by Chuck Russel
(//)
Posted on 12/12/2002 10:23:53 AM PST by Texas2step
| THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS by Chuck Russel (//) |
|
In a nutshell, I’m practically speechless. This epic is so much larger than the first. Remember a year ago how much we all anticipated The Fellowship of the Ring? This film takes that same anticipation, with the audience’s familiarity with the subject matter due to repeated viewings of the first one, and boosts it to another level. As soon as the theater lights go down and the movie starts - the action begins. Just like in The
Fellowship you get SO MUCH action before the opening title even comes up. Just as a story has three acts - 1) An Introduction, 2) The Action, 3) The Resolution – “The Two Towers” is definitely the action piece of the three films. The peril and the choices all of our favorite characters have to face send this trilogy spiraling into deeper, darker territory. In Fellowship, we were introduced to a beautiful and amazing world that is Middle Earth. Now, in “The Two Towers,” prepare to see that world completely destroyed. It’s sad and breathtakingly dark.
Okay, here are the major points…
1) GOLLUM: Freakin’ amazing. The best, absolute BEST CG character ever created. He emotes in such a soulful way that it is heartbreaking. I kid you not; Gollum literally has an Oscar clip. It’s a scene that, when you see it (and you will all know which scene I’m talking about in a week), you will find the most complicated and well-acted character in either of these films.
2) TREEBEARD: Okay, he gets a little annoying 2/3 through the film. He’s paired with Merry and Pippin (let’s be honest, not everyone’s favorite characters) through the entire film. But in the end, they set out on a quest that gives them an enormous importance in the battle for Middle Earth, as well as win the audience back ten-fold.
3) FRODO AND SAM: It’s really sad and touching how much these two are put through, mentally and physically, on their continuing quest to get the ring to Mordor. You can’t help but think of how carefree and happy their lives were but a movie ago.
4) ARAGORN AND GIMLI: These two are really given the buddy roles in the movie. I do have to say that there are as many dwarf jokes in this film, as there were goofy C3PO metaphor jokes in Attack of the Clones. ("Oh R2. I’m beside myself.") You know what I mean.
5) ARAGORN: Again he wins us over as a Han Solo for a new generation. Viggo is the man.
6) THE FINAL BATTLE: YES IT IS AN HOUR LONG. CARNAGE, BLOODY CARNAGE. You have never seen a battle of this scale in film before. The Uruk-hai are bigger and more deadly than the Orcs we saw in the last film. On top of that, their designs are even more hideous and sinister than what was shown in The Fellowship, if that’s even possible.
The film is again, almost three hours long, and believe me, you don’t feel it all. From the second the movie starts, until the very end, the action never stops. Again, when the screen goes to black, you definitely will turn to the person sitting next to you and say, "NO, IT’S OVER?!"
Thank you, Mr. Jackson for pushing film into a new age. I love “Star Wars,” but sorry George, you’re out! As long as “Return of the King” is out next Christmas, I can care less about ever seeing Episode III. Ladies and gentleman, we have our new directing God!
But what is this! About Treebeard: "He’s paired with Merry and Pippin (let’s be honest, not everyone’s favorite characters) through the entire film."
[whimper!]
 Ring Ping!! |
Hey! What's Russell been smoking, I wonder?
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