I think the key for me to enjoying the movies was to separate them from the novels and view them on their own, almost as if they were original stories. Being a big Tolkien fan, who read LOTR for the first time at 12 and about 8~10 times since, this wasn't an easy thing to do. When I first saw the Fellowship of the Ring in the theater and saw Hobbiton brought to life for the first time, it filled me with a sense of joy and giddiness that I hadn't felt since childhood. The series had always been close to my heart, and there it was suddenly, before my eyes, very much as I'd pictured it.
But very quickly, things started to happen:
~ Pippin & Merry setting off fireworks? Seriously?
~ What? Three months after the party and he's leaving?
~ Huh? He's not selling Bag End?
~ Hello, where's Farmer Maggot? And Fatty Bolger?
~ Bree? What??? Where's the Old Forest? Did I fall asleep?
My wife, who was sitting next to me, was killing herself laughing, for reasons I didn't understand. She later told me it was simply watching the wide range of emotions passing my face: From wonder to horror to dejection to anger to disbelief. And back again.
This inevitably happens with nearly any movie one watches after having first read the book. And I understand it because there are some things that simply don't translate well from the written word to on screen action. Things don't flow and directors and and producers and studios are always worried about 'losing' the audience. And regrettably, while attempting to make an enjoyable motion picture, those who are fans of the books, come away rather disgruntled.
One of the worst examples I can think of (Although Clive Cussler (Sahara) would disagree) was the movie Contact from back in the late 90s. Taken on it's own, Contact was good movie. And I thought Jodie Foster was well casted in the part of Ellie. But the message, indeed, the entire purpose of the book, penned by Carl Sagan, was completely lost by that bit of butchery the screen writers performed. I was so disgusted, I nearly walked out of the theater. But I just had to keep telling myself not to compare the two. (It was also for this reason, that I've seen all the Potter films but never thought to read the books)
Anyway, what I'm getting at, is I realized this and tried my damnedest to watch The Two Towers and Return of the King and take them as movies and not to compare them to the books. And when I did that, I found I enjoyed them much more. I even held off re-reading the stories during the years that the movies were being produced so that it wasn't too fresh in my mind.
The elves showing up in Helm's Deep still got a strangled gasp out of me. Followed my a whispered "It's just WRONG!" Anyway, I intend to do the same with The Hobbit, least I come away disappointed from what I'm sure will be an excellent film. 👍