Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Theatrical Release Date: 2002 12 18 (USA) / 2003 12 12 (USA - Rerelease)

UPC: 794043104183

Studio: New Line Home Video

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:[Violence, Watch With Your Kids]

Summary: The second film in Peter Jackson's series of screen adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's internationally popular Lord of The Rings trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers literally begins where The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring ended, with the Fellowship splitting into three groups as they seek to return the Ring to Mordor, the forbidding land where the powerful talisman must be taken to be destroyed. Frodo (Elijah Wood), who carries the Ring, and his fellow Hobbit Sam (Sean Astin) are lost in the hills of Emyn Muil when they encounter Gollum (Andy Serkis), a strange creature who once carried the Ring and was twisted by its power. Gollum volunteers to guide the pair to Mordor; Frodo agrees, but Sam does not trust their new acquaintance. Elsewhere, Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) are attempting to navigate Fangorn Forrest where they discover a most unusual nemesis -- Treebeard (voice of John Rhys-Davies), a walking and talking tree-shepherd who doesn't much care for Hobbits. Finally, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), and Legolas (Orlando Bloom) arrive in Rohan to discover that the evil powers of Saruman (Christopher Lee) have robbed King Theoden (Bernard Hill) of his rule. The King's niece ?owyn (Miranda Otto) believes Aragorn and his men have the strength to defeat Saruman, his henchman Wormtongue (Brad Dourif), and their minions. ?owyn soon becomes infatuated with Aragorn, while he struggles to stay faithful to the pledge of love he made to Arwen (Liv Tyler). Gandalf (Ian McKellen) offers his help and encouragement as the Rohans, under Aragorn's leadership, attempt to face down Saruman's armies, but they soon discover how great the task before them truly is when they learn that his troops consist of 10,000 bloodthirsty creatures specially bred to fight to the death. Most of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was shot in tandem with The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King during a marathon 18-month shooting schedule, overseen by Peter Jackson. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: Fantasy

Awards: Top Ten Movie of the Year – American Film Institute Best Picture – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Composer – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Picture – null Best Director – null Best Director – Directors Guild of America Best Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Editing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound Editing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Score – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Visual Effects – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Visual Effects – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Visual Effects – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Visual Effects – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound Editing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Director – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Picture – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: For the first time, the theatrical and extended versions of the film on one disc
New behind-the-scenes documentary featuring never-before-seen footage - created by filmmaker Costa Botes (personally selected by Peter Jackson), these unique films use raw footage to reveal the inside story on how the greatest adventure film franchise was born

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Format: DVD

Release Date: 08/29/2006

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Cinemascope

Audio: DD-EX Dolby Digital Surround EX (simulated 6.1), DDS2.0 Dolby Digital w/ 4 channels

Runtime: 179 Minutes

Sides: 3

Number of Discs: 2

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1, Side A -- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Theatrical/Extended, Pt. 1
1. The Foundations of Stone
2. The Taming of Sm?agol
3. The Uruk-hai
4. The Three Hunters
5. The Burning of the Westfold
6. The Banishment of ?omer
7. On the Trail of the Uruk-hai
8. Night Camp at Fangorn
9. The Riders of Rohan
10. Traces of Merry and Pippin
11. Treebeard
12. The Passage of the Marshes
13. The White Rider
14. Fangorn Forest
15. The Black Gate Is Closed
16. The King of the Golden Hill
17. Simbelmyn? on the Burial Mounds
18. The King's Decision
19. A Daughter of Kings
20. Exodus From Edoras
21. The Forests of Ithilien
22. Gollum and Sm?agol
23. Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit
1. The Foundations of Stone
2. Elven Rope
3. The Taming of Sm?agol
4. The Uruk-hai
5. The Three Hunters
6. The Burning of the Westfold
7. Massacre at the Fords of Isen
8. The Banishment of ?omer
9. On the Trail of the Uruk-hai
10. Night Camp at Fangorn
11. The Riders of Rohan
12. The Fate of Merry and Pippin
13. Treebeard
14. The Passage of the Marshes
15. The White Rider
16. The Song of the Entwives
17. The Heir of N?menor
18. The Black Gate Is Closed
19. Ent Draft
20. The King of the Golden Hill
21. The Funeral of Th?odred
22. Simbelmyn? on the Burial Mounds
23. The King's Decision
24. Brego
25. The Ring of Barahir
26. A Daughter of Kings
27. Exodus From Edoras
28. The Forests of Ithilien
29. Gollum and Sm?agol
30. Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit
Disc #1, Side B -- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Theatrical/Extended, Pt. 2
1. Dwarf Women
2. The Evenstar
3. The Wolves of Isengard
4. Helm's Deep
5. Isengard Unleashed
6. The Grace of the Valar
7. Arwen's Fate
8. The Story Foreseen From L?rien
9. The Window on the West
10. The Forbidden Pool
11. Aragorn's Return
12. Entmoot
13. The Glittering Caves
14. "Where Is the Horse and the Rider?"
15. The Host of the Eldar
16. The Battle of the Homberg
17. Old Entish
18. The Breach of the Deeping Wall
19. The Entmoot Decides
20. Retreat to the Hornburg
21. Master Peregrin's Plan
22. Osgiliath
23. The Last March of the Ents
24. The Nazg?l Attack
25. Forth Eorlingas
26. The Flooding of Isengard
27. The Tales That Really Mattered...
28. "The Battle for Middle-earth Is About to Begin"
29. Gollum's Plan
30. End Credits
1. Dwarf Women
2. One of the D?nedain
3. The Evenstar
4. The Wolves of Isengard
5. Helm's Deep
6. Isengard Unleashed
7. The Grace of the Valar
8. Arwen's Fate
9. The Story Foreseen From L?rien
10. The Window on the West
11. Sons of the Steward
12. The Forbidden Pool
13. Aragorn's Return
14. Entmoot
15. The Glittering Caves
16. "Where Is the Horse and the Rider?"
17. "Don't Be Hasty, Master Meriadoc!"
18. The Host of the Eldar
19. The Battle of the Homberg
20. Old Entish
21. The Breach of the Deeping Wall
22. The Entmoot Decides
23. The Retreat to the Hornburg
24. Master Peregrin's Plan
25. Osgiliath
26. The Last March of the Ents
27. The Nazg?l Attack
28. Forth Eorlingas
29. The Flooding of Isengard
30. The Tales That Really Mattered...
31. Fangorn Comes to Helm's Deep
32. The Final Tally
33. Flotsam and Jetsam
34. Farewell to Faramir
35. "The Battle for Middle-earth Is About to Begin"
36. Gollum's Plan
37. End Credits
38. Fan Club Credits

Karl Williams

Co-writer and director Peter Jackson continues his Oscar-winning, box-office blockbuster adaptation of the classic fantasy novel from author J.R.R. Tolkien with a second installment that plunges the fictional setting of Middle-earth into a vicious war. Welcome additions to the action in the sophomore adventure include the CG-created Gollum, moving front and center as a major character who is simply amazing in his ability to entertain and move the viewer emotionally. The most pathetic creature in the trilogy, he's a schizophrenic nightmare but heartbreakingly human and poignantly, dazzlingly realized by a combination of actor Andy Serkis's physical skill and Jackson's special effects experts. Gollum puts the similar Jar Jar Binks character of the second Star Wars trilogy to shame. Also thrilling are a climactic battle between Ents (living "trees") and the evil wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee) that brings to mind any number of breathtaking sequences from The Wizard of Oz (1939), and the final clash between humans and invading enemy forces at Helm's Deep, a lengthy but thrilling clash of bows and shields that recalls the superb fight sequences from Braveheart (1995). Less persuasive are some storytelling elements that fall victim to the filmmakers' effort to condense the story into a three-hour running time: several gaps in the action occur and a few developments are left unexplained or vague, such as how the forces of ?omer (Karl Urban) grow from a few dozen to thousands, how the defenders of the realm of Gondor manage to defeat their attackers, why the Ringwraiths have suddenly switched mounts from horses to dragons (why did they use horses at all in the first film?) -- and why Tolkien felt the need to give every location, character, and object in his work at least three utterly confusing names (those who haven't read the books may be left wondering what the difference is between ?omer and Faramir or Gimli and Grima). However, the simple fact that a novel as dense and detailed as this one hasn't been turned into a labored bore is a miracle; that Jackson has fashioned such a triumphant success is a real artistic achievement. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) may be imperfect in its occasionally frustrated effort to squeeze every significant plot element into the mix, but it's a visual marvel and a definite raising of the artistic bar for its entire genre. No filmmaker will ever be able to create a sci-fi or fantasy epic again without comparison against it. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Sala Baker  Actor 
Marton Csokas  Actor 
Peter Jackson  Director 
Peter Jackson  Producer 
Peter Jackson  Screenwriter 
Barrie M. Osborne  Producer 
Robert Shaye  Executive Producer 
Howard Shore  Composer (Music Score) 
Bob Weinstein  Executive Producer 
Harvey Weinstein  Executive Producer 
Fran Walsh  Producer 
Fran Walsh  Screenwriter 
Mark Ordesky  Executive Producer 
Stephen Sinclair  Screenwriter 
Philippa Boyens  Screenwriter 
Michael Lynne  Executive Producer 
Elijah Wood  Actor 
Ian McKellen  Actor 
Liv Tyler  Actor 
Viggo Mortensen  Actor 
Sean Astin  Actor 
Cate Blanchett  Actor 
John Rhys-Davies  Actor 
Bernard Hill  Actor 
Christopher Lee  Actor 
Billy Boyd  Actor 
Dominic Monaghan  Actor 
Orlando Bloom  Actor 
Hugo Weaving  Actor 
Miranda Otto  Actor 
David Wenham  Actor 
Brad Dourif  Actor 
Andy Serkis  Actor 
Karl Urban  Actor 
Craig Parker  Actor 
John Rhys-Davies  Actor 

Country: New Zealand,USA