[Lalaith]

One thing that no-one has mentioned is Theoden. A "kindly old man" in Tolkien, turned by PJ into a bitter, twisted loner. In the same way that PJ turned Faramir into Boromir-lite, Theoden, rather than providing a kindly, gentle contrast to the bitter Denethor, just becomes a rather less extreme version of him. Pah! (and that ridiculous exorcism scene)<BR>I also disliked the Merry/Pippin/Treebeard to-ing and fro-ing and Osgiliath, both of which slowed down the stream of narrative.<BR> <BR>Oh, and for what it's worth, I think PJ's beefed up Arwen by making her more like Luthien. And as the book says she is Luthien reborn, then that isn't so bad. <BR>But this 'Elrond's sent her to the havens' stuff was daft. And I so WISH they'd left Eowyn, and her relations with Aragorn, as Tolkien conceived them. <BR>But I did love surfing Legolas.