My Precious! How to Watch the 'Lord of the Rings' Movies In Order

The world of The Lord of the Rings is set to make a big comeback with Amazon Prime's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The new television series is a prequel to the events of the film series, set during the second-age of man. Fans looking to check out the films before watching the shows may be confused, as the trilogies weren't released in the same order as the books from which they were inspired. Here is how to watch The Lord of the Rings movies in order—the correct, chronological order.

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The Lord of the Rings Movies In Order

1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey depicts the events that will eventually lead to the beginning of Frodo's journey to destroy the one ring. While it was released nearly a decade after the final Lord of the Rings film, An Unexpected Journey adapts the first section of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, which is set prior to the Lord of the Rings.

While the filmmakers initially intended to just split the story into two films, it was later decided to tell the story over three films. Guillermo Del Toro was originally hired to direct these movies, but he dropped out, leaving Peter Jackson to pick up the reins. This film shows Bilbo Baggins heading out on an adventure with a group of dwarves looking to reclaim a massive treasure stolen by the dragon Smaug.

2. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The second film in The Hobbit trilogy, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, shows Bilbo and his party finally reaching the mountain and confronting Smaug. Benedict Cumberbatch brings the villainous dragon to life, providing both his voice and motion capture. While the final result in the film is fairly creepy, the behind-the-scenes footage of Cumberbatch acting like a dragon is much more entertaining. See that fun snippet below! (Seriously, he's the best.)

3. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Bringing this trilogy to a close, The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies shows the final conflict with Smaug and the resulting battle featuring the titular armies. By the time this movie was released, it seemed as if audiences were starting to move on from the series; it was the lowest-earning movie from both trilogies. It was still a financial success, however, and did receive positive reviews from critics.

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4. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Back in 2001, Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring opened in theaters and proved to the world that Tolkien's books could be adapted to film.

The Fellowship of the Ring shows Bilbo's nephew, Frodo, coming into possession of the one ring and beginning a long journey to save Middle Earth from Lord Sauron. Along the way, he is joined by the series' other heroes, including Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (Jon Rhys-Davies).

5. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Following up directly from the events of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers shows Frodo continuing his journey after splitting away from the fellowship. Meanwhile, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli discover that the kingdom of Rohan has been taken under control of Sauron's forces. While he briefly appeared in the previous film, this movie also famously fully introduced Gollum, played by Andy Serkis.

6. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

The saga of the ring comes to a close in The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. As the various armies of Middle Earth rally to fight off Sauron's forces, Frodo continues his journey to Mordor to destroy the ring. While the film mostly adapts the final book in the trilogy, it also includes some scenes that originally appeared in the book version of The Two Towers but weren't included in the film.

Next, check out the best quotes from The Lord of the Rings movies!