We might be compensated for click-through sales.
(Thank you for visiting Where to View, which offers a simple and straightforward response to the query, “Hey, where can I watch this thing?” Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies are included in this package.)
We’re going to Middle-earth, so pack your Lembas bread and grab your bright sword! A new animated movie called The War of the Rohirrim and an Amazon series are two upcoming Lord of the Rings adventures. However, you don’t have to wait for those; you can see a number of Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies right now for rent or streaming; I’ll tell you where below.
The Hobbit
Where to rent: YouTube ($2.99) and Amazon ($2.70).
Hold your horses, people! You anticipated that I would immediately discuss the live-action Peter Jackson movies, didn’t you? We must first give thanks to our forebears, the subpar animated Middle-earth films. Technically a musical, this animated adaptation of The Hobbit by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Julius Bass, the team behind stop-motion Christmas specials like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, debuted on NBC in 1977. That makes sense because J. R. R. Tolkien’s book has many songs, and the music for this movie was created using Tolkien’s lyrics. This one hasn’t held up well over time, but I won’t say anything negative about it because I’m sure folks grew up with it. Fun fact: Topcraft, an animation studio, handled the animation for this movie. Three of Topcraft’s members, Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki, and Isao Takahata, went on to found Studio Ghibli after the company filed for bankruptcy and disbanded in 1985.
The Lord of the Rings
Amazon and YouTube have rentals ($3.99)
Ralph Bakshi’s 1978 animated adaptation of The Lord of the Rings followed The Hobbit. Even while it’s still not amazing, this does benefit from the unique rotoscoping animation, in which animators traced over real-world video. This results in a visual aesthetic that may be both interesting and rather annoying. Because he liked the adaptation, Peter Jackson used the whole shots in his live-action trilogy. Additionally, there is a second animated movie, a 1980 version of The Return of the King by the creators of The Hobbit, Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr. But from what I can tell, it’s not anyplace to be rented or streamed. However, if the mood strikes, you may spend $31 on a used DVD from Amazon.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring & The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition)
HBO Max streaming locations
The first film in Peter Jackson’s ground-breaking trilogy, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, is so exceptional that it almost seems miraculous. Very few directors have been able to successfully adapt such large-scale stories, yet Jackson and crew do so right away. I had never given the Lord of the Rings books much thought, but these movies and this instalment in particular converted me (to the stories, to be honest; I still don’t give the books much thought). HBO Max offers both the theatrical cut and the extended edition.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers & The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Extended Edition)
HBO Max streaming locations
The thrilling The Two Towers is the next instalment in the series. Everyone has their own personal favourite out of the trilogy, and I frequently hear this movie listed in that category. It seems to me that this is the least strong of the three movies, but that’s okay since it still completely rocks. HBO Max offers both the theatrical cut and the extended edition.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King & The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Extended Edition)
HBO Max streaming locations
The Return of the King, the Best Picture-winning dramatic finale, brings the adventure to a satisfying finish. Some people find it annoying because the movie keeps coming to different endings, but since I wasn’t in any hurry to leave this universe, I had no issues with that. HBO Max offers both the theatrical cut and the extended edition.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
HBO Max streaming locations
What ought to have been a happy return to Middle-earth ended up being a huge failure. The Hobbit was originally adapted into two films by Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro, with del Toro serving as director. Del Toro finally withdrew, and Jackson took over as director once more. The two films were then extended to three, despite The Hobbit being a relatively short novel, to further complicate matters. An Unexpected Journey, the first book in the series, is perhaps the greatest, though that isn’t saying much. In contrast to the Lord of the Rings movie, everything feels manufactured and digital here. A shame. Recall that, believe it or not, all The Hobbit films have longer versions. However, none of these are currently accessible for rental or streaming.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
HBO Max streaming locations
With The Desolation of Smaug, the film that transformed Benedict Cumberbatch into a cartoon dragon who loves gold, the awful choices just keep on coming. Many critics claimed that this movie was a better over An Unexpected Journey when it first came out, but I respectfully disagree! You’re welcome to come to your own conclusions.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
HBO Max streaming locations
The Battle of Five Armies, the worst chapter in the Hobbit trilogy, feels like it never ends. The main conflict takes up around seventeen hours of the film, which, if it didn’t just look like a giant blob of digital slime, may be entertaining. Consider skipping The Hobbit trilogy entirely.