As an addition to my last few Lotr posts, I’m going to summarize and share my opinion on the second movie: The Two Towers!
Going back in time, The Two Towers’ opening scene shows Gandalf. He had seemingly given up his life so that the rest of the Fellowship could escape the fiery monster inside a huge mountain.
But, when the movie goes back in time to show what actually happened, we discover Gandalf actually survived the whole ordeal and managed to escape with his life. He reappears, eventually, but the Fellowship currently believes he is dead.
Throughout the movie, we get a few different perspectives:
- Frodo and Sam are headed to Mordor. Gollum guides them to a secret entrance, and though Sam doesn’t trust the disgusting little creature, Frodo cares much about Gollum.
- Pippin and Merry are rescued from the orcs by huge trees called Ents. The two hobbits attempt to convince the Ents to help them destroy Saruman’s headquarters, and the massive trees take plenty of time to consider the offer.
- Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli visit and help the city of Rohan. Rohan is preparing for battle, and Aragorn’s wise counsel is appreciated by the city’s king.
- Saruman, the evil wizard, continuing to help Sauron rise. He produces more Orcs and more weapons, planning his next strike.
The two three-hour discs are packed with action. From the bloody, intense battles to the tranquil forest, this is a vividly enjoyable film.
Frodo and Gollum
One of the strangest parts of The Two Towers is Frodo’s relationship with Gollum.
To give a little background, Gollum used to be a hobbit named Smeagol who lived in the Misty Mountains. He got hold of the One Ring and became corrupted. His appearance, instead of the healthy hardiness of a normal hobbit, was shrunk into an amphibious-like figure and lost most hair and muscle.
After Bilbo took the One Ring from him, Gollum was furious.
But he eventually met Bilbo’s nephew Frodo. Things shifted.
Frodo saw Gollum for who he could be. He wanted to help Gollum because he had to believe that the Ring’s power could be broken and Gollum could prove that.
Some of the time, the eager-to-please Smeagol inside of Gollum is displayed. But the corrupted part of him, the part that wants the Ring back, ultimately overrides Smeagol and draws Gollum back into his dark mind.
“I have to believe he can come back.”
When Sam questions Frodo’s intentions of keeping Gollum around, Frodo’s answer is deep and hopeful. He wants the reassurance that if he, Frodo, ever falls into the Ring’s grip, he could be brought out.
“Pip, You’re Taller.”
I have to say, my favorite parts of The Two Towers are the scenes with Merry and Pippin.
The two goofy hobbits make friends with an Ent. The Ent is a huge, creaky oak tree who treats Merry and Pippin with kindness, toting them around in his branches as he makes his way to wake up the other Trees.
At one point, Pippin drinks from a small pool, not knowing that the water is so rich, so rejuvenating that it makes him grow taller.
Merry is confused and unhappy with this development. The two of them begin to argue and chase each other–until they are pulled into a tree’s roots and rescued (again) by their Ent friend.
Anyways, those were my favorite scenes. I loved the setting, with the big trees, beautiful forest, amazing Ent animation.
Overall, The Two Towers was really, really good and definitely my favorite movie out of the lotr trilogy.
I hope this post was helpful and enjoyable!! Until next time, happy reading.
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