Do you need to watch ‘The Lord of the Rings’ movies to understand ‘The Rings of Power?’

Amazon Prime’s The Rings of Power is set to kick the world of Middle-earth back into the public consciousness, with a reported $750 million spent on the series. Set hundreds of years prior to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the series builds out the world.

But in order to view The Rings of Power, do you need to watch all the current Middle-earth-based movies? Here’s the low down.

Do you need to watch Lord of the Rings to understand The Rings of Power?

Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of the most treasured in cinema history, with it a rare example of a consistently high quality trilogy. Up there with the likes of the original Star Wars trilogy and Toy Story, it’s an absolute classic.

So much of the world in Jackson’s films doesn’t particularly require background knowledge of Middle-earth, as the characters fill in the information and espouse exposition as needed for the audience to catch up. Similarly, The Rings of Power is perfect for those who have yet to see any of the films, as it works well to set up the world seen in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

The Rings of Power features just two “returning” characters from the film trilogy, with younger versions of Galadriel and Elrond paramount to the Amazon Prime original. Overall, while those who have seen The Lord of the Rings may potentially get more enjoyment out of The Rings of Power, it’s still easily accessible to those who have never ventured into this universe prior.

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is available to stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.