‘Completely Right’: This Underrated LOTR Fight Scene Earns High Praise From Sword Expert

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Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies, while fantastical, were inspired by real history, much like J.R.R. Tolkien’s original books. The films’ costumes, buildings, languages, and even fighting styles were based on historical examples. But how accurate were the sword fights? IGN explored this in a YouTube video, “Sword Expert Reacts To The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.”

Matt Easton, who studies historical weapons and practices European martial arts, reviewed the fight scenes in the first Lord of the Rings movie to see how realistic they were. While he pointed out a few inaccuracies – like arrows traveling too far and swords cutting through armor too easily – he thought the combat was generally “very well done” and raised the standard for fantasy films. He particularly praised the battle on Weathertop, where Aragorn fought off five Ringwraiths to protect Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin.

The Weathertop Fight Subverted a Common Movie Trope

Action movies often show heroes fighting many enemies at once, but it usually looks fake because the bad guys conveniently take turns attacking. However, in The Fellowship of the Ring, the battle on Weathertop felt more realistic. Aragorn used smart tactics to even the odds against the larger group of enemies.

At the beginning of the battle, he swung his sword and torch in broad, sweeping motions. He wasn’t aiming for precise hits – that would have been hard with such erratic movements – but instead created a dangerous area around himself to keep the Nazgûl at bay. As Easton pointed out, “Waving weapons around like that is surprisingly effective against multiple enemies… and it’s a tactic actually recommended in historical combat manuals.”

Aragorn accidentally set some of the Nazgûl on fire with his torch, causing them to scatter. This allowed him to focus on fighting one opponent at a time. Easton, an expert, confirmed this tactic was both effective and realistic. Aragorn chose to fight with only one hand, trading some strength for a greater range, which was partly because he needed to hold the torch in the other. However, it was also a clever move against the Nazgûl.

The slightest wound could kill someone, so Aragorn smartly kept his distance during the fight. When only one of the Ringwraiths was left, Aragorn defeated it by throwing his torch at its face, even though it was invisible. Easton praised this as a clever move, highlighting Aragorn’s skill in finding and exploiting his enemy’s weaknesses – in this case, the Ringwraiths’ sensitivity to fire.

Aragorn Was a Strategic Fighter in The Lord of the Rings

While many remember the battles at places like Barad-dûr, Moria, and Amon Hen, the fight on Weathertop in The Fellowship of the Ring felt particularly realistic. What makes it even more remarkable is that it was filmed on Viggo Mortensen’s very first day as Aragorn. It was a challenging scene to start with, but the crew pulled it off successfully.

The book version of The Lord of the Rings only briefly mentioned this fight, with Tolkien dedicating just one sentence to it in The Fellowship of the Ring. He wrote, “Even as [Frodo] swooned he caught, as through a swirling mist, leaping out of the darkness with a flaming brand of wood in either hand.” This meant that director Peter Jackson and his team had to decide how to visually depict the battle and bring it to life on screen.

While thrilling action is the main goal in fantasy movies, realism isn’t necessarily the most important thing. However, the Lord of the Rings trilogy brilliantly achieved both. Even if you don’t know much about medieval combat, the films’ fights feel believable because of their grounding in reality, making them even more exciting to watch.

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2025-12-30 17:09