The crucial question about Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy seems to be: Is it just for Tolkien fans, or a "general audience"? I went to see it with my mum who's never read any of Tolkien's books; she liked The Fellowship of the Ring last year and liked the Two Towers even more, but then she has her own cinematic agenda (based largely on sets & costumes, plus she loves …showed first 75 words of 671 total…

…showed last 75 words of 671 total…performance every bit as career-capping as that of black-eyed Christopher Lee as Saruman. Watch them in the tower scene with the army out front; it's two old veterans of cinema shock working their magic. I can't wait for their big Harrowing scene in Part 3. Kudos to Jackson for the shots of the women & kids helplessly awaiting their fate in Helms Deep, reminding us that those most hurt in war aren't necessarily the warriors.