This week on the first of two new The Collider Podcast episodes, we're talking about The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. Both trilogies arrived on 4K Ultra Blu-ray at the beginning of this month, so we figured now would be a good time to revisit the franchise. We discuss why Lord of the Rings works so well, how it made necessary changes from the books, the chaotic filmmaking leading to a terrific series, and more. We then move into a discussion of The Hobbit trilogy, why Guillermo del Toro left the project, why Peter Jackson decided to return to Middle-earth, the struggles of the prequels, where Jackson's career goes from here, and more. We then finish up with Recently Watched.

Check out the new episode below, and be sure to subscribe. If you want to talk to us about The Collider Podcast, reach out on Twitter at @MattGoldberg and @AdamChitwood.