Rating: 
Summary: The Masterpiece Continues...
Review: After 'The Fellowship of the Ring' blazed across cinema screens in all its glory, it was really hard to imagine any film topping it off. Well, those who had read the book knew that what was to come would wipe the first film off the slate. Now, 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers' is here, and it has done the impossible - it IS better!
The film seamlessly runs straight from the first to the second, where we get an even better glimpse at what happened to Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen) on the Bridge of Khazad-Dum. The story then continues. Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) are in pursuit of the hobbits, Merry (Dominic Monohan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd), who have been kidnapped by a band of Suruman's (Christopher Lee) orcs. But the hobbits escape, and hide in Fangorn Forest, where they are rescued by a walking, talking tree called Treebeard. The Three Hunters also go into the forest, where they meet someone they don't expect. Soon, these four are off to Edoras, the capital of Rohan, which is under siege from Saruman. Meanwhile, Frodo (Elijiah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) continue towards Mordor. However, they are being followed by Gollum still, and the hobbits capture the snivelling creature and force him to lead them to Mordor.
Once again, Peter Jackson has outdone all expectations. The internal, psychological elements that were so irresistable in the first are back better than ever. Gollum is the most well-portrayed character, giving the creature much more psychological depth than expected. And, as usual, the jaw-dropping special effects continue. The last ten minutes of 'The Two Towers' is the most amazing, breathtaking ten minutes of cinema ever created. It literally leaves you gasping for air.
When it comes to great movies, this film is there. When it comes to brilliant movies, this one is there. Even when it comes to the exclusive catagory of masterpiece, this film, along with its predesessor, is there. There is no doubt that 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers' is the best film of the year. But the best thing is that, watching it, you know that what is coming up in twelve months time, the third and final instalement, 'The Return of the King' will be even better than this. After all, the only thing better than a Lord of the Rings film is another Lord of the Rings film.
Rating:
Summary: Lord of the Rings was my favorite movie until this!
Review: Now Two Towers is by far my favorite movie! Wow!I was afraid the makers of Lord of the Rings would let the movie kind of deteriorate after number one. Boy was I wrong. The movie kept everything up beautifully. They continued introducing awesome new characters and creatures; they continued journeying and seeing awesome new scenery and special effects; they continued coming up against emotional conflicts of will; and not only did they continue fighting; they went all out; this must be about half fighting-Haleluia-the last battle scene probably has like fifteen thousand men; and the special effects are just plain wild. Okay now the bad part now: many people will probably say this movie is no good because it is just too much fun for it to be right for one man to enjoy. They will make excuses like: There are too many Battles, too many characters, and too much scenery. What did they expect in a Fantasy? What they are really trying to say is: Too much fun! And if you want to have too much fun, buy this movie now!
Rating:
Summary: Towering above moviedom
Review: This is the third best movie ever. The fellowship has divided into three groups. Aragorn-Legolas-Gimli, Frodo-Sam, Merry-Pippin. A dear friend, and old enemy, and many new characters appear.
Frodo and Sam continue towards Mordor to destroy the Ring of Doom, Merry and Pippin begin to mature and help change the way the war will end, and Aragorn begins to show he's ready to be king by commanding armies of a new nation that Saruman is trying to conquer.
This is darker than the Fellowship and more violent. Frodo is slowly being corrupted, and is slowly growing weaker to the Ring. This is a story of friendship, war, good-and-evil, and redemption.
This won't make much sense with the other two movies.
Rating:
Summary: Blows me away - again.
Review: When I saw The Fellowship of the Ring, I was stunned. I honestly could not decide if I liked it or not until it sunk in. I thought I would be prepared for The Two Towers: either love it or be slightly dissapointed. Surprisingly, I had the same feeling. I did not know how I felt about Towers. I couldn't dislike it. And yet I found it very hard to like it. I have finally decided I love it. It is not better than Fellowship. But it just might be as good. The words to describe the first movie would be cathartic, moving, and touching, with an emotional climax. The second movie has a major action climax and is stirring, thrilling, and rousing. While I get choked up and excited by the Fellowship, I feel weary (intentionally) and get chills up my spine in certain scenes. This time around, though, I get a definite feeling of the books. Slightly more how I imagined them, perhaps only because I had seen the first movie. The songs at the end of each movie beautifully describe the film. Enya's 'May It Be' plays during the final credits of The Fellowship of the Ring. It is beautiful but sad, hopeful but lulling. 'Gollum's Song' is sung by a harsh but emotional female voice. It is pretty but depressing, awesome but foreboding. As for the story, Frodo and Sam, two hobbits or halflings, are continuing their journey to Mount Doom to destroy the one ring. They meet up with the slinking gollum, a tragic character addicted to the ring. In another story line, Aragorn, heir to the throne of Gondor, Legolas, an elven archer, and Gimli, a fighsty dwarf, search for Merry and Pippin, two hobbits captured by the Uruk-hai. The third story line is with Merry and Pippin who meet up with a tree-creature in a lively forest. (It's a terrible summary, but you're just going to have to watch the movies to know what I'm talking about.) Colors are bleak. Music is lovely. By now the characters are so lovable its almost unbearable. I mean, traveling with them through one three hour movie (Fellowship) was tough enough, but now we get to bond with them for three more hours. Elijah Wood is adorable as the burdened ringbearer Frodo gradually slipping into madness and obsession. Viggo Mortensen is fantastic and you realize just how hot he really is as Aragorn. Arwen, Galadriel, and Elrond have cameos and they are all heart wrenching. Sam is lovely, Pippin is cute, Merry is thoughtful, Legolas is whistle-worthy, and Gimli is wonderful. Newcomers include Miranda Otto as a strong Eowyn, Bernard Hill as an okay Theodon, and Karl Urban as a thoroughly convincing Eomer. Andy Serkis as Gollum was, as far as I could tell, flawless. Wormtongue was suitably creepy. The only character I was not immediately satisfied with was Faramir. The actor was fine, but he seemed more sinister than I pictured Faramir as. I have a feeling though that he will be redeemed in Return of the King, because he had the softspokenness and thoughtfullness to pull it off. Anyway. You should check this one out. And see it at least twice - it is better the second time. There is too much to assimilate the first time.
Rating: 
Summary: well...
Review: The first movie was great but this one was boring. Nothing at all happened during the neverending 3 hours. Maybe it was supposed to lack action...hopefully the last one would be better.
Rating: 
Summary: another purist
Review: I think I have read the books at least 7 times over 15 years, and I really enjoy them. The movies have both been cinematic triumphs, extraordinarily impressive. I am, however, one of those people having difficulty with the changes Jackson is making, and they have a theme. He is taking the heros of the story and giving them flaws to make them seem more human. This is a fantasy! The heros are not supposed to have these flaws. Gandalf never told Sauramon about the ring, he knew better. And Sauromon was never obviously in league with Sauron, he was seeking the ring for himself. Aragorn never inteacted with Frodo as he was leaving the Fellowship, much less hinted at taking the ring from him. And Farimir was almost instantly aware that the ring was not something he wanted to posess, but helped Frodo & Sam get back to their journey with as much speed and help as he could offer.
I have minor issue with the change of Glorfindel to Arwen in the first movie, and actrually appreciate Jackson trying to incorporate some of the scenes in teh Appendix into the story to exaplain the history between Aragorn & Arwen. But the scene he inserted about Aragorn being afraid to take up the Kingship. Please! And the scene with Arwen leaving for the Havens, fabrication. Once she made the commitment to Aragorn, never in the books was there a suggestion that she waivered. The change in the reaction of Treebeard to the information provided to him in the meeting with Merry & Pippin is another (minor) irritation. The Ents were already distressed about the unnecessary hewing of trees by the Orcs, and the story of the treachery of Sauramon pushed him over the edge. Not the other way around. Granted, most of these are in the first movie. And I realize that these are all very human reactions that Jackson has created, but they are not in keeping with the construct of the original books or with the concept of fantasy. For those who have never read the books, or do not remember them, it is a wonderful movie. For those who love the story, it can be a bit hard to see it changed.
Rating:
Summary: the lord of the rings fan.
Review: The two towers is a nonstop action packed movie. It had good
graphics . It was close to what the book had. I can not wait
for the return of the king. It will be the best of them all.
Rating:
Summary: A good movie, but a horrible adaptation
Review: I can see JRR Tolkien rolling over and over in his grave. Purist that he was, I doubt he would have approved of the first film, but this one would have killed him (if he weren't already dead). All of the epic grandeur, the grand scope and stunning developments of plot and characters--gone. What we are left with is a Hollywood adaptation--basically, something that sells well. First, for what I liked about the movie. The effects were absolutely stunning, and I thought the Ents' assault on Isengard was one of the greatest special effect action sequences ever. Helm's Deep was pretty good, too, though almost all the characters were in places other than where they are in the books. And Gandalf's fight with the Balrog was awesome. Had there never been a LOTR book, I would have loved this movie. Now, for the bad. Knowing what I do about the books, having grown up delighted again and again by the incredible power of the story, I couldn't help but let out a sigh for what might have been. What might have been if Peter Jackson was as big a Tokien fan as he says he is. What might have been if Jackson would have realized that Tolkien possessed a genius for storytelling that he never will. Like many others, I was abhorred to see Faramir turned into a bad guy. The whole purpose of his character in the book is to draw a noble contrast to Boromir. The whole montage of Arwen and the Elves leaving middle-earth (which there is NO way Elrond would ever do, since he is guarding one of the three elvish rings and will wait till the One is destroyed before setting sail) was nothing short of ridiculous, not to mention completely unnecessary. Gimli has been reduced to a babbling buffoon, good only for comic relief and modeled (in my opinion) after the donkey in Shrek. Frodo has turned into a Freudian nightmare, proving that the ring, in fact, makes you more crazy than evil. Sauron must be a nutcase. Eomer barely plays a part, and Theoden is a stubborn old coot. I loved the Fellowship of the Ring--I thought Jackson did a wonderful job. But I was so disappointed with this one that I can't hardly bear to watch the first film anymore. It IS entertaining, I'll admit that much, but for anyone that admired Tolkien for his the sheer power of his narrative, this movie will not do. We're just going to have to keep waiting for the faithful movie version of The Lord of the Rings.
Rating:
Summary: Movie = Movie, Book = Book. there is a difference
Review: As anyone who has ever moved out of their parent's house knows, no movie is exactly like the book it was BASED upon. It's simply impossible. By their very nature, every book causes their readers to create an interpretation of the story in their heads, and each reader will have a different interpretation. This movie the version of the book Peter Jackson created in his head. That being said, please automatically disregard any review that is negative based solely on the fact it doesn't follow the book to the letter. Is this movie a good movie based soley on it's own merits? Sure it is. The acting is superb, that action sequences and special effects are amazing, and the sets and locations are breathtaking. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Peter Jackson's INTERPRETATION of Tolkien's masterpiece. Also, keep in mind that just like the books, these movies are a continuing story. In a traditional trilogy like Star Wars, each movie has a beginning, middle and end and can stand on their own. These movies are a beginning, a middle and an end, and really should be seen in the context of each other, so don't be suprised by the non-ending.
Rating:
Summary: Awsome!!
Review: If you thought that the ending in the "Fellowship of the Ring" was dumb, you would be wrong! "The Two Towers" continues the terrifying journey of Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Austin) in an attempt to destroy the Evil Ring, the ancient Ring of Sauron, by casting it back into the fires of the volcano, Mt. Doom. It's a classic adventure story, a true epic novel from author John Ronald Ruel Tolkien. While Frodo and Sam struggle to reach Mt. Doom through the help of the mischievious Gollum, Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas are out to save the Kingdom of Rohan, and Merry and Pippin, who've been kidnapped by Orc and the fighting Uruk-hai, have just escaped, and now, they've met a new friend, the Ent (tree guardian) Treebeard! Join the talking tree and the two hobbits as they go for some Orc/Saruman fightin', rock throwin', a feel the joy as they break the dam of Isengard and flood the place! In this novel, we are introduced to King Theoden and the Kingdom of Rohan, who are corrupted by the king's advisor, Wormtongue, who happens to be a spy from Saruman! Can Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas, who are reunited with Gandalf the White (perviously Gandalf the White) (played by Ian McKellen), save the day? Sure they can! And we are introduced to Eomar, the king's nephew, and Eowyn, the king's niece. See the most exciting part in the story, the battle in the Rohan fortress, Helm's Deep, as the heroes battle millions of Uruk-hai! Meanwhile, while the battle rages on, and while Merry and Pippin are with Treebeard and his Ents, Frodo and Sam, who've just met Faramir and his other men, are learning to trust Gollum. He happens to be one of the funny characters. This movies was awsome, and best of all, it'll probably become a classic. Here at Amazon.com, it has received many 5-Star reveiws, but that bad part is that it also has 1-Star reveiws, but don't let that stop you from seeing it. Though "Chicago" took the Best Picture Award, "The Two Towers" will always be the best picture of 2003 to me.
|
