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New Line Cinema
The Saul Zaentz Company
WingNut Films
The Lord of the Rings Collection
The journey continues.
Frodo Baggins and the other members of the Fellowship continue on their sacred quest to destroy the One Ring--but on separate paths. Their destinies lie at two towers--Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where the corrupt wizard Saruman awaits, and Sauron's fortress at Barad-dur, deep within the dark lands of Mordor.
Dr Nostromo
Jun 23, 2026 · via TMDB
93/100 While Frodo & Sam, with the addition of a new traveling companion, Gollum, travel to Mordor, the other hobbits try to convince a tree shepherd to go to war and the Rohan go to Helm's Deep in an attempt to save their people from a massive army. The fact that this film effectively splits the story into several threads, all given proper depth and connecting them all together into a cohesive whole, is what makes this such an epic film. The first time I saw the siege of Helm's Deep, I was stunned. And yet, "...the battle for Middle-earth is about to begin." Amazing film! -- DrNostromo.com
CinemaSerf
Sep 3, 2023 · via TMDB
Having used the first film to magnificently, if - at times - a little too earnestly, set the scene and establish the characters, Peter Jackson now cleverly interweaves the continuation of the story as "Frodo" (Elijah Wood) and "Sam" (Sean Astin) take their evil talisman and make their way to the treacherous "Mount Doom" - alighting on the untrustworthy "Gollum" (a wonderful Andy Serkis) en route - to destroy it. Meantime "Gandalf", "Aragorn"; "Gimli" and "Legolas" must track down "Pip" and "Merry" and stop "Rohan" from being over-run by the marauding hordes of "Saruman". This is certainly my favourite of any of the Wingnut Productions - the drama is compelling, exciting and the performances from all really draw you into the jeopardy of our questers. The imagination of the author is now in full swing as battle lines are firmly drawn - even the mud seems to be taking sides; the trees certainly do! The CGI is less effective in this film; particularly when used against the close up and the "Treebeard" scenes where it is oddly static and sterile, but the siege and battle scenes at "Helm's Deep", some poignant bonding moments between the elf and his dwarf companion and again the terrific accompaniment from Howard Shore make this, for my money, one of the best adventure films ever made. The director's cut - at a meagre 235 minutes - flew by on the big screen and sets it all up for a gripping finale in "Return of the King".
drystyx
Apr 18, 2023 · via TMDB
An awesome middle story of the trilogy. The world of hobbits, elves, dwarves, and others finds a fellowship of nine beings separated to go on different paths. One is dead. Two are captured by orcs. One is presumed dead, but returns in a more powerful form. Three go to war. The other two become the focus of this story. Hobbits Frodo and Samwise take a magic ring into the land of a devil and his beings, and find a guide, the pathetic Gollum, to aid them. Meanwhile, the three at war meet with the most interesting and multi dimensional character, King Theoden, and aid him against an onslaught of orcs and Uruk Hai. A lot of subplots go on, making this an unusually good connecting piece to the first and third films.
r96sk
Feb 17, 2021 · via TMDB
I might not have enjoyed it as much as the first film, but <em>'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'</em> is still a terrific film no doubt. Visually it still looks superb, I really do love the look of these films so far. The main plot is engaging and very interesting, while things like the costumes et al. remain at a high level. There is also top action, including some noteworthy battle sequences. There are, though, a few bits I found less great - still very good in the grand overall scheme, but just comparably with the 2001 release. I found the pacing to be slightly off in moments, while a few of the new cast members didn't connect to me - e.g. Bernard Hill. The side story, meanwhile, with Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan didn't interest me at all... they spend too much of the run time just walking through a forest. Elijah Wood remains good though. I did enjoy seeing the journey of Frodo and Sam (Sean Astin). Andy Serkis also gets more screen time with that aforementioned duo as Gollum, which is most definitely only a major positive - a fun character! Any scene with those three = outstanding. Overall, as noted, it is still an excellent film. One very much worthy of following <em>'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'</em>, despite a few 'issues' I have with it.
JPV852
Sep 15, 2020 · via TMDB
Still probably my favorite of the three, while it's pretty streamlined and far more action centric with little development compared with Fellowship of the Ring and Return of the King, I always find this one really entertaining with the Helm's Deep battle. **4.5/5**
Wuchak
Mar 10, 2018 · via TMDB
That Damned Ring. RELEASED IN 2002 and directed by Peter Jackson, “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” adapts the second part of JRR Tolkien’s popular fantasy trilogy about adventures on Middle-Earth. The surviving ‘Fellowship’ of the first film has been divided into three small groups for this one: The Hobbits Frodo and Sam (Elijah Wood and Sean Astin) team-up with the mad Gollum (Andy Serkis) to make their way to Mordor, but are captured by Faramir (David Wenham), the brother of the deceased Boromir. Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas the Elf (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli the Dwarf (John Rhys-Davies) encounter the once-great King Theoden (Bernard Hill), who has fallen under the spell of Saruman (Christopher Lee) via his devious minion Grima Wormtongue (Brad Dourif). Meanwhile the Hobbits Pippin and Merry (Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan) try to enlist the help of huge tree creatures. Gandalf is also on hand (Ian McKellen). These story threads culminate in the great Battle at Helms Deep in the third hour. This three-hour fantasy/adventure starts out more engaging than the first film, which was laden by its overlong, convoluted and (for the most part) unnecessary prologue. Like that movie, the characters are colorful, the tale is imaginative, there’s a lot of brutal action rounded out by quieter moments and everything LOOKS and SOUNDS great. Unfortunately, after the first act, Jackson opts for CGI porn (excessive use of CGI with the corresponding dizzying visual effects). The first film did this too, but this one ups the ante and so there’s not as much spectacular New Zealand cinematography (i.e. real forests, mountains, rivers, etc.). If cartoony CGI is your thang then you’ll likely appreciate this installment more than me. There are other problems: While the characters are imaginative, they’re also shallow and rather dull, at least for mature people who require more depth to maintain their interest. Also, the wide-spanning (meandering) story with numerous characters and hard-to-remember names tends to be disengaging. I was never much captivated by the characters and their causes, although uber-fans of Tolkien might be. Another problem is the lack of prominent female protagonists. We have Miranda Otto as Éowyn, Théoden's niece, who falls in love with the noble Aragorn and that’s about it, except for cameos by Liv Tyler as Arwen and Cate Blanchett as Galadriel. “Mythica: A Quest for Heroes” (2014) cost LESS THAN $100,000 to make, which is a mere fraction of the $94 million it cost to make this blockbuster and the filmmakers knew enough to include a couple of prominent babes as key protagonists in the story. Despite these negatives, “The Two Towers” was an ultra-ambitious undertaking and is a must for fantasy/adventure aficionados who liked the first movie. THE MOVIE RUNS 2 hours 59 minutes and was shot in New Zealand. GRADE: B-/C+
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Elijah Wood
Frodo
Ian McKellen
Gandalf
Viggo Mortensen
Aragorn
Sean Astin
Sam
Andy Serkis
Gollum
John Rhys-Davies
Gimli / Treebeard (voice)
Orlando Bloom
Legolas
Bernard Hill
Théoden
Miranda Otto
Éowyn
Dominic Monaghan
Merry
Billy Boyd
Pippin
Christopher Lee
Saruman
Cate Blanchett
Galadriel
Liv Tyler
Arwen
Hugo Weaving
Elrond
David Wenham
Faramir
Brad Dourif
Wormtongue
Karl Urban
Éomer
Craig Parker
Haldir
Bruce Allpress
Aldor
John Bach
Madril
Sala Baker
Man Flesh Uruk
Jed Brophy
Sharku / Snaga
Sam Comery
Eothain
Calum Gittins
Haleth
Phil Grieve
Hero Orc
Bruce Hopkins
Gamling
Nathaniel Lees
Ugluk
John Leigh
Háma
Robbie Magasiva
Mauhúr
Robyn Malcolm
Morwen
Bruce Phillips
Rohan Soldier
Robert Pollock
Mordor Orc
Olivia Tennet
Freda
Raymond Trickitt
Bereg
Stephen Ure
Grishnakh
Billy Jackson
Cute Rohan Refugee Child
Katie Jackson
Cute Rohan Refugee Child
Lee Hartley
Hero Orc (uncredited)
Ben Barrington
Gondorian Soldier / Ranger / Orc (uncredited)
Owen Black
Rivendell Elf (uncredited)
Alistair Browning
Damrod (uncredited)
Rodney Cook
Uruk-hai (uncredited)
Augie Davis
Uruk-hai (uncredited)
Mana Hira Davis
Gondorian Soldier / Harad Warrior / Orc / Rohan Soldier / Uruk-hai (uncredited)
Shane Dawson
Harad Warrior / Uruk-hai (uncredited)
Karlos Drinkwater
Easterling Warrior (uncredited)
Aron Eastwood
Rohan Soldier (uncredited)
Frank Edwards
Rohan Man (uncredited)
Daniel Falconer
Elf Warrior / Rivendell Elf (uncredited)
Siaosi Fonua
Orc / Uruk-hai (uncredited)
Ben Fransham
Anendel / Thandronen (uncredited)
Winham Hammond
Uruk-hai (uncredited)
Dan Hennah
Rohan Recruit (uncredited)
Jason Hood
Théoden's Royal Guard (uncredited)
Peter Jackson
Spear-Throwing Rohan Soldier (uncredited)
Richard Knowles
Rohan Soldier (uncredited)
Sandro Kopp
Elven Warrior (uncredited)
Michael Lawrence
Wildman (uncredited)
Alan Lee
Rohan Recruit (uncredited)
Dra McKay
Rohan Woman (uncredited)
Joseph Mika-Hunt
Uruk-hai / Gondorian Soldier (uncredited)
Henry Mortensen
Rohan Boy Recruit (uncredited)
Francis Mountjoy
Elf / Gondorian Soldier / Orc / Uruk-hai (uncredited)
Paul Norell
Easterling (uncredited)
Barrie M. Osborne
Rock-throwing Rohan Soldier (uncredited)
Allan Poppleton
Uruk-hai (uncredited)
Gareth Reeves
Fighting Elf (uncredited)
Campbell Rousselle
Tree-cutting Orc (uncredited)
Matthew J. Saville
Gondorian Soldier (uncredited)
Samuel E. Shore
Rohan Refugee / Elf (uncredited)
Allan Smith
Dead Marshes Elf (uncredited)
Piripi Waretini
Uruk-hai Warrior (uncredited)
Tim Wong
Uruk-hai (uncredited)
John Wraight
Stable Hand (uncredited)
Kelley Kerr Young
Rohan Refugee (uncredited)
Robert Young
Uruk-hai (uncredited)
Caleb Ross
Rohan Helms Deep Warrior (uncredited)
Sean Bean
Boromir (uncredited)
John Noble
Denethor (Extended Cut)
Jules Cook
Assistant Art Director
Alan Lee
Conceptual Design
John Howe
Conceptual Design
Daniel Falconer
Sculptor
Alan Lee
Set Decoration
Dan Hennah
Set Decoration
John Howe
Set Decoration
Dan Hennah
Supervising Art Director
Andrew Lesnie
Director of Photography
Ngila Dickson
Costume Design
Richard Taylor
Costume Design
Jeremy Woodhead
Hairstylist
Jeremy Woodhead
Makeup Artist
Rick Findlater
Makeup Artist
Peter Swords King
Makeup Designer
Richard Taylor
Makeup Supervisor
James Rhodes
Additional Music
Andrew Jack
Dialect Coach
Victoria Mielewska
Dialect Coach
Allan Smith
Stunts
Andrew Stehlin
Stunts
Augie Davis
Stunts
Casey O'Neill
Stunts
Jacob Tomuri
Stunts
Joshua Randall
Stunts
Justin B. Carter
Stunts
Mana Hira Davis
Stunts
Robert Young
Stunts
Rodney Cook
Stunts
Sala Baker
Stunts
Shaughan Campbell
Stunts
Slade Leef
Stunts
Stuart Thorp
Stunts
Tim McLachlan
Stunts
Tim Wong
Stunts
Vincent Roxburgh
Stunts
Winham Hammond
Stunts
Peter Jackson
Director
Carolynne Cunningham
First Assistant Director
Jabez Olssen
Additional Editor
Jamie Selkirk
Supervising Editor
John Hubbard
Casting
Liz Mullane
Casting
Victoria Burrows
Casting
Jamie Selkirk
Co-Producer
Rick Porras
Co-Producer
Bob Weinstein
Executive Producer
Harvey Weinstein
Executive Producer
Michael Lynne
Executive Producer
Robert Shaye
Executive Producer
Barrie M. Osborne
Producer
Fran Walsh
Producer
Peter Jackson
Producer
Katy Wood
Foley Editor
Mark Willsher
Music Editor
Howard Shore
Original Music Composer
Hammond Peek
Production Sound Mixer
David Farmer
Sound Designer
Kyrsten Mate
Sound Effects Editor
Christopher Boyes
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Michael Semanick
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Ethan Van der Ryn
Supervising Sound Editor
Mike Hopkins
Supervising Sound Editor
Guy Williams
3D Supervisor
Shane Prigmore
Animation
Randall William Cook
Animation Supervisor
Erik Winquist
Compositing Artist
Marc Dominic Rienzo
Compositing Artist
Paul Story
Senior Animator
Jason Lei Howden
VFX Artist
Christian Rivers
Visual Effects Designer
Dean Wright
Visual Effects Producer
John Clinton
Visual Effects Producer
Jim Rygiel
Visual Effects Supervisor
Joe Letteri
Visual Effects Supervisor
J. R. R. Tolkien
Novel
Fran Walsh
Screenplay
Peter Jackson
Screenplay
Philippa Boyens
Screenplay
Dec 18, 2002
Nov 18, 2003
Extended Edition
Jan 17, 2026
Extended Edition
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In Order to Pass
1982
Best of British: TVR
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Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Top Gun: Maverick
2022 · 11 wins
Joker
2019 · 11 wins
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