Unlike the other two films in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings film series, the untrustworthy Sméagol. Pippin and Merry escape the Uruk-hai and meet Treebeard, while Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas are reunited with a resurrected Gandalf the White. The different groups of the Fellowship spend the movie apart from one another.

The realm of Rohan is introduced as well as the Rohirrim, which includes such characters as Théoden, Éomer, and Éowyn, who all rise to be important presences alongside a newly powerful Gandalf in both LOTR: The Two Towers and the third film in the series,The Return of the King. Arguably one of the best Lord of the Rings movies as a more action-filled film than the first, The Two Towers ends in victory for the forces of good but, at the same time, sets the stage for the final chapter where the heroes of Middle-earth will have to confront the evil of Sauron himself.

The Battle Of Helm's Deep Ends In Victory For Rohan

Humankind Holds Off Against A Hopeless Evil Night

The Battle of Helm's Deep in The Two Towers is one of the signature battles in film history. The odds are not in the defenders’ favor as they face 10,000 Uruk-hai, cross-bred descendants of the Uruks. Themes of hope and courage in the face of terrible odds permeate much of Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas' story. Even Legolas has a moment of doubt before the battle. It isn’t the first film to show a group of defenders despairing before a fight but the atmosphere Jackson creates with dark blue light and torrential rain creates a real feeling of hopelessness.

The Uruk-hai in Jackson’s film are surprisingly violent for a PG-13 rating, so when Aragorn leads the remaining warriors out on a final charge, the audience understands that this could be their end. The battle in The Two Towers seems nearly lost until Aragorn re Gandalf’s angelic and prophetic promise. The defenders have to hold out until the very last moment before their salvation comes. There’s heavy religious symbolism in good people having faith until the very end. The bravery in the face of mindless hate is why the battle is a victory, even with heavy losses.

Isengard And Saruman Are Defeated By The Ents

The Ents Rise Up To Combat Industrialism

After escaping the Uruk-hai from The Fellowship of the Ring, the hobbits spend the middle of The Two Towers speaking with an Ent named Treebeard. They eventually convince the Ents to avenge their destroyed brethren and assault Isengard. Merry and Pippin spent most of the first film as non-actors, only half participating in the action. By the end of the second film, they are imploring others to fight for Middle-earth. Merry and Pippin were brought into the events of Lord of the Rings by chance, so their embrace of responsibility is more heroic because it was never required.

In another of the changes to The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers' book ending, Pippin even has a moment of brilliance when he tricks Treebeard into walking toward Isengard, so he can see the deforested Fangorn himself. Merry and Pippin grow from childish, bumbling hobbits to leaders and revolutionaries, all while keeping their signature humorous sensibilities. The sacking of Isengard sees Saruman thwarted by the very forest he had been using to grow his own power. It's an ironic twist of fate and a symbolic victory of the natural world over industry.

Sam And Frodo Escape Osgiliath And Are Inspired To Keep Journeying

Sam And Frodo's Friendship Strengthens Under The Perils Of Their Journey

Sam and Frodo continue onward to Mordor in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and after an encounter with Gollum, revealed to be named Sméagol, bring him into the fold. When Frodo meets Faramir, the manipulative will of the Ring is shown in earnest. For the first time, Frodo reacts violently to the Ring being taken from him. Frodo’s reaction makes for an important point at the midway point of the story. Even though Frodo is nearing his goal, he is not completely immune to the damaging effects of what he carries, and they could still consume him.

The Two Towers has set the stage for Sam to be the most important force driving Frodo forward.

Faramir's difficult decision to let Frodo and Sam go after understanding their journey is another important example of why men cannot necessarily be trusted with the Ring and why only Frodo can carry the One Ring. During their escape from Osgiliath, Sam encourages Frodo to go on. This ending shows a changed relationship between the two, as the first half of the journey has Frodo leading the way, but the closer they get to Mordor, the more Frodo leans on Sam’s fortitude. The Two Towers has set the stage for Sam to be the most important force driving Frodo forward.

How The Two Towers' Movie Ending Changes The Book

Jackson's Movie & Tolkien's Book Have Drastic Differences In Their Narrative Format

The storytelling of The Two Towers is significantly different between the book and the movie. To start, the book is divided into two volumes, one following the events in Rohan, while the other follows Frodo and Sam. The film splices them together, imagining how they might have played out sequentially. In Rohan, the Battle of Helm's Deep plays out similarly to how it's described in the book, though it's a very brief part of the text. Though one major difference is that the elves of Lothlórien don't arrive at Helm's Deep in Tolkien's writing.

Following Helm's Deep in the book, Theoden, Gandalf, Aragorn and company journey to Isengard to treat with Saruman, hoping to have him surrender. In the scene, Saruman tries to trick Theoden one last time, but the King of Rohan prevails. Gandalf gives Saruman an opportunity to surrender and re their side, but the White Wizard is too proud to accept. Gandalf shatters Saruman's staff and leaves him at Isengard with Treebeard guarding the tower. A different variation of this occurs in a deleted scene of The Return of the King, but Saruman is killed by Wormtongue instead.

As for Frodo and Sam, much of their story from The Two Towers book is pushed back to The Return of the King movie. Their part of The Two Towers book ends with Cirith Ungol and Shelob, whereas that happens about halfway through The Return of the King in the movies. In the movie, they're brought with Faramir to Osgiliath, adding an action sequence with the Nazgûl that doesn't exist in Tolkien's version.

The Real Meaning Of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers' Ending

The Two Towers Shows Hope Rekindling For Middle-earth

As the middle movie in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Two Towers places each of its characters in the exact right places to begin the final film. Gandalf prepares the Rohirrim and Aragorn for the real war about to begin. Saruman is defeated and dies early in the extended edition of The Return of the King, so the final film can focus solely on Sauron. Each main character has faced a significant trial and ed. They are now pieces set for the third act of the trilogy.

Beyond masterfully setting up The Return of the King in of character and plot, The Two Towers ends with the franchise's themes clearly laid out. The forces of good in the film are grimly aware of the danger they face, only halfway toward their goal. In the end, they have proven that the will of Men in Middle-earth is not as weak as Sauron may have thought, though even their victories have come at great cost of life. The final defeat of Sauron will require great feats of courage when all hopes seem lost.