The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Liv Tyler, John Rhys-Davies, Dominic Monaghan, Christopher Lee, Orlando Bloom, Bernard Hill, Andy Serkis.
Directed by Peter Jackson.
Written by Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair, and Peter Jackson.
Based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Distributed by New Line Cinema.
179 minutes.

LVJeff's Rating: 10/10

Different but No Less Effective

The first thing that struck me about Peter Jackson's marvelous The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was how different it was from its predecessor, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The first movie of the trilogy was majestic and beautiful, haunting and reflective. We were taken to wondrous, charming places such as The Shire and Rivendell. The myth of The One Ring was new and mysterious, and our tour guide through it all was the sage Gandalf (Ian McKellen), compassionate yet firm. We were in awe of the dangers presented, but we also joined in the softer moments -- the company of the hobbits, the fleeting romantic interlude of Aragorn and Arwen, the ride down the river between those two gargantuan statues.

By contrast, The Two Towers is all business. The once majestic landscape begins to feel imposing, the missions feel more urgent, and the sense of danger becomes a sense of despair. No time now for a visit from Bilbo or Galadriel; the forces of evil loom over our heroes, obstructing any clear path to resolution. Everything about this movie feels bigger, bolder, and scarier than the last. For those who value a steady build to utter intensity, The Two Towers is a grand achievement.

But does this necessarily make it better than The Fellowship of the Ring? I'm not so quick to say so. I enjoyed the first movie for those moments when I was allowed to soak in the atmosphere and become better acquainted with the characters. Fellowship was fulfilling the way a hearty feast is -- with many courses to be savored and be delighted by, and large helpings threatening to overwhelm the senses at times, but ultimately leading to complete satisfaction.

But the movie-goer in me can be satisfied in many ways, and The Two Towers accomplishes this by appealing to the side of me that revels in watching characters I've already gotten to know face different challenges, having to dig deeper and deeper to find the resolve to move forward within an overall believable and involving story. Three separate narratives intertwine and entertain, and each one conjures its own movie magic.

Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) encounter the Ents, a race of walking, talking trees. Because the Ents look less computer-generated and more puppet-like than the movie's other creatures, their scenes produce a feeling not unlike that of watching one of those old '80's fantasies, like Dark Crystal. They're enchanting, and, by the movie's end, you'll be -- *ahem* -- rooting for their cause.

Meanwhile, the other two threads each boast of an awesome film-making triumph. We follow Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), and Legolas (Orlando Bloom) to the kingdom of Rohan, where they become aware of Saruman's (Christopher Lee) planned assault on the world of men. There they meet Théoden (Bernard Hill), King of Rohan. This is the portion of the movie that resembles the work of the revered late Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, as our heroes prepare for an invasion and the threat of doom becomes more and more imminent. The piling tension in this section of the movie is thick, and it culminates in one of the most spectacular battles ever committed to film. If you've never been able to imagine a full-scale war between men behind a great wall and thousands of orcs trying to breach it, this is your relief, and then some.

For me, however, the most amazing accomplishment The Two Towers has to offer is the computer-generated creature Gollum, also known as Smeagol. Andy Serkis voice-acted the part and interacted in scenes with Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin), as well as acted the movements for motion capture. The final result is stunning -- Gollum is totally believable as an on-screen character. His face and entire body is incredibly expressive, and he exercises full "acting" range with his split personality. I couldn't take my eyes off of Gollum; I kept looking forward to the next scene featuring him.

Once again, The Two Towers's most laudable achievement is in proving an "unadaptable" book could be made in to a magnificent motion picture. Additionally, creating a Part II that doesn't just photocopy the tone of Part I is highly impressive. Director Peter Jackson has batted these two parts out of the park now. I anxiously await his next at-bat.

©Jeffrey Chen, Dec. 19, 2002

Home | Feedback welcome