[Elladan and Elrohir]

It's interesting that while PJ left the endings (last twenty minutes or so) of FOTR and ROTK completely untouched, he basically created a whole new ending for this movie. I like the new scenes, especially this one with Faramir. It's certainly closer to his book version than before, though he's not quite to the point of harmony that he'll reach in ROTK.

I like Gollum's story arc in this movie, even if it peaks at a different point from the book. In the book, Gollum's struggle is even more complex than in the film, and he turns evil once and for all on the Stairs of Cirith Ungol, due to Sam's roughness. In the movie (which of course doesn't get us to Cirith Ungol), the turning point comes when he is "betrayed" by Master to the evil punching kicking Men of the West.

As for the final Smeagol/Gollum conversation in the film, did you notice how almost all of it was ONE shot? As Gollum keeps moving further to the left and whispering to himself, the camera follows him and never once changes angles. It's not a slap-you-in-the-face-with-how-awesome-it-is shot like the sweeping Aragorn-Uruks shot at Amon Hen in FOTR, but it's still spectacular. Andrew Lesnie, the Oscar-winning cinematographer (and Grizzly Painter in "The Long and Short of It"), rarely gets enough credit for his fantastic work on the films.

The final shot, sweeping up through the trees for a view of the Dark Tower and Mount Doom, is perfect. And, of course, Gollum's Song is incredible, perfectly capturing his part of this movie and the next one.

So, was it better than FOTR? I'd have to say probably so, though it's a close call. But then again, considering that Jackson, like Tolkien, considers them to be merely volumes in one long saga, it's probably the wrong question to ask.