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J.R.R. Tolkien's famous The Lord of the Rings provided one Aragorn moment that would have benefited the movies, had it been shown. Published in three parts between 1954 and 1955, The Lord of the Rings is the masterpiece of British author Tolkien. Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy adapted one part of the novel per movie, resulting in some of the best fantasy movies ever made. All three movies in Jackson's first Lord of the Rings trilogy are rated between 90% and 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. But one Aragorn inclusion would have made them even better.
Released in 2001, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring movie debuted American actor Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn. The epic high fantasy adventure movie sold Aragorn well as the classic knight in shining armor, journeying alongside the rest of the Fellowship of the Ring. Aragorn grew throughout the next movie, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and the trilogy's closer - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. However, despite all his character development, Aragorn could have had a better ending in the movies with one small change.
The Lord Of The Rings Movies Cut A Book Scene Where Aragorn Parleys With The Uruk-hai
Aragorn Tried To Negotiate With Saruman's Forces
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers picture could have included Aragorn's parley with the Uruk-hai, but it did not. This parley occurred in part two of Tolkien's novel, The Two Towers. In the "Helm's Deep" chapter, Aragorn emerged from Helm's Deep to survey the battlefield for any sign of Gandalf's arrival. Gandalf had promised Aragorn that he would arrive with reinforcements to aid Aragorn and his outnumbered forces in the coming battle. Aragorn parleyed with the Uruk-hai while he did so, simultaneously covering his true intentions and demonstrating his democratic leanings.
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Aragorn was able to juggle multiple high-stakes goals at once in a stressful environment, proving an impressive ability to lead an army. This parley did not feature in the Warner Bros. movie of the same name as part two of the novel, nor did it crop up in movie one or two. Jackson did not want to hinder the pacing of the battle. In many ways, this makes sense. The Battle of Helm's Deep is one of the best examples of a high fantasy battle in cinema, partly due to its brutal tempo. However, omitting the parley affected Aragorn's conclusion.
Aragorn's Attempt To Avoid The Battle Of Helm's Deep Showcased His Leadership
Aragorn Wanted Peace If Possible In Lord Of The Rings
Aragorn was seeking peace through the parley, despite also covering his tracks to strategize for his ally's return. Aragorn truly did intend to serve his enemies the truth. He said "None knows what the new day shall bring him... No enemy has yet taken the Hornburg." He was issuing a genuine warning to Saruman's forces, demonstrating an honest valuing of their lives. Aragorn knew that Gandalf was coming to the battle with the Rohirrim cavalry, which was one of the strongest armies in Middle-earth. Despite Théoden's apparent hopelessness, Aragorn believed in Gandalf.
Saruman and Isengard can be glimpsed in Warner Bros.' The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.
Omitting Aragorn's sincere attempt to offset the collateral damage of the Battle of Helm's Deep diminished his conclusion. Aragorn showed his leadership potential by discussing terms with his enemies. Aragorn's claim to the throne in Lord of the Rings wasn't always clear in Peter Jackson's movies, since he started off as a Dúnadan Ranger of the North. A huge part of LotR was Aragorn proving that he was, in fact, fit to lead Gondor and Arnor, as opposed to being a distant relative of the royal family with a lust for power. The parley could have clarified this somewhat.
Including This Lord Of The Rings Book Moment Would Have Made Aragorn's Ending Better
Aragorn's Development Would Have Been Improved By His Parley
In including Aragorn's momentary discussion with the Uruk-hai, The Two Towers movie could have built up to The Return of the King's conclusion a bit more. Jackson had to cram a lot into all The Lord of the Rings movies, and was hard-pressed to include all of Tolkien's detail. He had to make a vast, sprawling story fit into three feature-length movies. In general, the New Zealand director made excellent choices. However, Jackson cut Aragorn's thoughtful negotiation with the Uruk in favor of a somewhat problematic conversation with the Mouth of Sauron.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum may feature Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn.
Lord of the Rings' Mouth of Sauron is one of the novel's best villains, mysterious and grotesque. Aragorn bartered with him outside the Black Gates in a key part of Tolkien's masterwork. Aragorn's multiple non-violent run-ins with the enemy showed the moral complexity and nuance present in The Lord of the Rings, and showed how peaceful Aragorn was as a leader. Contrary to Aragorn's peaceful chat with the Mouth in the book, Aragorn chopped the Mouth's head off in the movie. Including this instead of one of Aragorn's calm negotiations showed that even Jackson could make mistakes.
Aragorn's peacefulness was an important element of his character.
Tolkien had gone to war himself and, like Faramir, did "not love the bright sword for its sharpness," but only that which it defended. In Tolkien's words - "As far as any character is 'like me', it is Faramir" (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien). Aragorn's peacefulness was an important element of his character. Warner Bros.' second Lord of the Rings movie could have put Aragorn's diplomacy across more by adding in a scene showing Aragorn's risky conversation with Saruman's army. This would have made Aragorn's ascent to kingship feel more clear and earned in The Lord of the Rings' final movie.
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The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien's book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
Created by J.R.R. Tolkien
English (US) ·