A good adventure, but could have been much better than it is.

Rating: 7/10 (10 September 2003)

I was somewhat disappointed in The Two Towers. I felt that the editing was a little choppy resulting in a lack of transition between some scenes. I hope the extended edition of the DVD will correct this.
And while I can allow for the introduction of certain scenes not found in the Trilogy to maintain the love interest angle, I can see no need to introduce a story line that simply doesn't exist in Tolkien's work.

The principal example is this: in Tolkien, the elves never showed up at Helm's Deep, and the captain of the elves, Haldir, while he did an exceptional job of dying in the movie, did not die in the battle at Helm's Deep. The introduction of that into the movie served no useful purpose that I can see. I could have lived without it, and Peter Jackson should have lived without it.
Another example is when Aragorn went off the cliff during the battle with the Wolf Riders. It can be inferred from Tolkien that a fight with the Wolf Riders could have occurred, because the text is clear about the fact that some skirmishes did occur on the way to Helm's Deep. But Tolkien goes out of his way to indicate that the encounters were minor. They were of the "hit-n-run" variety. Still, I can live with the movie presentation. But Aragorn did not go off that cliff; he did not float down stream; and he did not reappear. That part of the movie can only serve as a possible introduction to a second love interest, and a conflict in Aragorn's mind over his future. If that was the intent, it was poorly done.
But my major complaint with this movie is the shabby treatment given to Faramir. He was an honorable man in Tolkien. He was able to do what his brother was not able to do. He knew the Ring of Power was within his grasp, but he never saw it. Indeed, he did not want to see it. And he let Frodo go. He did not drag him off to present him as a gift, and Frodo never stood on that wall and faced the Ringwraith. Putting this into the movie was an unjustified modification of Tolkien's work. It served no purpose other than to add perhaps 5 minutes to the running time of the flick. That is a poor excuse for doing such a hatchet job on a man's work. Unforgivable!
All of this leaves me with some doubt about how Jackson will handle Part III of the Trilogy. Does he have the nerve to do it right and do it completely? We shall see.
Mr. Jackson, you have an unprecedented opportunity here. Please don't waste it. This could be YOUR magnum opus.