The Lord Of The Rings is perhaps one of the biggest franchises depicting the fantasy world with grandeur and magnificence. It truly set the benchmark for other films, writers, and directors and even today is considered the best fantasy series of the West.
I know the books are better than the films, and there are no two ways about it. But the movies bring our imaginations to life like nothing else. The series has so poetically depicted the vast worlds, numerous creatures, wizards, elves, and a whole lot of action blended with the philosophies of human existence.
In fact, even the battle scenes are not just fancy action choreographies. There’s no glamor or bling in them. If anything, they are dark, murky and depict human mindsets and ideologies of their own. You just can’t miss them.
One of my favorite battles was the very first full-fledged war in the franchise – The Battle Of Helm’s Deep.
But why is the Battle Of Helm’s Deep so good?
The Battle Of Helm’s Deep is a must watch experience that depicts how Middle Earth beings can come together to fight against the evil entity Sauron, despite their differences. Thus it sends us all a message or just an emotion called hope; hope that every night will have brighter dawn, and the good shall outlive the evil.
1. The Themes And Philosophies
We all tend to watch the same thing yet have different takeaways from the same content. I think this battle scene is no exception to that. There are just so many lessons of life and existence being delivered that you’ll be overwhelmed with so many different emotions. I know I was.
2. The Underdog Story
Who doesn’t love a good underdog story where the person who comes from nothing gets a shot at the biggest accomplishment of their life and actually makes it. The Battle Of The Helm’s Deep start that way.
We see Theoden the King and Aragorn talking about how there are about 10,000 Uruk-Hais marching towards the fortress to destroy it, and they only have 300 people to fight, and not all of them are skilled warriors.
I know what you’re thinking. These people are the OG 300! So many films have used this trope of underdog story before The Lord Of The Rings, but the books from which the movies are adapted were released in the previous millennia. It just goes on to show how it was one of the OGs to have showcased this trope which such finesse.
3. A Blend Of Survival With Glory
There are clear-defining moments that indicate how the heroes or the good side are fighting for its survival. It’s not just about 300 against 10000 but about the defeat of humankind and other creatures who live on Middle Earth.
When Aragorn says that he’d fight and die as one of Rohan’s own, or when Theoden says what is there to fight when creatures with such reckless hate try to destroy their world, we sense the desperation, the hopes crumbling down and people mentally preparing for death.
Here’s where the art of survival and the power of glory come into play. When the walls of the seemingly impenetrable fortress are breached, and it looks like everything is lost, we see our beloved warriors and heroes gallop into the dawn for one last rid (Not the Fast And Furious one.)
4. A Cause Bigger Than The People Who Fight For It
Theoden had nobody when the battle was about to begin. Just 300 men and the fellowship or rather what remained of it – Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. But Galadriel urged Elrond to sen Haldir and his men.
Haldir tells Theoden how he’s come to honor the allegiance that was once formed to defeat the same evil and it shall be his pride to fight it alongside the men, despite their differences.
It doesn’t stop there. When the Ents decide if they should go to war, the Hobbits – Merry and Pippin, urge them to fight. After all, it’s the fight of light vs. dark, and whether the Ents like it or not, they will thrive only in the light.
Though the Ents refuse, they’re ready to let the Hobbits fight, and when Treebeard sees his friends chopped off and slaughtered, he joins the cause too. You see, the Ents needed the push.
This is essentially how the fight depicts reality. People come together despite their differences, despite what they believe in, to fight for something in common. Although they might not do it selflessly, they do it nonetheless, and at the end of the day, that’s all that makes a difference.
5. A New Dawn Of Hope
When all is lost, and everything seems to be shattering, something or someone will save it for the good side. It’s yet another classic trope we see in the movies. Gandalf appeared with 2000 Rohirrim warriors when Theoden was about to lose.
Faramir, who was enticed and hell-bent on having the ring had a change of heart when he heard how his brother died because of it. Faramir undid his wrong by saving Frodo and letting him leave along with Sam and Gollum to destroy the ring.
The Ents destroyed all of the war machinery and any creature that existed in Isengard, thus taking away Saruman’s forces and the means to fight.
The battle is then won, but the war is far from over. But that’s alright. For now, we know our heroes are alive to live and fight another day. For now, they’ve all joined forces against darkness, and that is a true sign of hope.
6. Conclusion
It is these ideologies that make such grand landscapes and picturizations larger than life and battle scenes are no exception. The Battle Of The Helm’s Deep is perhaps one of the few war sequences that tells so many little tales and yet it doesn’t seem like it’s overwhelming or if the writers are simple scratching the surface for the sake of it.
Any battle scene should make us root for someone – the good or the bad. The Battle Of Helm’s Deep is an epitome of this and that’s why it is one of the best battle sequences in fantasy fiction.
7. About The Lord Of The Rings (Film Series)
The Lord of the Rings is a series of three epic fantasy adventure films directed by Peter Jackson, based on the novel written by J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are subtitled The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), and The Return of the King (2003). Produced and distributed by New Line Cinema with the co-production of WingNut Films, it is an international venture between New Zealand and the United States.
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