Barliman’s chat regular, IRHobbitish, was lucky enough to win tickets from a local radio station to the press preview of TTT in Salt Lake City.
So, here goes for another review of The Two Towers …
IR writes:
First and foremost, it is definitely worth the price of admission. I don’t care if you have to pay $20.00 per ticket and the same for the goodies to go with it. Second – don’t get too many of those goodies, as this is also a large popcorn, small drink movie. This installment is so action packed that you won’t want to miss a thing.
As you may have read in Time Magazine, this movie does not offer any segue between FOTR and TTT. Peter Jackson assumes that most, if not all, people who are going to shell out money to see this film will most likely go and rent FOTR before they go to see this. There will be no prelude such as “Previously – in Fellowship of the Ring, . . . . .” However, they do open with a short dream sequence in which Frodo is having a nightmare of when Gandalf fell. People will be well served to follow that advice. I had the advantage of seeing this film with a relatively small crowd. I can’t say that there were more than 30 people present. It was strictly “cut to the chase”; No 30 minutes of trailers of other movies and the such. As this movie is 250 long – just until the credits start rolling, it was a nice touch.
This movie sure begins with a BANG. If you like the way James Bond movies start – you will like this. If you are going to this movie as a Tolkien Purist, then there will be several things that you will have objections to. In some cases – things are downright backward. The movies starts off with Frodo and Sam in the broken peaks of the Emyn Muil. This part seemed to jump right out of the pages of the book for me. Then you get the switch to Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli. I don’t believe that the movie pays enough attention to the companionship building between Legolas and Gimli. However, there were a lot of humorous lines given to Gimli to lighten the load.
I would like to point out that I will always admire the cinematography of these films. Who knew that New Zealand was so BIG and that it was also so diverse. The settings that they picked for Edoras was RIGHT ON (something else that jumped from the pages of the book). I am glad that they have “beefed” up Aragorn’s part from the last movie. I had been under the impression that he was too unsure of himself in the first film. I also believe that the character, Grima Wormtongue, was played to perfection.
One of the scenes that my husband had objections to was the “awakening” of Theoden. This scene seemed to much like “The Exorcist” to him. He thought that it was turned into another wizard fight – much like in FOTR. On the other hand, I liked it just fine.
The movies moves quite well through scenes with Frodo and Sam, Merry and Pippin and back to the rest of the remaining Fellowship. It seemed to have a good flow that I wasn’t sure could be made to make sense (in the beginning). There seems to be a fairly even tempering between all three factions.
Gollum was a delight to see. He really embodies the old cliché, “You’re never alone with a Schizophrenic.” I feel that the scenes with Gollum debating with himself were terrific. I thought that some of the scenes where Frodo is defending Gollum from Sam’s jibes were a little overdone. But Mr. Hobbitish was quick to point out to me that this may have been done to further the notion that Frodo empathizes with Gollum for being a former Ringbearer.
I was sorry that more time wasn’t spent in Ithilien with the Herbs and Stewed Rabbit. I was also sorry that A LOT of artistic license was taken with the Faramir character from the books. However, if one hadn’t read the books – they would not catch these changes. I thought that the whole idea of taking Frodo and the Ring to Osgiliath was to be completely superfluous. They could have left the whole scenes as they were at Henneth Annun and have been better served. I also worry that Frodo seems to be falling apart a bit prematurely. One would hope that he will be able to make it to the Cracks of Doom without having to be dragged every step of the way by Sam. It’s one thing to be constantly pummeled emotionally by the ring and fighting it silently. It is quite another to be a wilting violet every time a Ringwraith is within 10 miles of him.
As this review is going to reach its own book stage soon – I will sum up the rest of my own observations quickly.
I was glad to see that Arwen did not make some She-Elf, warrior princess entrance at Helm’s Deep (as was previously rumored). However, Aragorn is still running around without Narsil(or Andruil). I was surprised to see Haldir at Helm’s Deep. I did not think that the gratuitous scenes between Aragorn and Arwen were particularly necessary – but they did serve to give the paying public and eyeful of why Aragorn is fighting so hard.
I was glad that Aragorn had come out of his self imposed shell. However, I was not happy that Theoden was portrayed as being stand-offish. Aragorn seems to be bending Theoden’s arms back in order to make him fight. I’m sure that he will come out of his shell by the next movie. He has a large part to play in ROTK.
I was disappointed about the Entmoot. I thought that Treebeard should have been able to move the Ents into a greater frenzy – before they had to go and see the desolation of Isengard. In the books – Merry and Pippin were able to persuade Treebeard on their own – then he held the moot to persuade the other Ents.
Finally – I was disappointed that the movie was so short (even though it is just about the same length as the theatrical release as FOTR). Now – I don’t think I can wait until next year to see ROTK. Now, I’m right back where I was a year ago. Biting my nails waiting for the next one.
There seems to be a lot of footage that was filmed but has not made it into the final cut. This leaves the possibilities WIDE open for the next Extended Version DVD.
Wow did you guys also find it hard to keep up with all the The Two Towers-reviews floating in over the past week or so? Well we here at TORn certainly did so we decided to get them all together in one newsstory so you can take your time and browse through them all!
But beware: ALL THE SPOILERS YOU CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE!!
Another note upfront: I have not read a single review of the ones down here because of the simple reason I want to stay unspoiled and make up my own opinion after I see the movie, so I won’t be able to tell you much about these reviews..
Anyway, off we go! The first review to appear online was from a visitor of AintitCoolNews.com, you can check it out here! If you want to know more read through the talkback-section, some questions from Talkbackers are answered there…
Next up was a great (or so I heard) review from LightsOutEntertainment, definitly worth a read and you can find it here! Be sure to also read through the two FAQ’s they have compiled after the emailwave they must have gotten!
A ‘stuffed with spoilers’-review of The Two Towers written by someone who attended the Writers Guild screening can be read here, it’s not recommended to read this one if you would like to remain at least a little bit story-spoiler free.
Refreshingly enough there are also people who wrote a review that didn’t feature a lot of spoilers. One of those can be read here. It deals mainly with the actors perfomances and has some minor Helms Deep spoilerish thnigs inside.
The guys from Filmjerk.com also wrote up a review, appearently it’s quite enjoyable! Find out for yourself by clicking this link right here!
Someone who attended a New York screening earlier this week wrote in a review which can be found here, it contains the usual ammount of spoilers so I steered clear of it..
Now there was much writing about the MTV ‘Movie House’ screening of TTT, most of them weren’t very positive about how MTV handled it. Someone nicked Sarumann wrote up two reviews after the screening; one of them spoilerfree and one filled with spoilers so take you pick! Both can be found right here!
Fox News reviewed the movie as well, (It was written by no other then Roger Friendman) and it was very positive! Naming TTT ‘a big hit and Oscar nominee’! Read all about it here!
Another spoilerfree review written by Nerdanel can be found, read and enjoyed here!
Well-known entertainment columnist David Poland chimes in with his (extremely positive) full review of The Two Towers, calling it “a near-perfect piece of filmmaking.” Read the review here!
Someone wrote in from Norway (yes they are also having screenings of The Two Towers there) with a nice review. Click me to read the review!
updated!: Entertainment Weekly also wrote up a review, but they only gave it a ‘B’ so I don’t think they liked it very much, nevertheless you can find it here. Edit: okay I spoke too soon; the review was actually written by Owen Gleiberman (sorry Owen!), thanks to Anya for setting me straight!
updated!: Sky (UK’s biggest satellite broadcaster) also reviewed The Two Towers, read their review here!
updated!: Barliman’s chat regular, IRHobbitish, was lucky enough to win tickets from a local radio station to the press preview of TTT in Salt Lake City. So, here goes for another (spoiler-packed) review of The Two Towers. [More]
updated! Here’s a review from Ronald Epstein at hometheatreforum.com. Spoilers and pictures! [More]
updated! Ringer Spy Hackenbush submits this spoilerish review. “Andy Serkis and Weta digital turn in a performance that makes Yoda look as exciting as a game of Pong,” he writes. [More]
updated! Hollywood Reporter apparently loves Two Towers. “Well on its way to becoming one of the greatest achievements in cinema history,” gushes the writer. [More]
updated!: Xenite.org also has a review online, it has pretty much the same highlights and ‘lowpoints’ as all the other reviews, check it out here!
updated!: and another review that dropped in my mailbox today is from Screendaily.com, you can read it here!
Malcolm writes: I was on my way out to work this morning when I caught a clip which I hadn’t seen before from TTT on Channel 4’s morning programme Rise. They said it was a world exclusive, I don’t know if it’s been shown anywhere else, but it was of Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas and Gandalf walking up the hall towards King Theoden (who looked quite old, if a touch dusty) and Wormtongue.
It showed Wormtongue ‘advising’ Theoden, can’t remember what was said but it was something about Gandalf being bad news, then Theoden basically accepted Wormtongue’s opinion (a bit like a Stormtrooper accepting what Obi-Wan tells him). It finished with Wormtongue approaching Gandalf, Gandalf getting a bit angry, and it looked like it could’ve been just before Wormtongue gets banished.
RING LORE: THE TWO TOWERS TCG A Beginner’s Guide to Playing the Game
And so it begins…
The long awaited return of RING LORE…a unique and in-depth study of the Lord of the Rings TCG by yours truly…Lao of Gondor.
This newest installment of RING LORE will focus on how to get started playing THE TWO TOWERS TCG by Decipher, Inc. So if you are already an experienced gamer, please bear with me as I offer newcomers and beginners alike, my advice on how to start and share in the continuing adventure of the greatest TCG to date!
The Two Towers TCG premiere set is definitely upon us and has indeed changed the face of LOTR TCG gaming as we know it. Since November 6th, throughout both League and Tournament play, I have been exposed to only a fraction of the potential within this 365 card set, and it is safe to say that the world of LOTR TCG gaming will never be the same.
The Two Towers offers a complex, richly layered and unique gaming experience as it continues where the final Fellowship of the Ring expansion, The Realms of the Elf-Lords, ended. New cultures, characters, allies, possessions and enemies have been added to the mix as the quest to destroy the One Ring unfolds upon a new battleground. New mechanics, keywords and three new cultures: Dunland, Raider and Rohan have expanded the game in such way to reflect the vastness of the peoples and places of Middle-Earth, aside from those we have already experienced in the previous three Fellowship expansion sets.
The adventure path is also quite new and has now changed to reflect two distinct journeys: Frodo and Sam’s march towards Mordor and the charge of the “Three Hunters” (Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli) across the Rohan plains in search of their captured comrades, Merry and Pippin. The adventure path incorporates the same dynamic of 9 distinct SITE locations which, through the keywords RING-BOUND and UNBOUND, affect either journey – or both at the same time.
But before we get into any of that, let’s take this slowly and from the top:
HOW DO I BEGIN PLAYING THE LOTR TCG: THE TWO TOWERS?
If you are a newcomer to the game, or if you are interested in continuing the thrill and excitement of the first three sets then visit your local gaming store, or your online retailer, and purchase either the ARAGORN Starter Deck, the THEODEN Starter Deck or – if your funds so allow – the DELUXE Starter Set. Depending on the vendor, the basic Starter Deck retails for $9.99 to $10.95 and the Deluxe ranges from $19.95 to $24.95. You can find all of these supplies and more here at the Decipher On-Line Store.
WHY ARE THERE THREE STARTER DECKS AND HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT?
The three different Starter decks represent three different design themes which give you a unique glimpse into the world of this trading card game. Starter decks offer you the ability to play straight out of the box with absolutely no need for enhancements from booster packs (see Booster Packs entry below). Each basic starter comes with a rulebook and a fixed 60-card deck plus three random rare cards – for a total of 63 cards per box.
The Aragorn Starter Deck features the PREMIUM Aragorn as your suggested starting companion. It is further enhanced with GIMLI and LEGOLAS to offer you the strategy of how the “Three Hunters” tirelessly search for Merry and Pippin, who are also in this deck. The Shadow side features the new DUNLAND Culture: the savage wildmen recruited by Saruman – who’s strength in numbers is almost as dangerous as the ferocity of the Uruk-Hai as they burn, pillage and plunder across the Rohan Plains!
The culture of ROHAN represents the defense of the Free Peoples in the THEODEN Starter Deck. This configuration allows you to explore the nobility and power of the Riders of Rohan, and their leaders EOMER, EOWYN and THEODEN. Supporting the forces of Shadow are the fighting URUK-HAI, as they have returned with a more powerful and versatile nature, combining the use of archery and site control to dominate the world of men.
Finally, the DELUXE Starter deck contains not only a playable deck (like the basic starters); it also contains an 11-card booster pack, glass bead tokens (to represent the twilight pool and wounds) player markers and comes in one of three beautifully designed containers branded with the cultural flavor and icon of the ELVEN, ISENGARD or ROHAN cultures.
In the Deluxe Starter Deck, the Free Peoples side is based around GANDALF and his ability to generate power from the tokens in the twilight pool. The Shadow forces are represented by the newly introduced RAIDER culture – specifically Easterlings and Southerons; aggressive minions of men who have arsenals of new and as yet unexplored abilities such as the AMBUSH tactic!
For a complete list of each starter deck, visit the Decipher TWO TOWERS Starter Decks Card list page here.
WHAT ARE BOOSTER PACKS?
Booster Packs are 11-card supplements that further enhance your ability to create new and devastating strategies for your customized deck design. Each booster pack is different and contains cards which represent each different culture. Each 11-card pack contains 1 rare card and one out of every 6 random packs contains an ultra-rare holographic card (a foil version of a card.) Booster packs come in boxes of 36 packs and can either be purchased by the pack or by the box – whichever you prefer. Packs usually retail for around $2.95 to $3.95 and full sealed boxes range from $80 to $100.
WHAT TYPE OF GAMING SUPPORT IS AVAILABLE?
Ahh…you wish to test your skills, eh? Well then, when it comes to the community of gaming, there’s none out there like that of the Lord of the Rings TCG. There are tournaments, league nights, home-based league kits, special events and even free demonstrations and strategy seminars thanks to the tireless efforts of the Riders of Rohan–Decipher’s Product Champions. To find out who your local Rider of Rohan is, visit Decipher’s Main Page or locate your specific area and Product Champion from the PC list here. For tournament information you can either go to Decipher’s Tournament Main Page or visit the Decipher Games Management Authority at www.dgma.com. Or quite simply, visit your local retailer, gaming supply store or comic book shop and ask if they support tournament and league play and who the Rider is for that particular store. Believe me, if there’s a gaming opportunity that you want to become involved in…we have got you covered!
Aside from time, patience and a little luck…that’s about it…you are ready to embark on one helluva gaming adventure! You will probably need to purchase the standard gaming supplies such as: glass tokens, dice, plastic card protectors, card binders, storage boxes and other such paraphernalia if you wish. My advice to you, if you really are interested in investing in this game, please always visit www.decipher.com for the latest news, updates, rules errata and FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) to keep your knowledge of this game current and up-to-date. And of course, keep an eye (or two, as often as you can spare them) on GAMING HAVENS here at TOR.N for more articles and strategy tips which you will definitely see in the near future.
As for all of you experienced gamers out there, please use these guidelines as a means to advise newer players on how to enter the game. Remember, the more people who play, the more opportunities you will have for larger and more challenging playing experiences. And somewhere along the line, you will meet new friends, expand your playing community and most importantly of all…you will help secure the stability of the game within your area for years to come.
THE TWO TOWERS is just beginning to unfold and its gaming opportunities are beyond measure. Hit those stores, buy those decks and get to work!
Later,
Lao of Gondor
On the next Installment of RING LORE: CULTURAL IDENTITY!
Ringer Spy Peter has done a great job of digitising a clip of PJ’s appearance on the Today programme – as well as three clips of interest from the WB’s “Return To Middle Earth“.
PJ’s Appearance on Today (4 minutes, 6.4Mb Quicktime) [More]
Beginning of the Warg Attack (2:29 minutes, 7.8Mb Quicktime) [More] Approach to Edoras (58 seconds, 1.9Mb Quicktime) [More] Fangorn (1:15 minutes, 2.9Mb Quicktime) [More]
Yusuf writes: As confirmed, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers will be released on December 20th with 150 copies countrywide. There will be both Turkish subtitled and dubbed versions. The previous film became the second most watched foreign film in Turkey. CNN Turk (The Turkish sponsor of the film) will air a special documentary about TTT this sunday at 22:05. also the world and Turkey premieres will air live on CNN Turk with special interviews with Ian McKellen and Cate Blanchett!
