Bamboozled By My Book-Based Brain

[mollecon]

But the mere fact that some of you actually have to go back to the books to 'recall' speaks volumes about how good Jacksons adaption really is!

And quite frankly, I can't understand all the complaints. A movie & a book doesn't operate in the same manner, and given the limitations that Peter Jackson, after all, had to deal with, I think he did a very good job.

If you wanted the movies to follow the books closely, story wise - you wouldn't have had a movie, you would have gotten a TV-series (with corresponding cheap & cheesy special effects!) in 30 one hour parts...