Beautiful Perfection

Rating: 10/10 (19 December 2002)

The Two Towers can only be explained in one word, beautiful. This film left me breathless. I was hoping for a film that could stand in the same depths of the Fellowship of the Ring, and I must say that it has surpassed the film completely. I will have a hard time watching the Fellowship and seeing the ending, knowing there is so much more waiting.
Let's start with Gollum. Gollum gave an astonishing performance. The poor misunderstood beast, or the darkened soul creature whose cares are only based on the One Ring. The performance given in CGI is at times very human. The facial expressions given could strangely give this character a personality as you would see in any great actor. Gollum's voice is still haunting, even when the beast appears to be the loving guide to the dark gates of Mordor. For these reasons and more, Gollum has become my favorite character in the film, replacing Legolas in the Fellowship.

On the other side of Middle Earth we see Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. I have to say that the dark times of this movie are at times overbearing, and saddening. There is a perfect mix of humor in the film given by the characters Gimli, and Legolas, while still keeping the viewer in understanding that these are very darkened times. Aragorn's performance is outstanding. He has proven that he can be put on an A-List of actors, and deserves appraise for his performance.
Gandalf "the White" in this film was a twist. We remember the friendly Gandalf The Grey in the Fellowship being a kind elderly wizard. Shouting off fireworks for the children of the shire, and smoking "leaf" as explained in the novel. There are no cute scenes with the new White Wizard. No fireworks, or pipes. Just a Wizard that knows the daunting task ahead, and the quest seems to have taken hold of the great wizard.

Very dark are the times for Frodo, and Samwise. Gollum seams to give Frodo hope, as the two ring bearers can associate the pains of the One Ring. Frodo gives an amazing performance this time around as well. It seams that the Ring of power has taken hold of Frodo, and our hero is slipping. But the surprise was aimed at Samwise. Proving that Sam is the definition of a true best friend. Even at times when it seems there is no hope for the troubled trio, it seams that Sam brings hope to the moment. This is what keeps the Frodo's story this time around even more extraordinary, is the hope that is there, even when all odds point to despair.

Merry and Pippin's story is very odd initially. The Ents in the story are very wise and newly troubled creatures from the amazing mind of Tolkien. This story goes back to cut scenes during the worries of the rest of Middle Earth, and gives us a feeling of hope, in the troubled times of Aragorn and the others. The Ents were very well done CGI wise, but it was there personality that moved the audience. They are curiously wise, and well spoken and give the impression of an elderly college Professor. Their story is eventually given a wonderful opportunity, and for those of us who know the story, know that greatness is upon them.
This movie honestly moved me further than I thought any film could. I could see my face and the emotion I felt as I was watching this mammoth film. Peter Jackson has truly given us all a gift of a magnificent. This story has captivated my heart, and the film has taken my breath away. There is no words that can express the greatness of this film. 10/10