[SPOILERS][OT] "Return of the King" -- Does Shelob get shafted?

[KenM]

IMO I think TTT would have been great if it ended with Sam thinking Frodo was killed by shelob, great cliffhanger. But we will have to see what Jackson does. I am disapointed that they not doing anything with the scorging of the shire.

 

[Gunslinger]

I have heard from multiple sources that towards the end of tTT Gollum makes reference to leading the hobbits to "her".

Shelob wasn't included in tTT but will be in RotK.

 

[The Sigil]

If you want to make an arguement that for time reasons things needed to be pushed back I might listen, but Jackson states that he is pushing it back so he can focus on the relationship of the trio. I am argueing that by leaving out this part Jackson is not in fact doing that since he is leaving out the conclusion of thier relationship.

With the benefit of having seen the movie, I think Jackson plays it right.

The critical point in the breaking of the trio is NOT Gollum's betrayal of Frodo and Sam. The critical point in the breaking of the trio is Frodo's perceived betrayal of Gollum, when he leads Gollum to be captured by Faramir and his men. It is because of this that "Smeagol" loses the battle with "Sneaker."

Consider that we see Frodo with his sword at Sam's throat in the closing moments of the movie, and we can see that Frodo is really starting to crack under the strain of the ring.

By closing the movie with Gollum muttering to himself about "her" (Shelob), Jackson gives us a cliffhanger - we know Gollum is going to betray them in the next movie - while still bringing closure to the breaking of trust among the trio, as we see Gollum struggle with the part of himself that he hates - and when Frodo betrays him, he loses.

I'll be interested to hear your take on the handling of the trio after seeing the movie. That Gollum later betrays Frodo is not surprising, as Jackson does a good job portraying that the trio is already broken.

--The Sigil

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

After seeing the film now (see the review in the other thread), I agree with Jackson's decision. With Shelob removed, all three plot threads end the film on roughly the same emotional note, plus we have something exciting to look forward to in the next film.

 

[mooby]

Ditto on the last two posts.

I have a few problems with the movie, but overall a good job by PJ, again.