THE TOP TEN

the fellowship of the ring (2001)

Dan: “The right winner. One of modern cinema’s greatest achievements: turning Tolkien’s swords ’n’ sorcery into quality cinema. Not bad for a Kiwi who once baked alien heads in his mum’s oven.”

the return of the King (2003)

Helen: “Okay, it has a lot of endings. But a victory lap (or four) are permissable when you’re wrapping up a saga of such scale.”

the two towers (2002)

nick: “Boasts the wettest, Orciest and possibly greatest set-piece in the whole trilogy, plus plenty of Gollum psychodrama.”

heavenly creatures (1994)

Dan: “Totally agree that this is PJ’S best non-Rings work: a gorgeous, dark, true tale which ratchets the tension like a full-on thriller.”

King Kong (2005)

Helen: “Combines a tribute to Hollywood’s 1930s Technicolor epics, Jackson’s horror roots and the original monster blockbuster.”

braindead (1992)

chris: “I’ve always been a sucker for Jackson’s early, gory films. Single-handedly drained New Zealand’s fake blood supplies.”

bad taste (1987)

Dan: “Nothing could fetter the young Jackson’s splatsticky creativity, and age shall never weary the offally results.”

meet the feebles (1989)

chris: “Few have posited the question, ‘What would the Muppets look like on meth?’ Fewer still have filmed that. Gloriously gonzo.”

the desolation of smaug (2013)

nick: “The only Hobbit entry where it feels like Jackson is really having fun. Not least with that bloody great dragon.”

An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Helen: “Few fantasy epics acknowledge the importance of doing the dishes, and there’s real charm in Martin Freeman’s unlikely hero.”