The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

For me, it is undoubtedly the weakest part of the series, yet it contains scenes that other films could never reach. For example, ordinary scenes, when Gandalf and the Gondorians arrive to help, always move me to tears. Nevertheless, one has the feeling that something great is expected. That great something is, of course, "The Return of the King." However, if every film had such an interlude within the trilogy, the studios would have a win. Epic and intimate at the same time, emotionally powerful, beautifully Hollywood-esque, but also sometimes disgustingly brutal. However, the film works best in a trio with the other two films. (01/28/2014)

After watching the theatrical version a few times, I was convinced that, after the excellent Fellowship, The Lord of the Rings movie saga was doing a head dive before it got a chance to take off properly. It was indisputably a strong experience, but too obviously to be taken at face value without anything hidden “underneath the surface". “Merely" perfect craftsmanship and “just" a good movie which, in this case, is too darn little. It’s void of emotion and some of the changes leave you speechless; not even Michael Bay comes anywhere near this. Add to that unbalanced pace and overall incoherence. But then I saw the Special Edition. It’s incredible how this version, which lasts 45 minutes longer, has far better and more balanced pace and, thanks to added and extended scenes, it gains a completely new dimension. These are two different movies in terms of both tone and quality. (11/20/2003)

The most contentious part of the trilogy... The fact that the film is really very good in all aspects only stands out fully in the extended version, in which the otherwise rather broken story of Merry, Pippin and Treebeard is finally concluded; the story of Faramir (eventually one of the best changes) unfolds and the whole film gets some energy. Not energy in the sense of "dynamic forward run", but energy in the sense of "yes, it moves slowly, but I would like it to move even slower, because it is extremely beautiful". I am incredibly irritated by Aragorn's incomprehensible fall into the abyss. Why? But a speck this small can't devalue the impression of a great spectacle. King Theoden's monologue before the Battle of Helm's Deep is another of the moments that will remain in my memory forever, as is the return of the Rohirim to the king... (01/25/2004)

A Elbereth Gilthoniel, oh star-kindler, to the glory of the starry host, I shall now sing! O come to me, Fanuilos! What can I say, the Two Towers extended version is very problematic and I myself have difficulty with it at times. Watching the extended version was therefore a feeling of perfect satisfaction, because I believed Jackson all that time, that he would convince me of the presence of another golden masterpiece. The difference in Faramir's character from the original suddenly stops being a violent complication of Frodo's journey, but becomes a perfectly written character full of humanity. Jackson and his screenwriting team prove that they have the source material read inside out and, above all, they convince the viewer of the key aspect - they understood its spirit. It's not about the fact that the elves decide differently than in the book, but about the fact that in that moment, the power of alliance shines through the screen. And just as strong is the romantic storyline concerning Aragorn's actions, and it is expanded in the necessary way. What good would it do for ignorant viewers to know that at the end of the book trilogy, in the appendices, his whole story is fully told, when without cuts to the Rohan, they would know almost nothing about his past? I simply don't see any mistakes here. Not here, where one unforgettable scene is followed by another and the most intense moments are replaced by those that move me to tears. (12/23/2004)

The Two Towers is faster-paced, more action-packed and more spectacular than The Fellowship of the Ring. The film’s three hours flowed by like water. Not to mention the fact that The Two Towers is bursting at the seams with gems like the duel with Balrog in the first film. But I still liked The Fellowship of the Ring better. It was more drawn out and slower, but fuller and more consistent in terms of its content. The Two Towers is concise and serves up all that breathtaking action and spectacle in the form of a concertina book of beautiful but narratively less cohesive visual gems. Even if this drawback could be forgiven, because the film is “only” a bridge between two monuments, I still have another criticism – the humor, which detracts from the dignity and drama of the film (Golum cooking fish, Gimli on the ramparts). Visually, however, The Two Towers is a real gem with by far the most sophisticated and “best acted” digital character (Golum) to ever appear on a movie screen. (12/20/2002)