My thoughts on “The Two Towers”.

I need to state up front that I am not a “purist”. I never thought that the movies would, could, or should directly parallel the book’s plot. I did, however, expect that the changes would be true to the spirit of Tolkien’s characters and the spirit of the plot. I expected that the changes would be introduced to either explain a character’s actions or motivation or to help shorten the length of the movies, which even truncated will all exceed three hours. This did not appear to be the rationale behind the changes made to Tolkien’s original plot in the second movie however.

In the books, Aragorn only ever had eyes for Arwen. He felt sympathy for Eowen, but never was attracted to her. This demonstrated Aragorn’s faithfulness to that which he committed his heart to. The movie cheapens this by having Aragorn break off with Arwen, and by allowing him to show he was attracted to Eowen. Rather than listen to Arwen’s protestations, he proposes to better know than she what is good for her. Tolkien’s Aragorn respected Arwen far too much to make such unilateral decisions in her best interests. This departure from the original plot also served to lengthen rather than shorten the movie, so why it was done is a complete mystery to me.

Another departure from original text, and one that perplexes me more is Faramir’s ring lust. In the book, Faramir served as the example that not all the men of Gondor could be so easily corrupted by the Ring. As next in line to the Stewardship of Gondor, it was a vital piece of his characterization to show that he understood that the Ring was not a weapon any could wield, and that he could resist the call of the Ring. It was that contrast between Faramir and Boromir in the books that gave Frodo some cause for renewed hope, and showed that Elrond was wrong to say that men were weak. Instead of showing a noble and honorable Faramir, fit for power, we are shown a weak, shortsighted Faramir with his eyes more on the present than the future. Not only that, but again this plot change serves to lengthen rather than shorten the movie. For what purpose? None that I could see. Even when Faramir sees the light (and I’m not entirely sure why he finally relents – were Sam’s words really so convincing?) he’s already dragged Frodo miles out of his way, and releases him without so much as an escort to get him back to the lands of Mordor. This is not a man I’d care to see on any throne, even if he is just keeping the seat warm until the rightful owner returns.

Now, just so you don’t go saying that I hate all changes made to the original Tolkien, let me say that I did like the Ents, and it didn’t bother me one whit that the entire Ent Moot scene was changed. That was true to the spirit of Tolkien, even if it departed from the original form. The Ents were slow to anger, and formidable when their anger was finally engaged.

Nor was I displeased by the appearance of Elves at Helm’s Deep. While they may not have appeared to save the day in Tolkien, their willingness to fight alongside men in the movie represented the new faith that Elrond and Galadriel were finding in the race of men, and their willingness to remain in Middle Earth until the Final War was decided. I regarded that scene almost as the “handing over the keys” of middle earth from elves to men. The Age of Elves is ending, the Age of Men is beginning, and the Elves have now shown their support of the future. It shows that Elrond is perhaps relenting in his thinking that men are weak, and that Aragorn might indeed be a fit husband for his daughter, regardless of the mortality factor.

As most Tolkienophiles who saw the movie were, I too was most pleased with how the character of Gollum/Smeagol was presented. The transfer of Gollum from printed page to screen has been absolutely magical. Gollum is perhaps the most tragic figure in Tolkien’s trilogy, and this is coming through, even in spite of the comic relief that he is sometimes used for. The physical aspects of Gollum are only slightly like the Gollum I’d build with my mind’s eye when reading the books which makes me glad I read the books first, but also grateful to have the input of another’s visualization. Gollum can look both like a trustful child and like a demon, with only minor facial movements. He is a textbook case of a split personality, and yet each character is within him is still clearly Gollum. As a note of trivia, his eyes are Elijah Wood’s eyes, a fact I love. It shows how close Gollum is to being a hobbit, and how easy the slide would be for Frodo to become Gollum.

I was disappointed in the score of the second movie as well. The Rohan theme intruded on the film, rather than fit in as part of the background as the Shire theme did. And the song that played during the ending credits, “Gollum’s Song”, performed by Emiliana Torrini doing a Bjork imitation, is so painful that I didn’t sit through the ending credits either time I saw the film, which is unusual for me.

I only caught one blooper in the film. While it is never stated in the film, Gandolf rides his steed Shadowfax without saddle or rein. In Tolkien Gandolf notes that Shadowfax will either carry you or he will not; it is implied that if he elects to allow you to ride then he takes it upon himself to see that you stay on, and if he elects not to allow you to ride then neither reins nor saddle are going to help you stay on. In one scene of Gandolf riding Shadowfax, however, broad white reins are clearly visible against the horse’s neck. Looks like someone in the airbrushing department missed a few frames!

While disappointed in the film, I didn’t walk away hating it. Perhaps that’s because one part of me wants the film to work, wants the third installment to successfully justify those items I saw as fatal flaws. I want to understand why these changes were made, and be happy with the explanations. I can’t quite see that happening though. Fellowship of the Ring was a fantastic movie, while Two Towers was merely good. I’m hoping things pick up again with the final installment.