A little longer this time, my reactions to The Two Towers. Simply put I think that it’s one of the best films ever made and that as a continuous trilogy it will stand in the annals of film making as one of the finest achievements of our time. The scope, the imagination, the craftsmanship, the love laboured into every detail. These things awe you. When combined with an amazing story and an amazing storyteller they leave you glued to your seat for three hours, eyes hungrily sucking in every glimpse they can take.

Let there be no mistake, this isn’t the book of the Two Towers, anybody who thinks it is will be sadly mistaken. Yet those who want it to be the book, perfectly transmitted onto film are even more mistaken, indeed possibly deranged [Special Edition in-joke: slightly men-tal - click]. Film and paper are fundamentally different mediums and put very different demands on their audiences using very different sensory means. To suggest that they should be or even can be the same thing is to be sadly blinded as to the real potential of both. Peter Jackson and his merry band have taken a very fine book and turned it into the best Cinematic film that can be made of that book. Indeed next October/November I look forward to seeing a special edition of this film which will be the best possible experience for a DVD watching audience.

And well, no matter what some people snipe nobody can take away those three hours of wonder. I’ll be going again and I’m sure the next time I’ll pick up something else, some exquisite detail layered within. In fact I’ll watch this film many, many times in the future each time picking up something different: the technical breakthroughs, the acting performances, the scenery, the battle sequences, the editing, the fine detail on the Hall at Edoras. I’ll never see it again in quite the same way, each further revelation allowing me more appreciation for their hard work and skill. The first time though, when it was all new and I sat back to be entertained by the complete control of craft. That will always be special.

Since this entry was written I’ve seen the film again. It gets better.