Epic Movie making.... but...

Rating: Null/10 (12 January 2003)

Peter Jackson has made another film that reminds us why the love going to the movies. Big battles - amazing characters (Gollum is one cool CGI treat), subplots on top of subplots, etc. I don't care how big your widescreen TV is at home, you need to see these movies at the theatre.
With that said, I do have a problem with "The Two Towers". And this is coming from someone who has not read the books. (Cast me into the depths of hell now!)
Did Tolkien intend on having his characters turn into likeable, "cute" people we could laugh at and with? These movies are dark, forboding, operatic tales of good vs evil. Should I be laughing and giggling at small sarcastic quirky jokes about Gimli's height? Or the "competition" he and the Elfin Robin Hood have during the battle? It just seemed that Jackson tried a little to hard to make sure that EVERYONE liked this movie - and created some humor mixed in with the poignant story telling. For me, the two didn't mix very well.
And while I am glorifying and criticizing this movie at the same time... someone needs to tell me about the Tree creatures from Tolkiens stories. In my opinion, they hurt the film. Where they big huggable characters in the books? All they reminded me of were some those other characters that many movie fans detested, and felt they had no place in a large epic saga - those other characters that also "cutely" assisted the heroes in their fight against the dark forces... anyone know which pint sizes, hairy (Wookie-looking) creatures I am referring to??