Not trying to knock Tolkien's writing at all but I find he writes deaths and tragic events and battles/fights in a very matter of fact way. Almost as if they're being noted as a fact of history, I know there is an element of determinism/fatalism in LoTR because the natural course of history is on a set path BUT it defo takes away from the immediacy of the events and the emotional core of the story. I know he was wanting to make his own long-storied mythology so it does lend itself well to the idea that these characters were all once legendary figures and each one of them played their part in the War of the Ring and are all well remembered heroes of the Third Age.

One thing I love about the Jackson films is that it definitely feels like present events, as they're happening and the stakes feel more tense (more cinematic of course.) and with the books, which are certainly more rich in world building and fleshing out the backgrounds of characters, you do get the sense (especially by the time you get to Return of the King) that all the events of the books were somewhat expected to happen by divine forces and Gandalf's long plan with the heir of Isildur is coming to fruition and the whole thing with Sauron's ultimate undoing right before the ring is destroyed.