Summary
There are many amazing aspects that fans love about Peter Jackson’sThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy. Whether it is the fantasy series' deeply woven narrative, its epic journeys across picturesque lands, or its complex lore, one thing is for sure is that its battle scenes are some of the greatest in cinematic history. Adapted fromJ.R.R. Tolkien’s books, the movies brought the rich and intricate world of Middle-earth to the eyes of eager viewers as they witnessed the adventures of Frodo, Sam, and their friends take on the epic quest of destroying the One Ring.
Even though there have been plenty of incredible battle scenes in movies in recent years, like the Battle of Stirling in Mel Gibson’sBraveheart, the Battle of Thermopylae in Zack Synder’s300,and the opening battle in Ridley Scott’sGladiator,the grand scale and the brilliant visual effects ofThe Lord of the Ring’s combat scenes are almost second to none, particularly the iconic battle inJackson’sReturn of the King, which has been praised for its stunning cinematic portrayal of its looming war. Of course, the entire fantasy series flowered from the mind of Tolkien, so any kind of historical accuracy of its battles isn’t something that would be a concern for fans. However, one historian has rated the battle scene, pointing out some details that were “made up” for the movie.
Ancient Historian Rates Lord of the Ring’s Epic Battle Against the Orcs
In a conversation with Insider on YouTube, ancient historian Roel Konijnendijk sat down to discuss battle scenes from a host of different movies. Throughout, Konijnendijk rated epic battles fromGladiator 2andHouse of the DragontoPrince of Persia,but his most interesting opinion came when he was shownThe Return of the King's epic battle where King Theodenrallies his army before going head-to-head against the Orcs. Konijnendijk noted that one particular scene where the King slaps his lances with his sword against his army’s blades as they hype up for war was entirely “made up” by actor Bernard Hill for the dramatic scene because it was “a cool thing to do”. However, the historian did say that it worked so well and ended up giving the battle an 8 out of 10 for realism.
“It works so well that you almost want this to be a real thing and people sometimes ask me, ‘Is that a real thing? Is that something that ancient or medieval commanders would do?’ ‘No, Bernard Hill did that,’ and now it’s in this like incredible depiction of something that looks like premodern warfare. But that’s just cinema, that’s just in this movie.”
Konijnendijk also provided insight intoTheoden’s armycharging into battle and how it compares to real historical battle charges. He mentions that charges would usually have been a lot more methodical than how viewers would see them in movies, and that’s because directors would want to slow things down to offer more drama. Konijnendijk also states that because the horses would all have different paces, it wouldn’t make sense for them to all gallop at one speed together.
It’s certainly a fascinating angle to look at the battle from a historian’s point of view and probably something that mostLord of the Ringsfans hadn’t even thought about. Then again, why would they, because it is entirely fictitious. What does remain, though, is how incredibleThe Lord of the Ringsis when it comes to captivating its audience with epic scenes and awe-inspiring cinematics that, still today, make the trilogy one of the best movies ever.
