The Two Towers
Director: Peter Jackson
Cast: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys Davies, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Liv Tyler, Andy Serkis
The Fellowship has been broken. Darkness looms on the horizon and the power of the Ring grows stronger as Frodo and Sam journey ever closer to Mordor. Meanwhile, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli embark on their own quest to rescue Merry and Pippin and restore the kingdom of Rohan. As the Ring’s hold over Frodo continues to grow, he and Sam encounter a new enemy in the shadows outside of Mordor. And hope is rekindled for the people of Rohan when a powerful ally rises from the ashes to be reunited with Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli.
One of the most powerful themes in the film is addiction, and nowhere is this theme better illustrated than in the Ring and the power that it wields over Frodo and Gollum. While his desire for the Ring has physically transformed Gollum into a shadow of his true self and given him a dual personality of Gollum and Smeagol, Frodo, while his personality is beginning to succumb to his desire for the Ring, has not yet been physically transformed by the Ring’s power.
Hope is another powerful theme in this film and it is best illustrated in the character of Aragorn and the journey that he takes as he searches for the missing Hobbits and then rises to become a noble warrior when the people of Rohan are attacked by Saruman. When Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli are searching for the missing Hobbits, there is a moment when the hope of rescuing them is turned to anguish after Eomer tells Aragorn and his comrades that he and his company slaughtered the enemy who had abducted the Hobbits. Their hope is restored when Aragorn discovers that the Hobbits are alive and Gandalf tells them that Merry and Pippin are safe.
When Aragorn and his companions gather at Helm’s Deep to await Saruman’s army, their hope is overshadowed by fear because they believe that Saruman’s army will destroy them. When Aragorn sees the fear in their eyes, he is momentarily overcome until he sees a small child clad in armor. As he listens to the despair in the child’s voice, Aragorn is reminded that there is always hope, even when one cannot see it. When an army of elves marches into Helm’s Deep to aid them in their battle against Saruman’s forces, the people’s hope and courage are restored and when Gandalf returns with Eomer’s army, their combined forces allow them to overthrow Saruman’s army.
“The Two Towers”, the second chapter in the epic “Lord of the Rings” saga, is one of those rare sequels that not only equals the extraordinary quality of the first film, it transcends it by making the story stronger and giving more depth and emotion to the characters. The casting for this film is absolutely flawless. The musical score and stunning animation only adds to an already brilliant film. I would highly recommend this film to anyone who loves the “Lord of the Rings” saga.
© 2013 – 2016 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: Peter Jackson
Cast: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys Davies, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Liv Tyler, Andy Serkis
The Fellowship has been broken. Darkness looms on the horizon and the power of the Ring grows stronger as Frodo and Sam journey ever closer to Mordor. Meanwhile, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli embark on their own quest to rescue Merry and Pippin and restore the kingdom of Rohan. As the Ring’s hold over Frodo continues to grow, he and Sam encounter a new enemy in the shadows outside of Mordor. And hope is rekindled for the people of Rohan when a powerful ally rises from the ashes to be reunited with Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli.
One of the most powerful themes in the film is addiction, and nowhere is this theme better illustrated than in the Ring and the power that it wields over Frodo and Gollum. While his desire for the Ring has physically transformed Gollum into a shadow of his true self and given him a dual personality of Gollum and Smeagol, Frodo, while his personality is beginning to succumb to his desire for the Ring, has not yet been physically transformed by the Ring’s power.
Hope is another powerful theme in this film and it is best illustrated in the character of Aragorn and the journey that he takes as he searches for the missing Hobbits and then rises to become a noble warrior when the people of Rohan are attacked by Saruman. When Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli are searching for the missing Hobbits, there is a moment when the hope of rescuing them is turned to anguish after Eomer tells Aragorn and his comrades that he and his company slaughtered the enemy who had abducted the Hobbits. Their hope is restored when Aragorn discovers that the Hobbits are alive and Gandalf tells them that Merry and Pippin are safe.
When Aragorn and his companions gather at Helm’s Deep to await Saruman’s army, their hope is overshadowed by fear because they believe that Saruman’s army will destroy them. When Aragorn sees the fear in their eyes, he is momentarily overcome until he sees a small child clad in armor. As he listens to the despair in the child’s voice, Aragorn is reminded that there is always hope, even when one cannot see it. When an army of elves marches into Helm’s Deep to aid them in their battle against Saruman’s forces, the people’s hope and courage are restored and when Gandalf returns with Eomer’s army, their combined forces allow them to overthrow Saruman’s army.
“The Two Towers”, the second chapter in the epic “Lord of the Rings” saga, is one of those rare sequels that not only equals the extraordinary quality of the first film, it transcends it by making the story stronger and giving more depth and emotion to the characters. The casting for this film is absolutely flawless. The musical score and stunning animation only adds to an already brilliant film. I would highly recommend this film to anyone who loves the “Lord of the Rings” saga.
© 2013 – 2016 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.