The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Widescreen Extended Edition): Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, Bruce Allpress, Sean Astin, John Bach, Sala Baker, Cate Blanchett, Billy Boyd, Jed Brophy, Sam Comery, Peter Jackson, Barrie M. Osborne, Bob Weinstein, Fran Walsh, J.R.R. Tolkien, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair: Amazon.ca: Video

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The extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was perhaps the most comprehensive DVD release to date, and its follow-up, The Two Towers, proves a similarly colossal achievement, with significant extra footage and a multitude of worthwhile bonus features. The extended version of The Two Towersadds 43 minutes to the theatrical version's 179-minute running time, and there are significant, valuable additions to the film. Two new scenes might appease those who feel that the characterization of Faramir was the film's most egregious departure from the book, and fans will appreciate an appearance of the Huorns at Helm's Deep plus a nod to the absence of Tom Bombadil. Seeing a little more interplay between the gorgeous Eowyn and Aragorn is welcome, as is a grim introduction to Eomer and Theoden's son. And among the many other additions, there's an extended epilogue that might not have worked in the theater, but is more effective here in setting up The Return of the King. While the 30 minutes added to The Fellowship of the Ring felt just right in enriching the film, the extra footage in The Two Towers at times seems a bit extraneous--we see moments that in the theatrical version we had been told about, and some fleshed-out conversations and incidents are rather minor. But director Peter Jackson's vision of J.R.R. Tolkien's world is so marvelous that it's hard to complain about any extra time we can spend there.

While it may seem that there would be nothing left to say after the bevy of features on the extended Fellowship, the four commentary tracks and two discs of supplements on The Two Towers remain informative, fascinating, and funny, far surpassing the recycled materials on the two-disc theatrical version. Highlights of the 6.5 hours' worth of documentaries offer insight on the stunts, the design work, the locations, and the creation of Gollum, and--most intriguing for rabid fans--the film's writers (including Jackson) discuss why they created events that weren't in the book. Providing variety are animatics, rough footage, countless sketches, and a sound-mixing demonstration. Again, the most interesting commentary tracks are by Jackson and writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens and by 16 members of the cast (eight of whom didn't appear in the first film, and even including John Noble, whose Denethor character only appears in this extended cut). The first two installments of Peter Jackson's trilogy have established themselves as the best fantasy films of all time, and among the best film trilogies of all time, and their extended-edition DVD sets have set a new standard for expanding on the already-epic films and providing comprehensive bonus features. --David Horiuchi

Additional Features

This collector's box of The Two Towers contains the four-disc extended version of the movie (also available separately) as well as three unique additional extras. Like The Fellowship of the Ring before it, the whole is packaged in a chunky cardboard outer box illustrated by Alan Lee. Inside is a limited-edition polystone statue of Gollum, complete with fish, perched on a moss-covered base (it weighs in at a solid 3.5 pounds and comes with a certificate of authenticity). Unlike the "Argonath" bookends, the statue is purely decorative: sculpted by the same artist who created Gollum for the screen, it's painted in faithfully "lifelike" colors and has an authentically oily sheen to his flesh that makes him a somewhat less-than-attractive ornament for your mantelpiece. Fans, though, will appreciate the attention to detail and the statue's unique pedigree.

Also included is a box within a box containing yet another bonus DVD, this one devoted to the creation of the Sideshow Weta statue series. Some 24 minutes long, this documentary is introduced by Peter Jackson, who shows us his own extraordinary collection of statues; Jackson and Weta supremo Richard Taylor explain how they insisted that these models were created by the same artists who had worked on the movies, ensuring complete authenticity (the actors themselves are suitably appreciative). Taylor narrates in detail the whole production process. There's also a printed 44-page companion piece specifically devoted to Gollum, showing his evolution from early sketches to final on-screen character. --Mark Walker

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50 of 54 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Special Features List from Pop-Up On Official Site!!!!, Jun 20 2003

By

Martha (Barboursville, Virginia United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Widescreen Extended Edition) (4 Discs) (DVD)

FEATURE (approx. 214 minutes) -
A new version of the second installment in the epic trilogy! The film includes over 40 minutes of never-before-seen footage incorporated into the film, made especially for this video release:

Widescreen (2.35:1) version of the Special Extended Edition
Dolby Digital EX 5.1 Surround Sound
DTS ES 6.1 Surround Sound
Stereo Surround Sound
Four audio commentaries by director and writers, the design team the production team and the cast featuring more than 30 participants including Peter Jackson, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom and Academy Award� winners Richard Taylor, Howard Shore, Randy Cook...and many more

DISCS 3-4: THE APPENDICES

Two discs with hours of original content including multiple documentaries and design/photo galleries with thousands of images to give viewers an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers:

DISC 3
Adapting the book into a screenplay & planning the film
Designing and inspiration for locations in Middle-earth
Storyboards to pre-visualization
Weta Workshop visit - See sculptors in action as they create the weapons, armor, creatures and miniatures from the film
Atlas of Middle-earth: Tracing the journey of the Fellowship
An interactive map of New Zealand highlighting the location scouting process
Galleries of art and slideshows with commentaries by the artists
And much more!

DISC 4
Sending actors to battle - preparation for sword fighting
Principal photography: Stories from the set
Digital effects including motion capture and "Massive" (a program to create armies of Orcs)
"Bigatures" - A close-up look at the detailed miniatures used in the film
Galleries of behind-the-scenes photographs and personal cast photos
Post-production - editing it all together
Sound design demonstration
And much more!

DVD-ROM CONTENT: Includes access to exclusive online features

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars No Trailers!, Nov 15 2003

By

Detroclay (Earth) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Widescreen Extended Edition) (4 Discs) (DVD)

The extra features are a delight for fans. You can enter Middle-Earth for hours on end. I love the making of this film far more than the actual movie, which is a disappointment to Tolkien fans. But since I'm focusing on the DVD we won't get into the actual movie. The features are fantastic, especially the making of Gollum. Some of the methods for his creation are hilarious. But the biggest disappointment of this DVD is that there are no trailers! Not a single one for The Two Towers or even a little peak at Return of the King. Therefore, the first release of this DVD is better since you get the trailers, and a peak at Return of the King. On top of that, the additional footage does little to improve this film.

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27 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Lord of the Rings: Two Towers on DVD! MY PRECIOUS!!!, Jun 21 2003

By

S. N. LLOYD-COOMBS (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Widescreen Extended Edition) (4 Discs) (DVD)

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is the second installment in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. But what does this Epic of a film treat us with if we purchase this Special Extended Edition of the DVD?

Well, this review is about to tell you!

DISCS 1-2: THE FEATURE

FEATURE (approx. 214 minutes) -
A new version of the second installment in the epic trilogy! The film includes over 40 minutes of never-before-seen footage incorporated into the film, made especially for this video release:

-Widescreen (2.35:1) version of the Special Extended Edition

-Dolby Digital EX 5.1 Surround Sound

-DTS ES 6.1 Surround Sound

-Stereo Surround Sound

-Four audio commentaries by director and writers, the design team the production team and the cast featuring more than 30 participants including Peter Jackson, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom and Academy Award� winners Richard Taylor, Howard Shore, Randy Cook...and many more

DISCS 3-4: THE APPENDICES

Two discs with hours of original content including multiple documentaries and design/photo galleries with thousands of images to give viewers an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers:

DISC 3
-Adapting the book into a screenplay & planning the film

-Designing and inspiration for locations in Middle-earth

-Storyboards to pre-visualization

-Weta Workshop visit - See sculptors in action as they create the weapons, armor, creatures and miniatures from the film

-Atlas of Middle-earth: Tracing the journey of the Fellowship

-An interactive map of New Zealand highlighting the location scouting process

-Galleries of art and slideshows with commentaries by the artists

And much more!

DISC 4
-Sending actors to battle - preparation for sword fighting

-Principal photography: Stories from the set

-Digital effects including motion capture and "Massive" (a program to create armies of Orcs)

-"Bigatures" - A close-up look at the detailed miniatures used in the film

-Galleries of behind-the-scenes photographs and personal cast photos

-Post-production - editing it all together

-Sound design demonstration

And much more!

DVD-ROM CONTENT: Includes access to exclusive online features

I for one will be purchasing this Special Extended Version come November 18th. The Special Extended Version of Fellowship of the Rings was definately the best buy of DVD's in 2002 and I believe this will be no exception. Come onnnn...I know you wanna buy it! We all need out PRECIOUS!

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best movies.
The Two Towers is, in my opinion, one of the great cinematic masterpieces of our lifetime. The seamless blending of a CG character (Gollum) with live actors is incredible to... Read more

Published on Dec 18 2009 by Anastassia R. Waddell

5.0 out of 5 stars linuxman
I see two distinct type of reviews that have been made. Either people liked this movie, (and the other two), or they really did not. Read more

Published on Feb 19 2006