Lord of the Rings-Two Towers (Widescreen) (2002)

Across Middle-earth Aragorn, the Elf archer Legolas and Gimli the Dwarf encounter the besieged Kingdom of Rohan, whose once great King Theoden has fallen under the deadly spell of evil wizard Saruman The White through the machinations of his spy, the sinister Grima Wormtongue. Eowyn, the niece of the King, recognizes a leader in Aragorn, and though the warrior finds himself drawn to her, Aragorn is constantly reminded of his enduring love for the Elf Arwen and the pact they've made. Gandalf, reborn as Gandalf the White following his cataclysmic battle with the Balrog, reminds Aragorn of his destiny to unite the people of Rohan with Gondor, the last remaining stronghold of Human resistance...

Meanwhile, the captured Hobbits Merry and Pippin escape from their monstrous Uruk-hai captors and, fleeing into the mysterious Fangorn Forest, discover an unexpected ally among the ancient trees---Treebeard, a living, walking, talking tree-shepherd, among the oldest creature in Middle-earth, whose forest Saruman has decimated...In their parallel journeys, the Fellowship will stand against the powerful forces spreading from the Two Towers -- Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where Saruman has bred a lethal army of 10,000 strong; and Sauron's fortress at Barad-dur, deep within the dark lands of Mordor. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers culminates in the astonishing battle for the refuge Helm's Deep: the Kingdom of Rohan's ancient large stone fortress, besieged by Uruk-hai warriors.
 
"The supreme film adventure of our time."  Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine
"Spectacular in every sense of the word, even if you don' t know an Orc from a Uruk-Hai."  Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"The storylines are woven together skilfully, the magnificent swooping aerial shots are breathtaking, and the overall experience is awesome."  Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
 


Editor's Note

Picking up where the first film left off, Peter Jackson's THE TWO TOWERS throws the remaining members of the Fellowship into the scattered chaos of Middle-earth, now fully under siege by the forces of Sauron. While Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) journey to the dreaded Mordor, Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) are held captive by orcs, and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) search for their abducted companions. Soon Frodo and Sam are joined by the sulking and duplicitous Gollum (portrayed by the voice and motion-captured acting of Andy Serkis), who becomes their guide through the barren lands leading to Mount Doom. Meanwhile Merry and Pippin encounter the looming Treebeard (voiced by Rhys-Davies) and Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli find themselves in the land of Rohan, accompanied by an old friend. As the tale continues, each scenario becomes more perilous, and fierce battles erupt at both Isengard, home of the treacherous Saruman (Christopher Lee), and the massive Helm's Deep.

After masterfully setting up the world created by J.R.R. Tolkien in THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, Jackson continues the trilogy with the increasingly dark and battle-filled TWO TOWERS without skipping a beat. Although the director takes a few more liberties in adapting the second installment, he skillfully cuts from one scenario to the next, creating a tightly woven tapestry with the various storylines. Joining the impressive cast this time around are Miranda Otto as Éowyn; Bernard Hill as her father, King Théoden; Brad Dourif as the aptly named Grima Wormtongue; Karl Urban as Éomer; David Wenham as Faramir; and Serkis under the remarkable CGI facade of Gollum. An intense epic that features one jaw-dropping sequence after another, THE TWO TOWERS more than carries its weight as the crucial centerpiece of THE LORD OF THE RINGS.