I saw the TT at a midnight show. I loved it.
Now, this is NOT Fellowship of the Ring. Its the Two Towers. Jackson
takes the towers of Isengard and Barad-dur and runs with this
division and unity as a theme for the ENTIRE movie.
This means he made a LOT of changes to the plot. HOWEVER, the
Gestalt of the books is still there. Much more so than I expected.
Here are some of the areas Jackson highlights:
1) There are really two parties running around: Aragorn's and
Frodo's. Merry and Pippin are not really considered in this movie.
2) Frodo vs. Sam. The deep friendship and love between these
characters is pitted against the sheer evil of the ring. This is a
PROACTIVE ring.
3) Aragorn v. himself. Jackson, to increase the love factor, has
really pushed the Arwen/Eowyn issue. Some will NOT like this, but I
did. I've read the books about 15 times cover-to-cover and thought
it was great. This will give, in my opinion, better motivation to
Eowyn to do her thing in movie three... At least I HOPE its Eowyn in
movie three. I think there is a strong possibility that its Arwen
who fights the WK in the third movie. That would be tough to chew on.
4) Gollum v. Smeagol. Oh my. THIS was outstanding. Can he win an
Oscar? Seriously? Oh my.... I thought Gollum was RIGHT SPOT ON!
This is clearly not a movie about hobbits. This is a movie that goes
with the theory that Aragorn is the true protagonist of the trilogy
and never lets up. It was hinted at in Movie one and is shoved down
your throats in this one. Frodo and Sam is a smoke-screen for
the 'sacrifices' Aragorn makes. Its ARAGORN who has to keep the
peoples of Middle Earth grasping at the straws of hope.
The acting is phenomonal. The special effects mind numbing. This is
NOT the books. This is an interpretation of the general feel of the
books. None-the-less, it is very good. Go see it, forget the books,
and watch a great flick!
Jeffery A. Dobberpuhl