Peter Jackson is renowned for visually recreating the Tolkien World in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies. His world-building is reflective of the deep research that goes into geography, cultures, and history, to create worlds that are not only immersive but believable.
Jackson is also known to have pioneered the integration of practical effects with cutting-edge CGI through his Lord of the Rings films. Despite directing narratives that are larger than life, he never compromises on character emotions. At the same time, his playfulness shines through his narratives and playful dialogues.
At the same time, Jackson has a reputation for being extremely resourceful as a filmmaker, building his own equipment since his early days of filmmaking.
In this article, we’ve compiled Peter Jackson’s best films, other than The Lord of the Rings movies, that highlight his epic world-building, attention to detail, technical innovation, and deep understanding of emotional intimacy.
6 Best Peter Jackson Movies
If you only know Peter Jackson from his The Lord of the Rings movies, here’s a list of his lesser-known films that deserve your time.
1. Forgotten Silver (1995)
I’ve always felt that Forgotten Silver is an indication of Peter Jackson’s wicked sense of humor. Co-directed with Costa Botes, Forgotten Silver is a mockumentary that centers on a fictional New Zealand Filmmaker, Colin McKenzie, capturing his life and lost works.
The film is presented as a documentary, pieced together through (fabricated) archival footage, scripted and inaccurate interviews with real industry figures like Sam Neill and Leonard Maltin, and staged historical constructions, falsely crediting McKenzie with inventing several cinematic techniques, such as the tracking shot, the close-up, sync sound, and color film, much prior to their actual time of invention.
The mockumentary was so convincing that for a long time, many believed that McKenzie and his accomplishments as a filmmaker were real. Forgotten Silver demonstrates the power of world-building through meticulous attention to detail and research, to construct a world so believable that you can manipulate the audience’s perception.
At the same time, it is a sly commentary on how history is written, remembered, and easily influenced. Despite the serious presentation owing to its pretentious connection to reality, Jackson doesn’t shy away from dry humor and absurdity, as if inviting the audience in on an inside joke.
2. Heavenly Creatures (1994)
Exploring a new shade of friendship, Heavenly Creatures follows Pauline (Melanie Lynskey) and Juliet (Kate Winslet) in the 1950s, who become inseparably close friends, getting slowly sucked into their private imaginary world. Their isolation, detachment from their families, and an unusually close friendship get their families worried, and they try to separate the two girls. To preserve their relationship, the two conspire to kill Pauline’s mother.
Jackson seamlessly integrates imaginative fantasy sequences with stark realism, allowing viewers to experience the girls’ perspectives and emotional turmoil, almost firsthand. Jackson’s meticulous recreation of 1950s New Zealand roots the story in a believable world, enhancing the contrast between fantasy and reality.
3. Dead Alive (1992)
This film, also known as Braindead, is one of the most extreme works by Jackson and remains a cult-classic horror-comedy even 30 years later. Widely regarded as one of the goriest and most over-the-top films in the horror-comedy genre, Dead Alive is about the complicated relationship between a socially awkward son, Lionel (Tim Balme), and his overbearing mother, Vera (Elizabeth Moody). Lionel falls in love with Paquita (Diana Peñalver), the local shopkeeper’s daughter, but his obsessive mother complicates their relationship.
Not long after, during a visit to the zoo, a rare Sumatran rat-monkey bites Vera and subsequently kills her in a few days. But Vera rises from her grave as a flesh-eating zombie, sparking a full-blown zombie outbreak. Now, Lionel must confront his zombified mother to save the day and the love of his life, Paquita.
The film features inventive, practical effects and gore that will literally take your breath away — as well as your lunch.
4. Meet the Feebles (1989)
A proof of Jackson’s love for experimentation, both with his content and equipment, Meet the Feebles centers on the Feeble Variety Hour, starring a troupe of anthropomorphic animal puppets. The narrative captures the backstage chaos in the life of the “stars,” depicting a world shadowed with drug addiction, extortion, disease, pornography, and murder.
Jackson masterfully employs the puppet format to weaponize irony while depicting the darkest sides of showbiz and human vice. The film is considered to be a bold parody of The Muppets, wherein Jackson replaces optimism with cynicism and dark humor. Meet the Feebles demonstrates the power of anarchic satire juxtaposed with children’s entertainment—a unique mix of genre conventions that Jackson introduced through his film.
5. King Kong (2005)
Jackson’s King Kong did absolute justice to the 1933 original film as a remake, ensuring that both the narrative and visual effects meet the expectations of the new generation audience. Made almost a century later, yet Jackson’s King Kong doesn’t alter the narrative. Instead, he focuses on improving the visual language with special effects and Jackson’s masterful storytelling.
Set in 1933, King Kong follows a film crew, led by ambitious filmmaker Carl Denham (Jack Black), who go to Skull Island for a shoot. Things take an unfortunate turn when the crew comes face to face with prehistoric creatures, including deadly dinosaurs and giant insects, that live on that island. Meanwhile, the film’s actress, Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts), and the island’s colossal ape, King Kong (Andy Serkis), form a bond of friendship.
After a few attempts to escape the island, the crew not only manages to return to New York, but Denham outsmarts King Kong and captures him to take him to the city as a spectacle for profit. But King Kong manages to escape captivity and begins looking for Anne, rampaging through New York City and wreaking havoc. In the end, King Kong dies protecting Anne.
The film set new standards for motion capture and CGI, demonstrating Jackson’s ability to combine technical mastery, emotional storytelling, and cinematic spectacle into a classic revitalized for a new generation.
6. The Lovely Bones (2009)
Another offbeat film by Jackson, The Lovely Bones is based on Alice Sebold’s novel. The narrative follows Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan), who becomes a spirit and gets stuck in the astral plane after she is brutally sexually assaulted and murdered by her neighbour, George Harvey (Stanley Tucci). Days go by as she watches over her grieving family and her killer, torn between helping her loved ones and exacting revenge against the man who ended her life. The film concludes with Harvey’s accidental death.
Jackson’s visually ambitious narrative uses elaborate CGI to vividly visualize Susie’s afterlife. At the same time, Ronan’s performance as Susie is phenomenal.
Peter Jackson’s cinematic legacy is a treasure trove of epic storytelling paired with worlds that keep you hooked. So, don’t blame yourself if you find yourself lost in his worlds, long after the credits roll. Which of the above films will you begin with?
