If further proof was needed that New Zealand director Peter Jackson is one of the most crushingly talented filmmakers the world has ever seen, then this sequel is surely it, and a pox on those who consider the swords-and-sorcery storyline of the J.R.R. Tolkien mythos to be somehow less than deserving of praise because of a few errant dwarves and dragons. This sequel to last year's The Fellowship of the Ring is a far more expansive film, positively astounding in the depth and breadth of its massive, multitiered story arc, its wholly identifiable characters, and the sheer magnitude of the vision involved in its creation. To put it bluntly, this one kicks some serious butt, at once a fanboy's wet dream of adaptive near-perfection and an engaging, emotionally supercharged epic adventure.
D: Peter Jackson; with Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin.
Opened 12/20/02