The Lord of the Rings Universe follows a meek
Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions who set out on a journey to destroy
the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.
This guide is based on a video from my YouTube channel Cinema
Awards Archive, where I cover all six Middle‑earth films directed by Peter
Jackson: The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy.
A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to
destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
- The
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
- The
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
- The
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
It is a 2001 epic high fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson from a screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Jackson.
It is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's 1954 The
Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume of the novel The Lord of
the Rings.
The film is the first instalment in The Lord of the
Rings trilogy.
Set in Middle-earth, the story tells of the Dark Lord
Sauron, who seeks the One Ring, which contains part of his might, to return to
power.
The Ring has found its way to the young hobbit Frodo
Baggins.
The fate of Middle-earth hangs in the balance as Frodo and
eight companions (who form the Company of the Ring) begin their perilous
journey to Mount Doom in the land of Mordor, the only place where the Ring can
be destroyed.
The Fellowship of the Ring was financed and
distributed by American studio New Line Cinema, but filmed and edited entirely
in Jackson's native New Zealand concurrently with the other two parts of the
trilogy.
It premiered on 10th December 2001 at the Odeon Leicester
Square in London and was released on 19th December in the United States and on
20th December in New Zealand.
The film was acclaimed by critics and fans alike, who
considered it a landmark in filmmaking and an achievement in the fantasy film
genre.
It received praise for its visual effects, performances,
Jackson's direction, screenplay, musical score and faithfulness to the source
material.
It grossed $868 million worldwide during its original
theatrical run, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 2001 and the
fifth-highest-grossing film of all time at the time of its release.
Following subsequent reissues, it has grossed $887.8
million.
Like its successors, it was widely recognised as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made.
At the 74th Academy Awards it was nominated for thirteen awards including Best Picture, winning for Best Cinematography, Best Makeup, Best Original Score and Best Visual Effects.
In 2007, the American Film Institute named it one of the 100 greatest American films in history, being both the most recent film and the only film released in the 21st century to make it to the list.
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
It is a 2002 epic high fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson from a screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair and Jackson.
It is based on 1954's The Two Towers, the second
volume of the novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.
The sequel to 2001's The Lord of the Rings: The
Fellowship of the Ring, the film is the second instalment in The
Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Continuing the plot of the previous film, it intercuts three
storylines.
Frodo and Sam continue their journey toward Mordor to
destroy the One Ring, now allied with Gollum, the ring's untrustworthy former
bearer.
Merry and Pippin escape their orc captors, meet Treebeard
the Ent and help to plan an attack on Isengard, the fortress of Sauron's
vassal, the treacherous wizard Saruman.
Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli come to the war-torn nation of
Rohan and are reunited with the resurrected Gandalf, before joining King
Théoden to fight Saruman's army at the Battle of Helm's Deep.
It premiered on 5th December 2002 at the Ziegfeld Theatre in
New York City and was then released on 18th December in the United States and
on 19th December in New Zealand.
The film was acclaimed by critics and audiences, who
considered it a landmark in filmmaking and an achievement in the fantasy film
genre.
It received praise for its direction, action sequences,
performances, musical score and visual effects, particularly for Gollum.
It grossed $923 million worldwide during its original
theatrical run, making it the highest-grossing film of 2002 and, at the time of
its release, the third-highest-grossing film of all time behind Titanic and Harry
Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
Following subsequent re-releases it has grossed $938.5
million.
At the 75th Academy Awards, it was nominated for six awards including Best Picture, winning for Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects.
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
It is a 2003 epic high fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson from a screenplay he wrote with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.It is based on 1955's The Return of the King,
the third volume of the novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R.
R. Tolkien.
The sequel to 2002's The Lord of the Rings: The Two
Towers, the film is the third and final instalment in The Lord of
the Rings trilogy.
Continuing the plot of the previous film, Frodo and Sam
follow Gollum toward Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring, unaware of Gollum's
intentions to betray the duo to take the Ring for himself, while Merry, Pippin,
Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and their allies join forces against Sauron
and his legions from Mordor.
It premiered on 1st December 2003 at the Embassy Theatre in
Wellington and was then released on 17th December 2003 in the US and 18th
December 2003 in New Zealand.
The film was acclaimed by critics and audiences, who
considered it a landmark in filmmaking and the fantasy film genre and a
satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, with praise for the visual effects,
performances, action sequences, direction, screenplay, musical score, costume
design, emotional depth, scope and story.
It grossed $1.1 billion worldwide, becoming the
highest-grossing film of 2003, the second-highest-grossing film of all time
during its run, Jackson's highest-grossing film and the highest-grossing film
ever released by New Line Cinema.
At the 76th Academy Awards, it won all 11 awards for which it was nominated, including Best Picture, the first fantasy film to do so and tying with 1959's Ben-Hur and 1997's Titanic as the movie with the most Academy Award wins.
It also became the second film series whose entries have all
won Best Visual Effects after the original Star Wars trilogy.
The Hobbit Trilogy
- The
Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
- The
Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
- The
Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies (2014)
4. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
It is a 2012 epic high fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson from a screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Jackson and Guillermo del Toro.
It is based on the 1937 novel The Hobbit by
J. R. R. Tolkien.
The Hobbit trilogy is the first installment in acting as a
prequel to Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The story is set in Middle-earth sixty years before the main
events of The Lord of the Rings and portions of the film are
adapted from the appendices to Tolkien's The Return of the King.
An Unexpected Journey tells the tale of Bilbo
Baggins (Martin Freeman), who is convinced by the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen)
to accompany thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), on
a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug.
It was premiered in Wellington on 28th November 2012, then
released on 12th December in
New Zealand and on 14th December in the United States by Warner Bros Pictures.
It was almost nine years after the release of The
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $1.017 billion at the
box office, making it the fourth highest-grossing film of 2012.
At the 85th Academy Awards it was nominated for Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Visual Effects.
5. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
It is a 2013 epic high fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson from a screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Jackson and Guillermo del Toro.It is based on the 1937 novel The Hobbit by
J. R. R. Tolkien.
The sequel to 2012's The Hobbit: An Unexpected
Journey, it is the second instalment in The Hobbit trilogy acting as a
prequel to Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The film follows the titular character Bilbo Baggins as he
continues to accompany Thorin Oakenshield and his fellow dwarves on a quest to
reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug.
Pursuing them are the vengeful orcs Azog the Defiler and his
son Bolg while Gandalf the Grey investigates the return of a long-forgotten
evil force in the ruins of Dol Guldur.
The films were shot simultaneously in 3D at a projection
rate of 48 frames per second, with principal photography taking place around
New Zealand and at Pinewood Studios.
Additional filming took place throughout May 2013.
It was premiered in Los Angeles on 2nd December 2013 and was
released on 12th December in New Zealand and on 13th December in the United
States, produced by Warner Bros Pictures through its subsidiary New Line
Cinema.
The film received mostly positive reviews and grossed $959
million at the worldwide box office, making it the fourth highest-grossing film
of 2013.
At the 86th Academy Awards it was nominated for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects.
6. The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies (2014)
It is a 2014 epic high fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson from a screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Jackson and Guillermo del Toro.It is based on the 1937 novel The Hobbit by
J. R. R. Tolkien.
It is the sequel to 2013's The Hobbit: The
Desolation of Smaug as well as the final instalment in The Hobbit
trilogy, acting as a prequel to Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy
(2001–2003).
The film's story concludes the adventure of the titular
hobbit Bilbo Baggins and Thorin Oakenshield's company of dwarves, who take
possession of the treasure within the Lonely Mountain as factions of dwarves,
elves and men clash over it, while the orc Azog the Defiler and his forces make
their move upon them.
It was Holm and Lee's final live-action roles and final film
released during their respective lifetimes, although they would both provide
voice performances in subsequent works.
It was premiered in London on 1st December 2014 and was
released on 11th December in New Zealand and on 17th December in the United
States by Warner Bros Pictures.
The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $962.2 million
worldwide, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 2014.
It received numerous accolades, including being nominated for Best Sound
Editing at the 87th Academy Awards.
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