Another ace thread recovery from before my time!
Well, I was a fan long before the films, and I have to say that although I was terrified of seeing them, I was also excited. To my relief, I found they were great films. I can't, however, comment on the BarrowDowns pre-films as I didn't even have internet access back then, and when I did, I found this site quite by accident. I loitered for a while and found to my pleasure that it wasn't 'inane' like so many other Tolkien discussion forums.
Personally, I have nothing at all against the films and the new readers they've brought onboard. After all, a new reader is one who is fresh to the books and still possessed of that special, wide-eyed and fanatical new-found enthusiasm. If truth be told, I'm quite jealous of new readers...I wish I could read it all with fresh eyes again. The amazing experience of my first read will never leave me.
Some topics may come around again, but I think that's a good thing, after all, some of those who have been long-time members may have fresh input to make or have a change of heart. And I just cannot conceive of running out of things to say about Tolkien.
I refer to the 1990s as the dark-ages for a Tolkien fan, when it was considered uncool and it was nigh on impossible to find someone to discuss Tolkien with on a regular basis. Everyone was seemingly 'in the closet', so to speak. Like a Viking invader, Peter Jackson swept across all of this bringing widespread acceptance and a whole new audience. And like the Vikings, whether he was brutal or came in peace, well that's open to debate.
