The first great film epic of the 21st Century

Rating: 10/10 (18 December 2002)

Once again, Peter Jackson and the magnificent cast of The Lord of the Rings have done it. The Two Towers is a worthy successor to the Fellowship of the Ring. Fifty years from now, film lovers will hold these two films (and their final chapter, due out next year) in the same regard with which we today think of the great films of the 20th century. It is a truly outstanding epic.
Jackson departs from the literal storyline in the Tolkien books somewhat more in this movie than in the first, but he remains very true to the spirit of the author's work. The cinematography is once again awesome, from the sweeping panoramas of Middle Earth (now known as New Zealand) to the sprawling battle scenes. Despite the movie's 3-hour length, I found it continually engaging; there were few (if any) slow parts. Jackson uses the juxtaposition of the three separate subplots effectively in this regard.
Perhaps the most amazing accomplishment is the character of Gollum. There was a great deal of advance press about how the special effects team used computer-generated graphics to produce what we saw (overlaying this on the able acting of Andy Serkis). What amazed me was the astounding reality of Gollum's face. I found myself staring into those large eyes, looking for the shreds of humanity (well, of hobbit, actually) that remained. There was nothing artificial about that face; it spoke volumes about the torment going on within this creature.
This is unquestionably a film to see several times. It is an epic unfolding.