I was happy, though not entirely surprised, that Gandalf came back in this movie. I can't help thinking it has some religious intent to it that is not aligned with my beliefs, but that did not take away from how much I enjoyed his return. I feel like he's the glue that holds the fellowship together, even though they are physically apart from each other in "The Two Towers".
When Aragorn was presumed dead, I have to admit, I rolled my eyes and thought to myself, "Another supposedly fallen one..." I was glad we were reunited with him fairly quickly, though, and that we didn't have to wait until the next movie to see him again.
The love story between Aragorn and Arwen did not do much for me in "The Fellowship of the Ring". It seemed a bit random and underdeveloped from my perspective. However, the tides turned in "The Two Towers". I was deeply moved by the connection they have even while physically apart from each other. I had very little interest in seeing how their relationship developed after watching "The Fellowship of the Ring", but now I'm intrigued by this subplot. It makes it even more interesting now that Ewoyn seems smitten with Aragorn. (I can't say I blame her.)
I also loved the scenes in this movie that powerfully demonstrated the loyalty between the horses and a couple of the members of the fellowship. The scene where the pure white horse first came to Gandalf after he returned was simply breath-taking. The scene where Aragorn is awakened by his horse (and apparently by Arwen as well) nearly brought me to tears.
One of my favorite characters in "The Two Towers" was Treebeard. He has a deep and meaningful personality, but is also light-hearted at times. I love that his weapons are the strength of his own body parts. I was jealous that Merry and Pippen got to go for a "ride" on him. That looked like a lot of fun. And I chuckled when Treebeard seemed to fall asleep before he could finish his thought when talking to Merry and Pippen. I also felt his emotions when Treebeard discovered his fallen friends. I wanted to cry for him.
Gollum is an interesting character and I love that Frodo sees the good in him and gives him a chance to lead them on the right path. Whether it is the right decision or not is to be seen, but it says a lot about Frodo's character. At one point when Gollum and Frodo were looking at each other, I couldn't help seeing similarities in their eyes. Maybe that's a symbol of the connection they have with each other.
I am comforted by the fact that Sam is on this journey with Frodo. I think we all feel hopeless at times and it helps to have friends reassuring us that there is good in this world worth fighting for. And I am curious to see how this "fight" will conclude when I watch "The Return of the King" next. To be continued!
Check out my reviews of the rest of the trilogy!
I absolutely agree. I'll add just two more things:
ReplyDeleteThe score is a masterpiece. It perfectly conveys the emotions of the scenes.
The battle of Helm’s Deep was spectacular. It had layers upon layers and was full of moments. The sound of the rain hitting the armor was a nice touch.
I agree about the score. I've been keeping a log of simple pleasures this month. Today's entry was about the music in LOTR. I wrote it early this morning even before publishing my blog post, and therefore before I saw your comment. :)
DeleteHmmm...looks like I'll have to revisit that battle scene...lol.