From Good to Bloody Fantastic

Rating: 10/10 (6 January 2003)

Two films in and its now impossible not to admire what Peter Jackson and his team have pulled of in adapting Tolkien's classic.
I am no die-hard fan of the books, in fact I read them only once, and while the depth and world-building seduced me, Tolkien's unconventional narrative choices made me skeptical at times. Thank Jackson and crew for painstakingly scrutinizing not only every last sentence of his work, but also for dissecting the lengthy appendices and fleshing out the core story in real time, while streamlining it, a paradox you'd think impossible to pull off: the plot keeps moving, but never at the expense of character, and fun but payoff-free side-notes (Tom Bombadil?) are left aside to focus on expanding what matters, particularly Aragorn, the main Rohan trio and Gollum.
Structurally, there was a lot of work to do as the saga moved along: fans had noted deviations from book 1 in The Fellowship, and Jackson & CO had to do additional tinkering on The Two Towers, not least in interweaving its previously cleanly separated narrative strands (Aragorn/Gimli/Legolas in part 1, Sam/Frodo/Gollum in part 2) in a way that heightened the impact of both.
Increasingly, it is impossible not to be contaminated by the love and care put into making these films by all involved, so breathtaking is the world on display, so lovable are its characters, and so gorgeous the execution: the melding of computer graphics, stellar model work and live action sets new, unprecedented standards, and these films are gorgeous to both look at and listen to - Howard Shore's score reaches new, hear- shattering heights - from one set-piece to the next, culminating in Helm's Deep, a battle for the ages ending in a series of shots that will have the hairs standing on your neck.
Thank your lucky stars this was made into three films and not two or - shudder - just one, because our main focus, our characters, beautifully played as they are, are given time to breathe, evolve, and get under our skin in ways you'd never expect from a feature films. And speaking of characters, though this is a case of ensemble greatness, it is impossible to discuss this particular entry without mentioning Andy Serkis and Gollum. Through an award-worthy performance and digital wizardry, Weta, Serkis and Jackson pull off something unprecedented: they make Gollum not an effect - and he is a landmark - but just another character, as real as any other!
And so the quest races forth to its conclusion, continued in the staggering Return of the King. As a bridge film, Two Towers has a thankless task: it has to have its own structure and ending but can neither establish everything from scratch nor end in a clean way. Most will call this their least favorite, but for the way it achieves its impossible objectives so beautifully, I would call it my personal favorite. It certainly contains enough of my favorite and very best moments of the saga, from the charge at Helm's Deep to the Ents, all the way to a wonderfully staged Gollum/Smeagol standoff.
This truly is the masterpiece none of us had dared hope for.