Not as good as "Fellowship", but still excellent.

Rating: 9/10 (24 May 2003)

I think I may be the only person I know who still prefers "The Fellowship of the Ring" to "The Two Towers". That doesn't take much away from this film, it's just that truly perfect films are rare, and it's hard to make lightning strike twice.
I have only three real problems with this film. The first is Gandalf. In the first film, Gandalf the Grey was a kindly, grandfatherly figure. In this one, Gandalf the White is cold and strangely distant (admittedly, this is a problem with the original source material, so I guess that Jackson was just being true to the book). Also, in the first film, Ian McKellen's prosthetics looked like real hair and a real beard. In this one, they look like the stage props they are.
The second problem is that it lingers for far too long on the Battle of Helms Deep. True, I have not read the books in years, but I don't remember that much attention being paid to this battle. I think it was just an excuse to focus on Aragorn so women would sit through the movie, and also to make sure the audience remembered the spectacular visual effects.
The third problem is the most pervasive. As I recall, the book was mostly about the Frodo & his relationship with Gollum. In the film, Elijah Wood is given little to do besides swoon under the Ring's power. And Gollum is the most compelling character in the film. He should have been given more screen time.
But all in all, this is an excellent film. I was particularly wowed by the aforementioned special effects, and by Gollum. I knew when I saw the effects that I was watching CGI animation. But the only times I could truly *see* that was when Gollum made a particularly rubbery smile, or when Treebeard showed an expression other than annoyance on his face. I also really liked the way Gollum was portrayed by Andy Serkis, and the particular attention paid to the internal battle between Good Smeagol and Wicked Gollum.
I think my favorite thing about the movie, though, was Treebeard and the other Ents. In many ways they reminded me of the clay figurines come to life in "Heavenly Creatures" (the first Peter Jackson film to have an impact in the U.S. other than as just a cult phenomenon).
"The Fellowship of the Ring" was the best film of its type to come along since "The Empire Strikes Back", and "The Two Towers"--although it may not be the masterpiece that "Fellowship" was--proves that "The Lord of the Rings" (barring a truly wretched "Return of the King") is the best trilogy since the original "Star Wars" trilogy. 9 out of 10.