It is a GIFT! (Spoilers)

Rating: 10/10 (20 December 2002)

A gift to Tolkien geeks and fans of cutting-edge moviemaking everywhere.
I think that there will be quite a few people who won't like this movie at all, and even some who might go to see it not even understanding it's supposed to be a middle installment, and not something with a definite beginning and end. But for most of the Tolkien fanatics, I feel this movie delivers the visual goodies. Whether or not it delivers the heart--well, I say it does, but I can see where others might reasonably differ with me on that. It had a bit of the chopped-up, overly pruned quality in certain sections which I noted in the theatrical version of FOTR. Those missing sequences were restored in the extended-DVD, and it made for a much better film. I'm sure that will be the case with TTT as well. I have a feeling a lot of Fangorn Forest and Karl Urban ended up on the cutting room floor.
Still, I gave it a "10" for the many things about this movie which were either groundbreaking, or soul-satisfying.
Briefly, the high points were the acting of newcomers Bernard Hill and David Wenham, CGI Gollum, the exquisite score including the beautiful Rohan theme, the heartbreaking beauty of Shadowfax, and the overall complex, demanding, textural richness of the movie as a whole. It will take several viewings to really absorb it all. There is so bloody much here, and the money spent on it is all right there on the screen.
The Battle of Helm's Deep IS the most impressive battle sequence ever brought to the screen. Not only was the effects work impressive, and the agile athleticism and physical heroics of the actors up to the very best action/adventure standards, but someone involved here must have really studied Medieval warfare and seige tactics. This engaged the brain as well as the viscera. I think it will bear up extremely well under repeated viewings. I was entertained, thrilled, AND educated by it.
I'm glad everyone seems to have enjoyed Gollum as much as I did. One thing that struck me was that when he first came on screen, I was so repulsed by him that I seriously wondered if I was going to be able to stand looking at him for as much screen time as I expected him to have. But by about five minutes in, I was utterly fascinated by him, then charmed, then amused, and began to look forward to his next appearance. A real credit to all involved in his creation for the screen. BTW, my 9 year old son LOVED Gollum.

True delights for the Tolkien fan included the magnificent realization of the "fell beasts" and the use of Gimli, the Warrior Dwarf. Dwarves as comic relief were certainly a part of The Hobbit, and Gimli in this one manages to deliver both the comedic goods, and be a real stud in the battle scenes. The lack of chemistry between Gimli and Legolas and the underusage of the Gimli character was one of my few complaints about FOTR, but all that is a thing of the past here, as John Rhys-Davies gets to show his chops as both Gimli, and the voice of the venerable Treebeard. Oh! What a life! I have seen an Oliphaunt!
All the actors were excellent in this installment, and there were only three cringeworthy moments: Legolas' X-games staircase surf at Helm's Deep, the Maxfield Parrish Faux Romantic Interlude between Aragorn and Arwen, and what immediately followed--did anyone else find it funny when Aragorn was dreaming of being kissed by Arwen, only to wake up to find his horse nibbling on his face? I hope that was inadvertant.
I want to use the rest of this review to address two areas of controversy:
1) Elves coming to Helm's Deep--I liked the Elves coming to help out. I think it was done for those viewers who aren't steeped in Tolkien. It's not established WHY the "Time of the Elves is Passing", and it just looks like they are cowardly rats leaving a sinking ship if they don't try to help. In this time, when we expect allies of ours who have not been targeted by terrorism to lend us their support, I think Galadriel's sending some of her Elf archers to help the men was a hopeful message.
2)Faramir--Faramir has the same issues as Boromir did in the first movie, with the addition of knowing his brother set out with a company which included hobbits, and was later seen dead. He has NO idea how his brother died, and for all he knows, the hobbits might be responsible or at fault. He did not have the benefit of being at the Council of Elrond, where it was established how dangerous the ring would be for anyone other than Frodo to bear. So I found that his attitude towards the Hobbits AND the ring were both realistic and rational. Seeing with his own eyes, though, the power of the ring at its evil worst, and getting a good dressing-down from Samwise, he altered his position and agreed to let Frodo and Sam continue on, EVEN though it was against the laws of Gondor. How could you not get a shiver when he said "then, my life is forfeit"?
Movie Faramir IS different than Book Faramir. Different AND more interesting and BETTER. I can hardly wait to see where this character is going in ROTK. I like this arc, and want to put my trust in PJ and Co, because I really do believe they know how to make a movie that will stand the test of time.