Lord Of The Rings - The Two Towers

Title: Lord Of The Rings - The Two Towers (12)

Year: 2002

Running Time: 172 minutes

Director: Peter Jackson

Cast: Elijah Wood (Frodo), Ian McKellen (Gandalf), John Rhys-Davis (Gimli), Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), Andy Serkis (Gollum)

Notes: Won numerous awards including some for the series, won two Oscars, nominated for four Oscars, won three BAFTAs, nominated for six BAFTAs

Rating: 9

Thoughts:   As the story progresses, Frodo and Sam continue on their epic journey whilst Gandalf and the rest of the heroes prepare to resist the enemy armies.

The amazing landscapes and stunning scenes continue, as does the acting, with all of the characters again brought to life.

This could have easily become a bridge but the pace is mostly kept high, with the stunning battle at Helm's Deep a real feature.

Another delight is the scene when Gandalf casts out Saruman from King Theoden. It's cleverly done although I will never understand why they let Wormtongue go!

My reason for holding back on a top score is the ents. They are one of the worst features of the series and their scenes are laborious. They do come into their own during the battle but the forest scenes are ponderous.

Overall this is still an excellent tale and just leaves you wanting more. Remove that one overlong passage and this would be excellent. It's still incredibly good.