MOVIE REVIEW

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

Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, Orlando Bloom, Sean Astin, Christopher Lee
Director: Peter Jackson

Rating: PG-13

Studio: New Line Cinema

Review Posted: 12.21.02

Spoilers: Minor/Major

By Sara Michelle Fetters.

"Towering Above Them All"

Is it too early to announce that The Lord of the Rings is the best cinematic fantasy trilogy of all time, even with the series’ third installment The Return of the King still a year a way? Based on part two, The Two Towers, it most certainly is not. I cannot imagine, with all three films shot at once, that next Christmas’ final chapter will be any less of a masterpiece than are The Two Towers and The Fellowship of the Ring.

Part two literally hits the ground running. There is no exposition, no quick recap of last year’s Oscar winning epic, and Towers is actually all the better because of it. That said, if you are one of the few who did not see The Fellowship of the Ring, prepare to be lost. And, more so than the first film, if you are even slightly unfamiliar with J.R.R. Tolkien’s famous tome than don’t expect clarification here. If ever a series relied heavily upon one’s knowledge of a popular work of literary fiction, this is it.

But so what? The Two Towers is fabulously entertaining, if only in scope and style alone. This massive undertaking looks it, and surpassing the substantive expectations of an over eager audience is nothing to scoff at.

At the end of the previous adventure, the fellowship had been fractured beyond repair. The ring barer Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and his loyal friend Sam Gamgee (Sean Astin) are making their way into the treacherous lands of Mordor alone, their hobbit companions Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) are being held captive by a murderous band of Uruk-hai making their way to the traitorous wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee) and human Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), elf Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) are fast on the band’s trail in order to save their two hobbit friends.

This chase comes to an sudden end with the sudden arrival of an old friend back upon the scene. Thought dead in the caverns of Moria fighting the vicious Balrog, the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) is brought back into the fight, reborn in victory as Gandalf the White and infused with a desire to protect Middle Earth and its inhabitants at all costs. Joining the three warriors in haste, he instructs them all that they must make for the kingdom of Rohan and prepare for open war.

Merry and Pippin are left in the care of the giant Ent Treebeard (voiced by Rhys-Davies), a massive tree-like creature that is older than any living being in the whole of Middle Earth. Joining him as he calls a council of the forest Ents, the two hobbits plead eloquently for the aged creatures to join the war and take on Saruman directly. At first reluctant to enter into the frays of men, all bets are off when the furious Ents see the devastation of the forests that has happened under the auspices of the evil Wizard.

Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam enter into a dangerous alliance with the devilish Gollum (Andy Serkis). Hoping to find some shred of his former self still intact, Frodo spares the wicked and ravaged creature’s life in return for leading them to the heart of Mordor. At first Frodo’s trust seems to have its merits as the ravaged soul of the beast, devastated into psychotic schizophrenia from being under the influence of the One Ring, reawakes and he tries to beat down the psychotic influences of Gollum and let his former self Sméagol regain control.

That is a lot of balls in the air to keep juggling, and with handfuls of new characters added to the mix director Peter Jackson and his team of craftsman really have their work cut out for them. Yet it is all handled beautifully. The introduction of the new faces is conducted quickly and with eloquence. What more, even with Towers breakneck pace (and at three-hours it not once feels long or strained) each is given time to breath and develop into a flesh and blood creation.

The best of the new human faces are Éowyn (Miranda Otto) and Théoden, King of Rohan (Bernard Hill). Otto is a true beauty, her face glistening even in the face of the gravest danger. But, she’s no girly-girl, and her growing infatuation with future king of men Aragorn is beautifully subtle. Hill is even better. A broken down, shell of a man when we first see him, he’s been poisoned by the venomed words of his advisor Gríma Wormtongue (a slithery Brad Dourif). But under the threat of annihilation, Théoden blossoms from worried king to a true leader, willing to risk all for the greater good even in the face of insurmountable odds.

And what odds they are. The Two Towers features what may be the most spectacular battle ever conceived. Anyone remotely familiar with Tolkien knows what a glorious moment the battle for Helm’s Deep is, much like Henry Vat Agincourt but with odds multiplied times ten. Jackson has staged sights the likes of which have never been seen on film before, and the final hour of Towers is truly a fist-to-throat affair.

There is so much to love on nearly every level. It’s hectic and chaotic, but in a good way, and Jackson never looses sight of the bigger picture. One could complain that the hobbits, for the most part, are sidelined here in favor of all the slam-bang action of the human characters, but I really didn’t think so. Jackson subtly, and smartly, hints at what is to come for his halfling cast, knowing full well their dramatic turns must culminate in force during the trilogy’s final chapter.

Granted, there is a pure simplicity to the battle lines in The Lord of the Rings. Good and evil do not offer much in the shades of gray that most stories of this ilk tend to do. It is never of any question as to which sides most of the characters stand upon.

And yet, the seductive influence of greed, power and pure evil are ever present, most notably in the film’s most ingenious creation Gollum. Here is the first completely CGI character that isn’t just for show, and credit for that must fall as much on actor Serkis’ shoulders as much as it should the film’s technical crew. It is a purely delicious performance of conflict and obsession, raging in the body of pitiful lost soul. While I am not going to say the effects are seamless – you still can tell it is animation – this is the closest any film has come to such a thing, yet. What more, it is a groundbreaking performance, as the creatures movements and mannerisms have all been birthed from the mind of the actor creating them, and then brilliantly rendered by Jackson’s crackerjack team.

There is much I could say about The Two Towers, but why bother? This is a landmark epic and a glorious entry into what is quickly becoming the most entertaining movie trilogy since the original Star Wars series. One could even make the case that this is the best movie sequel since The Godfather Part II, and every indication is that this series’ impact on the field of cinema could be just as long lasting.

Rating: 4 out of 4

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