Read the book first.

Rating: Null/10 (22 November 2002)

I missed Farmer Maggot, Tom Bombadil, his wife and the Old Willow. Not to mention the High Elves that Frodo and Sam encountered on their long hike to Buckland. Admittedly though, Tom Bombadil was not instrumental to overall plot. However, knowing the original story it seemed rather strange when the weapons the Hobbits obtained in the Barrow-Downs adventure were substituted for some apparent junk that Strider just happened to be hauling around. I still enjoyed the movie, however. All the suspense, danger and action are there. Some folks might prefer the movie if for only one reason -- it simplifies the complexities of the book. Personally, I believe that one should read the book first.
Why read the book? So much supporting material is left out of the movie, you will have a better grasp on the movie after you read it. You will also appreciate why the movie was only three hours long!

First, it has to be said that the "Lord of the Rings" is three part story, NOT a trilogy. Tolkien describes everything in this story in the most minute detail. Throughout the book he often explains the story and past or future events using parenthetical commentary (sometimes without parentheses). Some have said that putting everything on film would have added thirty minutes more to the "Director's cut" (Jackson doesn't like the term). Personally, I believe it would have required two more hours. As someone else mentioned, Farmer Maggot is missing as a 'real' character along with Tom Bombadil and the Old Forest trek. Also missing is the passage of the many years that go by from Bilbo's departure until Frodo's. Lots of dialogue is missing. Parts two and three will be missing elements of the story, too.

Readers of LOTR will have a much better insight into the movie and enjoy it much more as well. Reading the book has helped me understand why the plot was changed and also helped me enjoy the movie as well. I've watched it so much now, my DVD's laser has nearly burned through the disk (for the non-techies, that's an attempt at humor).