A New Power Is Rising. Its Victory Is At Helm.

Rating: Null/10 (5 October 2013)

Every film consists of three acts; The first is where you introduce your story & its characters. The second is the middle part where the majority of the plot surfaces & character development takes place. And the third & final act is where you tie up all the loose ends to bring your entire tale to its conclusion. Almost everyone has a definite idea of how to begin & end their stories but the middle act is always the most difficult. Because no matter how great the other two acts are, if this part isn't handled well, then the overall experience ultimately amount to nothing in the end.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is that middle act of Peter Jackson's on-screen adaptation of J.R.R Tolkien's Middle-Earth saga & just like the novel, it has no definite beginning or ending. What's even more challenging this time is the fact that unlike The Fellowship of the Ring, which had a single plot to focus on, The Two Towers deals with multiple story lines & all need to work. And the good news is that even though The Two Towers doesn't follow the novel as faithfully as its predecessor did, it nonetheless succeeds as a worthy sequel that improves upon the original.
Picking the story right from where it was left off, The Two Towers tells the aftermath of the breaking of the Fellowship & intercuts three story lines. The first concerns Frodo & Sam who, on their journey to Mordor, find their peril deepen for there is another who hunts the ring. The second deals with Merry & Pippin, who were taken as hostages in the last film. And the third covers the trio of Aragorn, Legolas & Gimli who, along with an unexpected ally, head to Rohan to warn them of an impending war. The title refers to the union between the two towers; Barad- dûr, fortress of the dark lord, Sauron, & Orthanc, stronghold of the wizard Saruman.
Narrating multiple stories within the same film is never an easy task but director Peter Jackson manages to do it once again & what's even more admirable is that he gives equal importance & value to all three story lines as the film smoothly switches from one plot to another without confusing its viewers & the decision to conclude it at a different event from the novel sets a perfect stage for the finale. Also, it is extremely well written & narrated for enough time is given to develop its new characters, without ever interrupting the development arc of any of the reprising cast.
Coming to the technical aspects, all filmmaking departments get significant upgrades & are more fine-tuned this time. The production design continues to impress with its meticulously detailed sets & is ideally fused with the gorgeously photographed landscapes of New Zealand. Camera-work is at its absolute best during the action sequences, Make-up, Costume Design & Sound retain their qualities and Editing trims it down to 179 minutes but just like the last time, I recommend the extended edition for it adds 45 minutes of new footages which further enriches its overall experience.
Weta Digital's VFX team made history with The Fellowship of the Ring but the enhancements it brings in The Two Towers is even more groundbreaking. Gollum & Treebeard are entirely CGI & it was a VFX milestone of its time. But it's the Battle of Helm's Deep where the visuals are at its finest and without this team's creativity & breakthroughs, it wouldn't rank today as one of the greatest screen battles of all time. Howard Shore's magnificent score continues to enhance the emotional journey of this exceptional adventure & is an outstanding follow-up to its predecessor.
As far as the performances go, The Two Towers adds even more strength to its ensemble cast as the reprising actors once again chips in with faithful performances while the new ones instantly make their mark felt. But the most notable amongst both the new & reprising cast turns out to be none other than Andy Serkis' rendition of Gollum/Sméagol. Heartwarming & heartbreaking at the same time, Serkis' gives this CGI character its very own soul and delivers such an intense, energetic & jaw-dropping performance that it's easily the finest acting of the saga, so far.
On an overall scale, The Two Towers is a smooth continuation & a worthy expansion of the world that was brought alive in The Fellowship of the Ring. There are a few artistic license taken but it all stays within the realms of Tolkien's world & remains true to its spirits. Succeeding as another spellbinding & engrossing masterpiece that effortlessly blends art & entertainment into a staggering epic, The Two Towers is an immensely satisfying sequel that ably meets & exceeds the genre-defining standards set by its predecessor & signs off by setting an even higher bar for the final chapter of Tolkien's legendarium. One hundred percent recommended.