. Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is a 2001 fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson, based on the first volume of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy (1954-55). Set in Middle-Earth, the story tells of the Dark Lord Sauron, who is seeking the One Ring. The Ring has found its way to the young hobbit Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood). The fate of Middle-earth hangs in the balance as Frodo and eight companions form the Fellowship of the Ring, and begin their journey to Mount Doom in the land of Mordor: the only place where the Ring can be destroyed.

Released on December 19, 2001, the film was highly acclaimed by critics and fans alike, especially as many of the latter judged it to be the most sufficiently faithful adaption of the original story out of Jackson's film trilogy. It was a major box office success, earning over $870 million worldwide, and the second highest grossing film of 2001 in the U.S. and worldwide (behind Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone) which made it the 5th highest grossing film ever at the time. Today it is the eighteenth highest-grossing worldwide film of all time. It won four Academy Awards and five BAFTA's, including Best Film and Best Director BAFTA awards. The Special Extended DVD Edition was released on November 12, 2002 and is now discontinued. In 2007, The Fellowship of the Ring was voted number 50 on the American Film Institute's list of 100 greatest American films. The AFI also voted it the second greatest fantasy film of all time during their AFI's 10 top 10 special.

Fans were eagerly awaiting part two.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is a 2002 fantasy-adventure film also directed by Peter Jackson based on the second volume of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. It is the second film in The Lord of the Ringss film trilogy that was preceded by The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) and concluded with The Return of the King (2003).

Continuing the plot of The Fellowship of the Ring, it intercuts three storylines, as Frodo and Sam continue their quest to destroy the One Ring in Mordor and meet Gollum, its former owner. Arogorn, Legolas, and Gimli come across the war torn nation of Rohan as well as the resurrected Gandalf, before fighting at the Battle of Helm's Deep, whilst Merry and Pippin escape capture and meet Treebeard, the Ent and plan an attack on Isengard.

The movie was critically acclaimed, although the adaptation was more controversial than the first film. It was an enormous box-office success, earning over $900 million worldwide, outgrossing its predecessor, and is currently the 10th highest-grossing film of all time (inflation-adjusted, it is the 60th most successful film in North America). The Special Extended DVD Edition was released on November 19, 2003 and is now discontinued.

Part three would make the trilogy complete.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 fantasy-adventure film directed by Peter Jackson that is based on the second and third volumes of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. It is the concluding film in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, following The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) and The Two Towers (2002).

As Sauron launches the final stages of his conquest of Middle-Earth, Gandalf the Wizard, and Theoden King of Rohan rally their forces to help defend Gondor's capital Minas Tirith from the looming threat. Aragorn finally claims the throne of Gondor and summons an army of ghosts to help him defeat Sauron. Ultimately, even with full strength of arms, they realize they cannot win; so it comes down to the Hobbits, Frodo and Sam, to bear the burden of the Ring and deal with the treachery of Gollum. After a long journey they finally arrive in the dangerous lands of Mordor, seeking to destroy the One Ring in the place it was created, the volcanic fires of Mount Doom.

Released on December 17, 2003, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King became one of the greatest box-office successes of all time. It won all eleven Academy Aweards for which it was nominated, which ties it with only Titanic and Ben-Hur for most Academy Awards ever won. It is the only one of these three to win all of its nominations, however, as it won 11 out of 11 Academy Awards whereas Ben-Hur won 11 out of 12, and Titanic won 11 out of 14. It also won the Academy Award for Best Picture,