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The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Soundtrack
DVD Collector's Gift Set
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
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êêêê
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Rating
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PG-13
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For epic battle sequences and scary images
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Director
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Peter Jackson
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There is always hope
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Starring
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Elijah Wood
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Ian McKellen
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Viggo Mortensen
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Sean Astin
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Orlando Bloom
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John Rhys-Davies
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Liv Tyler
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Hold on to your galloping steed! "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" drops us directly into the action where it left off in the first installment, "The Fellowship of the Ring," Gandalf (Ian McKellen) falls to his apparent death. With a run time of a minute under three hours, the saga continues. The small band of companions, some of them hobbits, are separated as they travel in Middle Earth, each contingent left to deal with whatever befalls them.
In search of the One Ring, which Frodo (Elijah Wood) must destroy, he and Samwise (Sean Astin) are joined by a shifty character named Gollum, a wonderfully clever CGI, voiced by Andy Serkis. The Ring is atop one of the two towers at Mordor. Saruman the White (Christopher Lee), an evil wizard, holds forth in the second tower. He is intent on killing all humans with a scorched earth policy all his own.
On the trail looking for the captured hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) are Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli (Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom & John Rhys-Davies), a man, an elf and a dwarf. Suraman's men are seeking the Aragorn trio and are intent on eliminating The King of Rohan, Theoden (Bernard Hill) and his entire empire. Theoden flees his city and relocates everyone to Helm's Deep, a remote fortress that heretofore has been impenetrable to his enemies. Outmatched, first with manpower, 300 to an army of over 10,000, and with weapons, Theoden, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli believe that if they can hold out until dawn, they may have a chance; they have been promised deliverance by Gandalf the White.
Merry and Pippin escape their captors and go deep into the forest, where they are protected by Treebeard, an ancient tree, and other unusual old growth trees, that can talk and walk. When they realize that "leaving well enough alone" may not be the best policy in dealing with Saruman, these wise old denizens decide to begin taking sides.
The mythical quality of the story is captured by the gentle love expressed between Aragorn and the elvin princess, Arwen (Liv Tyler), in a dream sequence, as Aragorn prepares for war. And loving good-byes well in the eyes of the women and children as the boys and men brace for battle by the side of Theoden at the fortress.
The carnage and action that ensues once the first shot (arrow) is fired is breathtaking to behold. The world that director Peter Jackson has created, while extensively using CGI, seems quite real. Saruman's army, Uruk Hai, is more than ready for battle. As they approach the fortress, they are armed with explosives, battering rams and ladders to scale the high walls, body armor and the will to win. Only hope, perseverance and teamwork, and the will of God for good to conquer evil, offers any chance of survival for man, hobbit and all other inhabitants of Middle Earth.
True aficionados of the books by author J.R.R. Tolkien, the "Lord of the Rings," will not be disappointed. Though the film stands on its own as a wonderful piece of adventure. One can't help but admire the imaginative storytelling of the books, and the creativity to infuse life into so many things that are not real and make them so. After this magnificent film, we are anxiously awaiting the last of the trilogy, LOTR: The Return of the King in 2003.
George O. Singleton © 2002
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