Did Peter Jackson read the Two Towers at all?

Rating: Null/10 (22 December 2002)

Peter Jackson has made an art out of taking artistic liberties. Mr. Tolkien must be sitting straight up in his grave.
"Fellowship" was great, despite all the problems related to adapting an epic story to film. "Two Towers" was a travesty.
And before all you non-Tolkien fanatics start clenching your fists-I don't think the problem is that Jackson left out too much. We all understand that he couldn't include everything. The real fault with this movie is that he added too much that was never in the Lord of the Rings.

The opening scene was spectacular. The scenes with Gollum were superbly done. Edoras was magnificent. But the portrayal of Faramir as being seduced by the power of the ring was 100% wrong. Aragorn's MIA scenes were ludicrous. The mass exodus of the elves did not occur until years later in the books and where did the argument between Legolas and Aragorn in Helm's Deep come from. That was out of character for both of them, as was Gimli's comedy routine and Merry's bullying of the Ents.
Wargs attacking the Rohirrim? Did Jackson include Wargs in the Two Towers to compensate for leaving them out of Fellowship? I wouldn't have missed them.
To be honest I think Peter Jackson betrayed Tolkien fans. And for those that dismiss Tolkien fans as a small part of the audience: just look at the book sales for the LOTR. More people read Tolkien than have actually seen the movie.
I won't rush right out to buy this DVD nor will I break my neck to see the Return of the King.