best of the year

Rating: 10/10 (3 February 2003)

Sure "Fellowship of the Ring" was a remarkable achievement, but while that film grew exhausting, attempting to squeeze almost every local in the book into three hours, "The Two Towers" proves that a little less can be much more, with three alternating acts and a slower pacing that successfully fleshes out the drama, carefully building to an satisfying climax. Yeah, sure there are some unnecessary bits, but for every silly thing there are at least 10 cool moments that more than compensate, including two of the most impressive CGI characters to date.