Now I'm curious - what "modern takes" have you read? I'm of the opinion that LoTR fucked up fantasy the same way Star Wars fucked up sci fi, but there are a few bright lights.
Just Dungeon & Dragons and associates, plus of course the movies. As well as vague awareness of like, video game plots & tropes. What struck me the most was how LotR was very anti-war in a lot of ways which absolutely does not carry over. I can completely agree it was like Star Wars, especially in that: Star Wars (4 at least) was good! It had an incredible aesthetic that I fell in love with instantly, the story is simple and nice, every line is iconic. But more Star Wars just isn't that interesting and it did seem like everyone was trying to make their own worse version for a while at least.