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Lord of the Rings : The Two Towers - Special Limited Edition [2002]


RRP: £19.99
Our Price: £5.59 (subject to change)

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films gave "double-dipping"--releasing a DVD then releasing an improved version shortly afterward--a good name by offering both a better film and stupendous extras in the Extended Editions. This "triple-dip" 2006 Limited Edition falls far short of that standard but is still of interest to devoted and casual fans.

What do you get?
Both the theatrical and extended versions of The Two Towers are on one double-sided disc. The versions use seamless branching, meaning that the scenes that are common to both versions are stored on the disc only once. If you choose to watch the extended version, the disc "branches" out to the added or extended scenes. What does this mean to the viewer? Not much. The viewing experience is the same because the branching is imperceptible. But because both versions of the film don't have to be stored on the disc in their entirety (which would be almost seven hours total), both versions together fit on two sides of one disc. The downside is that whichever version you watch, you have to flip over the disc halfway through; the film breaks at the same spot it did on the Extended Edition, right after Faramir finds Frodo and Sam. Also lost are the meager features included on the theatrical edition, plus the four commentary tracks, two discs of bonus features, and DTS 6.1 ES sound from the four-disc Extended Edition.

What's new?
Costa Botes' 105-minute documentary reminds us just how rich The Two Towers is. It covers the mechanics of Treebeard, Gollum, Rohan, and other elements, and all that iss before we get to the half-hour segment on Helm's Deep. What's interesting is how Peter Jackson and others appear in the documentary, but even more time is spent interviewing the extra actors and the lesser-known technicians who get into the nuts and bolts of how the film was made. Most of the cast members aren't interviewed at all, though Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd's clowning serves as a framing device. Some of the shots are quite funny, including the anachronistic glimpse of someone vacuuming the Great Hall of Rohan. It's entertaining, but because there's no structure (there are chapters, but no menu or chapter listing), it's not as convenient to watch, and go back to, as a documentary broken up into bite-size pieces. Oddly, the documentary is in widescreen, but not anamorphically enhanced for widescreen TVs. Note: New Line Home Entertainment couldn't release this material on its own a la the King Kong Production Diaries due to contractual restrictions.

Bottom line: Do I need this edition?
This Limited Edition combination of theatrical and extended versions plus new documentary seems likely to appeal to two camps. One is the devoted fan, who already owns both editions but has to have everything LOTR. The other is the casual fan who liked the movie in theaters, heard good things about the Extended Edition, and doesn't need a ton of bonus material. This edition is attractively priced for that buyer, and the packaging is quite handsome. In between is the devoted fan who already owns both editions but doesn't feel the need to watch more bonus material. When watching the whole movie, that fan will always choose the Extended Edition, but keeps the theatrical edition for (1) watching with guests, (2) Sean Astin's short film, or (3) the convenience of skimming through favorite scenes without having to change discs. That fan can safely skip this edition, as can home-theater fans who love DTS. --David Horiuchi


Lord of the Rings
Review date: 2007-09-03 Rating: 2 out of 10

Don't buy this DVD! Although this is an amazing film, why not have the entire film on one side of the disc? I don't want to have to get up halfway through the film to change it over to side B to see the second part. Who are these morons? Is is so difficult to have the theatrical edition of the film on Side A and the extended version on Side B. Why oh why do we need to have the first parts of both films on one side of the disc and the second part on the reverse.We don't need an intermission. This isn't the theatre! Just let us have the film in its entirety all the way through on one disc.

Is there no dvd where I can see the extended film all the way through to the end without the inconvenience of having to change the disc or turn the disc over to the other side. What a wasted opportunity.



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Reviews


One Film - One Disc - The way it should be
Review date: 2007-04-14 Rating: 10 out of 10

I never bought the extended edition because I was considering to wait until the price was low enough, either via a sale or a market seller on Amazon, to justify the cost to have to watch one film over two discs.

Who the hell wants to get up halfway through the film to change discs? You want to watch it throughout, right? Right!

Now you have that opportunity. This is both versions on one disc. If you can sell the extended edition with a bunch of stupid commentaries on it - go ahead and buy this again. This is what we were waiting for, Thanks to God, and it's well worth having.

I have seen the previous reviews, they say it's nothing new but they obviously bought the extended edition. This extended edition was extended over two discs due to the numerous commentaries on the edition but this obviously doesn't have them, so logically speaking, if you are the kind of person who doesn't have, lets say about 24 hours spare in your life to watch each Lord of the Rings film 5 times over and over again to hear people who made the film talk about each intricate scene and what they did...

Buy this. We want to watch films. Buy this. You will not be disappointed.

An opportunity to have the extended edition of Lord of the Rings on one disc.

Fantastic behind the scenes! Precious stuff here!
Review date: 2006-12-09 Rating: 10 out of 10

Since the films are top notch, specially the Extended cuts and this editions have new purpose for the older fans - the (new) documentaries.
I thought the reviews about this edition were accurate about the "needless" new documentary.

Well, even so I bought the R1 Box. And I have to say that I'm glad I did. The documentaries are absolutely for the fans and casual viewers. It gives the feeling how the filmming, production processes went on. It is raw but is soulful - In the studios with the designers, special effects, production people, customs, Peter Jackson behind everything that went on screen (even the Boromir's pocket!!!)... Hilarious stuff, Wow.

This is a special movie. I know that the 4disc SEE DVDs are better, BUT this was a behind the scenes camera, filming what wasn't supposed to be filmed, even if the director Costa Botes was chosen by Peter...

Grab it. Treasure it. Even if you have the SEE DVDs or you love "The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy".

Nothing new..
Review date: 2006-10-10 Rating: 6 out of 10

The 3 stars rating is for this edition rather than the movie.
For what concerns the movie.. It's GREAT! Worths 10 stars in its extended version, and I would reccomend this to anyone who still haven't seen it.

BUT

This new edition is not adding much to the previous ones. The ONLY difference is this documentary (that you can find elsewhere without the movie) which in my opinion is quite boring and way too long.
Honestly, I am a fan of LOTR but this goes beyond and shows you the people involved in the project more than the project itself.. So, if you're interested, walk on, but I wouldn't reccomend it, unless you still don't have the movie in any of the previuos editions.



The journey continues
Review date: 2006-08-14 Rating: 10 out of 10

When the first film in the epic "Lord of the Rings" trilogy thrilled fans and topped the box office for weeks, expectations rose even higher for the sequel, "The Two Towers." Would the follow-up be as beautifully crafted as the first?

Fortunately moviegoers only had to wait a year for the answer, when "The Two Towers" debuted in December 2002. The second part of Peter Jackson's astounding adaptation lacks the surprise of the first movie, but it continues the strong storytelling, amazing acting, and one of the greatest battles of the silver screen.

The fellowship has been split, and two members are dead. Now Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) are pursuing a band of orcs who kidnapped Merry and Pippin (Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd). But soon Merry and Pippin are rescued by an ancient treelike creature, and the others encounter an old friend -- Gandalf (Ian McKellen), reborn as the White Wizard.

Meanwhile, Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) are making their way towards Mordor, and soon Frodo realizes that they are being followed by Gollum (Andy Serkis), who once possessed the One Ring and still lusts after it. But Frodo begins to pity the degenerate creature, and agrees to let Gollum lead them to Mount Doom -- but Sam suspects that Gollum cannot be trusted.

"The Two Towers" is not really a sequel. Instead, it's just a continuation of the story that left off at the end of "Fellowship of the Ring," and the focus spreads past our little band of heroes to include all of Middle-Earth. It's not all about Frodo and the hobbits anymore, but about whole kingdoms being crushed by the bad guys.

This film is much darker than the first movie, although we still get some funny moments from Gollum and the hobbits, but some creepy ones as well. Gollum/Smeagol's argument with himself is absolutely chilling. To top his previous work, Jackson creates three simultaneous climaxes, including the grimy, rain-soaked battle of Helm's Deep.

But as he tells the epic stories, Jackson doesn't neglect the smaller stories, like the hobbits befriending treelike ents and battling a wizard. The scripting is impeccable, mixing the funny moments ("Don't talk to it! Don't encourage it!" Pippin wails when a "tree" speaks to them) with the dramatic speeches, and ending with a simple, powerful speech by Sam.

And WETA Workshop's CGI effects don't disappoint. Not only do they manage whole armies and battles, but they brought the gruesome Gollum to life. He's probably the first convincing CGI character, to the point where you can actually forget that this Ring junkie is just a bunch of pixels.

Elijah Wood continues his magnificent performance as Frodo Baggins, with the deep friendship, compassion and weariness that he started to show before. But his performance deepens to include some serious Ring-lust. Sean Astin's performance grows as well, as he does whatever it takes to protect Frodo -- from soldiers, Gollum, ringwraiths, whatever.

But the supporting cast gets plenty of attention too, including a love triangle involving Aragorn and the warrior-maid Eowyn, and Legolas and Gimli becoming best buddies (even competing to see who kills the most orcs). McKellen gets to play "Gandalf 2.0," a less grumpy and wiser Gandalf, and movie veteran Christopher Lee gets more juicy scenes as the warped wizard Saruman. The scene where he sees the ents attacking is outstanding.

This edition contains both versions of the movie -- the original, shorter theatrical version, and the second extended edition with lots of extra footage. While the first one has nostalgia value, the second is undoubtedly the best.

The extra scenes cause the movie to cleave more closely to the original novel, although the handling of the Faramir character comes as a mild shock. Extra scenes are inserted, like Merry and Pippin enjoying the ents' hospitality. There is also a special documentary filmed behind the scenes, apparently to draw in completists who need everything made about "Lord of the Rings."

The journey continues in "The Two Towers," crammed with so much action and pathos that it never has time to suffer from "middle chapter syndrome." An amazing continuation.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Christopher Lee
Hugo Weaving
Elijah Wood
Bernard Hill
Miranda Otto

Creators:
Elijah Wood (Primary Contributor)
Bernard Hill (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Entertainment in Video
Manufacturer: Entertainment in Video
EAN: 5017239194153
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, Limited Edition, PAL, Special Edition,
Release date: 2007-04-02
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 222 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2002
Language: English (Original Language)

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