Oh my Lord! Who would have thought Peter Jackson could better the incredible beginning to his trilogy by such an extent?

Although most sequels have less to offer, this film has more characters, more creatures and more depth.

Where the first film was made up of a number of minor skirmishes, here there's a real sense of war and we're given a host of references such as: "And so it begins," from King Theoden of Rohan (Bernard Hill).

It is dark but then Fellowship was no skate in the ice rink either and it makes up for it with a scattering of humour, most of which comes from Gimli the dwarf (John Rhys-Davies).

The pint-sized son of Gloin has grown in stature since the last outing. Far from being annoying - as I felt he was before - he establishes his value with both his companions and us, the audience.

The film actually tells three tales following the fate of the separated Fellowship.

There's the hobbits, Merry and Pippin, who've been captured by Orcs but escape to find a powerful ally in the shape of Treebeard - a walking, talking tree.

Then there's warriors Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli - a combination of Man, Elf and Dwarf - who search in vain for their lost friends and become embroiled in the battle to save Helm's Deep - a large stone fortress set in a narrow rocky gorge.

And you can't forget Frodo, with the ever-trustworthy Sam, on their journey to Mordor to destroy the all-powerful ring. They're hopelessly lost in the mountains until they encounter Gollum, once a hobbit himself and bearer of the ring for 500 years.

Although the ring has warped both Gollum's mind and his appearance, Frodo connects with the pitiful creature and he listens intently to his story.

"Frodo sees a lot of himself in the creature," notes Andy Serkis, who provides the voice, the movement, and, through his work with the technical team, the essence of Gollum.

As Serkis explains - for Frodo, being near Gollum is like staring into a dark mirror. "It's like seeing someone with a terminal disease that Frodo himself is in the early stages of."

The running time, at three hours, might be considered long but at the end you still feel like you have cotton in your mouth. How we're still thirsty for more after such a long time is a credit to the filmmakers and bodes well for number three.

The battle scenes are once again breathtaking and if your heart continues beating at its normal rate, then let me suggest a trip to your doctor.

It's not just about slaying Orcs though; there's a much deeper undertone and meaning beneath the surface.

Apart from trust and partnership, it's about the joining of many different creeds and colours in the ongoing fight against evil and, most importantly of all, it's about hope in the face of despair.

Dominic Bloch