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Description
"The world is changing. Who now has the strength to stand against the armies of Isengard...and Mordor? To stand against the might of Sauron and Saruman and the union of the two towers?"

Lets continue our Middle-Earth marathon with the second chapter of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy where Frodo continues his journey to Mount Doom and encounter Gollum as the evil forces of Sauron and Saruman unite to conquer Middle-Earth; The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

Picking up almost immediately after the events of "The Fellowship of the Ring", Frodo awakens from a dream of Gandalf fighting the Balrog in Moria. Frodo and Sam find themselves lost in the Emyn Muil near Mordor and discover they are being tracked by Gollum, the previous bearer of the One Ring.
Capturing Gollum, Frodo takes pity and allows him to guide them, reminding Sam that they will need Gollum's help to infiltrate Mordor. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli pursue a band of Uruk-hai to save their companions Merry and Pippin, entering the kingdom of Rohan. The Uruk-hai are ambushed by a group of Rohirrim, allowing the Hobbits to escape into Fangorn Forest.
Meeting Aragorn's group, the Rohirrim’s leader Éomer explains that he and his men have been exiled by Rohan's king, Théoden, who is under the control of Saruman and his servant Gríma Wormtongue. Éomer believes Merry and Pippin were killed during the raid.
Searching for the Hobbits in Fangorn, Aragorn's group encounters Gandalf, who reveals that after his fight against the Balrog he was resurrected as Gandalf the White to help save Middle-earth. Gandalf leads the trio to Rohan's capital, Edoras, where Gandalf frees Théoden from Saruman's control, and Wormtongue flees.
Learning of Saruman's plans to destroy Rohan with his Uruk-hai army, Théoden evacuates his citizens to the fortress of Helm's Deep. Gandalf departs to find Éomer and his followers, hoping they will fight for their restored king. Aragorn befriends Théoden's niece, Éowyn, who becomes infatuated with him.
When the refugees travelling to Helm's Deep are attacked by Saruman’s Warg-riding Orcs, Aragorn falls from a cliff and is presumed dead. He is revealed to have survived and rides to Helm's Deep, witnessing Saruman's army marching to the fortress.
In Rivendell, Arwen is told by her father Elrond that Aragorn may not return. He reminds her that if she remains in Middle-earth, she will outlive Aragorn by thousands of years, and she reluctantly departs for Valinor. Elrond is contacted by Galadriel, who convinces him that the elves should honor their alliance to men, and they dispatch an army of elves to Helm's Deep.
In Fangorn, Merry and Pippin meet Treebeard, an Ent. Convincing Treebeard that they are allies, they are brought to an Ent Council, where the Ents decide not to take part in the coming war. Pippin asks Treebeard to take them in the direction of Isengard, where they witness the deforestation caused by Saruman’s war effort.
Aragorn arrives at Helm's Deep and reveals that Saruman's army is close and Théoden must prepare for battle, despite the overwhelming Uruk-hai numbers.
Gollum leads Frodo and Sam through the Dead Marshes to the Black Gate, but recommends they enter Mordor by another route. Frodo and Sam are captured by Rangers of Ithilien led by Faramir, brother of the late Boromir. Frodo helps Faramir catch Gollum to save him from being killed by the Rangers.
Learning of the One Ring, Faramir takes them to Gondor to bring the ring to his father Denethor. Passing through the besieged Gondorian city of Osgiliath, Frodo tries to explain to Faramir the true nature of the ring.
Now it's up to Frodo, Sam, and Gollum to continue their journey to Mordor, Merry, Pippin, and Treebeard to bring Saruman's fortress to it's knees, and to Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and the armies of Men and Elves to defend Helm's Deep.

The story is still amazingly well written as while it can still drag a bit at a few scenes, and a bit of the humor still falls flat, the plot is still incredibly engaging as it does manage to stay pretty faithful to the book, and even though there are still some changes and switch-ups, said changes and switch-ups are still pretty well executed. And on top of that, the action scenes are still amazing and intense, there is still some pretty solid humor as well as some very intriguing drama, there's still a great amount of heart and charm as well as some pretty strong and genuine suspense, the world-building and lore is greatly expanded, the tone is still very well balanced ranging from lighthearted and fun to dark and intense, it raises the stakes, and the movie overall still has a great sense of adventure.
The action scenes are still just as awesome ever as they can still get pretty intense and suspenseful such as Gandalf's battle with the Balrog, Frodo and Sam's skirmish with Gollum, Merry and Pippin's escape from the Uruk-Hai, the Warg ambush, the Battle of Osgiliath, the Battle of Isengard, and the massive Battle of Helm's Deep.
The movie has a great amount of heart and drama which gives the film some pretty genuine dramatic, heartfelt, and charming moments such as the growing bond between the main characters and more of the hardships they go through, certain character deaths and sacrifices, the tragic backstories, Gollum trying to redeem himself, and the growing loyalty between Frodo and Sam.
The suspense that was present in the first movie is still very much present here with the Black Riders still hunting Frodo and the Ring, the looming threat of Saruman's armies, and the evil presence of Sauron is still felt throughout the film.
The humor is still mostly pretty solid as while there are still a few weak bits, a good chunk of the humor does still manage to hit it's mark and does get some good laughs like some of the witty and snarky banter and dialogue between the characters, some of Merry and Pippin's shenanigans, and some of the more comedic moments from some of the other characters.
The production design of the movie is still incredible and they really show their value such as the sets and setpieces being incredibly well built and being given a great amount of detail, the actual filming locations featured are amazingly well utilized, the costumes, makeup, and clothing are spectacularly well crafted, the lighting is very solid and effective, and there are some very beautiful shots of the film's various locations.
The special effects of the movie are still amazingly well done and have also gotten some nice upgrades since the first film such as the CGI enhanced backgrounds, the fire, the destruction, the effects for some of the creatures like Gollum, the Black Wings, the Ents, the Balrog, the Wargs, and some of the Orcs, the added architecture for certain locations, the water, the size of the Hobbits, and the powers of the Ring.
The characters are all still very solid and well written as the ones that are supposed to be likable are still very likable, the ones that are supposed to be feared are still very fearful, and they all have some very strong chemistry and dynamics, growth and development, wit and humor, and charm and charisma such as the returning characters from the first movie being given some further development like Frodo, Sam, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Merry and Pippin, Arwen, Elrond, and Galadriel, the new characters introduced in this one like the tragic Gollum, the good-hearted Theoden, the loyal Eomer, the brave Eowyn, the agricultural Treebeard, and the conflicted Faramir. Also, the villains are still just as fearsome and menacing as ever with Saruman becoming more of a monster, the Ringwraiths still being as relentless as ever, the Orcs still being incredibly ruthless, and there's a pretty solid new villain with the deceitful Wormtongue.
The acting is just amazing as the actors all give some incredible performances such as Elijah Wood as Frodo, Sean Astin as Sam, Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, Orlando Bloom as Legolas, John Rhys-Davies as Gimli and Treebeard, Dominic Monaghan as Merry, Billy Boyd as Pippin, Andy Serkis as Gollum, Liv Tyler as Arwen, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Hugo Weaving as Elrond, Christopher Lee as Saruman, Bernard Hill as Theoden, Mirando Otto as Eowyn, Karl Urban as Eomer, David Wenham as Faramir, Brad Dourif as Wormtongue, and more.
The music by Howard Shore is still amazingly well done as his score still sounds incredibly nice and well composed, and it really does capture the movie's adventurous, fantastical, lighthearted, dark, and intense tone.

Overall, this is an incredible continuation of the story, and is a great an adaptation as you can get. Highly recommend.

Cast:
Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins
Ian McKellen as Gandalf the White
Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn
Sean Astin as Samwise Gamgee (Sam)
Andy Serkis as Gollum / Smeagol
Billy Boyd as Peregrin Took (Pippin)
Dominic Monaghan as Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry)
John Rhys-Davies as Gimli, Treebeard
Orlando Bloom as Legolas
Bernard Hill as Théoden
Christopher Lee as Saruman the White
Hugo Weaving as Elrond
Miranda Otto as Éowyn
David Wenham as Faramir
Brad Dourif as Gríma Wormtongue
Karl Urban as Éomer
Liv Tyler as Arwen
Cate Blanchett as Galadriel
Sean Bean as Boromir
Craig Parker as Haldir
John Leigh as Háma
Bruce Hopkins as Gamling
John Bach as Madril
Nathaniel Lees as Ugluk
John Noble as Denethor (Extended Edition)

Crew:
Directed by Peter Jackson
Screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair, and Peter Jackson
Based on "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
Produced by Barrie M. Osborne, Fran Walsh, and Peter Jackson
Music by Howard Shore

Misc.
Production companies: New Line Cinema, WingNut Films
Distributed by New Line Cinema
Release dates: December 18, 2002 (Theatrical Cut), November 18, 2003 (Extended Edition)
Running time 2 hours, 59 minutes (Theatrical Cut), 3 hours, 55 minutes (Extended Edition)

Description
"The world is changing. Who now has the strength to stand against the armies of Isengard...and Mordor? To stand against the might of Sauron and Saruman and the union of the two towers?"

Lets continue our Middle-Earth marathon with the second chapter of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy where Frodo continues his journey to Mount Doom and encounter Gollum as the evil forces of Sauron and Saruman unite to conquer Middle-Earth; The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

Picking up almost immediately after the events of "The Fellowship of the Ring", Frodo awakens from a dream of Gandalf fighting the Balrog in Moria. Frodo and Sam find themselves lost in the Emyn Muil near Mordor and discover they are being tracked by Gollum, the previous bearer of the One Ring.
Capturing Gollum, Frodo takes pity and allows him to guide them, reminding Sam that they will need Gollum's help to infiltrate Mordor. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli pursue a band of Uruk-hai to save their companions Merry and Pippin, entering the kingdom of Rohan. The Uruk-hai are ambushed by a group of Rohirrim, allowing the Hobbits to escape into Fangorn Forest.
Meeting Aragorn's group, the Rohirrim’s leader Éomer explains that he and his men have been exiled by Rohan's king, Théoden, who is under the control of Saruman and his servant Gríma Wormtongue. Éomer believes Merry and Pippin were killed during the raid.
Searching for the Hobbits in Fangorn, Aragorn's group encounters Gandalf, who reveals that after his fight against the Balrog he was resurrected as Gandalf the White to help save Middle-earth. Gandalf leads the trio to Rohan's capital, Edoras, where Gandalf frees Théoden from Saruman's control, and Wormtongue flees.
Learning of Saruman's plans to destroy Rohan with his Uruk-hai army, Théoden evacuates his citizens to the fortress of Helm's Deep. Gandalf departs to find Éomer and his followers, hoping they will fight for their restored king. Aragorn befriends Théoden's niece, Éowyn, who becomes infatuated with him.
When the refugees travelling to Helm's Deep are attacked by Saruman’s Warg-riding Orcs, Aragorn falls from a cliff and is presumed dead. He is revealed to have survived and rides to Helm's Deep, witnessing Saruman's army marching to the fortress.
In Rivendell, Arwen is told by her father Elrond that Aragorn may not return. He reminds her that if she remains in Middle-earth, she will outlive Aragorn by thousands of years, and she reluctantly departs for Valinor. Elrond is contacted by Galadriel, who convinces him that the elves should honor their alliance to men, and they dispatch an army of elves to Helm's Deep.
In Fangorn, Merry and Pippin meet Treebeard, an Ent. Convincing Treebeard that they are allies, they are brought to an Ent Council, where the Ents decide not to take part in the coming war. Pippin asks Treebeard to take them in the direction of Isengard, where they witness the deforestation caused by Saruman’s war effort.
Aragorn arrives at Helm's Deep and reveals that Saruman's army is close and Théoden must prepare for battle, despite the overwhelming Uruk-hai numbers.
Gollum leads Frodo and Sam through the Dead Marshes to the Black Gate, but recommends they enter Mordor by another route. Frodo and Sam are captured by Rangers of Ithilien led by Faramir, brother of the late Boromir. Frodo helps Faramir catch Gollum to save him from being killed by the Rangers.
Learning of the One Ring, Faramir takes them to Gondor to bring the ring to his father Denethor. Passing through the besieged Gondorian city of Osgiliath, Frodo tries to explain to Faramir the true nature of the ring.
Now it's up to Frodo, Sam, and Gollum to continue their journey to Mordor, Merry, Pippin, and Treebeard to bring Saruman's fortress to it's knees, and to Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and the armies of Men and Elves to defend Helm's Deep.

The story is still amazingly well written as while it can still drag a bit at a few scenes, and a bit of the humor still falls flat, the plot is still incredibly engaging as it does manage to stay pretty faithful to the book, and even though there are still some changes and switch-ups, said changes and switch-ups are still pretty well executed. And on top of that, the action scenes are still amazing and intense, there is still some pretty solid humor as well as some very intriguing drama, there's still a great amount of heart and charm as well as some pretty strong and genuine suspense, the world-building and lore is greatly expanded, the tone is still very well balanced ranging from lighthearted and fun to dark and intense, it raises the stakes, and the movie overall still has a great sense of adventure.
The action scenes are still just as awesome ever as they can still get pretty intense and suspenseful such as Gandalf's battle with the Balrog, Frodo and Sam's skirmish with Gollum, Merry and Pippin's escape from the Uruk-Hai, the Warg ambush, the Battle of Osgiliath, the Battle of Isengard, and the massive Battle of Helm's Deep.
The movie has a great amount of heart and drama which gives the film some pretty genuine dramatic, heartfelt, and charming moments such as the growing bond between the main characters and more of the hardships they go through, certain character deaths and sacrifices, the tragic backstories, Gollum trying to redeem himself, and the growing loyalty between Frodo and Sam.
The suspense that was present in the first movie is still very much present here with the Black Riders still hunting Frodo and the Ring, the looming threat of Saruman's armies, and the evil presence of Sauron is still felt throughout the film.
The humor is still mostly pretty solid as while there are still a few weak bits, a good chunk of the humor does still manage to hit it's mark and does get some good laughs like some of the witty and snarky banter and dialogue between the characters, some of Merry and Pippin's shenanigans, and some of the more comedic moments from some of the other characters.
The production design of the movie is still incredible and they really show their value such as the sets and setpieces being incredibly well built and being given a great amount of detail, the actual filming locations featured are amazingly well utilized, the costumes, makeup, and clothing are spectacularly well crafted, the lighting is very solid and effective, and there are some very beautiful shots of the film's various locations.
The special effects of the movie are still amazingly well done and have also gotten some nice upgrades since the first film such as the CGI enhanced backgrounds, the fire, the destruction, the effects for some of the creatures like Gollum, the Black Wings, the Ents, the Balrog, the Wargs, and some of the Orcs, the added architecture for certain locations, the water, the size of the Hobbits, and the powers of the Ring.
The characters are all still very solid and well written as the ones that are supposed to be likable are still very likable, the ones that are supposed to be feared are still very fearful, and they all have some very strong chemistry and dynamics, growth and development, wit and humor, and charm and charisma such as the returning characters from the first movie being given some further development like Frodo, Sam, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Merry and Pippin, Arwen, Elrond, and Galadriel, the new characters introduced in this one like the tragic Gollum, the good-hearted Theoden, the loyal Eomer, the brave Eowyn, the agricultural Treebeard, and the conflicted Faramir. Also, the villains are still just as fearsome and menacing as ever with Saruman becoming more of a monster, the Ringwraiths still being as relentless as ever, the Orcs still being incredibly ruthless, and there's a pretty solid new villain with the deceitful Wormtongue.
The acting is just amazing as the actors all give some incredible performances such as Elijah Wood as Frodo, Sean Astin as Sam, Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, Orlando Bloom as Legolas, John Rhys-Davies as Gimli and Treebeard, Dominic Monaghan as Merry, Billy Boyd as Pippin, Andy Serkis as Gollum, Liv Tyler as Arwen, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Hugo Weaving as Elrond, Christopher Lee as Saruman, Bernard Hill as Theoden, Mirando Otto as Eowyn, Karl Urban as Eomer, David Wenham as Faramir, Brad Dourif as Wormtongue, and more.
The music by Howard Shore is still amazingly well done as his score still sounds incredibly nice and well composed, and it really does capture the movie's adventurous, fantastical, lighthearted, dark, and intense tone.

Overall, this is an incredible continuation of the story, and is a great an adaptation as you can get. Highly recommend.

Cast:
Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins
Ian McKellen as Gandalf the White
Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn
Sean Astin as Samwise Gamgee (Sam)
Andy Serkis as Gollum / Smeagol
Billy Boyd as Peregrin Took (Pippin)
Dominic Monaghan as Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry)
John Rhys-Davies as Gimli, Treebeard
Orlando Bloom as Legolas
Bernard Hill as Théoden
Christopher Lee as Saruman the White
Hugo Weaving as Elrond
Miranda Otto as Éowyn
David Wenham as Faramir
Brad Dourif as Gríma Wormtongue
Karl Urban as Éomer
Liv Tyler as Arwen
Cate Blanchett as Galadriel
Sean Bean as Boromir
Craig Parker as Haldir
John Leigh as Háma
Bruce Hopkins as Gamling
John Bach as Madril
Nathaniel Lees as Ugluk
John Noble as Denethor (Extended Edition)

Crew:
Directed by Peter Jackson
Screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair, and Peter Jackson
Based on "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
Produced by Barrie M. Osborne, Fran Walsh, and Peter Jackson
Music by Howard Shore

Misc.
Production companies: New Line Cinema, WingNut Films
Distributed by New Line Cinema
Release dates: December 18, 2002 (Theatrical Cut), November 18, 2003 (Extended Edition)
Running time 2 hours, 59 minutes (Theatrical Cut), 3 hours, 55 minutes (Extended Edition)