Great, but slightly inferior than The Fellowship

Rating: 8/10 (20 January 2003)

All in all, a great movie, IMO the best of 2002 (not a great year for films, anyway...). Jackson is a real genius because he has taken a fairy story, that could mean nothing to the average guy, and has created a visual world around it, so wonderful and surprising that you're always wondering what you will see in the next minute. It's not only the special effects: the landscapes of New Zealand provide some of the most awe-inspiring scenes. The golden rule of Jackson is: when nothing very interesting happens, give something very interesting to see.
This rule is broken a little in the second hour, where the story goes on details without being very involving; there, for me, The Two Towers failed the perfect performance of The Fellowship (3 hours without a look to the watch!). But the last hours, with the two battle at Helm's Deep and Isengard, is the greatest visual experience of the year.
In this instalment, the most psychologically-complex character is introduced: Gollum. It is funny that a CGI creature could be more human than humans (Yoda immediately comes to mind). Gollum is destroyed by the power of the ring, but a part of him still hopes that other people's love and respect can redeem him. Gollum is so convincing because a real actor played his part, and CGI is superimposed on his body. This improves also the performances of Frodo and Sam, which don't seem to speak to themselves, as Obi-Wan talking to Jar-Jar. I don't think you can win an Oscar without ever showing your face, but I hope Andy Serkis will get a special award for his peculiar and wonderful performance.
8/10