The fact that it takes forever to watch all three movies is part of the charm for me, and I think it is for others. It is something of a commitment that has to be planned for. I think it's similar to the tactile slowness of listening to a vinyl album vs. just pulling the songs up on your phone. The length of the movies necessitates a mini-ceremony and that itself becomes part of the fun. But it struck me that it's the kind of story that should seem like it takes forever. Like, getting through it and feeling like you've struggled a little bit to achieve something that at times feels impossible is very on theme. Fighting Sauron is hard and it feels like it takes forever and there's no guarantee that you'll actually make it to the end, even if you do somehow manage to make some progress sometimes. Your fellowship might break up. Hell you might not even have a fellowship to begin with. You might also be alone, in a place full of people who, if they saw you, would happily see you dead if not kill you themselves. You might have to be there for a long time, and it's gonna suck almost the whole time. That's what it can feel like when you're fighting Sauron.