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The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers (Full Screen Edition) Customer Reviews (10 - 12 of 52 Reviews)
Be prepared for the adventure of a lifetime!
That basically much sums up "The Two Towers", which is the next chapter in J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy novel, as well as director, Peter Jackson's, film version.
PLOT SUMMARY: This chapter, contrasted to "The Fellowship of the Ring", is a much darker, more twisted, and evil chapter. The film follows three main subplots: Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and Sam Gamgee's (Sean Astin) journey through Mordor to Mount Doom; Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), and Legolas's (Orlando Bloom) hunt for the Orcs, which later into the story, turns into a huge battle; and Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin's (Billy Boyd) escape from the Orcs and meeting a giant-talking tree, Treebread (also voiced by John Rhys-Davies). Saruman the White (Christopher Lee) has turned more evil and powerful, and wants nothing more than the Ring, which of course, is what Frodo has. He creates an evil army set out to destroy all the men of Middle-Earth. Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) has also returned, and sets out to help Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas. Aragorn believes the three should help the people of Middle-Earth. When they sought out Theoden, King of Rohan (Bernard Hill), Aragorn urges the old king to persue war against the Ugluk, Saruman's followers, even though there are not enough men left to fight. The Ugluk are getting closer to the castle where the people are staying, and there's no stopping them. So King Theoden finally agrees, and a huge battle begins. Also, while all this is going on, Aragorn is introduced to Eowyn (Miranda Otto), who is Theoden's daughter. Aragorn and Eowyn are attracted to each other, but Aragorn tries to keep his promise to Arwen (Liv Tyler), who has decided to go and help her people, after a lecture from her father, Lord Elrond (Hugo Weaving), about sacraficing her life to become mortal. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam seem to be lost finding their way to Mordor. No sooner can you say, "my precious", than are they encountered by Gollum (voiced by Andy Serkis), who has been following them all this time, attracted to the Ring. Sam notices that Frodo has been starting to fall under the evil spell of the Ring, and tries to keep Frodo grounded, especially after Frodo takes the risk of letting Gollum guide them to the gates of Mordor. The final subplot consists of Merry and Pippin, who manage to escape the Orcs after they are attacked by a group of men. They escape into the dark forest, and come across a talking and moving tree, called Treebread. Treebread is from a species known as the Ents, and as he carries them through the forest, Treebread mentions that there are not many Ents left, for Saruman's slaves have been cutting them down. Merry and Pippin at first want to go home back to the Shire, but then they realize that if they don't go and help their companions, then the Shire may be no more when they get there. So they end up persuing Treebread and the rest of the Ents to fight Saruman, which starts a battle all on it's own.
OVERALL THOUGHTS: Unlike "The Fellowship", "The Two Towers" has more complex plots, which can be confusing if you haven't seen the first film, and they do not go into detail about how the Ring became an evil source of power, also like they did in the first one. I guess Peter Jackson expects that most of the people who go to see "The Two Towers" have either already read the books, or have at least seen "The Fellowship of the Ring". The acting is quite superb, more so in this one than in the first. The chemistry between the actors is much stronger, and the dialouge is better. The special effects and the CG Gollum are absolutely amazing! The battle sequences are exceptional, visually intense and stunning. There is not as much humor or character development in this chapter, but this chapter was more about the battles and the power of the Ring. Peter Jackson is a true genius, but you cannot give him all of the credit. J.R.R. Tolkien was also a true genius, for creating such a breathtaking story. Even the love triangle between Aragorn, Arwen, and Eowyn was interesting, and didn't take up too much time, either. We only get to see Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) towards the end as she is talking through Elrond's mind. So Blanchett has more of a cameo role.
People also might get a little confused since there is no real beginning and no real ending, but most people can soon forgive it...and it makes you eager for the final chapter, "The Return of the King", due out in theaters next Christmas in 2003.
"The Fellowship of the Ring" begins it..."The Two Towers" continues it...and "The Return of the King" concludes it. It's
"The Lord of the Rings" trilogy!
I highly recommend "The Two Towers".
Score:
100/100
A+
The Best Version of Jackson's "LOTR: The Two Towers"
Peter Jackson surpasses himself again with this extended DVD version of "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" that is far more impressive than the theatrical release. Here he has added 43 minutes of additional footage, along with additional new music scored by composer Howard Shore, giving us more for our eyes to feast upon the royal family of Rohan, the family of Denethor, the Steward of Gondor (portrayed by John Noble, who appears only in this extended version, in a brilliant flashback sequence involving his sons Boromir and Faramir), and the Ents. There is also more time spent on the relationship between King Theoden's advisor Grima Wormtongue (Brad Dourif) and Saruman (Christopher Lee), shedding more light on Saruman's alliance with the dark lord Sauron. There is splendid acting by the entire ensemble cast, though highest honors must go to Andy Serkis for his brilliant portrayal of Gollum, Sean Astin's Samwise Gamgee, Ian McKellen's Gandalf, Viggo Mortenson's Aragorn, Miranda Otto's Eowyn and Bernard Hill's King Theoden. 'Tis a brilliant sequel to "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" which is now even better.
Overlong....
...but definitely better than Part 1. I enjoyed this one a lot!!! Thank goodness Chicago won Best Picture though, otherwise I was going to be upset.
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