When ranking the best movie trilogies of all time, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson in the early 2000s stands out without question. A near celestial score, mythical and enthralling landscapes, with an equally absorbing storyline, that trilogy simply had everything. It was both a commercial and critical success, as evidenced by its outright domination in the awards category. Jackson’s trilogy won 475 awards out of 800 nominations, with a combined 17 Academy Awards out of 30 nominations, sealing the film’s place as the most awarded film series in cinematic history.
So, it wasn’t surprising when Jackson decided, about a decade later, to roll back the times with a new trilogy: The Hobbit. Shifting its focus to yet another Baggins, with Martin Freeman as the adventurous Bilbo Baggins, the trilogy launched in 2012 with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The film gave fans of the first set of films a chance to grasp some of the backstory behind the friendship shared by Gandalf and Bilbo in the original trilogy. The Hobbit trilogy chronicles the tale of titular protagonist Bilbo Baggins and a company of Dwarves on a quest to reclaim their ancestral home from the grip of the fearsome dragon, Smaug. Many races shaped the future of Middle-earth, but the hobbits did so arguably more significantly than most.
Ultimately, when it was all said and done, The Hobbit trilogy was unable to capture the magic of its predecessor, as it arguably shouldn’t have been a trilogy in the first place. However, redemption seems to have found Bilbo and his friends. According to data obtained by FlixPatrol, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has become something of a streaming hit on Netflix. So far, in June 2026, the feature film has cracked the Top 10 of several countries, including Brazil, Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom, among others. With a Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score of 64%, An Unexpected Journey isn’t the worst watch there is. Its greatest flaw lay in its pacing, as highlighted in critics’ consensus, which reads: “Peter Jackson’s return to Middle-earth is an earnest, visually resplendent trip, but the film’s deliberate pace robs the material of some of its majesty.”
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
The Matrix
Mad Max
Blade Runner
Dune
Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
The Lore of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Continues on Screen
Since The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and the other films in that trilogy, the Lord of the Rings franchise has seen new additions. So vast and rich is J.R.R. Tolkien‘s legendarium that an animated feature and a full-blown television series in Prime Video’s Rings of Power have been added to the franchise. But there is more to come as a Stephen Colbert-penned Lord of the Rings: The Shadow of the Past (which is set in The Fourth Age with Sam’s daughter Elanor) is in development. However, the most eagerly anticipated project within this particular space remains The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which has Andy Serkis directing, ahead of its premiere on December 17, 2027. Among the stars now attached to the project, Lee Pace, who plays King Thranduil of the Woodland Realm, in The Hobbit trilogy, will be returning to the role.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is currently streaming on Netflix. Stay tuned to Collider for updates.
