Massively disappointing...(minor spoilers for this aged story)

Rating: 6/10 (18 December 2002)

So, the sequel is upon us. And.... it's not as sizzling as the first. Peter Jackson seems to have taken far too many liberties with this movie and turned it into a more generic Hollywood romp. You could almost tell from the outset that this movie was nowhere near the quality of the first. Something about how it starts... I can't quite put my finger on it...but if you compare the wonderful start of 'Fellowship' to the beginning of 'Towers', you'll see what I mean.
There are so very many things wrong with this movie, but, ironically, Smeagol was NOT the worst part, despite being completely CGI. Infact, I would go so far as to say he was the BEST part of the movie. His torment is wonderfully portrayed, and the fact that he was CGI'd did not irritate like a certain CGI Star Wars character. Also, credit is due to the animators for making the human/CGI interaction of Frodo and Smeagol VERY impressive. I looked forward to the Smeagol scenes the most. (Although...there was ONE torment scene I disliked where they shot it in 'takes' - cutting back between Smeagol and his alter ego. It felt wrong in this kind of movie, but then again...a lot of things felt wrong)
Where was the acting in the rest of the movie? There was hardly any. I can't recall a single scene where there was any standout actor. The beginning of the movie was remarkably slow and even my wife - a bigger Tolkien fan than myself - shifted uncomfortably in her seat after almost ninety minutes.

Oh...and Gimli. Why? Why did they do this? Why did EVERY scene with Gimli have to be one of comic relief? It felt like a bad Disney movie. Once or twice would have been too much, but EVERY scene?
The action too, felt far less orchestrated than it did in the first movie. Again, Jackon took more liberties with the way the scenes played out. Legolas now surfs down stairs on a shield. Somehow this is the sort of thing I expect from a Bond movie...
But, and rather cleverly I might add, - Jackson ends the movie on a high, and the masses will love it. In that respect, this movie reminds me of 'The Sixth Sense.' A quick summary of the 'Sixth Sense' would be: "zzzz....zzzzzzz.....zzzzzzz.....(insert clever ending here)"
Viewer walks out of 'Sixth Sense' with that 'clever-ending-taste' in his mouth and gives the movie a TEN out of TEN! "Amazing! Fantastic!" -he screams, forgetting all about the tedium he had to endure to see said ending.
In much the same way, the end of 'Two Towers' leaves the same feeling in one's mouth. Undeniably an epic ending. (forgetting about the constant Gimli comic-relief throughout it) So that's the movie for you really. Nothing particularly memorable other than a very swish looking Smeagol, and an epic ending. I can't really think of anything else memorable about the movie, except for Treebeard. (- and some very dodgy blue-screen use)

I'd (almost) go so far as to say just walk in for the end twenty or so minutes, but judging by the cheers at the beginning and end of the movie last night, no-one will listen to me anyway. That sweet taste at the end won everyone over.
Ah well..at least I tried..