There aren't that many films where its virtually true that everybody will have seen them, Nerd, and a high proportion can be expected to come again for an extended version. I'd say this is one of them.

Gimli? What I mean is the whole relationship between Gimli and Legolas, their mutual antagonism growing into friendship, together with Gimli's being smitten with Galadriel courtly love style, which is another side of his changing understanding of the elves all of which is virtually removed, and the balance is spoiled. It's an important theme in the book, the relationship between the different peoples of Middle Earth. I gather that the DVD does actually have some of this back, and I look forward to seeing it some time.

Yeah, Tom Bombadil and Goldberry - and all the stuff associated with it are a sad loss. But really to get it all in they'd have needed to make the film twice as long, with a separate film for each of the books - and with two books in each volume that would have been rather a project. (The Gimli Legolas stuff in contrast only really needs a couple of scenes and no special effects.)