Rating: 
Summary: Superior to the first (theatrical) LOTR film.
Review: After a year of anticipation, increasingly intense with each day of waiting, each spoiler revealed, and each rave early review read, the second part of LOTR has finally arrived. As a wary filmgoer who seldom wastes money on current cineplex junk, I was naturally concerned whether this colossal undertaking will live up to my expectations, let alone its equally collossal hype. Perhaps, The Two Towers is an easier book to adapt cinematically, because it is more action-based, and its main events occur during a more condensed time period - weeks as opposed to months or years. On the other hand, it creates greater challenges in terms of intercutting between three separate storylines. Peter Jackson does a near-flawless job facing up to these challenges, and largely succeeds. The flaws are still there, but they are less jarring. The "gloom and doom" yet hopeful spirit of Tolkien's second book is present in spades, and again - painstalking detail is lavished on all visual aspects of Middle Earth. Now, the usual discussion of strengths and weaknesses - and the latter are definitely fewer this time around. WARNING - POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!
----------------------------------------------- THE GOOD: 1) My favorite character in the entire book was always Gollum, and Jackson's team along with Andy Serkis absolutely nail him. He is best acted and most complex of all, a feat for a CGI creature. As another reviewer said, "Jar-Jar is not fit to lick Gollum's ***", a view which I wholeheartedly agree with. When Gollum/Serkis remembers his past as Smeagol, the moment alone is worth the price of admission. Personalit(ies) indeed go a long way. Nearly every scene in the book that featured Gollum is reproduced here, with great accuracy, even the "rabbit stew" scene! The final scene of the film is extremely effective, possibly one of the finest. 2) Gimli - yes, he is largely relegated to necessary comic relief, but he is funny, not laughable. His character is actually well realized, because a Dwarf would truly feel like a fish out of water in such foreign surroundings. He also gets to save the day more than a few times. I have a feeling he'll have even more to say and do in the Extended DVD. 3) Merry and Pippin display passion and wit, taking their development further. 4)The movie is historically/geographically minded, and handles various new places and concepts well. The fans even get references to the Bombadil Story omitted from FOTR - the Old Forest and the Barrow-Whigths (Gollum sings their song). All of the landscapes are gorgeous, and 100% Alan Lee. 5) Of course, the epic feel is tremendous and the action spectacular. It is unneeded to even mention. At times it seemed like I was watching something out of the Iliad. THE NOT-SO-BAD: 1) Arwen and Aragorn came off well, at least non-distracting. The sequence of Arwen mourning and wandering the woods alone was starltingly beautiful. 2) Faramir I never cared much about, so his motivation changes did not bother me. The actor playing him was not very strong however, and didn't impress me. Good thing he had little screen time. 3) Treebeard was decent, not quite as I would have liked but in the context of the film, the ents worked. I know that they will get additional scenes in the DVD from Jackson's interview. Their scenes appeared choppy. The Destruction of Isengard, though, was magnificent - goosebump-worthy. 4) The music was still excessive, but better. The Rohan theme was more pleasing to the ear than any pseudo-Titanic pap. THE NOT-SO-GOOD: 1) The Rohan "women and children" storyline. Used purely for dramatic purposes, cheesy and worn-out. Could have done without it. 2) Sam's long speech about heroic endurance at the end needed some editing. Jackson is not a director known for subtelty. 3) Haldir's real death and Aragorn's fake one were overdone (slow-motion bathos syndrome) , but that is a fairly minor complaint. 4) CGI was spotty in places (the wargs and oliphaunts come to mind), but not enough to ruin the scenes. In fact, none the action scenes falter much. ------------------------------------------------------------ In closing, I am pleased that TTT not only lived up to the hype/expectations, but managed to exceed them on almost all accounts. A gleeful smile has hardly left my face in all 3 hours, and my expression changed to an annoyed cringe only once or twice - far less than during Fellowship. I have to say that this film was the one (in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre) that I enjoyed the most ever since the good old days of the original Star Wars Trilogy, and I do not say that lightly.
Rating: 
Summary: A Cinematic Blast (With a Note To Tolkien Purists)
Review: Having recently viewed the Director's Cut of the Fellowship of the Ring (containing 30 minutes of added footage and an absorbing documentary on Tolkien's worlds and the making of the film), I was oiled and primed for the Two Towers. I was not dissappointed. Perhaps what stands out, most surprisingly, is the depth of character development - even among newly introduced players, such as Theoden, his daughter Eowyn, Grima Wormtongue, Faramir and, especially, Smeagol "Gollum". Pathos and bravery (with considerable comic relief courtesy of Gimli and Gollum) make for a potent, compelling motion picture experience. How can one resist the nobility of grim warriors determined to fight bravely despite the certitude of defeat and death? The battle scene at Helms Deep is the greatest scene of medieval warfare ever hung onto the big screen. Panoramic, close-up and set-piece battle scenes blend together seemlessly. The sword and archery combat is intense and desperate. The only thing missing was boiling oil spilling from the ramparts (but I suppose that would have been too gruesome - and not in keeping with the book -even for this violent film). Not that fealty to the book was uppermost in the minds of the creators of this film. Certain improbabilities, plot holes, and deviations from Tolkien do strain credulity. And REALLY, was it necessary to alter Faramir's character from the books (making him a brutish jerk), add the pointless scene at Osgiliath (fabricated from whole cloth), and shove in the extra orc/warg battle scene as a prelude to Helm's Deep (with Aragorn almost dying but somehow being supernaturally saved by the Elf babe, Arwen)? Tolkien had nothing to do with any of these scenes and, really, for the most part they do seem a bit pointless. The above quibblings aside (and Tolkien purists, please take note: these are MINOR quibbles), TTT is THE motion picture to see at the theatre this year. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! A final note to the more disgruntled reviewers in this space: remember Bakshi's decrepit attempt, and count your blessings. In your wildest dreams you could never have hoped for anything even as remotely satisfying as Mr. Jackson & Company's rendering of LOTR thus far.
Rating:
Summary: An Awesome, Epic Tale
Review: I must admit, I was a little skeptical about the second part of the story. I was not sure that Peter Jackson would pull it off and be able to keep people pinned to their seats for yet another 3 hour stint. I was amazed by the film, not only was I pinned to my seat, The events in the movie unfolded at perfect timing and then gripped tight and took you into the action. The tale picks up and explains in full detail, what happened to Gandalf the Gray and twists the action over to Frodo & Samwise and the quest they share to destroy the One Ring. Certain review sites on the net claim that Golem plays a "small part" in this movie. I felt that he played a bigger role in this film than Gandalf, You really get in depth information about who Golem really is and how the One Ring has twisted his mind as many others in the past. Golem is at constant battle with his two halves and Peter Jackson as well as the CG animators pulled this fully computer animated creature off with flying colors. The battle sequences are "Edge of Your Seat" action and there are many battles in this installment. There are also new characters in this film which again are pulled off with amazing precision and reality. Weather you are a Lord of The Rings fan or not, you are sure to fully enjoy this 10 star adventure!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing! Fantasic! But Not As Good As The First.
Review: Well here it is, the moment all LOTR fans have been waiting for: the release of the second chapter of J.R.R. Tolkien's/Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings film trilogy. And to sum up what I thought about the movie in one sentence: The Two Towers is a magnificent sequel to an equally magnificent film (The Fellowship of the Ring). And, for all those long-time Tolkien fans who thought Peter Jackson went far too astray from the books, this movie stays very faithful to the book, minus some unnecessary dialogue/scenes, that would have bogged the film down. Though, I should mention, some end sequences that were in the original publication (Book) have been moved to the last film; The Return of the King. The first thing I would like to talk about is the mood of the film; the Two Towers has very dark and depressing feeling to it (which I like) that really expresses the dire situations the characters are in. The film really has a very foreboding presence to it. It really makes you feel as though you are there, at Helm's Deep, waiting to fight, waiting to die. And thins rings true to all the scenes, whether your with Frodo and Sam on their impossible journey, or with Merry and Pippen, trying to free them selves from the orc's grasp. Whatever scene it is, it makes you feel as though you are apart of the movie. A feeling I thoroughly enjoyed. The Computer Generated Images (CGI) are amazing. They blend in with the rest of the scenery so well, it almost seem as though they're real images rolling across the screen. All through the film this holds true, even in the battle scenes in Helm's Deep where a huge amount of Animation was used, it still looked real! And, when you talk about CGI in the Two Towers, you have to, of course, mention Gollum. The CGI the filmmakers use to make him is also spectacular, making him have that almost-real look to him. Gollum is one of the most life-like CGI characters I have ever seen on film. The cinematography is, as the first film also was, the best I have every seen; the exuberant colors, the razor sharp tint of the actors eyes, the exciting camera angles that make this movie all the more breathtaking. And the plot of the film is (of course) amazing! The Lord of the Rings book saga is probably the best literature written in the 20th century. And all of that masterful storytelling is carried over on to film. I thought I should also mention the comedy in this film, mainly delivered by Gimli, the dwarf. His comedy really lightens up this very dark film without making it corny. 'So,' you might ask, 'Is the Two Towers, the second film better then the first?' (The Fellowship of the Ring) To state it simply... No, in my opinion, The Fellowship is a tat-bit better the Two Towers. But I certainly couldn't argue with anyone who said other wise...
Rating:
Summary: Slightly Disappointing
Review: Firstly, because there will be a lot of folks who are emotionally attached to this film, I think I need to add a note regarding my philosophy as regards reviews. In my view, overwhelmingly positive reviews are worse than useless - if one is going to see (or buy) a movie, it's easy to like the good parts. What's important is to know if one can stand the bad parts. One isn't helped in making a critical assessment of whether one will enjoy a movie if all one sees are rave reviews. This is especially true of good and popular movies. What's really important (in my view) is to know where the movie fails. Thus, while I give 4 stars to 'Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers', and while I feel it's overall a good film, I feel I must dwell on the negatives more than on the positive aspects. There will be more than enough people raving positively about this latest installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I must admit to being slightly disappointed with Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. The movie fell short in a number of places, most conspicuously during the scenes in the Riddermark. Too many jiggling camera shots of horses and waaay too many super close-ups of people's faces. Were the sets so poor that they couldn't handle a wider shot? Was the director feeling ill? Did the director of photography drink too much of that strong New Zealand beer? Who knows. All I can say is that someone dropped the ball during these scenes, and it results in the second quarter of the movie being fairly difficult to watch. Where the horse riding scenes in 'Fellowship' were beautiful and smooth, making people yearn to learn to ride, 'Two Towers' makes horseriding seem annoying and painful. Also, what was Peter Jackson thinking when he decided to change so many plot points? So many unnecessary (and cheap) alterations to what should have been the real character-building part of the movie. We didn't get to see any of the backbiting between Faramir and his dad, and instead we got completely unnecessary (and out-of-place) heroics by Frodo. Added to this, we get too many low-budget tacked on exclamations of the bleeding obvious from townspeople. I thought I'd choke when some village idiot shouted 'He's Alive!' when Aragorn comes into town. It reminded me of far too many cheap '80s Dragonslayer rip-offs. One more niggly-naggly annoyance - why is it that everyone in the movie mispronounces Isengard? As I understand it, it's pronounced as it's written - Isengard (eesengard, not eyesengard)! Maybe I'm wrong on this, but I doubt Tolkien (a language scholar) would have spelled it that way if he didn't want it pronounced the Germanic (or Middle English) way. Fortunately the film has some saving graces. The Ents were faithful to the book, and their attack on Isengard was excellent. Gandalf's battle with the Balrog was also super, and Gollum was perfectly recreated. Jackson took chances and changed some of the source material, and it's at these points where the movie almost collapses. Thus it's not as good as the first film, but it's still worth seeing. I feel Jackson could have perhaps gotten away with messing with Return of the King (which is in my view the weakest part of Tolkien's trilogy), but he chose to mess with part two to a great extent - not only is this a nearly fatal flaw, but it makes me fear that the trust I felt for Jackson after part 1 may have been misplaced. Perhaps 'Fellowship' was a tough act to follow, but I feel Jackson cheapened the sequel by trying too hard instead of remaining faithful to the source material as he did in part 1. The movie only just gets 4 stars from me. I hope for better with the final installment.
Rating:
Summary: The Modern Classic
Review: While you are watching The Two Towers, you should pinch yourself. You, the moviegoing public, should do this because you are witnessing nothing less than movie history. This is how earlier audiences felt when they watched movies like the Ten Commandments or Ben-Hur, when the movie world was epic and well written. This is how people felt when they watched the original Star Wars trilogy, when they saw technology combined with a grand vision of adventure. Remember this when you step into the theater and see Peter Jackson's modern masterpiece in action. The Two Towers begins right where the first film ended, there is no "catch me up" section for any slow folk that wander into the theater. As the film opens, we find Frodo and his fellow hobbit, Sam, trekking towards Mordor with the one ring. They are tracked and are later confronted by the monstrous and ring obsessed Gollum, a former hobbit horribly transformed by the dark power of the ring. Gollum is computer generated, which often degrades the chemistry between characters, i.e Jar Jar. This is far from the case in the Two Towers, which sports probably the best CGI character inclusion in film history. Gollum speaks and moves like a real physical presence, and his story and trauma are fascinating. The other main story line centers on the surviving members of the Fellowship, Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli. In their search for the captured hobbits Merry and Pippin, they are caught up in the conflict between the dark forces of Saruman and the Riders of Rohan. Saruman exerts powerful influence in the region, and is well on his way to destroying the Rohan population. However, with the help of the Fellowship and a restored Gandalf, the sovereign forces of Rohan regain control. The dynamics between Aragorn and the King of Rohan are extremely entertaining, as are the minor cavalry skirmishes. Finally, the decision is made to evacuate the population to the stronghold of Helms Deep. Also introduced in this movie are the fabled Ents, the monstrous living trees. They capture Merry and Pippin, who urge them to defend themselves against the nearby forces of Isengard. The Ents are slow, and wonder if a fight would mean extinction for themselves. The Ents are beautifully rendered, again, some of the best CGI I have ever seen. Eventually, the Ents take the battle to Isengard itself, with some mind-boggling results. The characters of Sam and Frodo are further explored, as is their admirable friendship. As the ring begins to corrupt Frodo's mind, Sam must become more active in his friends life. Then, the two hobbits meet with the human forces of Gondor, who are tempted to use the ring against Sauron, for they are in desperate straits. Frodo, who is further losing his grip, must try to keep the ring from the hands of the frenzied men. The end of this story line sets up an intriguing cliffhanger for the next movie. However, the great climax of this wonderful piece of cinema is the explosive Battle of Helms Deep. This is the battle for which all will be compared in the future. Nothing even close to this has been seen before. The amount of combatants, the length of battle, the fierce hand to hand combat and the sheer back and forth intensity is absolutely brilliant. Peter Jackson creates an eye-opening scene of bravery and ferocity that has to no parallels or competitors. You feel every sword swing and armor-piercing arrow. It really is indescribable, a great moment in filmmaking and the new technology. So go see it friends, go see the new epic that is already a classic, and wait impatiently for the Return of the King.
Rating:
Summary: Lives up to expectations.
Review: It's amazing, how many people were looking forward to this movie. I showed up at the movie 90 minutes early, tickets bought long before, and there was already a line. There are...how many?...reviews here just judging from the previews. So, there is definitely a lot of enthusiasm about the movie, many people looking forward to it. Could it actually live up to these expectations? The answer is yes. The Two Towers is the best movie of the summer. It's even better than the first one -- and that is no small feat. While remaining true to Tolkien's book, the Two Towers adds new, humorous lines, and shows particular detail on the character of Eowyn. Eowyn, in the book, is barely shown -- she is merely the beautiful Lady of Rohan. Here, in the movie, she matches swords with Aragorn, befriends the remaining members of the Fellowship, and becomes the least passive female in the Lord of the Rings. Galadriel and Arwen don't -do- much...Eowyn of Rohan does more. Instead of dividing the movie in half -- the second half with Sam and Frodo, the first with the rest of the Fellowship -- the movie goes back and forth between the three main groups: Merry and Pippin; Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli; and Frodo, Sam, and Golllum. The least attention is given to Merry and Pippin, the most to Aragorn and company. Frodo and Sam are with the computer-generated Gollum -- who manages to -not- be annoying, in the manner of Harry Potter's Dobby. Gollum actually shows one of the funniest scenes in the movie (yes, the Lord of the Rings is quite funny), in a scene where he talks to himself. However, Gimli also shines in this movie, with many very good moments. The plot centers mostly around Aragorn and his friends aiding the Men of Rohan, in a titanic battle at Helm's Deep. This scene takes up much of The Two Towers, and is brilliantly performed (Gimli, in this part, is wonderful). When it finishes, it gives a sense of an ending to the movie -- this time, there's no cliffhanger ending. A major victory has been won...but the war is still to be completed. The movie ends leaving off the final few chapters of the Two Towers. Shelob is not in this. Yet, surely, in a year, this will be the exciting part of the next movie. Wonderful movie. Highly recommended. Get your tickets -well- in advance.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Second Act
Review: Having just seen this film for the second time in 1 1/2 days, I now think I can write a reasonable review. All I can say is : WOW! Simply stunning. There are some significant departures from the book, so be warned, all you tolkien-purists. Having read the trilogy many, many, many times since high school( it being my all-time favorite book), it took a couple of viewings to be truly at ease with it. I won't go into a full-scale plot outline here, only to say that the film moves on its own, independent of the book, much like the Fellowship of the Ring did. It's a stand-alone piece, and is a very worthy successor to the first film.
The pace moves along at a great clip, and handles the three story lines quite well, without losing the audiences' attention.
The acting in this film seems of a higher caliber for most involved, which is saying something, since the acting in the first film was mostly top-notch. The visual effects are astounding. One word: Gollum. This CG creation seems to live and breath on film like a true actor, holding his own with anyone in the film. Such misery, such wretchedness, such deceit. The film will likely win the academy award for best visual effects based on his charactor alone, and most deservedly so. I'm sure some will whine about the length of the film( one minute shy of 3 hours), or the alteration of the story line( the charactor of Faramir, for instance), or the increased violence( the battle of Helm's Deep), but this is all moot. This is a fine, fine film, and will stand as an achievement of the first rank, only to be likely topped by next year's finale, The Return of the King. Please seet his film and enjoy it for its own merits, which are many. There is much to enjoy and be thrilled by. What a work of art.
Rating:
Summary: Masterful film adaptation continues
Review: We are in the middle of what is almost certain to be the greatest film adaptation of a book in the history of cinema. The Two Towers proves that what Peter Jackson et. al. accomplished in The Fellowship of the Ring was no fluke: Same absolute tracking with the essentials of Tolkien's story and message (most tellingly revealed when the Elvish forces show up at Helm's Deep to offer their meager but essential support and renew old alliances and pay off old debts); same brilliant portrayal of Aragorn as a man of destiny, yet haunted by his human finitude (I love how they did his relationship to Eomir); same sense of loss and longing, especially in the achingly poignant scenes with Elrond and Arwin; same sweep and grandeur, most telling on display in the mind-boggling battle scenes at Helm's Deep; and (perhaps the key to Jackson's success) same willingness to forego mere cinematic artistry and instead aim for a deep integrity of filmic transposition. In some ways, The Two Towers is an even greater achievement than the first installment. As with many trilogies, the second book of LOTR sags. It is essentially a bridge between books one and three. How to punch it up to make it play on the screen? That must've been the filmmaker's greatest problem to solve. And, with one significant exception, he brilliantly solved it. Even where the film stumbles slightly--the decision to recast Faramir as one tempted by the ring as was his brother Boromir--one sees that it was done to add drama to what is otherwise a more elegiac scene, something that would be difficult to convincingly portray as film. But Jackson's slight change in adding weight and agency to Saruman pays off huge here. And his rendering of Grima Wormtongue--along with the transformation of Theoden--is a very fine achievement. All in all, I have nothing but admiration for this project. Highest recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: Completely enthralling!
Review: This is a perfect sequal to The Fellowship. It keeps to the book well, but is also well cut to fit into a three hour movie. It deffinitely doesn't seem like a three hour movie either; by the time it is over everyone is thinking "but they can't finish it there! there has to be more!" The acting is just as spectacular as in the first film, and the music is just different enough to be new but still has some threads of the old soundtrack to string the two movies together. The special effects are beyond compare, just as in the first film, and the cinematography is fantastic. This movie is quite a bit more dark than the first one (what can you expect though, Frodo and Sam are getting closer to Mordor, and the rest of the company is just starting to fight the huge battle against Sauron)but there are bleeps of comic relief, oddly enough, most coming from Gollum. I was afraid Treebeard and Gollum would look ridiculously fake and silly, but I was pleasantly surprised by Treebeard realistic Entness and Gollum's realistic creepiness. Can you tell I loved the movie? It was fantastic and I will probably end up seeing it 10 times before it leaves the theatre, just like I saw The Fellowship;0). Everyone should see it!!
| 
