The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

reviewed by Dave

The Two Towers is an undeniably spectacular film that features the most impressive computer effects and battle scenes that I have ever seen. And the plot's not bad, either.

The Fellowship is broken. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli are chasing after a band of Uruk-hai who have captured Hobbits Merry and Pippin. The Hobbits manage to escape and are in turn captured by the tree creatures known as Ents. We aren't sure until almost the end of the film if these Ents are good, bad, or just indifferent. With these two Hobbits out of reach, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli become embroiled in the affairs of the Kingdom of Rohan, whose king has fallen under the influence of the evil courtier Wormtongue. Before the movie ends, a fierce battle will take place at Helm's Deep. A defeat could signal the end of the human race.

While these events are playing out, Frodo and Sam are journeying ever closer to the heart of the enemy's camp at Mordor, where they will destroy the Ring by throwing it into the fires of Mt. Doom. They are making slow progress, but help soon comes in the unlikely form of Gollum, a former owner of the Ring, who agrees to guide the Hobbits to Mt. Doom. All the while he is battling his inner demons and his desire to claim the Ring as his own.

(If none of this makes sense to you, take that as a hint. If you haven't seen the first Lord of the Rings film, you will be completely lost going in to The Two Towers. Even if you have seen the first film, it's worth re-watching so everything is fresh in your mind. There's no refresher course offered at the beginning of The Two Towers.)

The Two Towers cuts back and forth between these three main storylines, and is mostly successful in building tension as the film progresses. While the Ents are more believably rendered than I thought possible, I felt these scenes slightly disrupted the pacing of the rest of the movie. It's a minor quibble, though, and the last few minutes featuring the Ents are appreciated more after sitting through the earlier scenes.

The other two storylines, however, are more interesting. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli are joined by Gandalf (surprise, he's not dead) in an all-out battle to save the Kingdom of Rohan and the race of man. The King's daughter, Eowyn, has eyes for Aragorn, but his heart still belongs to his lady elf friend Arwen, whom he dreams of reuniting with.

One of my favorite scenes in the Fellowship of the Ring is the bridge scene between Arwen and Aragorn. There isn't really anything here that tops that moment, but we do get more back story on their relationship, and it is important insight into Aragorn.

The Aragorn/Arwen story, however, is just a small part of why these segments in the film work. The cast again must be praised, as I can't imagine anyone else in these roles. Aragorn is cool, Legolas is an awesome fighter, and Gimli is the stout-hearted comic relief. We saw hints of this in the first film ("Nobody tosses a dwarf") but here it is more fully developed. His discussion with Eowyn about dwarf women is a highlight of the film, and you will chuckle as he becomes determined to kill more enemies than Legolas in the climactic battle at Helm's Deep.

While the Helm's Deep storyline is one of the biggest thrusts of the film, The Two Towers also follows Frodo and Sam as they approach Mordor with the help of Gollum. More than any other aspect of The Two Towers, Gollum has been the subject of much hype, and there's a big reason: the last time a digital character was given this much time on screen was the disastrous Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.

But Peter Jackson is no George Lucas. Thank God, because Gollum becomes an important character in this trilogy starting with The Two Towers. I'm not sure how they pulled this off, but I do know that they shot the scenes with the actor who voices Gollum interacting with the other characters. This gave the artists an opportunity to study movement and facial expressions, and then paint Gollum, almost as a costume, over the actual actor.

Gollum is completely believable, and you soon forget he's a digital character. He delivers an incredible range of expression, and in just a few short hours of film, he becomes one of the most memorable tragic figures I have ever seen. He is evil and scheming while also naïve and funny. His interchanges with Sam ("stupid, fat hobbit") are humorous, but then his expression changes and betrays his dangerous desperation for the Ring.

Frodo takes pity on Gollum, realizing the Ring has made him this way (rumors are that in the third film we will see how the innocent Smeagol discovered the Ring and was turned into Gollum by its dark power), and that he too could be corrupted by the Ring if he wielded its power. But Sam refuses to believe that Gollum can really be trusted.

The Two Towers has been hailed by many as the rare sequel that outdoes the original. I, however, believe that really depends on what aspect of these films you are looking at. It certainly is faster-paced and more of an action film than the first. The special effects, including the massive battle at Helm's deep, are the most amazing visuals ever put on film. Finally, Peter Jackson's direction continues to be perfect.

However, with the exception of Gollum's scenes, I did not feel the same level of emotional attachment that I felt during The Fellowship of the Ring. For me, there wasn't anything that matched the impact of the loss of Gandalf and the death of Boromir in the first film.

That's not to say The Two Towers is a bad film, because it's far from that. If there are degrees of perfection, The Two Towers simply comes in slightly below the flawless first film.

Now, the long wait for The Return of the King begins.

Note: This review was based on the theatrical cut. Though Jackson considers the theatrical cuts as the official version of the films, the extended DVD version of The Two Towers is, in my opinion, much better than the theatrical cut.