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The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Two Disc Theatrical Edition) [2002]

RRP: £14.99
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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

With The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the focus of Tolkien's epic story moves from the fantastic to the mythic, from magic and monsters towards men and their deeds, as the expanding panorama of Middle-earth introduces us to the Viking-like Riders of Rohan and the men of Gondor. Which is not to say that Peter Jackson's three-hour second instalment doesn't have its fair share of amazing new creatures--here we meet Wargs, Oliphaunts and winged Nazgul, to name three--just that the film is concerned more with myth-making on a heroic scale than the wide-eyed wonder of The Fellowship of the Ring.

There's no time for recapitulation, as a host of new characters are introduced in rapid succession. In Rohan we meet the initially moribund King Theoden (Bernard Hill); his treacherous advisor Grima Wormtongue (Brad Dourif); his feisty niece Eowyn (Miranda Otto); and his strong-willed nephew Eomer (Karl Urban). Faramir (David Wenham), brother of Boromir, is the other principal human addition to the cast. The hobbits, though, encounter the two most remarkable new characters, both of whom are digitally generated: in Fangorn Forest, Merry and Pippin are literally carried away by Treebeard, a dignified old Ent; while Frodo and Sam capture the duplicitous Gollum, whose fate is inextricably intertwined with that of the Ring.

The film stands or falls with Gollum. If the characterisation had gone the way of Jar Jar Binks, The Two Towers would have been ruined, notwithstanding all the spectacle and grandeur of the rest. But Gollum is a triumph, a tribute both to the computer animators and the motion-captured performance of Andy Serkis: his "dialogues", delivered theatre-like direct to the audience, are a masterstroke. Here and elsewhere Jackson is unafraid to make changes to the story line, bringing Frodo and Sam to Osgiliath, for example, or tipping Aragorn over a cliff. Yet the director's deft touch always seems to add not detract from Tolkien's vision. Just three among many examples: Aragorn's poignant dreams of Arwen (Liv Tyler); Gimli's comic repartee even in the heat of battle; and the wickedly effective siege weapons of the Uruk-Hai (which signify both Saruman's mastery and his perversion of technology). The climactic confrontation at Helm's Deep contains images the like of which have simply never been seen on film before. Almost unimaginably, there's so much more still to come in the Return of the King.

On the DVD: The Two Towers two-disc set, like the Fellowship before it, features the theatrical version of the movie on the first disc, in glorious 2.35:1 widescreen, accompanied by Dolby 5.1 or Dolby Stereo sound options. As before, commentaries and the really in-depth features are held back for the extended four-disc version.

Such as they are, all the extras are reserved for Disc Two. The 14-minute documentary On the Set is a run-of-the-mill publicity preview for the movie; more substantial is the 43-minute Return to Middle-Earth, another promotional feature, which at least has plenty of input from cast and crew. Much more interesting are the briefer pieces, notably: Sean Astin's charming silent short The Long and the Short of It, plus an amusing making-of featurette; a teaser trailer for the extended DVD release; and a tantalising 12-minute sneak peek at Return of the King, introduced by Peter Jackson, in which he declares nonchalantly that "Helm's Deep was just an opening skirmish"! --Mark Walker

Epic
Review date: 2008-08-14 Rating: 8 out of 10

As those of you who've read my review of the first movie, you'll know that The Lord Of The Rings isn't a great movie. It's a very promising part of a potentially excellent whole. And The Two Towers is but the second slice of the trilogy. Sadly, like the first, the McGuffin of a plot is still flimsy, despite the effort and hard work of the team who made the film, and the whole epic experience -and make no mistake it is unapologetically epic - is frankly overdone.

Sometimes less is more. And what we see is more, a hell of a lot more of New Zealand in the opening sequence than in the other film. Long, ponderous panning shots of mountains and snow that seem to last as long as the film itself.

It's not what you show - but what you don't show that`s important. The problem with The Two Towers is that it, like bad television, shows you everything, and tells you nothing. It's trying too hard to be something epic, something meaningful, when all it is is a big overblown nine-hour cinematic romp of good and evil. It's a two-hour classic trapped inside the body of a three-hour epic.

Where some people think an epic is three hours, Pete Jackson rewrites the book. Three hours is just an ad break. A quick, fast, meaningless bit of fun. For something to be an epic, it has to last half a day (including the inevitable `extended' editions of each film to follow on DVD) to watch in all. Whereas other people trim scenes in order to add speed, excitement, and clarity, Jackson adds. And adds. And adds. Everything. There's probably a kitchen sink in there somewhere.

Just like the first film, there's huge sequences of irrelevant exposition, dialogue, and improbable, insulting co-incidences. Even the smallest moments are played in such a manner as to try and add weight to what is essentially, padding dialogue.

Anyone watching Gandalf's appearance near the end of the film anyone watching the improbable sequence where two of the nameless dwarves just happen to climb onto the one talking tree of the thousands in the forest, or where Treebeard jests that his character only thinks that something is worth saying if it takes a very long time, will be aware that Jackson squanders time as if were limitless. Anyone watching this film will be aware that more than anything else, whilst The Two Towers runs at 24 frames per second, for vast portions of its duration it runs at one thrill an hour. It mistakes length for gravitas.

Besides, The Two Towers are hardly ever seen, and never explained. Why are there "Two Towers"? What is the relationship between them?

The film does has its moments. The implication that runs through this film - through every frame - is that a war isn't about sides. The enemy, what mankind should be fighting, is war itself. The parallels between Bush and Saddam and Osama have never, in my mind, been portrayed in a clearer fashion than the opening sequence that pans over the entirety of Sauraman's domain, composed, as it is entirely of the machines of war. The message is clear. Those who want war will wage war, irrespective of how it may destroy the very fabric of the world we inhabit. These people believe that their pride and their beliefs and their ambition are more important than our very existence.

Where there's an army, there's an apocalypse.

It doesn't take a great leap of the imagination to see a man called Bush avenging the fall of his very own Two Towers whilst he prepares his armies for a war.

And the flipside of this comes the perhaps unsung tragedy of the film. Bernard Hill, who throughout the film acts as the King with dignity and forethought on a level I've not yet seen on screen, who realises that despite his best intentions, and the decisions of many, he has led his people into a trap that can only result in the extinction of his people - a man who, despite a will stronger than a horde of Orcs and a purity that outshines the darkness, realises that in a war it is only physical might that will prevail. And those who fight dirty, those who attack the undefended, those who have no concern for ethics, tend to win in a war. Which is why the Bad Guys are the winners.

And this brings us onto the finale of the film. The Battle Of Helms Deep, fought on many fronts and with many characters is handled as well as it could be, suffering - as it does - from trying to handle several disparate plot lines and unrelated characters who never meet. In effect, The Two Towers is three one hour films weaved together and not always successfully.

As far as epics go, only Star Wars : Send In The Clones comes near to The Two Towers in gravitas or scale. The problem is that The Two Towers is a film that aspires to far far more than it can deliver, and whilst it certainly deliver everything on an epic scale, the only thing it lacks is meaning.

I only hope that the upcoming Return Of The King can answer those questions.

Reviews

Amazing
Review date: 2008-06-17 Rating: 10 out of 10

For the second time, Peter Jackson, works wonders in bringing JRR Tolkien's `Lord of the Rings' to life, and the Part II: The Two Towers is even more stunning than the first.
As a long-time fan of the books, I was very skeptical that the big screen could really do these works justice, but Peter Jackson, and everyone else who worked on this amazing project, has proved that it certainly can!
The hideous and destructive evil of the Orcs, Wargs and Black Riders is made even more frighteningly stark, and it is with a sense of wonder that we are introduced to the people of Rohan; the Ents and the horrible, crawling, scheming Gollum.

For me the highlight of the film is the Battle of Helms Deep, where a 10 000 strong horde of Orcs, Uruk-Hai and Hillmen from Isengard besiege the people of at this ancient fortress, and the ensuing battle shows the great courage and determination to survive of the besieged and their allies.

Seeing the innocent, beautiful faces of the children of Rohan, hiding with the women in the fortress, and then being flashed to the cruel terror of Saruman's forces is a contrast I will never forget, as Aragorn reminds us that the forces of Saruman are determined to destroy the people of Rohan, down to the last child.

In a clear analogy of propaganda for terrorism., Saruman works the Hillmen into a bloodlust, telling them that the Rohirrim took away their land and drove them into the hills, and now they must burn, destroy, and kill all in their path.

And it is with a sense of grand triumph, that we see Gandalf and the cavalry of Rohan charging down the hill to break the siege; and the army of angry Ents destroying Isengard

The message in the film is what makes it so remarkable and encouraging at this difficult time in human history.
Here is placed a monumental battle between good and evil, without any of the relativism or moral blur that blight our age.
The free world is under threat by dark and evil forces that have a demonic drive to destroy all that is good, just and beautiful.

And the question that faces us all today is asked King Theoden of Rohan: `How do we deal with such reckless hatred'.
Aragorn, the only answer that points the way to the truth, gives the clear answer: `Ride out and meet it, head-on'.

better
Review date: 2008-06-07 Rating: 6 out of 10

more enjoyable and much better than the first this much better effort.it still drags in places and very boring in others but overall its entertaining enough

Sensational
Review date: 2008-05-25 Rating: 10 out of 10

Not the best LOTR, but an exceedingly good film. FOTR & ROTK are just a bit more epic but it doesn't let the trilogy down at all. The most important elements of a film are characters and story. This excels in both. The acting is brilliant, particularly; Liv Tyler as Arwin and Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn. Also if it weren't for Tolkien's powerful story, the two towers would have sunk.

The most interesting characters Tolkien ever creative are the Ents. As normal Peter Jackson did a fantastic job in creating them. When the Ents revenge Isengard it is a totally original battle seen. The music and landscape are very good. What makes this entertaining is when it shows Frodo's and Sam's Adventure is on a cliff-hanger it switches to Aragone, Logolas and Gimli and you forget about Frodo until you are shown what he is up to.

Although the billed up is a bit boring but the battle of Helms Deep is unforgettable. The fighting so realistic, epic and stunning. Take this out of the film in would have bean so mediocre. It is like stepping back in time and seeing how war was like. Tolkien would be very proud.

My conclusion is simple Buy it, doesn't mater the price just buy it! Also it is a must by if you want to make films when you are older.

Excellent continuation of an epic story
Review date: 2008-04-30 Rating: 10 out of 10

The Two Towers is part two of the Lord of the Rings saga. It was always going to be the most difficult to transmit into a good film in it's own right as the book was rather inconclusive. Nonetheless, Peter Jackson used his artistic license to produce an action-packed adventure that was almost as good as the brilliant Fellowship of the Ring. Howard Shore delivered another great score with the music for Rohan one of the main new themes. Some new faces are added to the cast as we are properly introduced to Gollum (Andy Serkis) and the kingdom of Rohan (Bernard Hill, Brad Dourif), and briefly to Gondor (David Wenham, John Noble). As much of the story involves Rohan, the film actually has a different, quite Nordic, feel to it. This doesn't make it less enjoyable but rather adds another dimension to the diverse world that is middle-earth.

The film is now following several simultaneous story-lines with the fellowship broken into three groups; Frodo and Sam in the Emyn Muil, Merry and Pippin being taken to Isengard by their Uruk-Hai captors, and Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli tracking them through Rohan. Meanwhile, the fallen wizard Saruman is now ready to attack Rohan with his army of Uruk-Hai. Things look very bleak but hope glimmers with the return of the wizard Gandalf, now elevated in status to Gandalf the White. The interweaving between mutiple threads is done with such great skill that you get into the movie immediately. This extended cut is a major enhancement of the theatrical version. Many scenes were left out at the cinema for pacing reasons and time restrictions. For the home viewer you get a much fuller story and a load of extra stuff on the making of the film in a 4-disc set.

The changes include a flashback of Faramir to when he and the soldiers of Gondor, under Boromir's leadership, had retaken the west bank of Osgiliath. We learn why Boromir, and not Faramir, goes to Rivendell for the Council of Elrond, making you wonder how things would have turned out if the positions had been reversed. We see Frodo and Sam go through the sewers under Osgiliath, which explains how they cross the Anduin river without detection by the Orcs on the eastern bank of the ruined city. Another important addition is the revelation of Aragorn's age (he is 87) and ancestry as the last of the line of legendary Numenorean Kings, a lineage bestowed with wisdom, unusual long life and great power. This is recognized by Boromir in the later parts of Fellowship of the Ring and explains why he has accepted Aragorn as his king and leader, rather than as a mere equal. The climax is also improved with the Forest of Fangorn arriving at Helms Deep to take it's revenge on the Uruks. This coincides with some gentle fun between Merry and Pippin in Saruman's store-room after the storming of Isengard. Overall, it adds depth and understanding of things that didn't seem initially clear, and keeps the story well set-up for the final movie. I couldn't wait the 12 months to find out what happened next so I read the books!

Product Details/Specifications

Actor(s):
Elijah Wood|Ian McKellen|Viggo Mortensen|Orlando Bloom

Director(s):

Recording label: Entertainment in Video
Manufacturer: Entertainment in Video
EAN: 5017239191794
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 2
Format: PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2003-08-26
Number of discs: 2
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 179 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2002-12-18
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Subtitled)

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The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Two Disc Theatrical Edition) [2002]

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