Rating: 
Summary: Outdoes its predecessor
Review: After growing up on Star Wars, I was wary of the middle epic in a trilogy. Episode V of Star Wars always seemed flat and discouraging. However, I left the theater after The Two Towers walking on air.Simply put, The Two Towers was magnificent. I battled my way through parts of The Fellowship of the Ring because of the noise, the violence, and the constantly changing scenes and ideas. You had to get used to so many characters and landscapes and homes and cultures--literally an entirely different world--while at the same time following an incredible plot. With TTT, however, I truly felt like a part of the fellowship. I knew the characters, knew their mission, and knew the bad guys by heart. People may say that TTT has no beginning and no end, but that is exactly how it is meant to be. It ties in perfectly with the Fellowship and ends suspensfully for the much awaited Return of the King. This movie followed the book fairly well, although I personally was furious over the confusing part Eowyn played. Admittedly, I like her far better than Arwen, but she was not meant to be so important or personal in the book. Also, everyone is complaining about Faramir. My father simply says that Faramir was a spoiled brat in the book anyway, so the same message gets across in the end. I'm not excusing Jackson for messing up a character, but let us wait and see what he does with Faramir in the end. And of course Gollum was terrific. We'd just begun the first scenes with him and my dad (who has read the trilogy 16 times over) turned to me with a huge smile on his face. Yes, Gollum was perfect. My dad thought Wormtongue might have been the best actor in the movie, for his small part was so magnificently played that he shone. Theoden was OK; not strong, but he wasn't supposed to be. I also thought Sam did a terrific job. He's so simple and yet so honest and true... and so wise. The last scenes almost brought tears to my eyes when Frodo and Sam imagine young hobbits asking about their adventures in the future. Legolas was great; flipping onto that horse is an art only possible of an elf. Skiing down the stairs of Helm's Deep on a shield was a little corny, but he still did a great job. Aragorn also appeared as a very strong character, but all the love scenes with Arwen got on my nerves. His strength and the king within him are unfolding. And Gimli was wonderful! The comic relief in such a long and furious movie was welcomed with much laughter all over the theater. Gandalf did a great job, although I miss his intimacy from the Fellowship. He is a perfect picture of Christ, rising from the dead, casting out the evil spirit of Sauron (aka satan), and always coming to the rescue in a glory of splendor. Frodo did an excellent job as well; thumbs up to Elijah Wood. He had a hard part to play and can never come across as the most colorful character in it. Yet Wood doesn't seem to care; he is more concerned with acurately portraying Frodo Baggins, and he does an excellent job. Basically, this trilogy is the movie of the decade, if not the movie of our century. Well done, Peter Jackson. What about The Hobbit?
Rating: 
Summary: "Improvements" to Story Distract
Review: While I enjoyed this second installment in the LOTR trilogy, I left the theatre with significant qualms about this film. My concerns center around the changes made to Tolkien's story and characters. Apparently, Peter Jackson thought that Tolkien's story wasn't compelling enough in its original form, so he decided to rewrite portions of it. Jackson also made some changes in the plot of The Fellowship of the Ring, but the changes made in that film were relatively minor, and understandable as part of an effort to cut the story down to manageable length and trim a few tangential characters. Here, however, portions of the story are changed wholesale, and plot elements are grossly embellished. Some of Jackson's tinkering is not all that troublesome. To my thinking, the added scenes elaborating on the romance between Aragorn and Arwen were not objectionable, since they flesh out a plot line alluded to in the books. Also, the comic relief provided by Gimli does offer a laugh or two in appropriate places, and seem in the spirit (if not the letter) of Gimli's blustery literary character. The depiction of Gollum as a split personality is inspired by material in the book, and is a compelling realization of this despicable and ultimately sad character. Other changes made, however, are much harder to fathom. One example should suffice. In the book, when Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli meet Theoden in his hall at Edoras, the elderly Theoden is tired and doddering, and under the influence of a pernicious courtier, "Wormtongue". Wormtongue has been whispering bad advice into Theoden's ear, filling him with doubts and indecision. Gandalf, aware of what has been going on, confronts Wormtongue and denounces him to the king, while working his magic (somewhat slowly and subtly) to reinvigorate Theoden. Although (as Tolkien reminds us several times), Theoden remains an aged man after his "cure", he gains strength, and as he does so, his mind clears and he begins to doubt Wormtongue. We learn only later in the story that Wormtongue was working on Saruman's behalf to undermine Rohan. In Jackson's version, we meet Theoden as hideously aged and decrepit (if not almost unconscious). Gandalf undertakes a sort of exorcism of Theoden, in dramatic fashion, and in the course of this it becomes clear that Theoden's body is actually possessed by Saruman. While conducting this exorcism, Aragorn et al. physically scuffle with Wormtongue and the members of Theoden's household. At the moment Saruman is expelled from Theoden's body, the scene cuts to Orthanc, where we see Saruman crash to the floor. Theoden then morphs into a hale middle-aged man. This illustrates how a scene from the book that could have been depicted with subtlety, drama and mysticism was turned into a farcical exorcism, with everything except a spinning head and pea soup. An important dramatic element of Tolkien's story is how the elderly Theoden, with a little help from Gandalf, needs to summon the strength and willpower to fight the good fight one last time in order to redeem humanity. In Jackson's version, the exorcised Theoden's continued doubts and soul-searching don't make sense if he has been freed of his "demon", and don't seem to square with his middle-aged vigor. Furthermore, the changes create problems with the plotline. If Saruman possessed Theoden's body, why would Saruman need to have Wormtongue whispering in Theoden's ear? There are at least half a dozen more examples of this. While there was much in the movie to enjoy, a number of us are stunned that Jackson was arrogant enough to think he could improve Tolkien's work. We can only hope that the "extended version" fixes a few of these flaws, and in any event that the third film is more faithful to the book.
Rating:
Summary: This Time It's Personal, Hobbit!
Review: Last year's The Fellowship Of The Ring, director Peter Jackson's first entry in his three-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings, provided little cause for complaint. At once thoroughly cinematic and faithful to the spirit (if not always the letter) of Tolkien's book, it presented Middle Earth as an immersive experience, a world in which every aspect is realized in minute detail. Fellowship made the impossible believable, and without draining the magical happenings, fantastical locations, and uncanny creatures of their wonder, it also never abandoned a sense of dramatic and thematic weight. As embodied by a well-chosen cast, Fellowship's characters had all the depth Tolkien gave them on the page (and sometimes more), and their quest to rid the world of a ring of absolutely corrupting power took on greater urgency as the film progressed toward a cliffhanger that set up its second part. The film has plenty of action, as soulful hobbits Elijah Wood and Sean Astin make their way toward Mordor, friends Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan find unlikely allies deep in a forest, and the dwarf/elf/human team of John Rhys-Davies, Orlando Bloom, and Viggo Mortensen attempts to defend a struggling kingdom from the forces of Christopher Lee. What makes Towers so staggering is the way it brings the full scope of Jackson's adaptation into focus. Without missing a beat in three hours, the film shifts from epic to lyrical and back. It portrays a harrowingly intense battle one moment, then pauses for a father's grief over his son's death the next. It shows in frightening detail the engines of war, then links those engines to the bloodshed they exact and the ecological destruction that made them possible. What Fellowship suggested, Towers elucidates. It's thrilling as swords clash and arrows fly, but it also never abandons the underlying sadness of Tolkien's world, in which each victory only forestalls the transition to a meaner age. Next year, The Return Of The King will bring the story to a close. Until then, it feels almost like a privilege to watch the unfolding of a tale from a fantastic imagined past rich with resonance for the human present.
Rating:
Summary: Better than the first?? Truer to the original?!? NOT.
Review: Anyone who thinks that the movie The Two Towers stays more faithful to the book has either never read the trilogy, or needs to have their head examined. Peter Jackson himself has said that this movie departs the most from Tolkien out of the three movies. That said, this film is amazing. The Tolkien purists will have a hard time with the departures, (and there are many), but overall this is overshadowed by excellent writing, acting, and Gollum. He really is the show stealer in this, and for that reason I recommend seeing this twice. I don't think there are any movies (even Star Wars) that I would recommend repeated viewings, but I think its necessary in this case to fully appreciate this movie. Gollum has been so well crafted and directed that it is entirely possible to get over the fact that he is 1's and 0's, and relate to him as simply another major character of the story. I found that the first time I watched this movie, I was staring at the edges and periphery of Gollum's character, to try to see the trickery being used, which was distracting. The second time I saw it, I was able to stop analyzing the visual information, and just relate to him as an actor. In that respect, Two Towers was better when viewed the second time. This movie is worth seeing only on the basis of having revolutionized the CG character. No other movie has come close to cunningly portraying a real physical presence of a CG character, gotten the lip-synching perfect, and having the character be an integral and entertaining part of the main plot. Other than that, there are great special effects, wide panoramic locations, and phenomenal action sequences that one would come to expect from this series. My personal favorite action sequence is when the Ents lay seige to Isengard. It may not be a conventional battle sequence, but it is very original and shows a lot of thought to the idea of living trees in battle. I will say that I did prefer the intimacy and characterizations that made Fellowship of the Ring so enjoyable. So in that case, the first movie is still my favorite, but this one is just as good.
Rating:
Summary: Great piece of filmmaking and storytelling
Review: I was eagerly expecting for this second installment of the franchise of the "Lord of the Rings". I liked a lot what I read in the book, it was more intense, and with a lot of action.
Of course I knew, like in the first movie, this wasn't to be an exact copy of the book, but that was fine to me. If you want to have an exact translation of the book, instead of watching the movie, BUY the book. There is simply impossible to translate everything into a movie, it just can't be done. Of course, many will argue about some minor (and major) changes, which purists will loathe about. For instance, the changes about Faramir. I know that in the book he was like a noble, untouched-by-the-ring character, but in the movie, a human (brother of Boromir, remember, the one who falled for the ring) who is not tempted by the ring, doesn't fit. Come on, even Frodo now is falling for the ring, so, if you found a human who isn't, why you shouldn't give him then the ring instead? And like this, I could go on. The omission of Shelob, giving more importance to other characters, and so on. But you have to be reminded that is NOT only for the fans of the books, but also to the major audiences, so, many omissions have to be made.
I, for one, am pretty pleased with the translation (and I am a big fan of the book!), and can't wait for the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Simply the best movie of 2002
Review: The Two Towers which is the second installment of Tolkein's 3-part book has captured the audience's attention. The movie is the best of all time. Better than The Fellowship of the Ring. The Two Towers picks up where The Fellowship left off. Sam and Frodo are traveling through the Emyn Muil on their way to Mordor to destroy the One Ring of Power. The last of the Fellowship (Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli) are chasing after the mighty Uruk-Hai who have taken Merry and Pippin. Jackson does an excellent job of picking up right where Fellowship left off. He doesn't give a re-cap which is great. The beginning of the movie has a surprise to those who have not read the books. I won't ruin the movie for those many people. The movie starts with Sam and Frodo who are traveling through the Emyn Muil to Mordor. They meet up with the creature Gollum whom, as we have heard in Fellowship is possessed by the ring. Frodo and Sam capture Gollum and make him swear by the ring, his precious, that he will lead them to the Black Gate of Mordor (Minas Morgul). Meanwhile, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli are on the trail of the Sauruman's Uruk-Hai who have captured Merry and Pippin. Aragorn's efforts will lead the three to the a camp set up by their quarry. Apparently there was a struggle and it seems that Merry and Pippin are dead. But wait! Aragorn discovers tracks that lead into the Fangorn forest. Merry and Pippin have escaped from the Uruk-Hai, but are pursued into the Fangorn forest by an Orc who is desperate to have them for dinner. Merry and Pippin encounter the Ent, Treebeard, who then leads them to a safe spot. Meanwhile, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli follow the tracks and come across Treebeard who then leads them to the White Man who is surprise!
Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli ride to Rohan to seek council with King Theoden whose mind is being poisened by Sauruman's filthy henchmen Grima Wormtounge. Sam and Frodo are stuck in the Dead Marshes. Frodo questions Gollum about how he came across the ring and also convicts Gollum of once being a Hobbit. Gollum then fights with his other self(his good self) Smeagol. Smeagol in the end wins. They arrive at the Black Gate but it's nearly impossible to get past. Smeagol suggests a new route. Frodo agrees but Sam has his doubts. King Theoden receives word of the advancing forces of Sauruman's Uruk-Hai and has ordered that everyone evacuate and move to Helm's Deep. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli travel with him. On the way, Theoden's small force is attacked by a group of Orcish scouts. Aragorn falls off a cliff and is presumed dead. Sam and Frodo have been captured by Faramir and his band. They are taken to Osgilith. Faramir is taken by the ring as did his brother Boromir. King Theoden arrives at Helm's Deep and awaits the oncoming horde of the Uruk-Hai. The battle of Helm's Deep is the most astonishing feat the CG has to offer. The battle is intense and is depicted very well and it even invites some humor from our little hero Gimli. Merry and Pippin try to convince Treebeard to go to war with Isengard. Only when Treebeard surveys the land surrounding Isengard (trees have been destroyed and leveled as far as the eye can see) does he decide to go to war. Back at Helm's Deep, the victory is hopeless for Rohan as the Orcs pummel the Keep. Just when all hope is lost, surprise! Sam and Frodo are taken to Minas Tirith which is being attacked by the Nazgul and the forces of Mordor. Faramir lets Sam, Frodo and Smeagol go. Smeagol again has another fight with his evil twin, Gollum. Gollum wins and decides to kill Frodo and Sam by taking them to HER. The End The Two Towers is a really great film and I recommend anyone and everyone to see it before it's too late. Even those who are not Lord of the Rings fans will appreciate this movie for what it is. The cinematography is great and the storyline is true to the book and the CG are awesome and breathtaking. Jackson has done an awesome job. I'm counting the days till The Two Towers comes out on DVD probably around August same as Fellowship and I'm also counting the days till The Return of the King comes into theaters this December.
Bottom Line: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: an instant favorite
Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Middle Act of Middle Earth!
Review: This is the kind of movie you will want to own. Like the Empire Strikes Back, this is a brilliant middle act. Having seen it several times, it remains entertaining. The hyperkinetic cinematography is possibly the best ever filmed. Breathtaking shots. Golem has some outstanding comic moments. The battle scenes are some of the most involving and exciting.
Isn't it interesting that in 2002-03 the big hit has moral clarity and is written buy a guy named Tolkien who would be over 30? Maybe classic storytelling is the most universal and the most profitable. Take careful note of this Hollywood! This looks great on DVD!
Rating:
Summary: The Two Towers
Review: My challenged english teacher encompassed our class with the book, The Fellowship of the Ring. She also wanted us to see the movie, The Fellowship of the Ring. She was taking us to see The Two Towers. I really didn't enjoy the book. The movie was okay. Then when I went to see The Two Towers. I LOVED the movie. I had to go back and see the movie again! I can not wait until it comes out on DVD. The movie encouraged me to read the book. So far I like the book better than the movie, but I still love the movie. The only problems that I may have with the movie is that the Elves never came to Helms Deep and Aragorn never floated down a river. I still love the movie! I can't wait until the Return of the King comes out!
Rating: 
Summary: Very few people giving 5 stars have read the books!
Review: Don't be fooled! All these people saying that "The Two Towers" followed the original story line - have not read the book! Or at least they haven't read it since childhood. At almost every turning, this movie bastardized and embellished Tolkien's "The Two Towers." They changed almost everything! And peter jackson committed a cardinal sin! He villanized Faramir! Faramir was one of the most noble characters in "The Lord of the Rings." Aragorn loved him for his true sight and inner strength. In the movie, Faramir tried to take Frodo and Sam to Gondor! What? Where did that come from? Why did you do that, peter? Why? There was no reason for that. In the book, Faramir did not know about the "ring of power," let alone know that Frodo had it. He only knew that Frodo held something secret and that it was vital and necessary for him to go to Mordor. He trusted Frodo. Faramir was my favorite character in the whole trilogy (the books). I walked out after seeing how peter jacksh!t had him portrayed. I did not see the end, and will not go see the third movie. I'm ashamed that I joined the fan club. J. R. R. Tolkien would NEVER have allowed this! Why did peter-eater jackson change the outcome of the Ent-moot? What purpose was served? Why change that? Why? Why did peter change Eomir's fate? Eomir didn't turn vagabond - he was imprisoned. He was released when Theodin was released from Wormtongue's spell. Eomir was imprisoned for letting Aragorn go and loaning him two horses. In the movie, Eomir was already an outcast vagabond when he met Aragorn. Why change that? What purpose was served? That was only a few instances. There were many more. peter jackson can have his movies, but no more of my money. Thank God I never purchased the DVD! I'll stick to the books. They are more than enough. Hopefully I can find a new edition of hardbacks without peter jackass's movie ... all over the jacket. It's just sad that peter jackson took a personal advantage over the fact that so many people were clueless to the true storyline. What a pity that all these people have needlessly been misled. What will happen when they go back and read the books for the first time? Will they be disappointed that Tolkien didn't tell it like peter did? Is that what donkey jackson had in mind? Probably. What a cheap trick. Absolutely Disappointed, Gary
Saint Petersburg, FL
Rating:
Summary: A Brillant and Inspiring Masterpiece.
Review: Gandolf and the heroes are back to fight against the evil of saruman and Frodo and Samwise are making their way to the land of mordor with Golem. Marrie and Pippin Fight against saruman on Treebread with other treebreads at their side. A story that will keep you guessing what will happen in the next one.
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