One Of The Best Battle Scenes Ever Captured On Camera
Following on from the success of Fellowship Of The Ring was never going to be an easy task, especially with the high expectations around the middle chapter of this epic trilogy. The Two Towers is a darker, more driven film than the first, growing the feud between good and evil whilst splitting the perspective between Frodo and Sam and the other fractured remnants of the fellowship on their quest to destroy the One Ring. The story picks up right where it left off at the end of the last film. Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) edge closer to Mordor, helped through a labyrinth of swamps and razor sharp rock by the shady Gollum (Andy Serkhis). Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) continue their pursuit of Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) who’ve been captured by the Uruk Hai while the threat of battle looms over the rolling grasslands of Rohan. All of this culminates in a climactic ending that sees one of the best battle sequences ever captured on film take place, the Battle Of Helm’s Deep. Surpassing the excellent work done in Fellowship Of The Ring was always going to be a tough ask but somehow The Two Towers manages to outdo the first film, increasing the tension and fleshing out the characters far more intricately than before. The subtle shift in tone for Gimli to become the comic relief could so easily have become contrived but it’s pulled off perfectly here. A touch of tragic romance with Aragorn and Arwen (Liv Tyler) helps both characters grow and combined with the tense relations between Frodo, Sam and Gollum, all combine to make The Two Towers a much more emotionally charged film than the first. All of this builds towards one of the most intense, epic battles ever captured on screen. The final 40 minutes of the film or so showcase the Battle For Helm’s Deep; the penultimate battle for Middle Earth and a taster for what’s to come in the final film. With forces dwarfing that of the fractured alliance fortifying themselves and protecting the two hobbits, the climactic fight sees endless hordes of orcs battling our heroes in a dizzying array of well choreographed fight sequences. After the excellent work done with Fellowship Of The Ring, for Director Peter Jackson to then surpass that with this middle chapter of the epic fantasy trilogy is certainly an impressive feat. The slight character changes, the darker tone and epic battle scenes combined with the constantly changing viewpoints to the different groups of characters is perfectly executed. The Two Towers is everything you would expect from a middle chapter of a trilogy and so much more. While Fellowship set the foundation, The Two Towers increases the emotional tension for every character to produce 3 hours of stunning cinema history.
