Peter Jackson ruined The ⚔️Battle of Pelennor Fields

[Sulimo]

I didn't even think of that, but your right. Ahhh Peter Jackson just makes me angry. Can anyone come up with a scene that he didn't ruin? That's not in the Fellowship of the Ring. Which he screwed up royally as well.

 

[Sir Eowyn]

The whole battle's got no atmosphere----a couple insert shots of some panicking women does not tension make. There's no sense of anything outside the walls, like outer defenses or camps or different battalions, just a big open field. The book, to my memory, had it laid out more complex than that. And all of Gondor poured in to assist---here there's just some dudes in pointy helmets hanging out inside a city, waiting for Rohan. Then some spectacular but empty shots, then the horse charge (which is AMAZING, and a welcome relief), then the glowing green things arrive and we get to watch Orly Bloom's digital double do some acrobatics. Oh yes, first a supposedly serious villain says, "Diiiiiiie now," in that voice. Yes, except for the horse charge, and Theoden's death (which is moving), utter rubbish.

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

And all of Gondor poured in to assist

Actually, most of the Gondorian forces, those from the populous region of South Gondor, did not come, due to the threat from the Corsairs and Haradrim. The "Homeric Catalog" of men entering the gates emphasizes this:

'Forlong!' men shouted. 'True heart, true friend! Forlong!' But when the men of Lossarnach had passed they muttered: 'So few! Two hundreds, what are they? We hoped for ten times the number. That will be the tidings of the black fleet. They are sparing only a tithe of their strength. Still every little is a gain.'

And so the companies came and were hailed and cheered and passed through the Gate, men of the Outlands marching to defend the City of Gondor in a dark hour; but always too few, always less than hope looked for or need asked.

The sequence does three things: it allows us to see, in nutshell fashion, a glimpse of the diverse peoples of Gondor, and places we don't get to "visit"; it demonstrates the reach and strategies of Sauron; and of course it helps ratchet up the tension, the sense of just how desperate the situation is for Gondor.

Whether it would have had this effect if included in the movie is, for me, moot; the introduction of a deus ex machina ending, in the form of Scrubbing Bubbles, renders all the heroism and sacrifice meaningless.

 

[Sir Eowyn]

Ah yes, Squint-eyed Southerner, you're right. I meant that reinforcements were indeed coming, that they were actually actively doing SOMETHING to protect the city, and the film gave no indication of that.

 

[Shadow]

The Dead Army are better in the book because they can’t engage the enemy. That makes sense as they’re ghosts. They cause dread, with the Corsairs fleeing or drowning in the water. They’re an asset, but they’re not making the situation a cakewalk. A battle still needs to be fought by real people.

 

[Erestor Arcamen]

*Peter Jackson ruined The Battle of Pelennor Fields The Lord of the Rings

 

[Olorgando]

*Peter Jackson ruined The Battle of Pelennor Fields The Lord of the Rings

As I have droned on since 2013 (when I first got online at home and joined my first (of so far three) JRRT sites), and this opinion has been cemented by (what little) I have seen of movies since 2003's premiere of RoTK:

It could have been worse.

Amazon may or may not prove my point ...

 

[Shadow]

I love the movies. But note the differences between the two mediums, and will always put the source material at the top of the tree.

 

[Halasían]

*Peter Jackson ruined The Battle of Pelennor Fields The Lord of the Rings

Indeed... and as the Gandolorian said, Amazon will likely compound the ruination.

As for the Battle of Pelennor Fields, the 'Dead Army' wasnt even at the battle. The green army ants was a PJ fanfic creation.