Andrei Alexandrescu wrote:
Christopher Wright wrote:
What bomb? There was no bomb at Helm's Deep.
I seem to recall a bomb in the movie, but that was pointless frippery.
Well I'm not sure we're talking about the same battle. The one I talk
about takes place during the night; at the end, as the sun rises,
Gandalf rides down the ravine with reinforcements and saves the situation.
Same battle.
The bomb created a large breach in the wall and was a turning point in
the battle. Without it, I don't think the assailants could have made
much progress.
In the book, the defenders were doing extremely well, but no matter how
well they did, the end result was guaranteed.
The orcs going through a culvert is a mark of their ingenuity and ardor.
Replacing it with a crude bomb was a disservice to the orcs -- and by
extension, to their enemies.
