Viggo Mortensen in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn in The Two Towers

Release: 2002

Runtime: 179 min (223 min EE)

MCAA Rating: PG-13 for epic battle sequences and some scary images

Web Sites:
Official site
IMDb
Open Directory

Order from Amazon:
US DVD
US DVD Extended
US VHS
US Soundtrack
UK DVD
UK DVD Extended
UK VHS
UK Soundtrack

The Two Towers Cast and Crew

Viggo Mortensen: Aragorn son of Arathorn

Other leading roles:
Sean Astin: Sam Gamgee
Orlando Bloom: Legolas Greenleaf
Billy Boyd: Pippin
Brad Dourif: Grima Wormtongue
Bernard Hill: Theoden
Christopher Lee: Saruman
Sir Ian McKellen: Gandalf
Miranda Otto: Eowyn
John Rhys-Davies: Gimli
Andy Serkis: Gollum
Karl Urban: Eomer
David Wenham: Faramir
Elijah Wood: Frodo Baggins

Director: Peter Jackson
Writer(s): Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, & Stephen Sinclair
Based on: J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Producer: Peter Jackson, Barrie M. Osborne, Fran Walsh, Tim Sanders
Studio: New Line Productions, Inc.

The Two Towers Synopsis

This movie is the second of three which make up The Lord of the Rings. The fellowship has been split. Frodo and Sam continue to Mordor to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mt. Doom, with Gollum as guide and nemesis. Meanwhile Merry and Pippin are in the hands of the evil Orcs. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli follow the Orcs' trail in hopes of rescuing their comrades, and work with the peoples of Rohan to fight their common enemy.

The Two Towers Brief Review

This, the darkest of the three films, sees our heroes struggling against seemingly impossible odds. It is spectacular, moving, beautiful. It is hard to write a brief review about such an epic film that does not trivialize it or repeat what has been said hundreds of times.

Gollum makes his first full appearance through the brilliance and hard work of actor Andy Serkis and the CGI gods at Weta.

The country of Rohan and the Golden Hall of Edoras are spectactular, as is the fortress and battle at Helm's Deep. Rohan's King Theoden, Eomer, and Eowyn are excellent additions to the cast of heroes, and Brad Douris makes a delightfully poisonous Grima Wormtongue.

I have heard it said that the battle at Helm's Deep goes on too long but frankly I did not feel that way. If I have any complaints about this film, it is only in the ways that it deviates from the book, which is best saved for another page on this site.

Oh yes, and Viggo as Aragorn just gets better and better....

As with Fellowship, I recommend the extended version of the DVD for its additional scenes (including the introduction to Brego), commentary and other extras. I've posted some clips from the extended Two Towers on the Downloads page.

The Two Towers Soundtrack

Review by Jerry McCulley, Amazon.com says it much better than I can:
Howard Shore's music for the massively successful first film chapter of Tolkien's Ring saga won him the Oscar for Best Original Score, something of a surprise given the music's ambitious scale and determinedly dark overtones, factors that handily blurred the line between typical film fantasy music and accomplished concert work. Its sequel takes the same, often Wagnerian-scaled dramatic tack, following the film's story line into even more brooding and ominous dark corners. The previous film's Hobbit-inspired pastoralism is supplanted here by rich ethnic textures that expand the musical scope of Middle-earth and the World of Men; the Hardanger, a Norwegian fiddle, represents the Rohan and the North African rhaita colors the Mordor theme, while log drums, dilruba, wood xylophone, and cimbalon add intriguing textures elsewhere. The score's looming orchestral clouds are brightened by Shore's masterful choral writing, which infuses ancient liturgical influences with various solo turns by Isabel Bayrakdarian, indie-pop star Sheila Chandra, Ben Del Maestro, and Elizabeth Fraser. "Gollum's Song," the composer's concluding collaboration with lyricist Fran Walsh, is delivered with Björkish, postmodern angst by Emiliana Torrini, and helps punctuate the story's modern sense of allegory.
1. Foundations Of Stone
2. The Taming Of Smeagol
3. The Riders Of Rohan
4. The Passage Of The Marshes
5. The Uruk-hai
6. The King Of The Golden Hall
7. The Black Gate Is Closed
8. Evenstar - featuring Isabel Bayrakdarian
9. The White Rider
10. Treebeard
11. The Leave Taking
12. Helm's Deep
13. The Forbidden Pool
14. Breath Of Life - featuring Sheila Chandra
15. The Hornburg
16. Forth Eorlingas - featuring Ben Del Maestro
17. Isengard Unleashed - featuring Elizabeth Fraser & Ben Del Maestro
18. Samwise The Brave
19. Gollum's Song - performed by Emiliana Torrini

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Articles & Interviews

The Destiny of Aragorn - Starlog Fantasy Worlds #1, February 2002
Viggo Mortensen talks about the physical and other challenges of playing Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings. [Viggo-Works] [Chronicles] [Brego.net]

Now, an even longer 'Rings'! - Chicago Sun-Times, November 12, 2002
Comments from Viggo and other cast and crew regarding the filming of The Two Towers and their opinions of the extended version of The Fellowship of the Ring.

The Reluctant Hero - The Sunday Express (S:2), November 21, 2002 [Obsession] [Chronicles] [Viggo-Works] [scans at TORN]

Towers of Strength - Film Review #625, December 2002 [Brego.net]

Viggo's Big Time - Air New Zealand, December 2002 [Chronicles]

Valiant effort - Los Angeles Times, December 21, 2002 [Obsession] [Viggo-Works]

Face of the Month: Viggo Mortensen - Cut #147, March 2003
In this interview for a Japanese magazine, Cut, Viggo discusses the shooting of the Lord of the Rings, the movie's implications for modern life, and the roles of actors and directors in the creation of a film. [scans at Sachie] [Brego.net]

Viggo Mortensen with Karl Urban - Press conference in Japan - MovieStar #98, April 2003 [Brego.net]

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The Two Towers Resources

See also the general Lord of the Rings resources elsewhere on this site.

DVD Review: The Two Towers Extended Edition - Brief review of the film followed by a very detailed analysis of the extended edition features and DVD production values. In conclusion: "It is simply impossible to find a single flaw in this DVD release and whether you are a fan or not, this is a release you cannot ignore."

MoviesOnCable.com: The Two Towers - Lists upcoming showtimes for The Two Towers on US premium cable channels. Site also has a brief review and links to related websites.

OutNow.ch: The Two Towers - Around 30 images from The Two Towers, including some captured from the extended DVD. Only a few feature Aragorn. Most photographs are offered at high resolution, up to 1400x900. Nice large thumbnails make it easy to see what you're getting. Site also has movie review in German.

sagralisse... the two towers screencaps - Over 200 high quality screen captures of Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn in The Two Towers DVD, plus a lovely collection of 100x100px icon bases.