A shadow of its predecessor

Rating: 7/10 (21 December 2002)

After the wonderful job that Peter Jackson, cast, and crew did on LOTR: The Fellowship of the Rings, I eagerly looked forward to seeing The Two Towers. Unfortunately, all is not well in Middle Earth. Much of the magic of part one of the series has vanished from part two, leaving in its wake what is for the most part a medieval epic. There are some fantasy elements still present: Nazgul riding dragons, Treebeard, etc., but much of the film deals with the realm of men battling with swords and with arrows. The Two Towers is, to be sure, amongst the finest medieval epics ever made, but it lacks the charm of The Fellowship. Still, it is worth viewing and forms a necessary part of the saga that is The Lord of the Rings, and I would recommend that people who enjoyed the earlier film watch The Two Towers if only to prepare for The Return of the King -- just be prepared to take the film on its own merits, not on expectations based upon its predecessor.