The only four divergences from the book (maybe three) that really bothered me were
1 Gandalf not running back to Isengard to kick Saruman & Grima's asses (especially since the Scouring of the Shire is going to be cut out, so I hear.)
2 Aragorn's weird little death subplot (although it did bring Arwen and Elrond back into the picture so I understand why they did that.)
3 Faramir's character getting rewritten (now it looks like the line of the Stewards of Gondor are just a bunch of @ssholes)
and this may or may not count as 4, given 3 above; Frodo Sam and Gollum being taken to Dethenor.
Basically, I would've preferred to see a lot more between Frodo, Sam and Gollum so the focus stayed on the ring more and less on the battle scenes. Except for Helm's Deep and Isengard, this ought to have been the character-heavy movie, where we really get to worrying about the fates of the people and the world, and not so much the action-packed adventure. Also, if it was up to me, I wouldn't have shown the battle with the Balrog - just let Gandalf stay all mysterious about it.
Don't get me wrong, though - the movie was quite kick ass! I just thought the first one was about flawless, and this one had some minor flaws. And hey - they improved on the flawless FotR in the extended DVD version, so I expect they'll do the same for TTT.
Red5Angel may now punch me.
All my fight strategy is based on deliberately injuring my opponents. -
Crippled Avenger
"It is the same in all wars; the soldiers do the fighting, the journalists do the shouting, and no true patriot ever get near a front-line trench, except on the briefest of propoganda visits...Perhaps when the next great war comes we may see that sight unprecendented in all history, a jingo with a bullet-hole in him."
First you get good, then you get fast, then you get good and fast.