Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movies are some of the most revered films ever made. Even now, over two decades after release, they remain culturally relevant, and the gold-standard by which all fantasy movies are compared. All these years later, director Peter Jackson has finally named which movie of the trilogy he's most proud of...and his choice will probably surprise you!
Speaking to Letterboxd, Jackson explained that he has a tough time watching his own films. "I can’t watch my own films. I mean, one day… I sort of enjoy it more as more time goes by, so one day I’ll watch them again," he said. As for what his favorite movie in the trilogy is, it's surprisingly The Two Towers, the middle movement of the trilogy, but his answer is far from set in stone. "The Two Towers, I think. But if I see them again I might have a totally different one."
Let's be real here: there are no bad Lord of the Rings movies. All three are top-tier films. However, most fans will probably cite The Return of the King as the best. The final move swept the Oscars, taking home 11 wins including Best Picture. The Two Towers suffers slightly from the movie equivalent of middle child syndrome; it feels overshadowed by Return of the King, and it didn't have the benefit of kicking off the series like The Fellowship of the Ring.
Of course, The Lord of the Rings franchise would continue with Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy, although fans and critics are far more divided on how the quality of those films. Nowadays, Middle-earth is as relevant culturally as ever thanks to Prime Video's prequel series The Rings of Power and the animated movie The War of the Rohirrim (2024).
In 2026, Peter Jackson will return to the franchise as a producer in Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. That movie will be directed by Andy Serkis, who played Gollum's in Jackson's movies. Middle-earth isn't going anywhere anytime soon!
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