I think Fellowship is pretty hard to match, since it has the most character stuff and very charming introductions for all the main players. It's a little short on action compared to the others but I'd rather have spent that extra time in Hobbiton than get more orc-slaying. While the sequels tried and had to introduce new characters, none of them are really as exciting or endearing as those in the original Fellowship. Many of the later characters just felt like obstacles to be overcome or people that had to be convinced to fight.
The Two Towers gets a little tedious with the Ents, but Helm's Deep is excellent aside from extreme skateboarding Legolas.
Return of the King....I almost would have preferred this movie to be 80% Sam & Frodo's struggle to get to Mt. Doom. I don't think a lot of the action outside of that was really solid, and most of the CG battles have not aged particularly well. The ending(s) of the film really recapture the heart and whimsy we felt at the beginning of the trilogy, so it bookends the series rather nicely.
The Two Towers gets a little tedious with the Ents, but Helm's Deep is excellent aside from extreme skateboarding Legolas.
Return of the King....I almost would have preferred this movie to be 80% Sam & Frodo's struggle to get to Mt. Doom. I don't think a lot of the action outside of that was really solid, and most of the CG battles have not aged particularly well. The ending(s) of the film really recapture the heart and whimsy we felt at the beginning of the trilogy, so it bookends the series rather nicely.