Over the past couple of weeks, my wife and I finally sat down and watched the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I'd seen bits and pieces over the years and had tried watching them before, but I'd always end up falling asleep. It turns out that had more to do with my undiagnosed sleep apnea than the movies themselves. I'm really glad I finally got to experience the trilogy from start to finish.

Overall, I had a great time with the series.

The extended editions never felt like they were dragging for me. If anything, I appreciated getting more time with the characters and the world. It's easy to see why these movies are considered classics. The cast is fantastic, the music is incredible, and Middle-earth feels like a real place instead of just another fantasy setting.

We're working our way through The Hobbit trilogy now, and at the time of writing we still have the third movie left to watch.

So far, I'd say I've enjoyed The Lord of the Rings more overall. That said, Martin Freeman has absolutely been the highlight of The Hobbit movies for me. His version of Bilbo is incredibly likable, and he brings so much charm to the role that it's hard not to enjoy every scene he's in.

One of my favorite visuals so far has been Smaug swimming through the mountain of gold. The whole sequence immediately reminded me of Scrooge McDuck diving into his money bin. It's such an over-the-top visual, but it works, and it's one of those scenes that's going to stick with me.

One thing I wasn't expecting was how much The Hobbit would improve my appreciation for Bilbo.

Before watching these movies, Bilbo's role in The Lord of the Rings always felt a little strange to me. It was basically, "Here's the Ring. Good luck, Frodo." Seeing everything Bilbo went through, how he found the Ring, and how it slowly began influencing him gives so much more context to his character. It makes his relationship with the Ring feel earned instead of something that just happened before the story began.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the trilogy wraps up, but I honestly can't imagine my overall opinion changing dramatically. So far I've enjoyed all of these movies, with The Lord of the Rings still holding the edge.

After we finish The Hobbit, my wife has informed me that we're watching the 1977 animated The Hobbit next. I'm looking forward to seeing how it compares. If it changes my opinion in any meaningful way, I'll probably come back and post an update.

For now, I'm just happy I finally crossed these movies off my list. Sometimes there really is a reason a series becomes a classic.