I really enjoyed Gollum. His character actually inspired a variety of emotions. But in the end, I felt a mix of disgust and pity, which is exactly as I imagine should be the final product.
There was not enough of anything. My complaint is mostly in regards to Merry and Pippin, but the same goes for the Ents in general. I was not too troubled by Faramir's changes, although I do agree that he did not reflect the same character as Tolkien wrote of. But the trip to Osgiliath definitely assisted in painting a picture of Gondorian desperation. There was a lot missing in terms of the book to the movie: Shelob's Lair, The Voice of Saruman, The Palantir, etc. I imagine some if it will be moved to the RoTK, but it will have to be shortened in order to fit everything that happens in that section of the trilogy. I guess I'm an addict, so short of a 6 hour TTT - I knew I would feel shortchanged.
The Oliphants were bigger than I imagined. I loved Gimli's jokes. I wasn't too happy with Legolas surfing down the stairs. I thought the flying Nazgul were perfect and the Eye of Sauron was pretty well developed. The Black Gate was awe inspiring, without a doubt. The rejuvenation of Theoden was excellent and made the vileness of Wormtongue all the more apparent. Eowyn was lovely and I found that Miranda Otto really understood her, the frustration of loving Aragorn and even the Warg attack - you could see how badly she wanted to fight.
OK, I'll post more thoughts as they come. But all in all, I loved it and can't wait to see it again!
Maybe not, Ruthy! If you look at the actual STORY in RoTK, it is not the full book. At least 1/3rd of the book is Appendices, so I think PJ will have plenty of time to cover all those things you mentioned!