Is all the "magic" gone?

[Son of Númenor]

(welcome to the Downs, by the way)

Thanks, I am really enjoying it.

When we read the books, we are free (subject to the descriptions given) to imagine the characters, places and events portrayed ourselves. We create the vision.

Exactly! Like, I even pictured Sauron as a humanoid instead of a big eye.

Sorry, PJ, that was a cheap shot.

But really, I guess I just have to come to grips with the fact that Mr. Jackson's vision isn't exactly the same as my own. I say not exactly the same as my own because actually, in many parts his movies showed me Middle-earth in just the way I had imagined or better. Minas Tirith & Lothlórien, for example, looked exactly how I pictured them, & PJ's Helm's Deep vastly improved on my own rather sketchy image of the battle. In those cases, as well as with the portrayal of characters like Gandalf, Boromir & Samwise, the magic really shined through.