This might sound like a dumb question, but I was literally just born around the time these movies were being cast, so I have no idea what the actors' careers were like back then 😂

Today, the cast of The Lord of the Rings feels absolutely stacked. Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee, Cate Blanchett, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Bean, Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin... basically everyone feels like a huge name now.

But were they actually famous when they were announced for the movies?

I had bit of a chuckle

“He just looks at me [at the door ] and says, ‘Hey there, you’re that fella that made Lord of the Rings aren’t you? Lord of the Rings that was great man, that was a fantastic film’. I said ‘Yeah, oh thanks.’

He turns back to the van and says: ‘Oh they should have got you to make those Hobbit movies, because they were crap…’ I just wait, and I just roll my eyes and say ‘Yeah, tell me about it, mate.’”

Edit: Thank you all for the kind words, awards, and for sharing your own stories! ❤️ I can’t reply to everyone, but one quick clarification: English is my third language, so I may have misunderstood the phrase* “creating core memories.*” I simply meant intentionally creating meaningful experiences that later become cherished memories. No need to pick on this!

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My husband and I visited the stunning New Zealand in February/March 2026. One of the highlights of our trip was tracking down some of the filming locations. Finding the exact spot wasn’t always possible, but that only made the challenge more fun. Then came the best part: trying to match the camera angle as closely as possible.

10/10 would recommend.

I'm my dad's only daughter. Lord of the rings was extremely special for us. He was always a huge nerd, and loved all of tolkiens work. When the movies came out he took me to see them in theatres even when I was very young and couldn't properly take it in. Every time it was "dad's weekend" we would watch the movies while eating dinner, eventually the extended ones as well. He had the best sound system that made the movies so rich. 7.1 channels, vintage behemoth speakers... minas morgul, moria, helms deep..sounded absolutely incredible. He loved to tell me lore, repeat funny lines and jokes with me, tell me movie/book differences, we even had the lotr trivial pursuit and he would teach me stuff all the time. Tease me and say "someday you could read the silmarillion, but it'll be a tough read for you." These movies are everything to me, and make me feel so close to him. Losing him today was like losing a part of my soul.

Complications from pneumonia, compounded with weakness from stage 4 colon cancer took him from me at the young age of 58.

To honor him, after he passed at noon today, I got home and binged all 3 extended editions. I could still hear his voice teasingly repeating funny lines in my ear, making silly songs to make me laugh. Or seeing him stand up and cue me in to appreciate a special auditory moment to bask in. His passion became my passion, I couldn't be more grateful, thank you dad, love you forever.

Edit: I am reading all your comments through tears, thank you so much. At his celebration of life I'll put Gandalfs quote about the end on a little card in front of his urn, and there it shall stay after I take his ashes home and give him a little shrine in my living room where he can always watch good movies with me and hear loud, warm rich music.

I recently watched the sequence of Moria. When the fellowship walks through the halls I though I would watch people traversing PS2 background maps.

But what do the movies do else what is nowadays outdated?

What does a normal orc look like? I don't believe they are born already fucked up.

Lawrence Makoare spent 4.5 to 11 hours to become the deformed lieutenant of Mordor. He had a swollen face, a crooked arm, scars, and decaying details, all of which were practical effects. Weta Workshop really outdid themselves on this one. He was funny on set, even with the uncomfortable suit. This is why LOTR orcs still feel unique.

I’ve always wondered why we can’t see the rider on the right side of the frame before the tree. The trail is leading the direction they are walking. I keep imagining that they are facing the tree behind it and make a sharp right turn? Jackson had his bag of tricks while filming, but this one is more nuanced and interesting to me how they filmed it.

EDIT: Don’t worry guys, I went into my TV settings and fixed my saturation. Thank you for pointing this out! I’ll enjoy more movies now.

I think the scene with Aragorn and the army of the dead is the best example.

Ending this scene with his "what say you?" before cutting to the armies of Mordor arriving at Minas Tirith is genius. It leaves us on a note of tension. We have no idea how the ghosts are going to respond, and we're swiftly reminded of the impending danger. If Aragorn doesn't find a way to convince these guys, Gondor will fall.

Add to that the fact that for the next half hour, Aragorn is completely out of the film, which makes the whole siege of Minas Tirith and the subsequent battle at the Pelennor much more impactful, because we feel the hopelessness of the characters, and when Aragorn finally does show up with the ghosts, it creates a wonderful sense of release while also getting us pumped to see how the tide will turn.

But in the Extended Cut, we see almost every step of the way between these two moments. We not only see that they managed to convince the dead king, but also how they got there. Both moments which are completely unnecessary and deflate the sense of tension during the battle. Because through the whole thing we're going "It's okay. Aragorn's on his way."

It's the same reason why we didn't need a scene of Gandalf convincing Eomer and company to help Theoden at Helms Deep, as such a scene would've massively reduced the impact of the "Theoden King stands alone." "Not alone." scene.

It's a classic case of how just because something is longer, doesn't necessarily mean it is better.

I think he was excellent throughout the series, but in most of his scenes he was a one-dimensional, prototypical tough warrior, so he didn’t get to actually act much.

But even when I was a kid, I‘ve always really felt something in this scene when he finds Eowyn. His screams find that perfect sweet spot where it could’ve been over the top, but he doesn’t cross that line.

More than the screams though, the look in his eyes… they just look like those of a man who truly believes he has lost everything. Which, I guess makes sense considering (I think) she is his last living family at this point.