Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Review

Watching a movie a second time has its merits. You know the pace it is going and you'll know what to expect. I have been planning to watch LotR: the Two Towers again for some time now but it was only recently that I got the time (it's three hours long!).


The movie kicks off when Aragorn searches for the two lesser known hobbits Merry and Pippin after they were kidnapped by Saruman's army. I'm  not certain what was the intention of the orcs (or whatever those creatures are called) for not killing them except that the two hobbits have big roles to play in winning against Saruman's army. In short, the orcs didn't kill the hobbits so the hobbits can kill the orcs later. 


Meanwhile Frodo and Sam crosses path with gollum, who will offer to help them in their quest. Sam distrusts him, but Frodo pities him and the lead cast always get the last say. Shifting from being gollum/smeagol, he guides the hobbits to the gates of mount doom. I have closely watched gollum ever since I found out he was not purely animated. Andy Serkis acted and played the character well, with the help of CGI of course.


Fight sequences dominated much of the film. Legolas seems a bit too showy at times, but I could still appreciate how he skates away to kill enemies or roll around and over a horse before riding it. Gimli is a bit short of being funny, and i'm not referencing to him as a dwarf. Aragorn shows some flashes of leadership and dominance. Gandalf is very wizard-like - Falls off an abyss and apparently not dead, scares off his own companions and comes in late for battle but not really too late to save the day.


Overall I still enjoyed the movie, probably because I'm doing something else while watching it. I doubt I would have more fun if I was fully absorbed in it. Still, it was a good way to spend your time if you have so much. 

What are we holding onto, Sam? 

That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for. 

The Dark Knight Rises Review

For someone who didn't actually see the first two films, I was excited for the last installment of this epic (or so they say) saga of batman. Much of it is well, because it's a Christopher Nolan movie. Ever since I watched Inception, I was made aware of Nolan's brilliant storytelling ability. He has developed a reputation of keeping viewers glued to the screen and thinking on their seats. 

The Dark Knight Rises begins eight years after Bruce Wayne's self-imposed exile from taking the blame on Harvey Dent's death, making him a fugitive. He'll be forced to put on the cape and mask again when Gotham City is threatened to be destructed by Bane. For non-comics fans,  Bane may not be the most popular adversary, but he gets the job done. He looked physically stronger than Batman so it should be an interesting matchup.

Much of the first part of the film were heavily referenced on the previous films. Though I was not totally lost, I admit I would have enjoyed the movie more had I known what the hell they were talking about. There were moments when it became a bit dragging and I actually had to ask myself if this was a Christopher Nolan film I am watching. For some reason I expected some grand twist to happen. I waited and waited, got bored, and waited again. And then there were guns and explosions. That's when you know an action-fantasy movie hits its climax. I was ready to give up and come to a realization that I expected too much. And then it happened.

Amidst all the commotion, Nolan managed to pull it off. It wasn't as brilliant as his other films, but it was enough to satisfy me as a viewer. There was never an indication throughout the entire film that something like that was about to  happen, and the surprise it created was truly refreshing. It kept everyone in the audience glued for what's more to come. 

At the end of the film people would probably wonder, is Bruce Wayne dead? The movie would like us to believe that he is not, but I personally want him smothered into ashes because I don't want to know how he miraculously survived in the next movie. Let this trilogy end in a high note and get the recognition it had earned. Let it go down in history as the most entertaining batman series ever made.

A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a little boy's shoulders to let him know that the world hadn't ended. - Batman