The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

The critic finds The Two Towers not quite as strong a standalone as Fellowship and somewhat one-note in tone, but still awards it full marks due to the high benchmark set by the series. They single out the breathtaking Battle of Helm's Deep and the impressive Gollum for particular praise.

The critic dismisses pre-release doubts and finds the film easily matches the first in excitement, involvement and visual invention despite the challenges of adapting the middle book. They single out the groundbreaking Gollum character and the thrilling Helm's Deep battle sequence for praise.

The film makes a powerful impression through its scale, energy, and detailed New Zealand landscapes, but is often boring due to its intercut storylines and bland acting. The standout element is the tremendous half-hour battle sequence at Helm's Deep.

The middle episode sags as a vast, schematic action piece with wooden acting and fractured storylines that lack consistent tension. Gollum stands out as a slimy, schizophrenic marvel that steals the film.

The critic sees the film as an awkward adolescence for the trilogy that invests moviegoing with adventure through its visuals and journey, though it never reaches the highs of the first and gets swept up in battle.

The critic finds the film a rousing adventure and skillful marriage of effects and animation with breathtaking sequences, but notes it shifts focus to action heroes like Aragorn over the hobbits and is less faithful to Tolkien's spirit.

The review praises Jackson's adaptation for shifting emphasis to underplay Tolkien's weaknesses and staging the Helm's Deep battle as satisfying spectacle. It singles out the CGI Gollum as the standout, stealing the show with expressive range and perfect mimesis.

The critic highlights the film's thematic depth on evil and godlessness, stunning action like the Helm's Deep battle, and the haunting Gollum/Smeagol conflict, while faulting the crosscutting structure for shortchanging subplots and the cliffhanger ending.

The critic finds the film better than its predecessor, commending its seamless shifts between epic action and lyrical moments, thematic depth on war and loss, and technical achievements including Gollum.

The critic praises the film's spectacular effects, performances, pacing, and epic scope, particularly the Battle of Helm's Deep and new characters like Gollum and Treebeard, while noting minor misgivings about the ending and the wait for the next film.

The critic calls it a fairly easy ride that crunches the book but delivers pace and astonishment, with effective computer effects like Gollum, though it leans into epic spectacle over psychology.

The critic praises Jackson's scrupulous devotion to Tolkien's spirit in a gripping epic that drops viewers into the action and creates a perfect mating of filmmaker and material.

The review calls the film the centrepiece of the trilogy that redefines 'epic' in size and scale while giving the series stature through attention to small things like Sam's emotional moments. It notes the proliferation of subplots but highlights Gollum exposing the ring's corruptive power.

The film comes closest in the trilogy to faltering due to its multiple plot strands and meandering structure, though it remains strong by most standards. The sprawling Battle of Helm's Deep set piece sweeps away any misgivings with its epic scope and groundbreaking effects.