LORD OF THE RINGS, THE: THE TWO TOWERS - DVD review

While filmgoers waited for the December 2003 release of "LOTR 3", New Line devoted its resources towards creating a four-disc Special Extended Edition Platinum Series set to complement August 2002's two-disc release of "LOTR 2". The two-disc set offered the theatrical cut of "LOTR 2" as well as extras used to promote the film's release. The new four-disc set features a longer version of the film that offers more scenes that were shot but not shown in theatres. The music score has been re-worked, too, as have the sound design and visual effects. The four-disc set also includes supplemental materials not seen with the two-disc set (vice versa applies, so those of you who want the trailers will have to buy both sets).

--The Film--
I saw "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" on opening night in December 2001. Following the DVD releases of the movie, I became very excited about seeing "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers", and I bought tickets for the first morning show on opening day for the second installment of the Middle-Earth saga. As the movie played before my eyes, I kept waiting for something--anything--that would spark the adventure to life. Alas, I left the theatre shaking my head. I was sorely disappointed by an underwhelming outing.

There is plenty of muscular, visceral filmmaking on display in "LOTR 2", but there is little wit or subtlety. The movie bludgeons rather than persuades, bullying viewers into perceiving elves and men as the good guys rather than trusting us to make our own judgments. The editors also make the mistake of jumping from one story thread to another just as the one that we were watching was getting interesting. When the movie ended, I wasn't confused as much as I was annoyed.

Peter Jackson and Company missed out on an opportunity to improve upon the source novel. Dogmatic faithfulness to the spirit of a book is useless if that devotion does not yield cinematically desirable results. What Tolkien did not do with his novel can't be rectified, but the movies inspired by his "LOTR" ought to have raised the story to new heights. Instead, they tread cautiously for fear of offending die-hards.

The best human performance in the movie comes from Viggo Mortensen. The actor seems more and more like the king that he is meant to be in "LOTR 3". Still, there is little that Mortensen's performance can do to balance the errors in judgment made by Peter Jackson. For example, most of the actors bring an air of gravity to their roles. However, Legolas and Gimli crack many jokes, even in the midst of a fierce battle. The jokes threw me off guard, taking me out of the serious grimness of the story. Also, rather than relating individual narrative threads in separate chunks (as Tolkien did), Jackson decided to unroll everything simultaneously, resulting in frustrating cross-cutting. Just as I was getting interested in the interplay between Frodo and Gollum, I was yanked to Rohan to see King Theoden hemming and hawing about whether or not he wants to fight the forces of evil. Just as I was settling into my chair to absorb the Helm's Deep sequence, I was told that I had to go to the nearest forest to watch some trees hemming and hawing about joining the crusade. Ugh.

Is there anything at all in "LOTR 2" that I appreciated? Yes--I think that Andy Serkis and the film's visual effects workers did a great job in bringing Gollum to life. Since the computer-animated Gollum was basically matched to Serkis's actual physical performance, the expressions on the character's face are the most genuine of any computer-generated performance to date. Serkis managed to find the pathos in Gollum's split/conflicted personality, and I was surprised by how much I responded to Gollum's emoting. He is a fine synthesis of live-action and digital work, and at the very least, the visual effects wizards at WETA (Jackson's own production house) won an Oscar for their efforts (an award that they should share with Serkis). In fact, Gollum is the thing that's tipping my hand towards recommending the film.

I wanted "LOTR 1" to be much longer than three hours because I enjoyed its rich texture. I wanted "LOTR 2" to be much shorter than three hours, for it did nothing to convince me that it needed so much time to say so little. Despite the obvious technical expertise of its makers, the movie feels routine compared to other CGI extravaganzas such as "Minority Report".

--The Extended Edition--
The Extended Edition of the film does not improve upon the theatrical version. Rather, by adding more than forty minutes of footage to "LOTR 2", Peter Jackson only aggravated what I felt were the movie's problems. "LOTR 2" was already way too long in my estimation, so "LOTR 2" EE is just an interminable marathon for me. The EE of "LOTR 1" was an improvement over its theatrical cut because it needed room to breath. However, the EE of "LOTR 2" adds a couple of unnecessary scenes (most of them with Merry and Pippin) instead of compacting the project into a lean and mean work.

A lot of readers misunderstood my complaints about the way that the film cuts between three main narrative threads. I don't dislike simultaneous storytelling; I disliked the way that cross-cutting was done in "LOTR 2". The editing rhythm threw me off when I was constantly yanked from one segment to another just as I was getting interested in what I was already watching. This is a problem that exists on the specific level (i.e. the editing of "LOTR 2") and not on any technical or theoretical level (i.e. the concept of cross-cutting).

Surprisingly--given how little impact she had in the theatrical version of "LOTR 2"--the new scenes featuring Eowyn (Miranda Otto) are the best additions to the film. Most of Eowyn's scenes feature her interacting with Aragorn, so the love story between the two characters no longer feels forced as it did in the theatrical cut. I really liked the scene in which Eowyn sings a mournful song at her cousin Theodred's burial.

Faramir's (David Wenham) flashback to when he and his brother took back Osgiliath from Mordor is also a great addition to "LOTR 2". We get to see how Boromir (Sean Bean) loves his brother and even argues in his favor with their father, the Steward of Gondor. We also get a chance to see Boromir before Sauron's One Ring corrupts him. Boromir has his doubts about using The One Ring, but his love for his father and for his country lead him down the path towards his demise in "LOTR 1".

I was really tempted to grade the Extended Edition of "LOTR 2" a "5" because it doesn't do more than the theatrical version did despite its longer running time. In fact, the Extended Edition's length just adds to how punishing it is to sit through "LOTR 2". The pacing is still off, and the ill-planned crosscutting is still there. However, some of the new scenes are really good and add to the flavoring of the story, so the Extended Edition of "LOTR 2" still gets a "6" from me.

Video:
The "LOTR 2" EE 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen video presentation is an improvement upon the video quality offered by the two-disc set. Things look just that much sharper and clearer since the film has been spread across two DVDs. The print is also clean and free of physical defects (this was probably transferred from a digital source instead of a film negative). However, because "LOTR 2" has many action-intensive sequences, I also noticed some "blobbing" in the background when computer effects weren't entirely up to snuff.

Audio:
For me, "LOTR 2" was the loudest movie experience since...well, "LOTR 1". The same sequences that threatened to shatter my ears in the theatre have been well-reproduced on DVD. The Dolby Digital 5.1 EX English track features a nearly continuous bass presence. Clashing swords, explosions, and echoes flood the room. Howard Shore's orchestral score benefits greatly from the mix's smooth imaging across the speakers. What's really great about the audio mix for "LOTR 2" is that there are several passages with nothing except ambient environmental noises and dialogue, and the stillness is as well-done as the loud stuff.

The DVD also includes a DTS 6.1 ES track and a DD 2.0 surround English track (for those of you without digital 5.1 set-ups), and optional English and Spanish subtitles as well as optional English closed captions support the audio.

Extras:
The extended version of the film has been spread across the first two DVDs of this set in order to accommodate two full-bodied 5.1 audio tracks and four audio commentary tracks. The remaining extras are found on Discs 3 and 4. Optional English and Spanish subtitles as well as optional English closed captions accompany the video footage on Discs 3 and 4 (done with DD 2.0 stereo English except for an audio demo on Disc 4).

The extras on Discs 3 and 4 have been organized into sub-sections, but you can also look at all of the extras in long indices. You can watch the featurettes individually, or you can play them all as long movies. However, there are photo galleries and additional featurettes to experience even if you use the "Play All" function.

--Discs 1 and 2--
The "only" extras on Discs 1 and 2 are the audio commentaries. However, four audio commentaries for a 3.75-hour movie provide a qualitatively different experience with each fresh viewing of the film. You can watch the movie with one audio commentary, or you can switch between the tracks and the primary soundtrack with the audio button.

1) The Director and Writers: As expected, this track covers the overall artistic vision of translating Tolkien's books to the screen. The speakers make some apologies for the changes that they made, but they also explain the necessity of writing for a movie rather than being slavishly faithful to the nuts and bolts of Tolkien lore. Whether or not you entirely buy what they say is a matter of opinion, of course, but Jackson and his writers (Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens) make it known to the world what they had to do.

2) The Design Team: The participants for this commentary detail what they did during the preparation stages. Basically, they had to create the look of Middle-Earth, from the costumes and the sets to the way the complex action sequences would be shot. You can see their developmental work on Discs 3 and 4.

3) The Production/Post-Production Team: Commentary 3 will give you an idea of how the film began to and did take shape.

4) The Cast: Most of the cast members gathered together to record their comments at the same time. Obviously, Commentary 4 provides the most fun since you feel as if you're part of one big group hug.

--Disc 3--
The extras on Disc 3 deal mainly with the pre-production stage of the project. The titles of the featurettes are basically elf-explanatory, so it's not necessary to discuss them in great detail. Suffice it to say that the featurettes are very thorough, leaving no stone unturned. Since he's all over the place anyway, Peter Jackson filmed an introduction for Disc 3.

--"J.R.R. Tolkien: Origins of Middle-Earth"

--"From Book to Script: Finding the Story"

--"Designing Middle-Earth"

--"Weta Workshop"

--"The Taming of Sméagol"

--"Andy Serkis Animation Reference"

--"Gollum's ‘Stand-in'"

--"Middle-Earth Atlas": An interactive map that follows four different groups of characters during their "LOTR 2" journeys.

--"New Zealand as Middle-Earth"

Though I did not actually make my own counts of the total number of stills in the galleries, I would not be surprised if Disc 3 had more than a 1,000 pictures alone. In "The Peoples of Middle-Earth", you will find conceptual drawings and photos of the Easterlings, the Ents, Eomer, Eowyn, Faramir, the Fell Beasts, Gandalf the White, Gollum, Grima Wormtongue, Grishnakh, Haradrim, the Ithilien Rangers, King Theoden, the King's Royal Guard, Mumakil, the Riders of Rohan, Theodred, the Third Age Elven Warriors, Treebeard, the Uruk-hai, the Wargs and their Riders, and Wild Men. In "The Realms of Middle-Earth", you will find conceptual drawings and photos of the Dead Marshes, Edoras, Emyn Muil, Fangorn Forest, Helm's Deep, Henneth Annun, Isengard, Ithilien, Meduseld: The Golden Hall, Osgiliath, the Plains of Rohan, the Stables, and Theodred's Bedroom.

--Disc 4--
The extras on Disc 4 deal mainly with the production (filming) and post-production stages of the project. Once again, the titles of the featurettes are basically self-explanatory, so it's not necessary to discuss them in great detail. Elijah Wood, the Ring-bearer of the story, replaces Peter Jackson in Disc 4's introductory video segment.

--"Warriors of the Third Age"

--"Cameras in Middle-Earth"

--"Big-atures"

--"Weta Digital"

--"Editorial: Refining the Story"

--"Music for Middle-Earth"

--"The Soundscapes of Middle-Earth"

--"The Battle for Helm's Deep is Over..."

--"The Flooding of Isengard" Animatic

--"Sound Demonstration: Helm's Deep"

Disc 4 also has more stills than you could care to view in a single day. They have been collected in the following galleries: Production Photos, Abandoned Concepts--Slime Balrog, Abandoned Concepts--Endless Stair, Barad-dur, The Black Gate, Fangorn Forest, Helm's Deep, Osgiliath, Ruined Isengard, and Zirakzigil.

--DVD-ROM--
Those of you with DVD-ROM access can use the weblinks encoded on the DVDs.

--Miscellaneous--
With everything housed in a book-like package, a glossy booklet provides chapter listings and information about the set's bountiful extras.

Film Value:
Yes, I know that "LOTR 2" is the middle part of an epic story, and many people have told me that a "slow-down" is to be expected. I disagree with that excusatory assessment. Without having to set up the plot and its characters as "LOTR 1" did, "LOTR 2" could have been a home run since it should have taken the accomplishments of its predecessor and made a grand experience of itself. Instead, we get interminable scenes of people flopping in despair, only to be rescued by some deus ex machina. I wish that I could say that I liked "LOTR 2" as much as "LOTR 1", but it's not to be.

Easter Egg Alert:
Disc 1--Go to the Scene Selections menus, and highlight the horizontal picture of Chapter 30, the last chapter on Disc 1. Press down on your remote control's direction pad to highlight a ring icon. Click on the ring icon to watch Andy Serkis and Gollum accepting a tub of popcorn at the 2003 MTV Movie Awards.

Discs 3 and 4--Go to the Main Menu, and move the menu cursor to the circle icon at the bottom of the page. Click on the icon to access the DVDs' production credits.