Thanks to all of you who are participating. Now with that out of the way...
Hope that it came across that I
did like the prologue. Surely it was changed from the books, and there was some silliness, but it worked. PJ states in the commentaries that he wanted a 'James Bond-like' opening, and I think that he made the right choice. You are grabbed from your seat and dragged into Middle Earth. Gandalf and Frodo could have talked about the defeat of Sauron over cupcakes and tea in the comfort of Bag End, but to see it (and to get it out of the way) to me was the better way to go. One thing that I've learned through examining the films is that there's always a clock running, and you need to 'get it done' within a specified amount of time. Also, there's pacing - too slow, and your audience (in the theater) starts finding that their seats aren't really that comfortable; too fast, and you lose most viewers (as an example of the later, see the theatrical release of "Dune" by David Lynch circa 1984 where a six-hour movie was hacked down to two. Huh?).
Still think that Cate Blanchett's voice was the best choice, irregardless of her role in the film. A man's voice, presumably deeper, may have sounded more evil or (worse) more earthy. Sean Astin might not have been able to add the 'mysterious' quality to the narration, and some viewers may have gotten the first impression that ME was not a fantasy world. Tough choice, but PJ made the right one.
Note that there's no significance to the 'ne-eyed' soon-to-be wraith, but on the other hand, why was such a small detail added? There's no way anyone saw it during his/her first viewing, yet it's there. Was it added on a whim ("Ehh...make one of the Nine one-eyed...") or so that you'd pick up on it subconsciously, seeing that men are not perfect and subject to perils of the world.
The greenness that I see in the battle is just during the wideshot where you see the Elves and men off in the distance. They appear as a green mold on the surface of the moon. Of cource I see the other colors too, but to me the green was deliberate, and think that somewhere that's talked about in the DVD appendices.
Though I too saw that the orcs were attacking using a loose wedge formation, still the orc line must meet with the elven one exactly as the swords are being swung. Note that I've never considered shredding my DVDs over *this* scene...
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And I agree that PJ had to make some comprises in regards to what happens in Sauron's final moments, but it still doesn't work for me. Why did he reach with his Ringed hand? Where was his mace? Again, why was he reaching for poor Isildur? Concerning the number of fingers that Sauron looses, I wouldn't care if he lost all ten ("Argh...no fingers! I must then assume the form of an eye..."), but just thought that he's thought to have nine remaining - was there talk about Sauron fighting Aragorn in ROTK, and that this walking Sauron would have nine fingers? Maybe that's where I got it. Anyway, we'll see if there's some mention later in the movies.
And you know that I still don't have my books (even the Hobbit!), but from memory thought that Isildur tries to swim the Anduin, and is shot by orcs. Doesn't Ohtar bring the shards of Narsil back to Rivendell? If so, then why would Isildur yield this, and only this item, yet retain his armor? Again, my memory is failing, but thought that other items were also brought by Ohtar, yet these other things were lost in the countless years. Isn't there a line somewhere like "we kept the shards of Narsil though other relics were lost?" To me, Isildur in the books was no fool, not like his counterpart in the movie (though I understand PJ's change), and so would not attempt the river in weighty armor.
And if he retains his armor, as I assume he does in the movie (it's really hard to tell as it seems to me that he's robed as he floats on the water), then how do all of the arrows hit? I'd be looking for a refund. Anyway...
And please, we can talk about the book vs film differences as long we try to consider 'why' the difference exists. Was it due to lack of time, did it slow the pacing, did PJ think that he needed to simplify a concept, did he just decide to insert himself ("This is MY film, not JRRT's!") or did he just goof it? Let's not cut short the discussion.