Too Epic For Its Own Good?

Rating: Null/10 (7 February 2003)

With Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, you have a nearly 3 hour long film that could have easily been half that long, had they trimmed down the overused "sweeping epic countryside scenes" that remind us time and time again that yes - our heroes really ARE out in the middle of nowhere! Seriously, after seeing our 3 protagonists look like dots in a meadow surrounded by mountains for the 17th time, I get the idea that they're on an adventure! Enough already!
Just a small quibble.
Another issue I had with this film (because at this point enough money/fuss has been made from the LOTR franchise to use the lowly term "movie") was the buildup of the war between the humans and the orcs. You get the idea that this battle is HUGE - because it is for the first 30 seconds. After that it cuts back and forth from Aragorn and Legolas kicking arse to A GIANT FRIGGIN' TREE talking to two HOBBITS. This really hurts the battle scene, because it takes away the focus to place it onto something that smacks a bit of some anti-pollution cartoon from the early 1990's. (Ex: A tree telling children the dangers of pollution.)
Once again, a small quibble.
Gimli... Now there's a mixed bag if there ever was one. His emotions, great. His animation, great. His voice, great. So, you ask, what's the problem? The problem is that he just seems out of place here. Now, I know he ISN'T because he's an integral part of the series, but the way he's portrayed in the movie just kind of offsets the whole pace and balance of the thing.
Once again, a small quibble.
Above all else, what irritated me most about this film was the big deal everyone was making over what how great it was. I liked the first one just fine, but after watching this I have to say that it is really, really forgettable. Honestly, there really wasn't that much that stood out. Or PERHAPS ALL of it stood out so much that it kind of cancelled itself out. That's the price you pay for a 3 hour epic of epics.
Once again, a small quibble. Of course, all of these small quibbles add up to one BIG quibble - that being "less yackin', more hackin'!"