The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
4/4
Starring: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen, Andy Serkis, Ian McKellan, John Rhys-Davies, Christopher Lee, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Miranda Otto, Bernard Hill
Rated PG-13 for Epic Battle Sequences and Scary Images
One of the risks of making a trilogy is that the second installment can suffer from "middle installment syndrome." This is when the second chapter is merely a bridge between the beginning and the climax. Done poorly, it can be boring since it is merely a connecting thread. Peter Jackson avoids this trap by making this sequel about something. I haven't read the books, but "The Two Towers" does indeed have a beginning, a middle and an end.
At the end of the first film, the fellowship that was sent to destroy the Ring has broken apart. Hobbits Frodo (Wood) and Sam (Astin) are journeying to Mordor to throw the Ring into Mount Doom. Aragorn (Mortensen), Gimli (Rhys-Davies) and Legolas (Bloom) are going to rescue Merry (Monaghan) and Pippin (Boyd), who have been taken captive, and end up fighting for the human clan of Rohan. Merry and Pippin have escaped their captors and are trying to get the Ents to take down the traitorous Saruman (Lee).
What is true of the first installment is true here. The acting is consistently excellent, and the characters we grew to care about are ones we grow to love. Frodo is a hobbit of surprising strength, but the burden of carrying such an evil object is beginning to weaken him. Sean Astin is also good as his faithful friend, Sam. Aragorn has developed into a true hero, and Mortensen is able to fill him out enough that he becomes sympathetic rather than someone you want to strangle. Bloom and Rhys-Davies are on hand for comic relief. New to the cast are Miranda Otto, who plays Eowyn, a Rohan princess who falls for the already taken Aragorn, and Bernard Hill, who plays the wise but stubborn Rohan king, Theoden. Both performers are at the top of their game.
Peter Jackson blew the world away with the first installment, and here he hones in his talents even more. This is an epic film with larger than life heroes and villains who are sufficiently developed that we can still feel for them. His prowess at developing characters is just as his grasp of action sequences. They are tense and exciting. And through all the darkness, violence and gloom, Jackson does not forget to include a sense of humor (supplied by Merry and Pippin, and also Gimli and Legolas) which is actually quite funny.
In short, this is a rousing spectacle that both stand alone and enhances the first installment.
Starring: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen, Andy Serkis, Ian McKellan, John Rhys-Davies, Christopher Lee, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Miranda Otto, Bernard Hill
Rated PG-13 for Epic Battle Sequences and Scary Images
One of the risks of making a trilogy is that the second installment can suffer from "middle installment syndrome." This is when the second chapter is merely a bridge between the beginning and the climax. Done poorly, it can be boring since it is merely a connecting thread. Peter Jackson avoids this trap by making this sequel about something. I haven't read the books, but "The Two Towers" does indeed have a beginning, a middle and an end.
At the end of the first film, the fellowship that was sent to destroy the Ring has broken apart. Hobbits Frodo (Wood) and Sam (Astin) are journeying to Mordor to throw the Ring into Mount Doom. Aragorn (Mortensen), Gimli (Rhys-Davies) and Legolas (Bloom) are going to rescue Merry (Monaghan) and Pippin (Boyd), who have been taken captive, and end up fighting for the human clan of Rohan. Merry and Pippin have escaped their captors and are trying to get the Ents to take down the traitorous Saruman (Lee).
What is true of the first installment is true here. The acting is consistently excellent, and the characters we grew to care about are ones we grow to love. Frodo is a hobbit of surprising strength, but the burden of carrying such an evil object is beginning to weaken him. Sean Astin is also good as his faithful friend, Sam. Aragorn has developed into a true hero, and Mortensen is able to fill him out enough that he becomes sympathetic rather than someone you want to strangle. Bloom and Rhys-Davies are on hand for comic relief. New to the cast are Miranda Otto, who plays Eowyn, a Rohan princess who falls for the already taken Aragorn, and Bernard Hill, who plays the wise but stubborn Rohan king, Theoden. Both performers are at the top of their game.
Peter Jackson blew the world away with the first installment, and here he hones in his talents even more. This is an epic film with larger than life heroes and villains who are sufficiently developed that we can still feel for them. His prowess at developing characters is just as his grasp of action sequences. They are tense and exciting. And through all the darkness, violence and gloom, Jackson does not forget to include a sense of humor (supplied by Merry and Pippin, and also Gimli and Legolas) which is actually quite funny.
In short, this is a rousing spectacle that both stand alone and enhances the first installment.
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