Review of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) by Kyle20Ellis — 31 Mar 2022

I do love all three films of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, all are visually stunning with wonderful music and strong narratives. The Two Towers is my personal favourite of the three for several reasons. For one thing it is less talky than Fellowship of the Ring, and the pace is a little more secure here. Also the final battle is just breathtaking in the action, direction and in its scope, and very compelling and epic. And some of the characters are developed more here than they were in Fellowship of the Ring primarily Frodo and Aragorn, who were played very well there but a little bland in comparison to here.

When it comes to the scope The Two Towers is possibly the biggest in the trilogy. The cinematography is one of the strongest assets, while the scenery, costumes, lighting and make up(the orcs look amazing) are all gorgeous. You can tell a lot of effort went into this and it showed. The music is also darker and perhaps more complex, the story is richer and compelling and the dialogue is thought provoking. People may disagree, but I think The Two Towers is the best directed of the trilogy too.

The acting is very good. Elijah Wood is likable enough with a stronger-written character, while Sean Astin's bumbling persona suits Sam really well. Viggo Mortensson is as strong and charismatic as ever. Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee and Bernard Hill are also perfectly cast, but the real revelation in my view with this movie is Gollum. Here Gollum is designed superbly, and Andy Serkis's performance is absolutely phenomenal and Oscar-nod worthy.

In conclusion, a fine film and for me my personal favourite of the trilogy.