saureg u got the jump on me for your point.
there was such an anticipation by the time FOTR came out, and then PJ came through so well on it - just awsome. the 2nd and 3rd movies came and i wasnt dissapointed, but to me (and of course theres really no way around it) the adaptation work of PJ came through more. Thats when I, as a Tolkien fan, thought oh - i would do this and that different... but the FOTR was a wonderfull introduction to the movie trilogy for both the hard core fans and the complete newbies.
As for style, i do agree with this thread. There was a sense of grace that wasnt relayed to the 2nd and 3rd....