Like the next person I don't understand why those idiots at New Line Cinema insist on releasing each LOTR film every Christmas. But there is a reason. It's simply because only Fellowship was ready for the 2001 release and it takes a year to finish up The Two Towers effects shots etc etc. The same is true of Return of the King. Anyway it's worth the wait in my opinion. Two Towers is simply fantastic, you are hooked from the very beginning with the flashback of Gandalf's fall to the end credits. Everyone knows that the hardest part of a story to tell whether on the screen or in a book is the middle. It's the link between the beginning and the end. Each character is ultimately defined by the events of the 'middle' and so Two Towers is especially difficult because there are so many characters and subplots. We need to follow Frodo and Sam on their way to Mordor; Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli on their search for Merry and Pippin; then on to Saruman, the Ents, Gollum, Gandalf and of course the battle of Helm's Deep. To script all of this into nearly three hours of film is not a task anyone would enjoy but Jackson and his wife pull it off. 

The film begins with the flashback to Gandalf's battle with the Balrog. This sequence is just...cool. We're given a shot of some mountains and we can hear Gandalf shouting at the Demon. Then we're thrown through the mountain walls and watch as Gandalf falls, we follow him and the Balrog as they fall into the depths Moria fighting on the way. Brilliant. Then we're onto Frodo and Sam and of course Gollum. 

I hated those people in the cinema during Fellowship who actually thought that Gandalf was gone forever. Fools - Damnit read the book. 

Many fans of the book were extremely anxious about how Gollum would turn out catching only a glimpse of the creature in Fellowship. They weren't to be disappointed. Gollum is done so brilliantly that you forget that he's a computer generated image. In actual fact he's perfect. His skin textures look real and he is every bit what I imagined when I read the book. Jackson filmed scenes with Gollum twice, once using Andy Serkis in a blue suit and the second time with just the other actors. Gollum was then mapped over Serkis' body becoming part of the scene. I was very impressed especially when Frodo falls into the Dead Marshes and Gollum pulls him out. Gollum's hands are in exactly the right places of Frodo's clothes. Eye contact with the actors is near perfect with only a couple of faults which are hardly noticeable. Gollum's character is enhanced by the fact that the size of his pupils change depending on whether he is 'good' or 'bad'. His hair moves differently as does his body. His torment is evident and continuity is good, his back holds the scars of his torture in Mordor.  

The majority of the films humour is derived from Gimli and is excellent. When we meet Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli trekking across country after Merry and Pippin, Gimli is fed up with the constant running. "Of course us Dwarfs are natural sprinters across short distances." Such lines are delivered well by John Rhys Davis and Gimli's pride in his race shines through. There is amusing discussion between Gimli and Eowen about the lack of Dwarf women that you see walking around Middle Earth. Gimli's best lines though are uttered during the battle scene at Helm's Deep. Watching Gimli compete with Legolas over how many Orcs he's killed is hilarious while remaining true to the characters and the rivalry between the races. I, however, received most pleasure from Gimli saying to Aragorn, "You'll have to toss me."

Humour also comes from 'good' Gollum, the highlight being the scene where Sam makes a stew out of some rabbits and Gollum wants to eat them raw. The great line "Stupid fat hobbit." I've read some comments from diehard fans who say that line shouldn't have been there. What do they know? 

Of course the highlight of the whole film is the battle of Helm's Deep which lasts upwards of 30 minutes. Jackson doesn't disappoint. I can't describe how wonderful it was to sit back in a cinema and watch the sequence. Orcs with siege ladders scaling the walls, Elven archers, Legolas and the controversial surfing down a staircase on a shield scene, Gimli and his axe and Aragorn commanding the troops. Everything is expertly executed. I loved seeing Legolas drawing two swords above, firing his arrows in rapid succession; and Gimli castrating Orcs with his axe then jumping into hoards of Orcs. 

I was a little disappointed that Shelob the spider was delayed until the beginning of Return of the King but I figure that Jackson knows what he's doing. He hasn't stuffed up so far. Return of the King should be every bit as good as the previous films and better. The battle at Gondor is going to look great with Eowen slaying the witch king. Aragorn will fulfill his lineage and Frodo and Sam journey through Mordor with Gollum and finally the destruction of the ring. No one knows for certain whether the end of the film will include the hobbits returning to the Shire and ridding it of the scoundrels that have taken up residence since Frodo left. But nevertheless Jackson has remained faithful to the book delivering a fantastic bit of cinema which will go down in history as one of the greatest trilogies ever made.

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