Overall very good, has some slow/not so good stuff here and there...

Rating: Null/10 (27 December 2002)

I am someone who was a Tolkien Fanatik in my teens, now-well, I still admire his works but haven't the time or inclination to wade into'em yet again. So I am Not too worked up whenever I notice Petey Jax has made yet Another revision in the storyline to further his film. Books and flix are not the same and so-you accept that and go on.
Some Spoilers below!
There were only a couple things that didn't work that well in the Two Towers-Faramir in particular. The character in the book never tries to take the ring or marches them halfways to the capital city, but of course in the movie he does, then his reasoning for letting them go anyways-it's just flimsy. Either dispense with him taking Frodo and Sam to Minas Tirith or have them escape without his flimsy change of heart. The guy's flip flop-it doesn't work. Also-the Pteradactyl/Phantom Fink Nazgul attack was FAKE. Some of the F/X in these two flix so far have just been PooPoo.
One thing George Lucas doesn't do-whether you like his direction or writing or not-is allow such wildly divergent F/X standards to appear in the same movie. The Helms Deep Battle, Gollum-the black Gate, all are great. The Ents-middling. The Pteradactlyl attack/Warg attack-BAD. Pong/Wizard of Wor level bad, okay? They almost looked stop action in places. And that is not quite what you are expecting in the same flick that has the terrific Orc attack/Gollum F/X. So what gives there?
I don't want anyone to think I disliked it-the Ents, the Battle of Helms Deep, the interplay of Legolas, Gimli, etc-Gollum of course, all great. But a few wayyyyy too talky middle scenes(Liv Tyler flashblacks, Aragorn drowning, the Rohan stuff) dr-r-aaaaaaagged.
And why not more with Gandalf? It does make me wonder.
***1/2 outta ****. The good far outweighs the bad.