Rating: 
Summary: Was that the Two Towers?
Review: Okay, first off let me say "READ THE BOOKS"!I was so impressed with Mr. Jackson's first effort, "The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring", that I had NO anticipation of being disappointed in his second effort. Especially after his "Special Edition", if anything, followed the books more closely than the original theatrical release. It was hard to believe anyone could have done such an excellent job. Sure there were changes, but the "spirit" was certainly preserved. I'm not going to give away any plot lines, but I could barely recognize this as the second book. There were additions, and deletions. Unfortunately, Mr. Jackson seems to have lost his road, fallen from grace, or in general, not done what I thought he should. Yeah, I would have probably done much worse than he, but I am critiquing the movie. I certainly don't envy him the task of putting this work on film, but he started so well, why did he deviate? Maybe it was because he went from two, to one, to three movies. I don't know the reason, but I'm truly sorry to say - this one doesn't measure up to the first. At least, not for the purist fans of the novels. I'm not saying the movie was bad, I'm saying I was disappointed. Why did he feel the need to deviate so many times, and in so many places? Of course, who can argue with his box office? And, yes it is a good movie; just not a great movie. I felt after the first movie, we were all in for a marvelous treat, an unparalleled achievement. Now, I fell like we're in for a treat, just not a breathtaking one.
Rating: 
Summary: A FABULOUS 3 HOURS!!!
Review: Not having seen the first movie, I was a little hesitant to dive into the second, but within minutes of the beginning of the film, I was swept away. Lost! Enraptured! And totally entertained. I didn't realize how long the film was so my advise to ALL women... don't drink too much before or during the film! You won't want to leave, even for a moment! Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Not as Good as FOTR But still Fantastic
Review: The first time I saw this movie I hated it, two days later I went to see it again and have accepted the fact that PJ has taken many liberties but at least most of tolkiens themes are intact. If you are a lifetime fan of the book like I am do not expect this movie to follow the story line AT ALL. Maybe about 2% of the original book is in this movie but the plot is still basically the same, but enough of this, how was it? it was superb! the movie starts actually in the middle of fellowship with Gandalf on the bridge of Kazad Dum and shows about a minute of footage from the fellowship after that its all TTT and it is fantastic! Helms Deep is without a doubt the most powerful and biggest battle scene ever filmed (the far away shots are CGI but they look so real you wouldn't even notice) putting to shame anything Mel Gibson could conjure up for Braveheart (o wait thats not really that hard, o well, Helms Deep still rocked). I can't say enough about Gollum, the CGI looked live-action and Andy Serkis' voice was perfect. Viggo Mortenson as Aragorn and Karl Urban as Eomer give very annoyingly overdone performances despite being really cool characters, David Wenham as Faramir, Bernard Hill as Theoden and Miranda Otto as Eowyn give probably the best performances of the movie although something must be said for Ian Mckellans return scene. The orcs in this movie are intimidating as hell because they're more human than they were in fellowship which makes them mush scarier. The movie is also, thankfully, a little more violent than fellowship with plenty of orc blood and more than one head slashing scene. O and for you people with complaints on the movies ending THEY HAVE TO FREAKEN FINISH THE OTHER ONE, FOR GODS SAKE THIS IS A TRILOGY!!!
Rating:
Summary: The Two Towers - quite possibly the greatest sequel ever!
Review: I have just arrived home from the cinema after watching The Two Towers. It is all I can think about! I absolutely loved The Fellowship Of The Ring and thought The Two Towers couldn't possibly be any better - but I was proved wrong! Words can't begin to describe how amazing this film is. The Two Towers has gone straight in at No.1 in the US Box Office grossing a staggering $61 million in its first five days of release - did anyone expect anything less? There may be spoilers ahead in this review, so if you don't want to know about it, don't read on! The most noticable change about The Two Towers from The Fellowship Of The Ring - for me - was the increasing addition of violence, power, war and darkness. There is much more of it than in the first edition of The Lord Of The Rings, which is not surprising considering all the stuff that needed to be squeezed in. Speaking of this, I was delighted when realising that The Two Towers isn't full of half an hours' twaddle-talk like The Fellowship Of The Ring; the story begins straight away without any hesitation. At first it seems strange, but after the first twenty minutes or so, you forget all about it and succumb to the powers of this extraordinary film. After The Fellowship was left broken at the end of the first enstallment, there are three main storylines in The Two Towers that follow in the order of Frodo/Sam, Merry/Pippin and Legolas/Aragorn/Gimli. In the Frodo/Sam subplot, the two continue their quest to return the One Ring back to Mordor - the dark and hellish realm of the Dark Lord Sauron - and destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom. The longer Frodo (Elijah Wood) has the ring within his possession, the more chance he has of succumbing to the evil powers of the One Ring. On their way, they meet up with Gollom - the monster who has been following them hoping to claim the "precious" ring for himself. Hinted at in the introduction of The Fellowship Of The Ring, Gollom (superbly voiced by Andy Serkis) was once the ring bearer but his greed and need for the ring over-powered him and turned him into the monster he is today. The pathetic wretch offers to guide the Hobbits to the dark realm, his tortured mind wavering between servitude and treachery. Sam (Sean Astin) is reluctant to trust Gollom at first, but Frodo is instantly willing for him to help them in their quest to arrive at Mordor. Gollom and Frodo have a special connection that no one else has; they were/are both ring bearers. This friendship, however, threatens the one Frodo has with Sam. Gollom is, quite simply, the greatest CG-creature in cinematic history. It's incredible how a few pixels can turn into a lovable character of whom you share emotion and pity. There are many scenes where it is obvious to the untrained eye that Gollom is computer-generated, but the fascination and interaction with the character overpowers this. In the Merry/Pippin subplot, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) are trying to find them after they were captured by the fearsome Uruk-hai at the end of the last enstallment. The pursuit of Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) takes Aragorn and company to Rohan, a kingdom of Viking-like horsemen. Rohan's king, Theoden (Bernard Hill), has fallen under the spell of the evil wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee) through the manipulations of his adviser, Grima Wormtongue (Brad Dourif). Meanwhile, Merry and Pippin manage to escape and seek cover in the mysterious Fanghorn Forest. While there they meet a strange a surprising army amongst the ancient trees. For me, the Aragorn/Legolas/Gimli plotline was the best because of its power and strength - not only in battle scenes, but in the emotional side of things. The romance between Aragorn and Elf princess Arwen (Liv Tyler) has been further embellished, drawing from the trilogy's appendix. I was rather disappointed of the amount of screen time Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) has. She didn't have much in The Fellowship Of The Ring, so I was expecting more in The Two Towers - but no! The three join forces with Gandalf (Ian McKellen) (who was presumed dead at the end of The Fellowship Of The Ring) to rescue Theoden from the spell of Saruman and guide the people of Rohan to the strongholds of Helm's Deep. However, on their way to Helm's Deep they are attacked by Orcs on wargs. Aragorn and company are joined by hundreds of Rohan village people to attack and defeat an army of 10,000 Orcs. Quite possibly the most intense and awesome battle ever seen on film, it lasts for up to 45 minutes and took months to film. The scene is incredibly dark, but still manages to add the odd pinch of humour from Gimli. This fight scene is the climax to the Two Towers and is experty done. OVERALL GRADE: 10/10 Like The Fellowship Of The Ring, The Two Towers was filmed in New Zealand with its stunning scenery. With the scenery a main object of the first enstallment, The Two Towers can focus more of the love/hate/emotion side of the story - and it does, to awesome effect. Peter Jackson is definitely the "Director of the Moment" and rightly deserves all the praise he is recieving. The Two Towers is bound to be even more of a success than the first enstallment, which will leave you on tender hooks for the third and final enstallment - The Return Of The King. Roll on December 2003...
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Phenomenal!
Review: When I saw "The Fellowship of the Ring" and realized how fantastic it was, I knew that "The Two Towers" was going to have a hard time beating it in scope, in talent, in visual poise and grandeur, and when I saw "The Two Towers," I was absolutely blown away! The movie litterally picks up right where "The Fellowship" left off. Merry and Pippen are still held captive by the fighting Uruk-Hai, Aragorn, Gimili and Legolas are persuing them and Frodo and Sam are making their way to Mordor. I knew the movie was going to be great in the first fifteen minutes when my favorite character from "The Hobbit" was introduced. Gollum, done completely digitally (although the body movements were created by Andy Serkis, who also voices the creature) was amazing. He is everyhting I wanted him to be and more. Merry and Pippen come across the path of the giant tree-men, known as Ents, and the head Ent Treebeard. These Ents provide some comic relief as well as the power needed to overhtrow Isengard.
The special effects in this film are amazing. Much of the film enccompases Sauraman's desire to kill all humans, and his first assault on the people of Rohan and the battle to save them at Helm's Deep. The last 45 minutes of this movie are unbelievable. With two epic battle sequences, one at Helm's Deep and one at Isengard, Peter Jackson had his hands full with special effects. What he accomplished in this film is far better and more advanced than anything George Lucas could ever dream of.
Another great part of this film is the fact that it is not just an action film. The story become more emotionally engaging. You feel strongly for the people of Rohan as the young boys prepare to go to war and you feel for Arwen and Aragorn as their love is tested and objected to. You feel sorry for Fordo.
The movie is amazing. The acting talent is, once again, enheralded. Ian MacKellan is amazing once again. Elijah Wood has an impresive turn as the emotionally unstable Frodo and Viggo Mortensen is spectacular as Aragorn.
While this movie does stray from the book a little more than "The Fellowship of the Ring" it is still highly enjoyable. What makes these movies so amazing is Peter Jackson. Unlike the people who did "Harry Potter," Peter Jackson took Tolkien's image of middle-earth and has created his own version. The story remains ture, but the movie is not simply a way of retelling the book, it is a movie in its own right, and a spectacular film at that. DO NOT MISS THIS FILM!!!
Rating:
Summary: 10 THE FELLOWSHIP, 9 THE TWO TOWERS
Review: It's difficult for me to say this, but I saw the movie yesterday and expected slighlty more. For example : 1- In the trailer for the 2 Towers there is a piece of music incredibly awsome, in the movie it did not sound that part in any part of the film, 2- I expected an encounter between Gandalf and Frodo, it didn't happen. 3- The music almost did not change compared to the Fellowship of the ring, basically the same score. 4- Definetly, the 2 towers is a different concept, in the Fellowship all the 9 people live the same adventures in a serial way. In the 2 towers, because they are separated, each small group lives their own adventures in a parallel way. Anyway, a great movie !!!.
Rating:
Summary: My Friend Was Right! This Trilogy Rocks!!!!
Review: I must say I was a little skeptical of seeing the movies at first. I thought when my friend said the first movie was great that this was like Harry Potter or some other stupid thing. So I missed the first movie when it came out in theaters. This August, I watched Fellowship and absolutely loved the movie. I didn't even realize that three hours had gone by! I must have watched the movie 5 times over the next three months. 5 stars doesn't even describe the first movie and Ian McKellan should have won best supporting actor at the Oscars! Saturday, I went to go see The Two Towers and I was not disappointed. Gollum was a really cool CGI character and maybe one of the stronger characters in the movie. One minute it's "Kill Master!" to the next being "No. Master save us.!" Then there is the 45 minute battle scene which was breathtaking to say the least and had me pondering the entire way if they could survive. Absolutely wonderful movie and I can't wait to see Two Towers again or next year to see Return of the King. The Hobbit sounds interesting too for a live action release.
Rating:
Summary: Now I have seen it: WOW!
Review: Pick at the flaws if you will (this movie deviates the most from the books) but Jackson's adaption of the "Two Towers" is an emotionally urgent, fierce, and seamless forward march in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. A word of caution, the movie begins in media res. You get no prolouge or get put up to speed with a quick recollection of scenes from the Fellowship. We catch up with the fractured members of the Fellowship. Aragorn (Viggo Mortenson), Gimli (John Ryes-Davis) and Legolas (Orlando Bloom) are off to find and rescue the Hobbits Merry and Pippin from a band of orcs that made off with them at the end of the last film. We also catch up with Sam (Sean Astin) and Frodo (Elijah Wood) as they try to make their way through the Rocky terrain of Emin Myul to make their way to Mordor to destroy the Ring of Power. We also see Gollum, a wonder of CGI and masterfully voiced by Andy Serkis. Eventually, we make our way to Rohan where Saruman (Christopher Lee) has begun his assault on the lands of men. A pawn of Saruman's has taken control of the King and put the influence of Saruman in him. King Theoden (Bernard Hill) is powerless on his throne. This all can get very confusing, especially if you have not recently seen the first movie, which I strongly suggest you do. The performances all around are charged with emotion and feeling, and the story's themes come through loud and clear. Frodo is beginning to wain under the pressure of the Ring. The lands of men are growing ever more weak and vulnerable to the growing might of the mordor and Isengard. infact, the whole of middle Earth is starting to despair, now that they are faced with forces the like of which they have not seen in thousands of years. And for those who want to see blood, guts and grand film war, Jackson delivers some of the most spectacular battle sequences ever caught on film. Helm's Deep is one that will take your breath away. Not to mention the opening scene of Gandalf and the Balrog and in the finale when the Ents that Merry and Pippin met in Fangorn Forest storm the walls of Isengard. And also the scene where the soldiers of Rohan fight Isengard orcs riding ferocious beasts that Saruman had in waiting in his underground caverns. Even with all those high standards, there are a few minor flaws. For one, Treebeard the head Ent is hard to understand some of the time, we cannot make out what he is saying. The next is the battle scene at Helm's Deep goes on just a little too long before it all ends. But one thing I would like to point out is the matter of the love story between Aragorn and Arwen. This could have easily have ended up as filler between the film's stronger scenes but instead, we get a haunting vision of their relationship both in the past when Aragorn left Rivendell for the Fellowship and also in their future when Aragorn finally succombs to age and Arwen must live on because she is immortal. To conclude, this is undoutably one of the best adventure/fantasy/action film in the history of movies. There is grand specacle but it does not cover the story. To leave you with one final word, you may have to see the movie more than once to fully appreciate it. I am going later this week to see it one more time, and maybe again, and again, and again, and agian...
Rating: 
Summary: Not as faithful to the book as I would have hoped
Review: First of all, let me preface this by saying that I loved FOTR. I thought the editing was perfect, especially in the extended version DVD where the story flowed a little bit better. The biggest issue for me was that the movie (the parts that were included) was pretty faithful to the book. I will not get too specific because I don't want to spoil anyone's trip to the theatre but there were, at least, two major points in the movie where I felt incredibly let down by what was done. Faramir, my personal favorite from the books, was diminished somewhat by his actions upon meeting Frodo (completely different from the book for no reason that I can see). I will also only say that the people of Rohan, upon leaving Edoras, go to the wrong place. These are only a couple of the things that were changed from the book. Now, if changes are necessary to move the story along I can understand that...but these changes did not seem to be at all necessary and that bothered me. But, if you're someone who is really into FX you'll definitely want to see this film. The battle for Helm's Deep is pretty incredible, Gollum is incredible (the interaction between Gollum, Samwise, and Frodo is great), the Ents are just about how I imagined them when I was reading the books. The New Zealand scenery is stunning. Basically, I'm only giving this 3 stars because of how far it strays from the original story...it pretty much ends up in the same place but takes a different (unfortunately, in my opinion) route in getting there.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, intense, and memorable.
Review: Of all the beautiful movies ever made, The Two Towers is among the most beautiful. Scenery in New Zealand. Good acting. Good special effects. What more could a movie goer ask for? Once more, the members of the Fellowship struggle to defend against the followers of Saruman and Sauron, this time in open warfare. Merry and Pippin, having been captured by Saruman's creatures, find themselves in Fangorn Forest, the oldest and darkest of forests. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli follow those who hold the Hobbits prisoner, risking their lives in Rohan, where evil things are afoot. In Edoras, the capital, Grima Wormtongue has the ear of King Theoden, whose only son, Theodred, has been killed in battle with the forces of Saruman. Eomer, nephew of the king, and his sister, Eowyn, try to regain the king to his kingdom, but can they overcome the influence of Wormtongue? Not without the help of a wizard. Which makes one wonder, what happened to Gandalf when he fell from the bridge in Moria? As Saruman's army approaches, King Theoden leads his people into Helms Deep which has never been taken by an enemy force. But never has there been a force like the 10,000 Uruk-hai they must now face. The third group of the Fellowship, Frodo and Sam, find themselves in a rocky area that is so confusing they are walking in circles. After some time, Frodo realizes they are not alone, that something follows. He and Sam stay awake one night and capture the creature, for it is none other than Gollum, from whom Bilbo Baggins took the ring of power. Frodo feels sorry for the creature, knowing Gollum has become a slave to the ring, a fate which he fears for himself. Sam, however, does not trust Gollum, calling him names and mistreating him. As Frodo has been kind, Gollum agrees to lead the two into Mordor. But he is a creature at war with himself and desiring to regain the ring more than anything. In Fangorn, Merry and Pippin encounter the Ents, oldest living creatures in Middle Earth. Treebeard, the oldest and leader of his kind, takes them into his care, convenes a meeting with other Ents to decide whether they should join the war against Saruman and Sauron. But their concern is for the forests of the land, they are tree herders, and trees are what Saruman has been using to fire the furnaces of Isengard. Three major battles take place in The Two Towers: Helms Deep, Rohirrim against Uruk-hai; Osgiliath, capital of Gondor; and Isengard, Saruman's tower. The action is intense. The movie well worth seeing. However, the one caveat: If you are a purist, expecting this film to be as true to the original story as the first was, you will come away somewhat disappointed. Why more liberty was taken with the plot, one can only guess. But the characters are true (with one possible exception), the struggle of good against evil is fierce, and the words of Tolkien ring out. This is a movie worth seeing, and we can hope for the future.
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