Rating: 
Summary: Peter's Stunning Error
Review: Yes, the look of Middle Earth as portrayed by Jackson is stunning and perfect. The casting, costuming, sets, etc. are perfect. This whole production of the greatest trilogy in the history of literature (can even Dante compare?)came so close... so close... and yet, so far away. Bad enough the stuff about Aragorn being a reluctant king (not in the books!) Bad enough that Gimli becomes a comic figure. Bad enough that Frodo & Co. end up kidnapped to Osgiliath by Faramir. But then, when Frodo ascends the parapet (really bad cut here; we don't see him begin the ascent, but suddenly he's up there) and then the nazgul rises before him... what does Frodo do? He shows the Ringwraith the Ring! And this is Peter's Stunning Error. Earth to Peter --- Show's Over! Once the Ringwraiths know where the ring is, what is the purpose of everything that comes after? Aragon's tussle with Sauron via the palantir is meaningless. Sauron knows who has the ring; Frodo showed it to a Ringwraith! The battle of Pellenor fields is meaningless. Every feint and subterfuge of Gandalf and Co. is meaningless. Sauron knows where the ring is (unless you want to be so dimwitted as to assume that the Wraiths don't communicate with Sauron regarding the chief goal of his existence)! . Oh well Maybe fifty years from now, somebody will take a better shot at it, with even better technology. I won't be here for it. Or maybe Peter will wake up, reshoot the Faramir scenes, dump the trip to Osgiliath, and put Shelob back where she belongs at the end of the Two Towers, then re-release a new version. Like I said... so close, and yet so far away. BTW, the little statuette of Gollum is very well done and carries the WEDA imprimatur of quality. I'm very glad to have it. However, it's a real BEAR to get out of the package!
Rating: 
Summary: Another great extended cut
Review: The extended cut does three things: 1. Mentions things that were in the book but not in the theatrical release. 2. Makes the movie funnier. 3. Gives more preparation for the Return of the King 1. New scenes that were in the book but not in the theatrical release: After helm's deep the orcs retreat but (as mentioned in the book) there are a bunch of trees that weren't there before that suddenly appeared. The orcs run into them and apparently are swallowed by the trees. Merry and Pippin drink some Entwater and grow taller. Frodo and Sam use the elven rope, and after climbing down, tug at the rope, and it loosens and falls down. Merry and Pippin stumble on a lot of great food from the Southfarthing in Isengard, as mentioned in the book. Treebeard talks about the Entwives. 2. Things that make the movie funnier: Eowyn gives Aragorn a rather disgusting stew that he politely takes a mouthful of . When she turns her back, he starts to dump the stew, but she quickly turns around to say something to him, and he has to jerk the bowl back again. Pretty funny. Legolas brags to Gimli after Helm's Deep about his 42 kills. Gimli, who is sitting on an orc, explains that he had 43. Legolas shoots an arrow into the head of the orc that is under Gimli, and claims it as 43. Gimli tells him the orc wasn't alive, but was twitching because his axe is "buried in his nervous system." Also very funny. If there is any scene here that deserved to be in the theatrical cut, its this one. It wouldn't have ruined the pacing or anything, it would only extend the running time from 179 to 180. Oh no. 3. Prep for ROTK Gandalf talks to Aragorn about how Sauron is afraid of Aragorn and his power. Hinting at Aragorn's rise to power in the third film. A flashback between Faramir and Boromir, and their father, shows how cynical and unlikable their father is, and his later misgivings in ROTK. A more likable film all around, that lets the audience delve deeper and get immersed into Middle Earth, just like the FOTR. I surfed around the commentaries a little bit, and the cast commentary is hilarious once again. Peter Jackson's commentary is also fun to listen to. Oh, there are also the 2 discs of bonus features. (Since when did movies come with "2" discs of special features!) 6 1/2 hours of explaining the making of the movie. Not boring. TTT Special Edition is definitely the stocking-stuffer of the year. Just like FOTR was last year. Don't you think that's what Peter Jackson had in mind. The First one came in a green box and this one comes in a red box. Holiday colors, anyone?
Rating: 
Summary: Carries some flaws from the original...
Review: Having watched both extended films back-to-back, we escaped to Middle-Earth for more than six hours. With the second film, I had hoped Peter Jackson had rectified some errors from The Two Towers -- which we had only seen thrice when compared to the dozen times we watched Fellowship in movie theaters. I felt a great thrill throughout the first disc, because it followed the quality set by Fellowship's extended edition. Frodo and Sam receive a better introduction. Smeagol-Gollum plays more with pathos, although I miss his 'origin' story.
Who could argue with scenes for Gandalf and Eomer, reduced to walk-ons during the theatrical cut? Initially, Treebeard shows decisiveness - In the text, he does not need 'convincing' to fight Saruman. My hopes were buoyed when disc one ended. However, the second disc contains the same elements that discouraged me from returning to see The Two Towers. Arwen's tearful scenes with Elrond were romantic padding then and now. I feel Viggo Mortenson's Aragorn has little chemistry with Liv Tyler's Arwen. I concede the necessity for Peter Jackson to bring love interest, but this subplot grows very tiresome. I feel more narrative should have been provided to explain the coming of Haldir. Instead, we have Galadriel's token voiceover playing through recycled footage. I know there had to be one scene from Lorien cut from the original -- where did it go? Helm's Deep actually suffers from poor editing. One scene shows Aragorn plummeting from the scaling ladder, yet within seconds, he's already at the gates with King Theoden. I also quibble with King Theoden's unwillingness to fight openly -- much like Treebeard, he is largely reduced to a passive character. On the subject of the Ents, the new scenes built me up for a reinvigorated Entmoot, but aside from some whimsical scenes with Merry and Pippin, it's the same result. Peter Jackson really missed a chance to follow Tolkien more closely for the fans. Faramir receives much-needed development, but I never doubted David Wenham was the right actor. His actions in the film make more sense, given his relationship to Boromir and Denethor -- another fine cast with John Noble. Nonetheless, I still dispute Frodo's scene with the Nazgul -- wouldn't this have alerted Sauron to send the remaining Ringwraiths to Osgiliath? The Two Towers extended edition benefits from sweeping camera angles, clearer characterizations of the Rohirrim, and the solid production values. However, Middle-Earth does not mesh well with Hollywood, and the cracks are beginning to show. 7/10
Rating:
Summary: A Towering Achievement On DVD
Review: As the final installment of the trillogy makes its theatrical debut, The extended 4 disc DVD set for The Two Towers, is here as well. Based on J.R. R.Tolkien's epic tale, The Two Towers picks up imediately where The Fellowship ended and continues the story. Frodo (Elijah Wood) and his friend Samwise (Sean Astin) are headed for Mordor to stand against evil. The duo enlist the help of the sneaky Gollum and his good alter ego Smeagol (both voiced by Andy Serkis) as their guide. This, as Saruman's (Christopher Lee) army surrounds the other members of the Fellowship, in the hopes of obtaining The One Ring, and making Saruman ruler of Middle Earth. Directed once again by Peter Jackson, The Two Towers may have a lot of special effects, but at no time, do they overshadow the film's story. Take Gollum, he is a CGI creation, but thanks to Andy Serkis he blends in seemlessly and is "real" enough. The human cast, once again, makes it work. Unlike a certain series of prequels, these performances, are far from wooden or emotionless. Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, and Ian McKellen, are all back and up to the challenge. The production matches its predecessor and then some. I would have to say that I enjoyed Towers even more than I did Fellowship. The 4 disc DVD exteneded version set of The Two Towers is set up in much the same fashion, as The Fellowship set was. Here's how everything breaks down. Discs 1-2 concern themselves with the film itself. An extended version of the second installment includes 43 minutes of never-before-seen footage incorporated into the film. As director Jackson says in the ads for the set, the new cut does give you an advantage. There's even a richer tapestry than before. The film boasts no less than 4 different audio commentary tracks. All areas of the production team are represented at some point. The first commentary track by writer-director Peter Jackson and writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, the second track is done by members of the design team. the third track features members of the production/post-production team and finally, the last track has comments from 16 different cast members. To be honest, I haven't heard a complete track yet, but I can tell you with some certainly that both the writer/director track and the actor track outweigh the other two tracks. Discs 3-4 offer a comprehensive and even more entertaining look behind the scenes at The Two Towers. What's nice here is that the extras are set up in order of when things were completed. Disc 3 offers the following featurettes: Adapting the book into a screenplay & planning the film, Designing and inspiration for locations in Middle-earth, Storyboards to pre-visualization, a Weta Workshop visit where you can watch sculptors in action as they create weapons, armor, creatures, and miniatures from the film. There's a cool Atlas of Middle-earth, that continues tracing the journey of the Fellowship and an interactive map of New Zealand highlighting the location scouting process. Rounding out this disc are a wealth of galleries of art and slideshows with commentaries by the artists. Disc 4 starts off with detailing the cast's "journey". Sending the actors into battle, discusses the art of sword fighting and stunts, while, Stories from the set, takes us through principal photography. The next section is all about digital effects, motion capture, and miniatures. Look for extensive stuff on Gollum and how he came to life here (my favorite part of this section). Galleries of behind-the-scenes photographs and personal cast photos, two more featurettes on editing it all together and the final sound design mix. Topping off the disc and the set is a lot of exclusive online material with even more bonus material. Like the theatrical version of The Two Towers, I enjoyed the extended version even more over the extended cut of its predecessor. The extras provide a complete look inside the film and are more than just a bunch of fluff. Those that have come this far with the Rings saga wont be disappointed with this set. Highly Recommended
Rating:
Summary: "One ring to rule them all."
Review: Simply put, this is not on par with "The Fellowship of the Ring" or "The Return of the King." Except for Gimli, all the comic relief is gone, and when Gandalf (Ian McKellan) is absent from the action there had better be some amazing CGI on the way because the other characters are not nearly as endearing. I'm truly sorry to say this, but this time around, much of the supporting actors are just plain bad. Some of the film editing is slipping as well. Did it annoy anyone else when the Orcs finally burst through the gate of Helm's Deep when suddenly, all the actors were on horseback? I suppose the horses were hidden by cloaks of elvenkind. Sarcasm aside, that wasn't the only editing flaw. That said, the special effects are astounding once again. Gollum is a pioneering CGI creation worthy of the Oscar, which this movie did win for Visual Effects. But I was particularly disappointed with the fact than many great moments from the book were omitted from this film only to be added later to "The Return of the King." Of the three films, this is easily the weakest entry. Not a bad film, to be sure, but not on the same level of the other two. Later.
Rating:
Summary: Packaging query...
Review: The "Lord of the Rings" movies collectively represent the most amazing cinematic feat of at least the past decade. Period. The extended edition of "The Two Towers" continues a beautiful tradition that began last year with the extended "Fellowship" release, and is starting to make me wish that Peter Jackson wouldn't have to bother with creating 3-hour theatrical cuts that are quickly (and gladly) forgotten when his more expansive and complete extended cuts get released on DVD! These 4-disc editions really immerse you in J.R.R. Tolkien's amazing and beautifully-realized world, and make you truly never want to leave! If only all movies could be made with such vision, love, and dedication as these have been. This Collector's Gift Set for "The Two Towers" is every bit as gorgeous and enjoyable as last year's "Fellowship" Gift Set was, although the bonus "Gollum" DVD is, somewhat sadly, little more than a 30-minute advertisement for Slideshow Weta's line of "Lord of the Rings" figures and sculptures. However, the companion book ("Creating Gollum") is a nice collection of stories from Gollum's cinematic creators, and it features a wonderful evolution of sketches, sculptures, and digital images to illustrate how the little monster was so effectively brought to life in the movie. It's particularly interesting to get a look at all the Gollums that could have been, as I'd felt that Gollum was perhaps a bit TOO human in "The Two Towers" (an opinion which was probably left over from my vision of him from the old animated "Hobbit" movie). Mainly, I'd like to know if any other fans out there have purchased this set and, like myself, are having serious problems removing the too-cool "Gollum as Smeagol" statue from the packaging without completely destroying said packaging. Because it really is too nice a set to have to tear apart! If anyone has found an easier way to accomplish this, please feel free to email me and let me know. Thanks a ton!
Rating:
Summary: YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE THIS ONE!
Review: If you thought that the film you saw in theatres couldn't be better, prepare yourself for the special extended version...it's even better than the Fellowship of the Ring extended version. You'll love how it fleshes out the story whether or not you've read the books. But enough review because the movie speaks for itself...GET THE EXTENDED VERSION NOW! See it before Return of the King! You'll be happy you did!
Rating:
Summary: Not for children and those with short attention spans.....
Review: Well, I just got finished with the movie, and I am amazed. They turned an amazing movie into a spectacular movie. All the deleted scenes and extended scenes make the movie much easier to understand and bring out more important themes in the movie. There is more laughter, sadness, and joy. It really expands on all the thoughts (2/3 of the movie has been changed with either extensions or completely new scenes). WARNING: This movie is just short of 4 hours, and therefore is very hard to sit though without taking a break. I had to take a break for dinner, but without it I would not have been able to sit through. And I could confidently say I am a HARDCORE fan. So, make sure you are well rested and clear minded when you watch this.
Rating:
Summary: Twice as better as the Fellowship special addition
Review: love seeing Denethor before I get to see him in the third one. Faramir's extra footage is great, and love the comedic scenes in this film. it tops the special addition of The Fellowship Of The Ring.
Rating:
Summary: The 3 Journeys of the Followship into a Darker World
Review: The movie first starts with Frodo and Sam on the rocky mountains of Enym Muil, as they head closer to Mordor, and follow by Gollum, they are on their own. Then it starts out of Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli heading torwards Rohan to help the Human kind, they found hope when their leader returns in a even more powerful incarnation. Then there is Merry and Pipin capture by Urik-hais to be taken to the evil Saruman. That's all about their groups, as it is going torwards the end, the battle for mankinds begin, and Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli fights along sides with 300 other men for their last stand against Saruman's army, in Helm's deep this is where Aragorn will put everything on the line. As you know that Aragorn will be King soon in the 3rd one. The movie also introduced some new characters, Faramir, brother of Brormir, Eowyn and Eomer, niece and nephew of king of Rohan, and Theoden, king of Rohan. The 3rd movie will be even better than 1 and 2 combine. The 2nd one took a darker turn,and set the Stage for the Final epic battle, the battle of Helm's deep was just a opening for the Final one, as in Helm's deep there was 10,000 army against Rohan which was 300, but the battle at Pelenor Field will be at least 200,000 strong against Gondor and Rohan together, so get ready for the final battle, the conclusion to the greatest epic battle of our time, get ready for the battle that will knocked you out of your seat!!!!
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