The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Family FavoritePG-13

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

The journey continues.

2002 • 179 min • Adventure · Fantasy · Action

Synopsis

Frodo Baggins and the other members of the Fellowship continue on their sacred quest to destroy the One Ring--but on separate paths. Their destinies lie at two towers--Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where the corrupt wizard Saruman awaits, and Sauron's fortress at Barad-dur, deep within the dark lands of Mordor. Frodo and Sam are trekking to Mordor to destroy the One Ring of Power while Gimli, Legolas and Aragorn search for the orc-captured Merry and Pippin. All along, nefarious wizard Saruman awaits the Fellowship members at the Orthanc Tower in Isengard.

Our family guide

Best from age 12
96
Movie Knight Score
24285 reviews
  • 100 Reviewers · 7 · 72%
  • 84 Audience · 24278 · 28%

Frodo and Sam continue their perilous journey to Mordor with Gollum as their guide, while Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli unite with the Rohan kingdom to fight against Saruman's growing army. The fate of Middle-earth hangs in the balance as the Fellowship battles overwhelming odds on separate paths.

Violence & peril
7/10
Language
1/10
Drinking, drugs & smoking
2/10
Romance & sensuality
0/10
Scary moments
6/10

Heads up

  • Intense battle sequences with many casualties
  • Characters in perilous situations
  • Dark fantasy creatures and themes

What it models well

  • Courage in the face of impossible odds
  • Loyalty and friendship
  • Sacrifice for a greater good
  • The struggle against corruption

Talk about it after

  • The nature of good and evil
  • The burden of leadership and responsibility
  • Overcoming personal weaknesses
  • Protecting the natural world

Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.

Where to watch

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Top billed cast

Director: Peter Jackson • Crew: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair, Peter Jackson

Trailers & clips

4K Ultra HD

10 Minute Preview

Original Theatrical Trailer

Trailer #1

Reviewer notes

Recommended

93/100 While Frodo & Sam, with the addition of a new traveling companion, Gollum, travel to Mordor, the other hobbits try to convince a tree shepherd to go to war and the Rohan go to Helm's Deep in an attempt to save their people from a massive army.…

Recommended

Having used the first film to magnificently, if - at times - a little too earnestly, set the scene and establish the characters, Peter Jackson now cleverly interweaves the continuation of the story as "Frodo" (Elijah Wood) and "Sam" (Sean Astin) take their evil talisman and make their way to the treacherous "Mount Doom" - alighting on the untrustworthy "Gollum" (a wonderful Andy Serkis) en route - to destroy it.…

Recommended

An awesome middle story of the trilogy. The world of hobbits, elves, dwarves, and others finds a fellowship of nine beings separated to go on different paths. One is dead. Two are captured by orcs. One is presumed dead, but returns in a more powerful form. Three go to war. The other two become the focus of this story.…

Recommended

I might not have enjoyed it as much as the first film, but <em>'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'</em> is still a terrific film no doubt. Visually it still looks superb, I really do love the look of these films so far. The main plot is engaging and very interesting, while things like the costumes et al. remain at a high level. There is also top action, including some noteworthy battle sequences.…

Recommended

Still probably my favorite of the three, while it's pretty streamlined and far more action centric with little development compared with Fellowship of the Ring and Return of the King, I always find this one really entertaining with the Helm's Deep battle. **4.5/5**

RecommendedTrusted family reviewers

That Damned Ring. RELEASED IN 2002 and directed by Peter Jackson, “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” adapts the second part of JRR Tolkien’s popular fantasy trilogy about adventures on Middle-Earth.…

RecommendedTrusted family reviewers

Peter Jackson has always maintained that The Two Towers is "the second act" of his epic undertaking, and perhaps the true greatness of the middle chapter will only be clear when viewed in context. As a stand-alone film, however, The Two Towers is not quite as good as Fellowship. (Nor, indeed, does it extend the universe or deepen the relationships in the manner of The Empire Strikes Back.…

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