Review of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) by Tatsuhito K — 16 Jan 2016

I do not know whether this film does justice to its source material, partly because: 1) film and literature are completely different media, and 2) I have not read any of the novels yet (and I probably never will.

) Even after spending almost 6 hours in the middle-earth, I still find it difficult to keep up with everything that's happening in this world. Too many characters, too many white races with no distinct features (with the exception of Elves), too many complicated names of regions and stuff in general, which make it challenging for me to take the story seriously.

But around half way through the film, I realized that I shouldn't take it too seriously. Hell, this a fantasy film, with magic and Orcs and dwarves and all kinds of unrealistic shit, so I decided to just go with it.

The result is quite spectacular and a really good time. Peter Jackson, once again, succeeds in telling this epic tale of bravery and sacrifice; terrific special effects, exquisite production design, and all-around strong performances make this installment an wildly entertaining ride.

It's not without flaws and there are a couple of ridiculous and deliberately dramatic moments that made my eyes roll, but in the end it made me yearn for the final chapter. The Two Towers is damn entertaining.