2002 / 179 Minutes / PG-13
Reviewed by Dale Nauertz

I have put much deliberation into the grade for this film. I have seen the film twice in its first twenty-four hours of release, and there was no film I had more anticipation for this year. And, truth to be told, it wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be. But it still sent tingles through my body. It still caused my heart to soar for the majority of its running time. It still contained scenes that were so true to the source material that they almost caused tears of joy to stream openly down my face. So how can I call it anything less than a major achievement? The answer is that I cannot. It is my favorite film so far this year (though I have yet to see “Gangs of New York” and “Catch Me If You Can”, both of which I hold high hopes for), warts and all.

First off, let me outline the plot. Anyone familiar with the books will know what happens in this film. And, if they are not familiar with the books, then I shan’t say much to give away the events of the film. Frodo and Sam are continuing the quest they began in the first film: to take the One Ring to Mount Doom, deep in the heart of evil Mordor, and destroy it. Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas are on a mission to recover two other hobbits: Merry and Pippin. Merry and Pippin escape from the foul beasts that have ensnared them and make a few new, powerful friends. And there are other surprises in store as well. The imagination of J.R.R. Tolkien is transferred to the screen much as it was in “The Fellowship of the Ring”: completely intact and with few alterations.

It is these alterations which sometimes bothered me, but that is simply because they messed with certain characters I held near to my heart from the books. The character of Faramir undergoes the most disappointing change. (Fans of the books will know what I speak of and others won’t even care.) My other beef with this film was that there was a bit too much humor at times, pretty much all of it involving the dwarf Gimli. And the pace and editing of the film could be accused of being all over the map, though the story itself is all over the map, and always has been. I found that this took some adjusting to, but that it soon made perfect sense to me. None of this, however, was at any time disorienting. Plus, it’s not that fatal when a three hour films feels breathless and rushed. The latest Harry Potter opus was about twenty minutes shorter and felt a good half hour longer.

So much for my few complaints, now onto the stuff that I thought was worthy of praise: pretty much everything else. This is an amazing film. It towers head and shoulders above even the original three “Star Wars” films in terms of imagination, scope, and the psychological complexity of the characters involved. Yes, George Lucas has created some nifty beings with his digital magic. But none of them lived and breathed before our very eyes the way that the character of Gollum does in this film. Gollum is an utter triumph, not just of special effects wizardry (though he is that) but also of character and screenwriting. Lucas seems to have forgotten that it isn’t enough just to create a character that looks good, but you have to use all your other artistry to give him a soul as well. Gollum has a soul. In fact, he’s probably the most complex and fascinating character in the film. I’m not joking when I say that I believe Andy Serkis deserves an Oscar for his voice and movement work in bringing this digital creature to life. The same goes for Treebeard (voiced by Gimli himself, John Rhys Davies) who lives up to every expectation I had about him from the novels. I have always loved the Ents, and I was not disappointed by anything about them, except perhaps for their amount of screen time. In retrospect, however, I feel that the film has just enough of them. After all, it has a lot of ground to cover.

The film essays the idea that Middle Earth is a grand and magical place, yet also strikes just the right notes to let you know that you are watching the end of an age of this magical world, and that the magic may be running out. There is food for thought here. There is complexity and a wealth of theme that Lucas probably simply dreams of late at night. Peter Jackson may look like a hobbit, but he’s a wizard in disguise. He creates grand vistas using both his native landscape and his computer arsenal and I, for one, cannot see the seams where one ends and another begins. This is great work. I am not going to say that he is the only one worthy of praise. Watch the credits and note each name up on that screen and each one of them deserves every ounce of your gratitude for doing their own part to bring this magic to the screen. But Jackson has assembled these folks and marshaled them under his banner. He has also led them to fill the film to the brim with such beautiful, little nuances and touches that the film has the breath of life within it. “Fellowship” had this triumph as well. But the fact that he has lost little of the magic (if any) between that film and this one is a miracle.

But let me also pay a moment’s respect to the greatness of the actors and actresses at work in this film. Each and every one of them was perfectly chosen and does a magnificent job, but I want to particularly draw your attention to Elijah Wood and Sean Astin. Their moments of the film are filled with the most honesty and daring and they really establish themselves as great actors with their work here. So do Brad Dourif in his brief turn as Wormtongue and the afore-mentioned Andy Serkis. Also, notice how Viggo Mortensen deepens and distinguishes his character, instilling him with even more honor and humanity than in the previous film.

So I recognize one or two flaws here, and I like “The Fellowship of the Ring” a little bit more, but this film is still an utter triumph. I’ll be seeing it at least two more times (I saw the original seven times in the theater) and I will cherish every moment of it. Movie screens have seen nothing more amazing this year, even with the few flaws at hand, and I doubt they will see anything this glorious again….at least until next December, when the final installment of this wondrous fantasy plays itself out.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 18th, 2002 at 1:45 pm and is filed under Dale's Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.