Is all the "magic" gone?

[The Saucepan Man]

The magic IS there. Maybe different to the books, but there all the same.

I do agree with you, Essex, that there is magic in the films. And I think that it is slightly different from, and not as strong as, that evoked by the books. I found it to be at its most intense when the films were at their closest to my own personal visualisation of Middle-earth. Two particular aspects of the films stand out in my mind: the appearance of the Eagles and the Sammath Naur scene (and its aftermath). I NEVER cry in films, and yet tears were streaming down my face at these points. For me, these moments were almost perfect.

I am not sure that the films created any "magic" of their own (other than the SFX wizardry ). But, for me, they do at certain points powerfully reflect the "magic" of the books, although it is just a reflection - not the "real thing".