I am not a LOTR fan, but watched this with my wife. It was ok. I pretty much liked it. Ep 6, the big battle was way too much of that, but whatever.
I read the Guardian article. It strikes me as trying to sound too cool, with its references to things. I have a friend like that. I freely admit you know more than I, but you're not helping me understand what you think.
A bunch of acting was bad, but it doesn't say who. Or how. Just that it was sherry-breathed community theater level. Nicely done. The faux-Irish folk are OTT, but I wouldn't call it bad acting. Kinda remind me of the Scots in Brigadoon.
I don't particularly like the stilted-portentious dialog that is the coin of the realm in these things, but that's me. "Sometimes the perilous way is the only road ahead," kind of bs, you know. Every thing has its vibe.
The lighting was bad? Seemed fine to me. Again, some examples would be a slight help. The fx were also bad. Which? How? They seemed amazing to me. (I am not really into fx though.) These are all comments I would have left on a student paper years ago -- you're making assertions that I as an unknowing reader can't accept without that vaunted thing called "support."