To compensate, they had the terrible Faramir deal. Frodo and Sam had
nothing to work with so they make Faramir into a supposedly huge threat: which is not exciting and the whole affair totally demeaned Faramir. What a woeful character he turned out to be. He barely came off better than that blonde guy who says:
"It is as the Lord Denethor predicted; long has he foreseen this doom!" 
And let me tell you, that guy did not come off well.
O, and Helm's Deep was stretched out way too far. My mother was absolutely sick of it. Not everyone likes battles. Now, I agree that the battle should have been the centrepiece of the movie, but it should not have
consumed the story like it did.