Movies are prone to make mistakes with continuity, being one of the most common oversights throughout their editing process. Wardrobe malfunctions, actor placement, or even weather are all factors to take into consideration when going from scene to scene. And even the most popular films have their fair share of mistakes, not to mention CGI errors. The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers is a masterpiece in itself, a beautiful depiction of Tolkien’s universe on the big screen.
The author who revolutionized the fantasy genre (that’s putting it lightly, he essentially created his own version of fantasy) couldn’t have asked for a better transition to the big screen. But despite its fame and significance, the movie is riddled with mistakes with continuity at the forefront. That’s not to say the movie warrants a bad label, they’re simply fun to notice for a few laughs throughout the three-hour-long journey. With this here are 10 Continuity Errors That Fans Probably Didn’t Notice In Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers.
Bridge Grips
Gandalf’s demise in the Fellowship of the Ring was heartbreaking, not to mention the beautiful yet melancholic elven opera playing afterward. But look closely at the bridge he stands upon while facing down the Balrog. The bridge is smooth straight from one end to another, but once Gandalf bests the mighty demon an architecture change seems to have been in order. With the Balrog whipping down at Gandalf to follow, the Wizard grabs onto some convenient hand-holding placements in the bridge. Barely noticeable but still there, it allows for him to utter one last wish before his descent, “Fly, you fools!”.
Time Change
Magic is a part of the Tolkien universe with almost no limits, with the exception of controlling the time and weather. Right before Aragorn and friends meet the Rohan Riders, Legolas comments on the Orcs marching noise with the camera slowing panning left to right. In the brief shot take a look at the salmon-pink clouds behind him before the transition. In the next one, the clouds appear blue with the sun high above them.
Unless slow dramatic pans are capable of time and weather changes, it’s safe to say filming on location and scheduling may have been messed up here. A possible last-minute re-shoots or simply an honest mistake gone over Peter Jackson’s head, the mistake is quite mild when compared to the others.
Ears Like A Fox (Or Not?)
Don’t fast forward yet, because this one takes place in the same scene. Elves are gifted with incredible eyesight and long-range hearing, Aragorn (despite being half man and half-elf) possesses similar powers. However, once Legolas comments on the orcs marching noise, they seemingly are ambushed by a large party of Rohan Riders. Wait a minute, how could an experienced ranger and elf with incredible hearing remain oblivious to the sound of hundreds of tramping horses?
Not So Close After All
Merry and Pippin narrowly escaped Rohan’s ambush on the orc encampment and into the Fangorn Forest. But one stubborn orc decided to follow the two along out of anger and frankly, hunger. Pippin makes it up a tree to safety but Merry is pinned down on the ground by the hungry orc.
But once Treebeard awakens and crushes the orc, he’s a solid two feet behind him and a safe distance from Merry. First weather and time change, now orcs can teleport? There really is something magical about the Tolkien universe.
Gandalf’s Hand-Holding
Once Gandalf and Co. surrender their weapons to the Rohan guards to meet King Théoden, the White Wizard plays the old man card. Holding onto the arm of Legolas for support, his hand-holding seems to shift from holding to not holding in between shots of the Rohan guards. Maybe he was frightened, then not, then frightened again. Who knows, the origin of the White Wizard alone is confusing, try explaining this one.
Self-Cleaning Axe
Bloody Weapons are often a hassle to clean after a hard and gritty battle. Once the Rohan company arrives at Helms Deep after an Orc ambush, Gimli shares the grim news Éowyn of Aragorn’s fatal fall. Watch his ax head before and after telling her, it goes from bloody to clean.
Self-cleaning weapons may be a reach, but this one seems a bit obvious considering the battle Gimili witnessed. It may be in the bottom left of the screen but it’s still visible, its doubtful Gimili had a rag on him to quickly wipe away the blood before consulting Éowyn.
Pits Of Isengard
Say what you want about Saruman, but he transformed a blissful green paradise into an army-building war machine in a matter of weeks. His numbers grew every day bringing more weapons and resources with every inch of forest taken down. But revealing his army to Grima Wormtongue brings about a slight error in geography. Isn’t Isengard to supposed to be riddled with pits for mining and production, holes every few feet? Where did the fertile and stable ground come from for this show of force? If this was all just for flexing the muscles of Isengard, great job Saruman. Hopefully, production didn’t slow too much.
Boromir’s Shifting Horn
The actor who dies in almost all of his films does so in Fellowship of the ring. His hubris brings his inevitable downfall as the ring corrupts his weak mind But the flashback in Two Towers sheds light on the honorable side of Boromir. Giving a victory speech to his men, he highlights the greatness of the city and the army he controls. However, his much-loved horn seems to move positions going from under to over his cloak. Each camera shift brings the horn into view without Boromir actually moving it. It didn’t look like a windy day in Osgiliath but who knows, gale force winds likely hit Middle Earth from time to time.
Disappearing Barrels
Having objects shift positions is one thing, having them disappear entirely is another. The barrels behind Frodo and Sam as they await Faramir are a prime example of set continuity and a rather embarrassing one. To see it, watch the barrels right before Faramir enters as they sit behind Frodo and Sam. Cut to his introduction and poof, they’re gone from the scene. Despite relying on CGI for the majority of scenes this doesn’t seem like something you’d crop out of the set.
Merry’s Tied Hands
The most hysterical and obvious continuity mistake in the movie, it doesn’t take a sharp eye to notice this one. In the Rohan ambush, Merry and Pippin are scrambling to get away with their hands bound. But one shot shows Merry’s hands tied having him turn over to watch two hooves come crashing down on him. But wait, his hands appear at his sides free of any binding. In a matter of seconds, Merry’s hands went from tied tightly to free from bondage. Come on Peter Jackson, this one was too good.
