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Movie Forums :: Reviews :: Review of the Preview: "The Two Towers"! |
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Posted on 4/04/02
Review of the Preview: "The Two Towers"!
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A review of a preview? In this case, yes. The preview is that of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, a special four-minute monster currently attached to prints of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. It is, essentially, a gift from Director Peter Jackson to the fans of the films. It is more than a teaser or even a trailer. It is a full-on preview of the film.
It begins with a familiar theme from the first film playing the background, as these words appear on the screen gradually, fading in and out:
This Christmas
The Journey Continues
in The Two Towers
The first shot is that of a green brooch; belonging to one of the two missing hobbits. Aragorn bends over to pick it up, and studies it. He is trying to track them down. As the next shot shows us, Gimli and Legolas are helping him. We're treated to a wonderful view of the three of them running across a plateau above a giant valley. Shots of a group of dark riders (Orcs, it appears), of Legolas looking behind him while running, and then a closeup of Merry and Pippin on the ground, breathing hard, and looking beat up. This is followed by a shot or two of Frodo and Sam climbing over some rocks in Mordor, looking very weary.
Cut to Legolas moving forward, and then Aragorn and Gimli near him, readying their weapons; they sense a threat. Just as they prepare to lunge forward in battle, a bright, shining figure makes himself known behind them. We see that it is Gandalf, now with a white staff, white robe, and straight white hair. He looks much, much younger, and stronger, than he did in the last film; but not just because of the new threads. The makeup department has done a nice job here in making him look refreshed and rejuvenated.
Next, a shot of a woman (it appears to be Eowyn) running up some steps, followed by a closeup of Arwen in a hood, and Faramir (I presume...it could be Eomer) turning his head. Now, a long shot fading away from a building that I assume is in Rohan. After that we get a wonderfully creepy shot of Grima Wormtongue poking his head out of the shadows, followed immediately by a closeup of Eowyn, her face stained with tears.
Fade to black. A voiceover; it's not evident at first, but this is Gandalf. His voice is stronger and firmer. In a way, the way Saruman's was in the first film. The contrast to his voice in the first film is subtle, yet significant. His voice tells us that a shadow in the East has "taken shape," as we are shown what appears to be an Orc watch tower. Cut to a closeup of Gandalf and Aragorn alongside one another. Gandalf tells him that "there is a union now between the Two Towers." We, of course, are given a look at Orthanc as he says this.
Next, a shot of The One Ring in Frodo's now very dirty hand. "It's the ring," he says, as we cut to another shot of him. "It's getting heavier." Shots of Frodo and Sam trudging through a swamp, as Galadriel tells us that there is "nothing we can do for Frodo; the quest will claim his life." A quick shot of Arwen lying on a bed, and of the Eye of Sauron.
Back to Gandalf and Aragorn. Gandalf the White informs us that "Sauron is not so mighty yet that he is above fear," and quickly adds "He fears you, Aragorn. He fears what you may become." This quickly switches to a voiceover as we see Aragorn approaching the broken sword seen in the first film, and drawing his sword on a rainy battlefield. Next, we see Saruman sitting in Orthanc, allegedly talking to himself. "So, Gandalf Grayhame thinks he has found the lost King of Gondor. It matters not; the world of Men will fall." This is accompanied by shots of Aragorn throwing a large pair of doors open, and looking at Theoden (Gondor's current King).
We're then shown (after a few shots of burning, pillaging, and battlefields) Theoden, in a closeup. The camera revolves around him and occassionally cuts away as he is adorned with armor and speaks, saying "Where is the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blown? They have passed like rain on the mountains. Like wind in the meadow." The next sentence was somewhat hard to make out, but his little pep talk ends with the word "shadow."
Next, shots of Helm's Deep, as the rain comes pouring down. A large group of Orcs pound their weapons and feet rhythmically to apparently intimidate their opponents. An Orc warrior lifts his weapon in the error and lets out a growl. The LOTR: FOTR adventure music cues up, as we see three riders. Another shot of Faramir (or Eomer). A shot of Gandalf, all in white, (even riding a white horse...Shadowfax, perhaps?) leading a group of riders behind him. A shot of Frodo with Sting drawn (to fend off Gollum?), and then of Eowyn besting Aragorn with her sword. A quick shot of Merry and Pippin falling on the ground, their heads inches away from a skull lying there.
A shot of Arwen happy and dancing, and of Legolas in battle. A shot of what must be another Rohan warrior (Eomer or Faramir, most likely) holding a spear in front of him and looking cautious. This is followed by a shot of Pippin climbing a tree. He turns his head away from the trunk just as it opens an eye and blinks. He turns back and it does so again. This is a very clever way to give us a small taste of Treebeard and the Ents without giving us too much. Next, Aragorn at Helm's Deep, giving the command to fire a wave of arrows. Excellent CGI work here.
Assorted shots of various characters, including one of Gandalf leading, apparently, the aforementioned group of riders through a line of enemy defense. Not long after we see an extended shot of an army of Orcs trying to seize Helm's Deep. Many climb up ladders and are thrown down. A quick shot of Wormtongue leaning in to hiss in Theoden's ear. More shots spliced together, before the finale...
...the music is building to a climax, and we're greeted with a wonderful shot of Gollum climbing over some rocks at night. "The thieves," he hisses. "The filthy little thievesssss. They stole my preciousssss." He leans forward and reaches out his hand towards Frodo, laying there sleeping, just as he adds "and WE WANTS IT!" A short shot of Frodo opening his eyes. Fade to black.
All in all, an amazing preview. I do wish we'd have been treated to a better look at the Ents, and Gollum, but the battle of Helm's Deep looks amazing, Gandalf Version 2.0 seems exceedingly cool, and the characters of Wormtongue, Eowyn, and Theoden all look fantastic. The finale is far and away the best part, as Gollum's voice simply could not be any better. If you haven't seen this yet, plunk down the cash for another ticket and see it. There's no better way to spend your money right now.
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