It is a favourite of mine, as well. I love the way Tolkien has put so much time and care into creating a believable world. The Hobbits are awesome
As with all novels turned into movies, the movies don't do the books TOTAL justice because you just can't get ALL the details in the movies that you can in books... I think that's the major difference. A book can be pretty much as long as it wants, whereas a movie is sort of limited. I loved all the LOTR books, as well as The Hobbit... and I think the movies were done spectacularly.
I'm a huge fan as well. I've read every word written by Tolkien several times over. The book Simarillion is fabulous for giving a history to the Hobbit and LOTR Trilogy and telling us where the elves came from and all their drama. I love fantasy literature and this it at the top of my ranking for the genre. Also I think that the movies did a very good job portraying the settings and the monsters and heroes. Yes, movies are limited when enacting such detailed stories - but it was good eye candy!
when you compare lotr movies with other movies based on books, or other movies at all, you see how much effort did jackson put in it, those details, perfect setting (new zealand), great casting, everything. so, movie is great, books are great (all of them, including silmarillion, unfinished tales, hobbit),tolkien is great (both of them), just perfect lord of the rings world!
The best movie i have ever seen in my entire life. I saw the fellowship of the ring when i was 9 ( now im 20 ). After 10 minutes i knew it would be the best movie i will ever see. That is what i thought until the second part came and the third after it. The Hobbit is also pretty amasing. The books are quite breathtaking, with its natural world, free of all comerce things, its own unique way of things. Talkien's works have always amazed me, the languages he created and the new way of how a fantasy should be read/written/watched. I really would tattoo myself with something of the Lord of the Rings saga. Maybe the tree of Gondor on my forearm, or perhaps a nasgul on my back, my wishes are limitless P.S Can't wait for The Desolation of Smaug to come out.