Masterful rendition of Tolkien's vision

Rating: 10/10 (15 April 2003)

In 1994, when Houghton Mifflin Company published a single copy of The Lord of The Rings, Douglas A. Anderson wrote a 'revised note to the text' making it clear that J. R. R. Tolkien's famous epic novel was 'often erroneously called a trilogy, when it is in fact a single novel, consisting of six books plus appendices, sometimes published in three volumes'. The three volumes Anderson referred to, The Fellowship of The Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of The King, were initially developed by the original publishers for purposes of cutting down on the cost of printing (David Colbert, The Magical Worlds of The Lord of The Rings). According to Colbert it was the publishers who first came up with the title The Two Towers for the second volume. Given his fascination with and penchant for referring to dozens of important towers within the novel, Tolkien himself wasn't sure which two towers were in fact denoted by the title and was therefore initially unconvinced by the title itself. However Tolkien eventually conceded and thus the myth of the trilogy of The Lord of The Rings was born.
All of this background is not for want when reviewing Peter Jackson's film version of The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers. In spite of following the traditional lead of breaking the story up into three films, he has essentially remained faithful to the text, as faithful as any movie director can be expected to when trying to adapt such an epic to the big screen, by maintaining a continuous uninterrupted flow from the first film to the second. The Two Towers immediately picks up right where the Fellowship of The Ring leaves off and we are again treated to a movie masterpiece so entrancing and perfectly paced. The Two Towers is filled with rich three-dimensional characters and plotlines, beautiful performances, and numerous battle scenes amidst breathtaking landscapes. Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) continue in their quest to bring the one ring to Mordor and destroy it in the very fires from which it was forged, while the rest of the fellowship is split up into several factions in an effort to find their lost friends and take up the fight against the armies of the Dark Lord Sauron and the traitorous Saruman. New characters are introduced, notably the Ents, Grima Wormtongue, King Theodon and the creature Gollum.
The film is undoubtedly mythical, just as Tolkien had intended, but it also more than adequately explores many of the difficult problems and questions Tolkien had examined during his lifetime; the inevitable encroachment of industrialization, and its impact on modern human society; the quest by some for unfettered power over all races; the onslaught of war in order to both provoke and quell that quest; the longing by others for peace and pastoral tranquility; and the endless forging and breaking up of alliances between the different races to achieve or defeat these varying quests. In many ways Gollum's character is a microcosm of these competing interests, providing much of the film's most vivid and provocative moments and leaving the audience with much to ponder.
It is perhaps to their considerable credit and understanding of today's moviegoers that Jackson and his collaborators did not make one nine hour film but don't be surprised when the movie ends and the credits roll if instead you don't find yourself wishing they had.