Great Movie!!! But, I think the first was better.

Rating: 5/10 (21 December 2002)

Spoilers to Follow!!!!
Good Points:
1. Peter Jackson again did a fantastic job with visual effects and scenery.

2. Gollum/Smeagol was perfect.
3. The Ents were also done very well.
4. The scene with Gandalf and the Balrog was awesome.

5. The first half of the movie was excellent.
Questionable Points(reasons I didn't give this a 10 like a did the first movie)
1. Battle of Helms deep was Good, but a little unbelievable at times. Legolas riding down the stairs. Aragorn and the king riding over a hundred Uroquis without getting so much as a nick. PJ needed to take a couple of notes from Braveheart on this one to make it more believable.

2. Gimli-- I think Gimli had some good comic relief. But, Gimli seemed to be portrayed as a weak fighter. He is suppose to be quick, strong, and deadly with an axe. I came away thinking he was pretty much a weakling who relied on other characters to protect him.
3. Aragorn falling off the cliff and trying to make everybody believe he is dead. Well, we already did that once with Gandalf, why do it again with Aragorn. Especially when it is not in the book.
4. Faramir-- is portrayed as a mean person in this movie and actually kidnaps Frodo and Sam. Why??? Faramir in the book is the good and reasonable person. He is very much like Aragorn. In the movie, he is portrayed exactly like Boromir. The whole kidnapping scene should have been deleted and Faramir should have offered to help Frodo just like in the book. Why put that whole extra scene in the movie and complicate things with Frodo confronting a Nazgul.
Maybe I will be more won over by this movie when I watch it on DVD in 9-10 months.