Slant Magazine reviews The Two Towers

Slant Magazine ^ | 12/6/02 | Ed Gonzales

[Texas2step]

Another excellent review...

[Texas2step]

Wanna ping the ringers?

[ecurbh]

Ring Ping!!

[Gordian Blade]

Many of the negative points seem due to cutting the film to 3 hours. There's a lot going on to stuff into 3 hours. When the extended DVD comes out, it will be more satisfying for all of us "fanboys" and "fangirls". So I'll go to the movie and buy the extended DVD (or get it as a gift) -- again. And yet a third time in 2003/4. What a racket! But they deserve to make a ton of money on this.

And PS: Poor me, my FoTR extended DVD is wrapped up and sitting under the tree, a combined gift from my kids. I haven't had this much anticipation of the "Santa" part of Christmas in a long time.

[My back yard]

I went ahead and gave the boxed edition to myself for Christmas. i couldn't wait. Got the one with the beautiful bookends.

It was great.

[SuziQ]

my FoTR extended DVD is wrapped up and sitting under the tree, a combined gift from my kids.

They will be as excited as you on Christmas morning in anticipation of your opening it!! If your kids are old enough, I hope you are planning to share!

[My back yard]

Liv Tyler still looks like she's lost in an Australian douche commercial

lol, That's how she looked int the first one too. Ugh, she's the only part I don't enjoy in the whole thing. That pseudo-cooing throaty british accent. Eeeks.

[My back yard]

I decided to share further on this. She sounds like a schoolgirl trying to pretend her mother's voice to the principal. 'Hello, this is Mrs. Tyler, Liv Tyler's mother. She cannot come to school today, she has a cold and very foreboding fever'.

[maquiladora]

Thanks!

Some other review snippets:

"A thrilling, muscular entertainment which powers along intensely...there is no director as worthy this year as Jackson who injects The Two Towers with a different, more urgent energy that vibrantly elucidates the book's majestic themes...stupendous...epic, vivid and violent...the production is, of course, sumptuous, and the effects seamless...one of the year's best."
Mike Goodridge, Screen Daily

"A more impressive film than its well received predecessor...gargantuan... no let-down in storytelling sweep and spectacle...grand but mobile cinematography... haunting...beautifully realized...it's hard to imagine a much better version of this material onscreen...the cast is indisputably impressive."
-Todd McCarthy, Variety Chief Film Critic

"It's quite likely to be an Oscar nominee for Best Picture...breathtaking... several terrific performances...epic."
-Roger Friedman, Fox News

"It is an excellent film...I've never seen anything done quite like it in a film before... awe-inspiring...breathtaking...top-notch...Incredibly entertaining and marvellously done... this is definitely a great film."
-Box Office Mojo (4/4)

[El Sordo]

Woo-Hoo!

Just Fandangoed my way to two opening night tix!

[My back yard]

I am now a proud owner of 5 tickets to the 8pm showing on the 18th. Yahoo!

[Restorer]

The sadness with which Smeagol teases and consumes Gollum once again reinforces Jackson's blistering vision of a pervasive evil threatening to destroy all that is good in the world.

He's got it backwards here.

Gollum was the bad and Smeagol the good persona.

[sneakers]

I'm glad somebody said it. I find Arwen irksome too, though I guess I understand why they gave her a greater part in the story. Nonetheless, I loved FOTR and I'm sure I'll love TT just as much.

[LinnieBeth]

proud owner of 5 tickets...

I've got the ticket from the Ext. DVD, do I have to trade it at the theater or do anything special? OR
can I just go to the theater with ticket in hand?

[GATOR NAVY]

We got our extended DVD this weekend, had to wait for the Japanese version. I can watch English and my wife can watch dubbed or subtitled if she wants. Ouch! 10,300 yen ($85) at today's bank rate.

[HairOfTheDog]

Just go with your ticket in hand I guess!

I have one of those too... But I am not going to try to use it opening night, because I didn't want to miss my chance. I bought tickets on-line a week ago to reserve a spot. Fi you are going opening night, it may sell out before you get there, so beware!

[HairOfTheDog]

How were the translations? - I heard a few reports that the translations of the original version to some of the languages were "not quite right".

[GATOR NAVY]

My wife only watched a little of the dubbed version but she didn't like it because she's too used to the voices in the original. She didn't say the language was wrong, she just thought they soumded funny. She's watching the subtitled version right now and she says they're fine.

She had heard of Tolkein before this movie but never read anything. I took her to see FOTR when it came to Japan and she absolutely loved it. Now she's read all 3 books and The Hobbit in Japanese and may be looking forward to TT even more than I am-January here on base and maybe February in town.

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, good!

So the subtitles are consistent with the translated books? It fascinates me to hear that it plays well in other languages, because as a one-language person (despite two years of French, LOL!) I can't easily separate the story from the language used to tell it. How much of what I love is the actual plot, which would be easy to translate, and how much is the words used to tell it? Hard to tell!

I am sure glad this work is loved world-wide. It speaks to the universal appeal it has as a very human story.

[My back yard]

My daughter and I discussed that yesterday too. I have one (freebie), but decided I will want to go again so will use that for the next time. I believe you just take it to the window and they will give you a ticket. But I wanted to secure a seat for the first night.