[Iris Alantiel]

Even though I'm totally biased, I'm going to say that Sean Astin deserves more credit. There is only one character that I couldn't deal with seeing them get wrong, and that was Sam: I seriously would have cried if they had made mistakes with him, since he's always been my favourite. But I thought Sean was a brilliant Sam, and, like the real Sam, he so often gets overlooked in favour of Frodo.<P>Also, I think Miranda Otto did an excellent job of Éowyn. She's a much more complex character than, say, Arwen, I think, and Miranda really brings those complexities out so well. I was heartbroken that the Houses of Healing were left out and the relationship between Faramir and Éowyn (and her sudden lack of feelings for Aragorn) went unexplained, but that's not her fault. <P>Lastly, I thought Dominic Monaghan and, even more so, Billy Boyd really shone in RotK. That scene when Gandalf is taking Pippin to Gondor and he and Merry get separated was incredibly moving. I think it's particularly great how Pippin shows growth and emotional depth, but still keeps his fun, lovable, hobbit-like side, and I think that's something that's so hard to portray convincingly.