It suffers due to its transitional status, becoming unfocused and meandering; there are a few stand-out scenes, though, and it is still entertaining.

Rating: 7/10 (24 June 2018)

While 'The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002)' initially seems like an improvement upon its predecessor due to an almost instant start, to the point of totally leaving anyone not already on-board with the story behind, and constant 'in-the-moment' feel, the piece soon becomes a baggy and generally slow affair that does, in itself, seem like the so-called 'extended version' (how an actual 'extended version' exists, I'm not sure I'll ever fully understand). This middle instalment falls victim to its transitional status, which is essentially a kind way of saying that not all that much happens - at least not considering its bloated three hour run-time - while it ties the knot between the first and last part of its larger tale. It also suffers from a meandering narrative that opens up its world in a way that seems unfocused, taking away from the core - and, incidentally, most interesting - story of our protagonist and his journey to destroy that which would seek to destroy the world at every opportunity. There's still a lot to like, including a clarity of vision most prominent in the brilliant battle sequences - which are some of the largest in scale seen in cinema (only to be bested in size by its follow-up) and yet still retain a remarkably tangible quality - and smaller character moments - mainly surrounding its landmark 'motion capture' character. Indeed, this character is a groundbreaking achievement that did almost as much for the industry as the rest of the effects combined, being the premier creation of this kind essentially still to this day. He has some of the best moments in this feature, moments which are only slightly less interesting because of all the apparent 'filler' which surrounds them. It's made out to be essential perhaps because it sits in the source novel, but trimming sequences shouldn't be discouraged even in something based on a beloved book. This flick ends up perhaps the weakest of the trilogy. In the end, though, there are enough stand-out scenes and it's entertaining enough to make it more than worthwhile. 7/10