Orcs, Uruks, and bombs, oh my!

Rating: 6/10 (18 September 2008)

This film starts at a running speed and never stops. From watching Gandalf battle the demonic balrog to the collapse of Isengarde and everything else in between, there is hardly room to catch your breath - and it is wonderful. Add to the surviving fellowship a new and wonderful group of people, the Riders of Rohan, who I have always been fond of - and of course the gnarly old Ents: tree people who are shepherds of the trees, keeping them in order, in their places in the forest. The climax of the film is the huge double battle of Helm's Deep and the battle of Isengarde. I have found it most interesting that in sopite of talk of wizards and Elves, Tolkien's world is not one of magic. Elves seem to possess great longevity, but also an advanced technology implied rather than discussed. And while there is a certain power among wizards, an example of Saurman's "magic" is no more mysterious than the ability to utilize gunpowder, no doubt high tech to Middle Earthers, and mysterious enough to seem magical. (In the books, the Elves explained to Sam that some of their skills could have been learned by even a humble hobbit had they the time to study them) For me, the battle of helm's Deep was always one of the slower moving parts oif the original books; but here, it is fast-moving and chock full of nail-biting action. As usual, certain compromises between text and film are made, and the one part that does not sit well with me is the character of Faramir. This was not the Faramir of Tolkien, and the character is never quite well realized. But also as usual, the settings are wonderfulthe acting superb, and the music breathtaking. The principle characters who are new, or may as well be new, include the sad princess Eowyn, her Uncle King Theoden, her brother Eomer, and the slithery traitor, "Wormtongue". And, of course, the ruined Hobbit known by all as "Gollum". Gollum threatens to steal the show, all the more so because he is a CGI character, brilliantly "portrayed" by Andy Serkis. Once you've watched the extended version, you will never watch the theatrical release again. This extended version is much more Tolkienseque, more complete, and more fun.