Better Than FOTR

Rating: 10/10 (14 January 2003)

It is very difficult to imagine the task that lay ahead of 38 year old Peter Jackson, when we went off to simultaneously film all the LOTR entries. It is amazing that anyone would green light a $300MM project like this. FOTR was nearly perfect and TTT is even better - a masterpiece if I may use a tired word. JRR Tolkien gave us this world, and Peter Jackson has brilliantly brought it to life.
In every measure I can name, this film is equal to or superior to its predecessor. Effects, dialogue, battles, action, intrigue, and of course Gollum.
The battle of Helm's Deep, which occupies most of the third act of this film, is tour-de-force. Every computer generated character is believable and there are more kills on the battlefield than in Braveheart.
Special mention must be made of two of the CGI characters. Gollum is perhaps the most fascinating creature I have seen. Pathetic and sympathetic, repulsive and lovable all at once. The best scene takes place when Gollum converses with his evil self. The other is Treebeard, the wise Ent, the shepherd of the forest, a talking tree that rises to battle to defend and avenge his brethren. The scene where one of the battling Ents dunks his head in the flood waters to extinguish himself is one the films great moments.
You can argue until you are blue in the face whether or not this is true to the book. That's irrelevant. We are fortunate to be witnessing a trilogy that will be regaled as one of movie history's key events. This is the only sequel in recent memory that surpassed its predecessor at the box office, which is proof of the fact that it is a better, more engaging and more entertaining film. **** out of ****.