Hobbit First Or Lord Of The Rings
So there I was, sitting on my couch with a bowl of popcorn that was definitely more buttery than healthy. My friend Dave, who prides himself on being a "purist" about everythi...
So there I was, sitting on my couch with a bowl of popcorn that was definitely more buttery than healthy. My friend Dave, who prides himself on being a "purist" about everything, dropped a bombshell. "You started with The Lord of the Rings movies?" he scoffed, mid-chew. "Dude, you ruined the whole adventure." I looked at my Blu-ray box set, suddenly feeling like I’d accidentally spoiled a birthday party.
The Great Debate: Where Do You Even Start?
Dave’s argument was simple: you don’t start a story at the climax. He claimed that watching The Fellowship of the Ring without knowing Bilbo’s backstory from The Hobbit is like reading the last chapter of a mystery novel first. I won’t lie, his logic had a certain annoying elegance to it. But here’s the thing—I didn’t feel “ruined” at all.
In fact, my journey into Middle-earth started with Aragorn, not Bilbo. I fell in love with the grime, the weight, and the mortality of the Ring’s journey before I ever met a dragon named Smaug. And honestly? That gave The Hobbit a weird, retroactive glow when I finally watched it later.
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The Case for The Lord of the Rings First
Let’s be real: The Lord of the Rings is a masterpiece that stands completely on its own. You don’t need to know that Bilbo once found a magic ring in a cave to feel the terror of the Nazgûl breathing down your neck. The film hooks you with its epic scale—the sweeping shots of Rivendell, the ominous Eye of Sauron, and that haunting score by Howard Shore.
Watching it first gives you a sense of discovery. You meet Gandalf as this wise, mysterious force, not as the slightly goofy wizard who likes to sneak away from dwarves. Plus, let’s be honest: the pacing of LOTR is tighter. You don’t have to sit through three movies of dwarves singing about dishes and losing their luggage (I’m looking at you, An Unexpected Journey).
Starting with the trilogy also makes The Hobbit feel like a charming prequel rather than a mandatory chore. You get to say, “Oh, so that’s how Gollum got so weird!” or “Wait, that random ring Bilbo just found is the Ultimate Evil?” It’s like the universe winking at you—and that’s a delicious feeling.
Where to watch the Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit movies | Metro News
The Counter-Blow: Why The Hobbit Should Come First
Of course, Dave wasn’t backing down. He fired back with the classic argument: chronological purity. “Tolkien wrote The Hobbit first,” he said, almost reverently. “It’s the intended entry point. You’re supposed to start simple and then get dark.” He had a point. The book is a children’s story that slowly morphs into an epic, giving you a slow burn into the lore.
If you start with The Hobbit, you get to see Bilbo as a nervous, slightly boring hobbit who grows into a hero. Then, when you meet Frodo in LOTR, you understand the weight of the hobbit legacy. It’s a subtle payoff that hits different if you’ve already walked through Mirkwood and talked to Smaug.
But let’s be real for a second—the movies are not the books. Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy is bloated, silly, and has a dwarf who literally barrels down a river in a wooden tub. If you’re a newbie and you start there? You might think Middle-earth is all about comedic dwarf antics and CGI goblins. That’s a rough introduction to the franchise.
How to Watch The Lord of the Rings in Chronological Order
The Final Verdict (and Why It’s Okay to Be Wrong)
Here’s my hot take, and Dave can fight me on it: watch The Lord of the Rings first, then The Hobbit. The original trilogy is the main dish—it’s the reason we’re all here. The Hobbit is the side of fries that you eat after the burger, and you know what? Sometimes fries are better after the main course, as a nostalgic snack.
If you start with The Hobbit, you risk burnout. You have to sit through nearly eight hours of build-up before you even meet Aragorn properly. And let’s be honest—who wants to wait that long for Viggo Mortensen? I certainly don’t.
At the end of the day, it’s all Tolkien. Whether you start with a whisper in the Shire or a scream in Mordor, you’ll end up in the same place: crying over a mountain named Orodruin while a hobbit (or two) saves the world. So pick your starting point, ignore Dave’s texts, and just enjoy the journey—preferably with a bowl of popcorn that’s unreasonably buttery.
