I have had the pleasure of reading nearly a thousand fantasy books and stories, and Tolkien's attempt falls dreadfully short of originality or depth.

Tolkien 'created' the genre. Hard not to be original.
I agree that literature in general, and specifically the fantasy genre, has grown and developed, along with civilizations matureity, far beyond where it stood at the time Tolkien's works were written. However , ah to hell with it.