When last we left Middle Earth, the Fellowship of the Ring had been broken. Gandalf the Grey had fallen into shadow after his battle with the Barlog and Boromir (Sean Bean) is dead. Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Samwise (Sean Astin) have gone to Mordor alone to destroy the One Ring, Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) have been captured by the Uruk-hai, and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) were hot on their trail.

As The Two Towers, the second chapter of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, opens, the trio have befriended the Rohan, a race of humans that are in the path of the upcoming war. They are led by the aging Théoden king (Bernard Hill). Saruman (Christopher Lee), under the power of the Dark Lord Sauron, and his slimy assistant, Gríma Wormtongue (Brad Dourif), have created a grand Uruk-hai army bent on the destruction of Man and Middle-earth. Gandalf the White (Sir Ian McKellen), thought to be dead, has returned to help defeat the forces of evil. Meanwhile, one of the Ring's original bearers, the creature Gollum (Andy Serkis), has tracked Frodo and Sam down in search of his 'precious', but is captured by the Hobbits and used as a way to lead them to Mt. Doom.

Picking up right where The Fellowship of the Ring left off, The Two Towers is a different sort of cinematic beast than Fellowship both in terms of story and filmmaking. Whereas the first one was a bit more relaxed in its pacing and served as one hell of a setup, Towers roars through its three-hour running time like a jet flying at full speed. Filled with action sequences and epic battles that are visually stunning, chaotic and thrilling all at once, director Peter Jackson never misses a beat. Amidst the spectacle, sound and fury, Jackson never loses sight of what proved to be Fellowship's most special effect - its humanity. To dazzle not only the eye but also the heart and soul in an effects-laden Hollywood epic these days is rare, almost unheard of. Yet Jackson does it and on a scale as grand as David Lean or Steven Spielberg at their best.

Of the three JRR Tolkien novels that make up the trilogy, The Two Towers is easily the most difficult to turn into a workable screenplay. The novel lacked a beginning and end, it deals with a multitude of events and equal amount of characters concurrently, and was presented in two separate books within one novel. To make this part of the trilogy work in a cinematic sense, some things have been changed around or dropped altogether, perhaps to be included in the third film or even in the DVD Extended cut of this film next year. Now, before you cry heresy, keep in mind that this is an adaptation of a novel. If you want a filmed book (yawn), go see Harry Potter. Screenwriters Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Stephen Sinclair have produced an involving, exciting and at times highly emotional screenplay. And fear not, the spirit and beauty of Tolkien's work remains intact.

Once again, the large ensemble cast is nothing short of remarkable. All of the returning members from Fellowship of the Ring seem more comfortable in this film and the sense of camaraderie between them shines brightly, resulting in richer, more developed characters. The new additions to the cast, including Hill as Theoden, Dourif as Wormtongue and Miranda Otto as Theoden's niece, Eowyn, are excellent.

But perhaps the most impressive performance may belong to Gollum, a brilliant combination of Andy Serkis' skillful performance and the best computer animation yet put to film. Sorry Yoda, go to hell Jar Jar. It takes all of a minute to forget that Gollum is computer-generated and to believe that he really does exist alongside the humans. Like all the best screen villains, we come to both despise and pity the creature. Watching Gollum engage in an argument with Smeagol, his former self, over what to do about the Ring is both creepy and hilarious.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that the film also triumphs on every technical level. Aside from the little creepy Ring addict (Gollum, not Frodo), the stunning visual effects work on display here is an actual improvement over the first film (and those were nothing to sneeze at either). Treebeard and the Ents, an ancient race that help Merry and Pippin, are almost as impressive as Gollum. Howard Shore contributes another sweeping, majestic musical score that at times evokes Maurice Jarre's legendary work, while Andrew Lesnie's photography takes on a grittier, darker but no less beautiful aura.

Is The Two Towers a better film than The Fellowship of the Ring? No. It's its equal. Whereas most second films are dreary retreads of their predecessors, The Two Towers does what all proceeding instalments should do - take what made the first one work so well and expand on it in ways that keep the viewer involved on both a visceral and emotional level.

One can only shudder when imagining what Jackson and company have in store for us in the third and final chapter of the series, The Return Of the King.

  share with:  Facebook | Digg | other sites