Reel Retro: The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers

The second in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy of films, The Two Towers follows Frodo and Sam as they continue their journey to Mordor to destroy the ring. Travelling into the darkest realms of middle earth, they encounter new creatures and create uneasy alliances.

Being that The two Towers is in the middle of the Lord Of The Rings franchise, you would expect it to simply pose as a bridge to the next movie, although it does this it’s easy to forget how many things are introduced in this movie. Among others we are introduced properly to Smeagol\ Gollum, excellently brought to life by Andy Serkis, he completely steals the film. Unfortunately the academy can’t give a best actor award to a digital character even though it was the motion capture of Serkis’ movements that gave the character his emphasis and personality.

Two Towers is a much darker film than its predecessor, The Fellowship Of The Ring obviously had the task of introducing all the characters and developing them into their individual personalities, so the story always seemed like it was just about to start, whereas in Two Towers the story is taking movement and small steps toward resolution. There are a lot of discussions in Two Towers, discussions about who to ally themselves with, which road to take and when to strike, which could make the audience feel that there isn’t a lot happening. A lot of critics believe The Two Towers to be the weakest of the trilogy but to be fair The Return Of The King would not be half as enjoyable without the thorough character development seen in The Two Towers.

We not only are introduced to some new key players like King Theoden of Rodan, Eowyn and Faramir who play important roles in the conclusion of the trilogy, but we also see further emotional development of the staple characters as well. Without over dramatic emphasis Frodo is deteriorating physically and mentally. The audience sees this through Elijah Woods ability to appear vulnerable and determined, his determination waning as the story progresses slipping further into hopelessness, unable to protect himself. Frodo latches onto any hope that seems stronger than him but his naivety is still there. Along comes Gollum, a representation of what Frodo could become, he needs to know that Gollum can be saved and that he can let go. This movie serves as a diary of the inner struggle that Frodo faces every day, the armies of men merging around him can fight for their lives but they can’t save them. Sam is always loyal to his promise but as the film progresses you sense a deeper purpose, without Sam, Frodo has no moral guidance. Frodo needs a voice that is contradictory to his own, as he cannot trust his mind anymore. Sam feels the burden of this responsibility and resents Gollum as a representation of what will happen if he fails.

Visually The Two Towers is as superb as the previous film and the next. Gollum is truly a work of art in expression and dramatic interpretation. Looking like Willem Dafoe, Gollum’s range of emotion makes the character real, you don’t trust him but you sympathize with him. Andy Serkis is a genius. Other notable computer generated effects are the Elks. Voiced by John Rhys- Davies, Tree Beard is an animated character but the animation fits so well with its surroundings, that you don’t notice. The Two Towers doesn’t have as many fantasy elements that weren’t already stated in the previous movie, but when they do appear I believe it makes more of an impact, because you’re not expecting it. Without giving too much away The Two Towers explains more of the story than all other Lord Of The Rings films as it elaborates on previous facts and also reveals the threats that lead our heroes to their fates. The Two Towers is a visual masterpiece, an opera and a journey to resolution. It is also the one that people remember the most but don’t realise and unless my eyes deceive me, it’s appreciated as a benchmark in digital animation.

I give Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers 4 and a half stars out of 5.