Smell this, I think it's expired...

[Eruanna]

It made no sense, but it looked good.

It did look good, Alatar!
I can clearly remember sitting in the cinema and feeling the 'goosebumps' at that running shot of each beacon being lit, one after the other. It brought tears to my eyes.
The next time I saw it, however, I was struck by more practical considerations, like how on Earth the beacon-lighters (for want of a better title) managed to cling to the top of those extremely high peaks!
Maybe it's just a case of changes being made purely to elicit an emotional reaction. Like the Elves arriving at Helm's Deep, it didn't happen in the book, but it makes me want to cheer every time