Rings sequel wows fans

The second Lord Of The Rings epic opened in New York last night with a glittering premiere and reviews hailing it as even better than the first film.

Fans who braved freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall to catch a glimpse of stars of The Two Towers were united in praise of the movie's action scenes. Mark Poole from Manhattan said: "I was practically jumping out of my seat. The battle scene at Helm's Deep has to be the best I've ever seen."

His friend Emma Graham was particularly impressed by the film's computer-generated character Gollum, voiced by British actor Andy Serkis. She said: "I don't normally go for this type of movie but I have to admit it was pretty exciting. The special effects were sensational and I thought that Gollum was incredible and stole the show."

Moviegoer Tony Evans said: "I'm a big fan of the books and wondered if they would be able to capture that magic on film. I have to say they have done an incredible job. The Two Towers and the first film have more than succeeded. It was a long film but you hardly noticed the time going by.

"I thought it had more imagination that the Harry Potter sequel. It seemed darker but really stretched you."

Secrets And Lies star Lee Ross, at the premiere with three friends, said: "It was absolutely brilliant. Awesome. It just felt a lot better than the first film, which was itself fantastic. It was darker, and it resounded because of the atmosphere we have in the world right now - it felt pretty political in a way. It was a very dark, affecting film, and it felt close to the knuckle."

One critic expressed minor reservations, saying: "If there are any chinks in the armour, it's the special effects. Gollum is a truly spectacular creation, a fully fleshed-out digital character. However, the same cannot be said of the Balrog with which Gandalf tussles early on."

But he added: "The Two Towers is a spectacular movie and spectacular moviemaking - exciting and tender, historical and current, massive and intimate. It's a movie that stands tall with its predecessor, works perfectly as a picture in its own right and leaves one champing at the bit for the finale, next year's The Return Of The King."

Organisers had to erect a special tent area to cover the red carpet as stars including Yoko Ono, her son Sean Lennon and actress Susan Sarandon arrived.

Liv Tyler, who plays Arwen UndÛ­iel in The Two Towers, delighted the crowds as she arrived despite the cold in a sleeveless black-and-white polka dot dress.

Elijah Wood, 21, who plays Frodo Baggins, arrived at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Theatre sporting a new razor-short hairstyle. After the showing he said: "I'm very pleased. It was brilliant to see it all together on the big screen like that. It was just great."

British actor John Rhys- Davies, 58, who plays dwarf Gimli, left elated. "I personally think we have been making absolute masterpieces,"-he said. "I loved it, but then I am biased. The reception we got to the movie was amazing. However the real test is when real people see it, the general public. I am sure they will love it."

Fellow Briton Billy Boyd, 34, who plays hobbit Pippin Took, said simply: "I love it, I absolutely love it."

Special effects guru Richard Taylor, who won two Oscars for the first Lord Of The Rings film, The Fellowship Of The Ring, said: "It was fantastic. I just feel bloody tired - it's been such a heavy workload. But it was amazing to see it on the big screen in front of an appreciative audience." Asked if he was after beating his own record by getting three Oscars for this one, he joked: "No, I'm trying to share them around."

Industry insiders believe the second instalment of director Peter Jackson's movie treatment of JRR Tolkien's epic fantasy novel will at least equal the success of the first.

The film has its worldwide release on December 18.