Here’s a fact
that will make you feel older: it’s been 17 years since the release of the
second chapter of the Lord of the Rings saga.
Looking back it was one of those movies that signalled the permanent residence
of fantasy blockbusters on the big screen. Whereas The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) was a bit of a road trip, The Two Towers (2002) becomes a war
movie in the third act with armies fighting in the rain, exploding walls and
the arrival of the cavalry at the last minute. However audiences had never seen
before an army composed of an advanced breed of Orcs and the cavalry being led
by a bearded wizard recently back from the dead.
This is one of
the rare movies that I have seen twice on the big screen and numerous times
after on DVD, specifically the extended version. Director Kevin Smith may have
a point by saying these movies are basically hours of people walking and that
the one true trilogy is Star Wars,
but I really enjoy watching those hours of footage directed by Peter Jackson
and the rest of his New Zealand crew. The first time I watched The Two Towers was at a cinema in Quebec
City during the holiday season, and seeing an army of Uruk-hai stomp its way towards
Helm’s Deep on a dark and stormy night is one memorable cinematic moment. So
much so that I wanted to see it again when I flew back to Chile after the
holidays, and when I eventually got the extended version of the trilogy.
Before the battle
begins, the movie catches up with Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) as
they make their way to Mordor in order to destroy the One Ring. In one of the
many, many DVD extras one of the people interviewed mentions author J.R.R.
Tolkien based the relationship between Frodo and Sam on soldiers working
together in the First World War. It is a good parable since Frodo is on mission
to destroy what is essentially a Weapon of Mass Destruction that cannot fall into
enemy hands and Sam’s job is to make sure Frodo survives that journey.
Their
relationship is put to the test by the arrival of Gollum (Andy Serkis,
delivering a ground-breaking performance in a motion-capture suit), the once
human creature who was corrupted by the ring’s power. Frodo believes there is
still something human in Gollum and he could be useful as a guide on their
journey. Sam on the other hand only sees a disgusting creature who will stab
them in the back the first chance it gets in order to get back the ring, or as
Gollum calls it with adoration, “the precious”. Maybe they are both right.
In the years
since the movie’s release Gollum has become a bit of pop culture joke, with
Serkis sometimes in on the joke as he reads tweets from Donald Trump with his
Gollum voice. However I think Serkis is one of the acting MVPs of the franchise
as he sometimes plays two roles at once. There are scenes in The Two Towers in which he is switching
from his more devious Gollum persona and back to the human Sméagol as they
discuss how to get the ring. They even use the plural “we” as though there were
two people inside that slimy grey head. Plus, imagine how difficult it must
have been for Serkis to walk around in tights for the whole production while
using that raspy voice. That performance is no joke.
The other thing
that is no joke is the special effects department that brought this world to
life. Thanks to the wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee), the war is beginning in
the kingdom of Rohan. From his tower Saruman has bred an army of 3000 warriors
to invade the kingdom. Wide shots show the army marching across the fields like
a black mass. Up close you can see the work of the make-up department on the
hundreds of extras dressed in armour and sporting swords that could give you
tetanus with just one knick.
The Battle of
Helm’s Deep, where Saruman’s army tries to wipe out the outnumbered army of
Rohan, still remains one of the best battle sequences 17 years later. You can
feel the tension as the army marches towards the fortress and the desperation on
the soldiers who are pretty sure they are not going to survive the night. Meanwhile,
Saruman has problems of his own thanks to an army of walking and talking trees
who do not appreciate the environmental damage the wizard has done to the
forest in order to build his army. When I saw that battle I thought this must
be the worst nightmare of every lumberjack.
Sometimes during
the holiday season I like to marathon the Lord
of the Rings trilogy, and if I have enough time even The Hobbit trilogy even though that one was not as well received.
The running time must be around 18 hours, but I still enjoy it immensely.
However I don’t think I will ever get the feeling I had watching those epic
battles on the big screen the first time as the arrows are flying as Legolas
(Orlando Bloom) the elf is surfing down a staircase on a shield while shooting
arrows of his own with somehow deadly accuracy.
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