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The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition Collector's Gift Set)

The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition Collector's Gift Set)

List Price: $79.92
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: So Awesome!...
Review: I loved Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers! It rocked! It had great places, more danger, and more action! You also got to get to know the characters a lot better to. I really enjoyed it a lot, it was spectacular! So if you liked the first one, I recommend the second one, because you will absoultly love it!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: I like it, but why is it ...
Review: putting me to sleep?

Okay. The first one did, too. I really enjoyed the parts when I wasn't dozing off. Gollum is absolutely engaging and wonderfully realized. He was my favorite character in the movie--indeed, in both episodes combined. It was a mistake for Gimli to be the comic relief. Rhys-Davies just isn't up to it. In that regard, we have what I think is the only serious flaw in Part II--the lack of a sufficiently "light" character to add depth and pleasure to the film.

Then again--yawn--why did I find myself nodding off at various points? Could it be that this movie is too long? Heaven forbid! Could it be that the battle scene was stretched out to the point of being, well, exhausting and a bit over-cooked? Not possible! Might it be that the "American Express" commercial look and feel (reminiscent of moments from the hideous "Gladiator") to the flashbacks triggered a nascent narcolepsy? How could that be?!

Let's call this film for what it is. A fine movie, but certainly not an example of any sort of economy--of time, of plot, of action, or of scenery. But, given the need to convert Tolkein's legendary books to the screen, the central flaw in them has joined us for the ride. The Lord of the Rings books, for all their wonder, are, well, a bit on the boring side for long stretches. You'd have to be a Middle Earth glutton to think otherwise.

One thing this movie, and the first, did well is to show that the ring is technology and mastery over the world, and that our lust for it--so appropos in today's day and age--is going to lead to our destruction. Few, ironically, seem to get it. Fewer still understand that Tokien, a luddite of the first order, was condemning the engine of modern Europe and, more pointedly, America, where in a few short years we've acquired more Gollums (can you say, "Bill Gates," but certainly the rest of us, too) than one might have ever imagined. Here's to empty-hearted, lustful, compelling, dehumanizing, and meaningless attraction to progress, science, and money!

Just don't look in the mirror too long.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: just plain excellent
Review: lotr the two towers is just plain excellent,this new installment definetly belong to the very small group of sequels that actually tops the first one (examples of this are: empire strikes back, terminator 2, the godfather 2 etc...).to some people this movie is a little disapoiting but people you have to remember that like all seconds part in a trilogy is always the second the most difficult to make because: it still have the same problems, brings new ones and it doesn't give a resolution to the story but this movie past the test really well giving us 3 hours of pure entretainment and setting the ground for the most wanted conclusion, so my advice is, go and see it hell i'm on my way to see it for the third time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Amazing!!
Review: I have never really gotten into the whole fantasy/science fiction genre. Although I have enjoyed movies like Star Wars, I was never hooked as one of those die-hard fans. In fact, when the first LOTR movie came out I didn't see it. However, I rented it from the video store about a month before The Two Towers came out, and was amazed. I love the whole story, along with the actors that portrayed it so convincingly. I feel the same way about its sequal. In my opinion, The Two Towers is even better then the first film. I found myself enthralled in the plot, and begging for more. The 3 hour length seemed to fly by. I seriously think that the actor who played Gollum should be rewarded for a brilliant and engaging performance. I can't wait until the final installment. Actually, I just started reading the books, and have almost completed The Fellowship of the Ring. I am pleased with how closely the movie follows the book so far. Go see this movie. I have already seen it three times, and each time I hear or understand something new. It's amazing!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Lord of the Rings-The Two Towers
Review: This is an awesome movie!! This animation of 'Tree Beard' was amazing! I would definitely recommend this movie to ALL of my friends. I purchased the DVD-Lord of the Rings-Fellowship of the Ring & I AM going to buy LOTR-TTT as soon as it becomes available! I would pay to go & see it again & again & again....
Aragon is a babe!! The ending was a little upsetting until I realized that there is another movie coming out. I hope it will be coming up pretty soon, I don't think I can wait too long to see another LOTR movie. I am seriously thinking about going out & buying the books so I have them as well.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Several things left out
Review: I liked Two Two Towers a lot, but the absence of Shelob and of the casting of the palantir from Orthanc was a bit of a disappointment. These must show up in Return of the Ring, but it will be ridiculously long if they're to get everything in and do a decent job of it. Faramir is portrayed differently in the book, and I like that way much more, as he is concerned that Gollum is to lead the hobbits past Minas Morgul, where the Nazgul reside. Although there are flaws, I'd like to see anyone do a better job at making this movie than Peter Jackson has. And then, you can go and try to make a better version of Dead Alive if you'd like. The wonderful music in the trailer that is not in the movie, which many seem to be interested in, is from Darren Aronofsky's Requiem For A Dream.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Tolkienites, Relax
Review: Been there, done that.

When I first saw THE TWO TOWERS, I (a hopeless Tolkienite) was in shock. What did I just see? Eomer not at Helm's Deep, but instead riding to the rescue with Gandalf? The reluctance of King Theoden to go to war against Isengard? Helm's Deep as a refuge for the people of Edoras, instead of a heavily-fortified Rohan stronghold? Aragorn going over a cliff with a warg? Eowyn a romantic counterpart to Aragorn? Arwen, Elrond, and Galadriel in the movie at all? A host of elves from Lothlorien, led by Haldir, coming to the rescue of Helm's Deep? No "moving forest" to destroy and smother fleeing orcs from the Helm's Deep battle? The reluctance of Treebeard and the Ents to go to war? Faramir, brother of Boromir, taking Frodo and Sam captive to use the Ring? The men of Gondor taking the Hobbits to Osgiliath (in the book, nothing more than a ghost town), under siege by Sauron? No showdown between Gandalf and Saruman? No disgusting, foul-smelling tunnel of Shelob?

Yes, I was in shock. How dare Peter Jackson take such liberties with this, perhaps the best, of the books in the LOTR trilogy?

Fortunately, I took a deep breath, then went to see this film again. A good friend of mine reminded me that books and movies are two entirely different mediums: what works well for one doesn't necessarily translate for the other. And I must confess, despite all my misgivings: this film is a complete cinematic masterpiece. THE TWO TOWERS is a virtual feast for the eyes--breathtaking landscapes, stunning cinematography, mind-boggling CGI (Gollum/Smeagol comes across as an actual, living creature), compelling acting, and a great, great story. It's a story that gets up and moves, from the first frame to the last; it's a story that makes its own mark, independent of the book it was based upon.

I realize the Tolkien purists are up in arms: so was I, at first. My suggestion: see this film with an open mind, and let it entertain you on its own merits. You will not be disappointed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Supporting players and special effects make this movie TICK!
Review: The first film sported an award-worthy performance from Ian McKellan and an impressive array of special effects and a literate script. Installment two opts for LONGER battle scenes (surprisingly bloodless) and almost an equal distribution of on-screen time for each of the major players in this epic tale.

However, the combination of computer generated effects and the acting skills of Andy Serkis make "Gollum" one of the true marvels of a truly stupendous film. The actor's vocal talents and inspired movements make this one of the most memorable "debuts" in motion picture history.

And John Ryes-Davis does double duty in the returning role of Gimli the dwarf AND the voice of "Treebeard", a creature that bears a striking resemblance to late director John Huston.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: High expectations, but +very+ disappointed
Review: I have read these books many times. I learned of them many years ago because I was doing research on a certain author; the research lead me to C. S. Lewis and so on to Tolkien. I truly wished I could inhabit this wonderful place that Tolkien "discovered." I was/am like Sam: I would dearly love to meet the Elves. They were Tolkien's favorites, and the details that he created for them reveals that.

"The Fellowship of the Ring" would rate 5 stars from me; I, too, noticed omissions of incidents, and I wondered how certain situations would be resolved because of those omissions/changes.

I bought my ticket ASAP and went to "The Two Towers" on the first day at the first showing and left feeling "leaden." Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli are still acted very well. Sean Astin is a wonderful Sam; in fact, I think Sam is the ultimate hero of the LOTR. All the hobbit actors are very good, but I do not think Merry and Pippin will be given the chance to be the heroes they were in the books. Why did Faramir take Frodo, Sam, and Gollum? He would have been more noble than his brother Boromir if he had let Frodo and all depart to continue on their way to Mordor. Elves at Helm's Deep? Where were the trees who destroyed their enemies on the plains before Helm's Deep? How will Eowyn prove her courage as a shield maiden of Rohan? And most awful of all: Frodo confronting a mounted Ringwraith.

The battle scenes at Helm's Deep are full of action which will please many viewers. And Legolas at his crucial moment? It's inconsistent.

My son and I agree in our disappointment. If someone asks about the movie, I say "sure, go see it," but I can't rave about it. Each person must decide for him/herself.

I have very mixed feelings about "The Return of the King." I want to like the 3rd movie! But will I?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Continued Inspiration & Movie Magic!
Review: Peter Jackson and his associates continue the Lord of the Rings saga with intelligence, inspiration and brilliance. They have created another wonderfully realized film with a seamless blend of location filming, elaborate sets, makeup & costumes, and CGI magic. The film hits-the-deck-running, picking up where the first film stopped, with hardly a breath of backstory. It is beautifully filmed with gorgeous cinematography and continued imagination & thought.

We can again be thankful for the boldness & courage of Jackson and his financial backers to film the entire trilogy at once and the same time. The dividends of this in terms of the films sharing a unified vision and overall presentation, with a complete ensemble of players, without missing or aging cast members, and with the new locations & characters folding into the whole smoothly and naturally, is readily evident in this second film. Likewise, while presenting awsome vistas and congregations of armies and elaborate and stunning battles, Jackson has not lost sight of the importance of the smaller more intimate scenes and relationships between Aragorn, Legolas & Gimli, Merry & Pippin, and most importantly Sam and Frodo. We are well on the way to a masterpiece here.

We have new creatures ranging from flying dragons, to Orks mounted on viscious hyena-like critters. We have a new beauty in Eowyn, Shieldmaiden of Rohan, and we have Treebeard and his bretheren. And last, but far from least, we have the astonishing creature Gollum/Smeagol, which is not only stunning technology, but even the more so because of the pathos and complexity of his character.

That Jackson makes the larger story comprehensible and delineates the various strands without losing the viewer is accomplishment enough. But there is so much more to be had in this rich and complex film. We can be grateful that cast and crew dedicated themselves so thoroughly to the project.

You can't please everybody, obviously, but I found the first and now this film immensely rewarding experiences. And, for the record, I have NOT read the books, and I did NOT know the story beforehand. In fact, I'm not a great fan of fantasy, but I am a great fan of brilliant movie-making, which for my money this is!


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