"One Ring to rule them all ..."
Hello everyone!
If you're looking at your calendars and wondering, yes, I planned this.
I figured out that if I review the entire Hobbit trilogy as well as the Lord of the Rings one, I just make it to December when I can easily segue into my annual Christmas watching and reading.
Nifty, huh?
That said, I also hope you're ready for the ride in tonight's blog, because boy oh boy, this movie ... let's just say it has the harshest critics. Mostly because, out of all the trilogy, it suffered the biggest amount of changes to the timeline and the plots.
I'm not saying it's a bad thing, though, and maybe "suffered" isn't the right word to use. Generally speaking I still love it, and I'm a die-hard Tolkien fan!
So let's jump right in and see what that says about The Two Towers.
We all know that the Fellowship of the Ring was formed so that Frodo could take the One Ring to Mordor and destroy it. Along the initial stage of their journey they lost Gandalf in Moria, and splintered further after the abduction of Merry and Pippin, and the death of Boromir.
The Two Towers picks up pretty much right where we left off, with Frodo and Sam lost in the Emyn Muil, and trying their hardest to get to where they're supposed to go. They know they're being followed - and lo and behold, we finally see Gollum for the first time when they apprehend him.
Andy Serkis has truly redefined what CGI characters mean on-screen, and this particular movie is a flagship for what evolved afterwards.
After a lot of screeching and bemoaning, Gollum promises to lead the Hobbits out, and does so, right to the Dead Marshes, the remnant of a long-ago battle (and I highly suggest you remember the movie prologue at this time, because this battle happens in that same time frame). Frodo takes a little dip in the fetid waters, as you do, gets rescued by Gollum, and they all cower from the Black Rider that flies over them.
Ah, the adventures one has when you traipse about with a proto-Hobbit!
Unfortunately, this one comes to a close when they realize that, welp, nobody can get through the Black Gate and into Mordor, and because Gollum actually DOESN'T want the Ring to end up with Sauron again, he explains there's ANOTHER way in.
Sam's SO not into this, but Frodo is, so they backtrack and land in Ithilien, the former garden of Gondor but that's now disputed land and basically a war zone, depending on the time of day. Frodo and Sam come to verbal blows (fueled by the Ring, of course) about Gollum, who has very serious opinions about potatoes (in fact, he doesn't like them, boiled, or mashed, or in a stew), but this all falls by the wayside when an actual battle flares up around them.
I just said this is a war zone, yes? Well, the rangers of Ithilien, led by one Faramir of Gondor, are defending their territory, and two Hobbits don't belong in it, so they take them captive. Talking together, they recognize they have a lot to share between them, ie that Boromir is dead and was Faramir's older brother, but also that Frodo has the One Ring, something that just may turn the tides of battle in Gondor's favour.
No matter the argument the Hobbits make, Faramir drags them along to Osgiliath, another, even hotter war zone, where they have to fend off another Black Rider, and Frodo basically falls further under the Ring's spell.
At least Faramir now gets it, though, even if he doesn't like the idea of letting Gollum trudge along with them (Gollum having been caught fishing in the Forbidden Pool earlier), but at least he proves his worth, according to Sam.
And this is where we leave our Hobbits as they continue their journey ... into further danger, not that they know, but we as the audience hear Gollum mention a "her". "She" will come into play in the next movie, but WE have to backtrack to Merry and Pippin.
After getting caught by the Orcs, they've been carried like backpacks, with Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli hot on their trail. Pippin lets drop his Lothlórien brooch, as a just-in-case, but they don't really get a chance to escape until several death threats pass, and they manage to sneak away into the darkness when the Orcs are attacked by an unknown cavalry.
Followed by one of the foul creatures they've just escaped, they get unexpected aid from Treebeard, an Ent that's seen far too much and hasn't got the time or patience for any tomfoolery. He just drops them off with "the White Wizard".
Afterwards, as he promises to keep them safe, they gather the rest of the Ents to decide whether or not these ancient beings will participate in the events that're on the horizon - Merry, especially, feels the pressure, because he gets a glimpse of Saruman's Orc army from a distance, and knows that friends and allies alike are in big, big trouble.
Unfortunately, the Ents decide nah, we're good, and Treebeard goes to deposit the Hobbits at the edge of Fangorn forest. With Pippin tricking him into taking them south instead of their previous heading, they come across the open plains Saruman's caused after hacking down all the trees there, which pisses Treebeard right off.
The Ents then decide to march right up to Isengard and destroy as much of it as they can, at which they're surprisingly successful, considering, releasing the dammed river and basically washing everything away that can't withstand floodwaters.
But, you're asking, what about Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli?
Well, they do their best trying to catch up to the Orcs, but instead run into that unknown cavalry from before, which just so happens to be a grouping of the Riders of Rohan. Led by Éomer, they've just finished up burning the carcasses of their foes, but he lends our trio horses (after some heated words and insults thrown about, looking at you, Gimli) and they ride off. They find a belt one of the Hobbits wore, and initially think they're dead, until Aragorn discovers tracks in the grass.
Following those, they enter Fangorn forest, where Gimli is advised NOT to use his axe in any way, shape or form, and they meet the White Wizard themselves.
Turns out, Gandalf's not so dead as we all thought, he just got a power-washing and is now all white.
He's also in a hurry to reach Edoras, the capital of Rohan, where things are going from bad to worse. The King's nephew's been banished (you know, the guy who gave our people horses), leaving his niece at the mercy of one Wormtongue who, honestly, just the name alone makes you want to kick him where it hurts.
Gandalf does a really good impersonation of a feeble old man who needs a walking stick AND Legolas to lean on so they hobble in together, where he reveals that, SURPRISE, SUCKERS! he's cool, and defeats Saruman in a mind-duel so that Théoden is released from the spell, coming back to his old self.
And his old self is horrified to realize that, one, his son and heir is dead, his nephew is in the wind, and his country's about to be overrun by the forces Saruman's sent against them. Refugees are already pouring in, and while Aragorn urges open battle, to risk everything, Théoden decides he's headed to Helm's Deep instead.
Considering this fastness in the mountains HAS saved them in the past, it seems like a solid idea, but Gandalf knows it's probably a trap, so he rides out to try and get some help, promising to be back ASAP.
This leaves our guys to tag along into battle, being first assailed by warg riders in the plains, and losing Aragorn because, that's just how the story goes, alright?
We need him to be lost for a while to segue into the Elven section of the movie, where Arwen tries to defy her father, but Elrond promises her there's nothing but death where she's at, and she's better off leaving for Valinor. So, she leaves, but daddy-o has a mind-chat with Galadriel, and the two of them reach a decision that'll show its worth in just a second.
With everyone at Helm's Deep, Aragorn is hard pressed to get there in time after his dip in the river (that didn't actually clean him at all, miraculously), and they fortify as best as they can, but tensions are running high, even among friends, because Legolas is pretty convinced they're all about to die.
Ah, Leggy, have you never heard of the 300 story?
Not that it matters, because remember the Elves? Well, a regiment of them arrives to fight, led by Haldír, who we meet back in the first movie, and they take up prime positions as archers on the walls.
Now comes the action sequence of this movie, when Saruman's forces clash with the good guys, and you've got it all: action, suspense, humour (again, looking at you, Gimli!), and devastating loss because people be dying left, right and center.
Still, even though they're eventually cornered right in the central tower of the keep, our heroes persevere long enough for Gandalf to actually arrive, coming out as a sortie just as he pops up, with Éomer by his side leading a large troop of riders. They basically sweep over the Orcs like a tide, the battle's won, and as Gandalf says: all our hopes lie now with two young Hobbits, somewhere in the wilderness.
Which is where we leave them, trudging towards the end of all ends!
Despite the fact that there's plenty of things which get changed about from book to movie in this one, I will say that the changes make sense in terms of the visual storytelling. A lot of The Lord of the Rings is set up as a psychological battle which happens within individuals, but you can't show that as effectively on screen, which is why these changes were made.
The biggest ones, Frodo beginning to succumb to the Ring, Faramir's character which, in the book, you'll see is vastly different, the Ents not immediately deciding to march and the Elves at Helm's Deep are wildly discussed and often times disputed even today.
I'm not going to get into a debate about it, but I WILL say that, no matter what you think, the story works, and is shown in a cohesive manner that manages to follow three distinct storylines without flagging or failing at any particular weak spot. You might not like the Elves being there, but gosh darn it do I always cheer when I see them on screen (and so did many at actual screenings of the movie, twenty-odd years ago)!
I'll be looking at how it all went down in the books on Thursday, but join me here next week for the conclusion of this epic saga in The Return of the King. I promise you won't want to miss it!
xx
*images and video not mine
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