Fans of the Lord of the Rings trilogy can now pay homage to the movie gods for providing the right director to translate Tolkien's world into cinematic form. Peter Jackson signaled this promise in his opening Fellowship of the Ring salvo, trimming a potential five hour narrative exposition into a more focussed and watchable three hour introduction to MiddleEarth and its key heroes and villains. And now he delivers convincing evidence that he is the anointed one in The Two Towers, which at least equals the first film, if not surpassing it. Showing profound understanding of Tolkien's literary themes, Jackson demonstrates cinematic mastery of the material, crafting a much tighter work than the original, and he delivers the coup d' grace to wannabe CGI Jedi, George Lucas, with effects the Star Wars creative team can only drool over and beg forgiveness for polluting the planet with Jar Jar tie-ins.

Jackson is now king, pioneering new trails in computer generated imagery, clearly establishing that the modern age still belongs to Man. Not only does Jackson establish himself as the Cecil B. DeMille of epic CGI battle scenes, but he's now the Ingmar Bergman of modern cinematic technology, capable of capturing subtle facial nuances within his inspired Gollum creation. Jackson definitively demonstrates that humans are essential CGI components, as Andy Serkis provides the live action model for Gollum's expressions and movement. Too essential to the plot to rely on cold-hearted technology, Gollum gets the human touch with Serkis' layered acting bringing the terribly conflicted character to life, evoking both pity and revulsion. Look for Serkis to receive some supporting nods for his superlative acting while the character will definitely merit numerous technical awards.

Additionally enhancing Gollum's bipolar nature are Jackson's editing cuts and camera angles that differ when the evil Gollum confronts the good Smeágol (Gollum's other name). His ambiguous nature maintains tension through their scenes, with Samwise continually suspicious of his nature while Frodo senses his essential good and realizes that he must believe in that side of their captive. Perhaps this is due to Gandolf's comment about the pitiful creature having a part to play in the quest, Bilbo's merciful example, or Frodo's self-proclaimed connection with him. Elijah Wood's casting may have deeper meaning than what appears on the surface—could Frodo's big eyed gaze transform into a similar bug-eyed Gollum view as the Ring gets closer to the goal? After all, he, too is experiencing growing duality between good and evil as the Ring weighs upon him more heavily.

Before venturing into The Two Towers, be sure that you've seen or read Fellowship of the Ring (for that reason, only the "new" actors will be listed here following their introduction). Assuming you have the necessary knowledge of Tolkien's universe from the first film's extensive exposition, Jackson plunges headlong into the plot with sweeping overhead views of snowy peaks that zoom to a flashback sequence of Gandolf battling Balrog that turns out to be a dream (or is it?). It's a scene that readers of the book will recognize, but not in the opening position. People without the Tolkien background will be lost in this film, so only enter the theater after the necessary preparation.

Being the middle portion of the series presents standard obstacles that really aren't worth delving into, and Tolkien's fantasy deals with these narratives separately—workable for a book format, but would leave moviegoers stranded. Merging the stories of our separated Fellowship heroes into a coherent narrative becomes a mind boggling challenge, and Jackson faces this literary "Balrog" as successfully as humanly possible, cross cutting the stories of Frodo's ring quest, Merry and Pippin's capture, and the trio of heroes (Aragon, Legolas, and Gimli) while retaining the overall view of the mission.

Trilogy purists may balk at some of the trimming—only hints remain of Treebeard's wisdom, Faramir is less developed, and major confrontations with Saruman and the monstrous Shelob are missing (saved for the last of the trilogy). However, Jackson knows what he's doing, cutting these to size for cinematic purposes and crafting a work that actually if far tighter and coherent than Tolkien's original work while remaining true to his vision. Sticking closer to Tolkien's text would only result in a meandering five or six hour epic that would as lost in the details as are wayward souls that wander into the Fanghorn Forest, but Jackson keeps the overall quest in focus with some deft editing.

And that's a major feat, considering the operatic scope of the battle scenes. Intense early conflicts serve as appetizers for the centerpiece clash at Helm's Deep, which defies description. Comparisons to a David and Goliath battle pale when considering the odds that three hundred humans have against Saruman's amassed force of 10,000 hungry Orcs and Goblins. Mankind certainly appears doomed, but so did Tolkien's Britain during WWII before the U.S. entered the war; likewise, allies join the human underdogs to stave off the inevitable—at least for the time being. Especially incredible are the thrashing Ent sequences at Saruman's dark obsidian tower, yet Jackson remembers that the small human touches make all the difference—so each hero shows glimpses of their humanity, from Aragon's counsel to a young boy, Legolas' counting contest, and Gimli's humorous self-deprecating quips about his diminutive size and dwarf tossing.

Beyond the grand spectacle, it's the smaller moments that make the film work as well as it does. In the face of impending doom, the hobbits remind us what it means to be human and remain hopeful. Although their scenes are cut a bit short for pacing purposes, Merry and Pippin both play essential roles, pleading with Treebeard to join the fight against evil. Always steadfast and loyal, Samwise shows courage this time, and Frodo (of course) carries the increasingly heavy burden that will determine the entire fate of MiddleEarth. Whenever the forces of doom threaten to overwhelm and muddle the scope of the tale, Jackson cuts back to these hobbits to bring the quest back into perspective.

The Two Towers is not a sequel in the usual sense of the word, but a continuation of the first movie, making it the second portion of a six-hour movie. Thus, it's absolutely essential to see the first movie for the "backstories." With so many characters, histories, cultures, and backgrounds to explore, there is no way that any director could include enough to satisfy every Tolkien geek out there without losing most of the theater audience. The book and film are two different creatures. While Tolkien could afford to take his time and leisurely describe the scenery, develop the characters, add plots and subplots, and insert flashbacks to cover events not adequately described previously, Jackson cannot take such liberties. Remaining true to Tolkien's vision, he streamlines the tale and paces it with more dramatic flair for cinematic purposes in a version that should bring joy to MiddleEarth devotees.

What makes the difference is a growing sense that Jackson truly understands the essence of Tolkien's fantasy, and we are set up for one grand finale. Gandolf's ominous warning at the end and Gollum's final sinister self-talk certainly has me returning to the book store to see how all will turn out in The Return of the King; a year is too long to wait!