Fantastic film, but...

Rating: 7/10 (30 December 2002)

This film has left me in an awkward frame of mind. I don't know whether I want to sing Peter Jackson's praises to the world or mutter coarse and vulgar things about him under my breath.
I am an unabashed and lifelong Lord of the Rings nut. I have read the books more times than I can remember. If you give me the name of the most obscure character, I can probably tell you all about him or her. If you read me a line from one of the books, I can probably tell you which book and chapter it is from, as well as it's context.
I am also an avid film buff and understand perfectly well that a film-maker has to paraphrase, compress, and otherwise alter a book in order to fit it into a viable film. I think Peter Jackson did a masterful job of this with the Fellowship of the Ring, and I looked forward to a similar, if not even more faithful rendition of the Two Towers. After all, the story lines in the Two Towers (book) are fairly straightforward, though on multiple paths.
So I was quite taken aback by the extent to which Jackson has taken liberties with the story line in this film. Several major deviations he made seem unnecessary and unforgivable to me, though others do make sense for the reasons given above. I ought to have been furious about this, perhaps even to the point of walking out of the film. But I wasn't, and here is why: it is just too good a movie not to like.
The cast and performance are superb. The portrayal of Gollum is beyond all my expectations, and the Ents are quite good as well. The visuals are as breathtaking as they were in the first film. And, as with the Fellowship of the Ring, I was so immersed in the film that I had no sense of it's length.
So if, like me, you have practically memorized Tolkien's work, do see the film. If you can check your knowledge of the books at the theater entrance, you will enjoy the film for what it is. If you cannot, you will at least have a wealth of material for conversation. In either case, you will have a whole year to speculate about what PJ will do with, or to, the Return of the King.