10 Biggest Changes The Lord Of The Rings Movies Made To The Battle Of Helm's Deep

The Lord of the Rings movies made lots of changes to J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel, and some of the most noticeable were during the Battle of Helm’s Deep. This battle is one of Peter Jackson’s most impressive set pieces, setting a standard for high fantasy battles in cinema worldwide. It comes toward the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers movie, which followed on from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the first movie in the trilogy. Brutal and often hard to watch, Jackson’s version of Helm’s Deep was extraordinary but not always faithful.

Good essay

Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings movies are renowned as some of the most faithful adaptations ever made, but diehard Lord of the Rings fans could point out the differences between the book and the movies for days on end. Some of the Warner Bros. movies’ most memorable lines and scenes were during the Battle of Helm’s Deep, bringing new awareness to Tolkien’s work for many in the audience. Therefore, while viewers were deprived of a blow-by-blow reflection of part two of The Lord of the Rings novel, they were left with a sense of the meaning of the sequence.

You are watching: 10 Biggest Changes The Lord Of The Rings Movies Made To The Battle Of Helm’s Deep

Saruman Gave Dunlendings A Pep Talk

Dunlendings Fought For Saruman In Both Book And Movie

Saruman was seen rallying Dunlending in The Two Towers movie, which wasn’t portrayed in the book. Tolkien’s novel did, however, specify that Dunlendings, as well as half-Orcs, fought in the battle of Helm’s Deep. The Battle of Helm’s Deep showed a lot of fighting Uruk-hai in the movie, but not so many Dunlendings or anything that appeared to be a half-Orc.

Warner Bros.’ 2024 anime Lord of the Rings movie The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim displays the start of the mounting tension between the Rohirrim and the Dunlendings.

In the movie, Saruman had a scene giving his allies a pep talk. This would have happened at some point during the events of The Two Towers, which was part two of The Lord of the Rings. However, Tolkien never described it. Likewise, he didn’t write out the scene of the Dunlending making a blood oath to serve Saruman. These scenes amplified Christopher Lee’s role in the movie, which was always going to be a good idea.

Legolas Had Two Knives And Shield-Surfed

The Two Towers Gave Legolas A Visual Update

Legolas was given some hero-boosting in Peter Jackson’s second Lord of the Rings movie. Legolas was enough of a hero already in the book, as the representative of all of Elvendom in the Fellowship of the Ring. But 21st-century cinema was capable of embellishing Legolas’ character with a few visual flairs to bring his particular brand of graceful Elvish heroics into the light.

A Cut Lord Of The Rings Scene Would Have Made Aragorn’s Movie Ending Even Better

One part of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, would have made Aragorn’s movie story so much better, but it was cut.

Posts

Legolas got to surf down some stairs on a shield during the Battle of Helm’s Deep. While suitably ridiculous for what was essentially an action-adventure movie, this cheesy move was pure Jackson and had nothing to do with Tolkien. But it was unforgettable and taught audiences everything they needed to know about Elves – they were a cut above. Legolas fought with a knife in the book but with two in the movie.

Gimli Blows The Horn Of Helm Hammerhand

The Book Did Not Specify Who Blew The Horn

Théoden ordered the horn to be blown in the book, but the book never specified who blew it. Théoden simply stated that he would order the horn to be blown by his men when he rode out to meet Saruman’s forces. Meanwhile, in the movie, Gimli blew the horn after hearing Théoden confirm that it was to be used. Théoden’s order to use the horn was arguably even better in the movie. In the book, it was quite functional. But every line of dialogue had to count in Jackson’s feature-length movie, so Jackson had to compress all the poetry and wonder of Tolkien’s whole book into a relatively brief script.

In the movie, the horn’s power was reflected by the sudden silencing of the soundtrack and audio panning.

As such, Théoden dramatically proclaimed, “The horn of Helm Hammerhand shall sound in the deep one last time.” The blowing of the horn echoed supernaturally in both the book and the movie but was portrayed in different ways. In the book, Orcs threw themselves on their faces. In the movie, the horn’s power was reflected by the sudden silencing of the soundtrack and audio panning that reflected the visuals showing how far away the horn could be heard.

Legolas And Gimli’s Orc Contest Was A Debatable Tie

Gimli Won The Orc-Killing Contest Clearly In The Novel

Legolas and Gimli entertained an amusing Orc-killing contest in both the book and the movie, but Legolas was a little more competitive in the movie. In the novel, the contest is discussed throughout the chapter “Helm’s Deep,” but in the movie, it was discussed after the battle. This made sense to retain the pacing of a tense battle scene on-screen. Meanwhile, Gimli actually won more clearly in the book.

Legolas appeared to be neck-and-neck with Gimli so he shot the Orc that Gimli was sitting on to make them equal.

Gimli killed 42 in the book and told Legolas, who immediately conceded defeat. However, in the movie, Gimli claimed he had killed 43. Legolas appeared to be neck-and-neck with Gimli so he shot the Orc that Gimli was sitting on to make them equal. This was a disputable tie since the Orc under Gimli was possibly already dead and only twitching due to the “axe in his nervous system,” as delicately put by Gimli.

Gimli And Legolas Never Made Post-War Travel Plans

Gimli And Legolas Bonded During The Battle Of Helm’s Deep

Gimli and Legolas made important travel plans after the Battle of Helm’s Deep, but these were excluded from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Gimli and Legolas were on horseback together, just after the battle, and they made a promise to each other. Gimli promised to go with Legolas to Fangorn Forest and Legolas would go with Gimli to the Glittering Caves he had seen in Helm’s Deep.

This was important to show how diplomatic a success the Fellowship of the Ring was, uniting disparate and often warring species. Also, including this would have shown viewers what happened to Gimli after The Lord of the Rings. Gimli was even more of a hero than The Lord of the Rings trilogy made him out to be. After the events of the movie, Gimli ended up becoming Lord of these caves – the Glittering Caves of Aglarond.

Peter Jackson Cut Aragorn’s Parley With The Uruk-hai

Aragorn Was A Stronger Diplomat Than He Seemed In The Movies

Aragorn parleyed with the Uruk-hai in the book but not the movie. Aragorn’s claim to the throne in The Lord of the Rings movies wasn’t always clear, as he was a Dúnadan Ranger. Showing how he was fit to be a king may have helped build this case. Aragorn was a warrior’s warrior in Peter Jackson’s Battle of Helm’s Deep, but his parley in the books showed him as a diplomatic leader.

In the book, Aragorn’s parley was a complex military manuevre. He wanted to peer outside the parapets to try and catch a glimpse of Gandalf’s arrival with reinforcements. Aragorn signaled parley to the Uruk-hai so that he wouldn’t be immediately shot. The Uruk-hai engaged with him, proving the moral complexity of Tolkien’s story. Cutting this removed some nuance from both sides.

Haldir Brought Elven Archers To The Battle

Peter Jackson Had Haldir Save The Day Before Gandalf

Gandalf was always scheduled to save the day in the Battle of Helm’s Deep, but Peter Jackson added one more key ally to the proceedings. Aragorn and Théoden received backup from Haldir and his Elven archers, which never happened in the novel. This added an extra element to the battle sequence, confirming that Saruman really did threaten everyone, not just Rohan.

This also created another difference between the book and the movie – the diverse costumes. The Elves in J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium were inspired by European myth and legend. Meanwhile, The Two Towers movie gave the Elven archers a Samurai look, helping to distinguish them, visually, from their allies and enemies. Unfortunately for Haldir, his role was only temporary.

Peter Jackson Killed Off Haldir At Helm’s Deep

Haldir Met His Doom At Helm’s Deep In The Movie

Of all of Lord of the Rings’ Elves, Haldir was one of the least prominent, but he incurred a fairly major character death in The Two Towers movie. Haldir featured in the novel as one of the Galadhrim guides, assisting the Fellowship in its Lothlórien phase. But in the trilogy, Haldir guided a regiment to the Battle of Helm’s Deep and made the ultimate sacrifice.

Tolkienian Age	Event Marking The Start	Years	See more : Is Christine Movie True Story? Cast, Plot, Trailer, and More Total Length In Solar Years
Before time	Indeterminate	Indeterminate	Indeterminate
Days before Days	Ainur entered Eä	1 – 3,500 Valian Years	33,537
Pre-First Age Years of the Trees (Y.T.)	Yavanna created the Two Trees	Y.T. 1 – 1050	10,061
First Age (F.A.)	Elves awoke in Cuiviénen	Y.T. 1050 – Y.T. 1500, F.A. 1 – 590	4,902
Second Age (S.A.)	War of Wrath ended	S.A. 1 – 3441	3,441
Third Age (T.A.)	Last Alliance defeated Sauron	T.A. 1 – 3021	3,021
Fourth Age (Fo.A)	Elven-rings left Middle-earth	Fo.A 1 – unknown	Unknown

Haldir was slain on the battlefield and died in Aragorn’s arms in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. This Third Age death constituted a fairly significant alteration to the book’s narrative. Although Haldir wasn’t a main character, he was still a Tolkien character, so killing him off without Tolkien’s approval was a big move. Nonetheless, it worked in the context of the battle scene, adding emotional weight.

Rohan’s Civilians Joined The Soldiers In Helm’s Deep

The Women And Children Of Rohan Went To Dunharrow In the Book

Peter Jackson made a massive change to the Battle of Helm’s Deep’s danger factor. Rohan’s civilians in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers went to Helm’s Deep to take shelter, whereas they went to Dunharrow in the book. This upped the stakes for all involved, making the battle more terrifying and exciting. The weakest and most vulnerable of Rohan’s society were hiding in the caverns of the fortress.

Meanwhile, the battle was raging on outside. This allowed the movie to show the threat and danger of war from a civilian perspective, which is something Tolkien would have wanted. Tolkien’s intentions with the detail of the military strategy in the book were to show the complexity and grueling nature of war, which amounts to the same thing shown by the movie.

Aragorn Stole Some Of Théoden’s Most Heroic Lines

Aragorn Suggested Riding Out To Meet The Enemy

Aragorn was less confident in The Lord of the Rings movies, but he still managed to get some of Théoden’s best lines. A key difference between Tolkien’s Aragorn and Jackson’s Aragorn was that Tolkien’s believed in himself from the start. Jackson’s developed more self-belief as he went. The Warner Bros. movie worked hard to make Aragorn a believable knight in shining armor.

See more : Why Is Jane Kilcher On Bering Sea Gold? Who is Jane Kilcher?

The Hidden Meanings Behind Aragorn’s 3 Costumes In The Lord Of The Rings Explained

Viggo Mortensen was iconic as Aragorn in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings movies, and his costume design was a subtle part of his appeal.

Posts

This is fair, as it had a limited arena in which to sell in its characters compared to Tolkien’s vast, sprawling story. Unfortunately, Théoden – one of Lord of the Rings’ best heroes – got downgraded as a result. In the book, Théoden suggested riding out to meet the enemy, but Aragorn did this in the movie. At least Théoden got the immortal lines “Fell deeds awake. Now for wrath, now for ruin, and the red dawn” in the second The Lord of the Rings movie.

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

The Lord of the Rings

9.4/10

Your Rating

10 stars

9 stars

8 stars

7 stars

6 stars

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Rate Now

0/10

Your comment has not been saved

The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.

Movie(s)

The Lord of the Rings (1978)
, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim

Created by

J.R.R. Tolkien

First Film

The Lord of the Rings (1978)

Cast

Norman Bird
, Anthony Daniels
, Elijah Wood
, Ian McKellen
, Liv Tyler
, Viggo Mortensen
, Sean Astin
, Cate Blanchett
, John Rhys-Davies
, Billy Boyd
, Dominic Monaghan
, Orlando Bloom
, Christopher Lee
, Hugo Weaving
, Sean Bean
, Ian Holm
, Andy Serkis
, Brad Dourif
, Karl Urban
, Martin Freeman
, Richard Armitage
, James Nesbitt
, Ken Stott
, Benedict Cumberbatch
, Evangeline Lilly
, Lee Pace
, Luke Evans
, Morfydd Clark
, Mike Wood
, Ismael Cruz Cordova
, Charlie Vickers
, Markella Kavenagh
, Megan Richards
, Sara Zwangobani
, Daniel Weyman
, Cynthia Addai-Robinson
, Lenny Henry
, Brian Cox
, Shaun Dooley
, Miranda Otto
, Bilal Hasna
, Benjamin Wainwright
, Luke Pasqualino
, Christopher Guard
, William Squire
, Michael Scholes
, John Hurt

TV Show(s)

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Character(s)

Frodo Baggins
, Gandalf
, Legolas
, Boromir
, Sauron
, Gollum
, Samwise Gamgee
, Pippin Took
, Celeborn
, Aragorn
, Galadriel
, Bilbo Baggins
, Saruman
, Aldor
, Wormtongue
, Thorin Oakenshield
, Balin Dwalin
, Bifur
, Bofur
, Bombur
, Fili
, Kili
, Oin
, Gloin
, Nori
, Dori
, Ori
, Tauriel
, King Thranduil
, Smaug
, Radagast
, Arondir
, Nori Brandyfoot
, Poppy Proudfellow
, Marigold Brandyfoot
, Queen Regent Míriel
, Sadoc Burrows

Video Game(s)

The Lord of the Rings Online (dupe)
, Middle-Earth: Shadow of War
, The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum
, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria

Expand

Source: https://www.phonggdkrongpac.edu.vn
Category: Entertainment