Review of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) by James S — 19 May 2013

This film is my favourite in the series. One of the great things about middle acts is that all the setup has been done for you, and none of the cleanup is going to drag on at the end. It's like coming to a dinner party right as the main course is being served, and leaving before the dishes have to be done.

The movie does have some exposition of its own. We are introduced to many Rohan characters, as well as some from Gondor. The film's primary villain, Saruman, gets a lot to do here as well.

It is a little jarring to constantly cut back and forth between Frodo/Sam, Merry/Pippin, and Aragorn/Legolas/Gimli. It does keep the novelty high, but if you're not paying attention, you can forget what each wing of the cast is up to. Be prepared.

The new additions to the story bring some excellent actors into the film. Andy Serkis, in his breakout role, shows us that physical and voice acting can really sell a character. Bernard Hill is a very human king, Mirando Otto tries really hard (and sometimes succeeds) at showing Ã?owyn's heartache, and Karl Urban is resolute as Ã?omer.

The movie is quite a thinker of you notice. It raises questions about leadership, integrity, character, and trust. These themes are buried, but fun to discover on your own or with friends, rather than by having some hack of a film review writer tell you about them.

The Two Towers has action, plot, and a splendid cast of interesting characters. This makes for an extremely enjoyable and suspense-filled film.

EXTENDED VERSION: This extended cut has more meat to it, with several new scenes, and more elongated scenes. In particular, it accentuates the relationship Boromir and Faramir have with their father (which is very interesting), as well as a bit more about Aragorn and his destiny. It also cleans up a few scenes, which helps with continuity for me.