Rating: 
Summary: Awesome Re-Creation
Review: I love this movie. One of my favorite movies of all time. And with the adding of some humor and the 43 minutes of extra scenes, you can't get much better!
Rating:
Summary: BLOODY BRILLIANT!!!!!
Review: THE TWO TOWERS is the slowest of the three films mainly because the characters split up and many new characters enter into the scenario. Additionally, a lot of exposition must be added to explain many of the new cultures, people and scenarios.Overall, FELLOWSHIP was smoother b/c the group stayed together.
In TWO TOWERS, we have not only the viewpoints of the villains but also three heroic viewpoints. Going back and forth takes time, but, to its credit, this is true of the books. The extended version gives us more insights into the split personality of Gollum, Faramir's loving relationship with Boromir yet tense relationship with their father, more with Merry and Pippin dealing with the Ents (and a hostile tree) and extra clips at Helm's Deep. Look for the end fight banter between Gimli and Legolas. A favorite of the creators but one that had to be taken out. The true value of the DVD is in the LONG commentary of the creators, which gives us more insights into the characters and story development. Examples include: (1) Why different suits of armor were used for different races and what they represented (i.e. the uruk hai have armor for the front but nothing in back b/c they will never retreat; the elves have elegant armor to reinforce their elegance as an elder race of Middle Earth);
(2) Why Faramir changed from the books in attempting to take the ring;
(3) Why Aragorn had the pretend death in the movie;
(4) lots of info and interviews with the stunt men at Helms Deep who fell off the walls;
(5) swordplay instruction for almost all the characters (with real swords);
(6) Why Gimli would never marry;
(7) Sean Astin remarking on how Andy pulled them back at one point and ripped off Sean's wig. He was quite ticked!;
(8) Andy Serkis playing Gollum and growing into the character;
(9) the different styles of swords by each race/culture;
(10) the designing of Rohan with an emphasis on the horse culture;
(11) CGI for graphics;
(12) Why Shelob was moved from book two/movie #2 to movie #3;
(13) How they got all those people to ride horses (i.e. turns out their was a womens riding club nearby which volunteered with wigs and beards);
(14) viewpoints of various scenes by the actors;
(15) the introduction of Gollum, which includes many drawings, his CGI design and the overall studio design makeup;
(16) emphasis by the drawers/painters of various scenes/background, including the moonlight waterfall forest area where Gollum was almost shot by arrows;
(17) How Viggo (i.e. the Aragorn actor)broke his toes during one footing; and
(18) extra scenes of the Helms Deep battle, as well as some additional fight scenes with the Wargs. Overall, a great piece of work!!! Sterling silver quality.
Rating:
Summary: Another triumph
Review: After seeing the extended "Fellowship" I was incredibly eager to see the extended "Two Towers." Again, I was far from disappointed. "The Two Towers" is NOT the same kind of movie as "Fellowship of the Ring." It's slower moving, more thought-provoking, and doesn't flow quite the same way. Nevertheless, it is a fantasic film, and there is a lot of good to say about it. The added scenes did little to dispel the somewhat disjointed quality of the movie, but it helped you to understand things a little better. The Fellowship itself has broken up, and consequently it jumps back and forth between parties a little bit -- entirely understandable. We track Frodo and Sam, Aragorn (with Legolas and Gimli at his side), Gandalf, and Merry and Pippin. That's a lot of stories to keep track of! But there is wonderful footage of all of it! One of my personal favorite things is when they go back in time to Gondor when Boromir first went to join the Fellowship. In the original release, we never saw Boromir at all, only his brother Faramir. This flashback provides a little bit of insight into the people of Gondor, and we understand the character of Faramir a little better. Also, when the Ents take Isengard, this new extended version adds the Forest of Fangorn attacking the Uruk-hai at Helm's Deep! I was so glad they put that back into the film! Huzzah! And the effect of Treebeard himself was incredible as well. Some critics complained that he was so unconvincing, but I ask you -- if a tree got up and walked and talked, what do YOU think it would look like?! The Ents were fantastic. One of the best characters in this second film is obviously Smeagol/Gollum. Talk about complete genius! This CG character was phenomenal, I have never seen anything so totally convincing. Understanding that particular character is SO integral to the story! He was amazing to watch. And, of course, the extras in this DVD are terrific as well. It's worth getting the extended version just to watch those! Now, I can't wait until the THIRD one comes out! ;-)
Rating: 
Summary: Suffers for being in the middle
Review: I loved the Fellowship of the Ring. The Two Towers has the every bit, the same high-level attention to detail as it's predecessor.
However, when I saw The Two Towers in the theatre last year, I found myself not enjoying it nearly as much as I did The Fellowship. Now, after viewing the extended DVD, I think I know why. The Two Towers just doesn't really go anywhere. This, of course, is mostly due to it being the middle movie. Don't get me wrong, the events that occur in The Two Towers are significant to the overall story. It's just not a story in itself. There is no beginning, that was the Fellowship. There are only a few new characters (Eowyn, Treebeard, Eomer, and Theoden, for the most part). The overall story of Frodo's quest only advances a tiny bit. Basically, most of the Two Towers is a setup for the battle against Saruman's Orcs in Helm's Deep. Again, I realize this is important to the overall story, but unfortunately, it's not enough. The Fellowship of the Ring works as both a part of a trilogy and as a stand-alone film. The Two Towers can't be looked at this way, it only works as the middle story of a trilogy. That's fine and actually, unavoidable. But it just doesn't come across as satisfying.
Rating:
Summary: I have to laugh
Review: at those afraid to read the books . . . I LOVED reading them 30 years ago (geeze, was it really that long ago?) when I was 19 years old and reread them many times over the years. When my son was 7 years old (he's now 17) I read them to him; we spent a whole Saturday reading the last chapters because he couldn't wait to see how it ended up! We've seen all the movies and loved them as well. The movies are a dream come true to all of us who discovered Tolkien in college in the early/mid-70's. The books are beautifully written and if you enjoy reading, by all means read them! If not, you are fortunate to be born into a time when you can watch the movie and learn all about middle earth. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful rendition.
Review: Perhaps the storyline of Peter Jackson's "The Two Towers" doesn't follow Tolkien's book as closely as some people would like, but I feel otherwise. It's true that I miss certain characters, such as the Ent called Quickbeam, but to me, capturing the story of the Two Towers is not about showing every miniscule detail. To be sure, some details are important, as shown in "The Fellowship of the Ring" when Sam Gamgee claps Frodo's hand in Rivendell. The most important thing, though, is to stay true to the themes that Tolkien wove into his work, and in that I think Mr. Jackson has done admirably. And, of course, the information displayed in the appendices are a treasure to lovers of film-making, such as myself. Mr. Jackson, thank you for this amazing piece of cinematic art.
Rating:
Summary: Additional material makes it better
Review: First, let me say that I have not read the books -- and I don't really intend to. I'm not a real fan of the whole fantasy/sci-fi genre, so I tend to have little patience for complaints that such-and-such minor character, who was in the book, didn't appear in the film. I just don't care. However, I do like good movies, and I thoroughly enjoyed the Two Towers in the theater. However, I always had the feeling that I just didn't get some parts of the plot: for example, what's with Gandalf the Grey becoming Gandalf the White? Not to mention all the non-sensical names for everything, I found it pretty hard to keep all the names for all the characters and locations straight in my head, what with all the plot twists and so forth. As a result, as much as I loved the spectacle of the LOTR films, I sometimes had the feeling that I was watching the first movie filmed entirely in the fictional language of Klingon. That being said, the additional material in the Extended Edition of the Two Towers really helped me to better grasp various plot points and character motivations, making the movie a much fuller, enriching experience. It still will not drive me to go out and read the books, but it makes a very good movie even better. Yes, it is long, but the additional forty-odd minutes of material are worth it. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: The DVD of 2003
Review: The Two Towers Special DVD extended version overrides its fabulous predecessor The Fellowship of the Ring, clocking in 223 minutes with 43 minutes worth of extra footage ranging from light moments after the spectacular Helm's Deep Battle, the Ents' triumph at Isengard to a crucial part on Faramir and his motivations. This is a comprehensive journey into the WETA workshop, production phases and audio commentaries from the crew itself. Fans will enjoy the snippets of how Gollum is brought to life by Andy Serkis and the creation of Fangorn Forest and Rohan. The Two Towers is an exhilarating fantasia that marks the heart of the classic trilogy with interwoven themes of friendship, loyalty and love. The battles are stupendous and grave with dazzling special effects - and with the release of the DVD extended version, it is set to create another miracle again with its Elvish spell.
Rating:
Summary: A BRAVO FOR THE TRILOGY & 3 SOUNDTRACKS
Review: "I regret to announce that this is the end. I'm going now, I bid you all..." the best. I sure will miss the rush of expecting more from the LOTR cast, after this, there's no more. I love everything involved with the movie and since I'm a composer (film score composer wanna be someday) I will miss waiting for the december to come...after this, the coming christmas won't be the same. I wish these movies will go on forever, but all WE have to decide is what to do with the experience that the producer and the cast left us with. To me, this has been the best cinematic experience of my life. These movied changed my life and I hope in the years to come anybody who watches the movie will still admire the great talent and work of the whole cast. enough said! 11/25/2003
Rating:
Summary: This is the Version You Want to See
Review: This is definitely the version of the film that you want to see. With over 40 minutes of extra footage, this version of Peter Jackson's Academy Award Winning film is deeper and fuller and closer to the book. Although Tolkien purists do not care for the changes Jackson made to Frodo's story line and the character of Faramir, Jackson otherwise captures the spirit of Tolkien's second part to The Lord of the Rings. Among the extra scenes are: a sequence with Merry and Pippin which draws from "Old Man Willow" in book of Fellowship of the Ring; a very helpful and interesting conversation between Gandalf and Aragorn about Aragorn's destiny; more of Frodo and Sam; more of Treebeard and the Ents (including their attack on the orcs in Fangorn Forest); and the delightful chapter from the book, "Flotsam and Jetsam." There are also HOURS of documentary material which show just how much work it really took to produce such a great film.
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