The Two Towers Extended Edition Review:

Critique

This edition of The Two Towers aims to further develop the story and characters as lost hobbits Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) continue their journey to destroy the One Ring of Power, meeting the mysterious mercurial creature Gollum (Andy Serkis), the ring's past bearer, along the way. Frodo befriends the little guy, asking him to guide them to Mordor, as he promises to lead them safely, on their quest to destroy the Ring.

The corrupt wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee) and the Dark Lord Sauron, the powerful forces of the Two Towers between Mordor and Isengard, have united in their lust for destruction of Man and Middle-earth. The rebellion against Sauron is building up under the supervision of Gandalf the White (Ian McKellen), who has defeated the fire-monster Balrog.

Created by writer-director Peter Jackson and richer than the two disc widescreen version, the special extended edition of the Middle-earth novel delves deeper into the characters and story with over forty minutes of new material thoroughly integrated into the body of the film, making it undoubtedly an immersive experience than the theatrical version.

The first two discs contain the 214 minute feature film accompanied by four audio commentaries supplied by Peter Jackson and more than 30 members of the cast and production team which includes Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom, Howard Shore, Richard Taylor and Randy Cook. The transfer of the photographic aspect is visually impressive and a treat for the eye. The colour contrast in the spectacular landscape images is complete in every detail. The video is never over bright. Black and dark levels are compact in appearance, as are the edges. The disc truly shines with its pristine transfer of the Helm's Deep battle scene. The eye-popping effects that blend seamlessly into the frame make it a totally entertaining experience. This has to be one of the highest quality DVD and the music always fits the mood. Of course, it helps that this is a Dolby Digital 5.1 EX surround sound. The audio probably does more to set the mood than anything else does. It is quiet when it needs to be during emotional moments, high-sounding during battle sequences and extensive action and delicate during moments of immortality, sacrifice and temptation. The brilliant musical score contributes in making the audio remarkably good. The digital effects are a triumph for technology and art.

The additional discs, three and four comes loaded with hours of extras that are very informative and helpful in understanding the adaptation and magnitude of the drama. The supplemental material includes documentaries and featurettes; design and photo galleries containing hundreds of images. Jampacked with stunning detail and psychologically nuanced character moments: there's more of Frodo, Sam and the mysterious Gollum journeying toward the black gates of Mordor; more of Merry and Pippin's perilous travels on the backs of their rampaging Uruk-hai captors; more backstory establishing King Theoden's loosening grip over the equesterian-based Kingdom of Rohan; scenes of treacherous Rohan adviser Grima and Saruman the White discussing Aragorn's possible royal lineage; Eowyn (Miranda Otto) singing a dirge at a funeral; interplay establishing Eowyn's love for Aragorn; a scene of Aragorn taming the wild horse that will eventually rescue him, the tree-shepherd Ent, explaining the mysteries of the Forest to Merry and Pippin. Throughout the Special Extended Edition Peter Jackson delves deeper into the amazing world of Tolkien's Middle-earth with 42 minutes of never-before-seen footage. One of the most notable addition is the flashback that reunites viewers with Boromir, and brings his younger brother, Faramir, to the fore. No one ever expected to find a CGI creature so realistic as Gollum. Peter Jackson has raised the bar in computer generated imagery and digital sound mixing by creating a character that acts as much as any other actor in the film.

The four discs Special Extended Edition comes in an elaborate box conceived and designed exclusively by famed Tolkien artist Alan Lee. The presentation is a true work of art. The jumbo pack is a must-see visual epic that will arguably prepare viewers for the hugely-anticipated finale - The Return of the King.

OVERALL 4 out of 5

Mos Khan

Reviewed from DVD distributed in Australia by Roadshow Entertainment

Site Contents Copyright© The Z Review, unless used with permission.This site has no intention to infringe on the rights of the film owners of The Two Towers Extended Edition and intellectual copyright holders of the movies mentioned herein & hold copyright over the movie, characters, merchandise & storyline.