All 10 Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films ranked – top three were all made in the 2000s

A new ranking published by a self-professed Lord of the Ringsexpert, places all 10 of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films in order, from the 1977 animated Hobbit to the latest The War of the Rohirrim in order of their quality, adaptation, and personal impact. The top three films are all from the early 2000s, a time when Peter Jackson’s visionary adaptation of The Lord of the Rings trilogy became a key moment in the history of cinema. The top Lord of the Rings or Hobbit film adaptation according to the expert is The Fellowship of the Ring.

The film from 2001, was described as a ‘near perfect film’ and praised for its balance between adventure, character development, and emotional depth making it a timeless classic decades after it first came out. The Return of the King from 2003 came in second place on the ranking by @jrrjokien on Substack, for its ‘epic conclusion’ to the trilology.

Peter Jackson’s The Return of the King won 11 Academy Awards, including for Best Picture, Best Director for Peter Jackson, and Best Adapted Screenplay, among others.

In third place came The Two Towers from 2002 which is often lauded for its epic scale and battle sequences especially that of the Battle of Helm’s Deep.

Although it made some controversial changes to the original book, like altering Faramir’s character and adding the Osgiliath subplot, it still remains a thrilling adventure that helped set the stage for the grand finale of the trilogy.

Other notable films in the ranking include The Hobbit from 1977 and The War of the Rohirrim from 2024.

At the lower end of the list, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies which came out in 2014 and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug from 2013 ranked lower for their departures from the source material and some overly dramatic additions.

Here are the top 10 films according to the expert :

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
4. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
5. The Hobbit (1977 – Animated)
6. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024)
7. The Lord of the Rings (1978 – Animated)
8. The Return of the King (1980 – Animated)
9. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
10. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)