Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3299 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-11-18
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Formats: Box set, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 4
• Running time: 207 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
With significant extra footage and a multitude of worthwhile bonus features this extended version of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is as colossal an achievement as its predecessor, The Fellowship of the Ring. There are valuable additions to the story, including two new scenes which might appease those who feel that the characterisation of Faramir was the film's most egregious departure from the book; fans will also appreciate an appearance of the Huorns at Helm's Deep plus a nod to the absence of Tom Bombadil. Seeing a little more interplay between the gorgeous Eowyn and Aragorn is welcome, as is a grim introduction to Eomer and Theoden's son. And among the many other additions, there's an extended epilogue that might not have worked in cinemas, but is more effective here in setting up The Return of the King. While the 30 minutes added to The Fellowship of the Ring felt just right in enriching the film, the extra footage in The Two Towers at times seems a bit extraneous--we see moments that in the theatrical version we had been told about, and some fleshed-out conversations and incidents are rather minor. But director Peter Jackson's vision of JRR Tolkien's world is so marvellous that it's hard to complain about any extra time we can spend there.

While it may seem that there would be nothing left to say after the bevy of features on the extended Fellowship, the four commentary tracks and two discs of supplements on The Two Towers remain informative, fascinating, and funny, far surpassing the recycled materials on the two-disc theatrical version. Highlights of the 6.5 hours' worth of documentaries offer insight on the stunts, the design work, the locations and the creation of Gollum and--most intriguing for avid fans--the film's writers (including Jackson) discuss why they created events that weren't in the book. Providing variety are animatics, rough footage, countless sketches and a sound-mixing demonstration. Again, the most interesting commentary tracks are by Jackson and writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens and by 16 members of the cast (eight of whom didn't appear in the first film, and even including John Noble, whose Denethor character only appears in this extended cut). The first two instalments of Peter Jackson's trilogy have established themselves as the best fantasy films of all time, and among the best film trilogies of all time, and their extended-edition DVD sets have set a new standard for expanding on the already epic films and providing comprehensive bonus features. --David Horiuchi

DVD Description
DVD Special Features and Technical Information:

Discs 1 & 2 (The Feature)

• Feature (approx. 206 minutes PAL) – A new version of the second installment in the epic trilogy! The film includes over 32 minutes PAL of never-before-seen footage incorporated into the film, made especially for this release:
  * Widescreen (2.35:1) version of the Special Extended Edition
  * Dolby Digital EX 5.1 Surround Sound
  * DTS ES 6.1 Surround Sound
  * Stereo Surround Sound
  
• Four audio commentaries by director and writers, the design team the production team and the cast featuring more than 30 participants including Peter Jackson, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom and Academy Award winners Richard Taylor, Howard Shore, Randy Cook…and many more

Discs 3 & 4 (The Appendices)

• Two discs with hours of original content including multiple documentaries and design /photo galleries with thousands of images to give viewers an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers:

  Disc 3
  

  • Adapting the book into a screenplay & planning the film
    
  • Designing and inspiration for locations in Middle-earth
    
  • Storyboards to pre-visualisation
    
  • Weta Workshop visit – See sculptors in action as they create the weapons, armor, creatures and miniatures from the film
    
  • Atlas of Middle-earth: Tracing the journey of the Fellowship
    
  • An interactive map of New Zealand highlighting the location scouting process
    
  • Galleries of art and slideshows with commentaries by the artists
    
  • And much more!

  Disc 4
  

  • Sending actors to battle – preparation for sword fighting
    
  • Principal photography: Stories from the set
    
  • Digital effects including motion capture and "Massive" (a program to create armies of Orcs)
    
  • "Bigatures" – A close-up look at the detailed miniatures used in the film
    
  • Galleries of behind-the-scenes photographs and personal cast photos
    
  • Post-production – editing it all together
    
  • Sound design demonstration
    
  • And much more!

Synopsis
Picking up where the first film left off, Peter Jackson's THE TWO TOWERS throws the remaining members of the Fellowship into the scattered chaos of Middle-earth, now fully under siege by the forces of Sauron. While Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) journey to the dreaded Mordor, Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) are held captive by orcs, and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) search for their abducted companions. Soon Frodo and Sam are joined by the sulking and duplicitous Gollum (portrayed by the voice and motion-captured acting of Andy Serkis), who becomes their guide through the barren lands leading to Mount Doom. Meanwhile Merry and Pippin encounter the looming Treebeard (voiced by Rhys-Davies) and Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli find themselves in the land of Rohan, accompanied by an old friend. As the tale continues, each scenario becomes more perilous, and fierce battles erupt at both Isengard, home of the treacherous Saruman (Christopher Lee), and the massive Helm's Deep.
After masterfully setting up the world created by J.R.R. Tolkien in THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, Jackson continues the trilogy with the increasingly dark and battle-filled TWO TOWERS without skipping a beat. Although the director takes a few more liberties in adapting the second installment, he skillfully cuts from one scenario to the next, creating a tightly woven tapestry with the various storylines. Joining the impressive cast this time around are Miranda Otto as Eowyn; Bernard Hill as her father, King Theoden; Brad Dourif as the aptly named Grima Wormtongue; Karl Urban as Eomer; David Wenham as Faramir; and Serkis under the remarkable CGI facade of Gollum. An intense epic that features one jaw-dropping sequence after another, THE TWO TOWERS more than carries its weight as the crucial centerpiece of THE LORD OF THE RINGS.

Customer Reviews

Part of the Greatest Story Ever Told
I truly believe that 'the Lord of the Rings' is one of the greatest stories ever told. The tale of Frodo Baggins and the ring of power carries on in the second part of the trilogy, where Frodo and Sam are continuing their relentless quest to Mordor to destory the ring, only to be joined by the sinister yet pitiable creature known as Gollum. Meanwhile, Merry & Pip try their hardest to escape from the evil orcs who captured them at the end of 'The Fellowship of the Ring', whilst Gimley, Legolas and Aragorn meet a king and immediatley sense something is not right. Old characters return and new ones are introduced as the tale of the Ring grows closer to it's end.

The extended edition is far superior to the original, though the amount of time it takes to watch borderlines on ridiculous. There are many (necessary) explanations and more focus on various story arcs. I was especially pleased at the extra focus on Arwen and Aragorn, one of the main stories to hold my interest.

As with the 1st of the films, each shot, every scene is spectacular to watch, and as the viewer you never question the integrity of this fantasy world - for a few hours you truly are transported into Middle Earth, the characters do exist, the elves, dwarfs, orcs, ents and hobbits are all real. The soundtrack is breathtaking and the acting is superb - the characters all look and sound the part and the script is infallible. I don't really have any complaints, except (as I mentioned earlier) for the length of the film, but as this is the extended edition, and that no matter how long this film is it never once feels boring, all is forgiven on my part and I sincerely look forward to watching 'the Two Towers' again. This is how film adaptations from books are meant to be done. Those responsible for the Harry Potter and Narnia films would do to take heed and learn from the master.

The centre of Middle Earth
Chris Cooper's performance in 2002's Adaptation was skilful and memorable, but the Academy Award for Actor In A Supporting Role should surely have gone to Andy Serkis for his performance as Gollum in the second part of Peter Jackson's seminal movie trilogy. The Two Towers (correctly) received the Visual Effects gong, but the Academy may have missed a trick - we couldn't have felt pity for poor Smeagol without the Englishman's dazzling talent.

The Two Towers is the heart of the story in Jackson's (and Fran Walsh's, Philippa Boyens', and Steven Sinclair's) take on the tale. The book has been seriously and necessarily rejigged to suit the demands of the classical narrative. The battle of Helm's Deep, for instance, has been promoted beyond what was essentially a precursor to the final battle to something more immense: a grand, emotionally-driven climactic battle which represents arguably the best single action encounter of the trilogy.

But this last stand would be nothing were it not for the quality of the drama that precedes it. The Fellowship of the Ring set the scene; The Return of the King tore the scene to shreds on an awe-inspiring scale. The Two Towers, meanwhile, sows the seeds that will bloom into the enthralling narrative conflicts concluded in its sequel, as well as containing numerous character arcs of its own. The reluctant feud begins between Boromir (Sean Bean) and Faramir (David Wenham) for the love of their father, Denethor (John Noble); the adversity between nature and industry, represented by the mighty Ents and the tyrant Saruman (Christopher Lee), comes full circle; Grima Wormtongue's (a particularly superb Brad Dourif) fleeting power over the troubled king Theoden (Bernard Hill) and his adopted son, Eomer (Karl Urban) is a wicked war waged by an opportunist weakling. And I haven't even mentioned the surviving members of the Fellowship...

Pleasingly, Jackson et al continue their exploration of Arwen (Liv Tyler), as well as introducing another prominent female character. Miranda Otto's Eowyn is spiky and obstinate, and yet hauntingly bereft; a pale ghost wandering the prison of her uncle (Theoden). She's the most interesting female character in the series by far, deservingly foregrounded for the latter two movies.

Epic, exciting, heartfelt, and frightening - this is a brilliant hub for the trilogy.

Epic DVD Part 2!
The middle part of a trilogy is always the more difficult installment to create. It doesn't have a beginning, nor an ending, but rather bridges the two parts that do. Still, Two Towers is arguably the best section in TLOTR Trilogy.

This will be down to one thing: The epic canvas really expands in this installment. The characters are not in a safe Fellowship anymore, and find themselves all across Middle-Earth.

Frodo and Sam are trying to destroy the ring. Merry and Pippin are captured by Orcs. Aragorn, legolas and Gimli are trying to protect the kingdom of Rohan. And there's the return of everybody's fabourite wizard...

Storylines, therefore, are far more complex than Fellowship of the Ring, which had a simple story. There's more interwoven plot lines and the introduction of many new, exciting characters.

The kingdom of Rohan is pictured magnificently, and are real heroes to get behind. Particularly Bernard Hill as the King, and Karl Urban in a role yet to be bettered as Eomer.

But the real kudos in this part should go to Gollum - astounding, amazing, brilliant. Andy Serkis proves that Gollum is more than just a CGI creation, giving the character feelings, emotions, humour, sadness and scariness. Gollum is a true cinematic acheivement.

The Two Towers also holds the trilogy's greatest set piece - Helm's Deep. It may not have the open, savage fight as appears in Return of the King, but its claustrophobic feel, and tension filled battle really makes the stand-off between Rohan and the Orcs a real set-piece. The build-up is superb, the battle even better, as it is far more personal than any other fight in the series. We're there with the characters, and those who don't feel overwhelmed by the sight of the Orcs advancing hasn't got a pulse. Incredibly well paced, this is the best action scene ever put on film.

The extended edition improves on the theatrical version in many ways. There's more development between Viggo Mortensen and Liv Tyler's characters, giving them a rich backstory, and there's a bit more info about the giant Ent trees.

As before, the four disc set has the movie on two discs, with the bst commentary going this time round to Peter Jackson. He's a wealth of information and ideas, and points many ecxiting things out. I would have said the cast commentary, but while for the Fellowship of the Ring commentary they were all mostly in the same room, here they are'nt, and the commentary has been pieced together from separate sittings.

Once again, plenty of documentaries and art galleries. It's all far too much t owatch, so I'd recommend, again, the doc on Tolkein, the filoming doc, and anything you can find on the creation of Gollum and Helm's Deep, all of which is riveting viewing.