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Cast Iron KING

16" x 6 1/2" ready to hang
"This product has nothing to do with this series, but it sure reminds me of the old kings, I've got it hanging in my movie room." Joe De Matteo

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Book Set

The Lord of the Rings: 
The Two Towers 
Limited Edition

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The Two Towers—Independent Blockbuster
by Michael Flanagan

HUGE

The Two Towers, the second installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, proves that someone forgot to tell Peter Jackson how to make an industry blockbuster movie.  Somebody dropped the memo that outlined the standard fare for loosely developing characters, taking them on an action-packed adventure, having them fight, bleed, die, and save the day, and return home heroes.  Someone, in their infinite wisdom, forgot to read the script, because if they had, they’d see that Jackson and fellow screenwriters broke all the rules of Hollywood Mega-Moviemaking with this film…well thank goodness there are so many forgetful people in the industry at this point, because The Two Towers is a beautiful, emotionally-involving masterpiece of independent filmmaking meets master storytelling.

Like Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers follows the journeys of Hobbits, Elves, Dwarves, Wizards, and Kings in the faux-fictional, ancient-England land of Middle Earth.  This one, which basically begins the fifth hour of the tale, introduces new characters and places without apology to the lateness of the hour, nor should it.  Eowyn, played like a princess by Miranda Otto, and Brad Dourif’s Wormtongue stand out most among these new humans.  Of the not-quite-humans, Smeagal (yes, he was in Fellowship, but we are introduced to Gollum in a whole new way here) rises above the rest.  Andy Serkis’ performance, as live-action performance and voice, should be nominated for, and win, every acting award for which he’s eligible…which, alas, may not be too many.  Smeagol/Gollum steals every scene he’s in, giving us both sadness and hysterical laughter, sometimes all at once, and surely making the dreams come true of many fans of the book.  Watching him was a joy, through and through.

This film has pacing issues…that’s what some will say.  In fact, this film version is extremely faithful to J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel.  Sure, there will be plenty of inconsistencies and deviations that will anger purists for lifetimes to come.  But the essence of the book, of what Tolkien had to say, the underlying themes, and the overlying ones, set the course of this film from the beginning.  Tolkien’s pro-environment, ant-industry sentiments, his cry against war, except necessary war, his desire for the people of the world  to realize they are, in fact, a part of this world, and if we don’t act like it, we might not have it for too much longer…all this is there, and still relevant.  The characters, plot, theme are intricately woven to avoid too much of any one aspect.

The result?  A chess game.  The Two Towers is mostly about setting the pieces in place for the final piece, Return of the King.  We meet many new characters, get reacquainted with old ones, lose some, and find some surprises along the way.  Politics plays a major role in the film.  Not the scandalous politics of Attack of the Clones, but kingly issues of leadership, allegiance, and honor.  In other words, some of it moves a little slow.  But when we sit down to watch all three, in extended versions that will leave us in front of the television for about 12 hours, the ties that hold it together are in Two Towers.

But for some of the more impatient, that time won’t come soon enough.  So, for them, we have the Battle of Helm’s Deep.  I’m not sure how long the whole battle actually lasts, because I wouldn’t dare avert my eyes to look at my watch, but from the first accidental arrow-shot to the sunrise and the Ents’ flooding, this sequence redefines jaw-droppingly kick-ass.  Jackson has crafted an epic battle beyond the scope of Kurosawa, beyond the capability of Lucas, and beyond anything I expected.  We have wide shots of the battle, showing us what’s happening strategically, then we have close-ups, including delightful comedy from John Rhys Davies’ Gimli the Dwarf and Orlando Bloom’s Legolas.  The death-toll counting is hysterical; the shield-slide is fantastic; the Ent on fire taking a dip is heartwarming, funny, and victorious, all at once.  And even more than this, each Orc is shown, not marching in line rhythmically like the droids and clones of the Star Wars prequels, but each one with its own personality, its own steps, movements, ideas.

Complaints?  Only a few, and even fewer if you eliminate the nit-picking ones.  The laid-back pace of cutting works in almost every scene, with the exception of one time.  There is one cut to Merry and Pippin talking to Treebeard where my immediate internal response was “Oh COME ON!”  I caught myself, but that was my reaction nonetheless.  Liv Tyler’s part in this could have been cut to a scene.  There’s no point in Viggo Mortesen’ (who is a complete joy in this film) Aragorn to fall off the cliff, only to return later.  Again, too much Liv Tyler, and that particular plot point served no real purpose.  Cate Blanchett should not have been in this movie.  The conclusion of the Helm’s Deep battle is too abrupt.  I love Sean Astin as Samwise the Brave’s delivery of the last soliloquy, of the ever-relevant Tolkienisms about fighting for the belief in a greater good.  After that, though, it all wraps up too quickly.  And we leave them to go to the final scene between the two Hobbits and Smeagol, which serves to leave an ominous tone until the next film, and may drag on just a bit too long.

But these complaints are small ones, for the movie as a whole achieves what it sets out to do impressively, and left me wanting more.  Now, though, I not only look forward to Return of the King, but also to that morning, afternoon, and night watching the trilogy together.  I’ll be microwaving popcorn after Aragorn falls off the cliff.

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