Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Special Extended Edition

Actor Christopher Lee, who plays Two Towers baddie Saruman the White, reads The Lord of the Rings trilogy every year and has for decades. The richness of detail with which author J.R.R. Tolkien suffused his books make them worth the return, time and again throughout a lifetime. With the second in the trilogy's Special Extended Editions, Peter Jackson is forging a similar bond with film fans; here, spanning four discs, is a definitive version of Middle-earth's middle child, adding 43 minutes of new footage to the film itself, making for a statelier pace and hours upon hours of the processes gone through to achieve it. Inconceivable as it may seem, Peter Jackson has once again improved upon his theatrically released Ring films, fleshing out important characters like Miranda Otto's Eowyn and Boromir's brother Faramir (David Wenham). Sean Bean's Boromir even makes a return appearance in an extensive flashback seen here. But even given the breadth of accomplishment, The Two Towers is destined to remain the red-headed stepchild of the trilogy, and the extras here openly acknowledge that fact. With the pressure on Fellowship of the Ring to establish the world, and director Peter Jackson most enthusiastic about Return of the King, The Two Towers was left without a beginning or an end, and a tricky three-split narrative to negotiate. In its hours of documentary featurettes, Jackson wisely shies away from simply repeating the technical details covered in the first film's Special Extended Edition; the extras here are looser and more anecdotal in many spots. Gollum of course gets a lot of attention, but so does Helm's Deep, the creation of the Ents and the conflicts of the film itself, in storytelling and editing terms. Like Fellowship, The Two Towers is graced with four separate commentaries (director and writers, cast, design team and production/postproduction teams) coherently edited together to make for an intelligent, flowing lecture on the film itself. This isn't something to enjoy over an evening's popcorn; like Christopher Lee's annual ritual, these Special Editions are to be savoured and returned to repeatedly. Upon completion, they will sit as a trilogy, a collector's monument to Peter Jackson. Upon completion, they will sit as a trilogy, a collector's monument to Peter Jackson. To the most ambitious film project ever chronicled. To the greatest achievement in film history. Plus: interactive maps, galleries with commentary, interactive sound demonstration, more. (New Line/Alliance)