Rating: 
Summary: Two Towers Appendices Are A Bust
Review: If you expect the appendices with the Two Towers to play on a DVD as did the appendices included with the Fellowship Of The Ring, you will be disappointed. The two extra disks are nothing more than coasters. They will not play on a standard DVD player.
Rating: 
Summary: IT DOESNT GET MUCH BETTER THAN THIS.
Review: I picked this up about 3 days ago and I was pleasantly surprised as to how awesome this set is.The extended version is the only version worth seeing because it has alot of great extra scenes which were taken out of the original.Alot of really good extra features like commentaries and still galleries.I would recommend getting this one instead of the previous edition.I cant wait to see the return of the king.
Rating:
Summary: THE EASTER EGG EXTRA ON THIS DVD!!!
Review: MTV Music Awards Spoof:
On Disc 1, from the Main Menu access the 'Select A Scene' option. Go to the menu with the last 2 scenes on the disk in it (scene 29 & 30). Once highlighted press DOWN to reveal a "ring" at the bottom of the screen. Select it to reveal a clip of 'Gollum' accepting an award!A perfect movie! A++++
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous DVD! EVIL BAD packaging!
Review: I won't talk about the movie, because others have said it in spades, - fabulous, gorgeous, brilliant - but I wanted to say how insanely frustrating the packaging is. The DVD's pop RIGHT out, smooth as silk, but to get the statue of Gollum/Smeagol out you literally have to destroy the box. I don't think they actually expect collectors to actually want to remove it from the box for personal display. The FoTR bookends were NOT nearly this difficult to remove. Not only is it glued, the styrofoam protector of the base of the statue is cable tied to each other and the box. The background behind the statue seen though the window has to be removed. The box is a horrid mess to get the statue out. If you are a collector, and do not intend to tale out the statue for display, fine, the DVDs slide out just great, and you don't have to destroy anything to get at them. But if you are a fan and want to put the statue on a shelf and save the box for safekeeping, you'll be saving a mangled piece of crap by the time you get it out. (hint: you start from the bottom interlocking flaps on the box you might have more luck than we did from the beginning) If there is a easier way to get the statue out, I wish they'd slip in some instructions for removal, I would have loved to have seen it and could have spared myself a cardboard cut cuticle. I dearly hope they don't do this to us on RoTK Collector's edition.
Rating: 
Summary: Packaging was a challenge
Review: While the DVD itself was glorious, I had to destroy the box in order to get Gollum out. The styrofoam holder was glued to the bottom of the box and a cable tie surrounded the styrofoam. Whoever designed the packaging obviously had not intended to let Gollum out of the box. Pity.
Rating:
Summary: Lotr ya
Review: This is an awsome game. It sucks.Do not barrow it. Leave more for me. Love,
the guy sitting behind you
Rating:
Summary: The Two Towers - Complete
Review: The extended version is the only version that you should watch or, I believe, that should be shown in theaters. The added footage completes a number of dangling elements that clearly were in Jackson's mind originally but that for various reasons were left out. We learn of Faramir's familial status and his relationship with Boromir (as well as a great deal more of Boromir's motivation in joining the Fellowship), the extent to which Wormtongue has consolidated his power, and of the possibility of more sparks between Eowyn and Aragorn. I believe the extended version, just like its predecessor for Fellowship of the Ring, accomplishes a number of things: 1) It clearly demonstrates the respect Jackson has for the underlying works. He picks up on nuances and plotlines that I think most of the self-crowned 'purists' miss. 2) It shows that whatever side points are missing from the film are missing for a reason. They were not left out due to laziness or inattention to detail; quite the opposite. Jackson has obviously made tactical decisions about what to include and what not to, which is far better than having the marketing department pick the parts that lend themselves to making the best action figures. Jackson has really hit his stride with the second film, and the extended version is the definitive version to see. I believe the sole reason lesser versions are released to theaters is due to the running times of the film rather than some effort to expand DVD sales; perhaps the Return of the King will receive its full due. In the interim, I recommend the extended versions of both Fellowship of the Ring and the Two Towers as representative of the best Hollywood has to offer.
Rating:
Summary: "In the gathering dark, the will of the Ring grows strong."
Review: In 2002, one year following the release of "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring", Peter Jackson directed the next film in the series based upon J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy: "The Lord of the Ring: The Two Towers". As with the first, the cinematography and special effects used in the second are fantastic and even surpass the first as demonstrated by the computer-generated characters of Gollum (a.k.a., Sméagol, with the voice done by Andy Serkis) and Treebeard (voice done by John Rhys-Davies, who also plays Gimli son of Gloin in the film). Peter Jackson's direction of the film was equally brilliant in the second film and the performances by the many actors were realistic and engaging. As was the case when I first saw the extended DVD version of the first film, seeing the extended DVD version of the second film made the second film come to life far more than I had previously seen in its shorter theatrical release. The continuation of the story in the second film is darker than the story's beginning in the first film. Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and his companion Samwise 'Sam' Gamgee (Sean Astin) continue their journey to the land of Mordor. Climbing over seemingly endless rocks and cliffs, they realize that they have become lost, but also that they are not alone. Following them is the creature known as Gollum, who had once been named Sméagol. Frodo and Sam capture Gollum, who agrees to show them the way to the Black Gate of Mordor. The other two hobbits who left the Shire, Peregrin 'Pippin' Took (Billy Boyd) and Meriadoc 'Merry' Brandybuck (Dominic Monaghan), are the captives of a brutal band of orcs lead by one named Uglúk (Nathaniel Lees). He was previously given strict orders from Saruman (Christopher Lee) to bring back the Hobbits unharmed. Having let Frodo and Sam leave on their own, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas Greenleaf (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli son of Gloin (John Rhys-Davies) have vowed to rescue Pippin and Merry and pursue the orcs, who have entered the land of Rohan. Rohan is lead by King Théoden (Bernard Hill), but all is not well with him and he is under the guidance of a strange advisor, Grima Wormtongue (Brad Dourif), who does not appear to have Rohan's best interests at heart. Grima has his eye on the King's niece, Éowyn (Miranda Otto), who wants nothing to do with him; but he doesn't like her brother, Éomer (Karl Urban). A changed Gandalf (Ian McKellan) returns to join the fight against Sauron, and Frodo and Sam get to meet Faramir (David Wenham), who was the brother of Boromir (played by Sean Bean in the previous film and in the extended version this film only). Also returning to the second film are the characters Arwen (Liv Tyler), Elrond (Hugo Weaving) and Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), but with lesser roles than in the first. Memorable scenes in "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" include Pippin & Merry's escape from the orcs, Pippin & Merry's meeting of Treebeard, Frodo and Sam capturing Gollum, the return of the changed Gandalf, Gandalf's first meeting with King Théoden, the battle with the riding orcs, the swamp, the arrival of the elves lead by Haldir (Craig Parker), the battle at Helm's Deep and battle of the trees. The extended DVD version better ties the various scenes in the film together and provides a deeper understanding of several of the characters, especially Faramir and the trees. Overall, I rate both the regular and extended versions of "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" with a resounding 5 out of 5 stars. It is no wonder that the film won two Oscars for Best Sound Editing and Best Special Effects and was nominated for four more: Best Art Direction, Best Editing, Best Sound and Best Picture. I highly recommend purchase of the extended version DVD, which breaks the film between two DVD's and includes two extra DVD's that include multiple documentaries, design & photo galleries, an atlas of Middle Earth, etc. I also can't wait to see the third and final film installment, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King", and to purchase it on extended version DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Believe the hype
Review: The Two Towers Extended Edition is indeed a much better movie than the theatrical version. Everything you may have been scratching your head over at the theaters has been answered in this extremely well crafted version of the film. -Wasn't Gollum just a little TOO helpful at the beginning?
-Why didn't the orcs just kill Merry and Pippin?
-Where did those other non-Uruk orcs come from?
-Why is Saruman chopping and burning the forests of Fangorn?
-How can Wormtongue just banish the King's nephew like that?
-Why did Aragorn and co. give up on their search for Merry & Pippin so quickly?
-Why are there so few Ents?
-Why does Aragorn seem almost super-human?
-Where in the world did that horse that rescued Aragorn come from?
-When did all those elves die at Helm's Deep?
-Were all those Ents just waiting to spring out of Fangorn?
-What's up with Faramir??? The relationship development of Frodo, Sam and Gollum is far improved. Merry, Pippin, and the Ents get their much deserved screen time. And Faramir (at least in my opinion) is completely redeemed as a character much like Galadriel was in the extended edition of the first movie. There are some really excellent sequences that simply have to be seen. The visual effects are surprisingly on par with the theatrical version. Best of all - you get more time to revel in the world that is Middle Earth! Must-see documentaries in the appendices: The creation of Gollum and adapting the book to screenplay. After watching these even the most die-hard Tolkien purists and/or Jackson haters will have to appreciate what a wonderful achievement in cinema this film truly is.
Rating:
Summary: BETTER THAN 5 STARS
Review: How do you top the best DVD release of 2002? By giving Fans and equally great release for 2003. I held off buying the Two Towers back in August as I wanted to wait for the Extended Edition and it was worth the wait. The extended edition includes 43 minutes of new footage put back into the movie. Some are merely extended scenes while many more are brand new, such as Theodreds funeral, and Orcs fleeing Isengard into Fangorn forest and getting a rude welcome, and Faramir warning Frodo about the dark route he plans to take to Mordor, a reference certainly to Shelob's lair. These scenes add even greater depth to the story and fill in a few minor gaps. The booklet that comes with the set denotes which scenes are new or extended...awesome planning by Jackson. Beyond that you get so many extras that all other DVDs pale beside it: Separate commentaries by director, cast, and crew, dozens of documentaries. I haven't looked at them all, but they all run 30 - 45 minutes in length so there are hours of extras to view. Among the best is the Making of Gollum, a 45 minute feature on one of the most interesting characters in the movie. You get an interactive map and Atlas of middle earth, hundreds of design sketches, many with comments by the artists. Features on the locations used for filming. It goes on and on. The movie itself is great. While I'm a Tolkien fan, I don't consider myself a purist who gets upset over changes Jackson may have made to the books. These things are a given when adapted to the big screen. The Battle at helms deep is one of the best ever on film and I hear the battle in Return of the King will be even better. I particularly liked the Ents and their destruction of Isengard. This is the DVD versus which all others should be measured against. This movie and the first, are reasons alone to buy a DVD player.
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