Among the various interesting and amusing gifts that I received during our yuletide, er sorry Christmas season just recently, one of the more practical and, well, unexpected ones was the lovely and expensive 4-disc special extended super duper whizbang Two Towers DVD, which of course is released just nicely to coincide with the release of the grand finale. I did actually manage to fit in watching the first half of Two Towers before we were unable to contain our excitement, collectively, and went and saw the Return of the King on Boxing Day.

This Special Extended Super Duper Whizbang Edition of the movie features, of course, about 45 minutes or suchlike of extra footage that was omitted in the cinematic version to appease the ADD-afflicted amongst us, those of us who were foolish enough to take small, fidgety children, and also in order to make a crapload of cash out of people willing to fork over $60 for some pieces of plastic. Since my mate bought this for me, I wasn't among them, though I'd be lying if I said I hadn't considered it. The extended version of the movie straddles two DVDs, with another two DVDs full of, well, other stuff.

It's often difficult to pick some of the added scenes, because at times they are small scenes, or perhaps insignificant ones, which might add only another thirty seconds to the scene, though they do often add to the story, figuratively rather than literally! Then there are some much longer scenes, notably some at the end featuring the Huorns and Treebeard, additional scenes explaining which flesh out Aragorn's character, and most distinctively, extra scenes featuring Faramir, Boromir and Denethor and showing the strained relationships among the Steward of Gondor and his sons. It also shows a little about what drives Denethor to the lunacy shown in Return of the King, and why Faramir comes across as being a bit of a prick in the original cinematic version. Here, he is given a lot more humanity, and his scene of redemption doesn't seem quite so out of the blue, indeed gains a great deal more clarity, and shows the character in a much better light.

The jumpy narrative is still very much present, but really that is extremely difficult to avoid when you have three separate storylines which you have to devote equal time to. It's nonetheless sometimes distracting when you suddenly jump from Gollum, Sam and Frodo having it out, straight to Legolas staring intensely at the horizon or Gimli making some silly jokes. Okay so that is perhaps an exaggeration, but it's sometimes a bit strange. I don't think there's really a way to get out of it, alas. It's probably the biggest downfall I found in the movie, simply because it was often so abruptly changed.

Well, about the movie itself, perhaps? Two Towers is all about exposition and preparation, and yet we still manage to fit in one the of most climactic and atmospheric battles ever committed to a film. The battle on the fields of Pelennor is much larger in scope, and of greater overall importance, but I find that the siege of Helm's Deep was better filmed, more involving, and much more tense. You could sense the overwhelming tide of the orcish horde washing over the gutted walls of the keep, all the while knowing something could turn it.

The involvement of the elves in this battle is poignant, even though I don't recall them arriving in the book. The fact that the immortal elves gave up so many of their lives to aid their allies adds an even greater sadness to what is a very dark and sobering battle. The scene where Haldir is taken from behind by an axe is quite involving - you can see the lifeblood of thousands of years spilling out, and the disbelief in his eyes as he dies is quite something else.

Obviously I could talk about all the plot threads until the cows come home, but a little brevity might be appreciated, I'm sure!

The most involving storyline, yet the one given perhaps the least attention, is the travels of Sam and Frodo on the way to Mordor, with the bizarre Gollum in tow. The ebbs and flows of despair and hope are not as pronounced as they are in the final instalment, yet we see how Frodo begins the spiral down to betrayal and the distinct lack of hope that he suffers from inside Mordor. Andy Serkis' portrayal of Gollum is quite incredible - we know that what we see on the screen is a computer animation, yet the facial expressions, the gamut of emotion and inner conflict that Gollum suffers from is all down to the substance that Serkis gives to the character. It's an amazing portrayal, right down to the idiosyncratic 'gollums' and the contrasting, schizophrenic 'parts' of the character, Smeagol and Gollum.

Of the new characters we are introduced to, perhaps the strongest is Bernard Hill as Theoden, King of Rohan. The transformation from stunned mullet underneath the heel of Saruman and his servant Wormtongue, to the vibrant, commanding King at Helm's Deep, is quite brilliant, given as it happens over a short time. His daughter Eowyn simpers a little bit too much for my liking here - her love for Aragorn is given too much screen time and doesn't show her strong spirit in the same way that the book does. Miranda Otto does add a certain ethereal beauty to the character, even if she is a little bit too wide-eyed and naïve to what I thought she'd be like. Eomer has a strong presence, even though he is not in the piece for very long. When he is exiled, it is a truly sad moment, because his devotion to his uncle and his domain is very clear.

I must say I was a little bit underwhelmed by Treebeard. Of course, the Ents are a bit of a strange race and I have to wonder what Tolkien had in mind when conceived them! While he has a commanding voice and presence, physically Treebeard just looks like an anoxeric, yet very long, knobby tree trunk, not the enormous, stout visage that I'd imagined. Same goes for the rest of the Ents - they looked pretty comical more than anything else! Complete with sad faces and big noses. 'twas a bit of a strange portrayal, I reckon. Merry and Pippin don't get to do much except act scared around the Orcs, though they get stronger the more they're with Treebeard. One of the final scenes, where they discover Shire leaf (not sure if it's supposed to be marijuana or what!) in Saruman's stores after the Ents have done their business, is the funniest in the movie, aside from the one with Gimli and the crenellations at Helm's Deep.

The side-story involving Arwen and Aragorn continues to be an unnecessary distraction. I suppose they needed a romantic sublot in there to attract a female audience, but really, when a thread is left in the appendices of a book, it's not actually meant to have much importance attached to it! Still, she does have the elven grace and fragility, and the almost angelic beauty of the elves.

The story moves along at a pretty fast pace, nonetheless, and the introduction of Gandalf back into the fellowship, and a more important role, is welcome, though predictable. The benevolence and charm of the character comes through in Ian McKellen's portrayal. The opening montage, where he fights the Balrog, is quite amazing, though I am not too sure how they end up on the top of a snowy peak from the bottom of a huge chasm. But you never do know with these wizardly and demonic types. The shot where the blazing Balrog is plummeting down to the lake, with the tiny white speck of Gandalf in tow, is brilliant, albeit brief.

In the end, I felt that while Two Towers lacked something of the magic of the first movie, it certainly justified the ever-present hype, especially the climactic battle and the astounding downhill charge of the Rohirrim, despite the fact it was an entirely invented one! There was little in the way of slow spots, despite the 3 and a half hour length, and despite the multitude of characters, they are all so distinctive and well portrayed that it's sometimes difficult to notice that some of them get very little screen time, especially Hugo Weaving's gruff Elrond. And it paved the way nicely for Return of the King, which as the middle, abridging segment, was all it really had to do.

There is a vast plethora of special features on the two remaining DVDs, as well as the commentaries over the first two. There are all sorts of profiles and pictures of the peoples of Middle-Earth, documentaries on the special effects workshop and how they did what they did, docos about bringing the book to life, in fact pretty much every aspect of the film is brought out and dissected. Even the music and sound effects are explored, so if you've got a day or two free there's plenty of stuff in there to explore, much of which I've yet to get around to! It all looks very interesting, though, and for a film buff there is heaps to keep one occupied about just how a large-concept, visually commanding piece is brought to life. Definitely something I'll be taking a look at before too long.

The Two Towers Special Extended Super Duper Whizband edition is a must-have for any fan of the series. In fact you're really better off saving your pennies, eschewing the first-release DVDs and getting these instead - the added depth provided for the film, not to mention the array of extra stuff, makes the extra money spent worthwhile. And the movie is bloody great, too!


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older