Well...

Rating: 9/10 (3 January 2003)

Well, it's not bad but it's not the best either. I was expecting much more than I got. Perhaps the reason is that LOTR 1 was absolutely brilliant and set high expectations. Perhaps another reason is the fact that I am a hardcore fan and have read the book innumerable times.
Still, I accepted some changes in the LOTR 1. In The Two Towers, however, there are things that I cannot understand and/or accept.
Mind you, I am not saying the movie is bad! It's just that I've spent an year in expecting to see something equally brilliant and exciting as the Fellowship.
Now I will not be the one to start the endless discussion about the director's ideas and all this blah-blah. I just want to say that certain changes of the original plot do not contribute whatsoever to a better movie.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOLLOW The kiss and hug part is all right - people who have not read the book have to understand the drama of Aragorn and Arwen. But, for god's sake, why changing some crucial details in the battle of Helm's Deep?! The elves' arrival and the speech of their leader was a horrible cliche. Not to mention Frodo and Sam's trip to Osgilliath - now that was really too much. END OF POSSIBLE SPOILERS
The ents were quite meager - I am sure that PJ would have cut them out the way he cut out Tom Bombadil in LOTR 1 if he could. The outcome of the entmoot and the following speech was yet another horrible cliche. As a result, at certain points, I was outright bored and/or was shaking my head in complete confusion and bewilderment. (I've never thought that I will be bored during this movie.)
Now some good words. Gollum was really brilliant - too sad he is a computer graphic, not a human. He deserves an Oscar for his part.
The effects in general were Ok, though, during the battle for Helm's Deep the orcs were flying aside like toothpicks. The crossing of the Dead Marshes was creepy enough to scare me out of my wit.
The Two Towers time and time again reminded me that New Zealand has a very pretty nature and made me wish to go there.
Once again, the film is not bad at all, but could have been better. No matter what I will go and see it again any time soon.