10 Worst Changes Peter Jackson Made To The Lord Of The Rings

One of the most controversial aspect of the entire trilogy was the inclusion of the elves at Helm's Deep. Now to be fair to Peter Jackson, this did make for one hell of a battle sequence. Seeing the elves arrive conjured up stirring images of the Last Alliances, and watching their arrows pour into the Uruk-hai was hella satisfying. But it undercut a number of plot points that had previously been established.

In the Fellowship it's made clear the elves no longer have the power to oppose Sauron in any significant way. Instead they're set up as advisers, offering wisdom and insight rather than military support. All the emphasis is placed on the Kingdoms of Men as the last hope. So although having a bunch of elves pouring volleys over the walls of Helm's Deep looked great, it didn't really fit thematically with what Peter Jackson had already told us.

It also had the effect of reducing the significance of the forces of Rohan in the battle. Jackson made out like Rohan was unprepared and too weak to defend itself. In the book, though, the forces of Rohan had been battling Isengard for some time, and Helm's Deep was full of brave defenders.

This is a tricky one, as the elves looked great on screen, but we lost out on some major Rohan time.