"a good-looking creation albeit not much else"

Rating: Null/10 (14 January 2005)

The second part of the movie adaptation of 'The Lord of the Rings' books, this is a good-looking creation albeit not much else. It is a CGI showcase, and features good film editing and make-up, however ultimately it is pretty much on par with the first film in terms of virtues and vices. Again, it is visually stunning, but it still is too long, too violent and it is too convoluted in plot. The screenplay is no improvement over the first film in terms of character and plot development, and therefore it is equally as not involving as the previous part of the trilogy. The film features one of the largest battle scenes of all time, but it is also one of the least interesting, as it is just mindless action. It also is a slow and sluggish watch, and in many ways the weakest entry in the trilogy, however if you can separate the films than this would actually rate as the strongest entry, because the special effects in the film are the best and most creative, and in such a visual but not all so compelling film series, this is one of the most important aspects. The visual and audio effects both won Oscars, and out of the three films it is the only one that deserved Best Visual Effects.