Yeah, there's no question that Tolkien's writing is a little hackneyed when it comes to plot and drama. But he's a master world-builder, which is why so many people have fallen in love with his Middle Earth. A lot of Tolkein's inspiration came from mythology, which is full of unlikely coincidences and actual godly interventions. I think if you want to appreciate the movies, you need to keep that perspective in mind and appreciate the world and history and characters, and hopefully forgive some of those deus ex machina moments. If you can't forgive those things, that's totally understandable, but it'll make it difficult to get into the spirit of the story.
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