Related
In one of the most memorable moments from Peter Jackson’sThe Lord of the Rings : The Two Towers , an ground forces of elves come to support their human counterparts in the battle against Saruman at the Battle of Helm ’s Deep , but things wager out very other than in Tolkien ’s book . In the originalThe Lord of the Ringsstory , the victory is win by man alone . As in the feature picture version , Aragorn and Rohan ’s King Théoden evacuate their people to the defile of Helm ’s Deep and are hem in by wave after moving ridge ofLord of the Rings’Uruk - hai warriors . The forces of men have out on their own , largely swear on their structural defense and the horse - riding skills of the Rohirrim to barely avoid being pass over out after the fall of the Hornburg fastness . As in the movie , it ’s Gandalf who makes the tardy save - but with reinforcement from the Westfold rather than Eómer and Lothlórien ’s gremlin - and the battle is won without a pointy ear in sight , Legolas excluded .
Peter Jackson ’s reasoning for adding the elves to the climactic Battle of Helm ’s Deep is addressed on the commentary track forThe Lord of the Rings : The Two tug . In the Word of God , it is n’t just Rohan under assault from the titular two tower of Orthanc and Barad - dûr , but Lothlórien and many other lands populate by the elvish and dwarf tribe . Just as Morgoth ’s corrupting influence threatened every land inMiddle - world inRings of index , so did Sauron ’s forces do the same inLord of the Rings . Tolkien writes of various battle give up off all over Middle - solid ground as Sauron attempts to assert his dominance over the land , but the focus nail down upon Helm ’s Deep because that ’s the clash Gandalf and the other Fellowship members have become embroil in .
relate : Why The Lord Of The Rings Is Actually 6 book , Not 3
Jackson Added Elves Because Saruman Was A Threat To All Of Middle-earth
In a more compendious ( relatively speak ) braggart - silver screen version , it ’s far more unmanageable to establish to the audience that many struggle are taking lieu simultaneously . To ascertain thatThe Two Towersgot across the subject matter that Saruman was a threat toallthe peoples of halfway - earth and not just its men , the decision was made by Jackson and others to comprise the imp into the Battle of Helm ’s Deep rather than have them scrap off - projection screen in a different location .
Many of Jackson ’s modification to Tolkien ’s origin material have been criticized by lover , with large section of the ledger , such as Tom Bombadil orThe scrub of the Shire , making path for the rice beer of a accomplishable run time . Koran purists for the most part deem Jackson ’s changes unneeded or disruptive to the plot . Indeed , it could be argued that the union of elves and men inThe Two Towersmakes their absence seizure inThe Return of King ’s Battle of the Pelennor Fields somewhat strange . If the elves stopped by to serve out at the Battle of Helm ’s Deep , why would they afterward cut out on an even more vital engagement upon which the future of Middle - solid ground was directly link up ? In the books , this is , once again , because they have their own attacks to repel and because Helm ’s Deep was nearer than Minas Tirith , but the reasoning is n’t explicit on - screen , especially after the alignment made antecedently . Moreover , Lord of the Rings ' elvestypically bet down on other races , so why would they aid men when they have their own fights against Sauron ?
Despite these lingering query , add the elves to the Battle of Helm ’s Deep ultimately pays dividend . Not only does the climax ofThe Two Towersfeel all the more epic for featuring multiple races facing off against an haughty iniquity , but the elves ' presence also achieves Jackson ’s intention of take a leak the troubles of Middle - earth feel universal . This would ’ve been difficult to convey had the elves remain off - screen for every key fight in theLord of the Ringstrilogy .
Elves Are Very Different On Screen In Every Adaptation
Tolkien’sLord of the Ringshas inspire various adaptation , and each get along with their own unique version of hob . From Legolas showing up in the Hobbit to almost everything elf - related inThe Rings Of Power , extremely low frequency have been portrayed very otherwise onscreen compared to Tolkien ’s original text . Rings of Power ’s GaladrielMorfydd Clarke in particular is quite different from Cate Blanchett ’s characterization inLord of the Rings , but actually closer to how Tolkien in the beginning envisioned the fiber . Comparatively fewer changes have been made to other races , like the hobbits , who are more - or - less Quran - accurate for the most part , Rings of Power’shobbits / harfoots notwithstanding . This might be due to cultural tastes at Tolkien ’s fourth dimension of writing being different from those in the twenty-first century .
Related : What Galadriel ’s Dagger Decision REALLY intend In Rings of force
The aloof and passive elves of theLord of the Ringsbooks might have seemed cryptical and endearing to Tolkien ’s contemporary reader , but to modern audiences , they would credibly just issue forth off as incredibly unlikable . Since the elves actually side with the people of midway - terra firma , despite their arrogant mental attitude , it makes a mass more sense to humanize them a bit and have them be more involved . Indeed , thebook change inRings of Powerand other Tolkien adaptation , whether in terms of elves or other races , are generally done to make the rootage material more palatable for contemporaneous audiences .
Next : Lord of the Rings : Why The Two Towers Book & Movie End Differently
