The Battle of Pelennor Fields (the fight for Minas Tirith) was by far one of the most devastating battles against the forces of Sauron, which made it all the more impactful when the defenses of Gondor and Rohan finally came out on top in the end. The film, however, thought differently about this when it decided to have Aragorn arrive with the Army of the Dead serving as his soldiers of reinforcement. While this sort of change certainly doesn’t do much to tarnish the entertainment value of the battle or the quality of the film as a whole, it does carry less of an emotional impact than Tolkien intended, and it also raises the question of just how much of the sacrifice that was given by the other soldiers mattered in the end.
How Peter Jackson Handled The Lord of the Rings Army of the Dead
Every Film in The Lord of the Rings Film Franchise
Rotten Tomatoes Score
The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
92%
The Two Towers (2002)
95%
The Return of the King (2003)
94%
The Hobbit: an Unexpected Journey (2012)
64%
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
74%
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
59%
The War of the Rohirrim (2024)
TBD
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How The Return of the King depicts the Dead Men of Dunharrow (aka “The Army of the Dead”) differs quite significantly in both the book and the film. In the mythology of the Lord of the Rings, they were an army of men whose souls, after failing to honor their oath to aid Isildur in the War of the Last Alliance, were cursed to walk and remain in Middle Earth, denying their eternal rest until their oath is fulfilled. Led by the King of the Dead, they could only answer the call of an heir of Isildur, which Aragorn used to his advantage. In Tolkien’s novel, Aragorn approaches the army and convinces them to help in defeating the Corsair fleet invading southern Gondor, with their frightening appearance and incoming attack causing them to leap from their ships and to their deaths. Seeing how their assistance toward Aragorn’s cause in the war had honored their long-abandoned oath to the king of Gondor, they were finally able to move on, and their spirits were dispersed.
Jackson’s adaptation approaches the Army of the Dead in a wildly different way from what Tolkien had originally written. In the film, the army is much more stubborn and initially reluctant to carry out the oath that will finally free their spirits, until they decide to do so anyway. How they defeat the fleet of Corsairs is also similar, allowing Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimili to take over their ships and sail to assist in Minas Tirith. Unlike the book, however, the Army’s contribution to the story doesn’t end there.
What Did The Film’s Version of The Battle of Pelennor Fields Do Differently From the Book?
Jackson’s Depiction of the Battle Doesn’t Quite Line Up With Tolkien’s Deeper Interpretation
Every Major Battle in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Film
The Siege of Barad-dur
Fellowship of the Ring
The Skirmish at Weathertop
Fellowship of the Ring
The Skirmish in Balin’s Tomb
Fellowship of the Ring
The Skirmish at Amon Hen
Fellowship of the Ring
The Battle of Helm’s Deep
The Two Towers
The Battle of Isengard
The Two Towers
The Battle of Osgiliath
The Two Towers/Return of the King
The Battle of Pelennor Fields
Return of the King
The Battle of the Black Gate
Return of the King
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The Battle of Pelennor Fields, in both the film and the book, has been regarded as one of the trilogy’s greatest battles. Despite how well the film handles this particular battle sequence, with its sweeping cinematography, music, and use of visual effects, making it a truly epic cinematic experience, its tone differs quite differently from Tolkien’s literary biblical vision in more ways than one. In the book, the defensive strength of Gondor and Rohan was dwindling, not because of the aerial attacks from the Witch King’s horde of Nazgûls, but because of the dread and fear they fed into their hearts. It was the arrival of the Corsair’s black ships, however, manned by Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, and the half-elven brothers Elladan and Elrohir, holding the reinforcements of troops from southern Gondor. In his description of this event, Tolkien’s words painted a picture of the hope that had become instilled in the soldiers once again, showing that any man could indeed resist the wrath of Sauron and his army if they united in strength.
Jackson chose to focus more on the action of the battle, as it would’ve been difficult to visually portray the psychological and emotional attacks experienced by the soldiers. This different kind of approach, however, is nothing compared to how Jackson’s climax of the battle differentiates from the intentions that Tolkien had in mind when he originally wrote it. Unlike in the book, not only are Elladan and Elrohir absent, and not only do Legolas and Gimili not take part in the battle, but the reinforcements aren’t men of Gondor at all, it’s just the army of the dead.
Does the Army of the Dead’s Inclusion Really Ruin the Battle for Minas Tirith?
As a Deus Ex Machina, It Certainly Makes the Sacrifice of Life Earlier Throughout the Battle Feel Meaningless
The entire Lord of the Rings film franchise, including The Hobbit trilogy, is now available to be streamed on Max.
Considering the number of lives that were lost in pursuit of victory, The Battle of Pelennor Fields was by far one of the most brutal deaths in all of Tolkien’s fictional history. As such, while it may have been quite an epic and memorable sight to see the army of the dead mow down the remaining enemy forces of Sauron like grass, the lack of emotion from it all made it feel like a storytelling cop-out, and it made the massive number of earlier deaths in the battle feel completely unnecessary as if they died for nothing. There are a few reasons behind this, as not only did the film not spend time with the Army of the Dead for the audience to get that invested in them, but Jackson’s overpowered interpretation of them lessened the feeling of loss that the battle should’ve had. In the book, there’s no indication that the spirits of the army pose or can inflict any kind of physical threat; in the film, however, they can charge the field like a tsunami, effectively wiping out any remaining opposing forces. The use of the Army also robbed the fans of the chance of seeing Legolas and Gimli fight in that battle as well, as their roles within it are quite significant.
Of course, there was the later scene during the Battle of the Black Gate where all the heroes had the chance to fight together, but it was much smaller in scale compared to the epic scale of the siege of Minas Anor. As different as it is, and as disappointing as it may be in comparison to Tolkien’s version, it’s hard to deny that Jackson’s interpretation of the battle left quite an impact that still lingers with the fans to this day. The battle as a whole remains one of the greatest battle sequences ever put to film, and fans of the movies, who may be more unfamiliar with the books, still consider the arrival of the army to be one of the trilogy’s most iconic and memorable moments. Still, for the more die-hard fans of both the books and the films, this alteration to its climax was one of the few changes in the adaptation that certainly didn’t (and still doesn’t, really) live up to what they could’ve had instead.
