The Lord of the Rings fans have long debated Peter Jackson’s one move that could have changed the trajectory of the movies. While many find the decision infuriating, others agree with the final version of the films. In any case, the debate has gone on for decades without a reprieve.
That is, of course, Jackson’s decision to change the movie’s original idea of making Arwen appear at the battle of Helm’s Deep. The original concept of the movie relied heavily on this plot to shape Arwen and Aragorn’s love story.
As such, many think Jackson’s idea of taking this away made their story weaker. Liv Tyler, the one who portrayed Arwen in the movie, however, justified his decision wholeheartedly in an interview. Interestingly, a lot of fans have since agreed with that justification.
Peter Jackson’s decision to switch an interesting Lord of the Rings plot seemed extremely dubious
As stated above, the initial idea for J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel adaptation The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was to make Arwen and Aragorn’s relationship more prominent on screen.
As Reddit user RedDemio explained, the original producers of the movie Miramax had planned to switch up the storyline a little to fit that theme. In their version, Arwen would appear during the Battle of the Helm’s Deep to fight by Aragorn’s side with a sword in her hand.
Incidentally, the couple were about 300 hundred miles away from each other at the time the battle took place. So keeping Miramax’s concept in mind, Peter Jackson came up with the idea of Arwen appearing at the battle to fight by Aragorn’s side with the elves in tow. However, most of the people were not really sold on that idea.
Moreover, they faced huge backlash from the fans when that part of the plot was leaked through rumors. Liv Tyler became very uncomfortable, and Jackson himself did not want to go down that lane. As such, he evolved the plot to make sure of Arwen’s presence during the battle without her having to fight.
So, the decision to bring Arwen and Aragorn closer through dream sequences materialized. This way, they wouldn’t have to do anything out of character for Arwen, but their story would gain more substance all the same. Additionally, this would also help them justify her recurring presence during the intense sequence.
Not to mention, it would give their story more of a mystical vibe without falling into clichés. Unfortunately, many fans felt deprived at the prospect of losing the chance to witness such an iconic moment for Arwen. Liv Tyler, herself, though, justified Peter Jackson’s decision. Since then, many have come around to see reason on that front.
Liv Tyler justified Peter Jackson’s decision to cut down Arwen’s fighting sequence during The Lord of the Rings’ battle scene
The Battle of the Helm’s Deep is iconic for many reasons. A major one among them, is that it is hailed as the longest battle in the history of cinema, according to Side Show. As such, many think that Liv Tyler’s dynamic character Arwen’s presence at the time would have added to its magnificence. Tyler, though, seems to be of a different mind.
The Reddit user posted a clip from one of the actor’s old interviews where she could be seen justifying the director’s choice. She stated in the interview that Peter Jackson’s version stayed true to who Arwen truly is. Although, it took them a while to figure out the alternative.
It wasn’t until the second half of shooting when we really started to change everything. You know, we came back to who Arwen truly is. That I really just…I mean I was so into it, and so liberated, and so happy. I was skipping around the set.
According to her, at that point she truly felt like she was living in the books. Furthermore, what the whole debacle made them realize was that Arwen didn’t need a sword in her hand to make her strong.
As such, this helped them being about the true elements of Arwen’s character, which made the sequence even more emotional and powerful. She further noted that it helped the scenes become more hopeful, and for her that is strong enough.
Interestingly, in J.R.R. Tolkien’s books, Arwen was nowhere to be seen during the battle as CBR reported. As a result, Peter Jackson’s version made the storyline stay as close to the books as possible with enough creative freedom to expound on the story without taking anything away from it.
The Lord of the Rings movies are available to stream on Prime Video.
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