Oscars outrage: ‘The Lord of the Rings’ should have won these 5 races

In 2004, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” became the film with joint-most Oscar wins of all time with a whopping 11 victories, matching the total tallies of both “Titanic” and “Ben-Hur.” Those 11 Academy Awards capped off a hugely successful trilogy of movies that collectively snagged 28 Oscar nominations and 17 wins in total. But yet… Peter Jackson‘s film series, adapted from the work of J.R.R. Tolkien, is so, so good that, well, it could have won more. That sounds greedy and over the top, of course, but if you take a look at each film’s nominations, it’s actually very feasible that any one of the three films could have turned the bid into a win. So, with that in mind, here are five Oscar nominations that “The Lord of the Rings” films could and perhaps should have turned into victories.

Best Art Direction — “The Fellowship of the Ring”
“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy came out during a time in which several different fantasy franchises boasted exquisite design work. “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Harry Potter,” and George Lucas‘ “Star Wars” prequels all featured costume design and production design that were some of the best we’d ever seen in cinema. But it was Jackson’s trilogy that perhaps trumped all of them. The sets, created predominantly in real life in real locations, transported you to another world, utilizing New Zealand’s incredible beauty to do so. The Shire and Bag End (Bilbo’s house), the ashy blackness of Mordor, the serene beauty of Rivendell and Lothlorien, the mystique of Isengard, the decaying Mines of Moria, and the ancient ruins found in the woods towards the end of the film. Each location was so lovingly crafted and expertly made, it feels like they have genuinely existed on Earth for decades.

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Art director Grant Major and set decorator Dan Hennah were the ones responsible for bringing Middle Earth to life, although they lost their 2002 nomination to “Moulin Rouge!” (Catherine Martin and Brigitte Broch). Major and Hennah were nominated again in 2003 for “The Two Towers” with Alan Lee joining them, while all three of them finally won in 2004 for “The Return of the King.” Major and Hennah were nominated again, alongside Simon Bright, in 2006 for Jackson’s “King Kong.” Then, Major was nominated with Amber Richards in 2022 for “The Power of the Dog.” Hennah earned another Middle Earth bid in 2013 when he, Bright, and Ra Vincent were nominated for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.”

Best Costume Design — “The Fellowship of the Ring”
The costume design nomination is a very similar story to the production design. Ngila Dickson and Richard Taylor crafted beautiful costumes that gave distinct looks to each collection of people: the Hobbits of the Shire, the elves of Rivendell, the Ringwraiths, the orcs, goblins, and Uruk-hai, and even the villagers of Bree. Plus, each main character was given their own unique look, which helped to tell the story of their characters via clothing: Aragorn, Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Saruman, and Galadriel all wear iconic outfits. Dickson and Taylor went the same way as Major and Hennah, however. They lost their nomination to “Moulin Rouge!” (Martin again, alongside Angus Straithie).

Dickson and Taylor did win, eventually, however, when they triumphed in 2004 for “The Return of the King” while Dickson was also nominated in that year for “The Last Samurai.” Taylor, meanwhile, is a five-time Oscar winner thanks to his versatility. He won two Oscars for “The Fellowship of the Ring:” Best Makeup with Peter Owen and Best Visual Effects with Jim Rygiel, Randall William Cook, and Mark Stetson. He won Best Makeup again for “The Return of the King,” this time with Peter Swords King, adding to that aforementioned Costume Design victory with Dickson. Taylor then went on to win Best Visual Effects again in 2006 for “King Kong,” alongside Joe Letteri, Brian Van’t Hul, and Christian Rivers.

Best Supporting Actor — Sir Ian McKellen, “The Fellowship of the Ring”
Sir Ian McKellen brought Gandalf the Grey to life after a host of acclaimed actors including Sean Connery, Patrick Stewart, Anthony Hopkins, Christopher Plummer, and Sam Neil all turned down the part for one reason or another. It’s now impossible to imagine anyone else but Sir Ian in the role and he earned a much-deserved Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance. He lost, however, to Jim Broadbent, who won for “Iris.” While Broadbent is a wonderful actor who gave a great performance, his role in “Iris” hasn’t stood the test of time in the way that McKellen’s has. McKellen’s performance is one of the most memorable and iconic within the last 30 years so hindsight suggests that perhaps McKellen should have emerged victorious. This was McKellen’s second Oscar bid after he reaped a Best Actor nomination in 1999 for “Gods and Monsters.”

Best Film Editing — “The Two Towers”
“The Two Towers” only earned six Oscar nominations, meaning it was, frankly, criminally under-appreciated by academy voters. The film won for Sound Editing and Visual Effects but it could have added another technical award to its victories: Film Editing. The sequel film was arguably the trickiest to pull off. It didn’t have the novelty of “The Fellowship of the Ring,” nor the introductory aspect that welcomed everyone into Middle Earth, and it didn’t have the climactic finale(s) of “The Return of the King.” So this is really the film where Jackson had to work hardest to give it its own clear narrative without it just becoming a “connecting” movie. That speaks highly of Jackson’s writing alongside Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh, but they weren’t even nominated for this one.

Instead, let’s focus on the other tool filmmakers use to craft a narrative: editing. Film cutter Michael J. Horton sowed together a narrative that stands tall on its own and doesn’t have to rely on the other two films to be an affecting story, which is an impressive feat in and of itself. Horton also had to weave together multiple different stories as the film, unlike “The Fellowship of the Rings,” follows two key groups of characters: Sam, Frodo, and Gollum, and Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas. These two tales are interwoven wonderfully. The key action sequences, including the siege of Osgilliath and the battle of Helm’s Deep, are all cut with intensity, pace, and drama. Horton lost his nomination to Martin Walsh, who won for “Chicago.” This was Horton’s only Oscar nomination as John Gilbert was nominated for “The Fellowship of the Ring” and Jamie Selkirk won for “The Return of the King.”

Best Picture — “The Fellowship of the Ring”
We could have gone for Best Director here but let’s focus on Best Picture instead. Jackson, Walsh, and Barrie M. Osborne were nominated in this category as producers but they ultimately lost to “A Beautiful Mind” (Brian Grazer and Ron Howard). That film also won Best Adapted Screenplay for Akiva Goldsman, Best Supporting Actress for Jennifer Connelly, and Best Director for Howard so it’s no surprise that it won the top prize. However, “The Fellowship of the Ring” also won four Oscars: Best Original Score for Howard Shore, Best Cinematography for Andrew Lesnie, Best Makeup for Owen and Taylor, and Best Visual Effects for Rygiel, Cook, Stetson, and Taylor. This was the most amount of victories at this ceremony, so “The Fellowship of the Ring” was just as loved as “A Beautiful Mind.” Plus, “The Fellowship of the Ring” was the film with the most nominations that year, amassing a huge 13 bids, a total even greater than “The Return of the King” managed. Voters were clearly blown away by this spectacle, then, and the ambition and scale of such brilliant storytelling. In another year, it feels like “The Fellowship of the Ring” could have easily taken home Best Picture. If the preferential ballot system of voting was in place back then, perhaps it would have.

Osborne was also nominated for Best Picture alongside Jackson and Walsh for “The Two Towers” and “The Return of the King.” They won for the latter. Walsh and Jackson shared several other nominations: Best Original Screenplay in 1995 for “Heavenly Creatures,” Best Adapted Screenplay with Boyens for “The Fellowship of the Ring,” and Best Adapted Screenplay with Boyens for “The Return of the King” (which they won). Walsh also won Best Original Song alongside Shore and Annie Lennox for “Into the West” for “The Return of the King.” Jackson, meanwhile, was nominated for Best Director for both “The Fellowship of the Ring” and “The Return of the King,” winning for the latter. He also picked up another Best Picture bid in 2010 for “District 9,” alongside Carolynne Cunningham.

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