

However, this risked confusing viewers since the timelines don't always match up. This format doesn't work for a blockbuster movie, and Jackson weaves the two narratives in the style of a conventional film.

The primary motivation behind this shuffling of scenes was to create a more balanced, linear narrative. As pointed out by Jackson himself, including Shelob in The Two Towers would give Frodo and Sam little to do in The Return of the King other than toss the Ring and wait for the eagles.įurthermore, Tolkien's The Two Towers is set out so the first half deals with the Rohan storyline, while the second half charts the journey of Frodo, Sam and Gollum.

Related: Lord of the Rings: How Gandalf The Grey & White Are Different Sam fights off the beast using the Phial of Galadriel and takes the burden of the ring for himself, only to later realize Frodo is merely paralyzed and has been taken by Orcs. The trio of Frodo, Sam and Gollum discover "her" is Shelob, a massive ancient spider who seemingly kills Frodo with her sting. The imp-like creature ominously hints that he intends to betray the Hobbits by leading them to "her." In Tolkien's The Two Towers novel, Gandalf leads a party to Isengard where he has Saruman imprisoned before riding off to Gondor with Pippin in tow. Elsewhere, Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee convince Faramir to let them continue on their mission and move forward with Gollum as their Mordor tour guide. In the 2002 live-action version of The Two Towers, an alliance of men and Elves (the pointy-eared allies themselves were added just for the movie) overcome the Uruk-hai forces at Helm's Deep, with Gandalf making the last minute save.
