Rating: 
Summary: Extended version is better than original!
Review: The extended DVD release of The Two Towers is a real improvement over the original theatrical release. Note, that this version has more than just new scenes. Almost all of the scenes have been re-edited in some way. The overall effect is that the story moves much better and the story is easier to follow. Even though the movie is longer, the pacing is quicker and doesn't seem to drag as much as the original. Likewise, the additional footage both improves the characterization of the newly introduced characters and restores some plot threads so that other existing scenes now make more sense (like the horse finding Aragorn). It's also easier to tell who is who because many of the newer characters names are now spoken more often.The disk 3 and 4 extras (which worked perfectly, BTW) are also a real treat. The section on Gollum and Andy Serkis alone is worth the extra money. So, just like with the "Fellowship" DVD, the extended version is really the only version worth owning. I already plan on only getting the extended version of "King" next year.
Rating: 
Summary: TWO copies with defective discs! When will it end?
Review: I have now had to return my replacement copy of this set due to the exact same defective Bonus discs (discs 3 and 4) as I received in my first set. This could go on all winter -- Amazon, New Line, please do something! At least I don't feel so alone, having read other accounts here of the same problem. I have a Zenith DVD player, too, that does not have problems with discs 1 or 2. I ALSO had difficulty with the bonus discs in last year's LOTR:FOTR set, but not his bad. I will keep returning these until I get a revamped edition that works, or until Amazon gets tired of trying and tells me to get lost. I'm not buying a new DVD player just because New Line won't or can't ensure compatibility. No one else makes discs with these problems (well, except for Volume 3 of Hullaballoo, but I long ago gave up on this title, and dammit, I want to see all the featurettes like what I paid for!) I encourage anyone else to email New Line and the official film site with your complaints.
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Summary: Comments and Questions
Review: I've been reading the books once a year for the last 30+ years. It's a beloved classic and I never thought it could be translated into a movie, though I loved the idea. My first viewing of The Two Towers gave me a bit of a 'turn' - I had a couple of surreal moments - when Aragorn went over the cliff. How could I have been reading these books for all these years and missed THAT!?? The answer that flashed back was easy - it never happened - okaaay - the first movie was wonderful - trust Peter and let it slide. One of my favorite passages in the second book was Sam and Frodo's time in Ithilien and I was waiting to see Faramir, and there he was and ....Who the Hell IS that!? I was a bit miffed at the change in my favorite Ithilien ranger Faramir's character. However on the way to the car I realized that I understood why the changes were made. This extended DVD seems to flesh out the changes and I think that if I had seen this extended version first the changes would not have been so distracting, though I enjoyed the theatrical version, once I got over the changes. The movie still captured the flavor of Tolkeins work. This is a wonderful version of the Two Towers and I would recommend watching the movie with the director and writers commentary after viewing the 'original', particularly if you don't understand the changes (even if you do - it validates your understanding). It does give you a deeper/better insight into why the changes had to happen. My only complaint is that my DVD player doesn't play the 2 appendices discs, and no one can tell me why. My Zenith DVD is new and plays DVD, CDr, CDRW and MP3s, though it's coded as region 1. It seems odd that I can view the first 2 discs and not the 3rd and 4th. (I had them back to the store where I bought the DVD's and all the discs play on the store's set up)I did not purchase the Two Towers through Amazon as I did the first and will do for the 3rd, so I'm not sure if there would be the same problem. If anyone has any helpful information regarding this I would be very grateful. It's so frustrating not to be able to view them. For me seeing the creative efforts that went into the making of these films is a wonderful experience.
Rating:
Summary: Extended Version Is Remarkable
Review: I was slitely disappointed with the original version of 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'. It just didn't seem to be a great adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic-book-trilogy, but still a spectacular movie (leave aside the books). But the Extended version of 'The Two Towers' is remarkable because the extra scenes that are in it are parts from the book-trilogy. This version of 'The Two Towers' is a must-own!
Rating:
Summary: I'm One Lucky Person
Review: Thankfully, I got a non-defected version of LOTR: TTT Special Extended DVD Edition! Its either that, or its just that I have a great DVD Player. The Special Features discs (discs three and four) play just fine in my DVD Player.
This version of the movie should have been released into the theaters. Though I can understand why it wasn't. The movie would have been way too long to watch in the theaters making it very exhausting.
The added scenes, half of them being from LOTR book-trilogy, are great! They make the movies plot better than the original version. The special effects, acting, music (score), action, and adventure in this movie is very well-done!
I highly recommend that you buy the LOTR: TTT Special Extended DVD Edition if you already own FOTR Extended Cut DVD or if you are, or even if you are not, a fan of the book-trilogy. It is spectacular!
Rating:
Summary: justified changes?
Review: After seeing FOTR, I highly anticipated the release of Two Towers. While I thought the theatrical version was excellent, the extended version is FAR superior, not just drawn out scenes, etc...While attention to visual and audio detail was nearly flawless in this movie, there were a couple things I thought unneccessary. Aragorn presumed dead is one change that was totally unneccessary because it did not add anything to the story. Other changes like the differece in Faromir's character are, in my opinion, well justified and plausable in the extended edition. One thing I liked less about TT than Fellowship, was there was less character development. That is no longer the case after watching the extended cut. The movie was much darker than the Fellowship, as was the book, so I felt that the writers tried just a little to hard for laughs at times when the story was not meant to be funny...ie. while Rohan men are dying on the way to Helm's Deep or during the battle itself. I think the forced humor lessened the dark mood of the story, which may have been what they were trying to do, but I thought it was too much, and hope for less wisecracks in the middle of a battle to save the world, in ROTK. That being said, Jackson and Co. are marvelous storytellers. Many small changes added to the visual experience what the book could not. The acting (and casting) was superior, and THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A MOVIE AS VISUALLY STUNNING! Due to the excellence of the fist two parts of the story, I am anticipating ROTK like no other movie...EVER!!! As if this were not enough, the bonus discs were great. I thought they might be recycled versions of the bonus material in Fellowship, but that was not the case at all. This movie set is definitely the crown jewel of my movie collection...I would have pai twice what I did for it...it's that good!
Rating:
Summary: Better than Fellowship
Review: Great movie, even better than Fellowship. Of course, if you haven't seen Fellowship (i.e. if you've been living in a cave), you're going to need to see that one first. Otherwise you'll be completely lost. The only thing that's been bugging me about Two Towers is Arwen. Now, if you've read all three of the books, you know that in Return of the King, Aragorn and Arwen get married. I'm very worried about whether that's going to happen in the movie. (Hey, what can I say, I'm a girl, I like a little bit of romance with my action). Because they showed her in the movie walking with all the other elves to take the ship to Valinor. But I've seen a couple previews for Return of the King and Arwen seems to be in it, so we'll see what happens. I of course can't wait till Return of the King comes out, but for now, I'm satiated with the Extended version of Two Towers (I also have the extended version of Fellowship). So once Return of the King comes out on the extended DVD, I'm going to have about a 12 hour Lord of the Rings movie marathon. Once again, if you had trouble sitting through the 3-hour version and don't think you have the attention span for any more of it, then stick with the version that was released in theaters. But if you actually have an attention span, go for the extended version. There's some great stuff in it that isn't in the original version. I haven't watched the two bonus disks yet, but if they're anything like the one's for Fellowship, I can probably do without seeing them.
Rating: 
Summary: Its such a good movie, even though I liked part one better
Review: I thought the The Fellowship was a better movie overall, but even so, I can't help but watch this Two Towers repeatedly just because it's so well done.
Rating:
Summary: A convert speaks
Review: Let me say upfront that I am no fan of fantasy. In fact, I loath it. Hell, I don't even like people that like fantasy. Nymphs and fairies and dragons don't do a damn thing for me. I even hated the Tolkien books. But, boy, did I like this movie. It is just flat-out well done entertainment. The various creatures and landscapes that occupy this movie are just fascinating. Everything is done on a massive scale. The action and battle scenes are worthy of a first class war movie, and the producers and director wisely decided to leave the violence of battle in the film. I plan to buy this DVD, which will be the one and only fantasy entry in my movie collection (I take that back! I did buy "Legend" just to watch tim Curry play the Devil).
Rating:
Summary: Definitive Version of the Film
Review: For fans of the books, this extended edition is the definitive version of the film, and well worth the 4 hours it takes to get through it. The 43 minutes of extra footage is relevant and, often times, critical to the telling of the story-- especially in terms of explaining the departures Peter Jackson made from the books with the character of Faramir. The cast commentary is good-- if it was possible to remove Sean Astin's film-school-freshman-pseudo-philosophical cranked up rambling, the cast commentary would be excellent. Billy Boyd and Dom Monaghan had me rolling with laughter during the commentary, bringing of fond memories of Mystery Science Theater... which more than made up for Astin. I'd give a small fortune to see a Dom-and-Billy-only commentary on these films. These guys are really, really funny. The Director's commentary and the 2 disks of additional "making of" features are A+, and have provided hours of entertainment. Without a doubt, these films have redefined what is possible in terms of film making-- made all the more apparent when the viewer is shown the level of detail the film makers went to in the making. I am a fan of the books who is also, now, a fan of the films.
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