More of the same...

Rating: 9/10 (28 March 2005)

In my review of The Fellowship of the Ring, I docked half a mark simply because I had to wait for the next instalment. I must, regrettably, do the same with The Two Towers. Like its predecessor, The Two Towers is long, but also like its predecessor, it doesn't matter. Usually long films fail to hold my interest, but if The Two Towers was any shorter it simply wouldn't cover what it needs to cover. Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) have broken away from the others and are selflessly carrying on alone in their quest to destroy Sauron's ring. Meanwhile, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) and Legolas (Orlando Bloom) search for the other two hobbits, Merry and Pippin, stumble across a reborn Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and make their way to Rohan, where the king has been taken over by Saruman (Christopher Lee). The whole thing culminates in an absolutely spectacular battle sequence at Helms Deep, where our three heroes and their mighty army battle against the orcs for close to half an hour. The Two Towers was shot simultaneously with the other two, and is therefore just as visually spectacular as the first part, and presumably, the third part. New Zealand is a beautiful country, and Middle Earth is a beautiful place. Even the dark clouds and volcanic activity of Mordor has a certain ambiance to it. But it is the CGI effects that dominate and shine in this film. In particular, computer graphics have been used to create Gollum (Andy Serkis), brought to life from the real actor's movements. As in the book, Gollum is a tortured soul, who's split personality and desire to possess the One Ring (his 'precious') creates a powerful, yet pitiable, character. Also, there is Treebeard, a walking, talking tree (voiced by Rhys-Davies again) whose lethargic nature comes across in his ambling gait and droning, slow tones. As The Lord of the Rings is really one big movie cut into three parts, it is difficult to rate each part as a separate movie. However, the action sequences in The Two Towers are bigger, better and more frequent than in The Fellowship of the Ring, and the character development continues nicely. It's probably better than the first one, but I won't be able to judge accurately until I see Part 3, due out at the end of 2003. Until then, I give it the same mark I gave the first one. Good-o-meter rating: 9/10