Movies, books, or both

[Wren]

I was just wondering how you discovered Tolkien, whether it was through his books or his movies.

I first read the books, and then saw the movies.

[Avathar]

Read the books 3 times, then saw the movies.

[Zaaya]

Read the books countless times and have FotR, FotrEE, TTT and am getting TTTEE. I am *points at self* and obsessive tolkien fan since the Hobbit when I was 7.

[piñata]

My first introduction to Tolkien was when I was a little kid (maybe five or six) and saw an animated version of ROTK. I remember Gollum scared the snot out of me, but I remember very little else, and I had no idea it was affiliated with LOTR at all (remember, at the time I was extremely young). I eventually forgot all about it, except for some vague memory of a very scary dream I had when I was a little boy about a creature named Gollum.

Not knowing that this was the first part of the story I had already seen the conclusion to, I went to see FOTR when it came out at the theatres because, well, I love movies with swordfights in them. The movie changed my life -- it was one of the best films I had ever seen, and I knew I HAD to read the books -- so I bought them the next day. By the time TTT had come out at the theatres, I had read each of them twice, and was starting on FOTR for the third time.

So basically, that's how I became a Tolkien fan. My apologies for the length.

[Wren]

Ah, I saw that movie too, but I was a little older than you, twelve I think. I saw the Lord of the rings at a slumber party, none of the other girls seemed too impressed with it, but the dad seemed to enjoy it.

The Return of the king was quite a bit better, but there is no comparrison with the animated version and the new versions.

[Isolde]

Hmmm....I think I saw some rendition of one of Tolkien's novels when I was little. I think it was The Hobbit, because I remember a lone hobbit walking down a tunnel. That must've been Bilbo in the Misty Mountains. That was about it--I didn't care for it. I was maybe five.

I saw the previews to FoTR and thought Arwen was Frodo's girlfriend, just by the way they had edited it. And I was jealous. I thought the 'little curley haired dude' as I put then was really hot.

Then my mom had the books and I tried to read them. I wasn't much into reading in the good old days so I maybe got twenty pages into the first one and gave up.

I actually even watched the movie on accident. My grandmother asked me what movie I wanted to rent, and the first thing that came to mind was 'The Lord of the Rings'. I watched the movie, and as Phil would say it was a changing day. I liked reading from then on a lot and was obessed with the movie. I would just watch it over and over again. I've read the books about three times.

So yeah that's about every Tolkien experience I've had in my entire life. I talk way too much.

[Wren]

You don't talk to much, Isolde! Its fun seeing how other people have come to discover Tolkien. I was nine when I first read the hobbit. My mom gave me the book for Christmas. She had intended reading it to me, but I didn't give her the chance.


Then the next year I read the Lord of the Rings. When the movies came out, it was so exciting. Of course there were a couple of disappointments. *cries * I missed seeing the Old Forest, Oldman Willow, Tom Bombadil, and Goldberry.

But it so worth it, seeing the scenery, and the people larger than life.

[Red]

I have both read and seen

mY first exposure to Tolkien was when I was 5, or maybe 4.......and my dad read me the Hobbit. I remember I could barely read, and I often had to stop him and ask,
"What's happening?" Because I didn't understand. I loved it, and when I was about 2, or maybe 3......years older, my dad read it to me again, and I understood! Then I read it to him, and I read it myslef last year, or maybe the year before.......and memorized all the riddles and thier answers. I can't do it any more. I had also watched the animated Hobbit somewhere in there, and I still love thAT movie!
But, about 1 month before the first movie came out, I statred reading the first book, and was at Moria when i went and saw it. I remember, I was stuck 10 WHOLE DAYS at the council of Elrond, and my friend took about 2. I loved the movie, and in the very beginning, I couldn't tell Aragorn and Boromir, and Merry and Pippin apart. They are as different as light and day today, but when you first go and see it, they look a lot alike.
I then read TTT in 12 dyas, and ROTK in 6? or was it 7......
And as you can see, I have no clue of dates or length of days. They all just kinda blend together after a while.

[ereinion]

I read the books first, then saw the movies, and GRR on the movies! I was so upset at all the things that were messed up! Please, no excuses for the movies, I've heard them all and don't want tp type out rebuttals.

[Enelya]

It was the first book i read in Egnlish it was scary stuff, the orcs frightened me!

[DarkAngel]

I read the book a bit too early for me to understand the meanings of some words. The movies lacked a couple of things that I would have like to have seen in it.

[Enelya]

I thought in general though the movies were good esp in comparison to Jacksons other attempts at direction I didn't think very much of "Heavenly creatures"

[gilrandir]

I saw the movies then read the books. I likely wouldn't have discovered the books if not for the movies.