Sit down George Lucas, you have been beaten at your own game.

Peter Jackson has one-upped himself with "The Two Towers," the latest installment of Lord of the Rings. The film manages to achieve a more epic quality, yet also feels more compact. The exposition was taken care of in "The Fellowship of the Ring," the stage was set. Now the story really kicks into gear. Watching each scene, you know that the payoff will be huge and it doesn't disappoint.

When we last left Frodo and co. they had split up into three groups. Frodo and Sam were headed to Mordor, Pippen and Merry were captured by the Uruk-hai, and Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli followed behind them. Now instead of one story line, we have three and they are juggled effortlessly throughout. In Towers, Jackson wastes no time getting into the action. One of the first scenes shows what really happened when Gandalph fell from the bridge. Watching him fight the Balruc is a thrill.

We get our first glimpse of Rohan. Their king, Theoden, has been possessed by Saruman and the kingdom is being run by the evil Wormtongue, played exceptionally by Brad Dourif (the stuttering boy from Cuckoo's Nest). This branch of the film I found completely riveting, even before the action started. Watching the leadership and family crumble is heartbreaking. The King's niece, Eowyn, played by Miranda Otto, illuminates the screen in every scene--she is a real find. When Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, and Gandalph arrive, the demise of Rohan seems to be imminent. Word breaks out that Saruman is creating a huge army set to destroy Rohan. This leads them to seek refuge in Helm's Deep, where they are not as safe as they think.

Pippen and Merry, after escaping form the Uruk-hai, befriend an Ent(talking tree) named Treebeard. He and his wise council seek revenge on Saruman for cutting down some of their friends from the forest. This plot of the film was definitely the slowest. The ents are slow moving, slow talking creatures not given to swift action. When they do finally take action it is well worth the wait.

Frodo and Sam are finally confronted by Gollum, who has been following them ever since the first film. He tries to steal the ring from them in the night. When they find out that he knows the way to Mordor, Frodo decides to let him come along although Sam is skeptical. Gollum is the most fascinating character in the film and yet he is digital. Not only does he look incredibly real--without a doubt the best digital character ever--but he acts real. The inner conflict of Gollum is frightening to watch. At first it seems strange that he refers to himself as "us" or "we" but we then learn that he has two personalities, one malicious and vengeful, the other subservient and pathetic. Seeing him switch back and forth between them is scarier than anything else in the film. With each turn the story takes, you don't know which side of him will dominate. His character will stay with you.

This second film packs an emotional wallop and an incredible climactic battle scene, one of the best in recent memory. The mixture of both humanity and grandeur is remarkable.

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