Friday, September 10, 2010

See The Film The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers

By Hattie Fernandez

If you are looking at the book The Lord of the Rings The Two Towers and are feeling a little overwhelmed by how thick it is, you are not alone. Many people who have read The Hobbit and The Fellowship of The Rings have found that some portions are hard to get through. However, as it links together the first and third books, it is important for you to read since it answers many questions and provides information you need to make the third book, The Return of the King, make sense.

The book itself tends be difficult to get through because of the long portions of landscape description. Because Tolkien wants us to have as clear a picture of the terrain through which the characters are traveling, he tends to include a lot of detail. Everything from vegetation to weather is described and while it helps you develop a strong mental picture of Middle Earth (where the series is set), it can be hard to get through for many people. However, the slower portions tend to be balanced by shorter sections that depict great action such as important battles and sieges.

Because the movie tends to simply allow the terrain to speak for itself, much of the focus is suddenly on character development, dialogue and actual action. Instead of spending time reading about what the moss on a statue looked like or what the texture of a cloak felt like, we can see the characters passing the landmarks and wearing the clothing. Jackson's team was made up of amazing make-up artists who were able to turn humans into fearsome orcs and Uruk-hai. Suddenly, you can see the way creatures such as Ents look and how they sound rather than trying to picture it in your head.

Many people miss the reference to the two towers. The first belongs to Saruman. He is a wizard who appears first in the Fellowship of the Ring. Although we are aware that he has sided with the enemy, the extent of his treachery becomes obvious as we see him creating fierce creatures known as Uruk-Hai in the caves below his tower. The second tower is that occupied by Sauron himself.

The Fellowship was broken at the end of the first movie due to the attempted theft of the Ring from Frodo by Boromir. The movie is split into two different sub-plots. The first is the travels of Frodo and his companion Sam and the second is the travels of the remainder of the Fellowship. The companions are further separated due to events which occur during the book, and this gives us the opportunity to be introduced to many of the different cultures and races in Middle Earth.

You also begin to learn more about some of the motivations which affect the characters. Boromir, who is killed in the first movie, is from Gondor, a land on the border of Mordor and under constant siege from the forces of darkness. The movie delves into the motivations of the people of Gondor. We are introduced to Faramir, younger brother of Boromir who is desperate to prove himself to his father who serves as Steward of that country.

Although there were some criticisms surrounding the way Peter Jackson treated the storyline, for the most part this movie has been praised. There are so many memorable moments (such as the unforgettable Battle of Helm's Deep) that you are set up to go into the third part of the story with a much better understanding of Middle Earth as a whole.

If you are someone who tried to read the book and were unable to get through it, you need to see this movie. The special effects, scenery and pacing are excellent and make it definitely worth watching. - 40727

About the Author:

No comments:

Post a Comment