Different movie from the first - a few quibbles

Rating: 9/10 (9 January 2003)

Was looking forward to the second movie with great anticipation after enjoying the first movie tremendously. I saw the movie on its first day of release in NZ, the 19th of Dec 2002.
The movie was intense, emotional and breathtaking. The wide pan helicopter scenery shots were incredible. Gollum, as may others viewers have sugegsted, was an incredible work of CGI/real character brilliance and gave real life, humor and humanity to Smeagol/Gollum. Gimli also added a bit of comic relief throughout the movie which was good to break up the intensity. The film left me more emotionally mved to sadness than the first, however it was extremely well done.
Brad Dourif as Wormtounge excelled and liked the casting of Miranada Otto as Eowyn. Bernard Hill was a different Theoden to how I perceived him in the book, however was put in a good performance.
I found that the dialouge was a bit heavier this time with some of it I could recall straight out of the book. However, I didnt enjoy how PC treated the relationship between Arwen / Aragorn went or how Elrond dispises humans. I also didn't like how the Elves turned up at Helms Deep or how Faramir took Frodo and Sam to Osgiliath. My idea of the "rolling hills of Rohan" was not really what appeared on the screen either.
Howver, apart from these things, I'm sure the second installment will grow on me over time and it kept on reminding me of the second installment in another great Trilogy, Star Wars (IV, V and VI).