All three of these spellbinding fantasy movies, released yearly from 2001, enjoyed great success at the box office, which is just as well, given the $280 million is cost to make them. The special effects are breathtaking, and the story, while not completely faithful to J.R.R. Tolkien's original books, is gripping enough to hold the imagination. The battle scenes are amazing, and we can't help but urge Frodo and the little Hobbits onward in their quest to defeat the powers of darkness,Predictably, some Tolkien fans complain about certain changes in storyline and character development. Still, with no less than 17 OSCARs between them, nobody can argue that these three movie haven't earned their place in movie trilogy history.