The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the sequel toThe Lord of the Rings:The Fellowship of the Ring, was released in 2002 to universal critical acclaim. It is based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s bookThe Two Towers,the second part of the novelThe Lord of the Rings.
Directed by Peter Jackson, the film features an ensemble cast including Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, Christopher Lee, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Andy Serkis and others. To watchThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towersin the U.S., the following streaming platforms are available.
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What Is The Two Towers About?
The second installment ofThe Lord of the Ringsfollows the remaining members of the Fellowship of the Ring who continue their quest, but on separate paths. The three plot lines include Frodo and Sam’s journey to Mount Doom to destroy the Ring; Merry and Pippin’s escape from the Uruk-hai andtheir efforts to convince the Entsto attack Saruman’s fortress of Isengard; and Gandalf the White’s encounter with Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas, who go on to battle Saruman’s army at Helm’s Deep.
The film opens with the battle between Gandalf and the Balrog in Moria, after which the former isresurrected as Gandalf the Whiteso he can help save Middle-earth. When Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas pursue the Uruk-hai to save Merry and Pippin, they are led to the kingdom of Rohan, where they meet Éomer (the future King of Rohan). He informs them that his men have been banished by Théoden, Rohan’s king, who is largely under the control ofhis chief advisor Gríma Wormtongue(a secret ally of Saruman). Aragorn’s group is soon reunited with Gandalf, and together they travel to Rohan’s capital, Edoras, where Gandalf breaks Théoden free from Saruman’s influence. Théoden orders for the citizens of Rohan to be evacuated to the fortress of the Hornburg at Helm’s Deep when he learns of Saruman’s plans to take over the city. Gandalf departs to ask Éomer and his followers to fight for their restored king. Meanwhile, Galadriel reminds Elrond that the Elves should honor their alliance to Men.The Battle of Helm’s Deepsoon follows, in which Théoden’s army is vastly outnumbered. However, a company of Lothlorien Elves arrive shortly afterward to fight along the Rohirrim. The defenders still struggle to win, but Gandalf finally arrives with Éomer and his Men, turning the tide of the battle.
On the other hand, Merry and Pippin manage to escape to the Fangorn Forest unnoticed when Éomer and his éored kill the Uruk-hai that were hunting them. They meetTreebeard and the rest of the Ents, who decide not to participate in the coming war against Sauron. However, when Treebeard guides the Hobbits towards Isengard, they witness the damage caused to the forests by Sauron and his legions. This infuriates the Ents, who then march towards Isengard and trap Saruman in his tower. Even when the remaining Uruk-hai flee from the Battle of Helm’s Deep at the end to Fangorn Forest, they are killed by the Ents.
Frodo and Sam finally come face-to-face with Gollum in the Emyn Muil, who has been trailing the Fellowship since Moria. Despite Sam’s protests,Frodo takes pity on Gollumand lets him guide them to Mordor after he swears on the Ring that he would help them. After discovering that the Black Gate is well-guarded, they take an alternative route to Mordor, but are captured by the Rangers of Ithilien along the way. Their leader Faramir takes them to Gondor so that the Ring could be given to his father Denethor. However, he lets them go when he sees how determined Frodo is to fight for the good that is left in Middle-earth.
What Is The Two Towers’ Rotten Tomatoes Score?
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towerswas well-received by both critics and audiences. It holds an approval rating of95% on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 257 critics’ reviews and over 250,000 audience ratings.
The film grossed over $936 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of 2002, as well as the third highest-grossing film of all time when it was released (afterTitanicandHarry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone). It was nominated for several awards, including the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, and Best Visual Effects (of which it won the latter two).
Where Can You Watch The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers?
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towersis available online on several streaming services in the U.S. It can be viewed in 4K on Max by anyone who has a subscription to the platform. It can also be purchased on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Vudu, DirecTV, AMC Theatres on Demand, and Redbox. Alternatively, it can also be rented from Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Vudu, DirecTV, and Spectrum On Demand.
