Review of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) by Luke N — 02 Sep 2013

Peter Jackson's follow-up to the dazzling first movie begins on a very strong note, plummeting straight into Gandalf's fate after he falls to the depths of Moria. All the other characters are revisited right from where we left them - reluctantly - in the last film.

The epic adventure continues, spanning off into many different storylines - some of which are better than others - and numerous more characters (such as the show-stealing Smeagol) rekindle and carry the flame with admirable strength.

It isn't right to call this a sequel, as it merely continues where its predecessor left off, and very little inherent in the last film is lost here. I do, however, have some minor issues with 'The Two Towers.

I think the sense of adventure somewhat diminishes this time, because most of the movie takes place in Rohan, which I personally think looks pretty bleak and boring. While I loved Smeagol when I was younger, I now find the "my preeecioussss" routine a little overbearing.

Legolas starts to get a little too prancy; Gimli is stripped of all former honour, turned instead into a joke; and Aragon suddenly seems all about invincible. I'm not too bothered by the infamous gayness between our two main Hobbits, though their little exchange at the end of the movie always makes me cringe.

But overall, this was - and always will be - a fantastic movie. And for every feature that doesn't quite work, there are always ten more that are nothing less than perfect.