The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

  

We hit the ground running (literally with some characters) in the continuing story of Frodo Baggins and his journey to destroy the One Ring. While The Fellowship of the Ring was the primary introduction to the people and places of Middle Earth, The Two Towers is really where the story takes hold. As evil grows stronger, so do our heroes and those that join them.

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The Fellowship has been broken and splintered off into three primary groups. Frodo and Sam who journey on to Mordor, Merry and Pippin who have been kidnapped by Orcs, and Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli who are tracking them down. While on their desperate paths, the former Fellowship come across an array of people that will challenge, shape and mold them to become more than they thought possible. Some are good, while others have minds of malcontent. 

Frodo and Sam wander tirelessly on the outskirts of Morder, becoming more and more lost with each step. Out of desperation they come across a hideous creature known as Gollum who tells them that he can lead them to their dreaded destination. Hesitantly they agree, only to be taken hostage by a Gondorian military unit led by Lord Faramir, Boromir's younger brother. While under Faramir's confinement, Frodo and Sam are tested on all fronts regarding the One Ring, and the heavy weight it puts on their friendship. 

Merry and Pippin face almost imminent death at the hands of the Orcs, but are rescued and brought into the safety of Treebeard of the Ents. A kindly treelike people that can walk, talk, reason and understand, and prefer to live away from the madness of the world. Treebeard cares for the two Hobbits, promising to take them home. However, it will be Merry and Pippin that will ultimately guide Treebeard and the Ents to understanding that they are a part of the world and they have a duty to protect it from every force of evil. 

While in pursuit of Merry and Pippin, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli are led to the kingdom of Rohan; a beautiful land that is beginning to suffer. From within the palace walls, King Theodan lies weak and on the point of death. His wicked counselor, Grima Wormtongue--a secret aid of Sarumon--has taken almost complete control of the king and Rohan. Theodan's firece warrior nephew, Eomer and beautiful strong-willed niece, Eowyn become casualties of Wormtongue's schemes. He banishes Eomer and his riders and then begins to advance on Eowyn. 

Aided by Gandalf (now Gandalf the White) Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli rescue Theoden and rid the Kingdom of Rohan from Wormtongue. Yet, Wormtongue has caused almost irreparable damage. Sarumon's forces are growing stronger and Rohan is under threat of invasion. Finding refuge in the solidified fortress of Helm's Deep, King Theoden, now stronger and wiser, wages a great battle against an endless army of Ocs and Uruk-Hai. 

Finally in Rivendell, Lord Elrond despairs as he tries to convince his beloved only daughter, Arwen to leave Middle-Earth with the rest of the elves as their time is coming to an end. However, Arwen has pledged herself and her immortality to Aragorn and will not be swayed. Yet, Elrond only sees heartache and loneliness for his child in a world of mortal men and finally persuades her to leave. Reluctantly Arwen leaves, but her story is far from over.  

There is an underlying theme of redemption in The Two Towers, especially with the Rohan storyline. Theodan's manipulated mind weakened his kingdom, yet once freed he found himself again. His nephew once lost returns to his home, his niece so frightened and alone grows stronger. Other characters, such as Faramir begin their road to redemption; even when there are those in his life who see no redeeming qualities in him. 

The Two Towers is my favorite of all the films. Primarily because I loved everything about Rohan and the royal family and I also loved the sequences with Arwen and Elrond. They were such a breath of fresh air amidst all the violence and calamity of the rest of the film. And I love Faramir too! He's probably my favorite character! I would normally end this post with the title song from the film, but I never really cared for Gollum's song. So instead, enjoy my two favorite scenes. 

The Cure of Theoden 

Arwen's Fate