First-Rate Fare

Rating: Null/10 (28 December 2002)

A splendid continuation of Tolkien's magical trilogy is again brought to the screen by Peter Jackson. Jackson, certainly deserving an oscar either this year or next, once again displays his directorial adeptness by faithfully following the text, bringing difficult characters and subject matter to life, and producing wonderful screen images of beauty and terror. This second installment, generally what I have always considered the weakest of the books, is brought to life with more gusto and life than the first one, which had the onerous yet necessary chore of exposition and characterization on its shoulders. I briefly glanced through the reviews and saw some people post negative reviews because they are not intelligent enough - or only functionally literate - having trouble understanding the story. It is complicated and certainly having read the books prior to seeing the film is a huge bonus. Nonetheless, if one watches the Fellowship a few times, the plot should become very apparent. The acting in this film is first-rate, and John Rys-Davies as the dwarf Gimli really shines with his humourous interpretation. Mckellan is again in this film, yet his role is small in comparison to the first outing. He DESERVED the oscar for that performance. What's not to like about this film? It has incredible special effects, great character acting, beautiful cinematography, and one heck of a story!