There is also the return of Gandalf (Ian McKellen). Elsewhere, Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) continue their journey to destroy the ring, guided by Gollum (Andy Serkis), a CGI-creature who is obsessed with the ring, but decides to serve as the guide for the two hobbits. The opening sixty minutes of the picture opens at a full-throttle pace as Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas the elf (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli the dwarf (John Rhys-Davies) continue to try and rescue hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) from their Orc captors. The film may be the middle part of the trilogy, but that actually works for the opening of the picture - we know these characters and after the sudden close of the first film, most will likely be eager to see the adventure continue on-screen. I'm pleased to say that I found "The Two Towers", the follow-up to the first picture, to be mostly a phenomenal piece of cinema (once again, I have not read the books - I'm going simply on what I thought of the film). However, I warmed up to the film after its first DVD release and consider the extended version to be a very considerable improvement over the theatrical cut. When I originally saw the film theatrically, I liked it, but didn't love it and found it rather flawed - the first hour seemed too slow and I never really found myself fully involved in the characters. The only drag on the proceedings is Aragon's love triangle, which feels like something between a distraction and a placeholder.I have now sat through "Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings" several times, including a few viewings of the film's extended edition, which was released on DVD earlier this Winter. The human actors hold their own, giving gravity and heart to the effects and panoramas. The vast armies of hulking monsters stretch back for miles, and Gollum, computer animated but based on the movements of actor Andy Serkis (who also provided the voice), is as real as any of the humans. The vast New Zealand landscapes are a perfect realization of Tolkien's Middle Earth. ![]() ![]() Every moment on screen is filled with masterfully handled detail. The Two Towers flings us from cliffhanger to (literal) cliffhanger, with mighty legions hurtling into battle. The first movie had a lot of thundering hoofs and meaningful looks and introduction of characters and portents of doom. The second film in the Lord of the Rings series will satisfy Tolkien devotees and those who are new to the stories looking for an epic with a heroic quest and a lot of action (and a little romance). In conclusion, a fine film and for me my personal favourite of the trilogy. Here Gollum is designed superbly, and Andy Serkis's performance is absolutely phenomenal and Oscar-nod worthy. Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee and Bernard Hill are also perfectly cast, but the real revelation in my view with this movie is Gollum. Viggo Mortensson is as strong and charismatic as ever. Elijah Wood is likable enough with a stronger-written character, while Sean Astin's bumbling persona suits Sam really well. People may disagree, but I think The Two Towers is the best directed of the trilogy too. The music is also darker and perhaps more complex, the story is richer and compelling and the dialogue is thought provoking. You can tell a lot of effort went into this and it showed. The cinematography is one of the strongest assets, while the scenery, costumes, lighting and make up(the orcs look amazing) are all gorgeous. When it comes to the scope The Two Towers is possibly the biggest in the trilogy. And some of the characters are developed more here than they were in Fellowship of the Ring primarily Frodo and Aragorn, who were played very well there but a little bland in comparison to here. Also the final battle is just breathtaking in the action, direction and in its scope, and very compelling and epic. For one thing it is less talky than Fellowship of the Ring, and the pace is a little more secure here. The Two Towers is my personal favourite of the three for several reasons. ![]() I do love all three films of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, all are visually stunning with wonderful music and strong narratives.
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