DVD Review: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that violence in this fantasy spectacle
includes countless battle casualties in death by arrows,
spears, swords, monster-stomping, fatal plunges, and
explosions. For all the monster gore, pet-loving kids may be
most disturbed when a hungry creature tears up fresh-killed
rabbits to eat. There is nightmarish imagery of ghoulish
things, dead and alive, that may be too much for some. Once
heroic character smokes. The story starts right where the
previous
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring left off.
Viewers not familiar with the first film (or J.R.R. Tolkien's
novels) will be very confused.
- Families can talk about the many representations of the war between good and evil. King Theoden comes back. Gollum may be coming back. Where else do you see the dualities expressed?
- What does it mean to say that Saruman has "a mind of metal and wheels and no longer cares for growing things"?
- At several points, characters have to decide when to fight and when to give up or retreat. What do they consider in making that decision? What should they consider?
- Why is it important to Gollum that Frodo calls him by his old name?
- Why do Sam and Frodo wonder if they will ever be included in songs or tales?
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS follows the members of the remaining fellowship and cuts back and forth between their adventures. Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) find a twisted creature called Gollum who embodies the story's struggle between good and evil. Once utterly corrupted by his attempts to steal the ring, the remaining good within him begins to awaken under Frodo's kindness, but that may not be reliable enough for him to become the faithful guide they need. Meanwhile, Frodo's Hobbit friends Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) are caught up with Treebeard and the Ents (tree creatures of enormous size). Also meanwhile, the human warrior Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) try to get help from King Theoden (Bernard Hill), who has been enchanted into befuddlement so that they can fight the vicious Uruk-hai throng of White Wizard villain Saruman (Christopher Lee).
The Two Towerswill satisfy Tolkien devotees and those who are new to the stories looking for an epic with a heroic quest and a lot of action (and a little romance). The first movie had a lot of thundering hoofs and meaningful looks and introduction of characters and portents of doom. This one flings us from cliffhanger to (literal) cliffhanger, with mighty legions hurtling into battle. Every moment on screen is filled with masterfully handled detail.
The vast New Zealand landscapes are a perfect realization of Tolkien's middle earth. The vast armies of hulking monsters stretch back for miles, and Gollum, computer animated but based on the movements of actor Andy Serkis (who also provided the voice), is as real as any of the humans. The human actors hold their own, giving gravity and heart to the effects and panoramas. The only drag on the proceedings is Aragon's love triangle, which feels like something between a distraction and a place-holder.
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