Two Towers DVD

I know i'm not the only one who picked this up today.

Wow, there is some great sound to this one. The picture is also great, i just wish i had a big screen. the dts track was rockin' and just begged for me to get an svs....

yea the sound was amazing, possibly better than the first. I do like the extended version better than the theatrical release as well, although, there was some added material that seemed kind of pointless, but those were few, and there was more that seemed to be a needed addition (especially since I haven't read the book, which I plan on reading after seeing the return of the king, I want to be able to judge the movies solely on their own merit). The video transfer was also amazing, although not quite as good as the first, of course that was one of the best transfers I've seen. Unfortunatly, the extended trilogy showing sold out down here in VA before me or my friends could get tickets, I think in about 30 minuites. It would have been amazing.

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Originally Posted by agtpunx40

. . .especially since I haven't read the book, which I plan on reading after seeing the return of the king, I want to be able to judge the movies solely on their own merit. . .

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I strongly encourage you to read the trilogy. Not only will you appreciate how well it was adapted to the screen (so few good books become equally satisfying movies), you will also enjoy it in a way that is impossible to enjoy any movie.

I believe Tolkien intended readers to take a long time to read his trilogy. It's 2½ times longer than most novels. There were many relatively slower parts in the book that set the mood and background. Tolkien takes you on a lengthy exploration of an entire world that he invented. He does it gradually rather than all at once. As good as the movies are, they could never reproduce that pace. Many of the trilogy's chapters stand alone as good adventures. When I finished reading one of those, I put the book down for another day. Many modern novels are written with intense rapid action that has the effect of making me read and finish the book very quickly. When I first read the trilogy, a good part of my satisfaction was that it didn't end too quickly.

I first read them in 1974, and have re-read them twice since then. I hope you enjoy reading it for the first time.

Yea, I just figure since the books will be better than the movie, I won't appreciate the movie as much if I read the book first. I don't really know how I've made it 21 years without reading them, but I guess I'll make it another month.

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Originally Posted by Swerd

I strongly encourage you to read the trilogy.

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I couldn't agree more! The only thing that I'd add to Swerd's advice is that you should start with "The Hobbit", which then flows nicely into the Trilogy. It is almost an essential piece, and it's almost a pity that Jackson didn't do 4 movies all at once instead of 3. I guess we should all just be happy that he did such a fabulous job on FOTR & The Two Towers. I think it's a no-brainer that Return of the King will follow that pattern.

Something I saw (was it in the special features of Two Towers?) told me that some of the cast members think that ROTK is the BEST of the 3 installments. That could be propaganda to help sell the movie, but it could also be a true statement, which will mean that we're in for a real treat next month!

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Originally Posted by agtpunx40

Yea, I just figure since the books will be better than the movie, I won't appreciate the movie as much if I read the book first. I don't really know how I've made it 21 years without reading them, but I guess I'll make it another month.

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You're in college now, William & Mary, right? Good school. I have two kids in college. For most students, the last thing they want during semester break is a long reading assignment. So I'm glad to hear you want to read it.

The books have small maps of Middle Earth inside them. Tolkien put them there for a purpose. Years ago when I first read the trilogy, I bought a wall poster of the Middle Earth map. They were sold then in many bookstores. It was real useful to have a larger map that I could look at any time while I was reading. If you are interested, it might be worthwhile to look online for someone selling poster-sized maps of Middle Earth. Just a thought.