The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) (Stephenverse)

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is a 2002 epic fantasy adventure film and the second film in the The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It was directed by Peter Jackson and was based on the second volume of J. R. R. Tolkien's book series, The Lord of the Rings. The film is the second installment in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and was produced by Barrie M. Osborne, Fran Walsh, and Jackson, and written by Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair, and Jackson. The film features an ensemble cast including Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Bernard Hill, Christopher Lee, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, Miranda Otto, David Wenham, Brad Dourif, Karl Urban, and Andy Serkis. It was preceded by The Fellowship of the Ring, and followed by The Return of the King.

Continuing the plot of The Fellowship of the Ring, the film intercuts three storylines. Frodo and Sam continue their journey towards Mordor to destroy the One Ring, meeting and joined by Gollum, the ring's former owner. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli come to the war-torn nation of Rohan and are reunited with the resurrected Gandalf, before fighting against the legions of the treacherous wizard Saruman at the Battle of Helm's Deep. Merry and Pippin escape capture, meet Treebeard the Ent and help to plan an attack on Isengard, a fortress of Saruman.

The Two Towers was financed and distributed by American studio New Line Cinema, but filmed and edited entirely in Jackson's native New Zealand, concurrently with the other two parts of the trilogy. It premiered on 5 December 2002 at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City and was theatrically released on 18 December 2002 in the United States, and on 19 December 2002 in New Zealand. The film was highly acclaimed by both critics and audiences, who considered it to be a landmark in filmmaking and an achievement in the fantasy film genre. The Two Towers is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made. It grossed $1.465 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of 2002 and the third highest-grossing film of all time at the time of its release.

Plot
The film begins with a flashback to the first film, with Gandalf battling the Balrog on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, but this time continues from Gandalf's perspective, with the scene continuing to follow both as they hurtle down below, fighting while in free-fall. The moment they hit the water of an underground lake, Frodo awakens from his dream and continues his journey with his trusted and loyal friend, Sam through the rocky region of Emyn Muil, where they become lost. Soon they are attacked by the ring-possessed Gollum wishing to retrieve "his precious" from the ones he thinks stole it from him. The Hobbits subdue and bind him with Sam's Elven rope given to him by the Elven elder Galadriel in Lórien. Sam distrusts Gollum and wishes to abandon him, but Frodo understands the burden of the creature and takes pity on him. In need of a guide, Frodo removes the rope from Gollum's neck and persuades him to lead them to the Black Gate of Mordor. In Rohan, the pack of Uruk-hai run across the grassy landscape with their captives Merry and Pippin. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli are in pursuit, following three days of running, Legolas surmises the Hobbits are being taken to Isengard, where Saruman is marshaling his Uruk-hai forces to do the bidding of Sauron. In the kingdom of Rohan, home of the horse lords, King Théoden is mentally and physically weak due to the enchantments of his steward, Gríma Wormtongue, who is secretly in the service of Saruman. Orcs and Wild Men of Dunland incited by Saruman freely roam the land and kill the people including the king's only son Théodred. Théoden's nephew Éomer interrogates Gríma, angrily realizing he has lustful eyes for Éomer's sister Éowyn and that he is now an agent of Saruman. Gríma banishes Éomer for undermining his authority and Éomer sets forth to gather the remaining loyal men of the Rohirrim throughout the land.

Éomer and his Rohirrim ambush and kill all of the Orcs and Uruk-hai holding the two Hobbits captive at nightfall. During the battle, Merry and Pippin narrowly escape their captors by fleeing into the nearby Fangorn forest. Éomer later encounters Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli and in turn tells Aragorn there were no survivors of the Orc/Uruk-hai slaughter. Upon arriving at the battle site, Aragorn uses his tracking skills and finds hobbit tracks that lead into Fangorn. We see Merry & Pippin as they flee into the forest pursued by the orc who previously attacked them. They are aided by Treebeard the oldest of the tree-like creatures, the Ents, who takes them to the one he calls the white wizard, whom Merry & Pippin assume to be Saruman; we leave them looking up at him. Frodo and Sam traverse the Dead Marshes, passing the undead fallen warriors of the Second Age who haunt the marshes. Frodo becomes enchanted by the spirits living in the waters of the marsh and falls in. He's pulled out before he drowns by Gollum. The three also hide from a newly-seated Ringwraith on his flying fell beast, a large black dragon. In Fangorn Forest, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli discover the mysterious white wizard who is ultimately shown to be Gandalf reborn, now known as Gandalf the White. He speaks of his ordeal w/ the Balrog, & we see his defeat of the Balrog. Gandalf summons Shadowfax, the lord of the Mearas - an ancient & noble race of horses - & the quartet proceed to Edoras. Meanwhile, Frodo, Sam & Gollum reach the Black Gate, finding it to be heavily guarded, (they observe a contingent of Easterlings from Rhûn arrive to reinforce the garrison) only to have Gollum reveal to them a less risky path; Sam remains distrustful, but Frodo gives him the benefit of the doubt & begins calling him Sméagol. While observing the gate, the rocky ledge on which Sam lays gives way and he tumbles down the cliff. Frodo rushes to help him and, in desperation, throws the cloak given him by Galadriel over them both. Easterlings who'd wandered over to investigate the disturbance, are unable to see them under the cloak which has the appearance of a boulder.

Gandalf & company approach Meduseld in Edoras, where Theodred has just died with Éowyn at his bedside. After much ado, they exorcise Saruman's spirit from King Théoden and banish Wormtongue. Théoden is confronted with his dead son and, rather than risk open war, decides to flee to a large fortress called Helm's Deep which in times of trouble has saved the people of Rohan. Gandalf leaves to find Éomer and his Rohirrim, promising to return within five days, as a strong attraction draws Éowyn to Aragorn during the journey to Helm's Deep. Wormtongue flees to Orthanc and tells Saruman of Rohan breaking from their grip; Saruman then decides to destroy Rohan. In Ithilien, Sméagol battles his split personality in an attempt to befriend Frodo and Sam and ultimately banishes Gollum, his "evil" half. The two hobbits are witness to an ambush of Southrons but are taken captive by soldiers of Gondor. Meanwhile, along the journey to Helm's Deep, Éowyn becomes more attracted to Aragorn. When the travelers are attacked by Saruman's Wargs and their Orc riders, an unhappy Éowyn is tasked with seeing the people of Edoras safely to Helm's Deep. During the battle, Aragorn is dragged by a Warg and falls off a cliff into a raging river as the grief-stricken survivors reluctantly move on to the fortress. In Isengard, Saruman reveals his huge army to Wormtongue & sends them off to make war on Helm's Deep; Merry & Pippin in the company of Treebeard, realize the war is starting; in Rohan, Aragorn washes up on the river's edge and is nudged back to consciousness by his horse, Brego. Battered but undaunted, he rides to Helm's Deep. In Rivendell, Elrond knows that the age of Elves is ending and convinces Arwen that it is hopeless to stay and she should leave for the Grey Havens. Elrond shows her a prophetic vision that if she waits for Aragorn, even if he succeeds in destroying Sauron and becomes King of Gondor, he will still succumb to mortality; Arwen will suffer grievously once he is dead and will be left to wither away...she reluctantly agrees to leave.

Meanwhile back in Gondor, Frodo and Sam are taken to Henneth Annûn and brought before Faramir, where they learn their captor is the younger brother of Boromir. Sméagol eluded capture and, in order to save his life, is lured unknowingly into a trap by Frodo, bringing back his Gollum alter-ego. Faramir learns of the One Ring and, seeking to prove his worth to his father, decides the Ring shall go to Gondor. On his way to Helm's Deep, Aragorn passes Saruman's army of Uruk-hai, which numbers at least 10,000 strong. His arrival is met with relief but it is short-lived with the news that there are only 300 men in the stronghold. He counsels Théoden to send for aid, but his pleas fall on deaf & despairing ears. At Fangorn forest, Treebeard and the other Ents, w/ Merry & Pippin along for the ride, hold a Council to decide on the role of the Ents in the war with Saruman. Back at Helm's Deep, every male old enough to hold a sword is called to service, & the women fall back into the fortress. Night falls, the defenders ready for attack; then, in the midst of despair, a battalion of Elven archers from Lórien, led by Haldir, arrives to assist in the ensuing battle. The defenders wait on the walls as lightning reveals Saruman's massive army. In the pouring rain, an old man on the wall accidentally lets loose an arrow, killing an Uruk. The battle of Helm's Deep begins with a flurry of arrows from both human and Elven archers cutting down dozens of Uruk-hai. Scaling ladders are placed upon the Deeping Wall, and the Uruk-Hai swarm up to engage the defenders. Meanwhile, back at the Entish council, Merry & Pippin become frustrated by the slow progress. Back to Helm's Deep...The defenses are slowly being breached and the enemy manages to breech the wall through its sewer drain - which the treacherous Wormtongue told Saruman of - using a rudimentary explosive device created by the wizard. Despite Aragorn and Gimli's best efforts, the Uruk-hai manage to penetrate the main gate and soon the stronghold is overrun. In Fangorn, Treebeard and the other Ents have decided to not have any involvement in the war. In the midst of battle, Haldir falls in battle and the few remaining Elves fall back into the Keep.

In the Hornburg, the Uruks have scaled the walls, and have breached the gate, forcing the defenders to also retreat into the Keep. Frustrated further by the Ents' decision to not participate in the war, Pippin cleverly takes Treebeard to the section of Fangorn Forest near Isengard that Saruman has decimated to build the forges necessary to make weapons for his army. Treebeard is filled with rage at Saruman's betrayal and commands all the Ents to seek vengeance. They gather and embark upon 'the Last March of the Ents' toward Isengard. At the ruins of Osgiliath, Faramir talks of sending his father a great gift, the ring, to be used as a weapon that will help win the war. Sam tells him that the ring drove Boromir to madness & dishonor. Meanwhile, as the Keep is now under attack, and remembering Gandalf's words before he departed - of looking for him at dawn on the 5th day - Aragorn and the rest make one last gallant ride on horseback to attack the Uruk-hai army, in a desperate bid to allow the Rohirrim's women and children to escape into the Glittering Caves behind the Keep. As the riders are surrounded and all seems lost, Aragorn looks up to see Gandalf at the top of the tall hill before the fortress. With him are Éomer, and two thousand Riders of the Rohirrim; as they descend, the sun rises over the hill, blinding the Uruk army. In Isengard, the Ents attack, tossing stones and rocks while collapsing a dam to flood its surroundings and destroy the system of tunnels and foundries beneath it, while Saruman looks on frantically from his tower.

Back in Osgiliath, the Hobbits are confronted by a Ringwraith and its fell beast. With the help of Sam, & Faramir's well-aimed arrow, Frodo - who is feeling more & more the pull of the ring - narrowly escapes the Ringwraith's efforts to capture him. As we watch the army at Helm's Deep rout the evil army & the Ents succeed in demolishing Isengard, Sam narrates how the story must go on & they must finish their quest, regardless of the danger, b/c there is still good in the world & it's worth fighting for. Faramir hears & decides to free them. Gandalf and the others now admit a full war is inevitable (as Sauron will surely seek retribution for the defeat of Saruman) and their only hope rests with Frodo and Sam, who have resumed their journey to Mordor. Accompanying them once again and feeling betrayed after his mistreatment by Faramir's men, Gollum's darker nature returns and decides to reclaim the ring by leading Frodo and Sam to "her".

Reception
The film gained critical acclaim from critics and moviegoers alike. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 93% approval rating based on 295 reviews, with an average rating of 8.65/10. The website's critics' consensus reads, "The Two Towers balances spectacular action with emotional storytelling, leaving audiences both wholly satisfied and eager for the final chapter.". Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 91/100 based on 57 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. It was nominated for six awards, including Best Picture and winning two for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Editing. It also won a Grammy Award for Best Score by Howard Shore.

The movie went on to gross $643 million in North America and $822 million internationally for a worldwide total of $1.465 billion against a budget of $245 million. It was the highest-grossing film of 2002 worldwide.

Difference compared to real-life release
In Stephenverse, much like the first film, the film was released with the Extended version instead of the Theatrical version.