Simply put, "The Two Towers" lives up to the standards the filmmakers set for themselves in the first film. It is remarkably faithful to the books, and it is an excellent film in any estimation.The style established in the first film is maintained rigorously in the second. Colors, sounds, dialogue, effects, acting... all excellent, all used well. I cannot think of a single element with which I was disappointed, but there were a few things which stood out as particularly impressive.
The achievement and realization of Gollum as a character was better than I think anyone expected. Very quickly, I forgot while watching the film that he is essentially a virtual character, and what we see on the screen was created by digital artists (along with the incomparable Andy Serkis). Far from suffering from Jar-Jar Binks syndrome, Gollum becomes as real a character as any of the actors on-screen, with depth and feeling and even sympathy. I didn't expect to be given a Gollum I could believe in, but Jackson and his team surprised me here.
Even apart from Gollum, the effects of this second film were even better than the first. I can see that, as good as they were when they started the project, the artists working on Lord of the Rings have already begun to improve their talents, and it shows in the work. The massive battle sequence at Helm's Deep is only one example of the fine work they are doing now.
Howard Shore's music for the film has once again enchanted me thoroughly. Shore is a talented composer for just about any film, but for Lord of the Rings he has clearly pulled out all the stops and created something completely new for him, but utterly perfect for the films. His epic, sweeping, emotional score is ideal for capturing the essence of the story. It's gotten to the point that listening to even a small portion of the music invokes memories of the films for me.
The actors chosen for Lord of the Rings could not be better, and in this movie they prove it even moreso than in the first. Driven to extremes of desperation and hopelessness, and still coming out the other side intact, they show their basic humanity and maintain a sense of who they are. Whether siding with good or evil, all the characters are essentially believeable, and that is a rare achievement.
The changes that were made for the film version of "The Two Towers" take a little getting used to for someone who has read the books, but they don't really detract from the story at all. Many of them actually seem to make the story more accessible, and to establish some plot point a little earlier or a little more clearly.
In many ways, "Fellowship" was an easier film to watch. "The Two Towers" seems somewhat depressing and dark in comparison, as well it should. This second film is a story about finding hope in the face of hopelessness. As each part of the story progresses, the characters progress deeper into the darkness that is engulfing the world. Sam expresses this explicitly near the end of the film, when he says that it gets to the point where you don't want to know what happens next anymore, because it seems that it can't possibly turn out well. These are people presented with insurmountable odds, but what makes it so compelling to watch is that they try anyway -- "because there's some good left in this world... and it's worth fighting for."
A few words about the DVD: it's a good-looking presentation, and the extras are fun and all worth watching. Sean Astin's short film, "The Long and Short of It," is presented on the second disc, as is a 10-minute behind-the-scenes preview of the third film and a sampling of scenes that will be seen in the Extended Edition of "The Two Towers." Just as on "Fellowship," the extras on "The Two Towers" are almost long enough to be a film in themselves, and they are all well-produced and worth watching.
All in all, a very well-done film. Peter Jackson's film version of The Lord of the Rings is (so far) the best fantasy epic ever committed to film. Perhaps the only drawback to watching "The Two Towers" now is that it makes me even more anxious to see "The Return of the King."
