Mom read these outloud to us when we were probably about 8 years old. When the first film was released in 2001, about all I remembered (crazily) was Gollum falling into the fires of Mount Doom with the Ring. So . . . since I knew the ultimate end of the ring, I went ahead and read the books before the other movies came out! I've not yet read "The Hobbit", as my sister read a couple of passages from it to me (I didn't want the movie ending spoiled) and it was rather "silly", compared to LOTR and the movies. One time I will, though. I prefer LOTR, but am nuts about all 6 films. My favorite movie all-around is "Desolation of Smaug". Never skip anything in that one and don't have parts I can't watch. However, ROTK is the one that gives me a glow when I think about it, as it was the one that we impatiently waited for all year!
Favorite Tolkien character:
Elrond. I loved Elrond from when Mom read the books aloud, and when he came on the screen for the first time, he totally fulfilled my imagination and did not leave me wishing for a change. Elrond is the tops!
After Elrond, I like Galadriel, Eowyn, Tauriel, Legolas, Arwen (particularly in the Flight to the Ford), and Fili.