The saga continues with even more richness and complexity

Rating: 9/10 (26 November 2012)

"The Two Towers" continues J.R.R. Tolkien's epic as interpreted by Peter Jackson, and though it lacks the same degree of suspense as "The Fellowship of the Ring," it delivers when it matters in the first culminating battle sequence of the series.
In "The Two Towers," the Fellowship has been disbanded following the death of Boromir (Sean Bean). Having bent the great wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee) toward his will, Sauron now has armies in both Mordor and at Isengard (the two towers). Saruman's army of Uruk Hai have turned their attention to the kingdom of Rohan, where Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) and Legolas (Orlando Bloom) venture. Meanwhile, Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) set out for Mordor on their own, though they quickly find themselves with another companion, the creature Gollum, who lusts after the Ring that once was his.
The script for this middle installment involves a lot of setup and building toward the climax: the Battle of Helm's Deep. Given the rich texture and detail of Jackson's Middle Earth, we are swept up and intrigued by the new characters and locations rather than bogged down by them. The subplot of the catatonic King Theoden of Rohan (Bernard Hill) and the treacherous Wormtongue (Brad Dourif) makes for great theater though it complicates matters, as does all the focus on Theoden's niece, Eowyn (Miranda Otto), who becomes quite fond of Aragorn despite knowing his heart belongs to another.
With the Fellowship divided, the narrative must bounce around and entire characters become left out for what seem like hours. The one weak limb of the story that we come back to time and time again that really sticks out in a negative way is the subplot with Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd), who have been rescued from a band of Uruk Hai by the great Treebeard, leader of the Ents. The film cuts back numerous times to the two hobbits riding on Treebeard's back as he slowly delivers exposition and back story, and the scenes are few and far between, so they really make the length of the film stand out in a negative way.
All is cured, however, at Helm's Deep. This is the major action payoff we've been waiting for since the opening prologue in "Fellowship," the first major arrival point in the series, one that the script foreshadows hours before the battle begins. The people of Rohan have retreated to their refuge hoping that the fortress's high walls will allow their few hundred to pull off a miracle against the thousands of Uruk Hai. It's a classic Greek mythology setup and the payoff makes Helm's Deep the most rewarding sequence in the series thus far.
But what makes "Two Towers" great is not just the spectacle in the end; we also get even deeper into our cast of characters. The film really explores the relationship between Aragorn and Arwen (Liv Tyler) and their likely ill-fated romance. Although they're mostly comic relief, we become closer with Gimli and Legolas through greater use of humorous dialogue.
The acting standouts of the film, however, are once again Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf the White, given a renewed life for the purpose of saving Middle Earth, and Andy Serkis as the motion-captured schizophrenic creature, Gollum/Smeagol. McKellen continues to draw so much attention to his character and the 100 percent pure gravitas he brings to the role cannot be over-appreciated. Adorned in white and given greater power this time around, he literally sparkles.
Gollum is a curious character who carves out a pivotal role in the series in just a few hours after hints at his relationship with the Ring. The character's voice and mannerisms could drive a viewer insane, but he's such a technological breakthrough and Serkis gives the pitiable and ugly thing legitimate complexity. Whether Frodo and Sam can trust him becomes a huge piece of this movie, and ultimately it becomes about whether or not we trust him. Frodo believes that Gollum is capable of doing the right thing and that he's their only chance to make it to Mordor, whereas Sam is ever the skeptic. This thread of doubt runs through the entire Frodo- Sam-Gollum subplot.
In the end, once again the script uses such moving dialogue delivered by actors so fiercely committed to their characters' emotions to really cap off "The Two Towers" in a way that will have you forgetting how long it took to get to this point and eagerly awaiting the final chapter. Sam's speech to Frodo in the end is nothing short of inspiring, capturing where the narrative is from an emotional and thematic standpoint.
All the characters by the end of "Two Towers" have passed the point of no return; they've stared down certain annihilation and come to the conclusion that they are too far committed to their responsibilities to not be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. The notion that the "storm is coming" foreshadows the Battle of Helm's Deep, but it's really about what lies beyond. Hope is the unspoken theme in play — they all have to believe in it.
Bridging the first and last chapters makes "Two Towers" the weakest of the series, but it's also among the most memorable for its stirring conclusion and rousing segue into "The Return of the King." Having had first exposure to this incredible cinematic vision for Middle Earth, it can be easy to forget the incredible production value, but that has to be noted and assures this second "Lord of the Rings" film a certain baseline of absolute excellence.
~Steven C
Thanks for reading! Visit moviemusereviews.com for more!