Return of the King Discussion Thread (MAJOR SPOILERS!)

[Phil Skayhan]

And remember, in the movie Gandalf made Aragorn's sword glow red-hot without touching it.

Actually i don't rember that? Which film and when did that happen?

TTT, when Gandalf appears to Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli and they initially mistake him for Sauruman.

[Sea Skimmer]

I believe Gandalf needs to physically be able to touch an object to set it on fire.

He also needs a material which readily burns anyway, when the fellowship is stuck in the mountains in he says he needs something to work with and "I cannot burn snow"

[Joe]

Maybe Gandalf wanted to raise Pippin's confidence after his experience with the Palantir, and so gave him an easy but important job to do.

[Cal Wright]

HOLY FUCK THAT WAS AN AWESOME MOVIE!!! That has to be the second best movie. (Come on! Return of the Jedi. How can you top that?!?) I loved it. I was so fucking floored. I have not read any of the books. But I was waiting for this one so I could be overly surprised. I was easily surprised. Which of course made for the most enjoyable movie experience.

First off, the battles. That was some shit. It seems like the whole movie was nothing but battling. Which I don't mind. I love!!! The ass whipping at the river. (Sorry, I'm not too keen on the names, since I haven't really seen them in print). Then the battle in the field. Watching those damn catapults was wicked. Then it all goes to hell in a hand basket. I loved Gandalf's line though. "No matter what comes through that gate. Stand your ground" Then when the trolls stomp in his eyes sort of get large. Heh. Stand ground. Easy to say when your a sorcerer that can control magnatism. (eh, eh). Whew. Still going. Rohan's army shows up and just fucking charges through the orc ranks. That was bitching. Then those damn elephant, oliphants, those big ass mother fucking paciderms start stomping through. The one guy you see on the close up over and over. I was cheering for his ass to get kicked. Sure enough, Thaoden's nephew tosses that big spear through him. Woo hoo. Suck it down. Then Thaodin's daughter rides through all skywalker style swing her sword. Heh. Then Legolas taking down the one by himself. 'That still counts as only one!!!'. But the way those damn ghosts just took one down was fucking spooky.

Frodo, Sam's and Golum's story was gripping. The opening was subperb. How smeagol found the ring. In fact, it seemed like it was implied in the first two that it was his hand that grabbed up the ring when it wasn't. But still, showing his origins was great. Then as he plots and plots. I had a feeling he wasn't dead when he got tossed off the cliff. But I kept thinking, he's tossed off a fucking cliff. Then he comes back. Frodo, Frodo of all people claims the Ring for himself. Then Golum BITES his damn finger off. Whew. But he's taken down T1000 style. That spider thing was creepy as shit too. I thought it was interesting to see the orcs once again fighting each other. Along with the corruption the ring brings, it has a great play on evil. The only thing I don't really understand is the ending. When Frodo and Bilbo ride off on the boat. Can someone explain that part to me?

I think Mary and Pippin were huge additions. I thought it was great how they kept heading off for war. Yeah, they knew what was up, but they wanted to surge forward. Now, I think what is my favorite line in probably any movie is Arowyn, or what's her name. (Great, I don't even know her name, typical male). My girlfriend loved this part too. She's fighting the Witch King (Who looked absolutely fucking awesome. So all you haters, GET SOME!), I love this part. He looks at her and is like 'No man can kill me'. They have a little scuffle, Mary does some back stabbing. Then she stands up, rips off the mask and says "I am no man'. Woo hoo!!!

Gandalf kicks ass. Nuff said.

41. 42. 44.

I wish Sauron had made an appearance. Oh well, The eye is cool as hell.

Did I mention the battles were fucking awesome?

The one thing that gets me. Movie wise, it seems that if Sauron comes back, then everyone is fucked. Man, elf, and dwarf alike. Yet it's up to men to defeat him. Now, the elf army that shows up in TTT kicked ass. I was glad that was included. I do wish the same thing, or some dwarfs had shown up here. Oh well. Battles.

What the hell was up with the steward of Gondor. Man, was his jump off the cliff cool as hell, or what?

That was one HELL of a movie!!! Go see it. Now, now, NOW!!!

[speaker-to-trolls]

By all the dark gods of chaos that movie kicked industrial amounts of ass!!

Epic battles, epic setting, the whole thing was just epic in general. The battles pissed on every other movie battle ever in the history of the universe. All the other battles in this series seem like small skirmishes next to this one, which is pretty much the situation, Sauron is really flexing his muscles in this film and actually showing his enemies what they're up against. I thought that was his main force on Pelennor fields, then they had the face off at the gates and thought 'just how the hell many troops does he have in reserve?'.
In this film the orcs actually seemed to be decent fighters until Aragorn and co turned up and their character shields nullified the orcs skills, but before that they were at least equal and probably better in combat than the Gondorian soldiers.

The Frodo-Sam-Gollum story was insanely gripping, by the time they were actually inside the mountain you could cut the tension with a lightsaber (and it would have to be a lightsber because a knife would break!). And Shelob!, I'm not scared of spiders, I regularly pick them up to get them out of the bath and whathaveyou, but Shelob was just creepy beyond mere words!, Tolkien has a habit of making giant spiders that are evil but don't take orders from anyone (in some cases not even the source of all evil himself). Back to the point, brilliant acting from elijah Wood, Sean Astin and Andy Serkis, I won't say I was on the verge of tears because I'm a heartless unresponsive bastard, but I still appreciate the emotion they put into it.

There are only two problems I had with this movie, first; the ending was too dragged out, for some reason I don't really like seeing how people settle down again after the battle is over. And second; That thing with the orcs suddenly becoming totally inept fighters when a suitably strong character shield is nearby. Also the Rohirrim shouldn't have been able to go near the Mumakil, aren't horses scared of elephants?. Tose are the few and minor probelms I had with the movie.

I learned a few things from that film, hobbits are supprisingly good at climbing, orcs will fight about anything and everything, and the number one rule of middle earth...
... Do not fuck with Gandalf!

Easily the best apocalypse this year.

[Raxmei]

For some reason I couldn't stand the high elves. Their performance seemed off somehow. Did anyone else pick up on that?

[El Moose Monstero]

I'll tell you one thing, after a second viewing, I don't think it's anything like as polished as the other two were, the ending is clumsy, there are at least 4 points where they could have ended it and I would have been happy or only mildly dissappointed. They could have left them sitting on the mountain, and whilst it would have been in complete defiance of Tolkien, I would actually have prefferred it to the series of clumsy wipes and cuts that followed. I don't remember any other major wipes in the other films, and I thought that the final trio of eagles could have been lead into without trying to say to everyone who hadnt read the book 'aha! had you going didnt we? bet you thought that this was the end...', and if they werent going to show the scouring of the shire, then they may as well just have ended the film with the swan ship sailing off into the distance.

It's still a good film, but so far, present me with any of the current releases to watch, and I'll choose TTT special edition, as it is so far the most polished and most complete of all of them.

[Dargos]

My gripes are:

1. Where the fuck are the Rangers of the North(Numenoreans of the Northern Kingdom i.e. Aragorns people)? And traveled the Path of the Dead with the companions?

2. Where the fuck are the Sons Of Elrond(They would make Legolas look like a little bitch)who brought Aragorn the his Kingly Heirlooms and also taveled the Path of the Dead with Aragorn

3. Too bad they didn't show the Dwarfs and Lakemen stomping some Orc ass. I would have loved seeing Lothlorian under attack and seeing Giladrial letting loose with some seriouse curb stomping.

4. WTF 4 or 5 Eagles? There should have been hundreds.( I am just waiting for The Hobbit to be made and listening to morons complain on how Unoriginal the ending of the final battle is )

5. Army of Dead over done...should have used live troops like in the book...would have been better IMO.

6. Sam and Frodo NEVER had a lovers spat in the books... They were with each other to the end.
BTW.....Aragorn had Narsil reforged before setting out from Rivendell in TFOTR (novel)...but I guess movie Agent Elrond needed an excuse to go and give a speech to Mr. Ander- um I mean Aragorn .

[Lonestar]

Cal Wright


Your Misnameing and Misspelling of the Charecters and places is painful to a Tolkienite. Especially since they've all been named and spelled at least one gajillion times in this thread alone.

[Cal Wright]

Cal Wright


Your Misnameing and Misspelling of the Charecters and places is painful to a Tolkienite. Especially since they've all been named and spelled at least one gajillion times in this thread alone.

Fuck yourself. Fuck yourself up your stupid ass. I don't give a flying fuck if some 'All I have to do in my life is spill over these books and everyone better be perfect on it's knowledge' denizens have a problem. You don't see me bitching when someone misspells a name in Star Wars do you? No. So fuck off.

btw, to be on topic. This movie, unlike the unrepentent asshole we just saw, kicks ASS!!! Tolkeen is da 1337 uber man. Aracorn, Gandorf, Himlick, Lego Blocks, Fredrick, and Samwich Gambling are the greatest characters 3v3r!!!

[Stofsk]

BTW.....Aragorn had Narsil reforged before setting out from Rivendell in TFOTR (novel)...but I guess movie Agent Elrond needed an excuse to go and give a speech to Mr. Ander- um I mean Aragorn .

I haven't seen the movie yet, so can someone confirm this for me? The sword that Aragorn uses in FOTR and TTT was not[/i] the sword that was seen broken in Rivendell, the sword which I assumed he had been using for the past 2 movies where it was repaired prior to setting off into the Quest? (yes yes I know - we didn't see him reforge it in FOTR but ask yourselves, was such a scene really necessary? And was it necessary for ROTK when it should, by all rights, have been done already?)

[JodoForce]

So can someone explain why Frodo had to leave the Shire in the end?

Oh, and great movie--the only major complaint I had is that if they're going to show a movie this long, they should have an intermission--how the hell am I supposed to know when I should go pee?

And that just makes the drawn out ending more unbearable As someone who hadn't read the books, I think it should have ended with Aragon and Arwen's reunion and the ovation for the hobbits.

[Ted C]

I'm going by the novels on these answers; they may not be reflected well (or at all) in the movies.

Nazgul:
- What are their powers or abilities (if any)? Their screech appears to incapacitate people. Is that really an effect of the Nazgul, or an exaggerated reaction to the fear they inspire?

The Nazgul cause unnatural fear, and their very presence is toxic. People who get too close to them for too long develop a condition referred to as "the black breath". Merry and Eowyn nearly died from it after their encounter with the Witch King. Weapons that touch them will be destroyed, although they'll do any damage they can first (most weapons won't harm them). The Nazgul need their robes and armor to give them form; without clothes they're harmless shadows. The Nazgul aren't particularly brave; they fear fire, light, and elves (some of whom can actually harm them).

- Are they somehow indestructable/unkillable? Other than the Witch King of Angmar, they seemed that way. It didn't look like Aragorn had a very hard time dealing with multiple wraiths on Weathertop. Yet despite the slashing and flamage, all the Nazgul survived. Cut to Arwen and the river: tons of water crushing them didn't prove fatal.

The Nazgul aren't indestructible, but ordinary weaponry won't do them serious harm. The Wizards and Elves have the power to harm them. At Weathertop, the Nazgul retreated after stabbing Frodo because they figured that the Morgul blade would finish him off soon, so they need not risk losing their physical forms fighting Aragorn.

- Is the "no man can kill him" a mythical hyperbole, like in Macbeth? Or does it literally refer to some magical protection: i.e., he could survive a tac nuke going off in his face as long as whoever pressed the button was male?

It's not a magical protection: it's a prophecy. An elf lord fighting in the old war against Angmar prophesied that no living man would kill the Witch King.

- Are there more, or just the nine? If the rings are supposed to turn people into wraiths, why isn't Gollum one? Or does the One Ring not do that? What about people stabbed by Morgul blades? Surely Frodo wasn't the first person to EVER be affected by these weapons... and not everyone is going to be as lucky as Frodo.

There are nine Ringwraiths, one for each of Nine great rings given to mortal men. The One Ring gives the wearer power over the Nine IF he knows how to use it. The Ring grants its wearer power according in proportion to his ability; a hobbit with little ambition gains little from it, but a Wizard like Gandalf or an Elf Lord like Elrond or Galadriel could do a lot with it.

- What's that beam of green light that shoots out of Minas Morgul? Is it some kind of beacon? A signal to begin the attack? An attempt to intimidate Gondor? The Witch King of Angmar watching porno?

It was a signal that the army of Minas Morgul was marching. Barad Dur responded with an eruption of Mount Doom. The signals coordinated the marching of the armies from the two citadels.

- 1 on 1: the Witch King, dismounted as he was before he fought Eowyn, vs. a troll, the same kind the fellowship fought in Moria, or the one that almost killed Aragorn at the gates of Mordor. Who wins?
Now replace the troll with a balrog. Who wins? Replace the balrog with Gandalf. Who wins?

The Witch King would have his way with a troll. Since trolls are creatures bred by Morgoth in the first or second age, they cannot resist the will of Sauron. The Nazgul are focuses of Saurons will, so orcs and trolls can't help but obey them. A Balrog is a servant of Morgoth, almost an equal of Sauron; it would probably smack the Witch King hard. It's hard to say what would have happened if the confrontation between Gandalf and the Witch King hadn't been interrupted; Gandalf isn't really human (as you might guess, since he's been around for centuries).

Gandalf:
- What powers does he have? Observed (in the movies): making fireworks explode out the back of his cart (isn't he supposed to have some magic fire ring or something?), some form of mental manipulation ("BILBO BAGGINS! I am trying to help you...")TK battle with Saruman, talking to moths to summon eagles, attemtping to counter Saruman's avalanching, generating light from his staff, forming a force field bubble to deflect the balrog's flaming sword, breaking a stone bridge ("YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"), heating Aragorn's sword and forcing him to drop it, some kind of light from his staff that had no visible direct physical effects, but drove off the Nazgul... am I missing anything?

In the book, the could light fires when no one else could and manipulate fire in various ways, up to creating a firestorm that engulfed a forest in Hollin. He has limitied clairvoyance (especially as Gandalf the White), he can make light, he could bind doors closed, he could usually force doors open. He could appear to grow huge and terrifying.

- Why does he ask Pippen to light the fire? He's demonstrated heat generating ability before. Is it simply to boost Pip's morale?

I have no idea why that was in the movie. 1) Gandalf could have lit the fire himself easily, and 2) Denethor wasn't such a dick that he refused to send for reinforcements.

- Gandalf can make fireworks. Why doesn't he whip up a pyrotechnic surprise in defense of Minas Tirith?

He couldn't affect enough of the enemy to make a difference that way. He help more by keeping the Nazgul at a distance and helping to boost the morale of soldiers affected by the fear they inspired.

Elves, Dwarfs, and minor races:
- What's the deal with the different elf kingdoms? There's Rivendell, Lorien, and some other one Legolas is supposed to be from. What is the relationship these cities have to each other? To the different human political or social entities?

The Elf Kingdom in Mirkwood (where Legolas is from) is friendly to the town of Dale, which is far north of Minas Tirith. Dale sits at the foot of the Lonely Mountain, which is the Dwarf city from which Gimli comes. Dale and the Lonely Mountain are besieged by an army from Mordor, so they're in no position to send help south. The Elf Kingdom in Mirkwood is defending itself against attacks from Saurons troops at Dol Goldur, one of his other citadels located in southern Mirkwood. Forces from Mirkwood and Moria are keeping the elves of Lorien busy, and orcs from the Misty Mountains have Rivendell cut off for the most part.

- What does Elrond mean when he says "My people are leaving these shores.", and the whole deal with the elves departing into the sea? (With Frodo and Gandalf.) Where are they going? Are all the elves going, or just Elrond's clan?

The High Elves are going to the land of Valinor, in the west, from which they originated. The Wood Elves have never been there, but they're free to go if they want.

- Moria is the dwarven equivalent to, say, Rivendell or Lorien, right? An enclave of dwarves?

Moria was a great dwarf kingdom once, but while mining for Mithril the dwarves found some deep cave in which the Balrog was sleeping. Once awake, it gathered orcs and trolls to it and drove the dwarves out of their kingdom.

- Just how isolationist are these dwarves? That was a pretty good sized city... they were wiped out by goblins. Nobody knew? When Helm's Deep was in trouble, the elves came. Not even Gimli knew.

A force of dwarves led by Balin left the Lonely Mountain several years before FOTR to try to retake it. The succeeded in clearing some of the levels near the surface, but the Balrog eventually came after them and they were all killed.

- How do dwarves get in/out? Do they know how to open the "speak friend and enter" door?

The eastern entrance to Moria doesn't have a magically sealed door like that. When the door was built, there was actually an Elf settlement on the western side, and it was Elves who made that door. The Dwarves of that time knew the password, of course.

- Who buried Balin? He was tombed! I don't think the orcs would take the trouble to carve a tomb for the leader of their enemies. Were there dwarves the survived the attack? If so, how did they escape? If they somehow found a way out, why didn't they send for reinforcements, or at least told anyone about the battle?

Balin was killed early in the attack on his expedition. Other dwarves in the group buried him before they were overwhelmed by the increasing numbers of orcs and goblins.

- The orcs that wiped out the dwarves of Moria: were they affiliated with Sauron or Saruman?

They were affiliated primarily with the Balrog, which would not have served Saruman and would have served Sauron reluctantly, at best.

- Did the balrog interact with the dwarves or orcs in the mines? The orcs knew of its existance, and ran like hell when they saw it coming. The dwarves mention something about it as well, so they at least know about it. But did the balrog play any part in the dwarf/orc battle?

The orcs of Moria serve the Balrog; having them run from it in the movie was kind of silly.

- What is the relationship of orcs to Sauron? When the ring was destroyed, they all broke and ran.

Orcs were bred from captured elves by Sauron's old master, Morgoth. They aren't brave by nature, but Sauron's will props them up. When Sauron was destroyed, they lost the will to fight.

Sauron and The Ring/s:
- What happened to the 3 rings given to the elves, and 7 to the dwarves? Why aren't there elven or dwarven Nazgul running around?

The seven rings didn't work against the Dwarves, who are inherently resistant to the power of Sauron. The dwarf kings who had them became greedy for gold, but they never became Sauron's slaves. Over time, some of the Seven were consumed by dragons, and Sauron eventually reclaimed the others. The last one known to be in the hands of a free dwarf belonged to Thrain, who founded the dwarf city of the Lonely Mountain with it. He was captured by Sauron's forces at Dol Goldur after the dragon Smaug drove the dwarves out of the Lonely Mountain, and Sauron took the ring from him.

The Three Rings for Elves are worn by Elrond, Galadriel, and Gandalf. When Sauron forged his ring, the Elves had enough forewarning to take theirs off before he could enslave them. When Sauron's ring was lost, they started using theirs again. Should Sauron regain the Ring, the elf settlements of Rivendell and Lorien would fall under his control.

- What would happen if Sauron got ahold of the One Ring again? It wouldn't be totally impossible to defeat him, right? After all, he had the ring the first time around, and that didn't stop the human/elf alliance from marching up to Mordor and Isildur from chopping off his hand.

Elendil and Gil-Galad still had considerable power at their disposal when they challenged Sauron back then. They also moved before Sauron could use the ring to mobilize a large enough army to stop them.

- What powers would the ring grant to a non-Sauron person wearing it? Invisibility is kinda neat, but not very useful. This particular cloaking device obscures your vision of the real world and seems to stress the wielder mentally. Not to mention, putting it on means you have one Eye of Sauron and nine Nazgul instantly after your ass.

The wearer, if powerful enough, would be able to enslave the wearers of the three elf rings and control the things they had made with those rings. The Nazgul could be made to obey the wearer instead of Sauron. Barad Dur, made using the ring's power, could be made to fall apart at will. Other structures could be built using the power of the ring, and they would be virtually indestructible as long as it existed. Orcs, trolls, and wraiths could be forced to obey the wearer, and the wearer would have enormous charismatic influence over anyone against whom he exerted his will.

- So why did Gandalf fear to take the ring; Galadriel thought she could rule the world with it; and Boromir wanted to use it to help Gondor fight Mordor?

The Ring contains the soul of Sauron, so to speak. It's inherently evil. Anyone who uses it will eventually be corrupted by it. Basically, if you use the ring of Sauron, you become Sauron, sooner or later.

- If, according to Elrond, Sauron's gaze pierces shadow and flesh, (and could apparently locate the ring in Rivendell), how come it can't spot Frodo and Sam hiding behind some rocks?

That's hyperbole. Sauron is clairvoyant, but not omniscient. He has to know where to look to spot something. While he occasionally searched Mordor for spies, he never suspected that his enemies would actually try to destroy the ring because the very idea of throwing away power was so alien to him.

- Now we all know that Sauron wants the ring back. But is there any self-preservative urgency in that? Does he know about the plot to destroy the ring? How come that ridiculous passage INTO the volcano isn't guarded? Why is it allowed to even EXIST at all?

He wants the ring back so that he can be whole again. He also knows that someone like Gandalf, Galadriel, or even Aragorn could defeat him if they used it against him. The idea that they might destroy the ring doesn't even occur to him until Frodo, standing on the brink of the fire, puts it on.

The cave exists because Sauron traditional used the forge of Mount Doom to make all his great mystical objects. If he got his ring back and regained his physical form, he would probably use the forge of Mount Doom again. Guarding it seemed unnecessary; why would anyone give up power by destroying the ring?

- Is Sauron capable of assuming physical form without the ring? And if he is, is he unkillable without destroying the ring?

No, he can't remake his body without the ring. No, he can't be killed as long as the ring exists, although he can be defeated.

[HemlockGrey]

I understand that they simply couldn't include Imrahil, the South Gondorians, the Dunedain, the Lakemen, Elrond's sons, etc. without stretching the story out waaaay too long.

The only change I would have made, really, would be to have axed one or two of the endings (probably Sam's return home, and shortened some of the others) and added in Saruman's bit. But it wasn't that big of a deal.

[CaptainChewbacca]

Stofsk, I don't mind your attitude . In the novel, the rangers give Aragorn Narsil when they show up at Helm's Deep.

JodoForce, Frodo had to leave for the same reason Bilbo did; He was tainted by the Ring and by his journeys. Morgul blade and spider venom left their marks on him, and he could never heal in Middle Earth. As a reward, he was to go to Valinor in the west and be granted peace.

[Kuja]

Fuck a hairy duck, that was fucking awesome!

The Witch King was fucking sweet! The Riders of Rohan kicked ass, and so did the orcs! Shagrat jump-kicking one of the orcs out a window was damn cool! The Eagles vs. Nazgul was so damn sweet! The exchange between the orcs' catapults and the trebuchets of Gondor was amazing! Yeah, the ending did drag a bit, but watching Barad-dur crumple and the Eye flame out was just fucking awesome.

If I could change just one thing about the movie, I would've had the Mouth of Sauron lead the orc army out of the Black Gate. Not having him was a disappointment.

[LadyTevar]

I think I'm actually the only person here that liked the return to the Shire.

I enjoyed the idea of them returning home, to find that no one knows where they'd been, what they'd done, or even cared. The bar scene, where the four Hobbits stop to take a moment to enjoy the normalcy of Hobbit life should strick a chord with any returning war veteran.

Someone asked why Bilbo and Frodo got to ride the Swan Ship over the sea... It's because they too were RingBearers. The burden of the OneRing had worn them both down. Jackson didn't emphasize it, but when Frodo finished writing he was rubbing his shoulder, where the Morgul blade had stabbed him and complained to Sam that he was hurting. In the book, Frodo was falling seriously ill both on that date, and on the anniversary of Shelob's attack. The loss of the Ring was also preying on his mind, as he and Bilbo both never fully recovered from the addiction and possessiveness the Ring fostered on its bearer.

In short: Frodo left because he was a shell-shocked, depressive, recovering addict, who could no longer enjoy the quiet Shire life.
Sam, on the other hand, settled down quite nicely with his wife and children, while (in the books) Merry and Pippin continued traveling back and forth serving the King of Gondor and the King of Rohan.

[Vendetta]

Stofsk, I don't mind your attitude . In the novel, the rangers give Aragorn Narsil when they show up at Helm's Deep.

No they don't. He has Narsil reforged into Anduril before they leave Rivendell. In the books they bring him the banner of the kings of Gondor. (not the one currently used by the city).

He carries the shards of Narsil with him at all times before he has it reforged as well, as it's the last heirloom of his house.

[Vendetta]

In short: Frodo left because he was a shell-shocked, depressive, recovering addict, who could no longer enjoy the quiet Shire life.
Sam, on the other hand, settled down quite nicely with his wife and children, while (in the books) Merry and Pippin continued traveling back and forth serving the King of Gondor and the King of Rohan.

In the books, Sam also leaves eventually, after Rose dies.

(and after breeding prodigiously)

[LadyTevar]

In short: Frodo left because he was a shell-shocked, depressive, recovering addict, who could no longer enjoy the quiet Shire life.
Sam, on the other hand, settled down quite nicely with his wife and children, while (in the books) Merry and Pippin continued traveling back and forth serving the King of Gondor and the King of Rohan.

In the books, Sam also leaves eventually, after Rose dies.

(and after breeding prodigiously)

Yes... a reward for his service to Frodo, and for the short time he carried the Ring after Shelob's attack.

[StarshipTitanic]

Is it just me, or does each battle end with the use of a deus ex machina?

And why the hell did the orcs kill every last one of each other in the tower where Frodo was kept?

[Ted C]

Stofsk, I don't mind your attitude . In the novel, the rangers give Aragorn Narsil when they show up at Helm's Deep.

[nitpick]Actually, Aragorn left Rivendell with Anduril. The Rangers brought him a standard showing the White Tree that Arwen made for him.[/nitpick]

[Ted C]

And why the hell did the orcs kill every last one of each other in the tower where Frodo was kept?

They didn't, but there were only a handful of survivors.

[LadyTevar]

And why the hell did the orcs kill every last one of each other in the tower where Frodo was kept?

They didn't, but there were only a handful of survivors.

Even orcs recognize Mythril when they see it. So, what started out as a winner-take-all brawl turned into inter-species genocide.

[PackMule]

So can someone explain why Frodo had to leave the Shire in the end?

I've actually had a lot of people ask me this. Was the film to subtle or some people just not clicking properly?

I think I said it already, but I loved the whole of the ending. The pace was fine and I thought that every single shot was important, especially the sequences sitting in the pub, and Sam walking into his house with his family.