Well, tolkien was one of the first proponents of fantasy, and since it IS a fantasy, that in itself creates a sort of escape for its readers.
As for the characters being so human, having over-buffed characters, (not necessarily physically, though) aren't really what I buy into. Keeping the characters as human as possible in any fantasy can make the whole thing appealing in its humility. And it keeps that balance of the 'escapism' in a constant reality check through a huumble character in a world that's so unfamiliar.
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