While the plot tends to meander, Two Towers is still alive and breathtaking in the moment. Jackson has proved himself to be a master craftsman of the so called 'epic movie.'

Thickening upon everything that made its predecessor great, Peter Jackson's second installment of his "Lord Of The Rings" trilogy makes for a wholly immersive and breathtaking narrative piece with continuously developing characters and an always-sensational bundle of set pieces.

The Two Towers is equally as good as the first but with bigger and better battle sequences. It has even more adeventure and even mixes in some comedy in that makes the movie flow perfectly. The best picture of the year.

the best in the trilogy and the awesomeness in the franchise.

With mind-blowing performances from the whole entire cast, along with skilled dialogue. Featuring its amazing visual effects, breathtaking action, and being even more emotionally resonant than the first. I give this movie 98%.

This movie is my pick for the best of the series. The acting is better, the action is awesome, and once again it does a great job at creating middle earth and drawing you into the story.

If you don't love this movie you should go to the doctor because you clearly have something inside of you that prevents you from recognizing the epitome of what is a perfect film.

It was ok. While the CGI parts are pretty terrible and painfully obvious, The action more then makes up for it and the epic battle at the end delivers an amazing climax to the film. I agree with another reviewer that said you know its a good trilogy when the worst film in it still gets a high score.

When compared to the previous movie, it was same old, same old for some stuff. Enjoyable, but too long. Plot became a bit more complicated, but battle scenes became much more awsome.

I really did like this movie and the 3 hour runtime wasn't a big problem in this one because it kept you entertained the whole time. The absolute best part about The Two Towers is the special effects and the combat sequences. I was obsessed with this series for quite a while because it naturally draws people to it that like movies that are about adventures and trust me, it's quite an adventure.

Having recently read the book I did find that this departed from J.R.R.Tolkien

This somehow did not work for me. If this was supposed to be serious, it was verging on the ridiculous. I could excuse the first one for a little low-brow humour considering it didn

"The Two Towers" continues following all the greatness provided by the first film. Gollum's animation character and the Battle of Helm's Deep will not only be remembered for years but will be remembered through the ages.

In my opinion, the best of the Lord of the Rings films, and that's saying a lot. Not only does it duplicate everything that the franchise's first installment did right, it adds more of its own, such as the brilliantly made Battle of Helms Deep.

The second chapter in the epic LotR trilogy. The Fellowship is disbanded, Frodo & Sam are venturing towards Mordor, Aragorn Legolas and Gimli fight for Gondor and prepare for the battle at Helms Deep and Merry & Pippin are travelling with the Ent's. Sauron is growing ever stronger and Golum finds the ring bearer. Peter Jackson is on top form yet again with The Two Towers and its the worst film in the trilogy.… Expand

This movie was true to the books. Everything in the movie looked the way I imagined it looking when I read the book long ago when I was a boy. Although, I usually don't like CGI, the CGI in this trilogy is absolutely great. As are the costumes and sets. Gollum is the first CGI character from a serious film that I have liked. It is probably because he was basically a virtual puppet that an actual puppeteer,controlled and they recorded the data points in a computer and then drew the CGI around his movements. Way better than Jar Jar Binks in Start Wars lol!… Expand

This movie is pure gold. Besides a few weak points like some unrealistic lines and the shield-boarding down the stairs, it's perfect. There is no lack of emotion, all performances are good and the battle at Helm's Deep is perhaps the best ever in a movie. The highlight for me was the introduction to Gollum, though. He is one of the best characters ever.

This movies entire screentime seemed to be used up and made brilliantly.. just as good as the last! if thats even possible and a joy to watch. Funny and charming characters as the battle of middle earth continues.. I loved smeagle and I can do a great impression of his voice.. said by all my friends.. The movie is a joy to sit through, just like the last. It is entertaining and makes such sense it is brilliant!… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Overall Two Towers is a great film. The characters are more developed and likeable. The presence of the awesome character Gollum adds even more interest. Frodo is still a weak character though. Plus, the movie is still gritty but there is some comedy to lighten things up. The story is more complex a little too much at times but it feels necessary. The film does drag at parts but it sets up some amazing battle scenes. The scenes that Jackson gets right he really gets right. There is some great moments in this film like the last one. While Two Towers still has some of the same problems as Fellowship, the characters and story are much better and the stuff that is good is really good creating a movie that is stronger than its predecessor and makes me excited for Return of the King, which some consider to be the best in the series.… Expand

The best movie from one of the best trilogies ever. Great battle and awesome story. LOVE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another great movie in the trilogy. Maybe not quite as entrancing as The Fellowship of the Ring, but the story cracks along all the same. The final battle is truely thrilling.

The two towers is in my opinion the weakest film of the trilogy, as it does not correct the error of the first film, which was a small inconsistency, it increases this problem, it is very frustrating to be accompanied by an epic battle and suddenly the director cuts, and switches to a scene very quiet, but despite these errors the film behind a good story and that makes us more anxious for the end of the trilogy.… Expand

this is the second best film ever, really, it's even better than the fellowship of the ring, everything about it is incredible, i really, really, really like it.

Some of the best battles in the series....this movie is epic.

It's quite similar to the Fellowship of the Rings in terms of visual effects and overall style. But the story has now become much more interesting and multidimensional as we watch the Fellowship, now divided, struggle to complete their journey to save Middle Earth. 4/4 stars.

It drags at time, and isn't as complete as the first, but the Two Towers is nothing short of breathtakingly awesome, and will satisfy any fan of the franchise and gives us new characters (like the irreplaceable Gollum) for us to ponder at.

The best LOTR movie of them all. A 99/100. The third one was a 97/100 in my mind, because of it's epic length, and the first one is a 94/100. The Two towers is so beautifully made, it is hard to go to the bathroom. The epic battle at the end seals the deal.

The two towers is not as good as the fellowship of the ring but is stil a great movie with awesome battle sequences.

When the "worst" movie of a trilogy is an absolute 10, then you sir, have a damn fine trilogy. This is an incredible movie from start to finish, but the one drawback is that it feels like it was continued and needs continuing. The thing is, it's actually worth the ride.

Like all the other films of the LOTR trilogy I watched this movie in one go without taking a break or falling interest. The actors did very well in the film but I personally think Christopher Lee (Saruman) stood out from the rest because of his cold yet powerful voice on several occasions during the film. Bernad Hill (Theoden) also did an excellent job as the king of Rohan. The fight sequence were well choregraphed and the scene Wolves of Isengard was intense, fast paced and humorous (lol gimli). The Ent were also well brought into the screen and I think the best battle scene in all of the trilogy was the battle at Helms Deep. WELL DONE PETER JACKSON… Expand

Entretenida, con efectos especiales del mejor nivel, con un actuaciones sorprendentes y mas accion que la anterior. The Two Towers es simplemente perfecta, visualmente rica y muy bien dirigida por Peter Jackson. Es casi imporsible poder mejorar a The Fellowship of the Ring, pero Two Towers logra no solo ser tan buena, sino hasta mejor que la original.

"The Two Towers" is a darker film than its predecessor, and a prelude to the events of "The Return of the King". A sense of foreboding pervades the film.

The movie it's a little worst than the last one.I asked myself:Why the movie was nominated to the Academy Award for best picture?I discovered that it wasn't nominated to Best Director or for Best Adapted Screenplay.I think in the voting it ranked at the lowest place(5th place).Two movies nominated for Best Picture the same year of that movie[2003(The three were released at 2002)]are:The Pianist and Chicago.There are two movies also nominated too.… Expand

An action packed ride that is every bit as good as the first movie. It may be the least enjoyable of the films, but the fact that it is still a phenomenal film stands as proof the Peter Jackson has created the most consistent and brilliant book adapted film franchise of all time. My only complaint would be that it does not focus enough on the characters like the first two films did, but every other aspect of it is near perfect.… Expand

The best sound effects, also known for its impeccable sound, the script developed, very faithful to the book, good performances, a show well done, as I can say about the soundtrack, direction, costumes, makeup, art direction and visual effects. In short, an excellent movie.

The Two Towers is an extraordinary movie which only Peter Jackson can deliver. It's a sequel to the 2001 movie The Fellowship of the Ring, and it continues the adventures of Frodo Baggins as he carries on his quest to destroy the One Ring in the fiery depths of Mt. Doom to sabotage the Dark Lord Sauron once and for all. Peter Jackson once again proves his mastery of the Middle Earth universe in this movie.… Expand

Another great film however i did prefer the fellowship of the ring but it was still good, carrying on the amazing story line and developing the characters even more and of course introducing fully one of the most iconic characters Gollum.

This isnt filming this is art..

My favorite of the trilogy. Peter Jackson is a cinema god, there is a reason RotK tied for most oscar wins for one movie. Best fantasy novel and the movie does it complete justice. This is what modern cinema is all about: great acting, tasteful and thrilling special effects, excellent story of course, amazing screen play and the most spectacular soundtrack which is epic in battle sequences and harmonious in times of peace. A true masterpiece. To be watched again and again. 5/5 stars.… Expand

magnificent is the word i will say for this film, i havent read the book . And im sure i wont..cinematography is top notch expecially in the battle scenes its really awesome.

This film was my least favourite of the trilogy, but it was still fantastic. It was very well done and I can still watch it over and over again without being bored.

When people ask me which film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy is the my least favorite, I usually say The Two Towers. However, seeing as how all three films are all cinematic masterpieces, this doesn't mean jack-squat. The Two Towers, like its other two siblings, is quite simply one of the greatest films of all time. Director Peter Jackson does an outstanding job with staying true to Tolkien's story, while adding some of his own flare to the film. Its visual effects, cinematography, and score are some of the best seen in film, which can be said about the other two films as well. The ending of The Two Towers is one of the most emotionally powerful endings of any film I've seen (which is saying something since I consider myself quite the film expert). The montage with Sam's moving speech to Frodo does the movie justice, and is the perfect ending to the second installation of the trilogy where hope for the defeat of evil in Middle Earth is all but faded. Frodo, stricken with grief and weariness of being the Ring Bearer, asks Sam what they are holding onto, which Sam responds with, and still to this day brings goosebumps and tears to me, "That there's some good in this world Mr. Frodo, and its worth fighting for!" Words we all could live by nowadays.… Expand

The Two Towers might not be the best of the three Lord of the Rings movies, but it sure is one of the best movies I've ever seen! Great acting, story and scenes - movies cant get much better than this.

Good acting, top notch visuals, epic battle sequences and a gripping plot make LOTR The Two Towers my favorite movie in the trilogy, and probably my favorite movie period! This movie would be perfect if not for it's length, which is about 3 hours long.

I am happy to see the awarness of the community. Reviews of those people who do not understand epicness and quality of this movie from some reason , are found unhelpfull. On the other hand almost everyone agrees with those who give compliments to this movie , peter jackson , and of course great tolkien. I watched whole trilogy many times and i can only say , that it is the greates trilogy ever. By my opinion all three of these movies are best there is in the movie world. If someone hasnt still watched it , chances are slim but , he should watch it right away , not just this one but whole tirlogy. Thank you community.… Expand

Easily the best movie I've ever seen in my life. Great scenery, amazing story, heart warming ending, everything, It's just perfect. By far the best one of all three!

The Lord of the Rings was a fabulous book and has now been translated to the big screen. There has never been anything like this before. Sure we've seen fantasy, but how many of those have been nearly as successful as The Lord of the Rings? It is completely unique. The two towers is amazing and the screen play is great. It is packed with action and adventure and a strange yet beautiful romantic scene between Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and Arwen (Liv Tyler). The actors are, like in the first one, all wonderfully cast including new arrivals: Miranda Otto (as Eowyn) David Wenham (as Faramir) and Karl Urban (as Eomer). And also there was Andy Serkis who was fabulous as the voice of Gollum. The movie was undoubtedly the most amazing thing I?ve ever seen and will see over and over again! The movie was derived from a difficult and adult text and yet it was portrayed so wonderfully in the movie. It is amazing to see how people who did not read the books before seeing the movie were able to understand it so well, despite its obvious supernatural content. So many things which were explained in the book and couldn?t be so easily depicted on the screen were done successfully. The ideas and mythology behind the movie would have made The Lord of the Rings and demeaning trilogy to film, speaking not only of the actors? physical demands. The music was well set to ever scene, the settings were so beautiful and breathtaking. Edoras, the capital of Rohan, was actually a real set and was captured wonderfully on the screen. Everything was done to the most precise and final detail, everything was made overwhelmingly real. Isengard and the tower of Orthanc, although being models, just captivated the audience. They looked, in every way, genuine. The Two tower?s is a fantastic continuation of The Fellowship of the Ring and the Return of the King will be even better. Anyone who has read the book knows what to expect and, as shown in the movie so far, will be likely to receive nothing less then the best. The Lord of the Rings is simply brilliant, a directing victory for Peter Jackson. … Expand

Think the first lord of the rings with a large, epic battle at the end. Better than the already excellent Fellowship, and it doesn't really feel repetetive. Battle, from small to big, are better than ever, and emotional resonance is not lost. Sean Astin's ending dialogue is something everyone needs to hear; a need to fight on in the face of darkness.

Saw it for the third time and i can honestly say this film gets better with every subsequent watching!!...thatz more than i can say for most films these days -_-;;

A good, but not great movie. I didn't find it as enchanting as the first. Everything looks and sounds great, but unless you're the type of person who pleasures themselves to Dungeons & Dragons manuals, I don't see how you can truly love the movie. Now 6 hours into the trilogy, I just don't know if I can sit through even one more repetitive (albeit visually dazzling) battle sequence.… Expand

What else can you say at this point? The best of its kind. Truly a wonder.

I know I saw a good action packed sword epic with a lot of great CGI special effects. The CGI generated Gollum and Treebeard are brillant. Serkis' voice over for Gollum is equally briallant. However, I'm puzzled as to why the producers of this film are allowed to get away with calling this move "The Two Towers." I'm equally puzzled by the people who have read the book and don't mind the ommissions and liberties taken with the book in this bastardized theatrical version. The movie ends with fully eight chapters, four in Book Three and four in Book Four, not even covered, mostly because the director wastes his time adding scenes that don't exist in the source material and stretching out the battle for Helm's Deep at least a half hour too long. What's next for ROTK? A company of Elves arriving to help Frodo and Sam battle Shelob? Why not have Aragorn marry Eowyn? Better yet, lets' have Aragorn and Eomer decide they're gay and Arwen and Eowyn decide they are lesbian and have a group same sex marriage at the end. Why not have Luke Skywalker become the new Ring Bearer?Who cares as long as what we are watching is called "Lord of the Rings," right? … Expand

All i have to say is it blew me away.

Three hours non-stop fighting, killing and chasing. Perhaps there was some very, very deep idea for what all this middle age massacre was doing and showing. But it was too hard for me to find out and justify it. Of course there was some storyline, but nine hours(3+3+3) massacre because of one wrong ring. How worth is human life than, can I ask?

Not quite as good as FOTR, but that's like comparing gold to platinum; you really can't complain either way. An amazing, immersive movie with a HUGE scope, mindblowing special effects, great sound effects/music, and the best battle scenes ever in a movie (Helm's Deep ROCKS!). If you haven't already, go see TTT.

[******Spoilers, as REM said, follow. Sorry******] I would like to invite Ruisert the Mad to take his finger out of his arse. I'm sorry, but he doesn't seem to understand that Jackson wasn't making a beat-for-beat visualisation of the books. That works for Potter because the target audience is young - the books are simple, the films are simple, the audience is satisfied, the job is a good'un. That ain't going to cut the mustard here. What Jackson is making is a MOVIE in its own right. For example: Liv Tyler's involvment, and that of Weaving Hugo and Cate Blanchett, is a neat way of bringing people up to speed with what's going on - the sheer scale of the movie (and make no mistake - Two Towers was just the middle third of a nine-hour movie. People who say it should stand alone as a movie in its own right are talking bollocks on an unprecendented scale) required Towers to stop, children, and fill in a few blanks. Reminding the audience of Arwen - who hadn't been seen since halfway through Fellowship, and won't be seen again for a while - and her predicament, or of Elrond and his eyebrows, is quite sensible. Well, it helped ME. As for the "waste" that was the Edoras set - buh? What is he saying, that he'd rather see them wandering around a mountain pretending there was a town there? Talk sense or not at all. Complete altering of the storyline? Not really. Just a few bits here and there to make it go faster, nothing serious. Instead of Aragorn arseing about in some sparkly caves, they cut through the treacle and had Arwen to the rescue instead. They didn't bother with Dunbarrow because, well, "building the set for Dunbarrow? Why? For 1 or 2 scenes? What a waste." It didn't hurt anyone to put them in Helm's Deep. It is a shame that the "Saruman, your staff is broken" bit was left out, but it's not that subtle, f'crying out loud - imagine watching it in a movie. What's subtle on the page is a clarion call on the screen, precious. They presumably changed Halbabrad and Co into elves cos a) it's easier to explain and b) it doesn't make a sod of difference. As for Usgilliath, think about it: as a soldier, Faramir would have had to take Frodo and Sam to Minas Tirith anyway, as his duty. So he did. The whole "revalation of the Ring" thing was just delayed a little. Oh, and Shelob will appear in Return Of The King - which had far too little of the hobbits in it in the first place, so nyer, that's Tolkien's bad. Departure from the story? Departure from the story? Sod off. It's the same story, more or less, just with a book so massive, you need to compromise to adapt it properly. I suspect that Ruisert's failed to spot the merits of the film because he's clinging to hard to the books. That "notorious" bit with Legolas zooming down something and shooting things, for example. I don't remember that because I was swept up so hard in the atmosphere as a whole. It seems sadly likely that Ruisert was too busy nitpicking to enjoy himself. The film he's describing would probably be twenty hours long, and crap. And that's just the mid-section. This one is three hours long and really, rather ace. If you can see the wood from the trees, that is.… Expand

Unquestionably the best Lord of the Rings yet. I love the first, but this was easily better. It should win best picture, but the academy always picks real duds. This year they'll probably pick the incredibly disappointing, overhyped and lame Chicago.

Good, but I couldn't call it a classic. The first time I saw FOTR I thought "This is INCREDIBLE! It's a classic!" But when TTT ended I thought, "That was a good movie." I just I couldn't call it boring, but it does drag at certain parts. Not to mention it had such a weak ending. The only reason people like this one better than FOTR is because it has more of Legolas, more humor, and great battle scenes. But it just felt like a huge battle and that was it. I mean, the book felt like that too (but the book was WAY better than this movie). The Arwen and Aragorn love story wasn't necessary, and seemed so sappy and long. Gimili wasn't even to be the comical character. While FOTR got most of the parts from the book, including the book's soul, TTT had some points from the book but not all of them. TTT definetly had top-notch special effects, acting, and battle scenes, but it didn't give you that "whoa...that was an INCREDIBLE movie" feeling at the end. Sorry, that's just how I feel.… Expand

This was the best movie of all time...the actors were all hot and it did sway away from the books but it was way----better than the first one and i cant wait to see the third.

This movie is a awesome display of how directors can enchant a whole audience with their creation, the creativity of this masterpiece shines through with the great actors that portrait the ledgendary tale.

While this film is a great piece of cinematographic achievement, I left the theatre somewhat apathetic to the plight of the fellowship. All deviations from the book aside, this film failed to capture the sense of hopelessness of the quest that made the second book so gripping. Whether the LA times critic knew what he was talking about when he said that it stumbled too little and coursed forward too much, I agree. The characters stumbled along in the book, which made their doom seem all the more inevitable. Let's hope for more from the third movie.… Expand

Horrible. They turned a literary masterpiece into a dumb action movie. Every character is dumbed down. Gimli is only used as comic relief. I feel sorry for anyone introduced to Tolkien's world through this garbage. I can only pray they don't ruin any more Tolkien books.

Great external and internal conflict! This is the best of the trilogy. Gollum is the best computer-generated character in cinema up to this point. I think the extended version it too long, though.

The best movie I've ever seen, i thought fellowship was not gonna be able to be beaten, well i must say that in the acting it wasn't, it was equal, but most of the two towers easily surpasses fellowship, some of the stuff i saw sent me into tears, just at how good it was, my only small gripes were some editing during the helms deep battle, i just didn't feel they integrated the ents / helms deep completely perfect and the changes to farmir, were they absolutely necesary? in the book he was portrayed as a better human than he is in ttt but still, it doesnt prevent me from giving this a 10 =.… Expand

David Brin, writing at Salon.com, has lambasted both Lucas and Tolkien for being 'elitists (proto-fascists) in plain sight'. Brin is wrong - both Lucas and Jackson are indeed trying to awaken the New Man, but the geopolitics in both films are metaphors for the thoughts within an individual's psyche, not for weltpolitik. Jackson just succeeds where Lucas has failed - Lucas has lost touch with Campbell's spirit; Jackson is giving Campbell his greatest monument.… Expand

What a Visual feast! Admittedly Fellowship was a little better at emotional connection with the characters but in this epic adaptation of the 2nd book of the trilogy, it is so easy to have the size and scope of it all overwhelm the individual players. But this is exactly the point. This is war. This is life or death, undertones and inner motivations are no longer relevant not when there are 10,000 effin orcs beating down your door! Yes, know the elves should NOT have been at Helm?s deep and the Hurons should have been (and why did Haldir say greetings from Elrond and not Galadriel, he was a Lorien elf after all.) Quickbeam and Grishnak had the same agent as Bombadil and Glorfindal etc. etc. blah, blah blah. I am as huge a fan of the novels as any, however I find it difficult to understand those who cry foul with such veracity in regards to any alteration as if PJ is destroying Tolkien?s vision of ME when, in fact he is bringing so many more to this world than ever before. They will come, they will see the film, some will then read the source materiel and hopefully the differences between the two will be small enough to keep the virgin reader yet large enough to allow him/her to construct there OWN minds eye view of Tolkien?s world. The CGI Gollum in TTT was exactly what Ian Mckellen was in FotR, the actual character plucked straight from middle earth. God, they NAILED him Great job WETA! .... PJ, you barefooted little Kiwi, you did it again! Thanks!!!! … Expand

This movie is GREAT!!!

Solid, but not as thoroughly mesmerizing as FotR. While I was generally engaged throughout, the Merry & Pippin in Fangorn sequences really broke the narrative flow. I also thought Gimli was far too hammy. His humor in the first film worked within the context of the whole scene, but here the 'jokes' were mostly jarring, as if put in during postproduction. Still, there was much to enjoy, especially Gollum, Helm's Deep, Arwen's haunting view into the future, and the Dead Marshes, so I can certainly recommend TTT without much hesitation.......… Expand

Two Towers is the second book of the famous trilogy of J.R.R. Tolkien that depicted a new world called Middle Earth. It continues the journey of the little hobbit Frodo Baggins to Mordor to destroy the ring of power. If you were touched by the first installment, The Fellowship of the Ring, you would be taken aback by this installment. This installment has a rougher and colder take as Peter Jackson, the director, explored the dynamics of the characters involved in the novel. The effects used in the film are deemed flawless and extraordinary that it would usually keep you at the edge of your seat. A little caution to those who hoped that Peter Jackson would stay loyal to the novel because he didn?t. There were a lot of differenced in the film compared to the book but I reckon that Peter Jackson did justice to it. The changes that he made are forgivable if you look at the magnificence and splendor of the final product that he has created. It lasted for nearly 3 hours but it seemed that it was not enough because once the film ends, you?ll surely yearn for more. The next installment, Return of the King, will be out next December. … Expand

If you want the movie to be precisely like the book. Read the book!!! This movie is a work of art of its own.

Some bad changes but we can live with that.

I am 48 years old and have read the book at least 10 times. I have NO PROBLEM with the changes! Granted, I was worried when the ring headed to Gondor, but the resolution made Faramir even more noble. Fanghorn/Treeberad was exceptional. Battle scenes exceptional! Theoden ... Moving Shelob to film three.....brilliant decision. Eowyn and Eomer were inspired and Edoras a masterpiece and superb location. Bravo New Zealand! But the masterpeice and centerpiece of the film was Gollum. Jackson and Co. and Andy Serkis imbued him with a humanity that defies description. We are so accustomed to computer characters like Jar Jar Binks that we stand truly amazed when someone takes the technology and uses it in a true performance reality. For all those who say this is just action and battle....you didn't WATCH the film. An all encompassing human and moral epic and an achievement os staggering proportions. When the three films are seen together it will represent one of the masterpieces of film......not JUST fantasy or action films or whatever label you want to attach.....but any genre of film. Thank you Peter Jackson for a thrill and continued surprise and awe! Many thanks to the critics for praising a "fantasy" film. You show true bravery as well! I noticed the film made none of the New York Times critics 10 best lists, proving the public can sometimes be better judges of good and bad.… Expand

Amazing ... Simply amazing ...

An excellent film. It was essentially an image of the book ( meaning it translated well from the book) with spectacular battle sequences.

I saw the trailers, I visited the website on a regular basis, I read all the hype, by the time the movie arrived I was almost too scared to see it as my expectations were so high - I was expecting to see one of my favourite films of all time. That the film not only lived up to but surpassed my expectations is the greatest tribute I can pay to Peter Jackson and his band of merry men. Roll on Christmas 2003!… Expand

First of all, this movie is fantastic. People say this movie sucks because it isnt like the book. That argument is getting old, and besides that, its useless. I too have read the book, several times, but I found the films to be stronger, since they compress the best parts and melts them together. This is a movie, not a documentary. People and fanatic tolkien fans cry in wraith and anger over the changes and exclusions, but go ahead and sour like an onion. Everyone else enjoys this movie, every night I have been to the movies peoples have laughed of Gimli`s funny comments, we have been impressed by the visuals and overwhelmed by the battles. What Peter Jackson does, is not harming the book, but he has to make some choices of what is staying and what is going. And since this movie isnt just for you "I know it all", but for ordinary peoples, he did the right thing. The result is a trilogy that will be as strong, and even stronger than Star Wars, and until Return of the King, this is my favoritefilm ever, even surpassing Fellowship. Pure perfection of filmmaking.… Expand

[***Potential Spoilers***] I loved the stunning cinematography and mountain vistas, I'd bet Jackson could do some wonderful tourism films for New Zealand, something a little less ambitious... Another thing that I liked was Gimli's line about dwarf wives and Aragorn's comment about the beards. It's true to the story, but it is information that's in the book, and inserted in such a way as to develop the history that otherwise would be hard to translate to a film. I wish they'd done some of that during all the travel sequences. And the cgi Gollum was pretty well done technically, but watered down scriptwise, and the (gollum,gollum) was overdone. (Fisssssh!) ...... Other than those points, it was horrible. Horrible. A lot of it boils down to some bad decision making, I think - hiring Liv Tyler for what is not just a bit part, but a minor bit part. I love her in the role, but it's extravagant unless you do as was done and rewrite major portions of the story to justify the expense. Another bad decision was building the set for Edoras. Why? For 3 or 4 scenes? What a waste. But the unforgiveable sin is the complete altering of the story line. Someone earlier mentioned pandering to your typical movie-goer's sensibilities, like not sending the women, children and old men to Dunharrow. Or Leg - O - Lamb skateboarding down the stairs shooting orcs on the way. Please. Then there's the whole loony Aragorn/Arwen sequence. Did someone really think this was an improvement over the book's storyline? Send me some of whatever it was you were taking when you made that decision, ok? Instead, we could have had the wonderful scene in Isengard where Gandalf masters Saruman with mere words and not the ludicrous pyrotechnics we were bothered with in the FotR movie. Or to quote from the TT itself 'Wizards are subtle and quick to anger'. Subtle. I'll bet that's even defined in dictionaries in New Zealand. The part I'm referring to is where Gandalf is talking to Saruman in the tower, and Saruman refuses the offer to mend his evil ways and still help, in some small way, those he was sent to help. Then Gandalf says 'Saruman, your staff is broken.', and it breaks, and his power is broken by the same force that reincarnated Gandalf. Subtle, but very dramatic if done right. And why precious, oh why, did they decide to change Halbarad and Aragorn's other Ranger kin into elfses, and then kill Halbarad in Helm's deep instead of later? Why? I'd have thought it much cooler to see riders that even the horsemen of Rohan knew were the better. One of the most dramatic moments in the second book, I think. Lastly, the final ton of hay that breaks this camel's back is the Osgiliath sequence. Faramir deciding to take Frodo to Minas Tirith, instead of showing his better intuition about the ring and allowing them to continue. Frodo offering the Ring to the Nazdrool, right there where there's no real defense to prevent it being taken. I've often wondered if the writers didn't have bad dreams after reading the Cliff Notes of the Reader's Digest Condensed Version for Dummies of the Two Towers and felt the need to rewrite it. I mean, do you really believe a commitee of people I've never heard of before could possibly re-write something that's sold millions of copies over almost 50 years and improve it? Didn't they understand that the whole game was won or lost on keeping the Ring's location and more important, final destination secret? The way the book plays it, Sauron thinks the Ring is in Aragorn's hand after he shows himself as Isildur's heir with the reforged sword that took the Ring. Now obviously I'm one of those that have read the trilogy more than once, which is saying something. I've read tons of books, but not many rate one re-reading, but I've read these more than I can count. Despite that, I can't quite imagine it real enough. I want to see it just like I've read it, or as close as humanly possible. I know it's difficult translating a book into a movie, and we're talking one book, not 3. I have to give the guys credit for being crazy enough to try and pull this off. They certainly did better than the Ralph Bakshi animated movie that only did about the first half of the story. But I was very disappointed by the sudden complete departure from the story in this movie. I had problems with the first one, but they didn't ruin the movie for me. But I'm still glad I went to a matinee and only paid 2.50 to see this dog. … Expand

Some people can take base emotions and unversal truths at face value, no matter what the window dressing is. Some can't. Literary-slash-cinema classics like the Wizard of Oz work on two levels, allowing the viewer to either A: enjoy the work as sensual experience, or B: enjoy the work for its broader allegory and implied metaphors. Obviously, in the case of LOTR, some people prefer option C: simply not give a damn and then cynically bash anyone who does. These people should just avoid the middleman altogether and stay home to watch Bill O'Reilly or something. The rest of us are enjoying the hell out of this trilogy.… Expand

Epic! A true fantasy adventure that engages the mind to wonder. Mr. Jackson you have been robbed of your Oscar.

I have finally gone and seen the movie. I had read a lot of the reviews before hand and I must admit that I was a little nervous about much. I knew about the film from the reviews that I have read. The film was very good, it moved a lot faster than the first (Which is what you would expect) I was expecting it to be a lot darker than the first from what everyone had posted. But I didn?t think it was at all. Gimili's humour wasn?t over the top and if anything there was only one spot that the audience really cracked up with Gimili. I had no problems with [Spoiler Omitted], it highlighted that even heroes can be vulnerable to injury and it worked in well with other story lines within the movie which I think PJ was trying to achieve. I read one personal review thought that the Ents were very 2D; I didn?t think that at all, they definitely looked very rich in colour and character. I am going to go and see it again as I spent half the movie trying to spot the faults at which point I thought that most people had been too picky just for the sack of being picky. How does the saying go "Tall poppy syndrome". Well done PJ and co-horts it was a fantastic effort.… Expand

The battle scenes are spectacular, as is Gollum, but a certain disjointedness at the start and finish, as well as a lack of significant dialogue and characterization weaken the movie somewhat.

Not nearly as good as FOTR. At least an hour too long. The battle at Helm's Deep is a big bore. Much ado about nothing with some of the worst dialog, about par with weak George Lucas scripts. The humans and elves are beautiful/handsome dullards. The final climax has the sweep and excitement missing in most of the rest of the film, but it should have been extended. Christopher Lee is given nothing for his character. If a filmmaker is going to stray from it's source why not make it more interesting and delve into what makes Saruman tick?… Expand

I expected an unbelieveably, incredible awesome movie, but instead I got an awesomely entertaining one. Not quite as good as the Fellowship, but is pretty dang close. Is still one of the best movies ever made.

THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST MOVIES OF ALL TIME! i espically loved the battle at helms deep. it was the best 3 hours of my life!

THIS WAS AN AWESUM MOVIE! My friend liked it cuzz she thinks striders hot but i prefer elijah =) lol n e ways AWESUM MOVIE!

An absolutely brilliant movie, perfect acting and great special effects.Not quite as good as the fellowship of the ring though.

I fell a sleep it was so boring and stupid....surely a waste of time.

This movie is so off the hook!man it is so better than the 1st movie because it has more action...But the thing is.... Is that I don't know that I don't know when the movie comes out so that I can buy it so I can watch it over and over again.

I wuz so0o0o0o0o excellent! i saw it 5 times! n legolas wuz so0o0o000o0o sexy 2.lol other than that it wuz awsome*~*

A film for the ages. The best film of 2002.

Fabulous Movie!!

It was like totally awesome and stuff yo, te he he *kiss kiss*

A fantastic movie of the year! love it soooo much!

Fantastic movie. Battle seens were a bit drawn out, but Gollum was utterly captivating.

Oh it missed this bit from the book, ooh Shelob was'nt there, As great as the books & Tolkien are Tolkien did'nt make the films Peter Jackson did. His passion for the original text is evident Good on you Pete!!!

A beautiful, enrapturing epic adventure that remains one of my favorite films.

Ok... If you like the fantasy genre and enjoy a delightful story about the voyage of two hobbits then watch this film. To the people who complain about it being boring have been missing the sheer majesty of this project. Try looking at the beautiful scenes and the inspirational characters, they will capture your attention and take you to a place you have never been before. To the critic who said that this was too violent of a film has obviously never read the classic books either, since the second book is also deeply set in a wartorn world. The battle scenes were phenomenal and the Lord Of The Rings series will quickly become a part of film history.… Expand

Visually striking, but GOD was I bored.