[Garen LiLorian]

I think I'll add my voice to the general acclaimation of FotR. Although for me, sadly, the reason I liked it the best is because the changes didn't really change the story the way they did in the other two movies. I mean, yeah sure. I wondered why Aragorn could take out all those wraiths on weathertop and so forth, all the things that have been gone over and over. But the little changes happened and then the story got back on track. I suppose the exception to that is the cutting of the old forest and the barrow downs, but I was well aware of that ahead of time and it didn't bother me from a storytelling perspective either.

However, with the second two movies, many of the changes not only seemed extremely extraneous and not at all neccessary, but actually changed the story. (like the elves at Helm's Deep and all that Army of the Dead nonsense, just to name the two biggest offenders in my book) And it seemed like the more PJ changed, the more he had to change, too. The Faramir escapade leaps to mind to illustrate that, although the Army of the Dead is another example.

Also, there's the whole idea of nobility, which is my absolute biggest qualm with all the movies. No-one had the gravitas ascribed to them in the book, but the second two movies -and books- deal more with great and noble men, so perhaps it's just more visible there. Although I must say that Boromir, of all people, was probably the most noble character in the whole series of films.

I also totally agree with the point about the characters caricaturing themselves.

And I'm pretty sure honey doesn't go bad unless it's boiled. Isn't it famous for that? Didn't they find a stash of honey in a pharoah's tomb that was still good?