I personally think Helm's Deep was just as long as it needed to be. It's just not 45 minutes of blind, pointless battle. There is storytelling, character growth, and evolution in those 45 minutes. It's one of the most efficient and well created battle scenes in modern cinema.

As far as Legolas's action scenes, are you referring to the elephant? That one was CGI, but the scene of him sliding down the stairs on a shield was actually a practical effect done with wire work. The only CGI in that scene was the removal of the wires I believe.

Yes, Faramir's story is tragic but I think that's kind of the point of his story; isn't it?

The point of Faramir's story in the books is integrity in the face of great temptation. "But fear no more! I would not take this thing, if it lay by the highway. Not were Minas Tirith falling in ruin and I alone could save her, so, using the weapon of the Dark Lord for her good and my glory. No, I do not wish for such triumphs, Frodo son of Drogo." It's not supposed to be tragic in the book. What the GP comment was saying is "Poor Faramir, the movie took part of his integrity when they had him take Frodo and Sam to Osgiliath"

Legolas' shield stunt was over the top.

especially considering there were no elves there at all!

?

In the books the elves didn't come to support the men at Helm's Deep. The battle played a much smaller part in the books than it did the movies - probably because the middle one needed a climax.

Wait, Faramir suffered the identical fate in the novels, correct? My memory could be terrible.

In the books Faramir immediately rejected the ring and sent the Hobbits on their way - it wasn't a whole bunch of hand wringing. It radically changed his character.

IIRC, that Faramir plot was cut from the theatrical release and was only included in the extended version.

I think I sort of prefer showing him struggle with it and then make the right decision rather than just making the right decision easily. Resisting the temptation makes him more heroic.

Being tempted and resisting the ring is a already common theme in the whole book. I liked the depth they gave to Boromir in the movie, but Faramir defining characteristic, as opposed to his brother, is his immediate rejection of the ring.

There were a couple of scenes removed from the cinema version that showed his character a bit more, but that character was a huge departure from the book.

The main one was a flashback that shows his relationship with Boromir and the toxic effects of Denithor's favouritism.

The film made him look weak, violent and rash but in the books he was the polar opposite of all three.

In the theatrical release he takes them to Osgiliath, something he doesn't do at all in the books. His weird indecision was definitely in the theaters.

It did make him more human, so it's not entirely bad. In the books he, like Aragorn, is a paragon of humanity, straight up just better than the rest of us.