After being away for a while and finally catching up with this thread, I am ready to post my thoughts.

**Spoilers may be ahead**

I saw the movie a few days after it came out and left the theatre a bit disenchanted. Not because I felt it was a bad movie or that it ruined the book and its story but because I felt the changes that were made weren't always necessary and that the original way could still work in movie form and probably would have been better. For example:

The Ents were too easily influenced/directed by the Hobbits. Everything up to the final decision of the council seemed fine to me but having them decide not to attack was different and made it so the Hobbits had to argue for it and finally trick Treebeard into seeing the truth. First, I felt this betrayed one of the main characteristics of the Ents, their methods, and gave too much control to the Hobbits. Second, Treebeard would have known what the orcs had done to the trees and would not have needed to see the destruction to be convinced. The trees and Ents are interconnected and this should have been plain and clear. Also, after having a long and deliberate council with the other Ents who have decided not to fight, all it takes is one summons from Treebeard for them to re-assemble for battle. This is completely against their personality. Beyond that, the attack on Isengard was cool indeed. Upon a second viewing, I still feel this.

Faramir strays from his character in the book as Sam mentions. I do believe that the contrast in the book between himself and Boromir makes him a fantastic study and that he does become more like his brother in the movie. After seeing it a second time, though, I'm thinking the changes aren't so great and that he may be more like his character in the book than I first thought. While we lose much of the great dialogue and gain some extra points, such as going to Osgiliath instead of parting at the secret camp, Faramir never truly desires the ring for himself but rather wants to bring it to his father. This remains consistent with him trying to be what Boromir already was--the favorite son. His realization of what must be done with the ring just happens later than in the book. I do think they could have left it the way Tolkien wrote it but that would have made Sam and Frodo's part in the story much smaller.

Gollum was great but I wanted Sam's interaction with him to be a little more concrete. He knows that Gollum is trouble but never has too much to base that on other than the initial struggle for the ring. In the book, he overhears the arguments between Smeagol and Gollum and, while not knowing what is going on, suspects that things aren't right. Gollum also is worried about Sam because he feels him breathing down his neck. This tension is expressed in the movie but all it would have taken was to have Sam listening with one eye open to add a little bit of merit to his worries. Also, after watching a second time, I felt this wasn't quite so important but could have been easily done without any problems.

Where were the Huorns? One of the coolest scenes in the books is when the orcs retreat from Helms Deep into the forest that wasn't there. I do hope that Peter Jackson includes this in the next installment just as there are lots of bits from the Two Towers that will lead off Return of the King.

Aragorn really didn't need to go over the cliff into the river. I know, it extended the story of Arwen and what happened between them but was it really more effective to put that here rather than in the first movie? I just felt that the wandering horseman bit was a little contrived.

The portrayal of Wormtongue was great but I thought they could have shown how poisonous words could be by showing Theoden as less a puppet of Saruman and more just influenced by the venom of Grima's rhetoric. This still works, though, because of Saruman's voice and how it is portrayed in the movie and the book. Also, why make it Aragorn who allows Wormtongue to leave and not Theoden? What interest does Aragorn have in his living whereas, Theoden can show mercy for the service that was given.

I did have some other small gripes that disappeared for the most part in the second viewing and many have been mentioned already. Overall, I liked the movie quite a bit and think it will fit in well with the whole when it is finished.

Cool stuff:
The nod to the fallen Hama through his son at Helm's Deep.
The scenery!
Sting.
Gollum's facial expressions.

Ferrick