Hollywood action movies have lost their appeal. Superhero and sci-fi films may look cool, with high-quality special effects and music, but the movies themselves just don’t compel us the way they used to. More and more, we find ourselves re-watching something like The Lord of the Rings trilogy instead of a new release.
The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) got so many things right. From visually stunning sets to emotional music, an incredible amount of attention was given to every little detail. Great care was taken in adapting Tolkien’s novels to film. Elements that didn’t translate well were dropped, and others were altered to fit the aesthetic of the motion picture. This is why those movies still resonate with us two decades later.
When Peter Jackson directed those action sequences, he had to think about what makes those scenes effective in movies. He ensured that the action served the plot, not just cool stuff happening on screen. Frodo and company spend their time evading enemies; realistic characters know real fights aren’t fun and should be avoided. The first half of the first movie builds suspense by showing the protagonists – the Hobbits – narrowly escaping their pursuers, the Nazgûl.
Characters are more compelling when they react realistically to danger. After barely escaping the bad guys twice, the Hobbits light a campfire at night, inadvertently alerting the Nazgûl to their presence. This leads to their first real fight, which is a complete disaster, ending with the main protagonist – Frodo – fatally wounded. What should have been a simple walk to their next location becomes a race against the clock. Not only is Frodo on the verge of death, but the Nazgûl are right behind them. Seldom do we see superheroes in such real danger.
Too many movies today have senseless action sequences. Bullets miss or bounce off their targets. The hero dives away from an explosion just in time! In a mediocre Hollywood film, action rarely advances the plot. In a good movie, however, action is indistinguishable from the plot. Peter Jackson made fantasy films, but he grounded them in character motivations and emotions. In trying to make the best movie he could, Jackson created a trilogy that effectively depicts guerrilla warfare from beginning to end – perhaps without even realizing it.
A guerrilla war has three phases: mobility, equilibrium, and overtaking. The LOTR trilogy perfectly mirrors these stages. The Fellowship of the Ring shows a small guerrilla force using mobility to evade a larger, more powerful enemy. When the Fellowship tries to stand their ground, they lose. In their first fight with the Nazgûl, Frodo is struck with a Morgul blade. When they confront the Balrog in Moria, they lose their most powerful ally, Gandalf. And when they are attacked by the Uruk-hai orcs, the Fellowship dissolves; some members go freely, others are taken prisoner.
By the second movie, The Two Towers, the focus shifts from just the Fellowship to the kingdom of Rohan, which is in chaos. Orc raiding parties roam the land, and the main cavalry force, the Riders of Rohan, are no longer under the king’s command. The film explores different factions and their goals. When those goals align and coordination occurs, they overcome powerful enemies they couldn’t defeat alone.
By the end, elves arrive to help Rohan in its time of need. Together, they hold out in Helm’s Deep against a seemingly endless Uruk-hai army. Neither side can overpower the other. The equilibrium breaks only when the Riders of Rohan arrive and all three factions unite to defeat the enemy.
The phases of guerrilla warfare are fluid and often overlap. While victory is achieved at Helm’s Deep, Frodo and Sam continue toward Mordor without the rest of the Fellowship. They stay hidden and avoid direct confrontation. Each guerrilla cell must decide when to fight and when to move.
Victory at Helm’s Deep only meant survival for those involved. Meanwhile, other members of the Fellowship convince the Ents – ancient, sentient trees – to attack Isengard, the Uruk-hai’s stronghold. The Ents overwhelm the minimal defenses with a surprise assault. People contributing in any way they can. That’s the essence of a true guerrilla war.
The third and final film, The Return of the King, shows how quickly guerrilla warfare phases can shift. The orc invasion of Gondor’s capital, Minas Tirith, nearly overwhelms its defenders. Rohan’s cavalry arrives and surrounds the orcs, turning the tide. Then, Easterlings on giant war elephants reinforce the orcs, putting Rohan and Gondor back on the defensive. This new equilibrium is finally broken when the Army of the Dead arrives to aid Gondor.
Ghost armies are fantasy, but the back-and-forth – between mobility, equilibrium, and overtaking – mirrors real revolutions. Holding out while a stronger force overextends itself, then hitting them from behind, is a classic military strategy known as the hammer and anvil. Hannibal used this tactic to defeat the Romans at Cannae, and the USSR used it to encircle Nazi forces in WWII.
The hammer and anvil are just one of many tools available to guerrilla fighters. Because knowledge is our greatest weapon, understanding our own weaknesses and our opponent’s strengths can be enough to win. A small force may be at a disadvantage in direct combat, but a larger enemy has more infrastructure to target. Guerrillas strike, then disappear before a slow enemy can respond. This turns our weakness into a strength – and the enemy’s strength into a weakness.
“We’ve never advocated violence; violence is inflicted upon us. But we do believe in self-defense for ourselves and for Black people.”
Huey P. Newton
Guerrillas in the mobility phase can’t overtake their enemies, but they can drain their resources and morale. This helps them reach equilibrium, and eventually, the overtaking phase.
The Black Panther Party simply wanted to improve material conditions in their community, but the U.S. government responded with extreme violence. They arrested members, falsified evidence, and even executed leaders like Fred Hampton without due process. As co-founder Huey P. Newton said, “We’ve never advocated violence; violence is inflicted upon us. But we do believe in self-defense for ourselves and for Black people.”
Revolution is inevitable. People will organize and fight for better material conditions, and those in power will try to maintain control. We’re not yet at the point where violence is appropriate; calls for it are premature. We need to organize as a class, and that starts with understanding revolutionary concepts like guerrilla warfare, even if we hope never to use them.
Personally, I’m out of shape and I’ve got a bad back so I’m not planning a revolution anytime soon. But that’s even more reason to arm ourselves with knowledge. We need class analysis to understand the world around us. To recognize how revolutionary forces are always building. To see how institutions like the DMV are used against us. To realize how media warps our perception of reality.
Class analysis isn’t just about nitpicking media we don’t like; it’s also about finding new meaning in what we love. The Lord of the Rings has its issues – from antisemitic stereotypes to unresolved class problems – but there’s still so much to appreciate. In a world where capitalism tries to crush hope and inspiration, there’s nothing more revolutionary than finding it. Especially in stories from decades past.
