LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS, THE
Released: December 18, 2002
As anyone who read my review of the first movie in this series knows, I was less than thrilled by it. This from a longtime Peter Jackson and Tolkien fan too. However, after a slow start, "The Two Towers" really comes alive and actually engaged me - something "The Fellowship Of The Ring" never did. From Aragorn's (Viggo Mortensen) "CSI" forensic ananysis of where Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Samwise (Sean Astin) might be to the adventures that follow are nothing less than awesome. Jackson brings this mammoth middle trilogy to heights not even hinted at in this first chapter. The CGI is nearly flawless and the all-CGI character Gollum/Sméagol is realistic enough to have you really FEEL for him. The score this time around is also superb. Howard Shore composed the music with songbirds Emiliana Torrini and Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins) providing angelic sounds as the action spills onto the theatre screen. The final battle sequence is amazingly executed. The three hour length gave me a sore butt but I can safely say that from about 20 minutes into the movie I was absolutely engaged in the storyline.
179 Minutes
New Line/Warner Bros.