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 Lord
of the Rings: The Two Towers
Starring: (in alphabetical order) Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett,
Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Brad Dourif, Bernard Hill, Christopher
Lee, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, Miranda
Otto, John Rhys-Davies, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, Karl Urban, Hugo
Weaving, David Wenham, and Elijah Wood.
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Rated PG-13
Bluntly
speaking?
Lord of the Rings,The Two Towers may be the finest example
of filmmaking that ever hit the big screen. It's a delightful
gift to the world ! The story is fascinating (and at times will
require Cliff Notes for some - yes me - to keep up!), the characters
larger than life (as film stars should be) and the effects transport
you, beguile you and mesmerize you like you're child again. This
is entertainment in its purest most delightful form.
We
follow the continuing tale of the young hero hobbit Mr. Frodo
(adorable petite filet of man Elijah Wood) and his friend Samwise
(Sean Astin) as they continue on to return the evil "ring"
to its demise. They've been attacked but have overpowered a creepy
little salamander of a man named Gollum (Andy Serkis). He's hell
bent on getting the ring from Frodo but has promised to guide
them to the Black Gates of Mordor if they will release him. Never
has a CGI image been quite so three-dimensional. This thing oozes
soul.
Speaking
of souls, Frodo and Sam are still sick over the loss of Gandolf
The Gray (Sir Ian "Boom-Boom" McKellen) while he was
battling with the Balrog. They replay the battle that tookthe
fine wizard's and we get all choked up on cue.
But
old wizards don't die …like the mighty Phoenix they rise
with some small changes and viola we have Gandolf The White.
Gandolf
meets up with Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), the Elf archer Legolas
(Orlando Bloom) and Gimli the Dwarf (John Rhys-Davies) who are
trying to track down the missing hobbits from book one. The seasons
seem to be coming to an end in middle Earth and evil, in the form
of Saruman the White (Christopher Lee) whose soul is black! This
monger of hate may just rule this world yet. His army of evildoers
has been birthed from the muck of his caves and they are ready
to attack and eliminate man.
Will
the Elves rejoin man as they once did before recorded time and
save middle Earth? You'll just have to go and see.
All
the characters are back as well as a few additional delights like
Gollum, Wormstongue (Brad Dourif) the beautiful Eowyn (Miranda
Otto), and Treebeard - a walking talking philosophizing tree!
The folks who designed LOR - believe it or not- have topped themselves
with this episode. And how clever the filmmakers were to film
the three films at the same time. This way they have not missed
a costume detail, an actor's face has not morphed with the passing
of years 'tween films, and it's fairly easy to recall the last
film…. so you can at least follow along. My companion - a
diehard LOR fan just rolled his eyes when I asked some silly questions
about bands of tribes, and types of elves…
All
I know is this a man fest extravaganza! The film is riddled with
gorgeous manly men in Renaissance faire gear! Me say yum. A regular
manly man smorgasbord! There's at least a trillion men wandering
around in that sexy gruffy medieval look....muscles bulging, brow
pursed. The cutest is Viggo Mortensen - natch. Jeeze Loiuse is
this guy a Hottie McHottsterini. He's like a fresh brewed pot
of mocha flavored joe steaming in the pot-o-love in my heart!
Of course Elf-boy Orlando Bloom is devilishly delectable too.
The
depiction of Middle Earth as Tolkien explained are remarkable.
Artists poured themselves into their work and it shows. The film
is beautiful and completely awe inspiring. Be warned ye of faint
heart. This installment of much darker than the first. There are
some scenes that had even a fearless filly like me squirmy and
reaching for the BRMPB (BluntReview.com Movie Puke Bag). You would
be well informed to avoid letting the wee ones into this show.
There's a scene in the Bog Of The Dead that still has me avoiding
a drawn bath! But the happy part is J.R. R. Tolkien fans should
not be disappointed in the least. They should thank the heavens
above Peter Jackson made this film and not…well… someone
else (wink-wink). I wish they sold stock in this franchise...
Enjoy.
Snack Recommendation: Rabbit - cooked please, in a nice Samwise
stew.
LOTR/TTT
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