The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Rating: 9/10 (12 January 2012)

The second film has its own set of problems. It includes some of the most worrisome changes to the original text... I don't get too defensive about Tolkien, but I do hate how Treebeard gets turned into a moron. Gimli's attempts at comedy are still terrible, and let's not forget about Surfin' Legolas and Indestructible Aragorn. However, this one endures better than the first. Switching between the multiple plot threads cuts down on the tedium, and excitement level is way up. You've got the introduction of Gollum as a real character, the development of the Frodo/Sam dynamic, and despite their dumbing down, the Ents are way friggin' cool. The most fun and probably the best-paced part of the trilogy.