The Lord of the Rings Movies In Order

The Lord of the Rings order starts with The Fellowship of the Ring, and ends with The Return of the King.  Many people consider the Lord of the Rings to be the best trilogy ever made. Originally based on a book, this unique movie series has gone on to be the most watched trilogy in the world.  This epic movie series which started in 2001 begins with Bilbo finding the one true ring.  In the 2012 The Hobbit which is technically where the journey begins will be released.  This will go in detail about how Bilbo originally found the ring.  So if you’re brand new to the LOTR trilogy you should start there when it comes out, it is the first one you should watch.

If you’re wondering if you should watch them in order, the answer is a resounding: yes!  Many trilogies can be watched in any order because their story lines are separate from each other.  They may share common characters and ideas, but contain almost separate stories within each movie.  The Lord of the Rings should definitely be watched in the proper order from beginning to last.  Rather than being three separate stories, LOTR is a single story spaced out over three movies.  You will not be able to follow what’s going on if you start in the incorrect order.

Additional to the advanced story line, LOTR paints extremely detailed pictures of each of the characters.  We learn an abundance of information about individual characters and grow to either like or dislike them.  As the storyline evolves, so do the characters.  Each character has their own story within the movie as we grow to learn almost every detail of their lives.  It’s important to watch the series in order so we can properly see how each character develops throughout the story as well as the relationships between characters.

LOTR	Trailers	The Hobbit	Trailers
The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)		An Unexpected Journey (2012)
The Two Towers (2002)		The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
The Return of the King (2003)		The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

Is The Hobbit part of the series?

The Hobbit was not part of the initial Lord of the Rings saga.  It doesn’t play a critical role in the understanding of the trilogy.  However, if you’ve not watched any part of the trilogy, it’s recommended you start with it in order to have a better understanding.  The Hobbit is in essence a prequel to the entire story.  Technically this is where the journey began, hence the name “An Unexpected Journey”.  If you choose to watch The Hobbit trilogy, you can either watch it before LOTR or after, it does not really matter.  The series in itself is a great tale and can be watched by people who’ve not seen any of LOTR movies.  Watching it will simply provide more background details on how Bilbo initially came upon finding the ring.