Blu Ray Extended Edition (235 min)... it couldn't be done more in almost 4 hours. Even after 17 years, the film has not lost quality.
Given that the Lord of the Rings films were all shot together and Fellowship had been such a success, it was natural that much of the praise levied at the first film would carry over - stunning production design and locations which bring Middle Earth to life in wonderful detail, another wonderful score from Shore and a cast that fit into their roles perfectly. However, there are some distinct changes as the story structure demands that the audience follow three distinct storyline, new characters are introduced and the nature of a middle film in a trilogy leaves The Two Towers with no beginning or ending. Consequently, after a barnstorming opening that remind the audience of events from Fellowship, the pace of the film suffers as Jackson struggles to seamlessly continue the disparate elements of the plot and reintroduce his characters as well as bring in new ones (indeed this is actually done more successfully in the theatrical version than the extended one which still contains wonderful extra scenes throughout but does affect the pace far more so than Fellowship). It is only a short lived issue however.
Jackson’s solution to the lack of a story ending, like with Fellowship, is to weave a thematic thread through his story that is brought to a head in the finale with a beautiful speech from Sean Astin and rather than leave the film on a cliffhanger, ends on a natural resting point in the story. Thus the melancholic feel of a world in decay and on the brink of change is much more to the fore here as the mood turns distinctly grim and war threatens. From Osgiliath to Rohan to the Dead Marshes, the filmmakers paint a picture of once proud and triumphant societies now in decline and ruin after years of stagnation. This permeates the characters as the filmmakers explore their fears and struggles to deal them. Gollum is rightly celebrated as a wonderful addition to the story, being far more than simply an impressive visual effect as the true nature of the One Ring’s corrosive influence is explored, but equally impressive is Bernard Hill as Theoden, riddled with doubt and uncertainly, but no less authoritative as a leader.
If this all sounds a little too depressing, it is to Jackson’s credit that it never feels like this. Humour and action help to punctuate the tone and the film builds up to stunning finale that remains hugely impressive. Return of the King’s action sequences may well up the ante in terms of scope, but Towers’ centrepiece battle for Helm’s Deep feels more grounded and gruelling for the characters, culminating in a beautifully realised last stand. Equally, the storyline involving Merry and Pippin had the potential for ridicule, but the filmmakers initially play up the comical aspects and win over the audience to Treebeard and the Ents, which allows Jackson to integrate the theme of nature fighting back much more successfully.
There are some missteps - as well as the pacing problems at the beginning, Frodo’s encounter with Faramir doesn’t always ring true. Wenham is perfectly cast as Boromir’s brother, but his character arc and development feels disjointed and rushed and whilst there is an improvement in the extended edition, the resolution to his arc here feels contrived simply to move the story on. The less said about Galadriel’s forced inclusion, the better!!
This is still stunning filmmaking though and whilst the flaws are not quite as easily overlooked as with Fellowship, they do little to impact what is another impressive entry to the Middle Earth saga.
[7.8/10] Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is a whole season of television jammed to fit into a single three-hour movie. There’s so many, mostly disconnected bits of the story that happen at a remove from one another. Fellowship of the Ring has its own issues, but they tend to veer more toward a film that feels like it plays out on rails, with the good guy meeting and assembling and meeting one another on a pre-set path whether there’s room in the plot for it or time for the audience to care about each new face.
The Two Towers, by contrast, tries to combat that problem by making an Empire Strikes Back-style move for the sequel, splitting up the central teams into various side quests. Frodo and Sam firmly encounter Gollum (and his unique personality), and then run into Faramir, Boromir’s brother, whose men are prowling the plain. The Hobbit B-team escape their Orc captors and find refuge in the Ents, walking trees on the fence of interfering in the world of men. And the alliance of Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli initially set out to rescue the B-team hobbits, but find themselves in Rohan, another free city of men, and help defend the kingdom and his people against Saruman’s approaching army.
That’s all before you get into Gollum’s recurring moral dilemma, and a love triangle between Aragorn, his immortal Elf crush, and some princess he’s making goo goo eyes at, and before…you know…Gandalf freaking coming back to life.
Suffice it to say, there is a lot going on in The Two Towers and Peter Jackson and company are not quite able to get the pacing and editing and structure of the movie right to make so much incident and character packed into these events just right. Battle reaching a crescendo feature cuts to deliberately slow-talking trees debating the finer point of military intervention. Otherwise triumphant or crestfallen moments are interspersed with dreamland dalliances between Arwen and her human squeeze. The introductions and deaths of characters who basically walk on the screen, give two lines, and then must be treated with the utmost importance for reasons unknown is still a Middle Earth malady here.
But man, that battle. I’d go so far as to say that in the nearly twenty years the Battle of Helm’s Deep burst onto the silver screen, it’s been topped. Several Game of Thrones skirmishes, other cinematic war epics, and scads of LotR imitators have built on this form, with varying degrees of success. Still, there’s just something about the epic set piece at the heart of The Two Towers that sets it apart, both in how it pioneered some of the approaches that soon became the standard, and in how it includes so many little touches and character moments to make this more than a mutual blast of roaring swords and screeching steels.
We get two Big Damn Hero moments to give the battle some structure, with Elrond’s Elf crew coming to aid at the last minute an unleashing those elven arrows on the advancing Uruk-hai so that the Rohan women and children stand a chance. And if that’s not enough, Gandalf the White (having survived his encounter with the Balrog with a mere bump on the noggin’ and a spiffy new wardrobe change) frees the King from Saruman’s spell and brings their loyal men from far flung places to help defend the homeland. More than the raw spectacle of that seminal battle, the character touches – Gimli hugging a thought-dead Aragorn, the two little kids we barely met ending up safe, the King’s doubts over whether this is the right course and eventually throwing himself in the fray – that make it more than the sum of its parts.
But they’re damn good parts, though! The prospect of a war on two fronts is an appropriately ominous one, especially with the franchise’s would-be narrators giving high-fantasy color commentary to that effect. Still, whether it’s legitimate medieval military tactics or not, the Uruk-Hai throwing up their ladder and barging their way through the gate while the Rohan alliance tries to stall their climbers and brace the door is a thrilling bit of editing and production design. The controlled chaos of those moments, these two heaving bodies of people working against one another, bear out in what is arguably the franchise’s most iconic and imitated set piece.
The Two Towers just spends a lot of time to get there, and not all of those side quests are feeding into or building to that moment later in the film. The back-up Hobbit squad convincing the Ents that this is their war too leads to some other neat production moments. The Ents look and move in a distinctive fashion, and their stepping in to help Gondor will surely count for something. But a great deal of Merri and Pippin wandering through the forest with them feels like killing time before they’re needed, however slightly, for the final battle.
The same goes for the Aragorn/Arwen/Eowyn love triangle that pretty much sprung out of nowhere. Aragorn is really a weak link here. While in Fellowship, he could at least emerge from the shadows and prove himself a noble, valuable ally with the royal connections that could one day matter, here, is the generic fantasy hero guy, shouting orders and slashing swords as needed. Given that focus, it’s more than a little awkward when the movie cuts away from the proceedings to depict him struggle with his shared promise to Arwen and the smile from this random chick he just met.
At least it ties into one of the overarching themes of the film – how this is a challenge that prevents all these disparate groups from simply retreating to their otherwise unbothered homes and just letting things play out. This is a threat to all of them – Sauron’s black army – and it requires disparate groups with long histories to set them aside and join together to fight a foe who poses an existentialist threat against all of them. There’s a lizard brain joy when old friend or enemies turned allies show up in a time of need, and The Two Towers plays that for all it’s worth.
It also related to the idea of our connections with people, the way we can see ourselves in others, as both our best and worst selves, and most struggle to bring out the best while repelling the worst. That’s most notable in the Gollum-centric parts of the movie, where Samwise continues to be skeptical of their grotesque fellow-traveler, while Frodo, knowing first-hand what The Ring does to a person, has empathy for the wretched creature, and the kindness he extends helps Gollum make the first progress he’s made in forever.
It’s ginger progress, that causes Gollum self-back and forths about the nature of what he really is, his guilt, his possibility to be more. Andy Serkis and his team put in the best performance of the movie despite the CGI limitations, managing to show the piteousness of Gollum, his sympathetic qualities, and also the duality of him, the ways in which he is like an addict who means well and speaks honestly, but whose desire for the thing he cannot have makes him dangerous. It’s a fine line to walk, but The Two Towers walks it while showing how Frodo has to believe, for his own sake, that there’s hope Gollum can come back from this.
Samwise delivers that message in the best speech of a speech-loaded film. This is the middle chapter of the Lord of the Rings -- the one between the thrill of introduction and the catharsis of conclusion, where stories typically have to continue setting the table for the finale and show our heroes at their lowest point. Sam recognizes this as a lowest point, with so many of them split up, diminished, or dead. But he also recognizes the hope in that they’ve gotten this far, that they’re come together, that there’s still the chance for victory despite the long odds stacked against them. The Two Towers spends a great deal of time digging around with those new threats and depositing in new characters without enough time to really give them any shading beyond high fantasy pronouncements. But it delivers the Lord of the Rings’s greatest battles and gives us reason to hope through our heroes’ camaraderie and measured successes, even in the midst of the dark times and defeats.
My Precious
While I found the “The Fellowship of the Ring” more entertaining than I remembered, I had better memories of “The Two Towers”. The tone has supposedly got grittier and darker, but it doesn’t blend as well with the over-the-top acting and kitsch presentation. The final battle is great indeed, but the preceding two hours felt a little too dull and repetitive in contrast.
After watching the first movie, I genuinely thought I'd rewatched this trilogy to truly understand it too late (I watched it as a child but always felt like it was a movie for adults with its serious tone, so I was never quite attached to it). The first movie showed me the reason why LotR was so often the point of comparison whenever a new high fantasy series came out. But 2 decades later, having seen so many films and shows somewhat inspired by LotR's ambitiousness, I was honestly... a bit whelmed.
But this movie... damn.
Given more time to get to know them somewhat, the characters have become a bit more likeable (though I understand that it would have been hard to form an attachment to them with just the first movie, which had a lot of introduction to do). I also really liked the way this film handled the split narratives without taking away anything.
Probably what I loved most about this was the introduction to more of this world's lore. Now I'm tempted to rewatch the first movie with this newfound appreciation for it (I most likely will after the third movie). It makes me wish I still had the time and patience to read books because I'd love to read the series just to delve deeper into this rich universe. Might be time to finally dust off that old copy of The Hobbit lying around here somewhere…
Also, for a long time, (I avoided spoilers and they weren't really abundant) I genuinely thought this was about Frodo gaining control over the ring. I now realize that it's really just about this high fantasy world, an impending war against 1 dude (who's really just empowered by evil Dumbledore at this point), and a host of races selfishly trying to gain control of The Ring. Well. It's mostly just been Men at this point, go figure.
And what an edge-of-the-seat battle! I went from being so sure that the Ents would show up to turn the tide, but then they didn't and I thought the battle really was unwinnable massacre, then the elves arrived and provided some hope (even for viewers like me who hadn't read the books, I assume), but then they were still massacred, and at that point, I figured it truly was done, with such heavy losses made more tragic by the scenes leading up to it. And then... sunrise! Damn, a rollercoaster.
Also… poor Gollum?
The same goes for The Two Towers as it did with The Fellowship. When you have a filmmaker that is passionate about the source material, and a lot of people around them that are the same way, you get something worth watching. The Two Towers are just as much a masterpiece as The Fellowship.
The Lord of the Rings
The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-fellowship-of-the-ring-2001
The Two Towers (2002) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-two-towers-2002
The Return of the King (2003) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-return-of-the-king-2003
An epic movie with the Battle of Helm's Deep being an incredible action sequence. We follow different storylines now that the characters are separated in groups. The new characters are really good and Andy Serkis did a marvelous job as Gollum.
I cant say something about this movie. IS AMAZING
MASTERPIECE OF CINEMA ABSOLUTE, 100% PERFECT FILM, ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES OF ALL TIME
"The battle of Helm's Deep is over; the battle for Middle-earth is about to begin."
This is the weakest one in the trilogy, but still an amazing movie. This is more of a set up for the Return of the King and lets be honest who is watching this and not going to watch RotK next. It still has some spectacular action, Helm's deep still is one of the best action scenes in cinema. The pacing is a little off, can be a little too slow in the first half.
An Epic in every sense of the word.
For me the weakest movie of the LotR trilogy. But still better than a lot of other (action / fantasy) movies.
Favored for the way it keeps us entertained in light of the characters being separated, how it creates new story-lines through new characters, how it makes the Battle of Helms Deep heartfelt, its set-up for the battles in Return, and how it deviates from Fellowship, which makes this a unique part of the trilogy.
A Masterpiece!! I totally love it more than 2001
i’m merry and pippin just vibing with tree dudes
Very good acting and filmmaking
Truly feels like The Empire Strikes Back in its approach. The playful sensibilities of the first film slowly fade away as the story matures, and our main characters are split up for different campaigns. Now, it’s easier to spot the flaws with this one. The CGI becomes noticeably more inconsistent (especially during the Ent scenes), the Mary & Pippin storyline is not quite as captivating as the other two stories (though its pay-off is awesome), Gandalf’s return makes his sacrifice in Fellowship feel cheap and there’s some other writing decisions that feel slightly off. For example, Karl Urban’s character goes from hating Gimli to handing his crew free horses in less than a minute. However, this film is still such an achievement that many of those issues can be overlooked. The final hour, to this day, is the best battle put to film, nothing will probably ever come close to matching it. Gollem is an amazing character, such incredible work by WETA and Serkis, especially the scenes where he’s talking to himself. In fact, I like most of the new additions. It’s kind of a miracle how Jackson doesn’t lose sight of his main protagonist (like he did with The Hobbit), considering how much it’s juggling. Maybe he should’ve been slighly more ruthless though, for instance I don’t think you need the Aragorn love triangle here. Technically Jackson impresses once again; the cinematography, score and editing might even be slightly better than Fellowship. You can just tell these were made with a lot of thought into it; the acting, the dialogue, the action, it’s all very careful and precise. Yet, I feel like with slightly more time in post-production he might’ve been able to smooth out some of those clear flaws.
8/10
Theme- 10/10
Rewatchibility- 7.5/10
Acting- 9.5/10
Kinematography- 10/10
Time- 7/10
Total - 44/5 = 8.8
Wonderful Experience, can't wait for the third one
The Two Towers is a thrilling continuation of the epic saga started in The Fellowship of the Ring. The acting is superb, with standout performances from the entire cast, particularly Andy Serkis as the deceptive Gollum. The film does an excellent job of balancing multiple storylines and character arcs, while still maintaining a cohesive narrative. From the battle of Helm's Deep to the journey of Frodo and Sam through the lands of Mordor, The Two Towers keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. It's a must-see for fans of fantasy and adventure, and a worthy follow-up to the first installment of the trilogy.
"Looks like meat's back on the menu, boys!"
Most days I think this is my favorite film of the trilogy. It changes from time to time, but as of this moment, it is my favorite. Production is great, the story picks up way more than the first one, the battles are fantastic and everything looks gorgeous. Always watch the Extended version.
I like the pacing of this second movie more. I still find it a bit too boring at times but there were lots of great scenes in it.
Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli are probably my favorite characters. Even scenes where they just ride through Middleearth together are not boring :) They make up such an unlikely but strong team.
Aragon is a true knight in the sense that he cares about everyone around him, is a great fighter, and he's even a great leader. Legolas is so loyal, super fit, and probably the best fighter of them. Gimli is super brave and way more powerful than he looks.
Gandalf is of course great as well <3 - as always :)
First as Gandalf the Grey and now as Gandalf the White :D But how dare they to wait until this movie to reveal that he didn't die? :D
Eowyn is my favorite new character that got introduced in this movie. It's just unfortunate that her potential is kept back and we don't get to see that much of her. But it looks like she has a huge heart and is a strong fighter.
Unfortunately I do find most of the other characters rather "boring" though... :o
So epic, can't wait to watch the third one tomorrow
battle of Helm's Deep >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The Return of the King may have won the Oscar for best picture, but for me The Two Towers is the shining gem of this trilogy. The battle for Helm's Deep is a sight to behold. When we get our first look at the massive Uruk hai army, it is jaw-dropping. Then comes the medieval battle formations and techniques that I loved. Throw in the Ents attacking Isengard and the ever-entertaining Gollum and you've got one heck of a movie.
I might not have enjoyed it as much as the first film, but 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers' is still a terrific film no doubt.
Visually it still looks superb, I really do love the look of these films so far. The main plot is engaging and very interesting, while things like the costumes et al. remain at a high level. There is also top action, including some noteworthy battle sequences.
There are, though, a few bits I found less great - still very good in the grand overall scheme, but just comparably with the 2001 release. I found the pacing to be slightly off in moments, while a few of the new cast members didn't connect to me - e.g. Bernard Hill. The side story, meanwhile, with Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan didn't interest me at all... they spend too much of the run time just walking through a forest.
Elijah Wood remains good though. I did enjoy seeing the journey of Frodo and Sam (Sean Astin). Andy Serkis also gets more screen time with that aforementioned duo as Gollum, which is most definitely only a major positive - a fun character! Any scene with those three = outstanding.
Overall, as noted, it is still an excellent film. One very much worthy of following 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring', despite a few 'issues' I have with it.
Little bit weaker at times, but still so great
Peter Jackson and friends apply their epic vision to LotR's second chapter, although this material doesn't sparkle in quite so many ways. While the sweeping vistas and jaw-dropping landscapes are again fantastic and memorable, a noticeably slowing plot means we're seeing more of them, for longer periods of time, than in the previous installment. Rather than the perfect balance of action, adventure and fantasy seen in Fellowship of the Ring, much more time is devoted to romance, pontification and elaboration in The Two Towers, with the wealth of talking heads lending the picture a very long-winded, literary feel. There's still room for a bit of warfare, of course, with the lengthy battle for Helm's Deep gobbling up nearly an hour by itself, but the road to get there often feels terribly long and dry. Perhaps that's just a case of too much material in the Extended Edition, though.
Andy Serkis is a revelation as Gollum, while Elijah Wood's performance as Frodo is an improvement over his one-dimensional turn in the first film. It's also worth mentioning that the CGI creature effects, which looked so convincing on the screen back in '02, don't benefit from the crystal clarity of a Blu-Ray translation.
one of the best films ever made
The Two Towers is my personal favourite of the trilogy.
image 4.25 / 5 and sound 4.25 / 5. After years of seeing her, we have liked her again. Even the "Legolas" sosaines perform better than the entire Sharknado cast
:joy:
Gandalf the White, Shadowfax, Helms Deep, Boromir's brother, Gimli's one-liners, Frodo and Sam, Ents and a lot more.
The Two Towers continues were Fellowship left off and that is being one hell of an epic middle part of a trilogy!
Love the franchise! I can’t get enough!
Great film and second installment in the LOTR trilogy. I especially like the Rohan-storyline.
Guys, Karl Urban is in this movie!
I never realised
Not my favorite of the three. Eowin was miss-cast.
Loved the whole series and hope to own them one day on blu ray.
Why people waste their time just to come up here to say they dislike these movies? I guess they actually like them just don't admit... lol
the 3 movies are class in HD. Each movie was about 22-28gig in size and what a difference it made to the HD quality
It's not just your opinion. Hate these movies as well. 9 hours to tell a story you could fit in a childrens book... urgh
I don't understand what people like about these movies. That moment where they join in battle is all so cliché: "You have my sword, you have my axe, ..." Seriously, it sounds like gay-porn. And it's filled with moments where they get gay with eachother; greeting and hugging...
I can dig Harry Potter (except for the unnecessary air-space-football-scenes), but not this.
But that's just my opinion... Maybe there's something wrong with me, who knows! :P
Still amazes me after seeing it almost yearly! Can't believe how great these movies are :)
Shout by Ninja PoonBlockedParent2017-11-09T08:54:43Z
Some towers n'orcs and shit