Two towers3/28/2023 ![]() ![]() The Two Towers differs much more from its written inspiration than the first movie. Stodgy Tolkien purists who disliked some of the changes Jackson made to The Fellowship of the Ring may be outraged by what he and his screenwriters have done here. Thereafter, he reluctantly agrees to serve as Frodo and Sam's guide and take them to Mordor. The creature Gollum (Andy Serkis), who has been following the hobbits, attempts to steal the ring from Frodo, but is subdued and captured. And, in addition to suffering from the physical difficulties of such an arduous journey, Frodo is beginning to show the strain of bearing the ring, with the Dark Lord Sauron's baleful glare constantly seeking him. Meanwhile, to the East, Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) find themselves lost on their way to Mount Doom. At the same time, the hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd), having escaped from their orc captors, flee into the forbidding Fanghorn Forest, where they encounter Treebeard the Ent (voice of John Rhys-Davies), a giant shepherd of trees who decides to protect the two diminutive interlopers. In the company of Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas the elf (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli the dwarf (John Rhys-Davies), the wizard heads for the city of Rohan, where he hopes to convince the king, Theoden (Bernard Hill), that war is upon his kingdom. In the wake of his victory over his foe, Gandalf is reborn as a white wizard, and returns to the world above to re-unite with his former companions. Here, however, we follow him as he and the Balrog tumble endlessly downward, continuing their struggle along the way. In the first movie, when Gandalf tumbles from the bridge, we see him disappear into the abyss. The Two Towers essentially picks up where The Fellowship of the Ring concludes, albeit following a short flashback to the battle between the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellan) and the Balrog. Anyone attempting to watch The Two Towers without having seen (or read) the first installment is headed for confusion and disillusionment. Familiarity with The Fellowship of the Ring is not just advisable, it is mandatory. Of course, therein lies a drawback, as well. More importantly, the continuity is seamless (one advantage of filming the trilogy as a single project), allowing a viewer familiar with the first movie to flow effortlessly into the second. In terms of tone, pacing, character development, plot advancement, and visual splendor, there is no drop-off. ![]() ![]() In nearly every way that counts, The Two Towers is The Fellowship of the Ring's equal. ![]() The trick is to immerse audiences "in the moment" and keep them from looking ahead - a daunting task, to be sure, but one that Jackson is up to. (This is as true of the book as it is of the movie.) It takes situations and characters introduced in The Fellowship of the Ring and prepares them for The Return of the King. The Two Towers has no real beginning or end. It is afflicted with the "middle chapter syndrome" - an inherent obstacle for the second episode of any trilogy. Of the three pieces of the Middle Earth puzzle, The Two Towers is the one with the biggest handicap. And, considering the high ground occupied by The Fellowship of the Ring, the bar would be at an astronomical altitude for the other movies. The plaudits heaped upon the first installment would lose their luster if either of the succeeding episodes, The Two Towers and The Return of the King, failed to live up to expectations. Nevertheless, even as the Oscar nominations came pouring in, the director was moving on. The popular and critical success of The Fellowship of the Ring vindicated Jackson's perseverance. Not only has Jackson faced the daunting task of creating and populating an entirely new world based on Tolkien's blueprint, but he has contended with the real-word rigors of a two-year shooting schedule and an initially nervous group of purse string holders. In more than 100 years of motion pictures, few cinematic campaigns of this magnitude have been mounted. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings to the screen, it is vision - an attribute possessed in abundance by director Peter Jackson. If there is a primary quality needed to bring J.R.R. ![]()
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