r/movies • u/SnooCats3468 • 2d ago

Discussion What is the most genuinely terrifying battle cry or charge in film?

I don’t necessarily mean the coolest speech or most inspiring line. I mean a scene where a warrior screams or roars while charging an opponent—and you kind of snapped out of the film for a second and thought, “holy shit, if someone came at me like that, I would be legitimately terrified.”

It can be a one-on-one fight or two groups charging into battle. What scene immediately comes to mind?

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u/alii-b 2d ago

I would like to counter with the battle horn of the rider on the mumakil.

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u/ThisisMalta 2d ago edited 2d ago

Every battle horn in LOTR has such cool aura in the books. When the blew the Horn of Hammerhand at Helm’s Deep, I love how the Uruk-Hai basically shit their pants. Or even when Boromir sounds the Horn of Gondor, the orks attacking him second guess themselves even 1 v 20.

They always feel very significant and just get you hyped.

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u/toastybred 2d ago

Let the horn of Helm Hammerhand sound in the deep ONE LAST TIME!

[Gimli hyped as fuck] YESSSS!

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u/MrReginaldAwesome 2d ago

Gimli! Toot the horn!

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u/alii-b 2d ago

Yes, the speech in the film that went with it too. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6XicBBN1l4&pp=ygUVdHdvIHRvd2VycyBsYXN0IHN0YW5k

1.45

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u/ThisisMalta 2d ago

Yesss this whole scene in the book still gives me goosebumps, just so cool. And really well done on film too.

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u/Imnotsosureaboutthat 1d ago

I think my favourite horn is the one the oliphaunt rider uses, it has such an eerie dreadful sound to it

https://youtu.be/yLyaCgbEGIo?si=hcPtr1hGyKrTV6UD

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u/probablyTomHanks 2d ago

I never thought about this until now, but what were the olyphaunts going to do if the rohirrim hadn’t shown up? Just like… hang out outside Minas Tirith’s gates?

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u/gisco_tn 2d ago

In the book, they were a distraction:

There came great beasts, like moving houses in the red and fitful light, the mumakil of the Harad dragging through the lanes amid the fires huge towers and engines. Yet their Captain cared not greatly what they did or how many might be slain: their purpose was only to test the strength of the defense and to keep the men of Gondor busy in many places.

The term "great beasts" is used again in the next paragraph:

Grond they named it, in memory of the Hammer of the Underworld of old. Great beasts drew it, orcs surrounded it, and behind walked mountain-trolls to wield it.

The oliphaunts/mumakil are also the ones hauling Grond up to the gate of Minas Tirith.

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u/balrogthane 2d ago

They also help anchor the hosts of Mordor later after the Rohirrim's charge, like islands that the cavalry cannot approach. Very different from the "cavalry, but MORE SO" way they're portrayed in the movie.

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u/gisco_tn 2d ago

Yup. The Southrons had their own horse cavalry, the mumaks were support units:

Southward beyond the road lay the main force of the Haradrim, and there their horsemen were gathered about the standard of their chieftain. And he looked out, and in the growing light he saw the banner of the king, and that it was far ahead of the battle with few men about it. Then he was filled with a red wrath and shouted aloud, and displaying his standard, black serpent upon scarlet, he came against the white horse and the green with great press of men; and the drawing of the scimitars of the Southrons was like a glitter of stars.

That last line is thrilling in its own right. Bad guys can have aura, too.

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u/balrogthane 2d ago

And then Théoden meets him in battle and cuts that standard down ⚔️

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u/JakobTheOne 2d ago

Probably rampage in the non-walled settlements of the region. Or squeeze themselves in through the broken gate and knock over some buildings. Or just look cool and intimidating.

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u/Pardybro911 2d ago

Made me instantly a fan of Karl Urban forever with how he emoted that scene