Do You Need to Watch Lord of the Rings to Watch The Rings of Power?

With the release of the Amazon original show gradually approaching, you may wonder, do you need to watch The Lord of the Rings to understand the story within Rings of Power? To answer this question, we’ve put together this guide that explains the timeline and information about key characters from the show and films.

Do You Need To Watch Lord of the Rings To Watch The Rings of Power? Answered

Since Rings of Power is set thousands of years before the events of The Lord of the Rings, you don’t need to watch the movies for The Rings of Power. Based on the timeline, the Amazon original series takes place in the Second Age, while LOTR and The Hobbit trilogy are in the Third Age.

However, you can still watch the films to gain some basic knowledge of the lore, such as details about Middle-earth, different species, and the significance of the powerful Rings. A few characters from LOTR will also appear in the series, like Galadriel, Elrond, and Isildur.

Galadriel and Elrond are both elves, and they have the ability to remain ageless, which is why they are present in most of the storylines of the franchise. As for Isildur, this is a character we have only briefly seen in flashbacks in LOTR, and Rings of Power can finally give fans a deeper look into his arc since he is a fairly important aspect of the narrative.

If you decide to watch the films, you can check out our guide on how to watch The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit in chronological order. But, be aware that these movies are relatively long and take some time to finish, just in case you want to do this before watching Rings of Powers.

Now that you know that you don’t need to watch The Lord of the Rings to prepare for Rings of Power, you can be ready for its release on Amazon Prime Video. For more content about the franchise, you can check out the relevant links below and view the latest updates, including a sneak peek of the show and the SDCC trailer.