The Two Towers - The Heart of Tolkien's work

(review based on the Extended Cut - again, obviously)

The particular scene they choose to make the intro of The Two Towers around, reminded me to mention of yet another one of the (great?) feats that Peter Jackson achieved with his adaptations: he basically made Lord of the Rings be BADASS. Which might translate to 'more marketable and sellable to larger moviegoing audiences'; but no, I mean: Gandalf fighting the Balrog mid their free fall – probably single-handedly inspiring the entire gameplay style of God War; as we see in the Bond-like intro of Two Towers. THAT badass!

Well, the intro from Fellowship had a similar intentional effect (LOOK HOW A BADASS MOTHERFUCKER THAT SAURON IS FOLKS, HE MEANS BUSSINESS WITH THAT RING! – sort of thing); which I'll forever understand and respect Christopher Tolkien's complaints over the films and how they handled his father's work by turning a melodic epic medieval adventure worthy of the tales of old and legendary poems, into an ‘action movie’.

And I won’t t be the one to make baffling excuses to some of the “concessions” that Jackson and his team had to make while adapting Tolkien to life, because while he’s obviously translating everything to Hollywood blockbuster veins, I find the soul of the novel’s story is still firmly present amidst its pyrotechnical spectacle. Is the best of both worlds, if you’re willing to buy into Jackson’s corny sappiness overtones and big loud action-spectacle structuring. I grew up on it, so I might as well be!

As the midway-chapter, both of a trilogy and the second long act of a behemoth epic movie; The Two Towers has its cracks. It has a lot to establish and introduce while tying with what's to come and what came and if you take the fact that the extended editions are the superior (and definitive!) versions of these films, is the one that drags way too often. Some of it having to do especially in how it adapts the core material of this part of the story, which granted is even split divided between the fans of the book (yes I'm referring to the Ent chapter – which I love!), so making changes and additions around were downright inevitable, even though not all of it works to its potentials.

However, is still the one movie of the three that probably encapsulates the entire thematic cornerstone of Tolkien's work, and the heart of the trilogy as a whole! In what it tackles about the soul-crushing, physical and emotional toll from war and the all consuming nature of evil present in it, and how it acts within the hearts of men and in the macro scope of a fellowship, a society, a nation; seen in Rohan drowned and dominated by a complete decaying state of hopelessness.

The despair caused by the constant fear and loss: a father of a son – The young perish and the old linger; but even between two loved ones the chance of living their love torn by their differing mortalities (as melo soapy Arwen and Aragorn scenes might take, Liv Tyler makes them work tremendously under ethereal quality!) – ...but never more than memory.

And the threat imposed by Saruman and the tower of Isengard, the burning fires of industry and its blind-ego driven attempt to corrupt the natural order of the world, to build ‘something better’. Feels hauntingly timeless in whatever the context you might would like to read this! Specially felt around the forest of Fangorn being usurped by the hands that it once trusted. The despair that reigns in the hearts of men are shared by nature, while both fight back. Both by different levels of instinct: survival, will, duty, hope; and the natural order imposing his domain eventually in a roar of comeuppance!

But there lies some of its glaring hiccups as well. The atmosphere around Rohan’s state of war in the first half is great, but the build-up for Helm’s Deep can get a bit repetitive when intertwining with Aragorn / Arwen’s sections and the ever repeating discourses of ‘HOW ALL IS LOT, WE ARE DOOMED’, that not even the great Warg ambush saves it from slog – is kind of ironic to think that while the same was true in the book, it happened to be more action packed with a whole lot of battles happening in that area of Rohan, pure chaos like all of Tolkien’s experiences at no man’s land, getting transcribed into his writing.

Now in regards to Merry and Pippin travelling around with Treebeard is the real slog. Not because they are boring, but because Jackson, Walsh and Boyens clearly didn’t know how to make this section interesting – that was solved in just one long chapter originally; getting stretched to its own particular arc within the film and basically consists of backs and forth filled with comedy. It becomes a muddled section in regard to what's ultimately serving and trying to say.

They try to imply some of that through lines like: 'Don't be hasty master Meriadoc' - wise decisions are made with given time, not hasting into impulsive acts; or the beautiful 'The Ent and the Entwife' poem present in the exteded edition - the contemplation of nature, the serenity of peace in the natural that contrasts with the calamity of war. A lot of that gets a bit lost amidst scenes filling up the Tom Bombadill and Old Man Willow’s absence and more walking slowly or Treebeard sleeping middle of a conversation because he’s old and boring, haha cute; but it has a big reward in the finale that’s impossible not to smile from ear to ear.

Some of that is true as well with Frodo and Sam’s section in their path towards Mordor, especially in how they have to change Faramir’s characterization from the book, letting him get tempted by the ring just like his brother only to later become the noble man he is in the book, because Jackson and crew work on the storytelling basis of ‘character-arcs’ and I know this can get on some critic’s nerves and call this formulaic mechanic.

But given that it has one of the most criminally cut scenes from the extended edition, that deepens Faramir and his relationship with both Boromir and his father, I can take easy fond of his character enough to find him compelling and understand the urge to make him more “nuanced” – though Tolkien’s very point was Faramir’s contrast with his brother, showing that even outside someone like Aragorn, men had proud individuals such as him or Theoden.

Though the highest point of this section in the movie is also one of the highest of the trilogy: the birth to live-action life of Gollum / Sméagol; the scene-devourer iconic grotesque Iago-like figure; the pitiful state of a corrupted soul by vice and temptation that becomes the walking metaphor all of Frodo's fears in face of his fate and also his own tragic-character that matches the richness from the original material, brought to life FLAWLESSLY by Andy Serkis’ genius, proving yet again the state of art advances in service of story and character first.

Furthermore, it continues to be admirable how the writes make the structure of the book and its events remains - mostly – intact. Even by splitting everything in a dual narrative with different ongoing arcs happening at the same time with interchanging sections, it flows pretty well together and you never get lost on the amount of information, constantly enthralled in all the moving pieces in this chest play of the war for the soul of Middle Earth.

It also continues to impress in how unreal that a fantasy could've reached this level of cinematic magnitude, carrying it imagetic staples of its mythos and legends: a evil wizard in his dark tower; an life-changing journey for our unlikely hero; kings and princesses battling for their kingdom. Lord of the Rings was Tolkien's baby, a way to bring all the literary archetypes of fantasy into one original mythology. Not all is here, but Jackson's film breads this mythology in its making, bringing to life the battle of good and evil and the characters as brave as they can be in their acts, continues a close walk close to doom.

But despite this, all that we lost, all that we fear, There’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for!

There’s power to be read in this! Not (just) in this entire iconic monologue from the film, but rather its original version – and even how it gets transferred to the book. Based on a similar conversation Sam and Frodo had at the stairs of Cirith Ungol before the encounter with Shelob, and how it directly aims to speak to the entire heart of the story. Sam goes to mentions Beren and his quest for the Silmaril in Thangorodrim, inside the reign of Morgoth in Angband as told in The Silmarilion; all to prove his love for Lúthien before her father, and how past all the pain loss and grief him and Lúthien endured, their love still went through.

The rare Silmaril, the lost light of the Valar was recovered for the Elves. It eventually was passed on to Galadriel and given to Frodo in that star-glass. In which Sam says: we're in the same tale still! It's going on. Don't the great tales never end? 'Indeed they don't, they are all playing their part. Their parts will end says Frodo in response, but they will be defining ones. All that we do, mean something! All that we sacrificed in the big story that we share together, our roles and actions will define our future. So that’s the undying beam of hope we must hold on to no matter the darkness that surrounds us. The fate of those we love, of who we are, depends of our strengths to believe in that good.

But only if the ‘truth’ remains there! The actors still carry that truth with them here, and I could spent lines over how amazingly evolved each of them are, but let me gush in particular about Bernard Hill as Theoden king, whom just like Lee, Blanchett and McKellen, the man seemed born to play this part, to the point the goes to become perhaps the most compelling and nuanced character of the trilogy after this point. Living in endless regret for having failed his kingdom and fallen prey of evil, and now struggles against all impossible odds to lead his people to safety, honor his ancestors, remain a good honorable man!

If the crossing of the Argonaths in Fellowship was the moment that sold the authentic truth of this world and story, in Two Towers is this scene:

When Theoden regains conscious after Saruman's hold of him is casted away by Gandalf, the small piece of acting from Dieter Eppler as Háma reacting in complete emotion seeing his king return to be; and Miranda Otto as Eowyn breaking in emotions seeing her uncle coming back to life as if she’s witnessing a long awaited miracle; the MUSIC; just…oh! If you wanna cheat and cite The Horse and the Rider monologue go ahead and do it and no one can blame you, Bernard is that much amazing – and incredibly underrated actor!

Other than all my jabbering, what’s left to say about The Two Towers as a epic-filmmaking spectacle that elevates everything that Fellowship had already presented, crowned in what’s perhaps the most beloved set-piece of the trilogy: Helm’s Deep, that yes continues to be an intact solid spectacle and the staple of perfection for siege battle in movie history. Now, if you wanna know how Jackson perfected the mapping, sense of geography and pace of action throughout this entire sequence, watch a wonderful little film called Zulu (1964) and known how my argument that Jackson was always taking notes from past epic cinema into his trilogy to be true!

But for me, the real highlight of the movie was always the most ‘badass’ (sorry Christopher) moment of the book, the Ents marching to war, with nature coming to literally wash the evils from this world. Again, the nature of Tolkien’s world, as much as changed and muddled it got, its soul remains where it belongs and its written emotions make what could’ve been a mid-tier uneven sequel in any other trilogy or franchise, it’s an vital amazing chapter from an amazing story!