When One Thought It Couldn't Get Any Better

Rating: 10/10 (7 January 2011)

A+
Definitely among my personal favorite films, LOTR 2 is as good if not better than the last one. Now the main reason why it's better: story is already in motion thanks to the first film. Secondly, just a whole lot less of those damned Hobbits. Still, there are some funny moments, like Sam uttering "Your Sam." I don't know if it's a running gag to insinuate this almost romantic relationship between the two, but it shall pass (kudos to McKellen). Thirdly, the sense of doom created by the images is quite awesome. The acting was once again class A work, and there were some interesting new characters. I particularly like John Rhys-Davies as TreeBeard, and loved Andy Serkis as the twisted Gollum. Plus David Wenham was great as always. Orlando Bloom's character delivers plenty of action, quite the bad-ass really. And Gimli of course was the ever constant comic relief. He does get to kick quite bit of ass despite all this, so it's a okay in my book.
Once the action starts, it never lets up. And Peter Jackson's cinematographer doesn't let us down with some amazing cinematography and breathtaking shots. I mean the end battle is truly one to remember and was probably among the most epic battles in fantasy history. The amount of time, craftsmen, and effort put in by the production team and cast is definitely worthy of note. The Battle at Helm's Deep will surely go down in cinematic history as one of the most beautifully orchestrated climaxes ever. Howard Shore's score isn't as dark and as menacing as it was in the last film, but still very, very, good. And so with all this, a very good film is born worthy of recognition.