Jackson should have called it "Middle Earth Stories" - It has nothing to do with Tolkien except the names and places

Rating: Null/10 (13 September 2003)

After watching the Two Towers, I was so disappointed that I left the theater resolved not to buy the DVD and to sell my current copy the Fellowship (which I bought in the hope that it would be redeemed by the later movies.) To be fair, my frame of reference for the movie was based entirely on the books, which I have been reading (over and over again) since I was nine. It seems as though Peter Jackson takes some perverse pleasure it making the characters do exactly the opposite of what they did in the books. I understand it is difficult to transport any book to the screen, but Jackson's changes were not even remotely consistent. This... of course... is the heart of my disappointment. Tolkien wrote a story that seemed to peer into another world - not just of fantasy, but a worldview that is in essence pre-modern. Tom Shippey (Journey into Middle Earth) explains it as a reconstruction of the Middle Ages and its psychology - with priorities, duties, and responsibilities appropriate to that era. C.S. Lewis talked about it as a "Discarded Image" that we once knew, but now no longer fully understand. The Lord of the Rings is a fascinating glimpse into a world where honor and virtue (the immaterial world) stands always higher than the temptations of the material world (such as greed, selfishness, pettiness, etc.) Peter Jackson captures none of that. More importantly, his free reconstructions not only confuse the story on the surface level, but also run completely counter to the spirit of the book. Jackson's characters have no concept of higher duties or responsibilities - they are portrayed as weak creatures constantly at struggle with their base emotions (with no room for higher ideals). In fact, this movie was especially dark and pessimistic. True... this may reflect the modern mindset - in fact, it probably mimics it perfectly. The problem is that I love Tolkien precisely because it does not pander to the modern mindset. It speaks of higher things. I have friends who have never read the books who liked the movie, and I suspect that my love of the books has significantly shaded my perspective. Indeed, if viewed completely on its own terms, the movie is probable fine. But... what I find continually disturbing is Jackson's repeated claims that he has remained true to the book - that is an outright lie! I know he does not want to offend the Tolkien fan base (like me), but I find his pleas of innocence to have exactly the opposite effect. He did not stay true to the book, in either its letter or its spirit. It would have been less startling to me if he had simply called it by another name and made no pretense of turning the book into a movie.
On an altogether separate, more technical, note; I found the movie to suffer generally from poor direction. I realize this goes against the grain of almost of the critics, but honestly, I have a problem with Jackson's style of directing - this is completely apart from his editorial abuses. Specifically, he does not give the characters time to consider or reflect on the events; the cuts are too quick and unsatisfying. And this is not just a problem with too much material in too short a time - he could have lost the entire sequence with Aragon and Arwen freeing up 30 minutes or more (without any loss to the story). Also, Jackson so desperately wants this to be epics that he throws in giant panoramic scenes - unfortunately, he does so with the frenetic energy he puts into the scene cuts, which means that the scenes are constantly in dizzying movement. A sustained shot would be nice, and might give the viewer a moment or two to take in the context of the events. But alas, Jackson's sweep do not allow you to catch in any details, or even any of the magnitude. This leads me to the final technical complaint; for all the buzz surrounding the special effects, Jackson's team seems unfit for the job. I suspect he is constantly moving the panoramic shots because the scenes would not hold up to closer examinations. Elsewhere, the CGI characters (with the exception of Gollum, who was created and performed very well) were shallow fascimilies. There were several places during the final battle sequences, where I could almost see the blue/green screen overlays. If Jackson wants to create a competitor to ILM, he will be disappointed. The special effects were both unsubtle and immature - they did not blend well into the story, and were, occasionally, simply distracting.
Of course, if you have not read the books, these problems are minor and you may well love the movie. If you have read the books - but only so long ago that you can't remember the storyline, then you might like the reunion with old (albeit completely different) characters. If you love the books, their stories, and their message - this movie is probably not for you.