Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Play trailer Poster for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers PG-13 2002 2h 59m Fantasy Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
95% Tomatometer 288 Reviews 95% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
The sequel to the Golden Globe-nominated and AFI Award-winning "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," "The Two Towers" follows the continuing quest of Frodo and the Fellowship to destroy the One Ring. Frodo and Sam discover they are being followed by the mysterious Gollum. Aragorn, the Elf archer Legolas and Gimli the Dwarf encounter the besieged Rohan kingdom, whose once great King Theoden has fallen under Saruman's deadly spell.
Watch on Fandango at Home Stream Now

Where to Watch

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

What to Know

Critics Consensus

The Two Towers balances spectacular action with emotional storytelling, leaving audiences both wholly satisfied and eager for the final chapter.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
John Anderson Newsday Jan 13
4/4
Jackson's job is creating a world, a believable vehicle for Tolkien's baroque tales of Middle-Earth... What Jackson's made of, and for, The Two Towers is a bewitching, beguiling and seductive universe. Go to Full Review
Christopher Kelly Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com Jan 13
2.5/4
A little of this goes a really long way. The Two Towers may not have bored me to tears, but it certainly made me want to cry uncle. Go to Full Review
David Stratton sbs.com.au Jan 13
5/5
You could hardly imagine the story told better; Jackson combines spectacle with humour and fine filmcraft, and there are exceptional performances from a great cast -- from which Serkis' amazing Gollum is the standout. Go to Full Review
Bob Campbell Newark Star-Ledger Jan 13
3.5/4
The director has achieved something elemental. By this point his three-part epic has moved off the screen and is projecting itself in our unconscious. Go to Full Review
Chris Garcia Austin American-Statesman Jan 13
3/4
Jackson seems to acknowledge the material's stodgy crust of familiarity, and the master visualist cracks it with astonishment. The movie's payoff is grand and marvelous. Go to Full Review
Steve Persall Tampa Bay Times Jan 13
B
While flesh-and-blood performers perfectly enunciate solemn warnings about the future of Middle-earth, a marvelous CGI creation called Gollum steals the show. Jar-Jar and Dobby: Eat your hearts out. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Jeanie 1d I love that Peter is opening each film with words of background or experiences during the shoot. This cut gave more time to Boromir-Faramir-Lord Denathor back story. That was particularly enriching. See more Kristina 2d The continuation of a journey is always thrilling cause of what lies ahead: something unexpected yet hopeful. A wonderful film. Loved watching it when I was a kid and I still love it now. See more alexander p 2d worst preamble of the 3 movies. Film is still awesome. See more Bon 2d Another amazing movie from the LOTR trilogy! Great character development and fabulous battle scenes. See more Carolyn 2d Excellent! Nostalgia. So much fun 3 See more Sperkle 2d The extended editions are just that much better. They answer questions that the theatrical release left unanswered See more Read all reviews
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 94% 86% The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Watchlist The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 91% 95% The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Watchlist TRAILER for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 74% 85% The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Watchlist The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 64% 83% The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Watchlist Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 88% 74% Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis The sequel to the Golden Globe-nominated and AFI Award-winning "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," "The Two Towers" follows the continuing quest of Frodo and the Fellowship to destroy the One Ring. Frodo and Sam discover they are being followed by the mysterious Gollum. Aragorn, the Elf archer Legolas and Gimli the Dwarf encounter the besieged Rohan kingdom, whose once great King Theoden has fallen under Saruman's deadly spell.
Director
Peter Jackson
Producer
Fran Walsh, Barrie M. Osborne, Eric Monette
Screenwriter
Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair, J.R.R. Tolkien
Distributor
New Line Cinema
Production Co
New Line Cinema, Saul Zaentz Company
Rating
PG-13 (Scary Images|Epic Battle Sequences)
Genre
Fantasy, Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 5, 2002, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Jan 17, 2026
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 28, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA)
$342.6M
Runtime
2h 59m
Sound Mix
Dolby Stereo, Dolby SR, DTS, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby EX, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
Most Popular at Home Now