0_Apprentice
Hey there!  I was really into The Lord of the Rings.  Both the books and the most recent movies are really good.
1_Wizard
The Lord of the Rings is an awesome epic high fantasy. J. R Tolkien is one of the best writers ever.
0_Apprentice
I agree!  I've enjoyed some of his other works as well, but the LOTR is his best work.  The movies were great too, they were perfect for the time and didn't overuse computer graphics like so many movies today.
1_Wizard
Yes, Hobbit was great too. It's actually from 1937!
0_Apprentice
I liked it as well, but the recent movie wasn't my favorite.  It looked great but seemed like it could have been done in one movie.
1_Wizard
The time setting in Hobbit is set in time "between the Dawn of Faerie and the DOminion of Men" which is really interesting. The whole plot is fascinating.
0_Apprentice
And I think Smaug is the best character.  Nothing like a classic, greedy old dragon.
1_Wizard
Yes, Smaug was a great character, but I do agree about the film series, they could've been better. The films were directed by Peter Jackson so i expected better from him.
0_Apprentice
I agree.  Again, the visual effects were pretty awesome, but the pacing seemed wrong to me.  Maybe we'll see another director tackle these projects in 20 years!  Hollywood loves to recycle stories after all.
1_Wizard
I actually think it was cool how The Battle of the Five Armies was released in New Zealand but it's surprising.