Surprisingly Dull and Uninspired

Rating: 1/10 (20 December 2002)

If you're not an avowed fan of J.R.R. Tolkein's novels, there's little way around it: "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" is a snooze.
By devoting an entire three-hour film to a plotless middle section of the longer "Lord of the Rings" story, director Peter Jackson may have satisfied true Hobbit-loving fans, but he has committed an unpardonable sin for other moviegoers. He has created an epic-length movie that is surprisingly dull and uninspired, devoid of any real forward-moving narrative thrust or characters who generate excitement or interest.
There is one notable exception in the CGI-created character of Gollum. At once humorous and moving, Gollum is the heart of the film, and the screen comes alive whenever he appears.
Alas, that provides only an hour or so of amusement. That means there are two hours remaining, and for non-devotees who enjoyed "The Fellowship of the Rings," those hours are interminable. Jackson assumes the audience knows the nuances and relationships presented here, and makes little effort to indoctrinate those of us who aren't sure which son-of-the-nephew-of-the-godson-of-the-wife-of-the-kindgom we should be rooting for.
There is, without doubt, some real cinematic beauty here. For a few moments, the battle sequences really hold thrall, and the aforementioned Gollum is truly a wonder. But for those of us who have always wondered what the strong allure of Tolkein's world is for so many, "The Two Towers" makes the answer even less clear than last year's "Fellowship of the Rings." Undone by stilted dialogue, mostly colorless cinematography, and some unfortunately designed supporting characters who look like rejects from a Rankin-Bass Christmas special circa 1971, Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" is epic alright. An epic bore.