The second installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy proves itself as an amazing feat.

Rating: 10/10 (31 May 2004)

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is a movie which, surprisingly, took together the countless elements that made its predecessor so great, trimmed and added, and came up with a result better than the first movie. The epic tale of the Fellowship of the Ring continues, though the Company be broken. The One Ring must be destroyed.
The second part of JRR Tolkien's gigantic novel ("Six books, three parts, one novel," in his own words) is less true to the source material than the first movie. This is because the details and facts in the Two Towers are more difficult to translate onto film.
The emotional impact of the film really hits you. There are epic scenes of huge battles, some in slow-motion, and the music helps a lot. Besides that, there are the tearful scenes, and the nightmarish mood swings of Gollum under cover of darkness. All are spellbinding, and all viewers are powerless to resist.
The acting is as good as it gets. Elijah Wood plays the Ringbearer Frodo very well, though the character himself I find a bit annoying. Nonetheless, Frodo is meant to be courageous and reluctant to carry on with the quest, and that is what Wood portrays as well as is possible.

Viggo Mortensen is still the worn Ranger Aragorn, although he is halfway changed in preparation for the final movie. He is essentially the same character, and the audience hangs on his every word and every action.

Ian McKellen will always be Gandalf in my memory. Reading the book, I can imagine McKellen as Gandalf and no one else will fit. But this time around he is Gandalf the White. His acting is flawless, and conveys a sense of unlimited wisdom and compels trust, and you think "Gandalf will find a way to fix it," with every obstacle that the characters face, and the characters who look up to him think the same way.
The special effects are even better than in the previous movie, either that or they have a better chance to shine. Certainly the addition of Ents and more Orcs will be a better showcase for the technology than a few orcs and a Balrog from the first. Regardless, the effects are mindblowing. The highlight is Gollum, who is just perfect. His expressions are swift to change, but there is no flaw to mar those changes. The voice is superb, and Gollum is my personal pick for the star of the movie.
The only problem that might be present in the Two Towers is the switching from location to location. It is a bit annoying at certain points, more so than the other two movies. But it's just a small flaw amongst a sea of success, so many will not notice.
The Two Towers is an amazing movie. The Lord of the Rings trilogy gets better and better with each movie. The Two Towers is true to the book, and a thrilling tale of action and emotion. But the One Ring remains in Middle-earth, waiting to be found. But Sauron will have to wait for the Return of the King to get another chance.