The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
96%RT Audience Score: 95%
Awards & Nominations: Won 4 Oscars
121 wins & 126 nominations total
The Two Towers balances spectacular action with emotional storytelling, leaving audiences both wholly satisfied and eager for the final chapter.
If you’re looking for a movie that’ll make you feel like you’re on a rollercoaster of emotions, then The Two Towers is the one for you. It’s got everything from heart-wrenching moments to epic battles that’ll leave you on the edge of your seat. And let’s not forget about the characters – they’re so well-developed that you’ll feel like you’re right there with them on their journey. By the end of the movie, you’ll be left feeling both satisfied and itching for more. Bring on the final chapter!
Production Company(ies)
New Line Cinema, Wing Nut Films, The Saul Zaentz Company,
Distributor
New Line Cinema
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Wellington, New Zealand
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for epic battle sequences and some scary images
Year of Release
2001
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTSS DDS
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:2h 59m
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Language(s):English, Sindarin
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 18, 2002 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 26, 2003
Genre(s)
Fantasy/Adventure
Keyword(s)
starring Elijah Wood, starring Ian McKellen, starring Liv Tyler, starring Viggo Mortensen, starring Sean Astin, starring Cate Blanchett, directed by Peter Jackson, written by Peter Jackson, written by Philippa Boyens, written by Fran Walsh, written by Stephen Sinclair, written by J.R.R Tolkien, fantasy, adventure, box office success, budget, reviewed by Alexander Walker, reviewed by Mark Monahan, reviewed by Sarah Sands, reviewed by Suzi Feay, reviewed by Anthony Lane, reviewed by Keith Phipps, reviewed by Fico Cangiano, reviewed by Sean Axmaker, reviewed by Leigh Paatsch, reviewed by Film Companion Staff, PG-13 rating, Dolby EX, Dolby SR, Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Surround, DTS, Dolby A, SDDS, New Line Cinema, Lord of The Rings, Frodo Baggins, Gandalf, Arwen, Aragorn (Strider), Samwise Gamgee, Galadriel
Worldwide gross: $898,094,742
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,513,548,693
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 49
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 165,054,383
US/Canada gross: $316,115,420
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $532,745,665
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 68
US/Canada opening weekend: $47,211,490
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $79,564,979
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 108
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $93,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $156,731,826
Production budget ranking: 205
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $84,400,088
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,272,416,779
ROI to date (est.): 528%
ROI ranking: 241
Ian McKellen – Gandalf
Liv Tyler – Arwen
Viggo Mortensen – Aragorn (Strider)
Sean Astin – Samwise Gamgee
Cate Blanchett – Galadriel
Director(s)
Peter Jackson
Writer(s)
Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh, Stephen Sinclair, J.R.R. Tolkien
Producer(s)
Peter Jackson, Barrie M. Osborne, Fran Walsh, Eric Monette
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 4 Oscars
121 wins & 126 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (256) | Top Critics (57) | Fresh (244) | Rotten (12)
What an eyeful it is. This is probably the greatest battlepiece composed for the screen since Eisenstein’s Ivan the Terrible.
November 12, 2014
Alexander Walker
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
This film is a towering achievement, and the next installment can’t come soon enough.
November 12, 2014
Mark Monahan
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is like being trapped in a nerd’s bedroom.
November 12, 2014
Sarah Sands
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The Two Towers is a satisfying and wholly gripping drama in its own right. Inevitably, Janus-like, it looks back to the Shire, and forward to the hour of doom. And after three hours, you will too.
November 12, 2014
Suzi Feay
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
When Gandalf arrives with reinforcements, descending a near-vertical slope using horses where you or I would use snowboards, the spirit of triumphant rampage is something rarely glimpsed since the days of Olivier and Henry V.
November 19, 2013
Anthony Lane
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
To live up to expectations, The Two Towers only had to be as good as its predecessor — and, astoundingly, it’s better.
November 19, 2013
Keith Phipps
AV Club
TOP CRITIC
The Battle of Helm’s Deep, in it of itself, is a grand cinematic achievement. The Two Towers is possibly the best middle entry of any film trilogy ever. [Full review in Spanish]
May 20, 2022 | Rating: 4.5/5
Fico Cangiano
CineXpress Podcast
Peter Jacksons cinematic recreation of “Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” is thrilling, enthralling, and dizzyingly exciting.
March 12, 2022
Sean Axmaker
Stream on Demand
What Jackson’s storytelling lacks in coherency – a major problem for non-Tolkienites with the first film – he makes up for with a new-found sense of urgency and a richer blend of drama, humour and human emotion.
November 17, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/5
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
In terms of battle sequences alone, it’s hard to find one that’s quite as daunting and absorbing as the Battle for Helm’s Deep in The Two Towers…
October 27, 2020
Film Companion Staff
Film Companion
The climactic battle of Helm’s Deep – though it still leaves much to be resolved for the final part – is a breathtakingly colossal skirmish in the rain and mud and fog.
October 9, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Call it a pretty good film and I’ll agree with you. Call it a great one, and I will beg to differ.
February 28, 2020
Kathi Maio
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction…
Plot
An ancient Ring thought lost for centuries has been found, and through a strange twist of fate has been given to a small Hobbit named Frodo. When Gandalf discovers the Ring is in fact the One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron, Frodo must make an epic quest to the Cracks of Doom in order to destroy it. However, he does not go alone. He is joined by Gandalf, Legolas the elf, Gimli the Dwarf, Aragorn, Boromir, and his three Hobbit friends Merry, Pippin, and Samwise. Through mountains, snow, darkness, forests, rivers and plains, facing evil and danger at every corner the Fellowship of the Ring must go. Their quest to destroy the One Ring is the only hope for the end of the Dark Lords reign.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found on Fresh Kernels about the film.
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