Comments on The Two Towers movie (with spoilers)- page 2

Charles Davies, Brentwood, England

The two towers was great, however i think it should have ended at the correct place when sam hears that Frodo wasn't killed by shelob's sting. that would have been a fabulous place to leave it before the return of the king!!

Jeff Mitchel, Bowmanville, Canada

I found many of the locations and castings quite compatible with what I have always seen in my own imagination. Treebeard's rendering was clever, though they made him out to be a little too hasty himself. Notwithstanding the difficulties of distilling an epic book into 3 movies, resulting in some perhaps unavoidable liberties being taken with plot, I cannot accept the liberty taken with the character of Faramir. The movie makes him out to be virtually another Boromir, and that's a shame, and I could not see how taking Frodo, Gollum and the ring to Minas Tirith (where they never go in the novel)served to advance the movie-plot any more than the original plot would have done. That was extremely disappointing. Also, the failure to establish a bond between Aragorn and Eomer at their first meeting was also inexplicable. Having said this, I still found the movie to be entertaining and true to the spirit of the book if not the text.

Oliver Bröckling, Osnabrück, Germany

I guess such a work done by such a master is not possible to translate it into visual aspects in full length and full quality! Independently form my own opinion concerning several episodes of the movies I guess the movie is well done within itself; but many things I do miss very much and many scenes that are added do not fit into the whole story.

Things I liked: Everyone knows New Zealand is the best choice P.Jackson did, I love this indescribable country, never seen such a beautiful land.

The monologue of Smeagol and Gollum: very good!, everyone understands his fight and his good will.

I also liked the shape of the Ents (but much too fast).

Things I dislike: I am very sad of the behaviour of Faramir, in my mind he was brave strong just and fair, but in the movie he behaves like his older brother and fells the need of taking the ring.

Also I guess the nazgul do not interact in the second part (I guess the were only scouts), except Legolas shot one flying horse of one

I do not remember all I thought of but one thing I will not forget or forgive: What the hell does Haldir do in Helms Deep, and all the archers of the elves; why does he die there. I always thought this chapter of this tale says, that Men free themselves from the influence of the Elves, and that a new Era begins where Men are strong again.

oliver1982@gmx.de

linda, sacramento, us

two towers sucked. it had so many errors and unnecessary additions, I am just clueless as to what the director was doing. little things like aragorn falling off the cliff were inane, but stuff like faramir bringing frodo back from mordor, what was that! are they putting shelob in the last movie? why all that boring love stuff with elf chick, that is unnecessary. and the part where they say the elves are fleeing middle earth, have given up - what? they left because they realized their time was up and man's turn had come, not because they were wussy babies. lastly, the ent thing where the ents discussed things and decided not to go to war, why did they make that so backward and inaccurate? the battle scenes were cool as was the scenery, but I am really disappointed with this 2nd movie and hope they don't totally ruin the return.

Jennifer Kloester, Melbourne, Australia

Loved the first one and went to the Two Towers with great hopes. It began well with Gandalf and the Balrog and I was really enjoying it until several significant changes to Tolkien's wonderful story hit me. The first was the banishment of Eomer - not too terrible but annoying given his relationship with Aragorn et al. But then the Entmoot saw Treebeard (surely one of Tolkien's best-loved characters) refuse to go to war against Saruman only to be later 'tricked' by Pippin into going towards Isengard. After that Aragorn fell over a cliff (!), there was a stupid battle with some improbable wargs, Elves (!!) turned up at Helm's Deep, Gimli became a clown, the Battle went on for too long and was apparently won without the aid of Erkenbrand or, far more importantly, the Huorns! But where the film really lost me was in its rendering of Faramir. Stripped of his nobility and his Numenorean integrity he came across as stupid, weak and even slightly evil. My disappointment runs deep. The more so because I felt that Peter Jackson had really created something marvelous in the first film - that he'd captured the essence of the book and maintained an extraordinary level of creative integrity. This appears to have been sacrificed to a much more Hollywood-style of film.

Gollum-Smeagol, however, was wonderful!

Mary DePauw, Green Bay, United States

The film departed sharply from the book in many areas but most devastatingly in Jackson's characterization of Faramir. Fans of the LOTR remember Faramir as wise, grave, even sad, but he never lusted for the Ring, nor even seemed tempted to it. Instead he understands with sorrow why his brother Boromir fell. The other area in which Jackson took too much freedom was in his portrayal of Elrond as a bitter father who will not give up his daughter though love and fate may will it so she remains bound to Middle Earth and mortality.

This is not to say I did not enjoy the film as a film. Indeed they, both the Fellowship and Two Towers, are still better than one might expect. The battle of Helm's Deep will remain one of the greatest cinematic feats. The portrayal of Gollum's tortured mind and possession by the Ring and its evil was very believable and well done. The exorcism of Theoden by Gandalf the White was a nice touch not wholly incompatible with Tolkien's vision of evil. The dominance of hope is strongly felt, hope in goodness, and Sam's comments that after all darkness is but a shadow and it must pass, a new day will come, etc. These words our modern world needs so desperately. Since all that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing, good men need Sam's reminder that there is yet good in this world worth fighting for.

Kimberley Mildenhall, Swindon, England

Very disappointing,my friend (who hasn't read the book)couldn't understand why I was visibly spitting and hissing in my seat!! Why, why WHY did they change so many plot elements that did not need to be changed?!! Theoden was portrayed as a miserable old coot, Faramir deciding to take Frodo and Sam back to Gondor, Gollum's 'Slinker and Stinker' elements having a 'hilarious' debate (I didn't find it amusing). Fellowship was a good start to the movies, am wondering if Return of the King will leave us Tolkien purists feeling very bitter and twisted (So twisted that we will become Modern-day Orcs perhaps-burning our copies of the book, mispronouncing Elvish words, etc... we shall see...)