The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

The Two Towers is all middle. No real start, no real finish, just three storylines jogging in different directions and promising to meet up next year. The Ents hold a meeting so slow it makes a city council look reckless, and Frodo and Sam’s detour with Faramir feels like the movie stalling for time. Then Helm’s Deep arrives, all rain, torches and pure dread, and suddenly you can’t blink. Andy Serkis’s Gollum is the real star, arguing with himself in the middle of the night in a scene that’s funny, sad and creepy at once. Viggo Mortensen finally gets to lead, and King Théoden goes from frozen in his chair to giving orders like he means them. It made $945.2 million worldwide on a reported $94 million, and critics gave it 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. An 8.8 because the battle is an all-timer and Gollum is a miracle, but the middle-chapter shuffle is real. $2,137 says you end up arguing with yourself in two voices about whether to get dessert.

What works: Helm’s Deep in the rain, and Andy Serkis’s Gollum, who somehow feels like the most human thing on screen.

What doesn’t: The Ents and the Faramir detour slow everything down, and the story stops instead of ending.

Who it’s for: People who want a siege movie and a character study in the same sitting, and don’t mind a long one.