At the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, following the death of Boromir (Sean Bean) and the plunge into the pit at Khazad-dm by Gandalf The Grey (Sir Ian McKellen), The Fellowship disbanded. Though splintered into three groups, the members of the original nine-member assemblage are no less determined to fulfil Frodo's heroic quest. . .
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers begins in the hills of Emyn Muil, where lost Hobbits Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) discover they are being followed by the mysterious and extraordinarily rendered Gollum (Andy Serkis). A mercurial creature who has been warped by his proximity to the Ring, Gollum promises to guide the Hobbits to the Black Gates of Mordor. . .
Across Middle-earth, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), the Elf archer Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli the Dwarf (John Rhys-Davies) encounter the besieged Kingdom of Rohan, whose once great King Theoden (Bernard Hill) has fallen under the deadly spell of evil wizard Saruman The White (Christopher Lee) through the machinations of his spy, the sinister Grima Wormtongue (Brad Dourif). Eowyn (Miranda Otto), the niece of the King, recognizes a leader in Aragorn, and though the warrior finds himself drawn to her, Aragorn is constantly reminded of his enduring love for the Elf Arwen (Liv Tyler) and the pact they've made. Gandalf, reborn as Gandalf the White following his cataclysmic battle with the Balrog, reminds Aragorn of his destiny to unite the people of Rohan with Gondor, the last remaining stronghold of Human resistance. . .
Meanwhile, the captured Hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) escape from their monstrous Uruk-hai captors and, fleeing into the mysterious Fangorn Forest, discover an unexpected ally among the ancient trees---Treebeard (voiced by Rhys-Davies), a living, walking, talking tree-shepherd, among the oldest creature in Middle-earth, whose forest Saruman has decimated. . .
In their parallel journeys, the Fellowship will stand against the powerful forces spreading from the Two Towers -- Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where Saruman has bred a lethal army of 10,000 strong; and Sauron's fortress at Barad-dr, deep within the dark lands of Mordor. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers culminates in the astonishing battle for the refuge Helm's Deep: the Kingdom of Rohan's ancient large stone fortress, besieged by Uruk-hai warriors.
DISCS 1-2: The Feature: A new version of the second instalment in the epic trilogy! The film includes over 32 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, armour, 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!
