The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

I returned home in November 2004 from serving two years as a missionary in the Philippines and I got to work catching up on all the movies I had missed during that time (I did not watch movies as a missionary). I had seen advertisements in Asia for the final two “Lord of the Rings” movies and I wanted to do a daylong marathon of all the films upon my return home. “The Fellowship of the Ring” convinced me that it was possible to make a near perfect film and I was excited to see the conclusion of the trilogy. By the time I got home, all the hype surrounding “The Lord of the Rings” had died down but until the day that I could watch all the movies together, I avoided watching any part of the final two films. I will always remember the day that I watched all three films because it felt very long. I came away though with great satisfaction. The first version of “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” that I saw was the extended version and because of how seamless the new & extended sequences were edited in, I could not tell them apart from the rest of the movie. After waiting a total of three years to see this movie, it was worth the wait (I started my mission a month before the release of “The Two Towers”). Gollum and Helm’s Deep did not disappoint. The film continued the story with the same mood and feeling from the first film. I feel that this is due to the fact that they filmed the movies all together. The same passion for the story and perfectionism was there but the film had more special effects with higher quality. It made things more exciting than on the first film as the story proceeded. In addition, the film was able to introduce new things while relating perfectly to the preceding film. "The Two Towers" is my favorite film from 2002.

Once again, passion for the project is what makes the movie special. The number of Oscar nominations for “The Two Towers” were less than that for “The Fellowship of the Ring” but the film still had the nomination for Best Picture. I wish that the film had been nominated more but it is a movie without a clear beginning or end. It definitely should have been at least nominated for makeup. Howard Shore’s work on this film was once again amazing and it is too bad that the Academy was trying to figure out whether it classified as “original” score. At least they made up their minds for “The Return of the King” when it mattered. The theme music of Rohan is terrific as it sticks in your head. It feels like a Viking tune. I also like how in the scene where our heroes ride up to the golden hall, Peter Jackson is the one playing the gong in the score. There are moments in the sound of the film that are cool such as the voice of the unknown “White Wizard” in Fangorn. I also love how Jackson led a whole cricket stadium full of people to record the chant for the Army of Isengard when they first appear in the film. Mount Sunday in New Zealand is practically identical to J. R. R. Tolkien’s description Edoras in the book. That is such a wonderful find and the location does so much for the spirit of the film. I would bet that it is hardly called Mount Sunday anymore. It is good that the visual effects won the Oscar when you consider the breakthroughs that continued to occur in the making of this trilogy. As the story progressed, so does the visual experience as the number and quality of the special effects increased. I marvel at Theoden’s transformation once his mind is freed for example. The acting was once again spot on and the new cast members fit right in. Bernard Hill has a knack for being a leader as seen in “Titanic”. He looked like a king in this movie and acted like one. David Wenham, Karl Urban and Brad Dourif deserved to be in this trilogy when you look at how well they did. Wenham is a good casting choice in that he looks like the brother of Sean Bean. Of course, it would be a sin to mention the special effects & acting in “The Two Towers” and forget to acknowledge one particular actor and the work he & others put into creating a CGI character that kicked off special effects for the 21st Century.

This film made motion capture history. Audiences were mildly amazed with Jar Jar Binks in “Star Wars” but a few years later, a relatively new special effects company based in New Zealand astounded the world as they brought to life a beloved character from literature. At first, Jackson planned to hire a voice actor and have Gollum be a CGI animated character. Andy Serkis’ audition so impressed Jackson that he felt that Serkis’ could perform on set with the actors for the animation reference shots. Then mime passes would be filmed without Serkis in the shot so the CGI character could be inserted later. This was hard on Serkis, who was putting so much into a physical performance that wouldn’t be used in the final product. He ended up earning the respect of Elijah Wood, Sean Astin and Jackson to the point that Gollum was redesigned. The character design now resembled Serkis and this made Gollum more of a character in the film instead of a creature. Many different ways of animating Gollum were incorporated. They used motion capture & animated the facial performance or they animated the entire character. A third method that ended up being used the most was to take the reference shots and use them in the final film because the other actors performed better when Serkis was in the scene. He was removed digitally through rotoscoping and then the character would be animated doing the same movements that Serkis did. Collaboration made these films successful and collaboration of the animation & motion capture teams made Gollum a success. Before my mission on “The Fellowship of the Ring” DVD, I got to see the sneak peak documentary of the work they were doing on “The Two Towers”. That is when I first saw Andy Serkis and his performance on the motion capture stage. My first reaction was that his eyes looked so much like Gollum's. When I first saw the movie and it came to the first scene of Gollum when he climbs down the cliff, it was so satisfying for me. My three-year wait was over and immediately Gollum fascinated me. The schizophrenic scene has great cinematography, staging & editing and this is one scene where Serkis’ performance was recreated to the letter. His acting is so good in that scene as in the rest of the trilogy. There are also so many memorable lines to the credit of the screenplay. The line “My Precious” is on the American Film Institute’s list of the top 100 movie lines and I believe that to be accredited to everyone involved in this character. Gollum is the movie character of the first decade of the new century in my opinion. Jack Sparrow and Heath Ledger’s Joker are other characters of that decade that I love but Gollum is more psychologically fascinating than the Joker and more quirky that Jack Sparrow. Gollum is feared and likeable, funny but scary. He gets stuck in everyone’s heads.

The other adaptations or changes with this story are masterfully thought out and executed. Even die hard fans of the book except the changes throughout the entire trilogy. The writers first had to reorganize the narrative that Tolkien had written. He had divided the book into two parts: one that followed the ring and the other than followed Aragorn. The screenwriters had to mix all that together and save some parts of the book for the third film for climax purposes. The film follows three storylines where the first film had only one. We have Frodo & Sam following Gollum, we have a mini-fellowship comprised of Aragorn, Legolas & Gimli and then there is Merry & Pippin with Treebeard. Our attention must be maintained on all those narratives and Jackson succeeded in accomplishing that. The opening is not what you expect because the first film had a prologue. In the first scene of this movie, we are thrown into the Balrog fight. I like the Viking design of the people and places in Rohan. The first film felt like a true fantasy with Orcs, Elves, Dwarfs, etc. Now we have more than just two men in the movie and the Viking design gives the land of Rohan a romantic feel that is different from any feelings in “The Fellowship of the Ring” but not completely different. The story is moved forward smoothly. I like the decision to have Theodon possessed rather than being depressed. He becomes a stronger character as a result. Gimli has some funny stuff during the Worg fight. When Legolas kills the Worg before Gimli can, it begins the contest between them that carries on into the third film. That is a fun device for the audience during the remainder of the films. The scene where the Army of Isengard is revealed is powerful because of the music, cinematography and Christopher Lee’s performance. Faramir becomes in this adaptation a character like Aragorn. He has to prove himself and rise to the occasion, resisting temptation. This departs from the book so as to create a climatic obstacle for Frodo and Sam in “The Two Towers”. I like how Aragorn enters the king’s chambers in Helm’s Deep and the montage during Theodon’s dialogue. The montage is amazingly well created as it builds up suspense for the approaching battle. Hill’s acting is the best element of this montage as is the music. I like the scene that Aragorn has with the boy before the battle and I approve the departure from the book when Haldir comes. I don’t mind Arwen not being included in the battle. Everything we see & hear in the few moments before the battle kicks off such as the rain, the arrow fired by accident and the shot showing the women & children perfectly creates drama, suspense, agitation and anticipation. As mentioned, the battle becomes well worth my three-year wait. By watching the extended version first, I experienced a lot more build up to the battle and it didn’t disappoint. I loved when Legolas “skateboarded” down the stairs firing arrows. The ending is a great fearful set up for the remaining film as Frodo almost kills Sam. At the end of the first film, Frodo appeared to be doing well in resisting the ring. At the end of “The Two Towers”, you really can’t tell whether his resistance will last for one more movie. Meanwhile, Gollum overcomes Smeagol and the film ends with the haunting “Gollum’s Song”. Throughout the second film, there is build up towards the battle of Minas Tirith as well. The extended version adds so much to the story and entertainment of the experience. Normally, the movie’s story would feel stretched with the inclusion of new scenes. But this is the “Lord of the Rings”, not an original film story. The new and extended scenes add to the drama. Coming from someone who first experienced “The Two Towers” watching the extended version, the film felt better than the theatrical version. There is the Gandalf scene at night with Aragorn shortly after their reuniting. Some people may need explanation of the story up to that point without the inclusion of a prologue. The flashback of Boromir is important so as to learn more about Faramir. Denethor is introduced and we understand the reasons that Faramir has in taking the Ring. Faramir’s only love from his family came from Boromir as he sticks up for his younger brother. With Boromir dead, Faramir’s desire for the ring stems from his desire for restored love in his family. It is a strong temptation. The scene where the trees destroy the rest of the army is important because the Uraki do not appear in the third film where it is the numerous Orc armies of Mordon that becomes the new threat. Finally, I love how Merry and Pipin get their reward as they discover Saruman’s storeroom. As a comedian, I must mention one other moment in the film. The part where the suicidal Orc blows up the wall sure resembles an Olympic Torch bearer.

Peter Jackson loves these books so much and that love is passed on to his fellow filmmakers and to his audience. I knew before coming home to Canada that “The Two Towers” was a hit because of what fellow missionaries had said. I felt a similar mood and passion that I had felt on the first film but the story was advanced at the same time. The film felt like a sequel but had some originality to it. The images became more complex but the filmmakers did not get carried away like those working on “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “The Matrix” did. The story remained the most valuable component of the film. The post-production on this film was chaotic but only because perfection was the goal. Passion and love was the driving force. The filmmakers thought that “Return of the King” would be more enjoyable to work on & complete because it has an actual ending and because it is Jackson’s favorite part of the tale. What they failed to remember is that “the battle for Helm’s deep is over, the battle for Middle Earth is about to begin.”

5 Stars