Outstanding Entertainment

Rating: Null/10 (23 December 2002)

Rating: 9.5 The missing .5 that would make this movie a 10 comes from the fact that it is a transition film that respects the original material. It moves the plot along smoothly and with gripping drama but it can't get Frodo to Mordor any faster than the book does. Again the acting is absorbing, particularly Gollum's fight with his split personality and Aragorn giving battle commands in Elvish on the walls of Helm's Deep -- speaking fluently and powerfully. Again the visuals are spectacular and monumentally astonishing. Again there are some changes to the plot, at least one of which is perplexing because it seems to serve no purpose, but the movie's integrity holds.

Elvis Mitchell criticized Jackson for not recapping the first book for the benefit of new viewers. I applaud him for not wasting time when he has so much else to show. If you want to know what happened in the first film -- watch the DVD or read the book. Just don't ask the guy sitting next to you because he already knows.