Every Lord of the Rings Movie, Ranked From Worst to Best

The Lord of The Rings is not only one of the most acclaimed book series of all time but also is responsible for some of the best movies of all time. With so many classic films to compare, let’s rank every Lord of the Rings movie from worst to best!

As always, a few ground rules. While there are a handful of Lord of the Rings adaptations, we’re solely going to be looking at theatrically released films, so none of the Rankin/Bass specials will be appearing here. Not only that, but if you were expecting to see Rings of Power appear here, despite being one of the more recent adaptations, due to its status as a TV show, it’s going to be left off this list.

With that being said, here are the best Lord of the Rings movies, ranked from worst to best!

8. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

If there’s one word to describe The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, it would be unnecessary. You can make that argument about the entire Hobbit trilogy being unnecessary, but it’s especially apparent here. The film begins where Desolation of Smaug should have ended, but then we’re left with an entire movie struggling to sustain itself. The whole film is meant to be bombastic and grand, but there’s no heart to it. The Battle of the Five Armies wasn’t even supposed to exist, as The Hobbit was meant to be a duology, making this a misguided endeavor at the very least. There was no need for The Battle of the Five Armies to exist, and it shows.

7. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Talking about The Hobbit in general is weird because it’s presented as this massive and epic series of films when the original book is anything but. Tonal issues aside, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’s has the unique distinction of feeling like the slowest Lord of the Rings movie, which is really saying something. Unlike Fellowship of the Ring, which also introduces a grand plot with an eclectic cast of heroes, there’s not enough to differentiate each of the different dwarves that accompany Bilbo on his quest outside of Thorin, making the adventure feel a lot less memorable.

It’s also a weirdly ugly-looking movie, mostly thanks to Peter Jackson’s attempt to shoot at 48 FPS and an overreliance on CG. It’s still a Lord of the Rings movie, so it’s perfectly fine, but nowhere near the heights of earlier films.

6. The Lord of the Rings (1978)

For the longest time, Ralph Bakshi’s The Lord of the Rings had the distinction of being the only animated Lord of the Rings movie until 2024’s The War of the Rohirrim. It’s an animated movie that isn’t for everyone, mostly due to how Bakshi utilizes rotoscoping and the film doesn’t completely adapt the original novel, but there’s just something charming about Bakshi’s vision of Middle-Earth that’s distinct from Jackson’s interpretation. It can be a bit silly at points and watching interpretations of characters like Gandalf may be hard to gel with if you’re used to Ian McKellan’s take, but it’s an ambitious one that at the very least has more personality than most of the Hobbit trilogy.

5. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024)

While the story of Helm Hammerhand and his family may be far removed from anything having to do with Peter Jackson’s films, this unique anime production does have its merits. First, it manages to tell a complete and original story set in Middle-earth, all at a fairly lean two-hour and 15-minute runtime. The animation itself is pretty good on the whole as well, even if some of the 3D effects look out of place. What ultimately hurts the film is how basic most of the characters are, with the exception of Brian Cox’s imposing Helm Hammerhand, and how the story takes a bit too long to really get going. It’s still a good film and worth a watch, even if it’s arguably the most non-essential film on this list.

4. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

While calling The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug the best entry in the Hobbit series may be the equivalent of calling someone the tallest hobbit, the film does have several meaningful strengths to elevate it from the rest of the trilogy.

Whereas the original trilogy had to contend with its middle chapter lacking focus at points, The Desolation of Smaug feels focused and much more efficient, rarely wasting most of its more modest runtime. The action is solid and the characters feel more fleshed out and developed, but the highlight of the film is Benedict Cumberbatch’s Smaug, which still is a technical achievement and easily the best part of the trilogy. If they kept The Hobbit as a duology and put The Battle of Five Armies’ beginning here, there’s a chance that The Desolation of Smaug could have been in the top three.

3. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Look, we all knew The Lord of the Rings trilogy would take the top three spots, but the order was the biggest question mark. It’s generally agreed upon that The Two Towers is the weakest of the trilogy not because it’s bad, but because it’s the middle film. It doesn’t have the character-building, set-up, and world-building that made The Fellowship of the Ring so beloved, nor does it contain the stellar action of Return of the King. So what’s left? Helm’s Deep. That alone easily catapults it above all of the Hobbit films due to its scale, action, and emotional weight. Again, nothing is wrong with The Two Towers, but when compared to the excellent first and third installments, it’s the weakest of the three by a sliver.

2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

For a long time, it was believed that The Lord of the Rings was an unfilmable book, given its sheer scale and how complicated the lore and mythology surrounding it were. Leave it then to Peter Jackson to deliver one of the most dense yet satisfying fantasy films ever made. Within 10 minutes, we know everything we need to know about the mythology of Middle-Earth and can take our time learning about the members of the Fellowship, the races they encounter, the stakes, and the sheer scale of it all. It may be lacking some of the captivating fight scenes that would define later entries, but The Fellowship of the Ring still delivers a well-paced and absolutely fantastic fantasy epic.

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Kings (2003)

The most decorated film of all time – or at least until Everything Everywhere All At Once dethroned it in 2022 – The Return of the King is peak cinema. It features everything you could have ever wanted not just out of a fantasy movie, but a movie period. Emotional character beats are here in spades. There’s gripping action that constantly ratchets up the tension. The soundtrack is impeccable. The cinematography is glorious. The ending is everything a fan could have possibly wanted. Return of the King does the impossible and delivers an excellent conclusion that almost certainly leaves anyone who watches it satisfied. It’s not just the best Lord of the Rings movie – it’s one of the best movies ever made.

The above article was updated on 12/16/2024 by the original author to include The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.