Masterpiece? Oh yes, I?ve no doubt about that!

Rating: 10/10 (18 December 2002)

The second part of the epic The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers is simply the most spectacular film I have EVER seen. This movie overpasses its previous part The Fellowship of the Ring and delivers the most brilliant piece of cinema to ever hit the big screen. From the landscape to the characters, this movie is simply stunning in its own time.
The characters fit right into the story through their emotional and physical features. Frodo and Sam are joined by Gollum, the most amazing CGI creation to be put on screen. He is so real and blends into the environment so seamlessly that after a while the audience forgets that he is animation and accept him as a real, physical character that shows no signs of falsity. The audience feels a real fear of the Uruk-Hai that have captured Merry and Pippin. The Ents are also quite impressive. These beings are believable and very true to what I visualized in Tolkien?s words. The Wargs, the winged Nazgûl, the oliphaunts and the Balrog, now viewed more in detail, are extremely breathtaking. The new characters add to the story and progress it faster than before.
The music of the film is also perfect. From the opening of the Misty Mountains to the Battle of Helm?s Deep and the storming of Isengard, Howard Shore unquestionably deserves another Oscar for his spectacular work. The music of any film is vital to its feel and images portrayed in screen. It simply blew me away. The tone was just right and the volume as well. I couldn?t find any faults in the score, which has never happened to me except when I watched the Fellowship of the Ring.
The storming of Isengard and the Battle of Helm's Deep is what really took my breath away. These had got to be the biggest and best executed battles I have EVER seen! I would rather go see the movie again for this!
To sum it all up, don't miss this movie at any cost! Except, maybe if you haven't seen the first one, then see it NOW and then see TTT. Otherwise the plot and/or characters might be a bit confusing for you. Other than that, it's perfect cinema work.
I wish I could give this movie more than 10 stars, but that's as high as it goes! Well done Peter Jackson! I just CANNOT wait for The Return of the King....ONE WHOLE YEAR!
10/10