Lord of the Rings: Chronological order of the films

It is recommended to view the Lord of the Rings films in chronological order by release date. If you include The Hobbit, there are six parts to the fantasy saga

Order of Lord of the Rings by release date

The Lord of the Rings series fascinates virtually all generations. For some, it’s the breathtaking landscapes that make the films so special. For others, it’s the wonderful mythical creatures or the battles between good and evil. The Lord of the Rings trilogy consists of three parts. If you add The Hobbit, there are six in total.

• The first film is called The Fellowship of the Rings and was released in 2001. At that time, 11.8 million Germans saw the film in cinemas nationwide.

• At the beginning of the film, the story of the special ring around which the entire series revolves is told. It grants great power and fell into the hands of a hobbit. It is recognized that the ring carries evil energy and is therefore to be destroyed. Frodo and his three companions set off into the unknown.

• The second part is called The Two Towers and was published in 2002. The journey continues there. The hobbits try to bring the ring to Mordor, where it can be destroyed. But this is not so easy, as dark forces are at work and some villains want to get their hands on the ring.

• The battles continue in the third part with fierce battles involving thousands of orcs and trolls. The film The Return of the King was released in 2003 and ends the series for the time being.

• Frodo finally stands with the Ring in front of the Lava Mountain, which can destroy the Ring. But he is seized by the Force. A final, thrilling battle ensues.

The Beginnings of the Ring: The Hobbit

For fans of the fantasy series, things continued a few years later.

• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was released in 2012. This film tells of the beginnings, i.e. the time before the Lord of the Rings films, when the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins first received the ring from Gollum.

• 2013, just one year later, the next part called The Hobbit: Smaug’s Wasteland followed. Here, everything revolves around the dragon Smaug, who wants to defend the valuable treasure.

• The third part of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is about a great battle between dwarves, elves and humans against the orcs. The last film in the series was released in 2014.

• By the way, if you’re planning to watch all six films in a row, you’ll need a lot of sitting meat and some snacks: it takes over 20 hours in total.