Critic's Corner: THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS

This film, which can be rentedfrom your local video store, israted on a scale of 1 to 4 caducei:

THE LORD OF THE RINGS:THE TWO TOWERS

The Lord ofthe Rings: The TwoTowers

Return of the King

(2002):Finally, the secondinstallment of PeterJackson's masterpiece,, has madeits way to the videostore—just in timeto wet our appetitesfor the third and final installment,, whichwill hit theaters on December 17.This film maintains the high standardsset by its predecessor interms of acting, cinematography,and reverence for the text uponwhich it is based. The difficultythis film faces, however, is thelack of the ensemble cast that wegrow so fond of in the first film.This lack of interaction is missed.As if to make up for this, Jacksonspeeds up the film's pace withthrilling action sequences. One ofthe best additions to the storylineis the character of Gollum portrayedthrough computer-generatedimages combined with the performanceof Andy Serkis. I thinkit is 1 of the only times I've seenthis type of technology succeed indeveloping a character. The creationand execution of Gollum istruly groundbreaking. Although Imust admit that I am partial tothe first installment, I found thismovie to be no less entertainingand a must-see for all Tolkienand/or fantasy fans.

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Lisa A. Tomaszewski, managing editorof Physician's Money Digest, is currentlyworking on her PhD in literature atDrew University in New Jersey. She isan avid fan of film and has taught asummer film course at FairleighDickinson University. She welcomesquestions, comments, or suggestions forfuture film reviews at 732-656-1140ext 195 or ltomaszewski@pmdnet.com.