Utter brilliance marred by not sticking to the formula of the first

Rating: 9/10 (30 May 2014)

Everything aside from the plot was marvelous. The novel's split of the eastern and western events were skillfully interlaced with one another in the film to create scenes that progressed together chronologically. Many of the light moments in the novels were brought to full light and made quite funny in the film. Gimli got the majority of these entertaining lines.
The huge helpings of makeup and CGI were a monumental undertaking and they were executed so perfectly that they had me saying "WOW!" even 12 years after the original release in front of a TV. In this sector, the film's makers stepped up from the first. I cannot wait to see what is in store for the third.
It pains me to have to give this wonderful masterpiece a 9. Alas, it did not stick to the books as it should have. By this I do not mean every single detail; I mean that there were major story and geographical alterations that should not have happened. In The Fellowship of the Ring, there were scenes like the hobbits' adventures with Tom Bombadil that were completely omitted. This is understandable as it would not have contributed significantly to the story as a whole and, thus, would only be added weight in terms of runtime. Also, minor changes (eg., "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" and flashbacks) served to improve the quality of the movie.
However, in The Two Towers, things such as Aragorn being shown defeated and near death after the Warg fight (which was a semi-major battle that never occurred in the novel in the first place) are major changes to the plot and tend to harm the movie, especially with fans that love this fantasy series so much. It seemed like a clear attempt to milk the relationship between Aragorn and Arwen to its fullest, while this aspect of the film was not given too much attention in the novel. Additionally, Faramir was shown to be drawn in by the power of the Ring. This bothered me the most because Faramir was quite a good character and one to look up to in the novels. His respect was earned when he immediately showed he was unlike his brother and did not lust after the Ring. Changing Faramir to possess the same traits as Boromir is a bit of an insult.
But, like I said earlier, minor changes serve to ameliorate the movie or add as much of the story as possible given the budget and time constraints. Adding an army of elves at the battle of Helm's Deep made the already enthralling action even more so. Having Éowyn present at Helm's Deep as opposed to Dunharrow allowed the heat between her and Aragorn to grow more quickly. Frodo hiding Sam and himself with his cloak in front of the Black Gate added more suspense.
Lastly, it must be said that the music played throughout the movie was incredible. The film would not be nearly as impactful without its presence.
For the "everything else" portion, a solid 10. If only the plot had adhered to the novel.... Watched (Extended Edition) and written 05/30/2014.