The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy Ranked According To IMDb

Ask anyone what the perfect trilogy is and chances are that they'll likely shout out Peter Jackson's iconic "The Lord of the Rings" films. It's an answer that makes a lot of sense, especially when one considers the cultural and commercial success the franchise has had. Back in the mid-'90s, when Jackson began to cook up his vision of Middle-earth, he originally wanted to make two films. 

Unfortunately, Jackson's vision of "The Lord of the Rings" was rejected, thanks in part to the creative's insistence on making more than one film. Eventually, Jackson and his team ended up at New Line Cinema, where their luck changed. There, executive Robert Shaye asked Jackson a pivotal question that changed the fate of fantasy cinema. "He looked at the reel and said, 'You know what I don't get is why you want to do two films.' And we thought, 'Oh, here we go. He's going to try to make us do one film now. The same story,'" Jackson recounted to IndieWire. "But the very next thing he said was, 'Why would you do two films when there's three books? Why wouldn't you do three films?'"

Audiences now have not two, but three "Lord of the Rings" films to enjoy. And while they're technically all critical components of one larger story, it's hard not to differentiate each film and debate which is best. When it comes to the "The Lord of the Ring" trilogy's IMDb scores, there's a clear winner. The trilogy-capper "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," boasts an IMDb score of 9.0 with over 2.1 million votes, making it the highest-ranked film in the series. "Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers" follow close behind in terms of IMDb ranking — but which takes second place? 

It's not surprising that 2003's "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," the final film in the trilogy, has the franchise's highest IMDb score. The film expertly wrapped up the saga, providing exceptional closure. At the time of its release, "The Return of the King" received overwhelmingly positive reviews and continues to enjoy clout as one of the most beloved films of all time. 

The Peter Jackson-directed film nabbed every Oscar it was nominated for — including Best Picture and Best Director, making "The Return of the King" a true cultural triumph. During his Best Director speech at the Academy Awards, Jackson personally thanked New Line execs Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne for greenlighting the "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. "I'm so happy for you that it paid off," Jackson said. "Your collaboration and your partnership and your support just gave me the most incredible working experience of my life." 

While "The Return of the King" is the leader in terms of the most accolades, clout, and box office receipts, "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" lands in second place with an 8.9 rating on IMDb, while "The Two Towers" boasts an 8.8 rating to bring up the rear, making them some of the most acclaimed films on the platform. "The Two Towers" has 1.7 million votes, while "Fellowship" has 1.9 million votes. That still leaves "Fellowship" in the No. 2 position, if one takes vote counts into consideration, and ultimately, all three "Lord of the Rings" films are near the top of the IMDb top 250. 

If "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy is a crown jewel of IMDb, then "The Hobbit" films are merely above-average fare. Following the success of the "Lord of the Rings" films, New Line became interested in adapting Tolkien's "The Hobbit" for the big screen. After years of development hell and a revolving door of creatives, which included Guillermo del Toro, Peter Jackson eventually decided to step into the director's chair. Initially intended to be two films, "The Hobbit" was turned into a series of three films. While the trilogy certainly has its fans, "The Hobbit" films failed to capture the same lightning-in-a-bottle magic that "The Lord of the Rings" was able to — and the IMDb scores clearly show it. 

In first place is 2012's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," with an IMDb rating of 7.8 with over 900,000 votes. Second place goes to 2013's "The Desolation of Smaug," which boasts an IMDb score of 7.8, with votes north of 744,000. The last spot in the "Hobbit" ranking is populated by "The Battle of the Five Armies." The threequel has a score of 7.4, and votes at 609,000 — making it the lowest-rated film in "The Hobbit" trilogy and the larger Middle-earth cinematic saga, at least according to IMDb. 

In a featurette on "The Battle of the Five Armies" DVD (via The Guardian), Jackson candidly explained how he was lost while making "The Hobbit" trilogy because of del Toro's departure. "It was impossible, and as a result of it being impossible I just started shooting the movie with most of it not prepped at all," Jackson explained, adding, "I spent most of 'The Hobbit' feeling like I was not on top of it."