The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(A or 4/4 stars)
In 'The Two Towers', the 2nd film in an epic fantasy trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, Frodo & Sam (Elijah Wood, Sean Astin) continue on their mission to destroy the One Ring. Meanwhile, their companions make allies & launch an assault on Isengard, home of the evil Saruman (Christopher Lee) & his slimy assistant, Grima Wormtongue (Brad Dourif). Saruman's army of Uruk-Hais are marching down upon Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen really comes into his own in this movie) & the horse people of Rohan. All of this is going on, however, without the aid of Gandalf (Ian McKellen), who is assumed to be dead, and Boromir (Sean Bean), who IS dead. Gimli, Legolas, Merry & Pippin (John Rhys-Davies, Orlando Bloom, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd) face their own troubles. While all this transpires, Lord Sauron's troops march to Gondor; the place where the war for the ring will ultimately be waged. What an incredible follow-up to an already fantastic Fellowship of the Ring; I may have even liked this one more so! It's completely absorbing.
This film picks up where we left off: Gandalf & the fearsome Balrog have plummeted to assumed death. But this time, we follow them in their descent. Victorious in his battle, Gandalf is reborn as the more powerful 'Gandalf the White'. He returns to Middle Earth & reunites with his former friends. Aragorn, Legolas & Gimli ride off to the horselands of Rohan to warn King Theoden (Bernard Hill) that war is upon his vast kingdom. You see, the 'two towers' mentioned in the title refers to Isengard's Orthanc & Mordor's Barad-dur; both towers want the ring, and both stand on either side of Rohan. Theoden's peaceful land lay in the war path. Convincing the aging king that he's in grave danger will prove to be quite difficult (for a myriad of reasons). Meanwhile, hobbits Merry & Pippin have escaped from their Uruk-hai captors & flee into the forbidden Fangorn Forest.
There, they encounter an Ent named Treebeard; Ents are shepherds of trees. Since all they care about is their own kind, you never know what side they're on. And what of Frodo & Sam? Far off East, they find themselves lost en route to Mount Doom in Mordor. Lord Sauron's evil eye is always searching for Frodo. And he is becoming more & more affected by the weighty power of the Ring. Not only are Frodo & Sam breaking down physically, but now they have a creature following them, this is Gollum (voiced by Andy Serkis). After Gollum attempts to steal the ring, he is subdued by Sam & captured by them as a prisoner. Just like Treebeard, you never know if Gollum is good, evil, somewhere in-between, or otherwise. For now, he agrees to help Frodo & Sam get to the Black Gates of Mordor. But really, all he really wants is what he once had in his possession, the 'precciioouusss' ring. Everything culminates in a remarkable battle at Helm's Deep, stronghold of the Rohan people. Can our protagonists (and some help from the elves) defeat the Uruk-Hais & bide time for Frod & Sam?
Everything about this sequel is magnificent. Name an aspect, and it's a 10; the acting, characterization(s), set designs, music, costumes, multiple plotlines, drama, intrigue, special effects, etc. Most impressive? The transition from the 1st film to this one (continuity of the story) is seamless. Some of my favorite moments in 'Two Towers' include: 1) Gandalf whistling for his beautiful, loyal horse Shadowfax to come to his aid. 2) The banter btwn. Merry, Pippin & Treebeard. 3) The entire Kingdom of Rohan segment (I want to live there!) ... learning about the history of this great land; meeting King Theoden; watching the spell that's been cast upon him be broken; discovering his lovely niece, Eowyn (Miranda Otto); watching her fall for Aragorn, etc..
4) The continuation of Arwen's (Liv Tyler) lament over possibly losing her lover, Aragorn, for good. 5) Even though the focus of this installment is on the humans, & not the little hobbits, I love how Frodo & Sam's harrowing journey gets more & more difficult. 6) Encountering the ambiguous creature, Gollum. He's twisted, he's tragic, & we can even empathize with his situation, to a degree. 7) last, but not least ... the inspiring, heart-stopping 30 min. climax at the fortress in Helm's Deep is something so magnificent that I can barely put into words how great it's splendor truly is. You know, Fellowship of the Ring is an amazing 4 star film; a sci-fi fantasy epic for the ages. And it seems that 'Two Towers' is just as enthralling, educational, smart, funny, & gritty (if not, even more so than its predecessor). It just has to cover so much ground, & it does so flawlessly. I can't wait to see how Peter Jackson masters the final film, Return of the King.
This film picks up where we left off: Gandalf & the fearsome Balrog have plummeted to assumed death. But this time, we follow them in their descent. Victorious in his battle, Gandalf is reborn as the more powerful 'Gandalf the White'. He returns to Middle Earth & reunites with his former friends. Aragorn, Legolas & Gimli ride off to the horselands of Rohan to warn King Theoden (Bernard Hill) that war is upon his vast kingdom. You see, the 'two towers' mentioned in the title refers to Isengard's Orthanc & Mordor's Barad-dur; both towers want the ring, and both stand on either side of Rohan. Theoden's peaceful land lay in the war path. Convincing the aging king that he's in grave danger will prove to be quite difficult (for a myriad of reasons). Meanwhile, hobbits Merry & Pippin have escaped from their Uruk-hai captors & flee into the forbidden Fangorn Forest.
There, they encounter an Ent named Treebeard; Ents are shepherds of trees. Since all they care about is their own kind, you never know what side they're on. And what of Frodo & Sam? Far off East, they find themselves lost en route to Mount Doom in Mordor. Lord Sauron's evil eye is always searching for Frodo. And he is becoming more & more affected by the weighty power of the Ring. Not only are Frodo & Sam breaking down physically, but now they have a creature following them, this is Gollum (voiced by Andy Serkis). After Gollum attempts to steal the ring, he is subdued by Sam & captured by them as a prisoner. Just like Treebeard, you never know if Gollum is good, evil, somewhere in-between, or otherwise. For now, he agrees to help Frodo & Sam get to the Black Gates of Mordor. But really, all he really wants is what he once had in his possession, the 'precciioouusss' ring. Everything culminates in a remarkable battle at Helm's Deep, stronghold of the Rohan people. Can our protagonists (and some help from the elves) defeat the Uruk-Hais & bide time for Frod & Sam?
Everything about this sequel is magnificent. Name an aspect, and it's a 10; the acting, characterization(s), set designs, music, costumes, multiple plotlines, drama, intrigue, special effects, etc. Most impressive? The transition from the 1st film to this one (continuity of the story) is seamless. Some of my favorite moments in 'Two Towers' include: 1) Gandalf whistling for his beautiful, loyal horse Shadowfax to come to his aid. 2) The banter btwn. Merry, Pippin & Treebeard. 3) The entire Kingdom of Rohan segment (I want to live there!) ... learning about the history of this great land; meeting King Theoden; watching the spell that's been cast upon him be broken; discovering his lovely niece, Eowyn (Miranda Otto); watching her fall for Aragorn, etc..
4) The continuation of Arwen's (Liv Tyler) lament over possibly losing her lover, Aragorn, for good. 5) Even though the focus of this installment is on the humans, & not the little hobbits, I love how Frodo & Sam's harrowing journey gets more & more difficult. 6) Encountering the ambiguous creature, Gollum. He's twisted, he's tragic, & we can even empathize with his situation, to a degree. 7) last, but not least ... the inspiring, heart-stopping 30 min. climax at the fortress in Helm's Deep is something so magnificent that I can barely put into words how great it's splendor truly is. You know, Fellowship of the Ring is an amazing 4 star film; a sci-fi fantasy epic for the ages. And it seems that 'Two Towers' is just as enthralling, educational, smart, funny, & gritty (if not, even more so than its predecessor). It just has to cover so much ground, & it does so flawlessly. I can't wait to see how Peter Jackson masters the final film, Return of the King.