You should read book before you will make sarcastic comments about LOTR doh! I tell ya mate, J.R.R Tolkien created beautifull world, full of life, full of secrets, magic, good and evil, LOTR is just small piece of this world. Actually it is just short episode of all Middle Earth mythology. Silmarilion describing Middle Earth better and more complex.
About movie - I think that Jackson did good job, unfortunatelly he couldn't show ALL plot, cuz movie then would take around 11 hours every part Anyway - ring was just a symbol doh, symbol of power in wrong hands at beggining. Mind you, LOTR was created in WW2 times, you can see few analogies there. Sauron (Hitler), ring (german war industry) etc.
PS. Harry sux