THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS (2002, New Zealand/USA, 179m, 12) *****
Action, Adventure, Fantasy
dist. New Line Cinema (USA), Entertainment Film Distributors (UK); pr co. New Line Cinema / WingNut Films / The Saul Zaentz Company; d. Peter Jackson; w. Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair, Peter Jackson (based on the novel novel “The Two Towers” by J.R.R. Tolkien); pr. Peter Jackson, Barrie M. Osborne, Tim Sanders, Fran Walsh; ph. Andrew Lesnie (DeLuxe | 2.30:1); m. Howard Shore; ed. Michael Horton; pd. Grant Major; ad. Dan Hennah.
cast: Elijah Wood (Frodo), Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Sean Astin (Sam), Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), Liv Tyler (Arwen), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), John Rhys-Davies (Gimli / Voice of Treebeard), Bernard Hill (Theoden), Christopher Lee (Saruman), Brad Dourif (Wormtongue), Billy Boyd (Pippin), Andy Serkis (Gollum), Dominic Monaghan (Merry), Hugo Weaving (Elrond), David Wenham (Faramir), Olivia Tennet (Freda), Robyn Malcolm (Morwen), Calum Gittins (Haleth), Paris Howe Strewe (Theodred).
The second part of Jackson’s adaptation of Tolkein’s classic books follows the continuing quest of Frodo (Wood) and the Fellowship to destroy the One Ring. Frodo and Sam (Astin) discover they are being followed by the mysterious Gollum (Serkis). Aragorn (Mortensen), the Elf archer Legolas (Bloom) and Gimli the Dwarf (Rhys-Davies) encounter the besieged Rohan kingdom, whose once great King Theoden (Hill) has fallen under Saruman’s (Lee) deadly spell. This has the advantage of hitting the ground running, but, like most middle episodes, if seen in isolation would be without a start or a finish. Jackson’s staggering achievement is to bring Tolkein’s material to life in an epic way, whilst retaining a clear understanding of the dense narrative and dynamic settings and cultures. The cast is excellent and approach their roles with genuine authority. The visuals are amongst the finest ever seen in cinema, whilst the action set-pieces continue to dazzle. The finale Battle for Helm’s Deep is jaw-dropping in its delivery. At three hours the film still manages to grip the viewer throughout and skillfully sets up its audience for the final segment. The extended versions run 223m and 235m. Followed by THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003).
AA: Best Sound Editing (Ethan Van der Ryn, Mike Hopkins); Best Visual Effects (Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook, Alex Funke)
AAN: Best Picture (Barrie M. Osborne, Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson); Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Grant Major (art director), Dan Hennah (set decorator), Alan Lee (set decorator)); Best Film Editing (Michael Horton); Best Sound (Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges, Hammond Peek)
