Good film, but the first was better (possible spoilers)

Rating: 8/10 (4 May 2003)

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
The Lord of the Rings:The Two Towers (2002) You all know the cast! **** I might as well get it out of the way - I am a purist so this review will be pretty critical. I'll start with the negatives however, so that I can finish the review with the praise this film deserves. I will also skip most of the plot detail, because I am fairly sure that most of you know the storyline.
At first viewing, the pacing of TTT might seem a little jerky, as we shift between the various plotlines. One of the problems noted almost instantly is a lack of scale, mainly in Frodo and Sam's story. The Dead Marshes appear too small so that Mordor, instead of being a distant blur on the horizon is constantly close and threatening, the red light of Mount Doom always showing. You lose the epic scale from the book. This shows again when after Helm's Deep, Gandalf and others ride to the top of the ridge. Mordor is strangely close again.
Minor changes like sending the women and children to Helm's Deep will have repurcussions in ROTK which I will not detail because they are spoilers.
Cutting off the end of the book is not a particularly good idea because ROTK is going to be packed with action anyway. Faramir's personality change was one of the things that got me most. Instead of appering as a complete contrast to Boromir, as a true Numenorian who would not pick up the Ring if it were lying by the wayside, he appears even darker than Boromir.
Osgiliath, seemingly served no more purpose than to inform us that Peter Jackson can do amazing things with computers. Well - we already knew that! Osgiliath looked perfect. But taking Frodo and Sam there not only removed the sense of urgency, it diminished the scale even further. Then there was the fact that Frodo and Sam are supposed to know absolutely nothing about the outside world.
Another point that was mentioned - in Osgiliath, Faramir screams, 'Nazgul!'. No one knew who the creatures on wings were until right at the end. The Black Breath etc is referenced, but the characters do not know that the Nazgul are what is spreading terror. The Fell Beasts were not threatening enough I felt.
The Wargs were absolutely pointless and showed the one weakness in the Special Effects. And Aragorn's near death? Death has been faked so many times in this trilogy that it is ridiculous and unbelievable when it occurs and is actually in the book. A few odd things - the Ents' faces were very good, but the rest of them was not substantial enough and Gandalf's reintroduction (to Merry and Pippin), I disliked intensely. Also, Rohan was not the flat green grasslands that it should have been.
The only cast member I disliked? Elrond who seems far too severe! As he is half man, he would not be so harsh on men. Finally - the Great Eye of Sauron. It just didn't fit. Dare I say it, it reminded me of the power coupling in Episode 2, just a different colour!
Enough of bad points, although there were more, I'll move on to the (many) positives!
The cast - well what can I say? New and established members alike, I was wowed.
Sets - especially Edoras. Exactly as I had pictured them in my own imagination. Fangorn was absolutely perfect, as was Helm's Deep. The Black Gate has got to be one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.
Special Effects - especially Gollum. I have never seen such a brilliant CG character. His split personality was perfect too. I felt sorry for him, I hated him, I loved him!
The battle sequences were brilliant. Helm's Deep did not seem too long and who can forget the trail of the Orc armies stretched across the plain?
The destruction of Isengard, the breaking of its dam, I was awed. The tiniest detail was observed. Just look at the detail on the Elven brooches, on armour, the pillars of Meduseld.
And a small thing that I would like to say is thank you to Peter Jackson and his team for their research on pronuciation. If I had had to sit through FOTR with everyone saying Sawron, I would not have gone to see TTT.
And I really liked the foreshadowing of Aragorn's death. It was incredibly moving, although it did not state that Arwen loses her immortality and dies shortly afterwards, which would have been another moving touch.
Enough from me rambling on! I am not going to review FOTR as well, because I have so much to say. From this review, you might deduce that I dislike TTT because I fear my complaints exceed my praises. I just tend to notice my dislikes more and voice them! It cannot be said I disliked this film - I've seen it 3 times and will certainly go again. I did however, prefer FOTR. That is on of the reasons why I have given this film 4 stars and not the 5 I would give to Fellowship.