After the success of last year's 'The Fellowship of the Ring', much of the vast weight of expectation has been lifted from the shoulders of Peter Jackson when it came to The Two Towers. On the evidence already presented, it was a pretty safe bet that 'The Two Towers' would be a pretty respectable movie. But how good is it? Very good indeed. Close to exceptional, in fact.
In terms of the narrative, 'The Two Towers' is a little more complex than 'The Fellowship of the Ring'. The story follows three central threads: Aragorn (Mortensen), Gimli (Rhys-Davies) and Legolas (Bloom) make new allies in the shape of the Rohans, led by Theoden (Hill) and prepare for war. Meriadoc (Monaghan) Peregrin (Boyd) have been captured by the orcs but also establish alliances while Frodo (Wood), Samwise (Astin) and the devious Gollum (voiced by Serkis) go to Mordor to destroy the ring..
Space permits much detail but 'The Two Towers' narrative is a multi-layered, enthralling one, and Jackson shows no little skill in moving between the three strands. Having not read the books upon which the films are based, I'm in no position to evaluate whether the characters' experiences are faithfully dealt with, or whether defining episodes are recreated in a satisfactory manner. However, as a film, 'The Two Towers' works extremely well and, quite rightly, will be ranked as one of the best of the year. It's not without fault - although the story moves at a fluid pace, Jackson could have trimmed a good twenty minutes off the running time and one has to question his decision to allow Liv Tyler onto his film set. Still, the final hour, most of it taken up by the battle at Helm's Deep, is absolutely mental.
