[The Saucepan Man]

What I really liked about the Battle of Pelennor Fields was the way in which it was layered, with each new event building upon the previous one and swaying the battle one way or the other. <P>First, there was the assault of the Orcs on Minas Tirith, supported by the Nazgul (and what a breathtaking scene as they swooped down), and all looked hopleless. Then the Rohirrim arrive and rout the Orcs, and it seems like they will save the day. Then, the Haradrim turn up with their Oliphaunts, and all looks grim for the Riders. Then, just as Theoden is rallying his troops against them, along comes the Witch-King. <P>I think that Bernard Hill has perfected that "Oh great, just when I thought things couldn't get any worse" look. It was great in TTT when the rain started pouring down, but the look on his face when he turns round and sees the Witch-King swooping down on his fell beast is priceless. <P>But I did think that introducing different "troop types" as the battle progressed worked well. OK, so the arrival of the Rohirrim is from the book, but bringing the Mumakil in part-way through, while illogical from a strategic perspective, worked very well I thought.<P>Some (very) minor gripes. I would have liked to see more Haradrim ground troops - the ones that I saw were all mounted on Oliphaunts. And where were the Easterlings that Frodo, Sam and Gollum saw marching into the Black Gate in TTT? Presumably too busy re-applying their eyeliner. <P>And there were too many close-up shots (also in the Osgiliath battle) which made the action a little indistinct in parts. I thought that it was my failing eyesight, but others have made the same comment too.<P>But, overall, breathtaking. The best film depiction of battle that I have seen is the opening sequence to <I>Saving Private Ryan</I>, but then that was horrific and terrifying, all the more so because it really happened. But the Pelennor was a visual treat, and it had its horrific moments too.