An excellent film, but a little sloppy...

Rating: 8/10 (7 July 2006)

Whilst Peter Jackson's directorial talent and the wonderful imagination of Tolkien himself are the fundamental backdrop of the second installment of the "Lord of the Rings" franchise, I increasingly get the feeling that this film was an excellent one, but one that was a little patchy at times. Overall, a visual and emotional extravaganza, but the film slows slightly and stands as a notch below both its predecessor and its successor.
The CGI is absolutely brilliant, and the ability that Jackson and his team at Weta were able to use state of the art technology to create the character of Gollum is remarkable -- his performance is as strong as Frodo and Sam's, and this wonderful and realistic chemistry highlights much of the film's merit. The expansive battle at Helm's Deep is quite breathtaking, as is the March of the Ents on an unsuspecting Isengard. It is not in the visual effects that the film falls a little flat.
Viggo Mortensen, whilst looking the part of Aragorn, seems to be patchy in his portrayal, representing his fair inexperience within the world of Hollywood. His delivery of lines is, at many times, stale and thus puts a substantial patch on the credibility of what is one of the more important characters within the story. That being said, he does possess a steadfastness and visual courage that is practically unmatched by all of the other cast -- it's when Mortensen is really challenged that he seems to struggle slightly. Orlando Bloom is terrible and remedial as always, once more looking the part brilliantly but not even possessing the basic ability to recite a line without showing conflicting facial expressions, and a real inability to understand both his character and the direction of the story. The other members of the supporting cast are excellent - Elijah Wood is fantastic as Frodo, a hobbit perpetually under the emotional and mental attack from the One Ring. Sean Astin is unwavering as Sam, and Christopher Lee plays an increasingly evil Saruman to a tee. Sir Ian Mackellan is positive and competent as Gandalf.
The score, whilst being quite good, falls flat slightly. The cinematography, especially the wide expansive shots amongst a beautiful and untouched New Zealand countryside, is nothing short of breathtaking. The introduction of new characters, such as those that dwell in Rohan, is excellent. Even the addition of the ENTS is a worthy one, and one posing many thrills and laughs along the way.
All in all, this film aimed for perfection but didn't quite get there. It was not as raw or majestic as the first film, and wasn't as emotionally expansive as the final chapter. Standing alone, the film is endearing and entertaining. However, some patchy acting from main cast members and the patchiness of both the script and the score taint this film from what it could potentially be.
An 8 out of 10 -- a remarkable achievement, standing alone, but quite easily the patchiest and most inconsistent of the film franchise.