Rating: 
Summary: Good in its own right
Review: For J.R.R. Tolkien fans (of whom I am one): I found that I enjoyed Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" adaptation much more after I came to peace with the notion that it is not the book on a movie screen, but rather a story in its own right that captures the major themes of Tolkien's story. This helps one overcome the sense of betrayal at the plot and character changes and to savor the artistic merit of the films as a fabulous depiction of an imagined medieval world. This kept me on the edge of my seat, even though I knew the general storyline. Peter Jackson says in one of his commentaries that he wanted to visually re-create the beauty of Middle Earth as a compensation for any disappointment that Tolkien fans might feel with the plot changes, and in that sense I believe he has succeeded: we do feel we have visited Middle Earth (helped in no small part to the wild beauty of New Zealand). This rich depiction of the landscape of Middle Earth is what I enjoy most about the movies. Now when I go back to read the books, I have much more to feed my imagination, even when I imagine the scene differently.
Rating: 
Summary: Lord of the Rings
Review: This movie had it all, from great and talented actors/actresses to great direction this truly was a great movie. I have read the books and yes, i am upset that the facts are loosely based around the books, but the movies capture the significant parts. I praise the people who were brave enough to make this into a movie and make it work so well. You can see the bonds between the actors and it ( in the movie) even cracks a few jokes. If your worried about the time, its almost 3 1/2 hours long, dont, it goes by fast. They picked excellent and admorable people to do this movie and all of the time and the effort that went into these movies really shows. They are great movies and are worth your time.
Rating:
Summary: Good entertainment in its own right!
Review: I really enjoyed The Two Towers. Not because it was a faithful movie adaptation of the book, but because I enjoyed it for what it was. My expectations were not that I was going to view a movie version of the book. I was going to see a movie that I hoped would be entertaining in its own right. This movie did that for me.
I can understand the disappointment of those who desire to see a movie about a book that they love. I enjoy getting caught up in a book and letting my imagination take over. However, I don't expect everyone to envision the story in their mind the same way that I do. That is why I have tried to watch the first and second installments of this trilogy without preconceived ideas of how the story should be handled.
I found this movie very entertaining. I enjoy being able to go to a movie without being bombarded with a lot swearing and sexual situations. For that I am thankful. There was a fair amount of violence in this movie, but it would be hard to tell a story like this without the action.
A lot of the tension in those scenes has been relieved by making Gimli into sort of a comic character. This is one of the changes from the book that I enjoyed. I think it would have been too dark and intense without it. I was a little disappointed that the movie changed character traits of some of the more noble characters of the book. There are also some of other deviations from the book that I wish they would have handled differently.
I do not think that this movie was as good as the first one. I thought the action scenes were more powerful in the first movie, and I also thought that the action scenes in the first movie touched me in a more deeper way. However, I still enjoyed this movie very much. It was very well done.
Rating:
Summary: Lord Of The Rings 2
Review: The scond movie was charming and excited. There was plenty of action to keep you on the edge of your saet the whole way through. the suspense and curiosity the caracters were feeling gave the impression that it was happening right then and there. The seneray included in the flim made you feel that you wre back in middle earth.
Rating:
Summary: Lord Of The Rings 2
Review: The scond movie was charming and excited. There was plenty of action to keep you on the edge of your saet the whole way through. the suspense and curiosity the caracters were fleeing gave the impression that it was happening right then and there. The seneray included in the flim made you feel that you wre back in middle earth.
Rating:
Summary: Half wrong, but Oh, so right...
Review: Having read Tolkien's Lord of the Rings more than 30 times (and dozens of times his other works), I note that Peter Jackson joins nearly every "Two Towers" reader in the same mistake: one tower is indeed Saruman's Orthanc, however the other is NOT Sauron's Barad-dur, but is rather the guard tower (containing Shelob's lair) above the Morgul pass, which is not even addressed in the second installment of Jackson's epic movie endeavor. That said, the "LOTR: The Two Towers" movie is still a mighty and overwhelming experience--leaving the theater I could scarcely catch my breath. At the end of "Fellowship of the Ring," two groups of characters were separated by the great River Anduin. Tolkien's second volume dealt with the conquests of the two Towers as separate books, only fleetingly referring to simultaneous events. Peter Jackson utilizes film's ability to intertwine events, yet his differing treatment on each side of the Anduin gives us a greater appreciation of the two separate quests and the importance of each. Though not following the book as carefully as some would hope, the movie builds anticipation for the showdown with the first Tower, Orthanc, and at Helm's Deep, Jackson truly captures the horror Tolkien felt about war, then takes it to a higher level by brilliantly insinuating the Elves of Lorien (not remotely connected to that battle in Tolkien's book). Especially keep an eye on the Elf Haldir for an extraordinary acting moment, where, more fully than Jackson or Tolkien do through Arwen, the essential difference between Elves and mortal Men is hauntingly illuminated. On the Mordor side of the river, Frodo and Sam meet and subdue Gollum who agrees to lead them into Mordor. Peter Jackson and the Andy Serkis characterization of Gollum shows us, more convincingly than through Frodo and the Eye, the evil and anguish of the One Ring--even the ending song breaks your heart while making your skin crawl. In another glaring divergence from Tolkien's book, the character Faramir forces Frodo, Sam and Gollum to accompany he and his men into battle, but then Peter Jackson uses this scenario to remind us that courage is more than strength in arms and determination more than brute force. Though the movie ends with them not yet having conquered the second Tower, Frodo and Sam emerge as victorious as those on the other side of Anduin. Peter Jackson uses the basic storyline of the second volume of Tolkien's trilogy and creates a marvelous visual interpretation of the grandiose adventure begun in "Fellowship of the Ring." More importantly, Jackson's "LOTR: The Two Towers" takes us to new heights of terror, new depths of despair, and new breadths of understanding. It is not to be missed.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: I loved every minute of this awesome masterpiece of cinematography. There, I've said it all up front and I make no apologies. Let's be honest, Jackson had the best of all stories to work with. The movie was never going to fail on story line, it was only doomed if Jackson couldn't pull off the monumental task of transposing the epic trilogy to the big screen while doing justice to the sumptuous splendour of Tolkein's book. The Two Towers revolves around the Battle of Helms Deep. A battle that ranks in my humble opinion as one of the most inspiring in cinematic history. Certainly it is 90% CGI, but that is mainstream cinema these days and it is accepted by this reviewer, who still appreciates old-fashioned moviemaking. The Battle of Helms Deep ranks with me as my all-time favourite movie battle, co-equal with the battle-scenes in the epic movie 'The Battle of Waterloo' (...) and 'Saving Private Ryan'. If the 'Battle of Helms Deep' was spectacular then the creature Gollum was nothing short of brilliant. This is CGI gone mega-marvellous. Gollum left me gob-smacked. The creators at Weta Productions have set a benchmark here that leaves other notables fumbling for their keyboards and mice. Nothing George Lucas has ever done (and I am a great Star Wars fan) comes close to this wizardry. It's worth the price of admission just to see Gollum. Dare I repeat myself but I admire everything about the Two Towers. The great scenery, the story, the costumes, the creatures, the action. They form the ingredients for a feast that we savour for three swashbuckling hours. Let's dispense with the negatives. Sure the move is not absolutely true to the book. But there isn't a director on the planet that could have captured the whole story in just over three hours. Some things had to miss out, and I'm sure that was one of the tougher parts of the production, deciding what doesn't make the final cut. The ending was a big call, and readers of the book will know what I am talking about. I've no complaints, only elated anticipation for the third in the trilogy. And that's where I will end. Not only have we been given something truly special again. It's only the second instalment. I've got another eleven months to savour The Two Towers and my mouth is already watering for the third and final feature. Glorious, just glorious. Five stars just isn't good enough, take five galaxies Peter Jackson.
Rating: 
Summary: Say what?
Review: Yes, I've read the books, seen the movies, and here's how to describe the movie in one word: dull. I've seen so many better battle scenes, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets has better "out-of-this-world" people, places, and things. The actors seem to have only their looks going for them, and the camera was moving around so often, it was hard to get a clear shot of what was going on. All in all, very dissapointing. Harry Potter just has so much more quality. And I'm not even a fan of it.
Rating:
Summary: BETTER than the FIRST!
Review: This movie is BETTER (yes, better) than its prequel, The Fellowship of the Ring! There is colossal computer effects, a total change in the musical score, and, of course, great adventure and action.
Frodo and Sam are on the way to Mordor alone. But "alone" is not really what they are. Gollum, or Sméagol, is on their trail. Frodo manages to get through to Gollum so that he now sees Frodo as his master, and leads them into Mordor.
Meanwhile, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli are hot on the trail of the Uruk-hai that took Merry and Pippin. And while they are unable to retrieve the hobbits themselves (who find their own way out), they are intercepted by an old, unexpected friend...Gandalf! But returned as Gandalf 'the White'.
The Two Towers introduces us to more characters such as Théoden, the king of Rohan who has been overpowered by Saruman through Gríma Wormtongue. There is also Éowyn, and her brother, Éomer. Éowyn is presented as a young woman who is dying to prove herself and also adds to the romantical conflict of Aragorn and Arwen. Faramir, also, is introduced. He's the brother of Boromir who died in the last movie. There are new places: Fangorn Forest, Rohan, Helm's Deep, the Dead Marshes.
The anticipated battle of Helm's Deep by readers won't disappoint anyone; it's EXCELLENT! However, I personally felt slightly undaunted, having known the battle's outcome. But you do get a certain adrenaline rush each time you see it.
The one difference between 'Fellowship' and 'Towers' is that in the first there was always things happening that seemed to jump-start you so much that you found yourself gripping the edge of your seat out of anticipation; as if even the movie's atmosphere wasn't to be trusted. But in 'Towers', it has calmed down some. You still feel a certain untrustworthiness, especially in Gollum, and you definitely feel hopeless at times. How are they ever going to survive against ten thousand Uruk-hai at Helm's Deep? How is Frodo ever going to hold out, as he slowly begins to break? Those are just a couple of questions that go through your mind.
I always have to comment on a film's music. The score was totally different in that there was a Rohan theme on a Norwegian violin, as well as new vocals (Isabel Bayrakdarian, Ben del Maestro, Emiliana Torrini) and the most glorious, victory-ridden sequence I have ever heard in my life which adds up all the film's physical and mental strifes. There are also small snippet reprises from the 'Fellowship' score. Howard Shore did very, very well.
Peter Jackson and his team of filmmakers are some pretty serious filmmakers. Their fantastic teamwork really shines in this film's final cut, and that, I'm sure, goes for 'Fellowship' and 'Return of the King'.
Rating: 
Summary: Disapointed J.R.R. Tolkien Fan
Review: I am appalled at how much Peter devieated from the book. For starters Farimir never tried to take Frodo back to Gondor with him, as a matter of fact Farimir was nice to Frodo and did not hold him prisoner he let Frodo go with provisions to make it father along on his quest. What was that nazgul all about (the one they met on the way back to Gondor) that never happened in the book! Next that fight scene when Aragorn flies over the cliff, Aragorn never flew over any cliff in the book. Third those talking tree things are Ents. They played a bigger part in the book. The meeting that they held was not to decide if Merry and Pippin are Hobbits, in the book they held the meeting to decide weather or not they would go to war. And Peter left out the extra Ent charachter Quickbeam or Bregalad, with whom Merry and Pippin spent time with during the meeting. The battle at Helms Deep was well done. I did enjoy that even though they cut out the part where the fighting ended up in the caves and Gimli and Legolas got separated. I would have to say they did a very good job with gollum though. The actor deserves an award for that role. Over all I was very disappointed that Peter deviated from the book so much. If you haven't read the books I'm sure you where impressed and enjoyed the movie. I however have read the books twice. I hope he plans on redeeming himself with the third movie.
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