If you read the books you know the movie has little relationship to them,
other than some of the names are the same.

One of the stars of these films, is Middle Earth itself. The film makers did a
great job of capturing the essence of it.

The first 30 minutes of the
first movie was good. It then became apparent artistic license took over.

I used to be a purist too. I gave it up.
Nothing equals the books. Far more depth than a film could do. So if you want
to walk in Middle Earth, look to the books.

john