After waiting a year for the second part of JRR Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings trilogy it was clear this film would have to be something special to compare or even come close to the absolutely awesome first film which whetted many a non-fans appetite (including mine). Let me tell you now it not only compares to the first film but surpasses it and heightened my enthusiasm for the third film to an even higher level.

At the end of the first film Gandalf (Ian Mckellan) appeared to fall to his doom in the pit at Khazad-dum and Boromir (Sean Bean) was killed in the fight with the Uruk-Hai warriors thus the Fellowship divided into three different groups.

The second group of Aragorn (Viggo Mortenson), Elf archer Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) chase the Uruk-Hai warriors who captured the other Hobbits, Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) but only find a pile of charred bones after the warriors were slaughtered by Rebel Rohan's led by the Son of King Theoden. Wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee) with the one intent of wiping out all life on Middle Earth sends a giant army of Uruk-Hai to take the Rohan Kingdom and the above three mentioned Fellowship members make for King Theoden's seat to warn him of the advancing armies. En-route they meet up with a forgotten ally who helps to rid King Theoden from Saruman's evil spell and his tormentor Worm-Tongue (Brad Dourif). King Theoden (Bernard Hill) leads his people to the sanctuary of Helm's Deep where he believes they will be safe becuase it has never been breached but with an army of 10,000 against him using new tactics are they really safe ??

The visual effects in the first film were incredible and boundary breaking and fully deserved the Oscar and the BAFTA that they recieved. The Two Towers continues the ground-breaking effects to new heights with equally breathtaking action. Undoubtedly the climax of this second film is the battle at Helm's Deep where the Rohan's, Angel's and three of the Fellowship fight against the odds to save Middle Earth itself from extinction. No quarter is asked and none is given during this climactic battle which is edged with tension and will have you on the edge of your seat. The armies of Uruk-Hai and the landscapes of the film are completely computer devised and they blend in beautifully with the characters making it seamless, this is completely down to the detail involved which will no-doubt win this trilogy yet more awards.

Elijah Wood who plays Frodo realises during this second instalment that The Ring is taking hold of his mind and his actions and even if their quest is successful, his life will never be the same. This is backed up by his relationship with Gollum who has also felt the power of The Ring - he sees what he could become. Wood shows the audience these thoughts even though they are not spoken. Sean Astin has come a long way since Toy Soldiers, he gets some of the most moving and powerful lines and he delivers in my view. His response to Frodo's attack on him brings Frodo to his senses and his speech to Faramir at the finale of the film could put the Hobbits back on the right path after their quest is put in jeopardy.

Director Jackson should rightly be proud of his achievements in this film. The three groups of the Fellowship plus the exploits of Saruman and the Rohan's not to mention the love triangle involving the Angel's could make this a very messy, mind-boggling fuzz of a film but he has cross-woven the task with ease and at the same time gradually increased the tension and the momentum of the action to boot. The third and final part of the trilogy are marked to with tantalising pointers. Although a serious film about the good versus evil question at it's core, there are moments of mirth aplenty which alleviate the tension when it needs to be. In particular the relationship between Sam and Gollum is most amusing as is the Dwarf warrior Gimli.