I think Unlimited Bladeworks does suffer a little bit from not changing enough when adapting it though, you made a good point about certain characters seeming to lose their relevance, but I also think some of the pacing and a bit of the setting is messed up by its visual novel routes.
Like for example, the climax is really the stuff with Archer, but they continue for quite a while after that with something which is basically a cheaper redo of that Archer confrontation. And whilst the Fate/Stay setting is about a fighting tournament, the Unlimited Bladeworks arc (which you can only play for after you've completed the VN once already, right?), really isn't about a fighting tournament. Absolutely no-one in Unlimited Bladeworks seems to care that they're stuck in a fight to the death, and none of the contestants care about winning.
The stuff with Archer is great though, and wow is it an attractive looking anime.
Tomwithnonumbers,
I agree that, in many ways, the real climax was the confrontation with Archer, but the final battle with Gilgamesh did serve to deal with the last of the villains, increase the stakes (Gilgamesh essentially wants a more "successful" repeat of the incident that orphaned Shirou, something Shirou obviously doesn't want to happen) and bring the Grail War to an end, so I'm more hesitant to call it a "cheaper redo" of the battle with Archer.
The Archer fight is a conclusion of his own conflict. The final fight in UBW is supposed to be about Shirou's own personal resolution of his ideal, and how it differs from Archer.
However, this is made somewhat obsolete through the anime's decision to incorporate about half of Answers (the route's epilogue only accessible through the True (Rin only) ending) onto the Archer fight, as well as adding the "rising sun" scene to the end.
In the Gilgamesh fight (VN at least), you are shown Shirou truly understanding his ideal, the nature of his ability, and his own personal Reality Marble (and Unlimited Blade Works chant) for the first time, which is a clear sky at dawn, in contrast to Archer's smoggy, mechanical gear at dusk.
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A worthy series on its own merits
Adaptations tend to be judged in comparison to the original work, and not whether certain aspects of them are good or bad story decisions in and of themselves. Unlike some of the other reviews, I will focus on whether the Unlimited Blade Works anime is a good series by itself, and in a word, it is.
Fate/stay night is a Visual Novel about seven mages and their servants battling it out for the control of the Holy Grail. This series adapts the Unlimited Blade Works route, in which Shirou falls in love with his fellow MasterRin, as he fights alongside her.
The as a good amount of twists and turns, which help keep things interesting. There isn't quite as much of the backstabbing, scheming and intricate planning as in Fate/Zero, but it's enjoyable to see various characters' plans come into conflict with those of others. Through it all, the tone is fairly dark, but things are never absolutely hopeless, and while characters often pay the price for their ideals and principles, having them is not necessarily considered a bad thing.
The animation quality is top notch, leading to some excellent fight scenes. The soundtracks also are of similar quality, which nicely adds to the experience.
The characters are generally nicely fleshed out, well developed and given good reasons behind their actions. Unfortunately, you may notice that many of those from the high school segment disappear from the story before long. While this is mostly a case of Shoo Out the Clowns, if you saw Fate/Zero(or read the original VN) you'll know that Sakura is much more significant than Shirou's kouhai and frequent houseguest, but doesn't get to do much here. Part of the problem is that she mainly features in Heaven's Feel, and it's difficult for adaptations of visual novels to cover other routes, but it seems like a wasted opportunity, considering that there are a few hints about Sakura being Rin's sister.
Speaking of the visual novel, I'm familiar with it to some degree, but haven't played through it enough to judge the anime's faithfulness as an adaptation, but believe that this anime is excellent on its own merits. If you're looking for a place to start with the Fate/stay night series, or for an entertaining anime series, Unlimited Blade Works is well worth your time.