I just saw a clip from LOTR Two Towers and I never got into LOTR and now feel like I lack some culture not having read any of it. I also haven’t watched any of the movies. I tried watching The Hobbit (first movie) but I didn’t understand any of it. Maybe it’s not for me? I like sci fi but not sure about phantasy. Can you understand each book without reading them in order? How many books are there? Is it still a trilogy?
I’d probably recommend starting with the LOTR movies. The books can be really dense - as a longtime fan of the movies, I’ve struggled to get through any of the books beyond The Hobbit, but that’s also bc I read that as a kid (it’s way easier and has a more playful prose writing style).
The Hobbit movies are bad. Shouldn’t have been a trilogy, and they went overboard with CGI and lore that isn’t included in the original book. Tolkien created more lore than you’ll find in most other fantasy worlds, but you don’t have to read everything to understand or enjoy what he built. You would have to read the LOTR trilogy in order for the sake of the plot, but The Hobbit and other stories are stand-alone.