The best movie ever - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

The Two Towers is one of the best movies you will ever see in your life. It has non-stop action, some romance,comedy,and some thrilling moments. The acting is so well they couldn't have picked anyone better than these actors. They were born for these roles. Myself, I saw this movie 11 times in theaters.If your in to action or read the book the movie will blow you away. If you see it you will have a great time and be saying movie lines over and over again so I hope you see it.

The lord of the rings:the two towers - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

This movie was one of the best movies I have ever saw.It has tons of action and has a great storyline.The end was the because there was so much fighting.

I liked the book better, but the movie is great! - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

I read the book and loved it, and then was slightly disappointed by the unfaithfulness of the movie, but otherwise unfazed. This is the best movie of the school-year undoubtedly.

Cool!!!!!!!!! - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

this is one of the best movie in 2002 if you havent seen it you really have to see it its outstanding!!!!

Beter action not a better story - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

even though the story for the fellowship the action and the adventure was a lot better and the battel of helms deep was a great fight scene but they left a lot out from the book

Another must see from peter jackson - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

This movie follows up Fellowship of the Ring brilliantly, and everything is great. The action, the story, the writing, everything is incredibly impressive. Go see it now, and if you have, see it again.

Truely outstanding - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

i like the two towers mostly because of it's constant action. it's better than the fellowship because it shows the different groups struggles and emotions. it is definately worth the 3 hours in the movie theater.

Best. film. trilogy. ever. - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

Oh cmon, you just know the Return of the King is going to kick a** after this extraordinary movie. The actors work incredibly well together (especially Mr. Wood, Astin, and Serkis) to bring the characters so richly to life that this movie is an instant legend. Bring on the ROTK!!!!!

I love lord of the rings!! - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY ETC.. LOVE ?? LORD OF THE RINGS! ~ELFMAIDEN~

D - for dumb humor - Wedding Crashers Reviews

I am simply let down everytime I get talked into going to an american made comedy. Who's rating these comedy movies... post pubescent boys and girls? I guess if you think bare breasted women, stupid cliches' and just plain dumb writing is funny... more power to you. I'll stick to the foreign comedies, until Hollywood can produce something more funny than this type of garbage.

D - for dumb humor - Wedding Crashers Reviews

I am simply let down everytime I get talked into going to an american made comedy. Who's rating these comedy movies... post pubescent boys and girls? I guess if you think bare breasted women, stupid cliches' and just plain dumb writing is funny... more power to you. I'll stick to the foreign comedies, until Hollywood can produce something more funny than this type of garbage.

D - for dumb humor - Wedding Crashers Reviews

I am simply let down everytime I get talked into going to an american made comedy. Who's rating these comedy movies... post pubescent boys and girls? I guess if you think bare breasted women, stupid cliches' and just plain dumb writing is funny... more power to you. I'll stick to the foreign comedies, until Hollywood can produce something more funny than this type of garbage.

Good lord! - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

Good Lord, it's even better than the first. Picking up where last year's cliffhanger left off, Towers finds chosen Hobbits Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) continuing their treacherous nature hike to Mordor, while the rest of the fractured Fellowship walk into a kingdom under siege. Besides more breathtaking shots of New Zealand, er, Middle Earth, there's a quicker moving story, wilder creatures, higher tension and that deliciously wicked computer-animated Gollum. There's plenty of blood and guts, too, when it all comes to a head during the gloriously choreographed battle at Helm's Deep, which, yes, blows away the CGI-heavy Attack of the Clones climax. Once again, Rings simply Towers above the rest.

People giving c,d,f grade - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

u people giving c's d's or f's are retards, stop trying to grab attention by disagreeing with everyone, and no this movie is not boring, its the best movie ever written, people giving c's d's f's, need to get a life and realize how great of a movie this is, which is why it made 340 million dollars

Oh my god - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

Holy cow. This is the most astounding visual achievement EVER put to film, and for MANY reasons. First of all, theres the battle between Gandolf (the Gray, at the time) and the Balrog, the flaming dragon-thing that seemingly killed him in "The Fellowship of the Ring." As it turns out, he's falling into the deepest depts of the Earth(?), and he catches up to the falling beast and they duke it out WHILE THEY FALL! You have to see this incredible sequence to believe it. But that's FAR from all, folks. We are also blessed with the most realistic CG character ever put to film, Gollum, the creature who was destroyed by his desire for the ring in "the fellowship." WOW, that thing looks real...and it's also the most fleshed-out character of the whole lot. But wait, it gets a HELL of a lot better. How, do you ask? The largest, most detailed battle scene to grace the screen since "Braveheart", and it's about five times bigger, too, and WAY scarier. Sauroman (Christopher Lee) and his army of 10,000 orcs attack the weak city of Rohan at Helms Deep. It's by far the biggest battle ever to be put to film, and it doesn't dissapoint as far as action and pure adrenaline. What a brutal, scary-ass fight. overall, it's even better than the first, and that alone should clue you in as to the power of this film. Simply put, an all time great.

Perfect. - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

Story: the climax to the buildup of the fellowship. Tons of huge battles with amazing effects. Acting: All of the lead characters show the horror they should feel being in the center of great battles and perils. Direction: Peter Jackson demistates his skill in making the novel come to life in the best form possible Visuals: The Helms Deep battle was much CGI, but could you tell?? and gollum was CGI, one of the smoothest and sharpest model I've ever seen and the Nazguls (Ringwraiths) Winged Beast, looks as horrifiing as I pictured it. Excellent. One of the best movies of the year.

Pretty movie w/awesome ugly scenes - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

Whoa! The reality of war and survival is expertly depicted in The Two Towers (without the excessive goriness you see in other movies). We were able to watch it and fully appreciate the seriousness of the story. And the black-haired hobbit with the white skin and blue eyes is visually mezmerizing.

The best! - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

The Fellowship is a great movie. But The Two Towers is great, an epic. The battles, the emotion, the cast, everything is perfect to tell us the most amazing history ever written. I love this movie and i still hope that The Return of The King will be even better.

One of the best movies i've ever seen(thats a lot) - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

Where do I begin? Well first off I'm not some big Lord of the Rings junkie. I've read all the books plus The Hobbit, and seen both movies, but that's about it. But this movie is awesome. I mean AWESOME. The first one was good, but this one just blows you away with its scale and its power. The action is intense and well-done and the talking and such is meaningful without dragging. It's one of the best productions I have ever seen and it has totally got me ready for the final one this December. It's great and really a MUST-OWN.

Peter jackson hasn't even started!! - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

What a film! I'll have to say that I walked away from this film not as pumped up as I wanted to be, but I tend to set my expectations so high that there is no way they could be met, so I saw it 2 more times and I'm glad I did. This film holds your attention from start to finish, although the little side trip to Osgiliath I felt was unnecessary...really, what did that do for the story? Let us know that Sauron is "closer than we think"? That time could've been used to get a better feel of where Gollum is leading Frodo and Sam. The ending of The Two Towers from the book is by far a more cliffhanger ending and would've taken the breathe right out of the audience had they gone that route, but we would've been sitting in the theater for 4, perhaps 5 hours to get to that, so I understand. All in all, this movie is up there with the greatest...filmmaking doesn't get much better than this. GL needs to take a lesson from Peter Jackson. It's all in the models, George!

The lord of the rings: the two towers - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

The squel to the fellowship of the ring and the second book of Tolkien's master pice. Is awesome, it is the one of the best squels I have seen. It is better than Matrix Reloaded, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and is as good or even better than Terminator 2: Judgement Day. The acting, story telling is awesome, the visial effects are so fantastic and it is probably the best movie ever made. It may disappoint some tolkien fans though, because some parts has been changed, and some parts have been lefted out.

Better than the fellowship of the ring - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

This movie was GREAT! I loved every second of it! Gollum was very well acted. Very much like the character from the book. Peter Jackson did a great job directing and I admire him very greatly. All the actors were great. The movie is awesome. I can't really exlpain it with words. Just go see it!

One of the best ever created - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

This is movie is awesome. One of the very best ever created. The acting is wonderful. Every actor is perfectly suited for his or her role. It's absolutly amazing. Viggo Mortensen is perfect, Orlando is breath-taking,Elijah is flawless...I could go on and on! I love this movie and everyone should definitely see it. :)

The best movie ever - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

This...movie...ROCKS! The Battle for Helm's Deep is...AWESOME! I've seen it about a million times already! The special effects rock! I can't wait until it comes out on DVD!

Beautiful, grade "a" movie - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

Really like this movie! It is a fantastic version of J.R.R. Tolkien's story so I can't really complain about any aspect of the movie...except, well they really could have done a better job with the Ents (they looked to unreal...darnit!) while everything else about the movie looked perfectly real. So my grade is A not A+ because of the Ents. The story, acting, direction = all very, very good. The tri-level plot is brilliant; the music and everything else about this movie are nearly perfect. I have already paid for the DVD (to be released Aug. 26). Nice Movie Folks!

Enjoyed the two towers - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

I was impressed by all the technical aspects of this movie, i.e. the authentic look of Middle Earth...makes the story seem almost like history...very well presented. Excellent casting...the actors are a very talented group...all very convincing in their roles, especially the actors who played Frodo, Sam, Theoden, and Aragorn. Story A- because of some annoying changes to the original story: too much movie time used up for Arwen and Helms Deep; not enough time devoted to Merry & Pippin/Frodo & Sam, i.e. how they handle the challenges they face, how they struggle and grow and relate to each other, etc. Too much of this was left out. I especially liked all of the scenes with Faramir and the Hobbits...very emotional...the best scenes in the movie. Great beginning and ending to this movie. The middle section was pretty good but could have been better. Music...appropriate and beautiful, except for that Gollum song at the end, Yuck! I plan to purchase the DVD.

Visually stunning as peter jackson delivers! - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

Second installment in the trilogy of adapted tales from J.R.R. Tolkien. The ongoing saga picks up exactly where The Fellowship Of The Ring left off, where we see the hobbits Frodo [Elijah Wood] and Sam [Sean Astin] continue there journey to the depths Mordor in their mission to destroy the ring, whilst there departed companions make new allies and forge an assault on Isengard. Undeniably separated, Aragon [Viggo Mortensen] Legolas [Orlando Bloom] and Gimli [John Rhys-Davies] desperately search to find the missing hobbits, who are captured by the Orcs. Meanwhile Gandalf [Ian McKellen] travels in an attempt to locate help, for the engaging battle that soon followed. Although the introduction of new characters, Director Peter Jackson do deliver a excellent offering for a sequel, though it fell way short of the original. The screenwriting team did manipulate some major storylines from the novels, though the many difference never reflected in this enterprising endeavor. Nominated for 6 Academy Awards and winning for sound effects and editing. The visual effects team did another fantastic job, as they created more engaging battle sequences and the introduction of a schizophrenic CGI character, Gollum. In The Fellowship Of The Ring it was Ian McKellen and Sean Bean performances that stands out from the weakened cast, but in this sequel McKellen seems out of sorts and there was no leading performer from the bunch, just sub-standard ordinary performances from the entire cast. The third installment in the trilogy, The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King would be released approximately a year later.

Simply excellent - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

There's just too much detail about the movie that it's hard to summarize it's excellency into one paragraph. Let me just say that although it did rearrange how the story goes in the book, in movie terms, it still did the book justice. There are just certain things you have to do from changing book to movie to keep it entertaining on the screen. With that said, everything else about the movie just works: the actors, the battles, the visuals. Andy Serkis has definitely redefined the much-criticized animated character and made him as real as other actors in the film. I am truly drooling for the next and final trilogy.

An epic masterpiece!!! - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

The Two Towers easily surpasses its predecessor The Fellowship of the Ring. The Two Towers is greater in visuals, action, storytelling, and the acting progresses from the first. Viggo Mortensen gives a great performance as Aragorn. The Lord of the Rings trilogy may be considered the greatest trilogy of all time.

Sometimes it makes me wonder - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

It makes me wonder about how someone can come up with such a great story. A deffinite go and see.

Most underrated ever - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

I can't believe that Chicago beat this out for best picture, and that it only won one oscar. Aside from Spider-Man this was the best film of 2002. It should've won all the awards possible. This one is way better than #1, and IMHO a little under #3. I can't believe I'm the only one of my friends that likes this movie. This is the greatest trilogy ever, so go see this immediately.

Best fantasy trilogy in history - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

The Lord of the Rings trilogy is by far the best fantasy trilogy ever made in the history of moviemaking. If you account the fact of the difficuly in making this movie, and look on top of that at the brilliant job all of the actors and filmmakers did with this movie, then it surely is one of the best movies of our time. The acting and filmmaking were excellent, not to mention the visual effect. But other than that it is just a fantastic story that was brilliantly made into a terrific movie.

Yeah, this movie was okay.... - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

yeah, this movie was okay... If the book didn't exist!!! wat's with that? If you're going to make a movie called lord of the rings:the two towers, at least it should have SOMETHING to do with the book it was (or rather wasn't) based on. Someone should shoot Peter JAckson. He took the most eventful and exciting book in the trilogy and took all the events out of it! What's gonna happen now that everything that was supposed to happen in the 2nd book now has to happen in the 3rd movie...it's just not gonna work! And what did he put into this empty gaping space>? he goddamn made up stuff! You have a book with a great story line yet you edit stuff out and put in tons and tons of events that you made up while you were drunk. he added arwin (her NAME wasn't even mention in the whole book), screwed up faramir's character(he was the GOOD GUY, remeber?),made the elves come to helm's deep subsequently making haldir die over a period of about 15min (those buggers weren't even supposed to be there), and what about aragorn falling off a cliff (that didn't happen in the book, and i pre-tty sure that it didn't have anything to do with anything), merry and pippin are STILL stuck at isenguard, and the book's really cool cliffhangar ending is not included in the movie. Trust me, there are alot more idiosyncrasies than that...too many too be named. Poetic liscence, you say...Poetic liscence my ass! the movie is horrible and does not deserve to be associated with one of the world's best pieces of literarture.

It's really good, but i'm dissapointed anyway.. - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

The person who have read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy knows how Peter Jacson almost perfectly putted the story as the book goes in the first movie, but the second one is totally different in that matter. The second movie is really good and it has loads of action and good actors of course. There's just one thing that really bothers me. The story is nothing like the book, almost. I've read it so I should know. Peter Jackson added this long dream sequence with Aragorn and Arwen and then many other scenes which never occured in the book. Considering i'm a huge fan of the books and J R R Tolkien , i'm dissapointed on Tolkiens behalf. There's nothing wrong with Peter Jackson, he's a brilliant director and i do admire him, but i think he should have stayed a little bit closer to the book's story. I love the first movie, it's the best movie I've ever seen, so hopefully the third part of the trilogy is gonna be more truly to the book than the second one. And the critisism against the movie is mere because i'm a great fan of the books and i want the movies to be like the books and not putting in details that is totally excessive. Even though I know it's hard to have every detail from the book in the movie, it wouldn't hurt if there was a few more correct ones. I'll guess it's all for the selling profit after all. Anyway: J R R Tolkien rules.

This purist is pissed - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

Compared to others, I am a very liberal Tolkien purist. I didn't mind the fact that they got rid of Tom Bombadil in the Fellowship of the Ring, nor did I mind the poor sense of the passage of time, nor even the fact that the character of Frodo Baggins was cast to be much too young. The Two Towers intrudes too often on my purist tendencies for my liking. Everything about this is wrong. In the book, the main characters were the hobbits but that is certainly not so here; the hobbits just seem to be little distractions from the action sequences in the eyes of Peter Jackson. The giant battle at Helms Deep that lasted for 40 minutes in the movie is barely 20 pages in the book while immensely important dialogue that filled 30, 35, even 40 pages of the book was paraphrased into a few sentences. These complaints are about poorly-handled aspects of the book; some things were just pulled out of the screenwriter's ass. Aragorn never fell off a cliff and had visions of Arwen. The fight that made him fall off that cliff didn't even happen in the book. In the same token, Arwen didn't have a single appearence, line of dialogue, or reference in the Two Towers novel. Jackson seems to give 10 minutes to her for no reason. Frodo never stood and offered the ring to one of the Nozguls. Gollum never temporarily forgot his original name and Sam sure as hell didn't give that awful ending speech at any point in the book. More irritating are the things that were left out: the spider attack on Frodo and Sam, the scene with Gandalf talking to Sauruman outside of the tower, the structure of the original book. Aspects of this movie are brilliant, namely the CG design of Gollum. He looks exactly as I pictured from the book, moves well, and gives a wonderfully nuanced performance (if it can be called that). The art continues to be dazzling, the cinematography is inspired, the the soundtrack and sound effects are perfect but when you look past the visceral pleasures, you are left with a hollow, meaningless, action-oriented movie. Considering Tolkien spent fifteen years of his life writing this beloved masterpiece, I think it should have been handled a little better when it was adapted for the screen.

One of the greatest films of all time - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

For 50 years no one has been able to bring Tolkien's legendary trilogy to life because of his rich writing style and detail. Now, I don't think anyone could have done a better job than Peter Jackson. The deliverance of the story, while noticeably different, is highly accurate at reflecting Tolkien's masterpiece. The actors delivered a commendable performance. What is most breath taking, however, is the special effects. The sets, the environments, the costumes, and the visuals are so finely detailed that the movie is teeming with life. Tolkien would have truly been proud.

Lord of the films......review contains dvd fyi... - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

What can I say besides Brilliant in every way. This film was executed so well in every aspect. With the way the script was written and the direction of photography, it is obvious Peter Jackson put forth so much effort and tons of patience as well. These movies are consistent, vibrant, exciting, imaginative, and down right great. I am a huge fan of both science fiction and dramatic films. There are many other great fims that remain high on my list, but the overall excellence of this film is mind blowing. The cast is amazing and kudos to the animators. Gollum is very equally believable as he is imporant in this film and the Battle of Helm's Deep was incredible. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is a series I will recommend to everyone out there who wants to have fun and who likes to enjoy creativity. Bottom Line: See the movie in the theaters, then see it again and often...A LITTLE FYI. The DVD is available in August for purchase. WAIT until November and purchase the four-disc collectors series. Every installment will have this 4-disc series in November, exactly one month before the sequal is released in theaters. It will contain the uncut Directors selection of the movie and many, many more special features, as well as how to read runes. (Runes were originaly like heiroglyphics. They were started by early wiccans as a way of communication. Runes are the way the people of Middle Earth communicated in the film.)

Tolkien would be proud - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

Okay, as a Tolkien nut and purist, I first had my doubts when it was said the story was going to be made into some movies. I thought 'Tolkien'll be rolling in his grave once this is through.' I was very wrong. FOTR surely met my expectations, and TTT even more. Although the story was changed quite a bit, I wasn't disappointed, even if the books had given me different pictures in my head... and in some cases, different character sense. And so, in the movie version of TTT, I would like to point a few things out to all you purists who are angry because it wasn't exactly what you had in mind. What movie is? First off, so many people have problems with Arwen. So yea, it took me a bit of time to get used to that she turned into some Nazgul-fighting ass-kicker, instead of an Elven princess. But think about it. If Arwen just popped up in ROTK as some woman Aragorn was so greatly in love with, I can tell you what question would be going through everyone's mind who hadn't read the books: 'Who the hell is she?' So obviously, like this, we all know who she is, and we all know that her and everyone's favourite Ranger are deeply in love. Another thing that many people disagree with is the fact that Merry and Pippin tricked the Ents into going to war. Yet I think they did this to get rid of that 'we're idiot little hobbits' image, and prepare viewers for a different side of them... a side that is cunning and brave in battle. Faramir's turn to the bad side? Well, I suppose it could just be proving further the effect and desire the Ring leaves on Men, as it's really only shown in the movies with Boromir. I can understand that, although it wasn't all that necessary. Also, the little trip to Osgiliath was pointless. Now, the one thing I do have a problem with is something that happens at Helm's Deep. Haldir dying. I think that the Elves coming to battle was totally stupid, as why would a fading race come and participate in a huge battle? they wouldn't. Now maybe it's just because I always liked Haldir, and because my best friend loves Haldir, but why did he have to get killed? maong all of them... why Haldir? Sure, I can see why they did it. Perhaps to show that elves could indeed die in battle, or of grief (which shall be shown in A/A's story in ROTK), but they fail to tell that Elves may come back, or linger in Halls of Mandos. But I suppose that's delving a bit too deep into the Silmarillion. Sorry so long, and I could go on alot longer, but I won't. All I want to add is that this movie is spectacular, and I love, love, love, LOVE it, even if I don't agree with it all. Because remember. A movie can't do a book justice, no matter what. They're seperate things. Enjoy them as seperate things.

A great movie that disappoints the tolkien fan - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Reviews

The 2T is a serious departure from the book. Departures that could not be explained by time interests or plot concerns that have resulted in twists of plot so serious that RotK is unlikely to follow the book very closely either. It is still a great movie, but not in the way the Fellowship is. It lacks character development in particular, especial the characters of Aragorn, Frodo and Faramir. Aragorn is supposed to be coming to his own. He early on in the book is questioning his leadership choices, but with the return of Gandalf he reaches a maturity in leadership that demonstrates his true kingly pedigree. This will be most deveolped in RotK but should already have begun to manifest itself more. Instead he is presented as reckless and lucky, neither of which truly characterize the shrewed ranger of the Numenorian line. Frodo is also a maturing character. He becomes more reliant on Sam's strength, but is always the wiser of the two. Such is not the case in the 2T Movie. In the book Frodo reaching the place of being possessed by the ring, but by this point he knows he can't trust it -- He will not yield to it, he will not entrust himself to it, he knows it will betray him. Frodo in the movie is flat. There is no acting, just a kind of aimless wandering. Near the beginning of the movie he is directive, but he very quickly looses himself. In the book he looses strength, but not wisdom. This is most evident in the scene with Faramir. In the book there is a marvelous dialogue between Frodo and Faramir, where Frodo demonstrates his greater wisdom over Sam in his shrewd dealings with Faramir. At the same time, Faramir demonstrates his own capacity to read between the lines and figures out what is going on. This does not happen in the movie. Instead Faramir packs Frodo on to Osgiliath where the presence of the ring is betrayed to the Witch King of the Nazgul destroying the whole plot line of the book. In the book, an event not yet revealed in the movies, but which I anticipate will be shown in the RotK, Pippin draws the attention of Sauron from Minas Tirith to Isengaard by looking into the Palantir that Saurumon possessed and which had been thrown out of the tower at Gandalf by Grima Wormtongue. This incident has the effect of drawing Sauron's attention and of making it possible for Frodo and Sam to slip into Mordor undetected. The fabricated scene with Frodo standing before the Nazgul revealing the ring would make this whole matter somewhat superfluous. Sauron could not now be made to think the ring was far off, he would know it was on his front gate. There is much made of Aragorn and Arwen in the 2T movie, none of which is in the actual story. Especially the tension between Elrond the half-elven and Aragorn. In the Tolkien version, Elrond willing gives Arwen on the condition that he fulfill his duty as king and claim his throne. There is not premature departure of Arwen for the Grey Havens from which a future chapter will no need to reverse. There is no angst, as Elrond was Aragorn's guardiand and the keeper of Narsil,Aragorn's sword. Narsil is the sword that was broken in the battle 3000 years previously and the broken sword was used by Isildor, Aragorn's ancestral father, to cut the ring from Sauron's hand. This sword was reforged in the Fellowship book, though not the movie, and renamed Anduril, Flame of the West by Aragorn. Part of the fear that Aragorn will inflict upon Sauron and his forces is that he bears the sword that was broken but which is now reforged. It is a thread that runs through the whole book, including the revelation of Aragorn at in of the Prancing Pony in the Bree, in the Fellowship (the book, not the movie). Getting back on track, the scenes with Arwen are entirely excess. They have no purpose or value in advancing the plot of either Aragorn or Frodo's story and are not in the book. While Liv Tyler is pleasant to look at, her performance offered nothing but beauty for the eye and a distraction from the true movement of the story. It seem that Jackson feels that story won't sell if there's not a love scene in it. Tsk, tsk. Gimli is turned into a failed comic, with his trite one line wise cracks he is devalued as a character. The true realtionship between he and Legolas that develops after their stay at Lothlorien is entirely overlooked. And the loss of the hosts of Lothlorien at Helm's deep was a bizarre twist. Why introduce all those elves? There was in truth only one elf at Helm's Deep, and Legolas was his name-O. The visual effects were awesome to say the least, the direction was clearly of the highest order. The result is an awesome movie, but given the departures from Tolkien, it has lost its greatness. The changes are most evident in the lack of character development, which is the one thing that the actors claimed the movie was supposed to present, a further development of the characters. The movie's shift from character to action moves it out of the category of a great drama into the realm of an action flick. The taste of the movie is thus somewhat mixed. Recognizing the greatness of the movie in its own right is one thing, but facing the departures from an even greater story sours it not just a little. Finally, the overall message of the trilogy is not lost, at least not yet. We can only hope that RotK will continue to develop the theme of evil and good in at least the same measure at the Fellowship and the 2T. The lure of evil is certainly strong in our own society, and the promise that evil will be vanquished and good will win out is worth serious reflection. Tolkien writes as Christian for Christians; in his own words: he writes an English myth that will be intellible for those who love the blessed Trinity. He has thus an unmistakable Christian belief that Christ will conquer his foes and righteousness will prevail. This meta-narrative is expessed mythically in the LotR. Even if the religious nature of Tolkien's message is lost in the cinematic versions, having our hearts and minds drawn into the deeper issues of right and wrong and the conflicts of good and evil and darkness and light is a worthwhile exercise, even if it must be by Sam's somewhat artifical closing speech. Tolkien is worthy of a much greater effort than the 2T demonstrates, but one which was very nearly delivered in the FotR.