Ranking The Lord Of The Rings & Hobbit Movies

Ranking The Lord Of The Rings & Hobbit Movies by Deffinition

Two Trilogies To Rule Them All

Peter Jackson completed a phenomenal task when he put the Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit to film. Grossing billions at the box office and receiving a mass of critical acclaim, it seems like everyone LOVES journeying side by side with the Shire Hobbits.

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I’ve recently just completed a binge watching of all the films in the series and whilst it took a while (95 days to be exact because they were all the extended versions) I found myself to be falling in love with the series all over again. Whilst they are still all fresh in my mind I thought I’d rank them from best to worst. Let me know if you agree below, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the films!

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6. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Bringing together every element set up in the previous two films, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies ends the prequel trilogy on a high note. However, due to some padding in the mid sections it feels slightly lacklustre in comparison it’s predecessors. Thorin has felt completely unlikeable in the prior two movies and this one doesn’t really reverse that in any shape or form. However, we are treated to a breathtaking battle between the five armies with Billy Connely’s ‘Let’s Get The Bastards!’ makes me laugh everythime I see it. But it misses elements of the drama that make the other films so gripping.

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5. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The Hobbit The Desolation Of Smaug drags it’s feet slightly in the beginning. Featuring the group running from the Orcs of the previous film it feels slightly by the numbers. However, upon the introduction of Legolas, the movie really picks up. Whilst the character was never in the source material, he is still woven well enough into the plot here that it isn’t too neck jerking. Featuring an absolutely outstanding performance by Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug, the films ends on a devastating cliff hanger but just misses the mark from beating it’s former.

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4. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Setting off the adventure in style, An Unexpected Journey reintroduces Gandalf, features several cameos from the original cast and provides one of the best arcs for Bilbo. Starting off as an almost agrophobe, he really blossoms in this opening and feels like a completely different character by the end of it. It’s a joy to watch him grow and his encounter with the Infamous Trolls and Gollum allow the movie to rise above it’s sequels.

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3. The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers

Having one of the best openings to a movie ever (Gandalf battling the Balrog), The Two Towers packs a HELL of a punch. Helms Deep, The Battle Of The Ents and the introduction of Gollum all provide impact within the film, however, the mid section seems to plod along (I’m looking at you Merry and Pippin). Due to this it just misses out on beating the other two films in the trilogy but there is still a wealth of fun to be had here.

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2. The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King

Ending the original trilogy, The Return of The King has one of the best battle scenes ever put to film. It’s dark, twisted and filled with despair. We see our characters grow into the legends they were destined to become and the scale of everything is unmatched in most motion pictures. Possessing edge of your seat action the drama also comes from the character’s themselves. We see betrayal and hope weaved perfectly throughout the plot and it capitalises on a lot of the ideas set up in the previous two films. Taking home Oscar after Oscar it is a well deserved second place on my list.

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1.The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring

The Fellowship Of The Ring changed the way we looked at fantasy films. Epic in length and ideas the movie managed to accomplish several things that no film before had accomplished. Introducing the world to Hobbits the movie broke ground in several ways. Who could forget the Cave Troll fight in the mines of Moiria, Sean Bean’s epic final battle or the first time Frodo slipped on the ring, being transported to a world of shadow. Featuring Ring Wraiths, Elves and one of the best opening exposition scenes ever, I can only place this as the best film from the series.

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