'Towers' over the competition

Rating: 10/10 (20 December 2002)

****
Starring: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortenson, Ian McKellan, and Sean Astin.
This film takes off where 'Felloewship' left off. This time, they aren't a fellowship. It seems that the fellowship broke off into little groups. Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), the holder of the ring, and Sam (Sean Astin) set off to Mordor to destroy the ring. On their way, they find an unlikely guide, Gollum. Gollum suffers from a split-personality way, having one side a vicous beast and the other a nicer beast. Aragorn (Viggo Mortenson), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) set out to find Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd). When we last saw Gandalf (Ian McKellan), we had thought that he fell to a death. But he ends up being alive afterall. Saruman (Christopher Lee) makes an army of orcs to kill everyone and retrieve the ring.
The film is excellent on many ways, filling every question with an answer, every battle with a great end, and every character has its goods. I will also note that the final battle is brilliant.