What all film makers should strive for!

Rating: 10/10 (18 December 2002)

Well, after months of waiting, I finally got to see the sneak preview of Lord Of The Rings : The Two Towers last night.
Despite a fairly unpleasant cold, and being pretty tired (the show only started at 12:15 am), I was still blown away by this second installment of the trilogy.
I am both a long-time Peter Jackson fan (and highly recommend that all fans of the LOTR movies try and locate some of his early movies to see from whence he came - certainly a vast change in style, but nevertheless, distinctive), and a relative fan of the Tolkien novels (I have read LOTR and The Hobbit on more than one occasion, but have not bothered to delve deeper).
A warning first - had you not seen "The Fellowship Of The Ring", you will get really lost, really quickly, so it is highly recommended that you see the first movie before this one. Mr Jackson thankfully does not make the age-old mistake of having a brief montage of events in the previous movie - you are thrust straight into the middle of events, and everything starts moving quite quickly.
I'm not going to go on and on about every single event, but there are certain things which do deserve special mention. Firstly, Wormtongue is marvellously cast. Portrayed with just the correct mixture of cowardice, malice, and toadiness (for lack of a better word), the character was just as I had always imagined.
Secondly, Gollum was magnificent - personally, I don't think that the CGI was what won me over about the creature (although relatively flawless in it's execution). What won me over was the way that Gollum was portrayed as a laughable creature, pathetic, snivelling, and almost thoroughly evil, yet with the distinct yet remote hope of redemption. I also was absolutely besotted with the voice of the creature, as well as the distinctive movements, grimaces and expressions of the two different personalities (Gollum and Smeagol). I sincerely believe that the performance of the creature is oscar-worthy - after all, Serkis is indeed present in the creation, and makes it his own - the spirit is there, even if the flesh is not..
Finally, the battle of the Ents in Isengard was to me a highlight. Many have gushed about the battle at Helmsdeep, which was indeed spectacular, but few have commented much on the Ents, especially the battle in Isengard, and I have no idea why, as this was to me one of the real highlights of the film.
In conclusion, this is every bit as powerful as "The Fellowship Of The Rings", but is slightly darker - basically, if you were a fan of the first movie, you will no doubt see this, and find it to be as compelling and awe-inspiring as the first installment. If on the other hand, you were not a fan, then you will probably not enjoy this either - after all, Jacksons filming the trilogy all at once really has given the film a great amount of continuity, and the same sense of mystery and wonder throughout. I highly recommend it, and have no hesitation in giving it a perfect 10.