Slant Magazine reviews The Two Towers

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

[Texas2step]

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Liv Tyler, John Rhys-Davies, Dominic Monaghan, Christopher Lee, Miranda Otto, Brad Dourif, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Karl Urban, Bernard Hill, David Wenham and Andy Serkis
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Screenplay by: Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Stephen Sinclair and Frances Walsh
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Run time: 179 min
Rating: PG-13
Year: 2002
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First the good news: The Two Towers isn't necessarily better than The Fellowship of the Ring but everything great about the first film has been dutifully amplified here to umpteenth degrees. Now the bad: everything less than stellar about the first film has also been magnified. Director Peter Jackson's understanding of J.R.R. Tolkein's crucial themes is still near transcendent--if The Fellowship of the Ring was alive with Christian hope, then Two Towers is dignified by an impressive and overwhelming sense of godlessness. Two Towers may be the most sinister Hollywood epic ever made, a stirring account of lands on the brink of desiccation.

Two Towers is the most structurally audacious part of Tolkein's Lord of the Rings trilogy. The author daringly recounted the exploits of Aragorn, Elf archer Legolas, Gimli the Dwarf and hobbits Merry and Pippin throughout the first half of his Two Towers. It's not until book four that Tolkein tells the story of Frodo and Sam's journey through the Hills of Emyn Muil with Gollum/Smeagol. For the film, Jackson has predictably chosen to crosscut between the three separate narratives. The rhythm with which Jackson weaves in and out of the separate stories is incredibly lyrical and emphasizes the distance between the split Fellowship. Sadly, though, this episodic structure compromises one particular thread: Merry and Pippin's encounter with the wise Treebeard.

Tolkein delicately evokes Treebeard's wisdom and contemplates all sorts of complex relationships between Ents, trolls, wizards and other inhabitants of Middle-earth throughout the first part of Two Towers. An hour or two in, Jackson's film comes to resemble a prolonged movie trailer. However remarkable the tone may be, the brevity of individual scenes and constant crosscutting undermines the significance of Ent history and Treebeard's overall tenderness and wisdom. In the end, Treebeard has been reduced to a mere oddity, a mostly CG creation that shares Gimli's comedic shtick (both characters are brought to life by John Rhys-Davies). There is one bright side: all is forgiven once the Ents take to Isengard and their awe-inspiring battle with Saruman's forces is intercut with the jaw-dropping Oruk-hai attack on Helm's Deep.

Jackson wastes no time thrusting audiences into the book's action. The film begins with what appears to be a recap of Gandalf's encounter with Balrog only to reveal itself as a dream of sorts. Jackson implements a career's worth of aerial shots and dramatic overheads throughout Two Towers, but his remarkable use of long shot truly evokes the majestic scope of Tolkein's fantasia. Just as he did in Fellowship of the Ring, Jackson has an uncanny ability to amplify key Tolkein conceits. Liv Tyler still looks like she's lost in an Australian douche commercial but, in one ravishing flash forward, Jackson contemplates her character's immortal coil and devastating relationship to the world and people around her. In this one scene, hope springs eternal and when the people of Rivendell charge majestically toward Helm's Deep, it's as if Jackson is saying the world isn't done yet.

In moving key events from the book over to the third film (mainly Gandalf's encounter with Saruman and the attack at Shelob's lair), Jackson undervalues both Saruman and Grima Wormtongue (the director falls into the easy trap of giving the character a pale, glazed-over look to signify his evil). Also, the film ends less intimately than it should and more as a cliffhanger--as such, purists may feel a tad cheated. In a lame attempt to give Cate Blanchett a second's worth of screen time, Jackson has Galadriel the circus ringleader waltz into frame in order to recount key events from the film's first two hours for anyone who may not have been paying close attention. Despite the often busy crosscutting, Jackson has stunningly staged Two Towers as a series of exorcisms. Surely Jackson's remarkable authentication of Gollum's every vice and smidgen of goodness must count as a small miracle considering the character is an all-CG creation.

The film’s greatest strength is how Jackson brings to life the haunting conflict between Gollum and Smeagol. Jackson evokes the split between personalities most fabulously with a tree bisecting the film's frame. Of course, Andy Serkis's performance here is also crucial to the success of these scenes. Sam (Sean Astin) doubts Gollum but Frodo (Elijah Wood) believes in the diseased Smeagol's ability to do good and give himself completely to Gollum. Wood's casting makes more sense than ever--it is in his clammy white skin and big eyes that we see a future Smeagol in the making. 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. Despite the film's flaws, it is the way in which Jackson summons the threat of Middle-earth's potential destruction that energizes and ennobles the film. This evil is so palpable it even brings Wormtongue to tears. Fanboys should also be reduced to cowering messes.

Ed Gonzalez
© slant magazine, 2002.

[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.