Kirinki on The Two Towers

Here are some few first impressions on The Two Towers, which I saw yesterday [31/12/02].

I would like to start with a positive perspective. The Two Towers was as movies go a very spectacular action fantasy film. I think I never spent three hours straight in a cinema that fast. The landscapes were stunning, just as in the first film. Most of the scenery and characters were done with thoroughness, solidity and credibility. (But was Treebeard´s voice really done by John Rhys-Davies? He has a very distinctive resonance. It was too alike Gimli anyway.)

BTW Gimli was, as many have commented, much too ridiculous. But I think it is no use to wander into the vast field of narrative changes of plot and characters. That may take the rest of the day. I came to the movie fully prepared of any changes that Peter Jackson might have conjured up in order to make it work on the screen. At least I thought so, but Alas!

I watched with a growing sense of sick fascination as to how twisted the story had become and how different the characters had turned out in terms of properties, motives and actions. On the other hand, the pure alienation of all these novelties allowed for certain totally new and somewhat interesting experiences, which would not occur while reading LotR.

For example, while Haldir died ***** Haldir the Lothlórien Elf in a company of Elven archers reinforcing the boys and old men of Rohan defending the whole population of Rohan at Helm´s Deep from ten thousand Uruk-haí specially grown by Saruman in league with Sauron while all the Riders had been banned together with Eomér and while. Whaaaa..!!!! WAKE ME UP!!!! ****** all right, when Haldir died, I came to ponder his fate in the halls of Mandos and other such stuff which is actually more related to HoME than to LotR. So the result was actually enriching in this way, but I think that was a by-effect. I wonder how they were thinking when writing the script.

To end on a positive note again, I got to compliment the fantastic results achieved on making Gollum alive. Sometimes I think he was the best actor of them all and by some chance of fate they had remained very true to his character.

Now I will lie on the couch and watch the extended DVD of FotR which I got yesterday as a belated Christmas gift from a friend.