Mc-Lord of the Rings-Two Towers (2002)

"The storylines are woven together skilfully, the magnificent swooping aerial shots are breathtaking, and the overall experience is awesome.  Brian Webster, Apollo Movie Guide
"One fabulous Middle-earth show.  Desson Thomson, The Washington Post
"...teeming, glorious landscapes and dark, bloody battlegrounds...an epic movie fantasy journey for the ages.  Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
"Spectacular in every sense of the word, even if you don't know an Orc from a Uruk-Hai.  Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"...has a grave gusto that energizes every moment...a thrilling work of film craft.  Richard Corliss, Time
"The miracle is that The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is better: tighter, smarter, funnier.  Ty Burr, Boston Globe
"A brilliantly conceived, boldly executed, cumulatively thrilling fantasy epic that expands the art of film...  William Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Editor's Note Picking up where the first film left off, Peter Jackson's THE TWO TOWERS throws the remaining members of the Fellowship into the scattered chaos of Middle-earth, now fully under siege by the forces of Sauron. While Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) journey to the dreaded Mordor, Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) are held captive by orcs, and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) search for their abducted companions. Soon Frodo and Sam are joined by the sulking and duplicitous Gollum (portrayed by the voice and motion-captured acting of Andy Serkis), who becomes their guide through the barren lands leading to Mount Doom. Meanwhile Merry and Pippin encounter the looming Treebeard (voiced by Rhys-Davies) and Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli find themselves in the land of Rohan, accompanied by an old friend. As the tale continues, each scenario becomes more perilous, and fierce battles erupt at both Isengard, home of the treacherous Saruman (Christopher Lee), and the massive Helm's Deep. After masterfully setting up the world created by J.R.R. Tolkien in THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, Jackson continues the trilogy with the increasingly dark and battle-filled TWO TOWERS without skipping a beat. Although the director takes a few more liberties in adapting the second installment, he skillfully cuts from one scenario to the next, creating a tightly woven tapestry with the various storylines. Joining the impressive cast this time around are Miranda Otto as Éowyn; Bernard Hill as her father, King Théoden; Brad Dourif as the aptly named Grima Wormtongue; Karl Urban as Éomer; David Wenham as Faramir; and Serkis under the remarkable CGI facade of Gollum. An intense epic that features one jaw-dropping sequence after another, THE TWO TOWERS more than carries its weight as the crucial centerpiece of THE LORD OF THE RINGS.

	Andy Serkis
	Brad Dourif
	Cate Blanchett
	Christopher Lee
	Elijah Wood
	Hugo Weaving
	Ian McKellen
	Karl Urban
	Liv Tyler
	Orlando Bloom
	Sean Astin
	Viggo Mortensen
	Andrew Lesnie - Cinematographer
	Barrie M. Osborne - Producer
	Fran Walsh, et. al. - Screenplay
	Grant Major - Production Designer
	Harvey Weinstein - Executive Producer
	Howard Shore - Original Music By
	J.R.R. Tolkien - Based On Novel By
	Jabez Olssen - Editor
	Michael Horton - Editor
	Peter Jackson - Director
	Philip Ivey, et. al. - Art Director

Entertainment Weekly
"...THE TWO TOWERS conjures an illusion of the gravity that you want from an emotionally charged storybook epic..." 12/13/2002 p.55-6

Los Angeles Times
"...The director's great strength is the confidence with which he translates Tolkien's vision into visual imagery..." 12/18/2002 p.C1

New York Times
"...A rare perfect mating of filmmaker and material....[A] beautifully considered epic....The grandeur is astonishing..." 12/18/2002 p.E1

USA Today
"...Visually dazzling....The RINGS movies are among the most breathtaking achievements in recent cinematic history..." 12/17/2002 p.1D

Variety
"...In some respects a more impressive film than its well-received predecessor. Marked by nonstop conflict that Akira Kurosawa would have envied..." 12/02/2002 p.42

Rolling Stone
"...Jackson keeps the action percolating. The effects astonish..." 01/23/2003 p.76

Film Comment
"...Peter Jackson has pulled out all the stops....Jackson and his team of homegrown artisans have created an exciting form of digital epic filmmaking..." 01/01/2003 p.74

Box Office
"...The visuals are a real treat; everyone and everything -- particularly the landscape -- looks and feels just right..." 03/01/2003 p.60

Sight and Sound
"...THE LORD OF THE RINGS so far stands among the best adaptations of a major work of fantasy ever managed by the cinema..." 02/01/2003 p.50-1

ReelViews 10 of 10
In nearly every way that counts, The Two Towers is The Fellowship of the Ring's equal. In terms of tone, pacing, character development, plot advancement, and visual splendor, there is no drop-off. More importantly, the continuity is seamless...allowing a viewer familiar with the first movie to flow effortlessly into the second. Of course, therein lies a drawback, as well. The Two Towers cannot stand on its own. Familiarity with The Fellowship of the Ring is not just advisable, it is mandatory. Anyone attempting to watch The Two Towers without having seen (or read) the first installment is headed for confusion and disillusionment...The Two Towers starts out a little slowly, but the rousing second half, which gathers momentum like a boulder racing downhill, will leave audiences craving more when the end credits roll. Combined, The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers represent one of the most engrossing and engaging six-hour segments of cinema I have ever enjoyed. If the final third of the puzzle is the equal of the first two, this will go down as one of the crowning achievements of cinema. Like its predecessor, The Two Towers is a great motion picture, and not to be missed by anyone who appreciates fantasy adventure. - James Berardinelli

Reel.com 10 of 10
...while Two Towers' imagery is true to Tolkien's Middle-earth, there are several story changes which have purists grumbling. The most jarring for this reviewer was the portrayal of Faramir (David Wenham), the brother of fallen Fellowship member Boromir (the sorely missed Sean Bean). When he encounters Frodo in the book, he's downright nice to the poor fellow; in the film, Faramir is as power-mad as his brother, tying up the hobbits and threatening to take the ring for himself...The film's other main shortcoming is its pace. Although the build-up to Helm's Deep is methodical, the rest of Two Towers feels rushed...However, these faults are dwarfed by Two Towers' achievements. Visually breathtaking, viscerally exciting, and dramatically moving, it's the very definition of epic adventure. Jackson has always said that The Lord of the Rings isn't so much a trilogy as it is a nine-hour film, and Rings-lovers who take the time to watch Fellowship before seeing Towers will find the transition seamless. Helping to no end are the cast's performances, which deliver vital dramatic continuity, and no star shines brighter than Mortensen as Aragorn. - Tor Thorsen