An action packed middle to the LOTR saga

Rating: 9/10 (19 January 2003)

Lord of the Ring: The Two Towers hits almost all the right notes in its adaption of JRR Tolkein's work to the screen. Starting with a fantastic scene straight off the bat, there is little doubt that this movie will be action packed and full throttle.
This is a great middle section to the LOTR saga. Arguments can be made about how true it stayed to sections of the book and how the changes influenced the story, but given that the movie stayed internally consistent, these gripes are possibly misfired. In adapting a book for the screen changes are always going to be made - the important thing is for those changes to be consistent to the overall narrative as it appears on screen. In TTT's case, Peter Jackson has made changes that have arguably added to the picture.
TTT has some of the greatest battle scenes shown on film thus far. Although shying away from the visceral reality of Saving Private Ryan, these battles are epic in scope and brutal to watch. These battles also avoid skewing into the "hero beats all" stereotypes that so many fantasy films enter into - each battle sees both sides take casualties, which sometimes include more than just the nameless rabble.
The flaws in TTT are almost unavoidable given the adapted material. Firstly, it is sometimes disrupting to move from one of the story arcs (say Aragon, Legolas and Gimli's) to another (Frodo and Samwise's). Unfortunately the most important journey to the narrative in Frodo's and Samwise's journey to Mt Doom is also the least interesting to watch which also disrupts the enjoyment of TTT. The final problem is that none of the characters really seem to develop to the same capacity of FOTR; the exception here is Golum, who is the most memorable character contained within this sequel.
That said, these are minor points. TTT continues the LOTR's epic scope and vision. With the Return of the King due out on Boxing Day 2003, TTT has set up the audience for an exciting and dynamic conclusion to this epic fantasy saga.