I used to think this, but as much as I love the LOTR films, I wouldn't call them better. I think they're masterful films which make the most of telling the story in a cinematic medium (albeit with many changes). My biggest problem with them is something that another person mentioned, that they fall into the trap of reducing certain characters (like Gimli) to comic relief. I also thought Faramir's movie characterization suffered in comparison to the book, and I remember the Shelob sequence being far scarier in the book than in the film. The movies are still excellent, with terrific casting, production value, and a clear love for the story. And Howard Shore's music.

The book, meanwhile, makes the most of being essentially an epic myth. It's been several years since I've read it, but thinking back on it, I think the book gives a sense of just how much time passes over the course of the story, making Middle Earth feel that much more like a real world in which these people inhabit, real people whose lives were disrupted by the One Ring.