One of my favorite movie moments

Narsil was the sword of king Elendil. It broke as he died in the battle against Sauron in the second age, but its shard was used by Elendil's son Isildur to cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand. At the end of the third age the sword was reforged in Rivendell for Aragorn and was named Andúril or The Flame of the West.

Here, the books and the movies differs quite a bit. In the book Aragorn carries the shards of Narsil with him and has it reforged before the fellowship leaves Rivendell. In the movies the shards are on display in Rivendell until Arwen pleads Elrond to reforge it, and it is given to Aragorn as Rohirrim is riding to aid Gondor. I am someone who tend to get stuck in detail, for better or for worse. I can be very upset about details in books or movies that are so insignificant that my friends did not even notice them, but I can also be very happy about them. And detail is what makes me love this particular difference between book and script.

 Andúril, Flame of the West, forged from the shards of Narsil

The scene where Elrond gives Andúril to Aragorn is actually one of my favorite scenes in the movies. It is stated in many ways up to this point that there is not much hope for the mortals of Middle-earth, the elves are sailing into the west and Frodo might not succed to destroy the One Ring. However, as Elrond presents Andúril there is a spark of hope. Why? It is quite obvious, it is the same sword that has damaged Sauron in the past. But there is one more thing to it. Narsil was forged by a dwarf, it was carried by men and reforged by elves. The way I see it Andúril serves as a symbol for the resistance of the free peoples. Therefore, Aragorn carrying the Flame of the West is not only making the statement that the heir of Isildur has come, he is also making the statement that Sauron has not defeated the free peoples just yet. I should point out that during the battle of Pelennor Fields, Sauron's forces are also fighting the elves in Lórien and Mirkwood, and dwarves and men in Dale shortly after.

Sauron would not have forgotten the sword of Elendil 

Andúril is not given any less attention in the books, the reader is reminded several times that Aragorn is carrying it. It has its own moment in the battle of Helm's Deep as Gandalf has said that the light of Andúril must be uncovered. I would have loved to see Viggo Mortensen cry out that the sword of Elendil goes to war again, though it might not have gone well together with his humble character. Nontheless, when it comes to how the sword is reforged and given to Aragorn I like the movie version better, it seems a lot more crucial when it is presented just before the largest battle. 

 You can watch the scene here!