The saga continues ... (some spoilers)

Rating: 10/10 (19 December 2002)

So I got a co-worker to go with me on Opening Day (I had to take a half-day vacation) and we watched this amazing achievement in moviemaking. I thought that this part of the Tolkien saga would be the most difficult to realize; there is an enormous amount of action and story to get through, and I was very afraid that the Ents would get too much of the "warm and fuzzy' treatment, a la Ewoks. I shouldn't have worried -- Jackson has outdone his first installment by a fair piece.
The Fellowship has broken, and now the main characters have split up, leading to multiple story threads. Unlike the book, Jackson has chosen to portray this in 'real time', switching back and forth, but without making it seem choppy at all. Truly, there are too many wonderful things about this movie to prattle on about; my favorite was the battle at Helm's Deep, one of the most powerful portrayals of war on screen in recent memory. Watching the Ents go to war would be a close second. Gollum/Smeagol is brilliant, a CGI creation voiced by Andy Serkis who may be the most heartbreaking character of all.
Go see it. Shame on those who gave this movie a 1 -- even if fantasy isn't your cup of tea, a true film enthusiast would still appreciate the craft and talent that this film displays.