Oh boy! This movie didn't suck as bad as the first!

Sherman, set the Way-Back machine to last year. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring premiered, and everyone said I was supposed to like it. Trouble was I didn't. It was repetitive, and I didn't believe that Professional Bad Guy Killers would be so bad at slaughtering Hobbits.

I'm happy to say that I enjoyed The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers much more than the first. The Fellowship of the Ring has been broken into smaller groups and scattered. Other than Frodo and Sam, no one knows the fate of the ring. As Frodo works his way to Mount Doom, all of the others in one way or another, get ready for a great battle.

There's more traditional story structure than in the first movie. The goal is more clearly defined, as are the characters. There's actual peril, innocent people in danger of being killed by Professional Bad Guy Killers. Perhaps the most interesting character is Gollum, a schizophrenic man who was completely consumed by the ring.

The sheer effort of the production team to get so many details defined really shines. Let's face it Lord of the Rings fans make Trekkies look normal. These films are clearly made by people who know these books backwards, and are crafted with a deep reverence for J.R.R. Tolkien's wishes.

And then there's the effects. I think the best effect of all is how they make normal-sized people appear to be much shorted than they really are, and do that on a consistent basis. When you see the Hobbits, you never question that Frodo (Elijah Wood) is really that short.

As for the other effects, they're up to par with everything else that is out there. I don't know about you, but I can still tell when I'm looking at a computer generated shot. But I have no complaints.

Honestly, I like this movie way better than the first. It didn't turn into the same little guys killing Professional Bad Guy Killers every five minutes. I want to see what happens in the next flick to Gollum. You know there's going to be a great ending.

Jammed Pipe!

Film Facts

Cast
• Elijah Wood
• Ian McKellen
• Viggo Mortensen
• Sean Astin
• Billy Boyd
• Liv Tyler
• John Rhys-Davies
• Dominic Monaghan
• Christopher Lee
• Miranda Otto
• Brad Dourif
• Orlando Bloom
• Cate Blanchett
• Karl Urban
• Bernard Hill
• David Wenham
• Andy Serkis
• Robyn Malcolm
• John Leigh
• Bruce Allpress
• John Bach
• Sala Baker
• Sean Bean
• Jed Brophy
• Sam Comery
• Calum Gittins
• Bruce Hopkins
• Nathaniel Lees
• Robbie Magasiva
• Craig Parker
• Bruce Phillips
• Robert Pollock
• Paris Howe Strewe
• Olivia Tennet
• Ray Trickitt
• Stephen Ure
• Hugo Weaving

Directed by Peter Jackson

Released in 2002

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Reviewed by Mongo