Excellent, but not perfect

Rating: 9/10 (19 December 2002)

warning: spoilers possible
Last night's premiere of the Two Towers was an excellent movie experience, with a few minor quibbles. First, as has been mentioned in some other comments, there are a few scenes where they portray Legolas as a Super Hero, and his antics are so over the top as to illicit more than a few snickers or groans from the audience. Second, some of the battle scenes, though very impressive in their grand scale, have the feel of the Clone War in Attack of the Clones, where you felt like the computer animators just couldn't restrain themselves. Lastly, for a three hour movie, there were times when the pace of the movie was off. Some matters were rushed, and you felt like they needed more explanation, and others dragged on or were repeated seemingly too many times.
On the flip side, the movie has some very fine points. When Gollum first appeared, I was very disappointed at the CGI rendering, and his dialog seemed poorly synced with his mouth. But after that initial sequence, almost everything he did, his movements, the emotions his face conveys, the very depth of his character . . . . it was astounding. It still doesn't replace an actor, but it comes damn close, closer than anything ever presented on film. And the battle scenes are top notch, especially Helms Deep, though the Ent assault on Isengard is very impressive. I personally thought their rendering of the Ents was very well done.
I've read the book, and the book purists will have much to complain about, but I understand the choices Peter Jackson made about deferring much of the story to Return of the King, and making Helms Deep the climax of the film (it's in the middle of the book). And there is a "Hollywood" slant to some of the dialog and action sequences that Jackson has taken some liberties with, but the essence and soul of the book come across. I would regard the movie as well worth your money for a big screen ticket and 3.5 hours in a crowded theater. I anxiously await the final picture. 9/10