Was Sam’s return possible?

[Lúthien Séregon]

I have a friend who saw the movie and thought that it was completely ridiculous that Sam could come back to save Frodo from Shelob in time. They said there was too great a distance from where Sam found the lembas bread to Shelob’s lair for him to travel. I didn’t pick this up at all, because I thought that a reasonable amount of time had elapsed. So was this arrival really unrealistic?

 

[Starflower]

well since we do not know how much time actually went by , it's a perfectly reasonable turn of events. I see no discrepancy, as it's cinema, a lot of time can go by in just a glimpse of an eye .

 

[NetherDemon]

Yea -there is no timescale during that scene. And whose to say when exactly Sam reached the bottom of the stairs and saw the Lembas bread? He may have gotten there just as Frodo was reaching the entrance to the tunnel, or may have even already been on his way back up.

I would have liked to see Sam wondering around the tunnel and finding Frodo's sword, but it's more dramatic to leave Sam in suspenseful absense while Frodo gets subdued by Shelob. Perhaps in the DVD:EE? Could be another good emotional scene for Sam to see Frodo's sword and no Frodo.