Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Warner Bros. – 179 mins – 2002 – Rated PG-13 – 1080p Widescreen 2.40: 1 – DTS-HD 6.1 Audio – DVD copy – Digital Copy

Everyone involved must have definitely been relieved when The Fellowship of the Ring was released, because not only was it a critical success, it also was a huge hit at the box office and audiences want to see the story continue. The second installment of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Two Towers, which was previously only available in a box set, is now sold as an individual Blu-ray from Warner Home Video.

THE MOVIE

The journey to destroy the most powerful ring ever created continues as Frodo (Elijah Wood) and his willing partners bravely push through every dangerous obstacle in their path to complete their task. The fellowship has broken apart making the fight even harder, especially now that a foul creature called Gollum, is out to capture the ring for his own means. The Dark Lord Sauron has unleashed a menacing army in an attempt to destroy Middle Earth, and the man leading to the fight to stop him is Gandalf the Grey, who has returned from the dead as Gandalf the White (Ian McKellen).

The Two Towers is the darkest of the trilogy, and does an excellent job with making the characters complex, instead of them just rehashing the same actions from the first film. The newest character, the Gollum (Andy Serkis) is not only an achievement in visual digital effects, but is such a tragic figure that you can’t help but feel for him even though his goals are corrupt.

Again Peter Jackson has done an excellent job at not only continuing the story, but also making sure that the audience is immersed. Visually this film is the most spectacular of the three, with Middle Earth looking more like a domain of Hell. Like another middle film, The Empire Strikes Back, this movie offers more than the original and the set-up for the final film is well orchestrated.

This film could have easily fallen flat because it has the least action of the three movies, but creative means have made it stand on its own because even though there is one prime objective of the trilogy, each character whether they are good or bad is given their place in the story. The Two Towers is not only a strong sequel, but it completely makes you desire the grand finale.

VIDEO

The transfer for the Two Towers is definitely better than what made it to The Fellowship of the Ring disc. The 1080p image in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio is a huge leap over the standard Blu-ray offering a sharp image and better skin tones and colors than the previous film. Grain those appear in darker scenes, but overall this is more what you would expect from a high definition transfer.

AUDIO

Just like the first film, the Dolby Digital DTS-HD 6.1 audio mix is a winner. Dialogue, effects and music are blended together in a perfect flow that that makes the experience worth cranking up your speakers. The sub woofer seems to get more of a workout this time around especially during the action scenes, and the score sounds like sweet poetry. Overall, this is the way to hear a Lord of the Rings movie.

EXTRAS

The bonus features are on a standard DVD, so again if you own the DVD trilogy, you’ve already seen this stuff because it’s a direct port.

Return to Middle Earth: a forty-minute feature that first appeared on the WB goes behind the scenes and includes interviews with the cast and crew.

The Long and Short of it is barely ten-minutes is another mini on the set spotlight.

The eight webisodes that were a big hit online before the films were released have all been assembled.

A music video for the Gollum’s Song by Emiliana Torrini is nothing spectacular, but worth a look.

Obviously there’s a build up preview for the final chapter in the trilogy, The Return of the King.

HD versions of the theatrical trailer and teaser are also included on the main disc.

A Digital Copy of the film to take Middle Earth with you everywhere.

BOTTOM LINE

The Two Towers on Blu-ray is a solid release offering a great picture and excellent sound, but the bonus features are the old batch of stuff that everyone has already seen before. Fans are going to get this one, without question, even though they all know the Director’s cuts will also hit Blu-ray soon. The Two Towers is a great middle movie that makes you anticipate seeing how the trilogy will end.

SCORES (out of 5):

The Movie: 4.5

Video: 4.0

Sound: 4.5

Extras: 3.5

Bottom Line: 4.0