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The Two Towers
Directed by Peter Jackson
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler
Running Time:
Country: USA/New Zealand
Year: 2002
Web: Official Site
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A heroic and grandiose fresco, The Two Towers undoubtedly emerges as the pillar of heroic fantasy, breaking through the barriers of a secluded—and often grotesque—genre to offer contagious entertainment.
Director Peter Jackson confirms his talent for an impetuous and large-scale mise-en-scène, breathing into the picture the vitality necessary for a project of such scale. The camera twirls around reinforcing the feeling of immensity as it caresses the gracious curves of the New Zealand landscape or follows the rattling of the swords. The adaptation is meticulous, both at the visual and narrative levels, and perfectionism is not feigned. The final battle is undoubtedly the purple passage of the film, carried out with panache by Viggo Mortensen. While his character, Aragorn, becomes emblematic in this second chapter of the Tolkien trilogy, the actor also eclipses his protagonists thanks to a charisma that transfigures the simple warrior figure. The film successfully exults the child within us, shamelessly awaking puerile instincts of jubilation.
But the main issue of The Two Towers precisely lies in one of its forces, the choice to make a faithful and meticulous adaptation of the trilogy. This second episode indeed suffers from the presence of useless childish narrative elements and embarrassing themes.
The film, divided into distinct parts associated with various main characters, rightly follows the adventures of Aragorn and Frodo, each one on their side, but gets stuck when showing the flat peregrinations of hobbits Merry and Pippin. Not only are these two characters insipid and almost anecdotal, but they pass the majority of film perched on a wandering "human" tree whose imaginings aren't that fascinating. This interlude reeks of Alice in Wonderland & The Wizard of Oz and contrasts all the more with the Gothic tonalities of the picture. One will also regret that Jackson, after having us hold our breath with the heroic actions of the final battle, skimps on its climax. Just when Gandalf—as a ghostly zorro—arrives with the cavalry, we find ourselves brutally distraught instead, having to listen to a monologue of the laborious Samwise.
More troubling, Tolkien's world seems built on a glorification of the omnipotent man that borders too often on misogyny. A virile friendship seems to be of paramount value here and there is no shortage of symbols of male dominance. While the famous towers stand as marks of phallic power, the evil eye can also be regarded as an allusion to femininity. As for odyssey of Frodo and Samwise, it has airs of a voyage of initiation to the self-discovery of their homosexuality. On the contrary, women are generally either huddled in fear or slowing down the troops. As for the three strong female figures of the story (Liv Tyler, Miranda Otto and Cate Blanchett), their contribution is limited to furtive cameos. It is easy to understand why Jackson wanted to develop Liv Tyler's character and a love story in order to try to add some nuances to the piece. Fortunately our thirst for large-scale entertainment enables us to carry on regardless of the flaws inherent to the original work, letting us impatiently await the third and final onscreen installment.
Fred Thom
 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
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The Two Towers review
