Good art, but way too violent

Rating: Null/10 (8 November 2003)

The special effects are great; the scenery, camera work, sets and costumes are magnificent; & I find no fault with the acting.
I can't say that I enjoyed it though. It would be hard to imagine more violence. The battle scene just goes on forever and ever. I just dread the battle scene in the next one, which is supposed to be even bigger and longer.
In his original works, Tokien manages to create some wonderful lyrical interludes. The scenes in the forest with the Ents were just delightful in the book, but they are cut short here, much to the movie's detriment, while the battle for Helm's Deep is stretched out. This was the wrong choice.
Of course, there are some other bizarre changes in the plot, as noted by some of the other reviewers.
The orcs are just hideous, which they should be, of course. You do see the courage it takes to fight them. It does make me a bit sad, though, that they look so much like burn victims. I think burn victims are stigmatized enough, without being seen as looking like orcs.
I saw this one on DVD. There was a whole extra disc with documentaries about the movie, trailers, and even a short directed by Sean Astin (Samwise), showing some of the people whose faces you don't get to see in the main movie, particularly the woman who doubles for the short scenes and the man who doubles for the tall scenes. It was cool that Sean had the idea of letting us see their faces, while mostly we see their backs.

In the features, somehow Dominic Monaghan (Merry) and Billy Boyd (Pippin) seem more like Hobbits off screen than on. This is due to the directorial decisions to focus on the violent parts, rather than the interludes. It's a pity. These two are absolutely fabulous, natural Hobbits who could have given this film some very welcome comic relief.
Still, I guess I'll see the third one. I suppose it's too late to plead with the director to shorten up that final battle. Shiver. It's bound to be horrible.