With so many variations of the famous Lord of the Rings franchise, it can be challenging to understand the timeline of the series. In this guide, we’ll explain how to watch The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies in order to get you started with the latest Amazon original show, The Rings of Power.
All The Lord of the Rings Installments in Chronological Order
The Lord of the Rings franchise has several prequel stories that can be confusing to some newcomers to this epic narrative. Here is how you can watch The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies in order, along with the newest Rings of Power series:
- The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (The Second Age)
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (The Third Age)
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (The Third Age)
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (The Third Age)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (The Third Age – 60 years after The Hobbit)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (The Third Age)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (The Third Age)
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is the first installment you can watch if you want to follow the timeline chronologically. This storyline is set thousands of years before the events of both the Hobbit and LOTR trilogies, so newcomers can begin with this show without any knowledge of previous franchise projects. A few characters from these films are also present in this Amazon original, such as Galadriel, Elrond, and Sauron’s rise to power.
After you’ve watched this latest series, you can view the three Hobbit movies that set up the origins of Bilbo Baggins, an essential character in The Lord of the Rings. With this storyline, you’ll learn about his time with the dwarves and Gandalf as they try to reclaim the Lonely Mountain after the dragon, Smaug, takes over the area. Each film offers a different side to LOTR characters, like Gandalf and Galadriel’s relationship and why Bilbo has such an adventurous spirit when he gets older.
Besides all these storylines, one of the most critical aspects of these films is the Ring, where you discover its dark powers that lead to the resurgence of the great Sauron.
The Lord of the Ring trilogy is the last arc you can watch to continue the films in chronological order. The Fellowship of the Ring is the very first movie that began it all and established the primary goal of the franchise: to destroy the Ring in Mordor. You’ll follow the nine members of the Fellowship, such as Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Merry Brandybuck, Pippin Took, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Boromir.
From then on, the story continues with their long journey in The Two Towers and The Return of the King, filled with action-packed moments and heroic efforts by many characters of the franchise. In addition, these movies have Extended Editions with even more scenes to expand the universe further (available on HBO Max.)
If you want additional content for the series, many video games feature new storylines of the universe, including Gollum, Return to Moria, and Heroes of Middle-earth.
Hopefully, this guide helps you understand how to watch The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies in order now that the Rings of Power has been released. Before you go, you can check out the relevant links below and view the latest news about the upcoming The War of the Rohirrim anime.
