In contrast to The Fellowship Of The Ring, which was a dark,
ominous horror movie with much foreboding, The Two Towers is more of an
action/adventure film. This is emphasized in the very first scene, which picks
up with Gandalf taking a stand against the Balrog demon deep within the bowels
of the devastated dwarf kingdom of Moria. As in "Fellowship", Gandalf falls into
an apparently bottomless chasm with the Balrog--but unlike "Fellowship", we now
follow Gandalf as he free-falls with the fiery demon in an extraordinary effects
scene. Despite the fact that he is apparently plunging to his death, Gandalf
grabs his sword, climbs on the back of the Balrog, and repeatedly stabs the
creature--all while still falling! The message is clear: Gandalf may die, but
not before the Balrog. And regardless of the outcome, Gandalf is prepared to go down fighting.
This scene sets the tone for the rest of The Two Towers, which is filled with
grinding conflict, and a group of unassuming heroes who rise up to meet the
challenge as best they can. The film's title refers to the towers in Mordor,
home of the enemy Saron, and Isengard, the lair of the traitorous wizard Saruman
(Christopher Lee, who was a brilliant casting choice), which is symbolic of the dark alliance these two realms have
forged. After spending most of "Fellowship" building and arming itself, Isengard's
massive army is finally unleashed on Middle Earth (in battle scenes that are
truly spectacular), specifically against the human kingdom of Rohan, which is
already suffering from the misguided decisions of its ailing king (Bernard Hill,
in a sturdy performance), who is in the grip of the devious advisor Grima
Wormtongue (expertly played by character actor Brad Dourif; he finds just the
right balance of slimy, weasel wretchedness without going overboard), who turns
out to be a minion of Saruman's. The fetching Miranda Otto plays the king's
niece, Eowyn, a feisty young woman who is not afraid to stand up for what she
believes. She also becomes a possible romantic interest for Aragorn (Viggo
Mortensen) when he and his companions arrive at Rohan to aid in their struggle
against the forces of darkness. The battle at Helm's Deep is the film's main climatic
conflict, and it is breath-taking in its scale and intensity.
Meanwhile, Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) continue their slow and
steady trek towards Mordor, where they hope to finally destroy the One Ring,
the great weapon of the enemy. They pick up an unusual guide in the form of
Gollum, a marvelous creation forged from the talents of actor Andy Serkis and
the latest in CGI effects. Unlike some of his computer-generated brethren in
other films, who are nothing more than a lame one-trick joke (Jar-Jar Binks
immediately comes to mind), Gollum is a real, fleshed-out character that you
forget is a special effect after the first five minutes. Also similarly amazing
is Treebeard, a walking, talking tree (actually known as an Ent) that Hobbits
Pippin and Merry encounter in the mysterious Fangorn Forest.
As with "Fellowship", the extended DVD of "The Two Towers" is recommended over
the original theatrical version. There are added scenes throughout the film, and
they greatly flesh out elements of the story, such as the scene that points out
that Aragorn hails from a line of long-lived humans (and it also comically shows
that while Eowyn may be a superb shield maiden of Rohan, she's not a very good
cook). And there is the fascinating sequence revealing the back-story behind
Faramir (David Wenham), the young Captain of Gondor who puts the entire quest at
peril when he captures Frodo, Sam and Gollum. There's also added scenes with the
Ents, who prove to be just as lethal fighters as humans, elves or dwarves at the
battle of Helm's Deep, in addition to their exhilarating assault on Islengard.
When you add to all of this the extensive commentary tracks, plus two additional
discs which feature a stunning behind the scenes look at the making of the film,
it becomes obvious that the extended DVD version of LOTR: The Two Towers is really the only choice. --SF