Let me clarify: I like the eyeball spotlight thing because of how else it could have been. Just think of all the
other ways PJ could have portrayed Sauron... I won't even go into detail, but think along the lines of a really big ringwraith with a very deep voice and sparkly powers.
Personally, I never thought of the Eye as being a tangible thing... I always saw it as his "inner eye", so to speak. Sauron's power, in concentrated form. His spiritual side more than anything... so when I first saw an actual firey eye floating above Mordor... Needless to say I was shocked. But after I got used to it, it started to make a bit of sense. Of course...
We , as dedicated Tolkienites (ie: obsessive addicts) could have done a better job...
Fea