3rd place for Two Towers (still wins a medal!)

Rating: 9/10 (8 December 2006)

I have been debating on whether to review the original theatrical releases or the Special Extended DVD Editions director Peter Jackson "originally intended audiences to see," but since I have about the same opinions for both with each movie, I've decided it doesn't really matter. If you think it does, I've chosen the original theatrical releases because I don't review the deleted scenes for other movies and do think favoritism is wrong. That being said, all three LOTR films, whether you find them fascinating or slow, are cinematic masterpieces. Pre-emptive warning: If you haven't seen The Fellowship of the Rings, most of this review might as well be in Braille for you.
Two Towers marks the beginning of the split-up of the Fellowship. The human-elf-dwarf combo of Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli (Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, and John Rhys-Davies) go in search of their trailing hobbit friends Pippin and Merry, who were captured by the Orcs. Fortunately, the two prisoner hobbits manage to escape the Orcs themselves into the forest of Fangorn where they are acquainted with the tree-creatures known as the Ents. When their search party enters the forest, they come across an old friend, but I won't spoil how the mystery friend got there. Meanwhile, throughout the film, the carrier of the ring Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and his loyal associate Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) are continuing their quest to dispose of the ring once and for all. The ring is still taking a toll on Frodo, but not so much as it is with Gollum, a creature formally known as Smeagol who once possessed the ring and has been following Frodo and Sam, waiting for his chance to strike. Without a doubt, my favorite scene is the Gollum/Smeagol split-personality debate, not only because it is a witnessing of some of the best visual CGI in recent memory but also for Andy Serkis' debatably Academy-overlooked performance (I can understand the snub, but I don't agree with it). The Two Towers is a vital piece of the trilogy and fits it as well as the others do, however, of the three, it gets the bronze. My main beef with the film was the Ents and their incredibly slow ways; sure, they add variety and character to the series and do their part in providing an awesome action-packed ending for The Two Towers, but long and literally drawn-out dialogue is about the last thing a 179-minute film needs. Still, this is a small bicker, and the trilogy is still a must-watch.