I read the first book when I was a teen. It bored me, was depressing, and didn't make sense. I haven't had any interest in the movies because of that.

I agree that LOTR is great. There were a few issues with the movies, generally where the movies split from the book and ruined characters, but over all it was great. My son asked for the extended version for Christmas, so we got to watch it over his Christmas break from college. It was enjoyable.