The second film in Peter Jackson's vision of bringing Tolkien's epic story to the screen is the real test for the viewer. After a light beginning and an easy storyline, the saga fractures into three separate interwoven tales, is slower going and the dark shadows of a world shattering war begin to hang over the land. It is the heaviest part of the tale in many ways but is only a reflection of the book. Any good story requires a beginning, middle and an end, and that is the simplest way to look at the three films. Fellowship of the Ring sets up the overall themes and introduces the characters. The Return of The King is the epic finale, heroes are made, dramatic victories are achieved and like all good tales everyone gets their just desserts. The Two Towers is the vehicle between the two. That may be doing it a disservice as it is, in its own right, a masterpiece of grand storytelling and majestic film techniques and contains nothing that is a filler, as well as introducing a number of brilliant new characters, the infamous Gollum amongst them. But it is the hardest part of the film to get through and has proven the stumbling block for many, both in film and book form. But the rewards of staying with the tale are many.
Before I relate the plot to you, I must point out that it is not within the scope of this review to relate what has gone before. If you are not familiar with the first film then it is best that you read my previous review to be found at
Like the books and the film, these reviews are not designed to stand-alone and this review assumes and understanding of the previous part of the tale and the characters we have met so far.
After the dissolution of the fellowship the story gets more complex. Frodo, bearer of the ring and his trusted companion, Sam, head off into the wilderness for Mordor and the destruction of the ring that they have committed themselves too. Meanwhile Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas head off on the trail of Merry and Pippin who have been captured by Saruman's evil hordes which leads them towards the land of Rohan. Rohan is the setting for a
lot of this film and it is with Rohan that we get a glimpse of Tolkien's area of expertise, the Dark Ages. As I said before a good fantasy film will contain elements that are familiar as well as the things it needs to make it seem a world away. Rohan is both, looking very much like a Viking or Saxon Dark Age civilization, it contains threads that are both distantly familiar and alien to our modern world. It is the world of the mythology of Beowulf and King Arthur and the realities of the Sutton Hoo findings and the inspiration and sources for it litter our own history books. Rohan is also land on the edge of war, the Dark Lords ally, Saruman the turncoat wizard is set to unleash his unnatural armies to engulf the land of the noble horse lords. Merry and Pippin escape their captors and flee to the ancient forest of Fangorn, where they are taken under the wing of a race of living trees who are reluctant to get involved in the war about to break on their peaceful forest shores.
Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas, a one man league of nations (Human, Dwarf and Elf, a rare combination) are reunited with a friend they thought dead, but in terms of spoiling the film I won't dwell on that, and after being assured that the two hobbits that they are searching for are now safe head off to give the news of impending invasion to king Theoden of Rohan. At the capital, Edoras, they find Theoden a man possessed. His advisor, the Dickensian named, Grima Wormtongue has him under his control and it turns out that Grima is not all that he seems. After a magical battle Theoden is returned to health and informed of the storm about to break over his land. The people under his protection are evacuated to the ancient stronghold of Helms Deep and from here the film begins its apocalyptic march through mass battles and heroic deeds, clash of armies and the near end of the world. A fantastic siege by Sarumans army of orcs on Theodens entrapped troops and the destruction of Saruman's stronghold form the dramatic conclusion to this film. Dispersed within these themes are Frodo and Sam's onward march towards their goal and their meeting with Gollum. Gollum is a former owner of the ring, sent mad by its burden and having evolved into a troglodyte by hiding in underground caves, he acts as their guide through the wild places but his motives are held in suspicion by the two hobbits, it's a needs must situation.
Frodo: I am Frodo Baggins, and this is Samwise Gamgee. Faramir: Your bodyguard? Sam: His gardener.
The filming of Gollum was an interesting process, by all accounts. Played by Andy Serkis, who is about twice the build of the character we see on screen, he was dressed in a suit, which relayed his movements to a computer, which then created the character on screen, sort of modern age puppetry. The actors got to interact with a live actor but his contribution to the film is not seen on screen in any recognisable form. Peter Jackson and producer Barrie M. Osbourne actively campaigned for Andy Serkis to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Gollum. Academy regulations however forbid an actor to be nominated when he is not physically to be seen on screen, despite Serkis' active input into the role.
Again many human aspects are explored, Aragorn's love for the Elf princess Arwen is tested. To stay with him she would have to forgive the immortal life of her people to live a mortal one with him. Although she is prepared to do so, how could anyone ask so much of a lover? To complicate the issue, Eowyn of the royal house of Rohan is clearly a better suitor and makes her emotions clear to him. Frodo and Sam are forced to accept the help of Gollum whom they cannot achieve their goal without but whom they know will betray them when the time is right. We also see the races uniting in the face of the enemy threat, and Theoden must face the biggest challenge of his life in defending the outer fringes of the civilized world. More so than the previous film this chapter of the story is beautiful, dark and saddening in equal measures. The feeling of overbearing despair hangs heavy in many of the scenes, but as if to counter this there is a measure of humour normally in the form of Merry and Pippins interactions and Gimli's wry observations on their situation.
Again the film looks fantastic, great use is made of the landscapes of New Zealand where the films were made and the CGI and computer work that created the battle scenes and Gollum's screen appearance are fantastic. It is in this part of the story that Aragorn really comes into his own, but we still aren't acquainted with his dark secret, we just know that he is a troubled man with his own burdens that you somehow know will have a hand in the stories conclusion. Gandalf also undergoes the same turn of character that defines the two films. The Gandalf of the first film is a wise, fatherly figure that sets off fire works and smokes a pipe. When he returns to the story after monumental trials, he is a changed man, if indeed he is still a man at all. More like some embodied spirit he is a serious character who knows the challenge ahead of them is near impossible. Frodo is also undergoing change. The power of the ring is bending him to its will. Like Gollum who guides the two hobbits towards the dark land of Mordor, the ring has its own agenda and is causing Frodo to become merely a tool to its own ends.
Theoden: I will not risk open war. Aragorn: Open war is upon you whether you would risk it or not.
There seems to be a lot of contemporary relevance to these heroes of the west defending against the evil from the east. Tolkien may have had the two world wars as his reference point and Jackson cites the film Zulu as his inspiration behind Theodens heroic defence of his realm, but there is a more up to date parallel to be examined here. When Sam tells Frodo that there are "some things worth fighting for", when Merry tells Pippin that there "won't be a Shire" unless they do something about it, when King Theoden laments that "the sun has gone down in the West" this film could be entitled not the "Two Towers" but "the Twin Towers"
Gandalf: The battle of Helm's Deep is over; the battle for Middle Earth is about to begin.
Like all good films, it can be dissected and examined until the hobbits come home, but this brooding masterpiece drives the story on to the Armageddon like conclusions that are dealt with in the final film. It is a fantastic piece of storytelling, and Jackson has brought it to the screen in a way that I'm sure Tolkien would have approved of. It may be hard work at times, especially if you are not acquainted with the books to begin with, but it is a rewarding film and leaves the story poised for an epic ending that is to be found in the next film, The Return of The King.
Action/Adventure - Director: Peter Jackson - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Andy Serkis
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
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fellowship with Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John-Rhys Davies) helping to restore some order to the land of King Theodon (Bernard Hill) ...
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Aug 22nd, 2005
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