The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers [VHS]

I've used my review from Fellowship of the Ring here because it certainly applies to this installment, as well.Every person who worked on this trilogy clearly took such care to be authentic, true to the material and lovingly craft their individual piece in the broader picture. You can see, hear and feel it in every scene from the sets, to the phenomenal score and sound design, to the special makeup effects and the carefully used CGI, to the craftsmanship of the costumes, armor and weapons, to the epic cinematography and real life location choices, the direction and last but certainly not least - the acting. These films are a masterclass in quality and devotion to a timeless and enduring classic that was so brilliantly and meticulously created by J.R.R. Tolkien. It's clear that these films were careful to capture the spirit and intention of this story and honor it in such a beautiful and heartfelt way. There are so many fans of this story because it's such a human story. It's such a relatable story in so many complex ways but what isn't complex is that we ALL connect to these characters. Regardless of who you are or where you come from. This is a tale of the human experience. It shows us love and compassion, evil, greed and moral corruption. It shows us perseverance and endurance, sacrifice, loss and tragedy. It shows us humor and innocence, and it shows us a sense of duty, morality and honor against overwhelming odds. These films and the story they tell are windows into the very best and the very worst of all of us.These stories are masterpieces of what it means to be human.While some changes were made for the big screen adaptation, they were NOT at the expense of J.R.R. Tolkien's vision and story. No need to revise or add in modern politics, or have this world "reflect our current world." That's the point. You cannot improve upon J.R.R. Tolkien's work and it would be insulting to think you could. That's why these films are so beloved and so enduring.

The three *The Lord of the Rings* films [all directed by Peter Jackson] have clearly made film history, chiefly due to their marked overall excellence. This film trilogy, shot entirely in New Zealand, is breathtaking at a minimum. Here, I'm reviewing the *Special Extended Edition* [as opposed to the much shorter Theatrical Version] of the second of these films on DVD, *The Two Towers*.I'm sure that the story is familiar to most who would show an interest in this film but, for the unindoctrinated, the overall adult fantasy trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien chronicles a group of travelers which includes a wizard, two men, a dwarf, an elf, and four hobbits, ergo: "The Fellowship". They are traveling because two evil wizards have joined forces to eventually conquer and enslave all inhabitants of Middle Earth. At the behest of these dark and nefarious sorcerers are orcs, trolls, wargs, and other heinous minions.One of the hobbits [Frodo Baggins] has inherited a magic ring from an aged relative [Bilbo Baggins, of *The Hobbit* fame, a fantasy written by Tolkien for young people] and it soon becomes clear that this is *The One Ring* which rules all other magic rings of power within Middle Earth. It was created by The Dark Lord [Sauron, the more powerful of the two evil wizards] but it was inadvertently lost for many years. As The Ring [which can render one invisible, with certain negative caveats] ultimately ends up in the hands of Frodo, it becomes his quest (along with the rest of The Fellowship) to destroy the ring at Mount Doom, a huge volcano which lies within Sauron's sinister and well-patrolled realm of Mordor.In *The Two Towers* the viewer is brought back into the tale just after a partial dissolution of The Fellowship has occurred. This nuance is a deviation from the first film [*The Fellowship of the Ring*] which is a very linear tale. Here, the story diverges into three or more directions: the journey of Sam and Frodo to destroy The Ring; Aragorn's development as a warrior and as a prospective King, and; Gandalf the Wizard's plan for dealing with the Evil sorcerers, Saruman and Sauron.One could rightly say that this film has no beginning and no end, being derived from the middle book of a trilogy; however, this movie stands on its own, especially in the Special Extended Edition version which is being reviewed here. One could watch this film with no knowledge of either Tolkien's trilogy of books or the other two films of the series and still enjoy it. If it doesn't actually have an ending, it does still feature a *conclusion* of a sort. I don't think viewers are left hanging.Director Peter Jackson, the cast, and the crew got ever more proficient as they produced these three films. Jackson sort of viewed his task as making one long film, thus the scenes were not shot in sequence, quite typical of film-making, but noting also that most films are not nine hours in length. Naturally, many changes were adopted within the scripts of all three films as time rolled along... and thus each movie clearly became better than its predecessor.I think that most of the *MAGIC* of this film trilogy came from Jackson's inclusion of multiple technologies and special effects techniques - he did not wholly depend upon Computer Generated Images but when he did they were effected in post-production with absolute perfection.Additional film magic was manifested through Howard Shore's magnificent classical filmscore for the trilogy. There is little doubt from my view that the soundtrack from this second film of the series was the greatest of the three. One of the outstanding segments includes singing by Isabel Bayrakdarian, a terrific Canadian soprano who is currently my favorite of all. The *Rohan* score is equally inspiring.Of course the Special Extended Editions contain much more original music than the theatrical versions and it's all a great joy to the ear, even including the gloom and doom facets of the three soundtracks. They are available as three individual sets:  The Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring (The Complete Recordings) , The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (The Complete Recordings) , and,  The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (The Complete Recordings) .Perhaps the most important facet of my review is to encourage you to not bother with watching the theatrical versions of these films on DVD, and this is especially applicable if you've never read Tolkien's books. The theatrical versions are very good but they were meant more for theaters to collect from patrons for two showings per evening rather than to convey the details of Tolkien's complex story. The Special Extended Editions are perfectly edited to be both impressive and informative but they are never boring.WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD! *The Two Towers* provides us with an exciting Battle at Helm's Deep between Saruman's minions and the men of both Rohan and Gondor [the elves help out too], as well as the Ents' assault on Isengard, the Tower of Sauron; the continuing flight of Frodo and Sam into Mordor itself in an effort to destroy The Ring, and; all the dangers and hazards which befall Aragorn, Legolis [the elf], two of the Hobbits, and Gimli [the Dwarf]. The story jumps around from place to place (and from story to story) but it's all quite well-done and coherent. Since Tolkien depicted several towers in Middle Earth we cannot precisely say this for certain but, it would appear that *The Two Towers* are those of Saruman and of Sauron -- or at least Christopher Lee thinks so and so do I.Every facet of this film manifests the cutting edge of every aspect of film-making, from the technology, even extending to the acting [and motion capture] of Andy Serkis who plays the creature Gollum, who really develops in this second film of the trilogy. We get to experience a broad range of acting styles from Orlando Bloom (who was cast for the role of Legolis fairly fresh out of acting school) to the venerable Christopher Lee [Saruman] who has made more films than anyone else that I'm aware of. To a person, all were magnificent in their perfectly cast roles.Fans of the trilogy should also be aware that even though the character Denithor [Steward of Gondor] does not appear in the theatrical version of *The Two Towers*, he does show up in this Special Extended Edition. It's also a chance to see Boromir [Denithor's eldest son] again and the segment is quite a good one.This is probably a good juncture to detail what one gets in this boxed-set edition. There are two DVDs which make up the film and there are *multiple* sound tracks which can be brought up on each of these, depending upon whether you wish to watch the films themselves or listen to various available commentary tracks [for example, a track of cast member running remarks as the film progresses]. Two more DVDs make up the total of four: these two are the appendices which beautifully depict exactly how this film was made, cast and crew interviews, details of the musical score, and so on. All this lasts for at least as long as would the film itself and it's all quite fascinating and well-done. Finally, the set comes with a small pamphlet inside which is a sort of map of what to look for on the DVDs and where.I can hardly convey an adequate number of positive comments about this film except to say that the final film [*The Return of the King*] is even better! I cannot state that this is the best film I've ever seen but I can honestly comment that I've never enjoyed any films *more* than those included in this Special Extended Edition trilogy.Highly recommended.

Is kinda the most epic movie I ever see

I have been watching Peter Jackson's adaptation of LORD OF THE RINGS since I was in high school, and it gets better and better each time I watch and not including the nostolgia but I would much rather support this than the horrible show that AMAZON just released.Do not support Rings of Power, and just rewatch LOTR Trilogy, and have a new found appreciation for the HOBBIT films, even the animated version from the 70s/80s is amazing in comparison to the Rings of Prophet.

I must confess to complete and unassailable bias - I have been a besotted fan of Tolkein since I was pre-teen (and therefore pre-hormonal!). However, this film (and The Fellowship) have caused huge surges in my hormones. It's all down to Orlando Bloom, I'm afraid. He is just perfect - exactly as I imagined Legolas to be. As are virtually all the other characters in the film - it is one of the film's strengths, that the characters look pretty much how I imagined them from the book. I could do with a bit more decision and a little less wavering from Aragorn, but now I'm just being picky.However, like many other uber-fans, I have to suspend what I know of the book (and believe me, I can quote from the book!) in order to enjoy the films. What irritates me the most is the director's insistence on changing the plots unnecessarily. What are the elves doing at Helm's Deep - and where are the Huorns? Why do Frodo and Sam get taken to Osgiliath (even Sam points out that they shouldn't be there!) Aragorn is not attracted to Eowyn in the book - he feels sorry for her! Also irritating is the director's insistence on having cliff-hangers at intervals where a major character seems to be about to be wiped out: and then isn't - see Pippin and the horse, Aragorn and the cliff, and from the first episode, Frodo and the cave troll.I think, on balance, trying very hard to be objective, that this is a better film than the first and I hope very much that the third one will be better still.I love the books with a hopeless passion and I'm sure I will enjoy the films with an almost equal passion for many years to come.PS Why do video purchasers get a raw deal compared with DVD purchasers? I want previews, interviews, behind the scenes etc too!

Diese Rezension ist in erster Linie als Fassungsvergleich zwischen der Kinofassung und der Special Extended Edition von Hdr: Die zwei Türme gedacht. Da hier die Rezensionen für beide Fassungen zusammengemischt werden, schreibe ich nur eine und denke, sie wird unter beiden Versionen des Films zu sehen sein.Die zwei Türme: Die Reise geht weiter. Und wieder haben wir es hier mit einem perfekten Film in jeder Hinsicht zu tun, ein gigantisches und tief emotionales Meisterwerk, voller großartiger Darsteller die die wie Faust aufs Auge zu ihren Figuren passen. Die CGI- und praktischen Effekte sind nach wie vor absolut überzeugend, die Musik von Howard Shore wunderschön wie eh und je. Das märchenhafte Element des ersten Teils Die Gefährten wandert hier zugunsten von mehr Action in den Hintergrund. Wir betreten hier endgültig die Welt der Menschen, das Königreich Rohan, welches sich unter der Knute des finsteren Zauberers Saruman (Ruhe in Frieden, der legendäre Christopher Lee) befindet. Dementsprechend geht es hier finsterer und kriegerischer zu, die Schlacht von Helms Klamm am Ende des Films sollte die gewaltigste Schlachtsequenz sein, die man bis dahin im Kino bewundern konnte (bis Die Rückkehr des Königs ein Jahr später alles auf den Kopf stellte und ein Actionspektakel von bis heute ungeahnter Größe auf die Leinwand schmetterte). Frodo und Sam befinden sich nun allein auf dem Weg nach Mordor und stoßen auf Gollum; und mit diesem ist ein technisches Wunderwerk entstanden. Dargestellt von Andy Serkis (wo bitte bleibt bis heute sein Oscar?) und per Motion Capturing als am Computer animierte Figur dargestellt, verschwimmen hier die Grenzen zwischen Realität und CGI so perfekt zu einem ausdrucksstarken Lebewesen, dass man seine künstliche Herkunft schon nach wenigen Sekunden komplett vergisst, auch 18 Jahre später noch.Im Vergleich zu den anderen beiden Teilen mag Die zwei Türme minimal abfallen (den ersten halte ich nachwievor für den besten / rundesten der Reihe, der dritte hat als episches Finale natürlich die größten emotionalen Momente zu verzeichnen) doch das ändert nichts daran, dass nahezu jeder andere Film im direkten Vergleich klein und unspektakulär erscheint: Jeder Teil von HdR ist ein wunderschönes, beeindruckendes Meisterwerk.Nun, da die Wiederveröffentlichung der Trilogie als 4k Ultra HD ansteht und die Box fairerweise beide Fassungen der Filme - Kinofassung und Extended - enthält, steht wieder die Frage im Raum, welcher der beiden Filmfassungen der Vorzug zu geben ist.Die SEE von Die zwei Türme bietet ca 40 Minuten mehr Laufzeit als die Kinofassung und - ich muss es ganz ehrlich sagen - in der kürzeren Version gefällt mir dieser Teil ein kleines Stück besser. Profitierte der erste Teil davon, dass die längere Version der an Information fast schon überladenen ersten Stunde ein dringend benötigtes, ruhigeres Erzähltempo verpasste, so ziehen die zusätzlichen Szenen im zweiten Teil den Film doch ein wenig zu sehr in die Länge. Vielleicht liegt es daran, dass schon die Kinofassung im Mittelteil etwas gestreckt wirkte (Aragorns Scheintod beim Sturz von der Klippe). Doch der Mehrwert, der von den zusätzlichen Szenen ausgeht, hält sich mMn doch eher in Grenzen. Vor allem die vielen zusätzlichen Szenen mit Baumbart dem Ent, in denen er etwa minutenlang in gewohnt langsamer Sprache ein Ent-Gedicht zitiert, bringen wohl nicht nur die beiden Hobbits Merry und Pippin an den Rand eines Nickerchens ;). Ein nettes Augenzwinkern für die Fans ist es, wenn der Alte Weidenmann (der im Buch eigentlich im ersten Teil an den Grenzen des Auenlands auftritt) hier einen kleinen Cameo-Auftritt feiert und Baumbart sogar den (in den Filmen gar nicht auftretenden) singenden "Waldgeist" Tom Bombadil kurz zitiert. Wie gesagt, nett für die Fans. Aus filmdramaturgischer Sicht unterbrechen solche Szenen allerdings komplett den Fluss der Haupthandlung und ziehen so einen eh über drei Stunden langen Film unnötig in die Länge.Wieder herausgerissen wird das aber durch eine Rückblende, die Faramirs Vergangenheit zu seinem Bruder Boromir und seinem Vater Denethor beleuchtet. Faramirs kaltes, egozentrisches Auftreten in der Kinofassung war vielen Buchlesern ein Dorn im Auge, gerät durch diese zusätzliche Szene aber in einen anderen Kontext: Wir sehen seine herzliche Beziehung zu seinem Bruder, erfahren, dass dieser viel lieber seine Leute in Gondor beschützen will anstatt in Bruchtal nach dem Einen Ring zu suchen, vom Vater aber dazu genötigt wird (was doppelt bitter ist, da wir als Zuschauer den Ausgang bereits aus dem ersten Teil kennen, in dem Boromir dem Ring verfällt und letztendlich mit dem Leben bezahlt) und wir sehen, wie Faramir unter der Verachtung seines Vaters leidet, der nichts Starkes in ihm sieht und ihm seinen älteren Bruder stets vorzieht. Sicher, all das kommt auch im dritten Teil später deutlich zum Vorschein, dennoch ist es eine schöne und wichtige Erweiterung, die Faramirs Verhalten erklärt und darüber hinaus auch Boromir in ein anderes, positives Licht rückt.Ich kann für den zweiten Teil des HdR also in erster Linie die flüssigere Kinofassung empfehlen, gerade Erstseher und Nichtbuchkenner ziehen womöglich wenig Nutzen aus den Erweiterungen der SEE, die mMn den Fluss des Films immer wieder unnötig unterbrechen und verlangsamen. Eine tolle, unverzichtbare Fünf-Minuten-Szene wiegt eben nicht dreißig weitere auf, in denen größtenteils nichts allzu Bedeutsames passiert. Dennoch bin ich froh, dass es die SEE gibt, denn sie ist - wie auch beim ersten Teil - vor allem ein Geschenk an die Fans, die nicht genug von Mittelerde bekommen können. Darüber sollten wie dankbar sein und für mich, der die Filme eh auswendig kennt, kommt auch beim zweiten Teil keine andere Version als die längere in Frage. Hat man als Erstseher jedoch die Wahl, sollte man hier eindeutig zur Kinoversion greifen, da diese flüssiger durchläuft und sich auf das Wesentliche konzentriert, anstatt den "Fachunkundigen" mit zu viel Hintergrundwissen oder Buchanspielungen, die er nicht versteht, auf die Geduldsprobe zu stellen. Letzlich ändert, wie schon bei Die Gefährten, keine Fassung etwas daran, dass die Verfilmung vom Herr der Ringe ein absolutes Meisterwerk ist, welches fast zwanzig Jahre nach seinem Erscheinen nichts von seinem Glanz und seiner Kraft verloren hat. Ich sehe mir alle drei Teile regelmäßig zu Weihnachten an und werde dies auch weiterhin tun. Es sind eben, wie Sam am Ende unter Tränen zu Frodo sagt, die "Geschichten, die wirklich wichtig sind. Die etwas bedeuten." Und zu diesen Geschichten wird der Herr der Ringe für mich und für viele auf ewig gehören.

I hunted high and low for this after buying a new BluRay player. I didn't want to buy all the extras again - only the ee versions of the films. The FotR and the RotK were available immediately for £3 and £5. The TT was conspicuous by its absence...after a wait of six weeks or more checking various sites it popped up here for £7. The price has increased significantly since then. Anyway, the film is of course excellent and the quality of the transfer is amazing - the sound too is excellent. If you want the ee films without the bloat content - I would go for this one. Happy now Amazon?

I remember reading the Lord of the Rings a number of times when I was at school, and the second book was always the one that I remember for the battle at Helm's Deep and the siege of Isengard. Needless to say I was not disappointed with either of these scenes in the film. The second film exceeds the first, simply on those two scenes alone. You can almost feel the tension while looking out through the rain at the horde of Sauron.Obviously the two disc set has a vast array of features that all fans will find interesting, especially the features on the making of the film. I'm not sure whether the 4 disc edition will be worth paying the extra for, as I have not seen the 4 disc version of Fellowship to see what else has been added.Many people have been critical of the films, because they are not one hundred percent faithful to the books. My opinion is that they should be seen as a separate entity. If you went and watched either of the first two films without any preconception then you would be blown away by them. I hope that the bravery of cast and crew in putting these amazing books in a format accessible to everyone will, in turn, lead to a new generation discovering Tolkien's world.I just can't wait to see what Return of the King will bring to the screen. I hope the last episode in the trilogy is as awe inspiring as the first two.

Great film as ever and the HD quality is far better than the DVD edition and the extra footage makes the film so much better. Only problem i have with this Bluray edition is that the film is divided between 2 discs so you have to change it halfway through like the DVD version. Was hoping it would be like the hobbit 3D Bluray edition where the HD version of the extended film (not the 3D version) is on 1 disc.