Lord of the Rings: Part 2

As the second installment in the Lord of the Rings series, The Two Towers has quite a high standard to live up to. It doesn't disappoint either, with some epic scenes, battles and characters.

Once again, the adaptation from the book is excellent, and the combination of the spectacular locations, fantastic action scenes and marvelous special effects result in an epic film which continues where The Fellowship of the Ring left off in more ways than one. The battle of Helm’s Deep is directed and produced much better than any of the fight scenes in The Fellowship of the Ring, and it’s one of the only cinematic battles that I’ve cared about and passionately wanted the bad guys to be defeated.

For me, this film rightfully focuses on Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas, and the relationship between the three is the foundation for this film. The competitive spirit between Gimli and Legolas, Gimli agreeing to be tossed by Aragorn, and the understanding between Legolas and Aragorn all reflect how three characters of different kinds come together to form one of the strongest friendships in the film. Gimli is a raw example of fierce loyalty to his friends, thirst to kill orcs and his character is actually quite witty. Aragorn is the kind of character that everyone loves, and this is easy to see why. If you haven’t read the books, I’d imagine you’d be rooting for him all the way through the series, and when he eventually comes to the throne of Gondor it shows how far he has come since stalking the Hobbits in Bree. Legolas adds a bit more quirk to the trio, and is more graceful (as an Elf) than the other two, but is, if anything, much more successful in battle than the other two. As an archer he kills more orcs than the others, continually outscoring Gimli. The three characters, and the three actors, really complete the films for me. Obviously there’s the central story of the quest to destroy the Ring, but the story around Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli is no less enjoyable.

When Gandalf is added into the mix there is a dry sense of humour added, as well as an increased sense of power and success to their mission. At the end of The Fellowship of the Ring, the three agree to find Merry and Pippin who have been captured by Uruk-Hai, and the story around them in this film revolves around them trying to trace them. This leads them to both Gandalf and the kingdom of Rohan. Throughout the series, Gandalf is a fantastic character who is loved by the Lord of the Rings fans. Ian McKellen portrays the wizard masterfully. I don’t really think there’s much more to say about him. Both the character and the actor are phenomenal.

The Two Towers introduces Rohan and its people. Rohan is under the grip of Saruman, and as a result, Theoden starts off The Two Towers as a weak old man. However, throughout the series he becomes a much more powerful leader and eventually leads his people in the Battle for Middle-Earth. I find myself warming more and more to Theoden throughout the films, but not as much as his niece. Eowyn is the classic example of a woman whose society demands that she cannot do something (go to war with the men), but who steps out against this and does it anyway, even encouraging a Hobbit to come with her. Her misplaced love for Aragorn is heart-wrenching for the audience, and when she eventually finds happiness with Faramir I was very pleased for her. I can’t work out what I think of her brother though. Eomer is sent away by Saruman’s puppet, Grima Wormtongue, at the beginning of The Two Towers but he doesn’t try very hard to fight this, riding away with some loyal soldiers. When Rohan is attacked he has to be summoned to come back and eventually win the Battle of Helm’s Deep. This doesn't seem very likely to me, and surely Eomer would have tried a bit harder to remove Wormtongue’s influence from Rohan. Nevertheless he is a strong influence in the final battle. Overall, Rohan is portrayed initially as a very weak kingdom, but grows in strength as the King gets more powerful.

Sauron is the overall villain in the series, and while being completely digital for the significant majority of the films, he is wonderful. The adaptation of Tolkien’s description of him is magnificently done, and the eye is quite imposing. Throughout the film’s Sauron’s tower gets more and more exposure, and the eye receives more and more work, with it moving around in the third movie. However, his second-in-command and his cohorts, the Witch-King of Angmar and the Ringwraiths, are terrifying. In The Fellowship of the Ring the black riders are very intimidating, and the Nazgul are very scary in the second and third installments  While Sauron is not one of the greatest cinematic villains, not in the same league as Hannibal Lecter, Darth Vader etc, the way he is portrayed in the Lord of the Rings definitely increases his standing as a villain.

The Two Towers is another fantastic film, and after the epic Fellowship of the Ring it might have struggled, but there is no such difficulty. It is a marvelous adaptation from the book and has the most awesome battle of the whole series in it. It sets up the third film beautifully and definitely belongs firmly in the halls of epic films.