WOW!

Rating: 10/10 (17 December 2002)

I happened to be one of the luckier people out there. My school, La Salle University, was giving away passes to an advanced screening here in Philadelphia. This was free, so I can't say I got my money's worth. Instead, I was repaid GRACIOUSLY for trekking down to the theater. (A harrowing experience in the snow.)
Anyway, I want to keep this brief. I have to give props to the animation department for their very accurate emulation of human movement on Gollum. He interacts with the characters and environment so fluidly, so amazingly, I forgot instantly that he was digital at all. Gollum's movements are scary and unnerving... and scarily accurate to the book's telling of Gollum's conduct.
You think the environments in FOTR were good? Put it aside. Helm's Deep is ridiculously beautiful. As an artist, I've come to appreciate environment, but the scenery on and around Helm's Deep are so stunning it took me forever to soak it all in. I woke up the next morning and I was still commenting to myself on the power of this scenery.
Talk about epic. This movie outdoes itself. If you had any quavering doubts about the direction of the series after watching FOTR, give TT a chance... the sheer power of this movie is overwhelming.
Legolas fans get more insane stunts, and Gimli fans get the best lines in the movie. See TT or I'll beat you with a stick!