The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug - 5 Unforgivable Deviations From The Novel

5. The Great Spiders Of Mirkwood

As Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf and the company of Dwarves venture through Middle Earth, they inevitably encounter enemies on their travels, from pursuing Orcs through to The Great Spiders of Mirkwood. The arachnids capture the travelling companions - that both the book and Peter Jackson's epic film agree upon - but how Baggins and co. escape from the eight-legged fiends varies. The book says that Bilbo uses the invisibility from the One Ring to hide himself and throw stones at the spiders, leading them all away from the captured Dwarves mocking them in song, before returning to cut his friends loose and fending off the remaining beats. The film however sees Bilbo's heroism removed as he takes a backseat to the action, as Legolas and Tauriel are flung into battle in his place, shooting dead the spiders with their bows and arrows and capturing the Dwarves, taking them prisoner. Though the book states the company were imprisoned by the Elves, there is not a single mention of Legolas, nor indeed Tauriel - more on them a little bit later.