I, too, agree with your ranking. FOTR has always be my favorite part of the book, so that might sway my opinion. It's a "warm and fuzzy" thing...before things get too dark. And PJ did a great job with that first hour making me feel like "Wow! I'm in Middle-Earth. I could live happily ever after in Hobbiton."
FOTR EE was better, but I was happy with the original. TTT was much better in its EE. It's original needed something more.
From a movie making POV, I think ROTK is technically the best. I really enjoyed it, but they'll have to put a lot back into the EE for me to like it more than FOTR.
As for SW, I like them all, but not because of the same reasons as LOTR. LOTR is an amazing story that was brought to screen in an amazing way...aesthetically, technically, and with great performances. SW is cool. It's entertainintg, always pushes the limits of SFX, and it's fun. But they come across as effects movies. I've never been upset they didn't get best director/picture nods.
LOTR seems like a retelling of epic history. It's "fantastical" elements are portrayed in a believable way. It's in a class by itself and should win every award! (Just one geek's opinion
)
Incidentally, the LOTR movies are the main reason I'm on the Axiom site. I know a good home theater can do these movies better than my local theaters!
