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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
Your Price: $71.93
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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Two Towers In Three Hours
Review: TWO TOWERS IN THREE HOURS

Gee whiz, this sure was some movie! Action, adventure, pathos, violence, kissing--you name it, Two Towers has got it. I am so impressed by this masterpiece that I think somebody should turn it into a book. It might sell very well.
(I've heard that there already is a book called "The Two Towers," written in the 1940s by some Oxford philologist named, I think, Tolkien. But Peter Jackson need not worry about using the same title for a book based on his movie. Nobody who has read Tolkien's book, and seen Jackson's movie, will ever confuse the two.)

Two reviews for the price of one:

Review for people who have never read Tolkien, and don't intend to: This beautifully-photographed adventure film should delight you no end. The exciting events, the constant shifting from one perspective to another, the courage of the heroes, and the hilarious antics of that noted zany, Gimli the Dwarf, should wring the withers and lift the spirits of young and old alike. You may find the portrayal of Frodo Baggins (by Elijah Wood) a little, um, wooden: he excels at standing still and staring unblinkingly while trying to make up his mind to actually DO something. (He's also very good at falling down. His belly-flop into the Dead Marshes is especially impressive.) But he contributes greatly to the movie, by taking the concept of the "reluctant hero" to new and hitherto undreamed-of heights.
See the film, by all means. Those special effects will just knock your socks off, yessirree!

Review for those who love Tolkien's masterpiece: Take two aspirins and watch it. The opening will please you; then it's all downhill. You may feel angry at first, but eventually you'll probably start giggling. Did you know that Gimli was from Scotland? Listen to that accent grow! (At one point he even calls Aragorn "laddie.") Did you know that Aragorn fell off a cliff into a river and disappeared for several days? Did you know that Théoden was a zombie, his body literally possessed by Saruman? Did you know that several hundred elves came to help the Rohirrim at Helm's Deep--where Théoden had moved the entire population of Edoras? Did you know... but why should I spoil this chef-d'oeuvre further, by giving away its innumerable "improvements" on Tolkien? You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll cringe, you'll squirm, you'll wince (at the 200th close-up of Frodo's wide-eyed face). You certainly won't watch it twice, except for giggles. It's much worse than the first film.

Envoi:
I did find myself wondering what Peter Jackson does in his spare time. Perhaps he writes improved versions of Mozart's symphonies, or touches up Rembrandts, or takes a chisel and enhances Michelangelo's David.

I must admit I am very eagerly awaiting Part III. It should be a riot. Can we start a contest to predict how Jackson will end his epic? Based on what I have seen so far, I think that Aragorn will be living in a ménage à trois with Arwen and Eowyn; Frodo will become a mannequin in a shop window (since he is already almost indistinguishable from one); Gimli will get a job as a slapstick comedian at a nightclub in Minas Tirith; and Gandalf will become a full-time exorcist ("Begone, Saruman!"). You'll enjoy making your own guesses after you've seen this travesty. (What a pity it is that poor old Professor Tolkien couldn't think up all the neat things that Mr. Jackson has put into this wonderful film!)

PS - Contrary to what some reviewers have said, it is not impossible to transfer a literary masterpiece to the screen without ruining it. Read Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, then watch the BBC series. Read Massie's Nicholas and Alexandra, then watch the movie. It can be done. But not by Peter Jackson. He is much too great a creative artiste to allow his brilliance to be stifled by the writings of a mere genius.

Namárië.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Peter Jackson has vision
Review: There are many people who are Tolkien purists, I have read LOTR so many times I have lost count. That being said I believe that Peter Jackson has done a superb job thus far. Anyone could nit pick but I believe that we as the audience owe it to the director to suspend all the pride and predjudice and watch as he unfolds the story for us. He has done everything that he could, and more, to follow the path of the ring-bearers, as well as the other main characters. As the story teller, he has remained true, without getting us lost in all the flash of special effects. For those who enjoy epic tales, these movies are what you need.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: As expected
Review: From the first movie you could expect what would happen, and this one proves it was well written as was the special effects. I especially enjoyed the sequence of the trees coming to life. I would like to see more of the special effects in this movie involving the Elves, which they bring an important part of the movie. All in all it is not a movie you can just up and leave the room, you miss one second of The Two Towers you'll be confused. In the beginning I had no idea what was a dream and what was real, it went back and forth so much that after a few minutes you hoped they didn't go back into a dream sequence again. I enjoyed the movie, excellent casting, directing and a well written script. Take out the popcorn and don't move.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Not a fan and I still enjoyed this
Review: I've never been able to plod through Tolkein's work, but I've really been enjoying these movies. I can't wait for the end!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Just as good as the first
Review: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is just as good if not better than the first movie in the series. Picking up where the first one left off, Towers perfectly continues the stories as the Fellowship has been broke up in the efforts to return the One Ring to the fiery pits of Mordor. Frodo and Sam are joined by Gollum, the previous owner of the ring. This is an excellent part of the story as Gollum decides what to do with them and Frodo begins to suffer more under the wrath of the ring. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli find themselves in Gondor where they join with the king Theodin who is evacuating his people to the fortress of Helm's Deep. Just like the first one, Towers leaves on a cliffhanger that leaves viewers desperately wanting to see more. Also, the battle for Helm's Deep is one of the greatest battle sequences ever made and should not be missed. The forces of both Sauron and Saruman converging on the stone fortress guarded by a much smaller opponent makes for a battle that is incredible too watch. After watching the movie, check out the documentary on The Return of the King and the battles that will take place in that movie. See what Peter Jackson says about those battles to put it all into perspective. In one battle sequence, he says there will be as many as 200,000 warriors, on one side.

The whole cast returns for this second installment and is just as good as the first one. Elijah Wood as Frodo, Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, Ian McKellin as Gandalf, Sean Astin as Sam, Orlando Bloom as Legolas, John Rhys-Davies as Gimli, Christopher Lee as Saruman, are all great in their performances, just as they were in the first one. The DVD is very good offering widescreen presentation, theatrical trailers, an impressive preview of Return of the King, numerous documentaries, and so much more. This is a great movie that should not be missed. Fellowship and Towers are so far the greatest fantasy movies ever made. I can't wait to see The Return of the King in December as well as the Special Edition 4-disc set coming out in November. While the movie may differ from the book at certain points, it is still very good. Fans of Tolkien will still love The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Go out and buy this DVD!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Entertaining, but slightly bumpy....
Review: This movie is amazing. It is the visually pleasing sequel to the movie adaption of one of the most amazing movies of all time: Fellowship of the Ring. Tolkien's world is again brought to life by an amazing cast and technological crew. This second portion of the tale brings excitement, some interesting character development for new characters like Gollum, Wormtongue, and Éowyn, as well as enhancement of the stories of Frodo and Sam, Merry and Pippin, and Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. Although this movie is interesting and truly other-worldly, it immerses viewers in a world very different from that of the "Fellowship". This second installment does feature good, emotionally intense moments (Frodo's further breakdown with the Ring, Gollum's dual nature, and Arwen's choice for a life with Aragorn contrary to the wishes of Elrond), but it does not have the same fantasy, dream-like feel of the first one. We will not marvel at the splendor of an Elfin palace nor feel at home in the Shire with Bilbo and Gandalf. Instead, we will watch a panoramic battle-sequence that speeds up the heartbeat but does not fill the heart entirely. The pacing of the movie is choppy at some points, but wonderful moments like Gandalf's assistance at Helm's Deep and the last march of the Ents bring back the feel of Middle-Earth. Some parts could have been avoided (Spoilers to follow....)
like Haldir's death, Aragorn's fall, and a few other moments. I will not nitpick, because these movies take a grand amount of effort, but keeping in more of the basic chapters of the Two Towers book would make the pacing a little better. (Why don't Merry and Pippin meet up with Aragorn and the others?!). All in all, a great movie that is immersing and worth watching again.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: SHAKY SECOND INSTALLMENT - BRILLIANT TRANSFER
Review: "The Two Towers" follows the continuing saga of Frodo, the hobbitt entrusted with returning the sacred gold ring to Mordor to save middle earth from utter destruction. As trilogies go I'm reserving my final judgment until I see part three. But as sequels go I must say that this one fell a little short of my expectations. Yes, it is a breathtaking visual experience to behold and yes, equally stirring are the performances from the expansive cast of characters. Yet there seems to be something of that spark of magic - so evident in the first movie - that is lacking in part two.

Unlike, say "The Empire Strikes Back" which is the second installment of the first "Star Wars" trilogy and is brilliantly and fully realized as both a sequel to the original film and a stand alone piece of fiction, "The Two Towers" cannot and does not function apart from the original "Lord of the Rings". It needs the familiarity of Part One to encourage a viewer onward throughout its three hour plus running time.

TRANSFER: A stunning example of DVD's capabilities. The picture is rich, bold and vibrantly balanced. The stylized picture is beautifully rendered. Black levels are solid. Fine detail, black and contrast levels are superbly realized. Only the slightest hint of pixelization is detected as well as a modest amount of edge enhancement - though nothing to distract one from this visual experience. The audio is 5.1 and astounding in its bass and spread across all five channels. This soundtrack really rocks the house.
Extras: Too many to go into detail but the 10 minute teaser for "The Return of the King" is nicely done. Ditto for the documentary on the making of part two, although it strangely has the look, feel and flavor of the documentary on the making of part one. A few other featurettes round out your DVD viewing enjoyment.
BOTTOM LINE: If you own part one then you'll want to get part two. Personally, I'm hoping that the third installment will bring everything to a justifiable climax, something I found lacking in "The Twin Towers".

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I dont know how anyone can rate this 3 stars or less.
Review: I've just read quite a few reviews made be people on the two towers and some of them are simply incoherent and weak to be perfectly honest, like people moaning about how long it was and how the detailed story line just did not grip them, true enough alot of vital points where missed out from book to film but it's no great loss the story line is still well constucted with the minor (you hardly notice it) inclusion of Arwen (yet again). One review was going on about alot of films are been centred around violance (some complete left wing unrealistic fantasist no doubt) but violance is infact human nature, yes it is wrong but it's a film and if you watch this and get ideas of killing then you obviously have something wrong with you and it's not as if a utopia would be possible in a world constructed anywhere as violance is a flaw of human nature and two towers is about over coming violance anyway so get your facts right anomanous viewer. I have read the books (including silmalirion, hobbit and unfinished tales) about 6 times now and can honestly say despite some obvious flaws, that Peter Jackson and team have done the book justice and have released the best ever fantasy epic (so far) to date and this is such a quintessential film that anyone who is a fan of films or books should own it i cant recommened the two towers enough and am waiting in excpectation to see return of the king after this somewhat darker than the amazing fellowship of the ring release, and if these two films are the preludes to the devastating climax then imagine the extended return of the king (try and watch all the extended editions in one day).

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: KEEP GOING!!!!!!
Review: I LOVED THIS MOVIE! I HADN'T SEEN IT IN THE MOVIE THEATER BUT WHEN I SAW THE WAY MY FAVORITE CHARACTER KICKED ... (MY FAVORITE CHARACTER IS LEGOLAS), I WAS AMAZED! IF YOU HAVE A DVD PLAYER, YOU HAVE TO GET THIS IN DVD. IT COMES WITH BEHIND THE SENCES STUFF THAT YOU DAN'T GET IN VIDEOS. BEST MOVIE I'VE EVER SEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: they've done it again
Review: The Lord of the Rings has come back to our screens again and it is definetly better than the first. The film is better on the small screen because you can pause it and have a break whenever you like. The is very long so I usually pause it half way through and come back to it later. The battle of helms deep is beautifully done, proberly the best battle scene ever on the big screen. The characters develop more and the quest becomes harder. For Frodo the ring is beginning to take control of him. For Aragorn he is beginning to relise what he must do. After the dissapointment of Star Wars and The Matrix Reloaded it is good to see a sequel go right


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