Unbroken

Believe me, I'm as surprised as anybody about this star rating. I came into this film with a ton of good will. First, my family has been singing the praises of the source material for months on end. Then, the initial trailer for this movie was released, which was possibly my favorite trailer of the year (scroll down to see what I'm talking about). With all of the talent that was involved in the production of this film and the rich story potential of adapting such an extraordinary life story, I expected this to be one of if not my favorite film of the year. Unfortunately, despite all the promise this film showed initially, a lot of that potential goes unrealized.

Louis "Louie" Zamperini was once a rebellious youth, stealing cigarettes and liquor when he wasn't getting in fights with the neighborhood bullies. However, thanks to some words of encouragement and training assistance from his brother, Louie begins to realize his potential as an athlete. His track and field prowess leads to an appearance in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, where he breaks the record for the final lap of the 5,000 meter race. Later we see him as a second lieutenant, deployed to the Pacific island of Funafuti as a bombardier on the B-24 Liberator bomber. While on a rescue mission after crashing their original plane, the crew are given a notoriously defective craft that crashes to the ocean and kills 8 of the 11 passengers on board. After 47 days adrift on a life raft, Louie and his crew mate Phil are rescued/captured by the Japanese Navy and held in a prisoner of war camp with no hope of escape. 

I'll cut myself off there so that there's still some suspense for those who don't know about Zamperini's story. Right off the bat I noticed what was probably the biggest strength of this film - the cinematography. Roger Deakins is an incredible cinematographer (see my review of Skyfall for more on that), and he does a great job of capturing the beauty of the locations as well as the internal struggle of each character. If you're a relatively new director doing a massive film like Unbroken, you can't choose a better camera man than Deakins to capture it.

The next best thing about this film is the performances, particularly by lead actor Jack O'Connell playing Zamperini. He does a great job personifying the struggles that Louie had to endure, particularly as the film progresses and his physical strength begins to deteriorate. Everyone else in this film is a bit-player, but most of them come to play as well. Domhnall Gleeson was particularly memorable as Russell "Phil" Phillips, who survived the ocean with Zamperini and must have endured his own fair share of punishment in the POW camps. Unfortunately, he wasn't in the film for very long, and besides a passing mention at the film's "where are they now" conclusion (a staple of any Hollywood biopic), we never got to see his character make it home.

This leads into some of my other complaints about the movie, which I wouldn't have imagined going into the screening on Wednesday night. There is so much fertile ground in this story for an emotional and spiritual experience, particularly since these are the areas where Zampirini seemed to struggle the most later in life. I went in with some knowledge of the book, but had few expectations as far as the content we would see, but even I could tell that something wasn't really jelling the way it should. The tagline of this movie (and the subtitle of the book) says "Survival. Resilience. Redemption." It's a great three-word summation of Louie Zamperini's life as I understand it, but the problem with this movie is that its focus was entirely on the first two points. Director Angelina Jolie really wanted to do this film when the rights became available, but it seems like she misplaced her attention on the physical endurance Zamperini displayed rather than the spiritual journey his trials took him through. According to family members who have read the book, she seemed to have missed the point by excising all of the real struggles he had to overcome throughout his life, instead of spending the entire film on World War II.

Even disregarding this complaint, I wasn't particularly moved by anything we were shown on screen. I am a big softy when it comes to films (see my review of Return of the King for more on that), and fully expected to be shedding tears at multiple parts of the movie. Seriously, I even teared up every time I watched the trailer for this film. But no matter how many lashes Zamperini takes, or how many close encounters with a shark he survives, there's nothing that really made me care all that much. Obviously no one wants to see someone stricken with so many tribulations, but in a movie it's imperative to make the audience care about the character in order for us to really feel the magnitude of what they overcome. Unfortunately, Jolie expects her audience to come into the film already caring about Zamperini and does hardly anything to make us connect with him. Even a subplot involving the love of his life (who also gets a brief mention at the end credits) was cut from the film to make room for more prison beatings. There's a moment of it in the trailer, but even bringing a fraction of that relationship into the film would have made a world of difference.

Ultimately, this was a pretty major disappointment, and it continues to irk me the more I think about it. Technically it's a very well-made film with brilliant images and solid performances, and the story itself is incredibly inspirational as a pinnacle of human perseverance, but the movie short-changes the real heart and soul of his story by limiting it to such a narrow scope. It's astounding to me that I walked away feeling like the trailer was a better tribute to the miraculous life of Louie Zamperini than the two hour film. I'd still probably recommend it to people who just want to know what he went through, but there's no real redemption shown here. I debated giving this a higher rating, but my sinking opinion of how this material was handled brought me down to a (maybe a little harsh) two and a half stars for Unbroken.

UNBROKEN is rated PG-13 for war violence including intense sequences of brutality, and for brief language

** What did you think of Unbroken? Was it a worthy adaptation of the acclaimed biography, or do you think it missed the point? Let me know in the comments and don't forget to like my page on Facebook! **

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

We've finally reached the end of this long journey through Middle Earth. I've just finished reviewing all three of the spectacular Lord of the Rings films, and I was pretty excited to see what director Peter Jackson was going to do as a grand finale over ten years beyond the release of The Return of the King. If you've read my reviews for An Unexpected Journey or The Desolation of Smaug, you'd know that I was less of a fan of those works than the LOTR trilogy. Having said that, I saw an upward trajectory in quality that I assumed would continue as we got to the final installment of this Hobbit series.

After their dangerous confrontation with the dragon Smaug, Bilbo and several of the dwarves look on in horror as the beast attacks the nearby Laketown with a fiery vengeance. Their homes destroyed, the villagers must relocate to the deserted town of Dale, led by the courageous Bard. However, despite their pleas for Thorin Okenshield to stand by his promise to share the wealth of the mountain, the new dwarf king of Erebor is stricken with dragon madness and refuses to part with his treasure. With an army or Elves also looking to reclaim lost jewels and a legion of orcs on their way, Bilbo has to take matters into his own hands in order to brokerage a peace between the warring parties. But will Thorin finally see reason and accept this compromise, or will he remain stubborn and declare war against the armies at his door?

Despite this being the shortest Peter Jackson film set in Middle Earth, there's actually quite a bit going on in The Battle of the Five Armies. The power play between the two races is possibly the most intriguing plot element of the entire Hobbit trilogy, helped in large measure by the performances of Martin Freeman as Bilbo, Lee Pace as the elf king Thranduil, and Richard Armitage as Thorin. I've always thought Freeman was the perfect choice to play Bilbo, and here the genius of that casting decision comes to fruition. He expertly balances the dramatic and light-hearted scenes and gives us a character most people can probably relate to. As for the others I mentioned, Lee Pace is great at conveying menace and intelligence in equal measure, and we're never sure if he's really trustworthy. Armitage might have the largest challenge, taking his character to a dark place where we've never seen Thorin venture.

Though there are a lot of interesting character scenes, the bulk of this movie (predictably, if you've read the subtitle) is the battle of the five armies. If you thought the fight scenes in The Return of the King were long, just wait until you see the hour long battle here. This would have been welcome if the stakes were as high as Lord of the Rings, or if the effects were as convincing. Unfortunately, this film's effects, while mostly top notch, fail to reach the tactile feel of the LOTR trilogy which came out over a decade ago. Rather than making us feel the epic quality of the assault, it comes across like a video game trailer that goes on far too long. There are only so many scenes of orcs being beheaded or someone coming within an inch of death before being miraculously saved that I can watch until it becomes numbing with repetition.

Peter Jackson is a very talented director, but where LOTR felt so original and groundbreaking, this trilogy has ended up as a poor facsimile of those much better films. That isn't to say that I don't like The Hobbit, it just lessens the impact when there are so many similarities and callbacks to the previous movies we all loved. This film does provide some interesting links to Fellowship of the Ring, but a lot of the homages were a bit unnecessary and distracting from the story on which they should have been focusing.

It's been almost two decades since I've read this book, so many of the surprises in this film took me completely aback as well, particularly when characters I knew started to die. This actually got me far more invested in the story, and every fight became that much more suspenseful for me. One storyline that was entirely created for the film, however, ended up being one of the highlights for me (though I'm sure that is an unpopular opinion). Tauriel and Kili's unlikely love story that seemed a little out of place in The Desolation of Smaug eventually came to a dramatic conclusion in this movie that I found myself connecting with. Honestly, I think that has more to do with Howard Shore's lovely music for those scenes than what actually happened in them, but I found it effective nonetheless.

The movie concludes in somewhat lackluster fashion, for my taste, though the final scene does make me smile out of pure nostalgia (you'll get what I mean when you see it). Though I mostly enjoyed this film, I struggled with my overall recommend based on its failed attempt to recapture the magic of The Return of the King's heart-wrenching conclusion. I hate to say this was the worst of the trilogy since so many plot elements really did interest me and some of the battle scenes were pretty well done. This is probably the best trailer of the trilogy (see below), though that may be to the detriment of your enjoyment if your expectations are too high.

My ultimate feeling regarding this trilogy is that it should never have been a trilogy to begin with. This story seems perfectly structured for two movies, and this one in particular felt like Jackson was struggling to stretch it out to the two and a half hours that it ended up being. I really do think this movie was good, but it was a little disappointing at the same time. All three films are worth seeing, but if there was a way to edit them down to two films I think we would have a much more solid prequel series to the Lord of the Rings than they gave us. With all that in mind, I'm giving this film a three star rating.

THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES is rated PG-13 for extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence, and frightening images

** How would you rank The Hobbit films? Let me know in the comments below and don't forget to like the Facebook page! **

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

I cannot believe it took me this long to review this movie, but sometimes you just have to watch some Lord of the Rings. That's not to say I wasn't looking forward to this film (as my most anticipated list of 2014 will tell you), but this part of the year seems crammed with other major releases... not that I reviewed any of them either. Anyway, since I was such a big fan of the previous entries to this franchise, I knew I was going to be seeing Mockingjay Part 1 in theaters, it was just a matter of when. Usually I make a point of seeing these big films right out of the gate (and occasionally a little early, depending on how lucky I am), but this one took me a whole week beyond its release to even see, let alone review. Because I was late to the party I unwillingly heard a lot of the critical reaction and consensus for the film before I even sat down to see it myself, which is definitely a pet-peeve of mine. Luckily I was free of spoilers (in a weird way) by reading the book, though it does diverge here and there from the source material at key moments.

Shortly after being rescued from the arena at the conclusion of Catching Fire, Katniss is brought to the sanctuary of District 13, which has long been thought to be demolished by the Capital years prior. With several other districts in Panem openly revolting against the government, President Coin and Plutarch Heavensbee want to capitalize (no pun intended) on the momentum by running propaganda spots for all of Panem to see starring the "Mockingjay". Katniss is resistant to play along at first, resenting the leaders of the resistance for letting Peeta get captured by President Snow. But when Peeta is also being manipulated (and presumably tortured) in order to undermine District 13's agenda, Katniss finally agrees to act on the condition that Peeta is rescued and given a full pardon. However, regardless of several successful film shoots with the Mockingjay, it remains unclear whether even their best rescue mission will save Peeta from what President Snow is planning.

That summary was actually most of the plot, so I apologize if you knew nothing about the film before reading this review. I'm a fan of this series and they seem to get better as they go along, with Catching Fire even surpassing the book in my opinion. Seeing that the same creative team is mostly returning to this film, I expected something of a similar quality to the previous installment. Francis Lawrence did a great job with the last film by inheriting a franchise that was already established and improving it on every level. His direction is very consistent and his vision is clear, which is really helpful in a complicated story like The Hunger Games series. I also appreciate the studio investing further in each sequential movie rather than cutting costs to increase their overall profit to the detriment of the film's quality. They also had the foresight to lock in such a talented composer as James Newton-Howard for this series, who continually excels at bringing this world to life with beautiful themes and unique orchestrations. "The Hanging Tree" was a particular highlight that will get in your head for days on end.

As for this film, however, it suffers a little from its partial narrative. This inevitably happens these days, as the last film in a franchise is often dragged out to two films in an attempt to milk extra box-office dollars out of a popular property that they won't be able to turn to in the future. While I understand the impulse, I rarely enjoy the results. The stretching of a whole story into two is fundamentally detrimental to the overall satisfaction of each film, as neither one is really a complete movie. While this series isn't the worst offender (I'm looking at you, Twilight and Divergent), it's definitely a little frustrating that we're asked to sit through a movie with no resolution. I'll surely expound on that sentiment more in my review of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, but thankfully it wasn't totally ruinous to my experience with Mockingjay Part 1.

This movie did a lot of things right with the extra time spent on this half of the story, specifically by showing us exciting moments only alluded to in the book. Also, there's nothing that really gets left out, that I can remember, and it serves as an excellent appetizer to the hopefully epic conclusion of Mockingjay Part 2. Though some of the scenes are a little bit longer than I would have liked, I'm mostly okay with the expansion of the final book as long as it's kept at this level of quality.

As usual, the visuals of this film are really great, and the realization of District 13 is almost exactly as I pictured it from Suzanne Collins's descriptions in her novel. The other districts are represented well too, where we see groups of people inspired by the Mockingjay who take on the Capital in whatever way they can. However, I appreciated the fact that it doesn't shy away from the sacrifices that must be made in any kind of rebellion, as a fairly large percentage of the dissenters don't live to reap the benefits of their bravery. It's a slightly harsh, but realistic portrayal of the desperation and horror of war that will only get more grim as the series progresses. Beware taking kids to see this film, as a post-bombing scene of a familiar location will definitely cause nightmares for younger viewers.

This feeling of desperation is intensified by the great performances of this cast. Jennifer Lawrence is as good as ever in the lead, with one moment following a devastating attack on innocent people that sent chills erupting up my spine. It was a little heartbreaking to see Phillip Seymour Hoffman in his final role, but he's absolutely great as Plutarch Heavensbee and I'm so glad the filmmakers didn't deprive us of seeing him one last time in these two films. Oddly enough, one of the standouts for me was an actress who wasn't in the film for very long, but made a huge impression as President Coin. I haven't always been a huge fan of Julianne Moore, but seeing her here with that white hair and grey contacts completely transforms her into the hardened general the resistance would need. Her interactions with Hoffman were particularly electric, and I can't wait to see how her character evolves in the next film.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 doesn't quite live up to the previous film, but I think it sets up the concluding chapter very effectively. It probably doesn't hold up quite as well on a second viewing (if my wife's experience is anything to go by), but I think anyone who enjoys these films will be engrossed throughout this film. It's got some problems inherent with its structure, but I liked this film enough to give it three and a half stars and can't wait to see the next one!

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1 is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images and thematic material.

** What did you think of Mockingjay Part 1? Was the best in the series or an unnecessary expansion? Let me know in the comments below and don't forget to like the Facebook page! **

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Welcome back to FlashBack Friday as I review the final installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy! Even though I didn't consider it to be a high point in the series, The Two Towers not only won critical and commercial acclaim, but also set the stage perfectly for the epic conclusion to Tolkien's story that The Return of the King promised to be. I don't know if I have ever been as excited for a movie to finally be released in theaters as I was for this. I remember being a junior in high school and watching this trailer - which I still consider to be one of the greatest ever made - endlessly rather than pay attention to my teachers (to this day I still can't remember what the subject of that class was). I don't think even Return of the Jedi had the kind of build-up of this film, as the Oscar-caliber production design, cinematography, special effects, acting and directing of an entire trilogy came to a head in what appeared to be the most ambitious and emotional of the lot. I'll probably have to discuss some spoilers, so if you haven't seen this movie you should first evaluate your life choices and then go watch the dang thing!

After their miraculous victory at Helm's Deep, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli return to Edoras and plan their next move against Sauron. However, they aren't the only ones plotting, as the Dark Lord reaches out to the curious Pippin through a seeing stone for information on the ring-bearer. Though the young hobbit held his tongue, the forces of evil believe him to carry the ring of power and begin congregating at Minas Tirith for what Gandalf pronounces as "the great battle of our time". Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam are led through the dark lands of Minas Morgul by a conspiring Gollum. Though Sam overhears the creature plotting their murders, Frodo refuses to banish Gollum both out of his usefulness as a guide and empathy for his obsession. But Gollum will stop at nothing to regain his precious, and Sauron unleashes his deadliest forces on Gondor to stamp out the last hope Middle Earth has.

It's tempting to summarize the entire movie, but I'll probably delve into most of the major plot points as I go. In typical LOTR tradition, this film begins with another prologue that immediately snares the attention of the audience like the worm on Smeagol's hook. It isn't particularly grand or epic, but the insight into Gollum's dark past is fascinating to witness as he possesses the ring through a murderous act of greed. It's easily the most unsettling prologue we've seen, and one of the creepiest scenes of the entire series. Not only does this give us a chilling look at Gollum's origins, but we also see the path that Frodo will ultimately take if he succums to the evil that is the ring of power. 

Rather than go through the story plot point by plot point, I think I'll go through the characters that made a particular impact on me. Of course I have to start with the two hobbits that carry the heaviest burden, and their journey is never more difficult than it is in this film. I mentioned in my Fellowship of the Ring review how I really related to and admired Frodo for the endurance and strength he shows in these films, despite his small frame. While he ultimately does succum to the ring's allure by the time they reach the fires of Mt. Doom, his resilience to the ring's temptation is almost unparalleled in Middle Earth, and I don't think anyone else could have made it as far as he did.  Even Gollum has a critical part to play, as Gandalf predicted, and he falls into the volcano desperately clinging to the precious even as his body decomposes in the lava. Of course, it was only with the help of Samwise the Brave that Frodo completed the journey. He's the only character courageous enough to take on the terrifying Shelob on his own, which is still probably the best human vs. monster battle I've ever seen on screen to this day. Sam's unflinching loyalty and courage was exactly what was needed to get Frodo to the finish line, even if he couldn't carry the ring himself.

Another huge player in this film (which makes sense, given its title) is the ranger destined to be king, Aragorn. His reluctant leadership is somewhat a result of his fear of repeating the mistakes of his forebearers, but it's his selfless desire to protect the people of Middle Earth that makes him such a perfect leader against the forces of evil. He ultimately overcomes his genetic weakness to the ring's power by risking everything to give Frodo the opportunity to destroy it once and for all. But first he has to brave the land of the dead (in an awesomely spooky and slightly macabre scene) to recruit an unstoppable army and arrives at the battle of Pelennor Fields just when all hope seems lost. Still, my favorite moment of his has to be this rousing speech at the Black Gates of Mordor, which is followed by an incredibly heroic one-man charge against a 10,000 orc army. He's always been one of my favorites, and between that and his refusal to let the four hobbits bow to him, it makes sense that he's the best humanity has to offer in Middle Earth.

I mentioned how great the battle of Helm's Deep was in my last review, and I definitely stand by that. However, even the most epic shots of that film are completely outdone in almost every frame of The Return of the King. The armies battling at Pelennor Fields number in the hundreds of thousands, and the dynamic aerial shots of Nazgul dropping Gondor soldiers to their deaths as well as the sweeping angles between charging Oliphants are some of the most breathtaking action scenes ever put to film. One of the most exhilarating moments of the film comes on the battle field when the riders of Rohan join the battle and charge into the outmatched orc army like a tidal wave. I could spend paragraphs and paragraphs describing these battles, as they're each a neverending spectacle that I never get sick of watching.

Despite the decade since its theatrical release, these battle scenes (and effects in general) hold up incredibly well, setting the bar that I've still never seen another fantasy film reach since. The production team achieved this through outstanding miniature work, enormous physical sets, as well as innovative CGI, the combination of which isn't used nearly enough in film these days. Minas Tirith is easily the coolest looking city in Middle Earth, and it's multiple layers are a perfect setting for such an overwhelming siege of orcs and trolls hell-bent on destroying men, women and children. It also provides an epic backdrop for battles out in the fields, or when Gandalf uses his staff to ward off attacking Nazgul.

There's a sense of urgency throughout this entire film that even the most intense moments of Fellowship of the Ring rarely achieved. On the special features of the disk there are interviews of cast members recounting their year-and-a-half long shooting schedule (all three films were shot simultaneously and out of order) and describing every scene from The Return of the King as having a little more weight and import than those of the other two, and that heightened focus definitely shows on screen. All of the performances are somehow elevated in this film, and the character arcs are brilliantly written to complement the actors' tremendous efforts. A particular stand-out for me was Sean Astin (playing Samwise Gamgee), whose every line resonated and became instantly iconic in my mind. His determination, sorrow, and joy is palpable in every scene, and the strength his character shows on the slopes of Mt. Doom is truly inspirational.

As with all of these films, the music is an essential part of both the sweeping quality of the action scenes and (more importantly) of the emotional resonance of the character moments. Howard Shore has somehow managed to outdo himself, and I don't think any score has ever been as perfect for the world in which it's set. Just listening to the new theme of the film as Gandalf races through Minas Tirith will give anybody goosebumps. Unlike in The Two Towers where it was primarily the music that brought the emotional investment to the film, here every aspect of the filmmaking is masterfully combined to create not only a spectacle but an incredibly emotional journey. My wife and I were both reaching for tissues by the end of the film, and it's the impeccable blend of visuals, performances, writing, and music that makes such an experience possible in a film. Frodo and Sam's final interaction on Mt. Doom and the subsequent wrap-up scenes have me completely broken down in tears (manly tears, of course). 

I don't really have any complaints about this film, which I was incredibly relieved about. For some reason my memory of The Two Towers was as positive as the other two in the trilogy, so when I was less impressed with it this time around I began to worry if I was overrating this film as well. Thankfully my fears were never realized, as this proved to not only hold up to my memory of it, but also solidified itself as the best in the trilogy. I've obviously heard the common gripe that it has too many endings, but none of them seem extraneous to me as each one puts a well-earned bow on the characters's stories that we've come to know and love throughout the 9+ hours of screentime. Even at well over three hours, I believe it's a perfectly executed narrative that is so meaningful and inspiring that I can't even pretend to find a real problem or flaw.

This film was obviously an enormous hit (still one of the top 10 highest grossing films of all time) and holds the record for most Academy Awards in a single year with 11 wins. Though some will look at this unprecedented outpouring of praise as a tip of the hat to the trilogy as a whole, which is fair, I can't find a single category in which it was awarded that wasn't worthy of the honor. The Return of the King is the culmination of a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration of world class talent all at the top of their games. We may never again see a story so epically told and brilliantly realized, but I'm just so grateful we got the one we did.

I'm obviously completely in love with this movie and could easily put this on the top of my all-time list on any given day. No matter who you are or what kind of movie you enjoy, there is something for you to grasp on to in this film. It's universal in its themes, yet strikes a chord with each individual on a personal level. I certainly can't think of another film that connects on so many levels. This is the strongest recommend I could give to any movie, and I hope everyone can appreciate this for the incredible masterpiece that it is. I could keep writing for pages and pages, going into painstaking detail about every moment of this film that I loved and why. Suffice it to say that this is my movie soul-mate, and I give it four stars.

It's been a pleasure doing this series, and I'm going to miss having a LOTR movie to look forward to every week. However, Peter Jackson still has another shot at giving us a great adventure in Middle Earth with The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. You can see my reviews of the first two Hobbit films by visiting the "Archives" section of this blog, but I enjoyed them both and hope we can get a solid farewell to the world Tolkien created. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think of The Return of the King in the comments!

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING is rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and frightening images

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Welcome back to another last-minute edition of FlashBack Friday! This week I'm reviewing the second film of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Two Towers. After the heralded release of 2001's The Fellowship of the Ring, expectations were sky high for Peter Jackson's follow-up the next year. Not only was the previous film nominated for multiple Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director, but it was also one of the highest grossing releases of that year. I distinctly remember the teaser trailer for this film playing before Signs in the summer of 2002, and getting extremely anxious for the apparent return of Gandalf as well as the introduction of the slithering Gollum. Long story short, I couldn't have been more excited for a return to Middle Earth when December finally rolled around.

The Fellowship is broken, and Sam and Frodo are wandering through a rocky labyrinth of Emyn Muil with no idea how to get to the land of Mordor. Fortunately (if you can say that), they're being followed by a murderous, ring-obsessed creature named Gollum who claims to know a secret path to the black gates. The hobbits form an uneasy truce with the schizophrenic, and they journey across the treacherous path of the Dead Marshes towards the birthplace of the ring of power. Meanwhile, Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas pursue the band of Uruk-hai that killed Boromir and kidnapped Merry and Pippin, hoping to rescue the captives and give meaning to Boromir's sacrifice. Thanks to the timely intervention of a powerful Ent (tree-herder) named Treebeard, the pair of hobbits escape the clutches of the white wizard's minions much to the relief of Aragorn and co. However they have much bigger fish to fry, as a resurrected Gandalf the White leads them to the kingdom of Rohan where the horse-lords are threatened by the seemingly-insurmountable armies of Saruman. Deep in the catacombs of Isengard the double-crossing wizard has been breeding an army of 10,000 to destroy the world of men, and the people of Rohan (under the protection of Aragorn) flee to the stronghold of Helm's Deep, where a massive battle will determine the fate of mankind.

Right off the bat this film grabs your attention with a flashback showing what Gandalf really experienced during his free-fall fight with the Balrog of Morgoth. There are some truly impressive visuals in this opening, culminating in the breathtaking wide shot of the two combatants falling toward a vast underground lake. From there we're quickly reintroduced to our Fellowship, divided and scattered, but united in spirit as they fight against evil in a variety of ways. Each character in this story is going through a different kind of struggle, adding extra dimensions and layers to a story that may seem slightly perfunctory on the surface.

The most compelling of these is actually the somewhat new, but heavily-featured character of Gollum. Performed and voiced by the immensely talented Andy Serkis, his conflicted personalities are wonderfully portrayed in an iconic scene of Smeagol fighting for dominance with his alter-ego. With Frodo's encouragement, Smeagol slowly emerges from the shadow of Gollum, and the ring's power over him miraculously begins to fade. However, the greed of those around him causes a resurgence and we see how strong of a hold his obsession truly has (though if memory serves, this will be emphasized even greater in the next film). His character alone is fascinating enough to warrant a feature-length story, and it's a perfect seasoning to the cinematic meal Peter Jackson has prepared for his viewers.

Frodo and Sam's story is more of an emotional one at the end of this film, as one of the novel's most iconic moments involving a mysterious and monstrous arachnid was postponed until the climactic third installment of the series. The real meat of this story belongs to Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli as they struggle to support the overwhelmed king of Rohan who is faced with the annihilation of his entire kingdom. These battle scenes are some of the greatest ever put to film, and the sheer numbers involved make it unlike anything I'd ever seen up to that point. Just like in Fellowship, there isn't a battle scene in any fantasy film since The Two Towers was released that hasn't borrowed heavily from it, which isn't to say that I blame them. It's terrifying and exhilarating in equal measure, but Gandalf's emotional return and subsequent, triumphant charge down the mountain toward the sea of Uruk-hai may be one of the most awe-inspiring (not to mention spiritually symbolic) combinations of image and music I've ever seen.

Despite all of the great things about this movie, I have to admit that it loses a lot of its punch on subsequent viewings. Seeing this film for the first time in a movie theater is so gripping because the audience most likely doesn't know what's going to happen next (unless they've already braved Tolkien's exceedingly dense prose), and the moments that don't really amount to anything are far more suspenseful as a result. Even though I really appreciate the Aragorn/Arwen love story, for example, I think most of that can be attributed to the heartbreaking music of Howard Shore. It's such a mournful piece that perfectly complements the thematic portrayal of love's fragility in mortality that play out in this film. Other than that, I honestly could have done with some more of their story (which can actually be seen on the extended version) and maybe a bit more suspense to Frodo and Sam's journey at the movie's conclusion - though these are admittedly minor gripes.

Despite this being a bit weaker than the previous film, I still love The Two Towers for all the things it completely knocked out of the park. Even if some of the story is a bit rushed and lackluster at times, the overall momentum of the story leads perfectly into the massive cinematic achievement that I'll be reviewing next week. There's been no drop-off in technical quality, and this perfectly maintains the magical and mysterious tone set in The Fellowship of the Ring. Like last week, there is so much to talk about with this film that I almost regret having to boil down my thoughts to a readable length, but I hope I've at least somewhat done this film justice in this review. While I debated my score on this one a little with my split-personality, I'm ultimately giving the second chapter in The Lord of the Rings a fairly solid four stars.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS is rated PG-13 for epic battle sequences and scary images