The Two Towers

1st hour - above average, mainly played for chuckles.
2nd hour - okay, either too slow or too long depends on your POV.
3rd hour - off the hook and totally insane!

The intercutting among the groups in the 3rd act just spoils a lot of the momentum of the film, and the editing could have been better.

The special effects and the production values are first rate, and must be considered the top contender in the Oscar race for, again, most of the technical areas. Gollem was integrated very seamlessly through the film for the most part. The Ents were realized, but I found their personality to truly slow the pace of the film to a standstill (I guess that's point, but it doesn't quite contribute to the momentum of the film as a cinematic experience). Pippen and Merry's hanging with the Ents was the weakest part of the film for me.

The film comes up short in the characterization and scope because it slips into exposition at awkward moments (the sin of "show, don't tell").

Gimli steals the movie from...I'm not quite sure from who, but I'll get back to you on that. Nonetheless, he gets most of the laughs, with some additional ones from Gollem and Sam. Legolas does a couple of manuevers that will elicit applause from the crowd, you'll know it when you see it.

The acting was above average. I think Elijah Woods does a good job showing the effects of the ring's emerging and powerful hold on him. I didn't find a lot of heightened dramatic moments between characters, I thought the crisis points were a bit too laid back in the face of insurmountable odds.

The battle scenes need to be seen on a big screen to be appreciated and enjoyed. The scope of the battles in the 3rd hour delivers a good finish to this 2nd installment of the trilogy.

The audience cheered in several spots in the film, and applauded at the end. A young guy sitting next to me snored at 4 different points in the film, mainly in the 2nd hour, I looked over, and his head was tilted back and he was totally snookered and in REM sleep. Strange, but true.

I give it a solid 3 stars, or a grade of B.