J.R.R. Tolkien fans everywhere are still processing all the events of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which aired its Season 1 finale on October 14. But most Tolkien lovers tend to love Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth adaptations (especially the Extended Editions) the most. These high-fantasy epics have captivated the hearts and minds of audiences around the globe, with incredible landscapes, lovable characters, and a full story that chronicles one of the most heroic ages in all of Middle-earth.
With The Rings of Power first season now in the books, let’s take a look at all The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films together and rank them from least to best (note: this is a ranking of the theatrical versions of the films).
6. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
While this may not be the best of Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy, there are still some wonderful moments in The Battle of the Five Armies that make this final trip to Middle-earth an exciting adventure. The film opens where the second left off, with Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch) descending from the Lonely Mountain onto Laketown. The opening act sees Bard (Luke Evans) take down the dragon in a battle that doesn’t seem to last nearly as long as we were promised, but it’s still an epic conclusion to the last film’s cliffhanger.
The Battle of the Five Armies also does some interesting things with Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), who quickly loses his mind in his obsessive search for the Arkenstone. Thorin, who also experiences some crazy hallucinations, is unhinged here and ends up engaging in excessive mortal combat with his nemesis Azog the Defiler (Manu Bennett). Speaking of combat, the actual battle sequences in this film are fantastic, with men, Orc, Elves, Dwarves, and a single Hobbit all engaged in unspeakable bloodshed.
The Battle of the Five Armies might have been a little underwhelming compared to its predecessors, but it’s certainly a heartfelt last goodbye.
5. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
The first Hobbit film introduced us to a young Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), who takes Gandalf (Ian McKellen) up on his offer to join Thorin and his company of Dwarves on an adventure to retake Erebor. Common criticisms of the film included the over-reliance on CGI (which is a huge departure from Jackson’s previous Middle-Earth outings) as well as the 48 frames-per-second framerate, which caused a lot of audience confusion, but otherwise, this film is an exciting return to the Shire, Rivendell, and journey towards some new places on the map.
Some major highlights from An Unexpected Journey include Bilbo’s scene with Gollum (Andy Serkis) in the Goblin caverns where they engage in a game of riddles. The banter between Bilbo and Gollum is thrilling and keeps us on our toes. This, coupled with an excellent dwarfish rendition of “Misty Mountains,” is one of the best scenes in the entire Middle-earth series. While there are characters and subplots introduced here that don’t take place in the original Hobbit book, this one might be the most accurate adaptation from the novel.
An Unexpected Journey is a fun, and often comedic, tale of an unsuspecting Hobbit that is probably the most focused of the three.
4. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
The second Hobbit film, The Desolation of Smaug is certainly that. The dragon who began this entire adventure is magnificently brought to life by Cumberbatch, who did all his own motion-capture for the hideous creature. His back-and-forth with Bilbo is the main highlight as the Hobbit works to keep the Arkenstone from his enemy. This film also introduces the Dwarfish company to Bard, who helps Thorin and his company into Laketown to prepare for war. Oh, and there are some giant spiders who Bilbo can understand when he wears The One Ring (ew).
Azog the Defiler also returns and appears in a scene that connects directly to The Lord of the Rings trilogy where Gandalf and Radagast the Brown (Sylvester McCoy) investigate some dark activity at Dol Guldur. The Sauron tease is as exciting as it was unexpected. Along with that, Legolas (Orlando Bloom) appears with the all-new Wood-elf, Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly), who actually adds to the overall story and returns in the third installment. Also, Ed Sheeran’s “I See Fire” might be the best of Jackson’s Middle-earth closing songs.
The Desolation of Smaug is the best The Hobbit trilogy has to offer, and an excellent fantasy epic that wows audiences and immerses them in this foreign world.
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
In the first film to see the Fellowship broken, The Two Towers finds each faction off on their own. Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) are led by Gollum to Mordor, while Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas, and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) set off to find Merry (Domonic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd), only to be interrupted by the problems occurring in Rohan. Between the Battle of Helm’s Deep, the journey with the Ents to Isengard, and Sam’s care for Frodo, this film constantly puts our heroes in peril.
Our heroes’ desire to take out the turncoat Saruman (Christopher Lee) is admirable, but what truly makes this film stand out is the juxtaposition between Sam’s unconditional love for Frodo and Frodo’s own torment at the hands of The One Ring. As these Hobbits struggle through their unfamiliar surroundings, they must rely on one another or be driven apart. Sam and Gollum play the “angel” and the “devil” on Frodo’s shoulder quite perfectly, which would be enough to drive Frodo mad — if he didn’t already have the ring to deal with.
The Two Towers is a killer sequel that features the most epic fantasy battle in film history and highlights one of the most important bonds in all of cinema.
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The film that began Peter Jackson’s award-winning trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring brought Tolkien’s magic to life. Between Frodo and his friends’ time in the comfort of the Shire and the moment the Fellowship bands together in Rivendell, our initial introduction to Middle-Earth is breathtaking. As the Fellowship sets off on their quest, they encounter Goblins, Orcs, and even a Balrog in the barren Mines of Moria. Although they lose both Gandalf and Boromir (Sean Bean), we still believe that they can carry on no matter the odds.
Jackson’s vision for Middle-earth is on full display here. Gandalf’s battle against the Balrog, Frodo’s pulse-pounding rescue from the Witch-King by Arwen (Liv Tyler), and Boromir’s final sacrifice may be the biggest highlights, but there’s so much more to it than that. As we settle into the Shire, we’re quickly pulled out of our comfort zone as our Hobbit heroes are thrust into an unwelcome adventure to save all of Middle-earth. Plus, the (albeit short) battle between Aragorn and the Nazgul on Weathertop is exquisite.
The Fellowship of the Ring is one of the most beautiful fantasy films to ever make it to the big screen and immediately proved to fans and critics that Peter Jackson knew what he was doing.
1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
The only one of these to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, Return of the King is the absolute best that Peter Jackson’s Middle-Eearth saga has to offer. The epic conclusion to the Middle-earth saga (including The Hobbit films if you consider the chronology), sees all order restored as the Dark Lord Sauron is finally dethroned, The One Ring destroyed, and Aragorn finally takes his place as the King of Gondor. These triumphs are unparalleled by the other films and display Jackson’s full vision perfectly, multiple endings and all.
But, the Battle at Minas Tirith aside, the real reason Return of the King sticks the landing is due to Frodo and Sam’s final trek through Mordor. Here, Sam truly lives up to his honorary “Samwise the Brave” title. After saving Frodo from the clutches of the giant spider Shelob, he helps his friend press on regardless of the darkness. While some might criticize the length of the threequel, its perfect pacing keeps audiences from growing bored (and how could you with such high stakes?) and brings our heroes’ journey to its natural, and epic, conclusion.
Return of the King is the thoughtful and exciting conclusion to The Lord of the Rings and Jackson’s Middle-Earth saga that ties together every loose end, satisfying every appetite.