Peter Jackson’s ‘Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers’ Turns 20, Reminding Fans There Is No Better Fantasy Battle Than Helm’s Deep
Image Source: Esquire
20 years ago, Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers gave fans the best battle scene in cinema history. Rarely sequels are ever as good as the film that came before, there are exceptions, of course, and one of those exceptions is The Two Towers. A film that builds on the first one in every way and keeps the same magic throughout but adds suspense that was distant in the first movie. We see the fellowship split but also grow closer than ever. The Battle Of Helm’s Deep pivoted the film in a new direction.
The Battle Of Helm’s Deep happens at the end of The Two Towers. King Theoden of Rohan has moved his people to the safety of Helm’s Deep, or so he thought. Saruman and his Uruk-hai army find out and move to attack the castle. The Uruk-hai vastly outnumber the humans and the elves that eventually come to help them. The battle begins, and the walls are finally breached. When the battle seems to be turning against them, King Theoden and Aragorn decide to ride out together one last time. Gandalf shows up on the mountain with the Rohirrim, just like he told Aragorn he would. They then attack the Uruk-hai and bring the battle back in their favor.
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The Lord Of The Rings films were lightning in a bottle. They were movie miracles and something that will most likely never happen again. All three films were shot at once, then edited into three separate movies. Peter Jackson used CGI for the bigger crowds of orcs, which could have never been accomplished a few years earlier, but for more practical effects, he utilized Weta Workshop. Weta Workshop helped set a new standard for large-scale action scenes. The battle took 120 days to film and was filmed in the dark and driving rain. The entire sequence was very structured and used a lot of practical effects, which helped it hold up even 20 years later.
Image Source: Reddit
While the battle is nowhere near the scale as the one in Return Of The King, the stakes feel much higher at Helm’s Deep. It feels much more grounded and relies more on practical effects than the Battle of Minas Tirith did. Who knows how the story would’ve ended if the battle had never turned in their favor? Helm’s Deep gave our heroes the advantage they so desperately needed and proved to Saruman and his army of Uruk-hai that they won’t stop fighting until evil was defeated.
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