Der Herr der Ringe: Die zwei Türme

Peter Jackson truly outdid himself when creating the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and he fails to disappoint us in the 2nd part of the Trilogy. The Two Towers shows us that he is not a one-hit wonder, like so many directors are. I actually think that The Two Towers reaches the same level as the Fellowship of the Ring, and sometimes even surpasses it.

This film is the biggest film in the trilogy. What do I mean by that? Well this film has so many things going like the amazing Battle of Helms Deep. Frodo and Sam journey to Mount Doom, to destroy the Ring. But the one who's leading them through the way is Gollum, he looks so creepy and realistic, that he doesn't feel disconnected from us. A powerful performance by Andy Serkis as Gollum, he should of been nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

The Best part of the film, is quite easily and everyone knows it the ending. The ending of the battle of Helm's Deep is quite breathtaking, and as Gandalf the White comes in the distance with another army to defeat the Orcs. When Treebeard and his army of Entz tear down Isengard, the destruction and the battle is so immense in size, that you truly have to see to believe.

In size and scale, Peter Jackson has truly redefined the word "epic" and he also pays attention to the small things that truly elevate this movie from great to amazing. I definitely recommend this film to everyone, but you really should watch the first movie to truly understand what's going on.

10/10

The quest to melt the ring in Doom continues, as two Hobbits and a Gollum lacking sinews, crossing marshes full of dread, towards the Black Gate's where they head, and then they're captured by the brother, of one once dear (although he was somewhat affected by the ring before expiring). After fleeing from an evil band of orcs, another pair of Hobbits sit with stalks, of an Ent known as Treebeard, who gets annoyed when friends are sheared, summons brethren, and against the foe they walk. Helm's Deep provides the backdrop for a battle, where sabres, swords and axes are all rattled, but walls come tumbling down, as the Uruk-hai hit town, when their hoards stampede and charge like crazy cattle.

I considered The Fellowship of the Ring to be one of the greatest movies ever. This one is better!

The scenery is marvelous, the animations great, and the story superb. This episode strays further from the books when it comes to the unfolding of events, but I feel that it stays closer in atmosphere and realism; the nazgûls are now the fear-inspiring creatures they should be. Gollum, excellently implemented, even becomes more realistic then I remember him from the books, not to mention other attempts to portray him. His schizophrenic monologues are among the highlights of the movie.

The major drawback is once again the apparent incapability of the dark-side creatures. Aragorn with fellows can ride back and forth among them unhurt, while the Uruk-Hai fall in large numbers just for being nearby. Though I enjoy many of the jokes made at Gimli's expense, this still is another thing I partly dislike. Gimli sure is no clown in the books.

I rate the movie 9/10 (my highest so far).

"The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" is another excellent installment in the thus far excellent trilogy. The film picks up immediately where "The Fellowship of the Ring" left off as Elijah Wood and Sean Astin continue their long and seemingly hopeless journey to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mordor. They run into the creature Gollum (played amazingly by Andy Serkis in a revolutionary character-generation). Serkis' motives are unclear as the ring has literally run him insane and created a split personality that combats the character's natural good side. Meanwhile Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan have escaped the dark forces that captured them, but now are in another dilemma as they try to convince a forest of living, moving trees to support their cause for good and truth. Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom and John Rhys-Davies receive more help from the likes of Bernard Hill's army and his lovely niece (Mirando Otto). As all this occurs, Ian McKellen comes back and rehashes a role which seemed to have expired late in the first film. Hugo Weaving and daughter Liv Tyler know that victory is not certain and realize that they must leave their true homes forever to protect themselves and the lives of their people. Christopher Lee continues to create chaos with the help of the highly disturbed Brad Dourif (of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" fame). In the end not one, but two key battles will create the sure-to-be electrifying landscape which will be experienced by all in the franchise's final installment ("The Return of the King"). Many view "The Two Towers" as an achievement even more impressive than its predecessor. True the film does go beyond the technical faculties of "The Fellowship of the Ring", but it is hard for me to pick this installment over the first (which will likely always be my favorite). This film is more intense and you get the feeling of real danger and peril throughout, while the first was more of an emotional experience due to its nice elements of friendship, love and personal sacrifice. In short, "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" is an amazing sequel and it fits in well with the outstanding first film. 5 stars out of 5.

Really, I should probably let this film soak in a bit; I am, after all, on something of a "post-viewing" high right now. However, at this moment, my feeling remains the same from the first installment - this is the movie experience I've been waiting my whole life for. In case you haven't gathered, this movie is visually stunning, literally breathtaking. I mean that, some of the scenes in this film simply stopped my lungs in their tracks, shocked at the pure, enveloping beauty of the shot. Peter Jackson has a profound grasp of visual manipulation like few directors have ever had.

The acting is, as always, superb. Kudos for hiring "actors" not "stars"; "Oscar-worthy" over-acting could have threatened the realistic touch the film's remarkable cast supply. Specific mention goes to both John Rhys-Davies in his well enjoyed comic turn, and very largely to Andy Serkis, who was a major role in creating the most realistic and brilliantly well-performed CGI character I've ever seen (Gollum).

For the most part, and as a fan of the books, I take no offense to the slight plot modifications. My understanding is that Tolkien himself realized that visual adaptation of LotR would require a somewhat different take on his work, and was apparently open to such minute changes. There are also a few tiny bits and pieces I was disappointed to see not make the final cut, however, I'm sure a future inevitable extended DVD will take care of those.

In short, if you found the continual enjoyment I did with the first movie of LotR, this movie will in no way let you down. Not even for a minute.

Highly recommended, 10/10.