Johnny Novgorod said:
This would be a good argument if the movie didn't also have Elf Legolas absolutely owning Helm's Deep.
Legolas happens to be an elf, but he's far more tied in with the Fellowship at this point in time. His actions are in the same league as Arragorn and Gimli, his being an elf isn't related to them. Haldir, on the other hand, is tied purely with the elves. Something I didn't mention up above is that the camera spends as much time on the bodies of the elves as Haldir in particular.
Johnny Novgorod said:
The whole time-of-the-elves-is-past deal is basically reduced to Arwen's scenes of languor.
If you're referring to just the Two Towers, that's false, it's brought up in the Galadriel/Elrond scenes in addition to Arwen. If referring to the whole trilogy, it's likewise false, as it's brought up as early as when Frodo and Sam see the Wood Elf caravan.
Johnny Novgorod said:
The way Two Towers plays out, there're no meaningful deaths to give the movie an added sense of drama or danger (like Fellowship or Return), so they made up that totally irrelevant fake out with Aragorn and then what's his name's death.
Few points:
-Theodred dies early on, and it's very relavent. It's the catalyst for establishing Grima's infatuation with Eowyn and adds to her sense of loneliness, it partially spurs Eomer's banishment, and it's a double whammy for Theoden in that not only has he lost his son, but also his only heir. Theodred as a character isn't that important, but his role separate from his character is very relevant.
-I'd say that Haldir's death is relevant in of itself, for the reasons described up above. Hama also dies. I'm not saying that particular death is impactful, but if the basis of a work of fiction's impact is based on how many people die, then the Two Towers does have that in spades, given how many men and elves fall at Helm's Deep, and in the Dunlandings' rampage across Rohan. Fellowship is more intimate in its deaths (Gandalf, Boromir), but Two Towers has its share of consequence.
-I wouldn't call Arragorn's fake-out irrelevant. The sequence of events does reinforce his bond with Arwen, acts as the catalyst for him catching sight of Saruman's army army, does add to his character in that he keeps pushing himself after getting to Helm's Deep (e.g. the "you're no good to us half dead" line), and arguably does add to the bond between him and Eowyn, even if it's only platonic on his part. I wouldn't be counting on the fake-out to fool many people, but it does directly impact the plot and character interactions.
Frankster said:
And i guess despite the masses involved..I don't feel like any of the later films big battles comes close to matching smaller scale skirmishes like Boromir's last stand. Orcs then felt more like an actual threat and something to be feared, in the later films you wonder how a single non hobbit member of the fellowship could ever struggle against just a few dozen orcs, guess Boromir was a noob.
Someting to consider is that Boromir is fighting on his own against uruk-hai, which are far better than your average orc, and while I don't think the film states it, it's at least implied in supplementary materials that Lurtz's band were an elite scouting force, while the uruk-hai we see later are the equivalent of grunts. Likewise, Boromir is fighting on his lonesome, while in every battle after Amon Hen, the members of the Fellowship are with other warriors. So, no, I don't think it sells Boromir short that he dies, if anything, it adds to his death that despite fighting all alone bar some hobbits, against such creatures, he does as well as he does.
Frankster said:
Finally the more I think about the first film, the more I remember how suspenseful it was a lot of the time. In particular i remember the ringwraiths and how they were genuinely intimidating enforcers hunting the ringer bearer at every turn like a group of fantasy t-1000s and making for some :S moments when they came close to their goal. They never were quite the same in the sequels.
While the Ringwraiths are at their most intimidating in Fellowship, I'd argue that they still retain a measure of said intimidation, especially in Return of the King. How their screeches are enough to paralyze Gondorian soldiers with fear, while also knocking out the trebuchets. So, on one hand, it symbolizes their roles as terror soldiers, while also emphasizing how unlike in the Last Alliance, Sauron's armies are far more coordinated.
