Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers ---- ***1/2 (out of 5) (2002)
Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, Sean Astin
Director(s): Peter Jackson
Screenwriter(s): Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Steven Sinclair, Frances Walsh
Released on: December 18, 2002
Reviewed on: December 22, 2002
Rated: PG-13 - for epic battle sequences and scary images
After the enormous success of the LORD OF THE RINGS live-action debut, the highly anticipated TWO TOWERS certainly does not disappoint on any significant levels. Unfortunately, it loses some of its beginning interest and appeal, and boredom begins to set in around the last 30 minutes or so.
The story doesn't exactly pick up right where the last one left off. It just jumps into scenes of Aragon, Legolas, and Gimli hunting Orcs, leaving the gap in explanation to be settled with our own assumptions. And, once things get going, we discover that the fellowship has broken up and the three warriors first shown are hunting the pack of Orcs that have kidnapped Merry and Pippin. Meanwhile, Frodo are Sam are still hiking towards Mordor. In their sleep, they encounter the nasty creature known as Gollum and they eventually decide to trust him to lead them to Mordor. Merry and Pippin and the Orcs reach Rohan, the last land of Men, where their pack is ambushed in the night. During the struggle, the two Hobbits escape into Fangorn Forest where they befriend Treebeard, a giant walking and talking tree called an Ent. While searching the deep dark regions of the forest, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli stumble across a white wizard who is discovered to be Gandalf! He tells them of his battle with the fiery demon Belrog and how he received his new boost in power. This leads the three companions off their original course and they ride off with Gandalf to the kingdom of Theoden, the ruler of Rohan. They form an alliance with the last race of Men, and Theoden orders his people to evacuate to Helm's Deep, a fortress designed to fend off Orcs and other enemies. Several scenes are set to fall into the climax of the movie and, while everyone fights their own battles, tension grows as the Ringbearer and his partner grow nearer to Mordor.
THE TWO TOWERS has a distinct trait that separates it from its predecessor. It's in the middle of the trilogy, and things are rather hectic as the story switches back and forth to the several things going on at one time. This is one of the main causes for the boredom and maybe some slight exhaustion that sets in as you sit in your chair towards the end, focusing more on your popcorn and soda than what you know is happening on the screen. Yes, by this time, you're well aware of the intensity of the Orcs breaking the strong barriers of Helm's Deep, the Ents bursting into Isengard and thrashing everything in sight, and Frodo and Sam fighting off the flying Nazgul. I guess the climactic battles just get a little long once you've had your share of the movie. But why, do you ask, did THE FELLOWSHIP seem like it wasn't long enough? That may be because it was just the beginning of the trilogy, and it moved at more of a smooth and comfortable pace while TWO TOWERS was rather zigzaggy in its progressive path. Now, on the subject of claiming itself as the second installment in the LORD OF THE RINGS movie series, it does a fine job.
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