More LOTR snobbery

What is it about the success of the second "Lord of the Rings" film (which I sadly have yet to see) that brings out the worst snobbish attitudes of the self-appointed "cultural elite"?

The stupid rant in The Times by an ivory-towered academic is a typical exampled, perfectly summed up by Andrea Harris:

Average price of ticket to see The Two Towers in the theater: US$7.50. Box office earnings of said film over its five-day debut: $75.1 million. Expression on the face of a postmodern academic who realizes that none of the theories of Deconstruction that he devoted his life to have made any impression on society: priceless.

Personally I loved it when a bookshop poll a few years back nominated Lord of the Rings as the greatest novel of all time, and seeing the critics like the odious Tony Parsons aghast.

Of course, The Onion has it's own take. (Link from Dave)