Following on from 2001’s The Fellowship of the Ring, the second instalment of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy finds the
Fellowship disbanded. The plot follows what remains of the party in three
separate storylines which barely cross paths. Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas set
about trying to find Merry and Pippen while killing as many Orcs as they can
along the way. The aforementioned Hobbits meanwhile end up in a strange forest
full of giant tree herders known as Ents and Frodo and his companion Sam head
on towards Mordor, determined to destroy the One Ring. It isn’t long though
before they are joined by another companion, Gollum, the former owner of the
ring, a creature torn apart by its power and hold over him.
Much like The Fellowship
I loved The Two Towers when I first
saw it but as my enjoyment of the first has diminished over time, the same can
be said for its sequel, only more so. In terms of how much I enjoy the trilogy,
this middle part is my least favourite, though not by much. This instalment
also has themes which stretch beyond the reach of Middle Earth such as
industrialisation and ecology. It also features a battle which lasts close to
forty minutes and is considered by many to be one of the greatest ever
committed to the big screen.
