The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

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The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

PG-13

2002

2h 59m

Fantasy

Adventure

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Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

289 Reviews

95%

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250,000+ Ratings

The sequel to the Golden Globe-nominated and AFI Award-winning "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," "The Two Towers" follows the continuing quest of Frodo and the Fellowship to destroy the One Ring. Frodo and Sam discover they are being followed by the mysterious Gollum. Aragorn, the Elf archer Legolas and Gimli the Dwarf encounter the besieged Rohan kingdom, whose once great King Theoden has fallen under Saruman's deadly spell.

Critics Consensus

The Two Towers balances spectacular action with emotional storytelling, leaving audiences both wholly satisfied and eager for the final chapter.

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John Anderson

Newsday

Jan 13

4/4

Jackson's job is creating a world, a believable vehicle for Tolkien's baroque tales of Middle-Earth... What Jackson's made of, and for, The Two Towers is a bewitching, beguiling and seductive universe.

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Christopher Kelly

Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com

Jan 13

2.5/4

A little of this goes a really long way. The Two Towers may not have bored me to tears, but it certainly made me want to cry uncle.

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David Stratton

sbs.com.au

Jan 13

5/5

You could hardly imagine the story told better; Jackson combines spectacle with humour and fine filmcraft, and there are exceptional performances from a great cast -- from which Serkis' amazing Gollum is the standout.

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Sheraz Farooqi

CinemaDebate

Apr 2

5/5

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: The Two Towers continues the trilogy’s masterclass with jaw-dropping sequences, an emotionally rich throughline, and some of the best action set pieces Hollywood has ever delivered.

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Bob Campbell

Newark Star-Ledger

Jan 13

3.5/4

The director has achieved something elemental. By this point his three-part epic has moved off the screen and is projecting itself in our unconscious.

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Chris Garcia

Austin American-Statesman

Jan 13

3/4

Jackson seems to acknowledge the material's stodgy crust of familiarity, and the master visualist cracks it with astonishment. The movie's payoff is grand and marvelous.

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Glock Lesnar

May 3

Best trilogy ever made

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Wanda N

Mar 19

As wonderful as the first time

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Raul

Mar 11

And 10 stars more, CLASSIC!!!

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Avian C

Feb 22

Phenomenal and even better in 4DX

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Joseph

Feb 5

arguably the best if the trilogy

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Gary C

Feb 4

Middle films of a trilogy are generally weaker than the other two because its transitional between the beginning promise and the ending dramatic conclusion (sometimes with a coda). This succeeds brilliantly because of the quality of both the story and the filming. The editing suits the need — more complicated and with several stories unlike the linearity of the opening. My one qualification — which I have not reflected in the rating — is that the longer-in-time shots compared with those in the opening — after having viewed the film gazillions of times — make this repetition a bit boring, sobtgatcevem the incredible Helms Deep sequence loses a bit of luster.

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Peter Jackson

Director

Elijah Wood

Frodo Baggins

Ian McKellen

Gandalf

Liv Tyler

Arwen

Viggo Mortensen

Aragorn

Sean Astin

Samwise Gamgee

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Synopsis

The sequel to the Golden Globe-nominated and AFI Award-winning "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," "The Two Towers" follows the continuing quest of Frodo and the Fellowship to destroy the One Ring. Frodo and Sam discover they are being followed by the mysterious Gollum. Aragorn, the Elf archer Legolas and Gimli the Dwarf encounter the besieged Rohan kingdom, whose once great King Theoden has fallen under Saruman's deadly spell.

Director: Peter Jackson
Producer: Fran Walsh, Barrie M. Osborne, Eric Monette
Screenwriter: Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair, J.R.R. Tolkien
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Production Co: New Line Cinema, Saul Zaentz Company
Rating: PG-13 (Scary Images|Epic Battle Sequences)
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 5, 2002, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Jan 17, 2026
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 28, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $342.6M
Runtime: 2h 59m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby SR, DTS, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby EX, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)