I have had a tendency in the past to gravitate towards the film versions due to my unwillingness to invest the time needed to read the book. I am trying to restore the balance in that equation at the moment though. As I study deeper into the topic of writing I am disciplining myself to read more, and even go back and read the book versions of films I enjoyed, to see how it works in novel format.

I think LotR capitised on the strengths of medium very well. With recent technological breakthroughs, a movie was able to be made that did seem to capture the true essence of that epic tale. So yes I agree with you on that one.

Thanks for sharing your views and experiences on this topic. I'm always curious how other people view this. It can be a polarising question.