Tuesday, July 27, 2010

A Powerful Synopsis Of The Epic Movie The Lord Of The Rings The Two Towers

By Shelia Beard

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.

The book itself tends be difficult to get through because of the long portions of landscape description. Because Tolkien wants us to have as clear a picture of the terrain through which the characters are traveling, he tends to include a lot of detail. Everything from vegetation to weather is described and while it helps you develop a strong mental picture of Middle Earth (where the series is set), it can be hard to get through for many people. However, the slower portions tend to be balanced by shorter sections that depict great action such as important battles and sieges.

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.

The two towers mentioned in the title refer to the tower of Saruman, a corrupt wizard who has fallen under Sauron's sway, and the tower of Sauron itself in Mordor. Saruman is busy creating warriors that will be used to crush the remaining forces who are still putting up a fight against Sauron. Saruman is creating fearsome creatures known as Uruk-hai that are stronger, tougher and more brutal than anything that has come before.

The Fellowship was broken at the end of the first movie due to the attempted theft of the Ring from Frodo by Boromir. The movie is split into two different sub-plots. The first is the travels of Frodo and his companion Sam and the second is the travels of the remainder of the Fellowship. The companions are further separated due to events which occur during the book, and this gives us the opportunity to be introduced to many of the different cultures and races in Middle Earth.

In the book, it is difficult to jump back and forth between the different parts of the Fellowship. The movie does this well and also allows us to get to know other important characters as well. It makes it more interesting for the audience to see the bravery of Eowyn of Rohan, the cowardice of Golum and other pivotal characters.

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. - 39815

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