Josh Keown | Night Terror Novels 🧛🏻♂️’s review published on Letterboxd:
“Let this be the hour when we draw swords together. Fell deeds awake. Now for wrath, now for ruin, and the red dawn. Forth, Eorlingas!”
-Theoden (Bernard Hill)
Part 4 of the Middle-Earth Odyssey.
As Frodo and Sam formally ventured forth into Mordor and the trio of lovable rouges that is Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli set off to chase down the Hobbits Boromir misplaced, so too had our second quest into the land of Middle-Earth officially begun. As anyone who accompanied the Fellowship through their first adventure would know, the shit really hit the fan and Gandalf’s original plan went to hell. Hobbits were running rampant all over the wilderness, whilst the party of three were left to clean up the mess.
As in any great yarn, the first part or beginning serves largely for exposition, and in the establishing of a catalyst for the inevitable conflict. The second or middle part to the story often serves the purpose of presenting said conflict – and as such is more times than not required to be the most captivating and action-packed of the three components. The bridge between the opening and the resolution is the hardest area to construct, but returning director Peter Jackson does so with aplomb in the Two Towers, sequel to The Fellowship of the Ring and precursor to The Return of the King in Tolkien’s beloved series of novels.
With basically the entire cast returning (except poor Sean Bean, of course) and a whole host of new and incredibly talented faces joining the ranks, The Lord of the Rings returned in breath-taking style in 2002, just one year after Jackson’s first outing. The already stellar company of characters from The Fellowship were bolstered by the likes of Bernard Hill, Karl Urban and Brad Dourif, whilst other roles, such as Christopher Lee as Saruman, were far more sizeable this time round. As before, few faults can be held against the almost flawless displays of acting from the fantastic ensemble.
And who can forget the formal introduction of Gollum, who not only represents the pinnacle in computer-generated effects but also develops into one of the most psychologically interesting and deep characters in the entire series. He is, in many ways, the Ring’s embodiment, the warped, wretched creature borne from its influence after years of painful erosion. As such, he is (or at least, becomes, in the third part) arguably the biggest obstacle for Frodo and Sam in their quest. What makes Gollum infinitely more intriguing, however, is the fact that he is undeniably their greatest ally, without whom they could have never made it as far as they did. Serkis weaves wonders in the role, what with that twisted, evil voice and the motion capture perfectly encapsulating his hunched, monstrous form.
Most of what made The Fellowship so wonderful does the very same here. Again, the cinematography is outstanding, made all the better by the impeccable art, set and costume design. One marked change in The Two Towers is how much darker this outing is than its predecessor. It all works in the film’s favour, adding a new layer to the strong foundations established by The Fellowship.
Much like The Fellowship, The Two Towers isn’t entirely about skirmishes and sieges; the metaphorical and conative meaning behind much of the series is only deepened further in this outing. With Frodo Sam and Gollum, trust, loyalty and the corruptibility of the human soul is explored. In Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, themes that were but mere seeds in the Fellowship begin to grow; of friendship, compassion and (especially in Aragorn’s case in the latter films) power. More so than that, this entry also explores the horrors of war, still, of course, within the fantastical setting, but it just helps to give more depth to what could have been a soulless sequel. All in all, The Two Towers offers a more than worthy successor to the brilliant first film, and takes all that works in the first to new, equally interesting places.
VERDICT; Though I have to agree with what appears to be the general consensus in saying this is the worst of Jackson’s trilogy, it really says something that I’d still give the weakest part a nine out of ten. He delivers something that seems to be such a scarcity in the modern day and age; a competent sequel. The Two Towers does, in most respects up the ante from The Fellowship, with more action, more emotion, and generally more epic-ness, but feels a little bit too much like a stepping stone to truly be called a masterpiece like one and three. Nonetheless, a spectacular, surprisingly gritty, and, above all, truly magical film.
4.5/5 or 9/10