Any excessive usage of leitmotifs looks absolutely and disgustingly Peter-and-the-Wolfish to me — and Wagner's especially so. Yes, I know that Brünnhilde is a Valkyrie and don't need a helpful reminder every ten minutes while she's on stage. My attention span is that long.
All this bloody Gesamtkunstwerk is nothing more than a pompous ancestor of Hollywood blockbusters. And its music part is essentially a soundtrack. Catchy (almost sticky), impressive, elaborate (they don't make 'em so cool these days), but soundtrack nonetheless.
