Further Ponderings on LOTR

OK, so I've been thinking some more on LOTR. I heard recently that the extended edition of ROTK is over 5 hours, which I think is good because there are quite a few important bits left out. I know that (spoilers for all the lamos who haven't bothered seeing it yet even though they're in N. America) the scouring of the Shire is left out completely, no matter the version. I think I might be able to live with that - but they didn't deal with Saruman at all, and there were some other scenes that begged explanation. For example, at the end we see Eowyn and Faramir together...how did this happen? Last we saw them, they were both on the brink of death. I think people who haven't read the book might be confused (or maybe not, as the case may be). As well, that is how the King is revealed (partly), since he plays a major role in saving them.

Another confusing scene is when Sam enters the orc stronghold - seconds before a fight has started between a few of the orcs but suddenly all of them are dead. ??? We miss out where Sam uses the ring - which I think is quite important. We come off with a much different impression of Sam, i.e. that he is untouched by the ring, and that he doesn't need it's powers to rescue Frodo.

All that aside, there were some great moments. Pippin's singing (and perhaps Aragorn's, although his is not as nice) comes to mind. I found that scene excellent, it really sets the mood of Denethor. As well, the speech given by Theoden (which is supposed to be given by Eomer, ahem) before the Rohirrim rides on the hosts of Mordor is perfect, and the touching of his men's spears is a nice touch. I might add, the horses looked great. Great battle armour, tack and standards. Much was missed in the battle, such as Eomer's brief madness when he learns of the King's death, but I still think this scene just prior to the battle is a good contrast between the determination and calm of the riders and the chaos during the battle. One other really good aspect of this film, I thought, is the score. Really well paced and it seemed very appropriate for each scene.

Lastly, I'm not really sure why Gollum shows up in the attack on Frodo. I can't really think of a reason to do that except maybe to make us sure that he is not feeling guilty anymore about sending Frodo to Shelob.