It's the middle child of the movie.

Rating: 9/10 (16 March 2006)

This is the war. This is the necessary part of the film to set up the finale. Because it's the middle child, it doesn't get the attention or respect. Once one has all three films in hand, he can begin to view them as a single entity. Still they are considered to be separate. The arising of the Gollum. The series of battles that make up this film are so incredible. Though made at the same time, the tales gain the advantage of advances in production techniques and graphics. There is not much exposition here, though new characters are made available to us. It is rather to get from point A to point B and make way for the final book. The rocky relationship between Frodo and Sam continues, Frodo fixated on the ring and all that it implies. Then there are the magnificent battle scenes with the unlikeliest of creatures forming alliances. I read reviews by people who are so into these books that they nitpick over every aberration from the original works. This is a movie. It's accessible to anyone, including those who will never make their way through the novel. The novels aren't for everyone. They are filled with long introspective meanderings and a good deal of poetry (hardly any of which is in any of the three films). Like with Trekkies, it's hard to talk with these people because of the obsessiveness about a single piece of literature--the betrayal they feel. Just enjoy what Peter Jackson was able to do. It will live forever in film history.