Reviewed by: Becca & Jeff

Directed by: Peter Jackson

Produced by: Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne, Mark Ordesky

Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin,Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Miranda Otto, Bernard Hill, Brad Dourif, Andy Serkis, David Wenham, Karl Urban, & Bruce Hopkins

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers begins in the hills of Emyn Muil, where lost Hobbits Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) discover they are being followed by the mysterious Gollum (Andy Serkis). A mercurial creature who has himself been warped by the Ring, Gollum promises to guide the Hobbits to the Black Gates of Mordor if they will release him. Sam does not trust their new companion, but Frodo takes pity on Gollum, who like himself was once a Ringbearer.

Across Middle-earth Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), the Elf archer Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli the Dwarf (John Rhys-Davies) encounter the besieged Rohan kingdom, whose once great King Theoden (Bernard Hill) has fallen under Saruman’s deadly spell through the manipulations of his spy, the sinister Wormtongue (Brad Dourif). Eowyn (Miranda Otto), the niece to the King, recognizes a leader in the Human warrior Aragorn. And though he finds himself drawn to her, Aragorn is constantly reminded of his enduring love for the Elf Arwen (Liv Tyler) and the pact they made together.

Gandalf (Ian McKellen) has been reborn as Gandalf the White following his cataclysmic fight with the Balrog, and reminds Aragorn of his destiny to unite the Rohan people with the last remaining stronghold of Human resistance - Gondor.

In their parallel journeys, the Fellowship will face unimaginable armies and deception while also witnessing ancient wonders and the untapped strength of their people. Together they must stand against the powerful forces spreading from the Two Towers - Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where the corrupted wizard Saruman has bred a lethal army 10,000 strong; and Sauron’s fortress at Barad-dûr, deep within the dark lands of Mordor.

Let me start by saying there are two actors in this movie, that I really can't stand, Elijah Wood and Liv Tyler. It's not that they are bad actors, it's just the sound of their name and the look on their faces brings rage to my little heart. So, I didn't see the first one in theater, but instead waited for it to come out in video. I read the books in school, so I wanted to see how the Movie World chopped it up to fit into a film. I heard it was great, and as much as I hate to say this, they did a fantastic job.

When the second one came out, I ran to the theater with much of the human world. I sat there for three hours and watch the story unveil, and even though I read the books, I was still surprised by much of the story. This movie is not only beautiful, but my most hated actors are perfect for their parts. Elijah Wood is a hobbit, of course! Perfect! Liv Tyler looks like an elf without the ears, I've always thought that. Not many fantasy movies like this are released, and if they are they are cartoons. This movie is fantastic, I agree with the majority of the world sadly. If you haven't seen the first two, go do it NOW, before the third one comes out. HURRY!

What else can I say about this movie but WOW! I absolutely loved the first part of the LOTR series, and this one completely blew me out of the water. This movies pace is slightly different then the first one, and it goes more into the characters, and the problems they're dealing with, then a lot of action and fighting (although it does harbor some of that too). My favorite character by far was Gollum. The combination of the life like movements with the VERY well down CGI body was fantastic, and even though he was CGI, he had a very strong presence on the screen. The best thing about this movie however was the battle of Helms Deep. This massive battle at the gates of Helms Deep was spectacular. All the details that they added in, and the way the battle progressed on screen was great, and you felt like you were in the middle of the battle along with the protaganists. Its a bit long, and if you watch it on DVD, then you probably will want to take a snack break about half way through, but DEFINATELY watch this one!