Father Geek here with this straight off the AICN London wire...
Thought I would drop you a line, just to give you an update on the London Gala Premier of The Two Towers.
Working for a national newspaper, and being a seriously lucky sod, I was able to get hold of a ticket to last night's TTT Premiere in London. Lucky in that the editor of the paper couldn't attend, so gave the tickets away, AND lucky in that I sit next to the lucky lady who won them!
The London Gala wasn't as star studded as Paris, or New York. Peter Jackson introduced the film with trademark wit and warmth. First off he asked the crowd, "has anyone not seen the first film?" Silence. "Good, so I dont have to tell you the plot." Classic!
He introduced some of the cast and crew onto the stage. We were treated to Liv Tyler [mmm...Liv Tyler], Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, John Rhys-Davies, Dominic Monaghan, Miranda Otto, Brad Dourif, Cate Blanchett, Bernard Hill, and the excellent Andy Serkis. There was also a well deserved big cheer for composer Howard Shore.
To the film. There's not a whole lot I can say that hasn't already been said. I read the books when I was about 15 and loved every minute of them, although I do confess to skipping some of the three-page songs and poems! Before the FotR came out I decided that the best thing to do was NOT to re-read the books until I had seen the films. Having forgotten some of the finer story points and quirks I wanted Peter Jackson to jog my memory and bring the joy of reading the books back to me.
I have to say that I was not disappointed. Every single frame is crafted with such care and love that you can't take your eyes from the screen. Every gesture, landscape, word, phrase and movement is wonderfully crafted.
I was gutted when Peter didn't take home the Best Director Oscar last year, and this film tells me why he didn't...it's quite simply better. Grander, larger, more vibrant and jaw-droppingly beautiful. I'm sad to say that the Academy will probably not give Peter the Oscar this year either, they'll wait til next year after the final part is unleashed. Personally, I would have given him all three in a row!
A lot of the talk with TTT will be around the SFX, which are the best I have ever seen. The problem with most films is that you can always tell where the join is. Film-makers pride themselves on crowing about where they used the latest techniques, then the audience sit and say "oh, I know how they did that. Doesn't it look fake?" I love the way that Peter Jackson has championed New Zealand with TTT, telling everyone that the locations there are so spectacular. Because he tells us that New Zealand IS that beautiful and epic we accept all the landscapes, we're not looking for the join. It releases you from thinking about how they did it and the SFX simply wash over you. They blend so well with the characters that you don't sit there saying "aren't these SFX great", you sit there and think "aren't these locations great." And when the grand and spectacular scenes arrive, especially Helms Deep, you've forgotten that you're watching an effects driven film. You accept what you see, and that's the genius of the film.
The first half of the film is great, and in the second things really start to pick up. Not only in terms of the action, the film finds a real sense of humour about half way through that tempers the action sequences nicely. All of the set pieces are just as I imagined them from reading the book.
Without any shadow of a doubt, the best thing in this film is Gollum. If I could have used that stupid device in Batman Forever, to pluck the image right out of my head and onto a big screen, it would be as it is now. What Yoda1 said it so true. I left the cinema with the total belief that Andy Serkis should be Best Supporting Actor and the Academy wont have the guts to give it to him.
The scenes where Gollum fights with himself are just brilliantly done; brilliantly acted, animated and shot. You start by laughing at this strange character arguing with himself, then move to fascination and finally at the end of the scene feel so much pity for this tormented soul. As someone who's read the books, I always thought that Gollum was the key to the films success. If Peter Jackson could make Gollum believable and real, tangible and most of all a character with soul, then I had no doubt that these films would be the greatest ever made.
He has.
The credits rolled and there was an almighty applause. Nobody could find fault with this film. Yes, it is long. Yes, it does take time to get going. And all these things make the finale and hopefully the concluding part, as grand as they are.
Only being media scum, I couldn't get to the roped-off VIP area at the aftershow party to meet any of the cast or crew. So, Yoda1, I'm so jealous of you. Sitting here, with my Champagne induced hangover, I'm glad to report that things look just as good from this side of The Pond.
