Most of your points seem to be the "logical" thing to be done for a film (or pair of films) but I really wish he'd stick closer to the text this time around. I like the idea of Bard having a girlfriend or love interest, but not Aragorn and Arwen meeting then. And although your point about Legolas probably having met Gandalf earlier, I don't want ol' Orlando in this one... no more rabid Leggy fangirls, thank you.
