In fact, the director’s openly said that if you haven’t seen his first adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s books—"The Fellowship of the Ring"—or don’t plan to rent it before seeing the next installment, you might as well stay home for "The Two Towers."

There are no scrolling recaps like at the beginning of the "Star Wars" trilogy, no cut together scenes from the first film to comprise a Cliff’s Notes version or even a voiceover explaining who or what you’re watching—you see, "The Two Towers" simply doesn’t need it. Jackson’s vision of "The Two Towers" is just as inspired as the first film and even more amazingly crafted.

From start to finish, the three-hour film flies by with scenes so massive words cannot do them justice. Put simply, it stands on its own as a modern-day fantasy masterpiece. But just in case you still owe Blockbuster $8 for late charges on "Jack Frost" or you’ve just forgotten what happened in the first film, here’s a rundown you can take along as a little cheat sheet. I won’t tell the director if you don’t.

THE TALE SO FAR:

Picking up where the first film ended, Hobbits Frodo and his loyal companion Sam are on their way to the city of Mordor, where they plan to deposit the frighteningly powerful and corrupting One Ring into the Mount of Doom volcano to destroy it for eternity.

Unfortunately, the Fellowship that formed to help Frodo destroy the Ring is in disarray. Hobbits Merry and Pippin were kidnapped by an army of Orcs, while the rest of the heroes, Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas, are searching desperately for the two captured Hobbits; the wizard Gandalf plunged into a canyon while fighting a dragon; and Boromir was slain while fighting enemy soldiers.

And then there’re the bad guys. Saruman the White is forming an army of Orcs to destroy all good on Middle Earth, while Sauron stands poised to get a new body and overrun Middle Earth once again. A tad confused? It’s okay, Here’s a rundown of the main cast to help you out:

o FRODO BAGGINS (Elijah Wood)
Entrusted with the One Ring by his uncle, Bilbo Baggins, Frodo’s withstood the temptation of the Ring longer than anyone else has. Leaving his pleasant Hobbit village, Frodo decides to head toward the fiery pits of the Mount of Doom—the one place he believes the Ring can finally be destroyed.

o GANDALF (Ian McKellen)
One of the most powerful wizards on Middle Earth, Gandalf led the Hobbits through the Mines of Moria only to apparently meet his end when he finally battles his darkest fear head on—the Balrog, a flame demon. While Gandalf apparently died in the first film, I’m pretty sure I saw him in the trailer. Expect to see him again.

o ARAGORN (Viggo Mortensen)
Pssssst! The third film’s titled "The Return of the King." Wanna guess who the king is? This guy! Heir to the throne of Gondor, Aragorn’s wandered Middle Earth for years because of the shame he felt over his ancestor, Isildur, who died after being tempted by the Ring. Coming out of hiding, Aragorn now plans to help Frodo destroy the Ring once and for all.

o ARWEN (Liv Tyler)
Hopelessly in love with Aragorn, Arwen’s willing to give up immortality to live the rest of her life with the man who would be king.

o LEGOLAS (Orlando Bloom)
As lethal with a bow and arrow as anyone on the planet, Legolas can also sense the evil Orcs from miles away. Putting aside his disdain for dwarfs and others, Legolas has joined the fellowship to help destroy the ring.

o SARUMAN (Christopher Lee)
The mighty and once good wizard Saruman craved power so much he turned his back on the light and became a loyal servant of Sauron, the most evil and powerful entity ever known to man. With no physical form, Sauron survives on through the One Ring that Frodo plans to destroy.

Check out The Tolkien Six Card Set - Signed by Greg and Tim Hildebrandt.

WRITER’S BIO: Mike Cotton is a staff writer for Wizard: The Comics Magazine. For all the comic book news fit to print, check out Wizard on sale every month at comic book specialty shops and newsstands everywhere.

The Cotton Club Archive

August 7 , 2003 - HOLLYWOOD RUN DOWN July 31, 2003 - SPIDER-MAN 2 July 24, 2003 - BAG MAN July 17, 2003 - Moore or Less July 10, 2003 - Ink Test July 2, 2003 - HURRICANE WARNING June 25, 2003 - BANNER BANTER June 10, 2003 - PETER DAVID June 3 , 2003 - PAUL JENKINS May 28 , 2003 - GEOFF JOHNS May 21 , 2003 - BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS May 14 , 2003 - PHIL JIMENEZ May 9 , 2003 - Don't F[l]inch April 29 , 2003 - The X-Factors April 17 , 2003 - X2 Reviewed January 13, 2003 - Game Boy - WizKid’s HeroClix January 3, 2003- 2003 Bigger than 2002? December 20 , 2002 - Ring Bearer - A two-bit tour for ‘Two Towers’ novices December 13 , 2002 - ‘Sine of the Times December 6 , 2002 - Killer Read November 30, 2002 - Lex's World November 23, 2002 - Truth and Consequences November 15, 2002 - Triple X November 8 , 2002 - Giving the Devil his Due October 31, 2002 - Superhero DVD Preview October 25, 2002 - Mad Cow October 18 , 2002 - 80's a Go-GO October 11 , 2002 - Best Bets on Bats October 4, 2002 - Hunters & Pray September 27 , 2002 - The War Within September 19 , 2002 - Lee-Der of the pack. September 13 , 2002 - The Next Generation. September 6 , 2002 - Marvel Melee. August 30, 2002 - Breaking In. Joe Quesada reveals the ins and outs of getting work at Marvel. August 23, 2002 - Painted Into a Corner. An Interview with Greg Hildebrandt. August 16, 2002 - X-citing News on X-Men 2!