The Lord of the Ringsmovies 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 ofThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towersmovie, which followed on fromThe 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.
Peter Jackson’sThe Lord of the Ringsmoviesare renowned as some of the most faithful adaptations ever made, but diehardLord of the Ringsfans 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 ofThe Lord of the Ringsnovel, they were left with a sense of the meaning of the sequence.
Saruman Gave Dunlendings A Pep Talk
Dunlendings Fought For Saruman In Both Book And Movie
Saruman was seen rallying Dunlending inThe Two Towersmovie, 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-haiin the movie, but not so many Dunlendings or anything that appeared to be a half-Orc.
Warner Bros.' 2024 animeLord of the RingsmovieThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimdisplays 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 ofThe Two Towers, which was part two ofThe 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.
The Two Towers Gave Legolas A Visual Update
Legolas was given some hero-boosting in Peter Jackson’s secondLord of the Ringsmovie. Legolas was enough of a hero already in the book, as the representative of all of Elvendom in the Fellowship of the Ring. But21st-century cinema was capable of embellishing Legolas' characterwith 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.
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 knifein 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 hornafter 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 ofthe horn echoed supernaturally in both the book and the moviebut 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, butLegolas 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 tiesince 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 fromThe 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 Forestand 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 viewerswhat happened to Gimli afterThe Lord of the Rings. Gimli was even more of a hero thanThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy made him out to be. After the events of the movie,Gimli ended up becoming Lordof 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 inThe Lord of the Ringsmovies 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 warriorin 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-haiso 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
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 Haldirand 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 Towersmovie 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 ofLord of the Rings’Elves, Haldir was one of the least prominent, buthe incurred a fairly major character deathinThe Two Towersmovie. 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.
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Haldir was slain on the battlefield and died in Aragorn’s arms inThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.This Third Age death constituted a fairly significant alterationto 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 inThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towerswent to Helm’s Deepto 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 complexityand 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 inThe Lord of the Ringsmovies, 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 knightin shining armor.
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.
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 ofLord of the Rings’best heroes - got downgradedas 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 secondThe Lord of the Ringsmovie.
The Lord of the Rings
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.
