[aragornreborn]

The movies aren't a bad thing. Are they an accurate representation of the books? Certainly not. But movies never are and never can be. What useful purpose do they serve then? You can't necessarily learn a whole lot about Middle Earth from just watching the movies. These movies are good because they expose people to Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings who might not otherwise hear of them. I heard the hobbit on tape and thougt it was good, and someone even gave me the Lord of the Rings for my birthday, but I never read it. I started, but I got bogged down at the beginning. Then I saw the movie. I read all three books in the next month and the Silmarillion and the Hobbit soon after that. What the movies do is they show a huge number of people what a great story the Lord of th Rings is. Some people no doubt will just simply watch the movies and be done with it. Some will probably start the books and maybe finish them, but will never become Tolkien fans. And others will become die-hard Tolkien fanatics. In any case, everyone has still heard of the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien, and Middle Earth. The movies are great in their own fashion, and the books are better. Those who just watch the movie have seen a great movie and know a little about the incredible world Tolkien has created. Others will be inspired to read the books and will get an even more incredible insight into Tolkien's magnificent creation.