more story, fewer action sequences

Rating: 5/10 (18 December 2002)

while the fellowship of the ring paints a fair picture of the spirit of tolkien's work, the two towers might as well have car chases and buildings exploding...and in every scene. and unlike the first part of the trilogy, the departures from the book GREATLY detracted from rather than enhanced the story. why did faramir come off looking like an evil boromir? not his role....and why do ents have knees and never go to rohan? such departures seemed pointless -- and i found myself wishing about halfway through the movie that the struggles in life to determine the right vs. the wrong course could be as easy as jackson depicts them in this movie. if only evil looked like an orc, we'd all know to flee or fight it! but only the really shallow or uninformed -- or inexperienced -- ever think any of the struggles between forces in this world are as clear-cut as this movie makes them seem. quite a disappointment -- especially considering my love of the first part. i can only hope the editing of the 3rd part focuses more on the dynamics of the story than the dynamics of the special effects.