I fell asleep during the first LOTR film. As for other books vs. movies. I think the book can pack a lot more information than the film. With movies, you only got 2 hours (maybe more) to tell the whole story, whereas books can be as long as people want. I will say that if I read a book and I don't like it, I will not be paying money to go see the movie. Twilight is something I did read and hated, so I have absolutely zero interest in any of the films. I think that a lot of people's interest can get sparked from reading the book first, but there will always be those who will see the film because they loved the book, The only book based film that I have ever watched before reading the book was actually my favorite movie of all time: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The same with The Wizard of Oz. Both films are classics, IMHO, but they are based on books. Tons fo films were based on books, so Harry Potter, Narnia, Lord of the Rings, and Twilight are really nothing new.