The centre of Middle Earth

Rating: 8/10 (12 April 2010)

Chris Cooper's performance in 2002's Adaptation was skillful and memorable, but the Academy Award for Actor In A Supporting Role should surely have gone to Andy Serkis for his performance as Gollum in the second part of Peter Jackson's seminal movie trilogy. The Two Towers (correctly) received the Visual Effects gong, but the Academy may have missed a trick - we couldn't have felt pity for poor Smeagol without the Englishman's dazzling talent.
The Two Towers is the heart of the story in Jackson's (and Fran Walsh's, Philippa Boyens', and Steven Sinclair's) take on the tale. The book has been seriously and necessarily rejigged to suit the demands of the classical narrative. The battle of Helm's Deep, for instance, has been promoted beyond what was essentially a precursor to the final battle to something more immense: a grand, emotionally-driven climactic battle which represents arguably the best single action encounter of the trilogy.
But this last stand would be nothing were it not for the quality of the drama that precedes it. The Fellowship of the Ring set the scene; The Return of the King tore the scene to shreds on an awe-inspiring scale. The Two Towers, meanwhile, sows the seeds that will bloom into the enthralling narrative conflicts concluded in its sequel, as well as containing numerous character arcs of its own. The reluctant feud begins between Boromir (Sean Bean) and Faramir (David Wenham) for the love of their father, Denethor (John Noble); the adversity between nature and industry, represented by the mighty Ents and the tyrant Saruman (Christopher Lee), comes full circle; Grima Wormtongue's (a particularly superb Brad Dourif) fleeting power over the troubled king Theoden (Bernard Hill) and his adopted son, Eomer (Karl Urban) is a wicked war waged by an opportunist weakling. And I haven't even mentioned the surviving members of the Fellowship...
Pleasingly, Jackson et al continue their exploration of Arwen (Liv Tyler), as well as introducing another prominent female character. Miranda Otto's Eowyn is spiky and obstinate, and yet hauntingly bereft; a pale ghost wandering the prison of her uncle (Theoden). She's the most interesting female character in the series by far, deservingly foregrounded for the latter two movies.
Epic, exciting, heartfelt, and frightening - this is a brilliant hub for the trilogy.