It is not faithful to the spirit of Tolkien and misplaces much of the charm and whimsy of the books, but it stands on its own as a visionary thriller. I complained in my review of the first film that the hobbits had been short-changed, but with this second film I must accept that as a given, and go on from there.
I am embarrassed for Ebert. First, he demonstrates, by his own comments, that he hasn't read the books -- or at least failed to understand them if he did. Then he complains that the movie "misplaces much of the charm and whimsy of the books". Ebert is clearly in no position to make such a comment. He's phoning it in!
This sort of boilerplate, non sequitur criticism exposes Ebert for a fraud, and renders his review meaningless. Everyone has a bad day, but to turn in such a fundamentally flawed review on such a culturally, historically and financially monumental work as The Two Towers is the reviewer's equivalent of captaining the Titanic.
Movie reviewers are expected to understand the material they review. It is the ability to authoritatively critique movies that is the sole qualification for a film critic. To fail to establish that qualification is to fail as a reviewer.
As a consequence of this obnoxious and unprofessional review, Roger Ebert has lost quite a bit of credibility in my eyes, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who will react this way.