One big, joyous cinematic event

Rating: 9/10 (23 December 2002)

This was a truly awesome movie. I knew it was going to be awesome before I even walked into the theater. I knew this because (1) it is the sequel to Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings and (2) the book is awesome. I had read about half the book when I saw The Two Towers, and I must say it followed the movie very closely. The pacing of the book and movie is different in that the book tells all of Aragorn and friend's story first then Frodo's story. The two plots parallel each other in the movie, but I'm cool with that.
Let's talk about the good things in this movie. Once again, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Morteson, and all the rest provide us with great acting jobs. I guess they just really get into their characters. The script was great also; it was faster, funnier, darker, and more intelligent then the original.
Second: Howard Shore and his brilliant score. I love his use of themes here. From the fiddle for Rohan to the tried-and-true Lothlorien theme, it was all great. It wasn't all fast paced drums, strings, and brass for the battle sequences either, although the music certainly got your pulse throbbing at some points.
Third: Gollum. I didn't know what to expect of this creature. I had heard great things about him, but I had not read his part of the story when I saw the movie. I still wasn't sure what to think of him after the movie. But I'll be damned, that is the finest piece of computer generated acting I have seen.
And of course, the cinematography and special effects were awesome. If you've seen the first movie, expect more of the same and then some. Case in point: the Battle of Helm's Deep.
*SPOILER!*SPOILER!* Now for my one complaint. It left a very important scene from the book out of the movie. I won't go into great detail for those of you reading the book, but there is a scene in the middle of The Two Towers (it would be at the end of the movie) where Gandalf and Saruman have a confrontation, only this time the tables are turned. It would have been awesome to see these two wizards duking it out once again, but alas it was not to be. Hopefully it will be included in the third installment of the series.
That is the only reason I do not give this movie a perfect 10. I wanted to see more Saruman and Gandalf, but Jackson did an awesome job with this movie anyways. From the opening shot to the last reel, it is a spectacle to behold.
rating: 9/10