Friday, September 10, 2010

See The Film The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers

By Hattie Fernandez

If you are looking at the book The Lord of the Rings The Two Towers and are feeling a little overwhelmed by how thick it is, you are not alone. Many people who have read The Hobbit and The Fellowship of The Rings have found that some portions are hard to get through. However, as it links together the first and third books, it is important for you to read since it answers many questions and provides information you need to make the third book, The Return of the King, make sense.

You will find that the book tends to be a study in contrasts. There are some portions that are filled with action, suspense and intrigue. There are also sections which focus more on the environment that the characters are traveling through and which tend to be a bit slower paced.

It is for this reason that the movie version, released in 2002 and directed by Peter Jackson, was excellent. Although there have been some criticisms about some of the plot choices that were made in the movie, on the whole it is an excellent film. Like the first movie, Jackson uses a combination of sets, special effects and make-up in order to recreate key locations such as King Theoden's hall in Rohan.

Because the focus in on action and not description, it is harder to ignore the references to the two towers. The first is that of Sauron himself, deep in the heart and darkness of Mordor. The second is that of the wizard Saruman who has fallen under Sauron's control. You see the extent of Saruman's treachery which is first mentioned in the Fellowship of the Ring.

Finally, the story works well as a movie because it is easier to follow the travels of the different parts of the Fellowship. In the book, the companions split up at the end of the first movie. Boromir betrays the Fellowship by attempting to take the ring from Frodo by force. You understand why he does so after you meet the people of Gondor, including Boromir's brother Faramir and the corrupt and deranged Steward who has cracked under the pressure of living next to Mordor.

This story allows us to find out more about the main characters and the reasons that they behave the way they do. We learn more about Aragorn and are introduced to characters such as Eowyn, one of the Rohirrim who plays a pivotal role in the third book. We learn more about why Boromir would be so desperate to possess the ring that he would have taken it from Frodo by force.

Although there were some criticisms surrounding the way Peter Jackson treated the storyline, for the most part this movie has been praised. There are so many memorable moments (such as the unforgettable Battle of Helm's Deep) that you are set up to go into the third part of the story with a much better understanding of Middle Earth as a whole.

Although The Two Towers is one of the least appreciated of the three books, it is definitely worth reading. It will help explain how things reach the point they do when The Return of The King begins.

About the Author:

No comments:

Post a Comment