The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) (special extended edition)

Directed by: Peter Jackson | 220 minutes | action, drama, adventure, fantasy | Actors: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Liv Tyler, Billy Boyd, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Sean Bean, Hugo Weaving, Andy Serkis, Dominic Monaghan, Miranda Otto, Bernard Hill, Brad Dourif, David Wenham, Karl Urban, John Noble

No one will deny the epic magnitude of the ‘The Lord of the Rings’ movies. The whole undertaking was gigantic and unparalleled, and with a total length of more than nine hours, Peter Jackson certainly did not neglect Professor Tolkien’s book. Yet there is much more to tell than what is visible in the films. Tolkien’s hefty book contains an incredible wealth of information. When you read it, you really get the feeling of experiencing a tangible world and witnessing real events in the lives of the characters, which are part of a believable history.

The theatrical versions of the films have to give up on some points in that regard, and the longer DVD versions are therefore a godsend. These so-called “extended editions” contain a lot of extra information in the form of integrated scenes, which provides just that little bit more depth and context.

Where ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ had half an hour of extra footage, ‘The Two Towers’ has become almost 45 minutes longer. For the most part, this is a welcome addition to the theatrical release. The extra scenes provide more backgrounds, more clarity, and a better sense of distance and time. Of some scenes, however, it is understandable that they were left out for the theatrical version, as they unnecessarily take the momentum out of the story or simply add too little (in terms of content or atmosphere).

One of the biggest acquisitions is the scene “The Sons of the Steward”. In this flashback scene we are introduced to Denethor (John Noble) and we gain more insight into the family dynamics between the governor and his two sons, Boromir and Faramir. Faramir’s behavior during his encounter with the hobbits becomes a lot more understandable and less objectionable. We now understand that Faramir wanted the ring not for his own glory, but for some respect and love from his father. It’s also a pleasure to see Boromir again, one of the most interesting characters from ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’, played wonderfully by Sean Bean. The new scene also makes his attitude towards the Ring more understandable.

There are many more such explanatory pieces to be found in the extended edition. For instance, what was that horse that Aragorn suddenly came to rescue, and how did Aragorn know his name (Brego)? Why were there too few Ents left to watch over the trees? How could Wormtongue get Éomer banned just like that? Why did Smeagol stumble so much at the end and why had his Gollum side come back in full force? The answers to all these questions and more can be found on the extended DVD.

In addition to substantive clarification, there are also improvements in tone and impression. For example, you get a better idea of ​​the culture of Rohan through the funeral of Théodred, Théoden’s son. The film is also a lot better balanced: not the whole film now revolves around the battle of Helm’s Deep. The changes between the storylines are more natural and the attention for the different stories is more evenly distributed. Now when we see Merry and Pippin being taken by the Orcs, we get time to put ourselves in their position, with the result that when Pippin is happy, “Aragorn!” exclaims, we are now almost as happy and surprised as he is. Many relationships are also better fleshed out, such as the one between Frodo and Gollum during an interesting moment at the Dead Marshes.

Not every extra scene is equally successful. For example, sometimes existing ideas are repeated while little is added, as in the case of the suppression of Théoden’s mind. This fact is brought up three times in this version. There are also scenes that have potential but could have been edited better. For example, the dialogue during the Entdrank scene isn’t very engaging and the transition to the next moment where Merry and Pippin are ravaged by a tree is too abrupt, accompanied by music that is too jumpy. Both scenes lose power in this way. Finally, the tone of the ending of the film is now different because of the completion of some loose storylines. While these scenes are quite nice on their own, and sometimes even enlightening (including as an introduction or connection to ‘The Return of the King’), they don’t work as well here as an epilogue because the euphoric feeling you were left with is toned down in the theatrical version. .

Overall, though, the extended edition is definitely an improvement over the theatrical release. This version of the film brings Middle-earth and its inhabitants more to life and provides a better sense of “being there”, the sense that is such an important part of the experience of the story as originally conceived by JRR Tolkien.