The Empire Strikes Back, The Godfather Part II, The Dark Knight, The filling in an Oreo, What do they all have in common? They are all in the middle, nestled perfectly in between. The Two Towers is no exception. It is no secret that typically the second film in any trilogy is known as the best one. The first film has the heavy task of world building, the third film has to stick the landing, but the middle, the middle film gets to have all the drama. The middle film can cold open with our favorites previously known from the first and end with a horrible cliffhanger where it seems all hope is lost leaving the tying of loose ends to the third film. The middle film is the best part of a Saturday night. It’s not the beginning where you’re ordering the Lyft, getting to the venue and stone cold sober. It’s not the end of the night when you’re sitting on the curb eating Taco Bell wondering where all your friends went before the hangover on Sunday. It’s that middle, that sweet spot, where you’re riding that buzz and everything is as it should be.
Helm’s Deep for nearly two decades has been known as the greatest battle scene in movie history. All, myself among them, agreed nothing could compete with this battle, the drama, the stakes, the mood. Back in 2019 the Battle of Winterfell attempted to come for the crown. “The cast and crew filmed for 55 nights straight in Belfast to produce The Long Night - often working from 6pm until 5am. Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen, revealed it was -14C during the shoot.” The longest battle scene across film and television was held by Helm’s Deep until the Battle of Winterfell doubled it, 78 minutes of uninterrupted warfare scenes. But as we learned from Game of Thrones, a lot of screen time doesn’t always mean better.
If Game of Thrones couldn’t defeat Helm’s Deep, with its hours and hours of character development and tension building can any battle scene? Maybe we don’t have to look much further than the 11 Oscar winning succeeding film in the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Return of the King. I know what most of you are thinking, your knee jerk reaction is to lean on nostalgia and push back at the thought of anything being better than Helm’s Deep. We’ve spent most of high school romanticizing and remembering its incredible moments. But much like the Jordan v LeBron debate I ask that you wipe all bias of nostalgia from your mind and journey with me once more to Middle Earth with a fresh lens.
First let’s talk about the setting. Helm’s Deep begins in a very moody night scene when a sudden rainstorm falls upon the fortress heightening the mood. Minas Tirith begins in the day with a bit of overcast. However, As the siege goes on it turns to night sans rain.
Next let’s discuss the characters. The Helm’s Deep battle involves Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli, Théoden, and Haldir. Minas Tirith involves Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli, Théoden, Éomer, Éowyn, Meriadoc, Pippin, and a rare and very welcomed Gandolf fighting.
On the other side of the coin, the foes our heroes face. At Helm’s Deep we see a battle against the uruk-hai. At Minas Tirith: uruk-hai, trolls, wargs, Nazgûl riding upon fell beasts, great beasts pulling the Grond, the Corsairs of Umbar and their ships, olog-hai, and the Haradrim riding on mûmakil. In addition to these foes there are enemies with dialogue: Gothmog and the Witch-king.
Next let’s move to the action sequences. We’ll cover the broad strokes first. Helm’s Deep opens with arrow volleys while Minas Tirith has catapults. Helm’s Deep moves to ladders up the walls while Minas Tirith uses siege towers pushed by trolls. A lone uruk-hai runs a torch to light the Fire of Orthanc creating a hole in the wall of Helm’s Deep. Uruk-hai use catapults to launch the Fire of Orthanc into Minas Tirith after fell beasts had swooped through grabbing and dropping soldiers. The uruk-hai attempt to break down the gate with a log at Helm’s Deep. At Minas Tirith the Grond is hauled in using great beasts and operated by trolls to break down the gate. Both battles fall back. One to the keep the other to the second level. The uruk-hai use a ballista to again raise ladders at Helm’s Deep while the olog-hai break through at Minas Tirith. At this point Helms Deep has reached its eucatastrophe (which we will discuss in a moment) The battle at Minas Tirith rages on. The Corsairs’ ships close in by sea. At dawn the riders of Rohan appear to the east with the sunrise behind them. They charge the uruk-hai, catching Lieutenant Gothmog by surprise. During this flank the Haradrim arrive riding their mûmakils. It is at this point after more combat Minas Tirith reaches its eucatastrophe.
The eucatastrophes. Helm’s Deep is saved at the last minute at dawn on the fifth day from the east. Here we have Gandolf and Shadowfax accompanied by Rohirrim riders and Éomer with the sun in their faces, the uruk-hai panic and are defeated. Minas Tirith is saved in its darkest hour by the Dead Men of Dunharrow led by Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas fulfilling their oath thus allowing their souls to finally rest.
Zooming in a bit let’s take a look at some of the drama of the battles. Helm’s Deep has the torch run, which is worth a second mention, the Legolas shield slide, the Gimli toss, Haldir’s death scene, followed by a heroic Aragorn rampage. Minas Tirith has Gandolf saving Pippin followed directly by Pippin saving Gandolf, We also have Gandolf at the end of his rope against the Witch-king suddenly distracted by the horns of Rohan. Pippin and Gandolf together save Faramir from the pyre of Denethor which leads to the shot of Denethor running off the edge of Minas Tirith engulfed in flame. Éomer spears a Haradrim soldier causing his mûmakil to take down another mûmakil. Éowyn and Merry ride underneath mûmakils slicing their legs as they go. The Witch-king unseats Théoden from his horse forcing the showdown between Éowyn and the Witch-king. Aragorn and Gimli kill Gothmog before he’s able to kill Éowyn. Lastly, Legolas after defeating a mûmakil slides down the trunk of the beast.
At this point we are beginning to see one battle seems to have everything the other has and a bit more. But in a film there is more to a battle than the action. There is the context, no battle happens in a vacuum.
B Plots: While Helm’s Deep is happening Merry and Pippin are attempting to persuade Treebeard and the ents to help them fight. This ends with the ents attacking and overrunning Isengard (mostly with water from the dam). Also as the battle nears its end Faramir takes Sam and Frodo to Osgiliath where a Nazgûl nearly overcomes Frodo but not for Sam. During Minas Tirith Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli travel the Paths of the Dead and encounter the Corsairs of Umbar fleet. Frodo battles Shelob and Sam again saves Frodo. Denethor II is sprinkled throughout as he attempts to kill himself and Faramir on the pyre.
The last two categories I’d like to compare intertwine fairly well, leaders and speeches. The leaders of the battle of Helm’s Deep are Aragorn and Théoden. Théoden has a number of memorable speeches before, during, and after Helm’s Deep. “Where was Gondor?” “How did it come to this?” Aragorn goes off as well, “I shall die as one of them.” “There’s always hope.” Both men come together for one hell of a duet speech:
So much death. What can men do against such reckless hate?
Ride out with me. Ride out and meet them.
For death and glory!
For Rohan. For your people.
Yes. Yes! The horn of Helm Hammerhand shall sound in the deep ...one last time!
Let this be the hour that we draw swords together. Fell deeds awake. Now for Wrath, now for Ruin, and a Red Dawn! Forð Eorlingas!
All the while Gimli is caught up in the tisy and scurries up to blow the horn and what a sound it is! Lastly, and maybe most importantly Sam gives a speech while a montage of Isengard and Helm’s Deep plays.
Frodo: I can’t do this, Sam.
Sam: I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.
Frodo: What are we holding onto, Sam?
Sam: That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo… and it’s worth fighting for.
The leaders of the battle of Helm’s Deep are Théoden, and Gandolf. Again Théoden hits us with a solid speech. “A sword-day, a red day, ere the sun rises!” He then leads his troops to a chant of “death” which seems like he tried to do with Aragorn back at Helm’s Deep but Aragorn corrected with, “for Rohan, for your people.” Éowyn removing her helmet to serve up the line “I am no man” is worth mentioning here. Gandolf stepped in as the leader of Minas Tirith after bonking Denethor who was overcome with fear. Finally Gandolf gives a great speech to Pippin as the troll pounds on the gate at the second level.
Pippin: I didn't think it would end this way.
Gandolf: End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it.
Pippin: What? Gandalf? See what?
Gandolf: White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.
Pippin: Well, that isn't so bad.
Gandolf: No. No, it isn't.
Helm’s Deep vs Minas Tirith both give us so much to enjoy, both have so many strengths and so many moments. Here they are laid before you hopefully with fresh eyes the characters, the setting, the foes, the stakes, the action. Compare them pound for pound or take them as a whole within their context against one another. I won’t draw any conclusions for you. It is a question we must all ask ourselves. If anything I hope this has given you a new appreciation for perhaps an often overlooked scene. In addition maybe this has renewed in you a desire to watch the trilogy again which isn’t so bad. No. No, it isn't.