[JennyHallu]

I thought the movie was more believable. To my mind, attempting to defend the West Emnet is an impossible task...look at a map. West Emnet depends on Orthanc to be defensible. There are no natural defenses against Saruman.

And how do you know that the straggling refugees from West Emnet didn't try to defend themselves before fleeing? Maps don't give us any large settlements there...the inhabitants would have been crushed. Perhaps PJ gives us a more, not less, hopeful situation. In the movie, there were survivors from the West of Rohan.

And while PJ did paint the defense of Helm's Deep in terrible and desperate colors, it was a last stand. It was intended to be desperate. It was intended that the arrival of the Trees and Gandalf with the dawn should feel like the ultimate reminder of hope, and the last gleam of light before Sauron's darkness overfell the land. I never felt it to be a terribly possible thing, even in the book. That was why their arrival was wonderful.