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I've been reading this for the millionth time recently - may I now declare my undying love for both the book and the film trilogy.

Other LOTR lovers - join me in this love fest.

That is all.

More of a Harry Potter fan myself.

You can get the LOTR Extended Edition on Blu Ray (15 Discs) in Tesco (subject to availability) for £30 which is a bargain as it's normally £42 - £55 elsewhere

Oh and i've just started to read the LOTR again after last reading the 3 around 20 years ago. It feels like i've never read them before :D

You are in for a treat.

First read it sometime in the 60's....it represented something of a Damascene conversion for me....I'd always been a typical football and fighting Swindon boy, going to Park meant girls from the estates, willing, but often having hard lives. 

I'd noticed a few middle class girls who carried the book around...some were good looking so thought as I could read, I'd give it a go....not exactly the key to opening a whole new world, but it did help.

Up until the film, I'd re-read it every 5 years or so....

I read them again after a gap of about 10 years since I read them first time around, just before the films came out.

I think the films did a fantastic job of translating the book to the screen and some of the scenes were exactly as I'd imagined them when reading the book, but that's Tolkein being brilliantly descriptive.

I believe The Hobbit is in production and due out at some point, should be interesting when it comes out to see if it reached the standard of the trilogy as I don't believe it's Jackson directing it.

The guy who played Tim in The Office is playing Bilbo Baggins.

Ironside - initially it was going to be Guillermo Del Toro - but now Jackson is directing it.  I'm very excited, but a bit worried that my expectations are so high.

Ah, I see, I remember their being some "problems" with it but couldn't rmember what they were.  If Jackson is directing then it should be equally as true to the book as the trilogy.

I actually preferred the Hobbit it some ways.

I haven't read any of the books. I'm a disgrace. However, I have recently made a bit of a commitment to try and read more, rather than wasting time on here/facebook/twitter. 3 books that definitely should be added to the 'to read' list.

Haven't read the books but love the films. It's about time I did.

The Hobbit as a book is a lot more enjoyable to read in some ways - I suppose its less "epic".  It will be interesting to see how the films play out (they are doing it in two parts).  I can't get over my obsessive love of LOTR though.

Read the The Hobbit first.

In fact, read as much Tolkein as you can get your hands on, he really does inspire your imagination.

One does not simply walk into Mordor

I seem to remember reading the hobbit many years ago - worth revisiting though I'm sure!

refused to watch LOTR for years, but i got in one day to the missus watching it, i thought, meh, i'll let her watch it and i'll just faf about on the laptop, play FM or something, but within a few minutes i was hooked, Watched the next 2 over the following 2 nights. Not what i expected at all.

She thinks she can get me to watch harry potter next, fuck that. There is a line.

I am a fan of LOTR and Hobbit and have read them at least 5 times each, not for years though.  I have also read the Silmarillion (Sp)

The LOTR films are indeed as close as they could have got to the books I believe and I am hoping that the Hobbit is as good.

 Back in the very early 80's when PC's were just beginning, I used to have a game The Hobbit, for the Spectrum.

It was proper ace...and allowed me to waste time on it, when being stuck in rather than the previous being out, after having kids.

The quality is laughable now....but at the time seemed cutting edge.

Here's a site http://www.play-roms-online.net/online-spectrum-games/the-hobbit   

where it looks like you might be able to play it today.....not sure if an fB style Granny's Garden thing could be done on here, but it might lure JFW, now her head's been turned by impending nuptuals.

BTW....saw fB t'other day, so he's still alive.

I was going to say the exact same thing Reg but didn't want to appear dim, having not read the books! I played it on a Commodore 64 computer!

Well, quite close. Still misses a lot of stuff from the books, especially the ending. I do think LotR is a lot truer to the book than a lot of other book-to-film adaptations.

Spot on.  It's not 100% like the book, but books just don't translate into films like that.  It is close to as accurate as it could be. 

Basically - the book is the best book ever written.  The film trilogy is fucking brilliant.

Also, if you are looking for more Tolkien - as someone said before the Silmarillion is great.  The Children of Hurien is very good too.

I agree. i think thats twice I've agreed with you now - worrying

I've watched the first hour of the first film, three times. I can't get into it.

No, shit Watson.

(actually he was very good, but that doesn't fit).

I'm similar-ish. Perhaps it's because from the moment friends started to see them, nearly everyone has told me how amazing they are both sides of my watching of them. I think I've watched all 3, definitely the first 2, and I don't plan to watch them again. I know when I've seen them on TV, I have looked for other things to watch.

I would like to give them another chance, because visually they're clearly spectacular, but on first viewing they failed to live up to the years and years of hype I was fed - they actually left me a bit bored. (Saying they left me a bit bored to fans also made me feel cool.)

I may be commiting a crime here but i've never seen them! Doesn't each film go on for 3 hours? I've been watching a few books sets recently. Do you have to read the books first to get the film or is the film that detailed you can get away without reading them?

last night I dreamt I was chasing a hobbit, but I was only Tolkein in my sleep

So bad i had to read it twice!

I'm kind of the same in that everyone has bigged it up so much it would undoubtedly be a let down if i ever did see it. Add to that I struggle to stay attentitive all the way through a normal length film, one that takes 3 hours to watch would just not happen.

I've not read the books either, because i'm not a square 8)

Took my kids to watch it when it came out at cinema - last about an hour before I fell asleep - not bothered watching any more since!  I did read The Hobbit to my daughter and quite enjoyed that though.

Hobbit part 1 is due in Dec 2012

That's what I meant, the film would have to be 6 hours long to be absolutely true to the book. (and I mean each film to each part, not the whole book obviously because that is already over 6 hours!)