The road goes ever on, as a return to Middle-earth is fast approaching. After years of different attempts to expand The Lord of the Rings beyond Peter Jackson’s original trilogy, this newest project has one big advantage. It's a story we already know, and we want to know more, precious. But what exactly is the new Gollum-set prequel about? Well, we might know already.

It's been mentioned a million times before, but it's worth mentioning a million times more: The Lord of the Rings is the apex of fantasy cinema. Peter Jackson's trilogy adapted J. R. R. Tolkien's massive literary magnus opus, turning it into a generation-defining epic that almost single-handedly revitalized the fantasy genre on the big screen. At the time, it was a genuine phenomenon, surpassing the big screen to become a cultural event that united everyone, even those who generally didn't enjoy fantasy. A commercial and critical success, Jackson's trilogy became one of the franchises that defined the 2000s, influencing most of the subsequent fantasy movies released over the next decade or so.

As controversial a figure as J. K. Rowling may deservedly be, there's no denying that the Harry Potterseries revolutionized not just the fantasy genre, but the publishing industry as a whole. Throughout seven incredible books that sold like the hottest of cakes, Rowling revitalized children's and young adult fantasy in ways that were unheard of at the time. In all honesty, it seems unlike that a fantasy book series will ever have a pop-cultural impact of quite this scale ever again.

Sometimes, movie titles can deceive us. There are many reasons why this may happen, but most times it's just about narrative needs, especially if the movie is an adaptation of another work. That's the case in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, although the movie makes pretty clear what exactly its two titular towers are. As Saruman (Christopher Lee) himself says, they are his tower in Isengard, Orthanc, and Sauron's tower in Mordor, Barad-dûr. Despite his striking speech declaring "the union of the two towers," however, those are not the two towers author J.R.R. Tolkien originally chose.

I have rewatched The Lord of the Rings trilogy so many times that I already know entire scenes before they even begin. I know exactly when Sam will give his speech, when Gandalf will arrive at Helm’s Deep, and when the music will start swelling. Yet every few years, usually during winter or after a stressful week, I still end up going back to those films again. There is something strangely relaxing about spending eleven hours inside a story (you already know the ending of).

No two movie franchises have had a bigger impact on film than Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings. It's impossible to measure what the original Star Wars trilogy has meant to pop culture. There have been a plethora of movies and TV series since, and a half-century after the first movie debuted, the franchise remains as popular as ever. The same can be said for The Lord of the Rings. Peter Jackson's original trilogy is Oscar-winning perfection, and it too has had several spinoffs.

Sometimes, you just want to grab some popcorn and watch a great one-and-done adventure. Movies, after all, bring people together as you're transported to another place and time for the ride of your life. But for those who don't want to commit to binging an entire television series but aren't simply satisfied with a standalone film entry, look no further than the best movie trilogies around.

It's in no way an exaggeration to say that J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Ringstrilogy is the single most important and influential work of fantasy literature of the entire 20th century. Tolkien, somewhat reluctantly, originally devised The Lord of the Rings as a sequel to his groundbreaking 1937 children's book The Hobbit at his publisher's request. As he kept writing, the story kept growing into something far larger and more epic—particularly after Tolkien merged it with his foundational mythology of Middle-earth, which he had been developing since his time serving in World War I. Suddenly, The Lord of the Rings had become far more than just a Hobbit sequel: it was now the grand tale of the War of the Ring, inspired by various world mythologies, Tolkien's Catholic faith, philology (the study of language), and his experiences in the war. Originally written as a single epic novel, the text had to be published in three volumes; now, it's considered one of the greatest trilogies in the history of literature.

In the realm of fantasy, theLord of the Rings trilogy reigns supreme as possibly the greatest cinematic achievement the genre has ever seen. Based on the seminal, pioneering novels by J. R. R. Tolkien, the trilogy follows Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) on a quest to destroy the One Ring, a powerful item capable of subduing all the free people of Middle-earth. The movies broke new ground, dominating the box office and earning a whopping 17 Oscar wins out of 30 nominations. In short, they revolutionized fantasy and marked a distinct before and after, influencing every genre movie released since.

Few fantasy heroes in the current culture are as immediately recognizable as Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived was at the center of one of the largest and most popular fantasy franchises that dominated both books and film for well over a decade, and it continues to be massively popular. Warner Bros. has invested a staggering amount of money into a new series adaptation of the novels, banking on fans having enough nostalgia for the character to make it worth the time, money, and effort. Whether or not that upcoming series is able to escape the shadow of the immensely successful films remains to be seen, but regardless, Harry Potter will remain an immensely beloved hero — that doesn’t mean he’s the most likable, though.