Greater and better than the average, but fare from Fellowship

Rating: 7/10 (12 January 2003)

Now I'll start by saying that for me the second installment of the Lord of the rings trilogy, hasn't meant as much to me as FoTR and RoTK.
But two things has meant a lot to me; Gollum and parts of the books we'll see in RoTK, and Boromirs Last Stand.
The film is a great epic war movie. And for me thats not good enough. The story is fare from what i remember. The most important scenes in the film are the ones in Helms Deep. Tolkien also lies much weight on these chapters but not as much as PJ & co. The scenes are well made and probably only seen better a few times before. That Massive system really works out great. I have no problem with the battle in helm deep, beside the fact that i think it's too long. And here I wonder. Why is there is teen scenes we never read about in the books, too end the movie five chapters or so before the book. Before that we already knew that one chapter would be cut from TTT, Boromir's Last Stand. Where have the original story gone? Instead they put the elves in the middle of the story, where they don't belong. Why? So we have a more clear love story. For most of the fans I guess we don't need it, and beside, isn't there warm feelings between Aragorn and Eowyn? But wait that isn't the only new scene. Varges? Where do they come from and the result of the fight with the varges doesn't even support any of the important story lines that we have in this film, why should he fall? Well, to make it more hectic and give it more speed and action, yes, but isn't there enough when the Uruk-hai's are killed, when Theoden King is freed from the poison of Isengard and the battle of Helms Deep? And we even get to see some action in a place where Frodo, Sam and Gollum never went. Another new scene, but this is so short and important to clear out what Faramir has to do, this probably was a hard task.
There's plenty of action and incredible scenes as in FoTR, and some are betters, much better.
The Judgement: This is still one of the best films seen the last year, terrifying at points, beautiful, actionpacked and deep most of the time and remarkable in every scene. But besides the fact the it isn't excatly what the book is telling at some points, it is a great epic journey to a new part of Middle Earth.
The designs, the effects, the music everything helps us fall in to the world and feel that this is a historic film, not a fantasy film. I love it, but it lacks magic and suffers under that the makers sees it as a middle part to guide our heroes to their destiny in RoTK, because that is what it is. We see magic places, but not because of beauty and history of the place but because the story takes them there, not as in FoTR, where it all is new and exciting. I hope that in the last installment they have regained the exciting feeling of the project too make a great end to what stil is the best trilogy so fare.

Gollum. Gollum is so perfect, incredible and realistic like no other thing I've seen in movies. Andy Serkis delivers a great performances and defintely is the right choice. He is the movie. I would like to see those deleted scenes with him in the movie and a couple of minutes less battle and new scenes, would have savved the movie.
I like the first half and of course Gollum in every scene. It is a great intro to the movie with, Gandalf and the Balrog, and of course our first glimce of Gollum. It is great up to the point the varges attack, and after that in few periodes. The battle of Helms Deep is epic and historic, but too long. And the destruction of Isengard is well done. But to make it one of the last scenes, it doesn't work for me.
I still love the movie and I give it 7 out of 10, because of the grandness of the story and the very beautiful images of Middle Earth.