Six of the best?

Peter Jackson's first hit cinemas nearly 20 years ago, which is enough to make us all feel old. Followed quickly by two sequels filmed during the same mammoth shoot, then an additional trio of prequels, the full six-movie saga is a triumph of movie-making. Slavish to J. R. R. Tolkien's source material – with some Tom Bombadil-shaped exceptions – and mixing cutting-edge CG and practical effects with lush location shoots and franchise, which also debuted in 2001) resurrected the idea of the global blockbuster.