not as good as "FotR"

Rating: 9/10 (19 December 2002)

The film delivered. Helm's Deep was fantastic. Gollum lived up to and surpassed expectations. There are some flaws, though. So much from the novel was left out or altered. Arwen going to the Grey Havens? Not even mentioned in the literature. Elves at Helm's Deep? I don't think so. Frodo and Sam taken to Osgiliath? Never happened. What was with keeping Merry and Pippin with the Ents the entire time? They do so much more in the actual story. Eomer was never banished by Grima in the novel. Okay, enough nit-picking. Overall, the film was spectacular. The pacing was a bit off, though. As I said, it felt like Merry and Pippin didn't do anything, and the end was not appropriate at all. There's a lot of plot to be accounted for in the third film. I suppose, though, that the feeling of detatchment is because this film really is a continuation of the first. The opening sequence detailing Gandalf's fate was amazing. There was a lot of clapping in the theater. The film is not a "10," but deserves no less than an "8."