Dumbing it down

[davem]

Originally Posted by Essex

So again, I ask why can't the witch king be killed with a sword (or dagger) to the back of the leg to down him, and a blow to the head with a sword? Just because he is powerful does not mean he is invincible.

Aragorn atBree(in the movie) 'They are the Nazgul, neither living nor dead.' This is the point. The Nazgul are not simply very powerful mortal foes. They are supernatural beings. Therefore only supernatural means may defeat them. In the book it is Merry's barrow blade which 'unknits' the WK's magically knitted together sinews,which breaks the spell & makes it possible for Eowyn's sword to destroy him. It is the fact that the blade, wound about with spells for the bane of Mordor, strikes him, that enables Eowyn to dispatch him.

The WK can be 'killed' - though only in a very specific way. As I said, in the radio series the writers had to change the story to account for Merry only having a standard sword. It doesn't really work if you think about it, but at least the writers made an attempt to account for it. In short, Merry's blow with the barrow blade is vital. If we just go with the movie, why have Merry there at all? Anyone could have struck the WK an unexpected blow to distract him.

The movie spends a lot of screen time building up the WK as an overwhelmingly powerful supernatural force & then prceeds to have him 'killed' by a couple of people with normal weapons. It simply doesn't make sense. Why the build up if he can be brought down by an unexpected blow & killed by any woman who just happens to be on the field?

What this does is lessen the 'magic' & hence the significance, of the event, as well as making the WK into no more than a big powerful mortal enemy. You might as well have replaced him with a troll - in fact that would have made more sense & served the purpose of the event - to show Merry's & Eowyn's desperate act of courage. If you introduce a supremely, supernaturally, powerful foe you have to account for his destruction in a believable & convincing way.