An excellent counterpart to the series.

Rating: Null/10 (21 December 2002)

I did not do a review for The Fellowship of the Ring last year, because I wasn't sure how I really thought about the film. I liked it, but to me, it wasn't the spectacle nor was it the film everyone else around me thought. Maybe it was how it ended, and maybe it's because I didn't feel there was a lot to the story itself. Then again, I have had absolutely NO previous exposure to the Lord of the Rings stories. Sure I knew they were around, but besides that, knew nothing of them.
That's not to say I didn't like the movie. I just wasn't all that captivated with it like everyone else. I do agree, that it was well done, well told, and offered a scope of cinema that is not common. And when the extended version of The Fellowship of the Ring came out on DVD last month, I picked up a copy. And I'm actually glad I did. It gives a bit more background to the story, and offered me a refresher before seeing The Two Towers.
And now, I am more able to give The Fellowship of the Ring its fair score. It does an excellent job to set up the characters, the relationships, and the mission. This becomes more apparent from watching The Two Towers. Since I now know about the origins of the characters and what their objectives are, I can pay more attention to how they strive to meet their goals.
The Two Towers has a lot more substance to the plot and to the activity than its predecessor. There are also different locales to focus on and simultaneous story lines. Instead of just focusing on the fellowship as a group, we have their separate quests and adventures. We have Frodo and Samwise who are trying to reach Mordor (as well as their new tag-along friend) we have Aragorn, Gimli, and Greenleaf on their quest, and we also see where Pippin and Merry have been led. (You may recall these groups were all separated at the end of The Fellowship of the Ring.)
What's also nice is that there is a self-contained story here. With the first story the quest began and they ran into some road-bumps, but the story didn't really end (of course not, we had 2 more chapters to go). The story of this journey continues with The Two Towers yet there is also a self-contained, yet connected, story at work here. As well, there is a new story of Gollum. We learn a bit more about this odd creature -- a decent blend of good, bad, and his own personal struggles.
The battle sequences in The Two Towers were more powerful and had more impact than previous, but justifiably so. The tension in Middle Earth is rising, and both sides are nearing a peak and rising to achieve their goals at whatever cost.
However, I had a bit of a complaint. I would have liked a better explanation of these `Two Towers'. What are they exactly, and why are they so significant? They are apparently significant enough to deserve the title. If their role was explained, then I apparently missed it.

The Two Towers does well to complement The Lord of the Rings series. And as such, I can now hold The Fellowship of the Ring in a better light, since now I have the benefit of its tale to be the setup for The Towers. I can very much appreciate how this epic trilogy is going to continue when The Return of the King comes to theatres this time next year.