J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings novels changed fantasy writing forever. Laying the foundations of the genre's position as a cornerstone of geek culture, it eventually paved the way for the likes of Terry Pratchett, J.K. Rowling, George R.R. Martin and countless other to build their own magical, complex and interconnected worlds. The books also established numerous fantasy tropes that have remained a foundational part of literature for decades.
It was inevitable, then, that attempts would eventually ensue to bring The Lord Of The Rings - and its entertaining but drastically less epic prequel The Hobbit - to the big screen. From Ralph Bakshi's influential animated epic to Peter Jackson's troubled Hobbit trilogy, Middle Earth's presence on the big screen is almost as storied as the world of the books themselves. Here, then, is every big screen Middle Earth outing so far, ranked in reverse order of awesomeness (NB: for the purpose of this list, we're counting official cinematic releases only, not TV specials or series).
