The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Country: US/NZ/GER
Technical: DeLuxe/Super 35 179m
Director: Peter Jackson
Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Bernard Hill, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Brad Dourif
Synopsis:
Frodo continues to struggle towards Mordor, guided by the precariously subservient Gollum; meanwhile the other hobbits fall among the wise old tree spirits of the forest, Aragorn searches for them along with his branch of the fellowship and, on meeting the transformed Gandalf, is drawn into a schism in the royal family of Rohan caused by Saruman's evil wizardry.
Review:
The first half hour is not too easy to follow for those unfamiliar with the book's myriad character and place names, but once one has picked up the thread of the narrative from the first film this second episode provides ample excitement and spectacle, and some leavening humour. It inevitably suffers, by virtue of its position in the saga, from having neither a beginning nor an end, but the makers do their best to bridge that gap and offer some deepening of character and a staggering attack on Helm's Deep. The extended edition sketched in background detail, particularly surrounding Aragorn and Arwen, and one is more aware of the place of the movie in the saga, namely one in which the enormity of what they are up against bears down on the characters.
Country: US/NZ/GER
Technical: DeLuxe/Super 35 179m
Director: Peter Jackson
Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Bernard Hill, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Brad Dourif
Synopsis:
Frodo continues to struggle towards Mordor, guided by the precariously subservient Gollum; meanwhile the other hobbits fall among the wise old tree spirits of the forest, Aragorn searches for them along with his branch of the fellowship and, on meeting the transformed Gandalf, is drawn into a schism in the royal family of Rohan caused by Saruman's evil wizardry.
Review:
The first half hour is not too easy to follow for those unfamiliar with the book's myriad character and place names, but once one has picked up the thread of the narrative from the first film this second episode provides ample excitement and spectacle, and some leavening humour. It inevitably suffers, by virtue of its position in the saga, from having neither a beginning nor an end, but the makers do their best to bridge that gap and offer some deepening of character and a staggering attack on Helm's Deep. The extended edition sketched in background detail, particularly surrounding Aragorn and Arwen, and one is more aware of the place of the movie in the saga, namely one in which the enormity of what they are up against bears down on the characters.
Country: US/NZ/GER
Technical: DeLuxe/Super 35 179m
Director: Peter Jackson
Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Bernard Hill, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Brad Dourif
Synopsis:
Frodo continues to struggle towards Mordor, guided by the precariously subservient Gollum; meanwhile the other hobbits fall among the wise old tree spirits of the forest, Aragorn searches for them along with his branch of the fellowship and, on meeting the transformed Gandalf, is drawn into a schism in the royal family of Rohan caused by Saruman's evil wizardry.
Review:
The first half hour is not too easy to follow for those unfamiliar with the book's myriad character and place names, but once one has picked up the thread of the narrative from the first film this second episode provides ample excitement and spectacle, and some leavening humour. It inevitably suffers, by virtue of its position in the saga, from having neither a beginning nor an end, but the makers do their best to bridge that gap and offer some deepening of character and a staggering attack on Helm's Deep. The extended edition sketched in background detail, particularly surrounding Aragorn and Arwen, and one is more aware of the place of the movie in the saga, namely one in which the enormity of what they are up against bears down on the characters.