*... "When they made these films, they went with the old ways. They used dark and secret methods and long forgotten tools and talents now seen as myth and legend. And those who commanded the making are now spoken of in wide eyed whispers whilst cowering in dusty corners."

I still tear up to this day when the riders of rohan show up and Thoden's speech before that epic charge is still incredible.

The invincible ghost army that you promised to free from eternal torture just turned around and demanded you hold up your side of the deal. This is a world where oaths and honor mean everything. Aragorn could not then go back on his word. Works just fine for me.

Tolkien, like many other writers of yesteryear, understood what actual fellowship forged through adversity is.
Most current writers have absolutely no idea what that is, mostly because they have never experiences it.
Well, they haven't experienced much of anything really.

Drunkler, there is an excellent scene in the books when Sam is carrying the ring where it attempts to test him where it goes "Hey if you keep me and wield my power you could become lord of Mordor and turn it from a barren wasteland into a lush garden, and it gives Sam a second of pause before he laughs it off because "Its enough work for me to take care of the garden that I have now, I am to small a hobbit to turn all of Mordor into a garden." I always loved that scene and the idea that its the humble "little people" or no large ambition that can resist the power of the ring because they look at its promise's and go "Yeah, but its a bit much don't ya think?"

I love the Galadriel scene where she tests herself against evil. Cate Blanchett is spectacular.

Sauron:
The energy bill of this place is incredible, but the green lighting is worth it!

Greta: How dare you!

Sam and Frodo's relationship is based on the friendships that happened between British officers and their batman. The almost legendary loyalty to each other regardless of rank or class differences

I think my favorite scene in the trilogy is where Faramir is riding out to Osgiliath, while cutting back to Denethor eating, and Pippin singing to him.
Brilliantly executed.

When I saw this in the theater, at the scene where Theodon gives his speech and gives the battle cry, that is picked up by the whole Rohirrim. The theater lost their minds, I've never had another movie theater experience like those movies.

Still my favorite scene was the Gimli and Legolas scene in the final battle.

"I never thought I'd die fighting side by side with an elf."

"What about side by side with a friend?"

"I . . . I could do that."

Interesting video idea for the "Why modern movies suck" series. The death of male comrardarie.

My memory of this is spotty, but I seem to recall in the extra footages of the DVD, there was one scene where Aragorn and Theoden decides that it's their time to "draw swords together"... and chased after Peter Jackson with swords drawn. Just spoke volumes about the fun they all have with each other on the set.

I always interpreted Gandalf's lines about the Witch King to mean that Sauron HAS sent him out before, but only to look for the Ring, and always with his identity veiled as just another one of the Nazgul, so nobody knows which one is the Witch King, if they even remember he exists.  It's only now after Saruman's failure in Rohan that Sauron has decided the war is worth unveiling the Witch King and bringing him to the board.  And if there's one thing the Witch King does best, it's WAR.

IIRC, the wraiths being more powerful in the last film is tied mostly to Sauron's own power growing exponentially over the course of the trilogy.  They tried to demonstrate this audibly through their screeches - in the first film the wraith's shrieks are frightening, but short and tolerable for most of the characters.  In the third film they have full-on ghostly wails that force all who hear it to cover their ears and run in terror.

Howard Shore's LOTR score is by far the most incredible work ever written.