LOTR: Why Didn't Gandalf Warn The Others About The Balrog In Moria?

gamerant.com:

There are many scenes in Peter Jackson’s on-screen adaptations of the Lord of the Rings trilogy that have been altered or changed from the books, but there is one in particular that both confuses and irks die-hard fans of Tolkien’s original writing. Once the fellowship has been chosen in Rivendell, they have the dangerous task of getting the ring of power all the way to Mordor undetected. There are many paths that they could take, and all roads seem to lead to equally perilous outcomes, whether it be freezing to death, dying in the dark, or tempting the weak wills of men.

The group are practicing sword skills and battle strategies on the plains, at which point Gimli suggests that they take the route through Moria, where his cousin Balin (one of the dwarves from The Hobbit films) will ‘give them a royal welcome’. But Gandalf looks perturbed by the suggestion, and replies ‘I would not take the mines of Moria unless I had no other choice.’ As the audience well knows, they quickly find themselves having to take exactly that choice, when their attempt to pass over the mountains of Caradhras turns into a deathly threatening snow blizzard thanks to Saurman's incantations from Isengard.

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During this blizzard, the audience can hear Saruman the white wizard’s voice echoing around the cliffs, and he speaks in Gandalf’s mind, taunting the grey wizard about ‘the darkness the dwarves awoke in the mines.’ This is, of course, a reference to the Balrog that Gandalf later battles on the Bridge of Khazad-Dum. The other members of the fellowship are desperate to turn back as the snow and bitter wind piles around them, and Gandalf decides it is most wise to let the