A worthy successor

Rating: 8/10 (25 March 2010)

The Two Towers continues the Lord of the Rings epic where the first film finishes and does a brilliant job.
This movie plays a much bigger role in helping the viewers to get to know the characters better. Much more background is provided for Aragorn and Legolas and Gimli are explored in much greater detail. Merry and Pippin have some of the best scenes and Tom Bombadil is indirectly referred to. The realisation of the ents on screen is stunning.
Once again Peter Jackson's eye for selecting a great cast is demonstrated here brilliantly. Casting Orlando Bloom in particular was a huge gamble but it paid off magnificently. Brad Dourif is perfect for the role of Grima as is Bernard Hill.
The scenes at Helm's Deep are probably the hugest scenes in any film ever made but what you see on screen is nothing short of spectacular.
The only gripe I have is Legolas sliding down the steps on the shield. This looked a bit silly to me but it is only in the film for a few seconds so it doesn't really spoil anything.
Simply amazing.