One of the best fantasy films of all time

Rating: 10/10 (3 August 2003)

Jackson and his team have managed to actually top their first feature (at least in its theatrical version) with this amazing, over the top, deep-running fantasy epic. The performances are on, with Rhys-Davies and Bloom's comradery adding an element that was somewhat missing from the first film. The action elements are well-balanced with the dialogue, the visuals are totally stunning. But the real star of this movie, probably for all time, is the CGI creation to top all others: Gollum, who comes to leave breathing and smacking his lips and seeming every bit as real as any actor on the set could be. It was truly amazing to watch this effect work on an audience that could forget, in such memorable scenes as Gollum's late night conversation with himself (as Smeagol), that it was not watching an actual fantastic creature.
Never has the suspension of disbelief been so complete in a fantasy movie, and never has a fantasy world been created with such care and attention to detail, as well as to the flow of the story and characters.