This second movie in the trilogy, can by no means match the first one. Never the less, this IS a great movie. Just a more mainstream one.

Rating: 7/10 (24 December 2002)

This second movie in the trilogy, can by no means match the first one. But as some people already stated, it would have been like comparing two different pieces of a jig-saw puzzle. But anyhow, the magic transfered from the books into the first installment is almost all gone in this second movie. The only thing that really shines through is the wonderful characterization of Gollum as well as the interpretation of Gandalf the White. Everything else is just a great Hollywood movie, excellent at it, but on its way it has lost the magic from the books. In fact; I no longer relate to this movie as a visualization of Tolkien's work. Perhaps it partly is because of the altered plot, as well as the exclusions of crucial parts. The Two Towers is my favorite book in the trilogy mainly because the wonderful description of the Ents and the Elves leaving the men behind to fight their war on their own. This totally disappears, but hopefully there is at least more scenes of the Ents in the upcoming extended version.
Never the less, this IS a great movie. Just a more mainstream one than the last one. A loss for the fans of Tolkien and a victory for Hollywood.