Full Metal Jacket: Overrated Piece of Propaganda?

Okay, so I finally caved and watched Full Metal Jacket. Everyone's always going on about how Kubrick this and Vietnam War commentary that it is... I gotta say, I walked away underwhelmed. Maybe even a little annoyed. I mean, the first half with Hartman is undeniably great. R. Lee Ermey KILLS it. But after Pyle shoots himself, the whole thing just kinda deflates, doesn't it? Like, we're supposed to care about these grunts in Hue, but honestly, I found them completely forgettable. Cowboy, Joker, Rafterman? They're just... there. The whole sniper sequence is drawn out and frankly, pretty boring. And the ending? Singing the Mickey Mouse Club song after killing a teenage girl? Are we supposed to think that's profound? It just felt forced and kind of cheap. I get the whole 'war is hell' message, but it felt hammered home with a sledgehammer instead of, y'know, something a bit more nuanced. Is it just me, or does the film ultimately glorify violence while pretending to critique it? Like, it's showing us these horrors, but also making them kinda cool and exciting in a weird way. Maybe it's because of Ermey's performance I can't take the rest seriously? Idk. Am I missing something here? Seriously, convince me this thing isn't just a beautifully shot, strangely paced, and tonally inconsistent bit of war porn that everyone's pretending to love. Is there something deeper I missed? Or is the first half just SO good that it blinds everyone to the mediocrity that follows?