Ranking Every Single Middle-Earth Movie From Worst To Best

This first instalment of The Hobbit trilogy has a lot of flaws but at the time was a welcome return to the Peter Jackson led Middle-Earth that audiences knew and loved.

There is a lot of time taken to familiarise the audience with the characters, and this is a good thing, even if it means the beginning of the adventure is a long wait. By taking the time to establish each Dwarf, they no longer feel like characterless numbers, as each one is given a proper and thoughtful personality. While the spotlight is certainly shone on some more than others, at least it's better than anything that came before it.

A massive highlight of the film is Martin Freeman's presence as Bilbo, for his performance is exactly what you would want from a young Bilbo that is full of character and charm, but still reminiscent enough of Ian Holm's version to feel appropriate. A particularly amazing segment is his encounter with the returned Gollum, which is easily the best scene in the movie.

The ending sequence did show the overblown CGI and ungrounded nature that would come with the sequels, but at least here it's confined mostly to the climax.