The changes WERE for a purpose...

Rating: 10/10 (23 December 2002)

First, Faramir. While you couldn't exactly say I'm HAPPY about the changes to Faramir's character, I do nevertheless understand and accept its necessity to the film. The Helm's Deep sequence is so incredible, it's utterly distracting from the Frodo side of the story, especially for the average viewer. PJ needed to concoct something that could compete with this, and creating doubt over the fate of the ring was the obvious choice.
All of the changes in this film improved the story in terms of drama and pacing. Any of you expecting a direct translation of the books obviously no nothing of film, or what makes film work best. You need to get into the real world, where people accept that the books are VERY difficult to translate into film, and extensive changes must be made.