I've been a fanatical fan of the books for about 35 years, and though there are some grand liberties taken in the films, I thought they were, overall, a magnificent accomplishment. My personal imagery from many readings prior to seeing the movies is solid and will never be supplanted by Jackson's. Nevertheless, I think the films represent one of the definitive cinematic accomplishments of my lifetime, and sport some very fine acting, sets, costumes, and special effects as well. Personally, I'm very grateful to Peter Jackson and the entire crew for what they've offered up.