Picking up where the first film left off, Peter Jackson's THE TWO TOWERS throws the remaining members of the Fellowship into the scattered chaos of Middle-earth, now fully under siege by the forces of Sauron. While Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) journey to the dreaded Mordor, Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) are held captive by orcs, and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) search for their abducted companions. Soon Frodo and Sam are joined by the sulking and duplicitous Gollum (portrayed by the voice and motion-captured acting of Andy Serkis), who becomes their guide through the barren lands leading to Mount Doom. Meanwhile Merry and Pippin encounter the looming Treebeard (voiced by Rhys-Davies) and Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli find themselves in the land of Rohan, accompanied by an old friend. As the tale continues, each scenario becomes more perilous, and fierce battles erupt at both Isengard, home of the treacherous Saruman (Christopher Lee), and the massive Helm's Deep.
After masterfully setting up the world created by J.R.R. Tolkien in THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, Jackson continues the trilogy with the increasingly dark and battle-filled TWO TOWERS without skipping a beat. Although the director takes a few more liberties in adapting the second installment, he skillfully cuts from one scenario to the next, creating a tightly woven tapestry with the various storylines. Joining the impressive cast this time around are Miranda Otto as Éowyn; Bernard Hill as her father, King Théoden; Brad Dourif as the aptly named Grima Wormtongue; Karl Urban as Éomer; David Wenham as Faramir; and Serkis under the remarkable CGI facade of Gollum. An intense epic that features one jaw-dropping sequence after another, THE TWO TOWERS more than carries its weight as the crucial centerpiece of THE LORD OF THE RINGS.
Theatrical Release Date: December 18, 2002
DVD Features:
Region 1
4-Disc Set
Discs One-Two:
Contains Extended Version of Feature (208 Mins)
Anamorphic Widescreen - 2.35
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 EX - English
DTS Stereo 6.1 ES - English
Stereo Surround - English
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentaries - 1. Peter Jackson - Director
2. Fran Walsh - Screenwriter, Phillipa Boyens - Screenwriter
3. Crew Members Including Howard Shore - Composer, Andrew Lesnie - Director of Photography
4. Cast Members Including Ian McKellan - Star, Elijah Wood - Star
Disc Three:
Additional Release Material:
Featurette - 1. Designing and Building Middle Earth
2. Book Adaptation
3. Workshop of Creatures and Miniatures
Additional Footage - 1. Moving Storyboards
Text/Galleries:
Storyboards
Atlas - 1. Middle Earth
Art Gallery (With Artist Commentary)
Interactive Features:
Interactive Map - 1. New Zealand (Highlighting Scouting Process)
Disc Four:
Additional Release Material:
Featurettes - 1. Bringing Characters To Life
2. Principal Photography
3. Scale: Creating the Illusion of Size
4. Sound Design Demonstration
Mulitple Angles - 1. Visual Effects
Text/Galleries:
Behind-the-Scenes and Personal Cast Photographs
Stars
Elijah Wood: American actor
Ian McKellen: British Actor/Screenwriter
Viggo Mortensen: American Actor
Andy Serkis: British actor, LORD OF THE RINGS series (2001-2003)
Sean Astin: Actor, THE GOONIES/RUDY
Billy Boyd: Actor; "Peregrin Took" of THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001)
Dominic Monaghan: Actor, LORD OF THE RINGS, LOST
John Rhys-Davies: British Actor
Orlando Bloom: Actor, LORD OF THE RINGS (2001)
Christopher Lee: British actor, DRACULA (1958)
Miranda Otto: Australian Actress
Bernard Hill: British Actor
Liv Tyler: Actress, model, THE STRANGERS, THE INCREDIBLE HULK (2008)
Brad Dourif: American Actor
Karl Urban: Actor, THE PRICE OF MILK (2001)
Hugo Weaving: Australian Actor/ Agent Smith in THE MATRIX
David Wenham:
Cate Blanchett: Australian Actress
Director
Peter Jackson: New Zealand-born director, LORD OF THE RINGS Trilogy
Producer
Barrie M. Osborne: Producer
Peter Jackson: New Zealand-born director, LORD OF THE RINGS Trilogy
Fran Walsh: Producer, LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP (2001)
Tim Sanders: Executive Film Producer, THE PRICE OF MILK (2001)
Screenwriter
Fran Walsh: Producer, LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP (2001)
Philippa Boyens: Screenwriter, LORD OF THE FLIES (2001)
Peter Jackson: New Zealand-born director, LORD OF THE RINGS Trilogy
Composer
Howard Shore:
Director of Photography
Andrew Lesnie: DOP
Executive Producer
Bob Weinstein: Prod./Screenwriter/Director
Executive Producer
Harvey Weinstein: Film producer
Executive Producer
Mark Ordesky: Executive Producer, LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP (2001)
Executive Producer
Michael Lynne: Executive Producer, LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP (2001)
Executive Producer
Robert Shaye: Producer/Executive
Source Writer
J.R.R. Tolkien: Fantasy Author
Additional Music/Songs
Enya:
Review 1:
"...THE TWO TOWERS conjures an illusion of the gravity that you want from an emotionally charged storybook epic..."
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.55-6 12/13/2002
Review 2:
"...The director's great strength is the confidence with which he translates Tolkien's vision into visual imagery..."
Source: Los Angeles Times
p.C1 12/18/2002
Review 3:
"...A rare perfect mating of filmmaker and material....[A] beautifully considered epic....The grandeur is astonishing..."
Source: New York Times
p.E1 12/18/2002
Review 4:
"...Visually dazzling....The RINGS movies are among the most breathtaking achievements in recent cinematic history..."
Source: USA Today
p.1D 12/17/2002
Review 5:
"...In some respects a more impressive film than its well-received predecessor. Marked by nonstop conflict that Akira Kurosawa would have envied..."
Source: Variety
p.42 12/02/2002
Review 6:
"...Jackson keeps the action percolating. The effects astonish..."
Source: Rolling Stone
p.76 01/23/2003
Review 7:
"...Peter Jackson has pulled out all the stops....Jackson and his team of homegrown artisans have created an exciting form of digital epic filmmaking..."
Source: Film Comment
p.74 01/01/2003
Review 8:
"...The visuals are a real treat; everyone and everything -- particularly the landscape -- looks and feels just right..."
Source: Box Office
p.60 03/01/2003
Review 9:
"...THE LORD OF THE RINGS so far stands among the best adaptations of a major work of fantasy ever managed by the cinema..."
Source: Sight and Sound
p.50-1 02/01/2003