Gollum has always been one of the more mysterious characters in The Lord of the Rings. He has rightfully earned a reputation for being terrifying, especially when he's lusting after the One Ring. But he's never really been given the spotlight in The Lord of the Rings promotions. That role is often reserved for either Aragorn or Frodo. However, The Two Towers movie poster portrays a Gollum with frightening implications.
Recently, a Twitter user noticed something unusual about The Two Towers movie poster on streaming platforms. Instead of the usual Frodo and Co., the poster only has one character on it: Gollum. But it's not just a regular Gollum -- he's massive, standing atop the Misty Mountains like a giant, looming monster.
The poster totally gives the wrong impression of Gollum as a character. However, Gollum's size may not have been an intentional decision; perhaps it was a mistake. The angle of the shot, coupled with the fact that the background is mountainous terrain, implies that Gollum is much larger than he actually is. This poster makes it seem like Gollum is big enough to stand atop these mountains, rivaling King Kong. Gollum is roughly the size of a Hobbit, which any fan would know, making this streaming poster a little ridiculous.
It can also be misleading for people who have yet to see any Lord of the Rings films. The poster frames Gollum as a villain and, given his size, a major obstacle for the protagonists. While that is partly true, as Frodo and Sam had to deal with his antics for the entirety of The Two Towers, Gollum is definitely not the central villain of the film or the series. In fact, Gollum is framed as a creature worth pitying, not feared.
While Gollum can't be classified as a The Lord of the Rings protagonist, portraying him as a complete villain is not an accurate preview for people who have yet to watch the films. The streaming poster looks almost photoshopped. The real Gollum would look minuscule compared to the mountains. The perspective of the mountains really skews Gollum's size. While he may be perched on the top of the mountain, the overall shot makes it look like the mountains are all one connected piece instead of separate mountains that are squished together for the sake of the photo.
Overall, it's not a great poster, even for a streaming platform. It's misleading and doesn't look good, as the Twitter user also notes. Compared to some of the other promotional posters released over the years for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, this is definitely the bottom of the barrel.