Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!
Plot Summary: With the fellowship divided, Frodo and Sam continue to take the One Ring to Mordor while the others prepare to do battle with Sauron and Saruman's forces.
Review: Picking up immediately where "Fellowship" ended, this film takes a slightly disjointed approach to the story as we see multiple perspectives from the divided heroes. Aragorn, Gilmli, and Legolas are roaming on foot to catch up with the Orcs and Uruk-Hai that captured Merry and Pippin. Unknown to them, Merry and Pippin escaped and fled to a place called Fangorn forest which is home to talking trees known as Ents (I love the Ents!). Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam are traveling toward Mordor and have run into the mutant-like Gollum who had once held the One Ring in his possession for centuries and seeks to regain it (Hobbitses are Tricksies!). At this point, I think Gollum has become something of a cultural icon with his weird way of speaking, grotesque look, and indirect comedic genius (The precious!). Frodo is able to "domesticate" Gollum so to speak, and with his guidance they are able to take a more clear cut path to Mordor. At the same time, we also gain perspective on a few new characters specifically those in the kingdom of Rohan and see more with Saruman and his plans to conquer Middle-earth at the behest of Sauron. Last, it is revealed that Gandalf has not only returned from the dead, but he has been elevated to a higher level of wizardry; it doesn't make a lot of sense in the film, but it has something to do with the god-like beings in this mythos and that the wizards are a sort of higher being themselves and these gods can send people back to Middle-earth...somehow this all works (I'm trying to explain it as best I can since I don't entirely understand it myself). Although this film is filled with tons of action, in this middle part, we have a much more character driven narrative as we come to learn of the corruption in Rohan, get a better feel for our heroes and their motives, and understand the tragedy of Gollum. A lot of little things and details comprise a large chunk of this film as we see events get set into place for the final film. Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas have joined the fight to protect Rohan from a coming army, Merry and Pippin help convince and join the Ents in an assault on Saruman, Gandalf has set out to gather allies in Middle-earth, and Frodo and Sam are captured which leads to Gollum returning to his evil ways. The main struggle and epic showdown for this film comes in the form of the Battle for Helms Deep as thoursands of Orcs and Uruk-Hai storm Rohan's main defensive stronghold. This battle is intense! It is perhap the most focused battle scene of the three films, but I believe it's eclipsed by the next film's battles. While this film does end on a cliffhanger, we are given a much more hopeful ending as things appear to be faring better for the heroes. They win the battle at Helms Deep, the Ents stomp Saruman and his goons, Gandalf has brought in more allies, and only Frodo and Sam have immediate danger as the audience knows Gollum plans to betray them. As with all three films, the effects are impressive, the acting is solid, the characters have grown even more, the music continues to be memorable, the story continues fantastically, and everything else is just wonderful! There are a few minor gripes I have especially with some annoying characters and pacing issues, but those are minor nitpicks. As with "Fellowship" those are only slight complains that take away from near-perfection of this trilogy.
Notable Moment: When the Ents decide to join the fight against Saruman and give a major beating to his forces while trapping him in his precious tower.
Final Rating: 9.5/10
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