The Underworld franchise, starring Kate Beckinsale, tells the story of the eternal war between vampires and lycans through the viewpoint of the elite vampire assassin Selene. If you have ever been curious about watching the Underworld movies, we’ve created this (mostly) spoiler-free guide to help you decide whether to watch the story unfold chronologically or in release order, as they are both great options! Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009) Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is actually the third film in the Underworld series, but it takes place earliest in the timeline and serves as a prequel to the first film. Instead of starring Kate Beckinsale, Rise of the Lycans takes place in 1402, and follows Michael Sheen’s Lucian, a lycan raised by the vampire elder Viktor (Bill Nighy), as he navigates the events that lead to the Vampire-Lycan war. Underworld (2003) The first film in the franchise to see release, Underworld and takes place in London around the year 2003. The film introduces audiences to the universe of Underworld and the secret history of vampires and lycans. Selene (Beckinsale) has dedicated her life to ridding the world of lycans, but that life is turned upside down when Michael (Scott Speedman), the human she begins falling for, is bitten by one. Underworld: Evolution (2006) This first sequel dives much deeper into the history of vampires and lycans and puts Selene and Michael at odds with their respective clans. Their attempt to fix the rift between their two species is hindered by the vampire elder Markus (Tony Curran). Underworld: Awakening (2012) Underworld: Awakening picks up in a time when the government and public have learned about the existence of vampires and lycans and takes place not too long after Underworld: Evolution. Humans want to study these vampires to harness their power, and that drive causes many around the world to begin hunting them. Selene is captured and imprisoned in cryogenic suspension for 12 years, which brings the story to roughly 2015. When she wakes, vampires and lycans are nearly extinct and she goes on a mission to escape and find Michael. Underworld: Blood Wars (2017) Underworld: Blood Wars, the most recent entry in the franchise, takes place a few years after Awakening, although the exact year isn’t really revealed. In this story, Selene is being hunted by both the lycan clan and the vampire faction that betrayed her, and she embarks on a mission to stop this eternal war between the two species once and for all.
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From its epic scale and unmatched sense of adventure to its beloved characters and the unforgettable relationships between them, Lord of the Rings remains one of the all-time best series of fantasy films. Watching the Lord of the Rings movies in order is a fairly straightforward however it does involve the addition of the Hobbit trilogies. With series newcomers in mind, the brief plot synopses below will be spoiler-free beyond broad plot points and character introductions. There are six total movies set within J.R.R. Tolkein’s Middle-earth: three The Lord of the Rings movies and three The Hobbit movies. There is also the 1997 animated film, The Hobbit, which is separate from the newer films. Amazon’s Rings of Power series is set during the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit - which is set in the third age. This is the period in Middle-earth during which we’ll see "the forging of the rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the epic tale of Numenor, and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men." 1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) The only potential confusion in the Lord of the Rings-Hobbit timeline comes from the fact that The Hobbit trilogy is set 60 years before The Lord of the Rings, despite being released a decade later. Chronologically, the story kicks off with 2012’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which sees Martin Freeman take on the role of a younger Bilbo Baggins (played by Ian Holm in the LotR trilogy). Gandalf – one of several characters whose stories run through both trilogies — recruits Bilbo to join Thorin (Richard Armitage) and Company to help reclaim the Dwarven kingdom beneath Erebor, aka The Lonely Mountain, that had been sacked by the dragon Smaug. Along the way, Bilbo encounters Gollum for the first time and comes into possession of the One Ring. 2. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) Thorin and Company continue their journey toward The Lonely Mountain, fending off giant spiders and orcs along the way. Orlando Bloom’s Legolas joins the fray alongside newcomer Tauriel (played by Evangeline Lilly). While the company reaches Esgaroth, a lake-town south of Erebor, Bilbo descends into the mountain, where he encounters Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch). Smaug ultimately leaves his lair and departs for Esgaroth, setting up the conclusion of The Hobbit trilogy. 3. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) The conflict with Smaug is resolved and a battle ensues involving the armies of men, dwarves, elves, and two tribes of orcs, the film ultimately leaves off where The Lord of the Rings trilogy begins: back at the Shire, 60 years later, as Gandalf visits Bilbo on his 111th birthday. 4. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) The first Middle-earth film by release date (and the fourth chronologically) is 2001’s The Fellowship of the Ring. The perspective shifts from Bilbo to his much-younger cousin Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood). Following some exposition that sets up the current state of affairs in Middle-earth, we return to Bilbo’s 111th birthday celebration in the Shire. Bilbo departs on one last adventure, leaving the One Ring with Frodo; Gandalf warns Frodo he must leave the Shire, as Sauron and the Nazgul, a host of nine horse-mounted wraiths — will be coming for the ring. Frodo departs the Shire with his best friend, Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin), along with fellow hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippen (Billy Boyd). After some perilous travel and character introductions, including Aragorn (Mortensen), Legolas (Bloom), and Saruman (Christopher Lee), a plan is devised to destroy the Ring in the fires of Mordor's Mount Doom, where the Rings of Power were forged. The plan is to be carried out by the group dubbed the Fellowship of the Ring: the wizard Gandalf; the hobbits Frodo, Samwise, Merry, and Pippen; the elf Legolas; the dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies); and humans Aragorn and Boromir (Sean Bean). 5. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) Frodo and Sam take on a third, reluctant travel companion in Gollum (voiced by Andy Serkis), a hobbit long ago corrupted by the power of the One Ring. The trio makes it to the outskirts of Mordor, though are stalled by an unforeseen intervention. The other members of the Fellowship embark on a rescue mission; Gandalf takes a new form; and the trilogy’s first epic battle occurs in the gorge of Helm’s Deep. 6. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) As with The Battle of the Five Armies, The Return of the King’s plot is essentially all spoilers. Gollum, exploiting the influence of the Ring, pits Frodo against Sam and leads the former into the lair of a deadly foe. The other members of the Fellowship, meanwhile, partake in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields — a massive, final fight against the dark forces of Sauron. With the journey concluded, we enter the Fourth Age of Middle-earth and are treated to a bittersweet finale. The first season of Rings of Power has come to an end, but our adventures in Middle Earth are far from over. Not only is there a second season of Amazon's Rings of Power, but there are new feature films in the works. Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema struck a deal to produce more Lord of the Rings movies, though we're not sure where in the timeline of Middle Earth they'll actually take place. A treacherous journey leads them to Lothlórien, an Elven realm ruled by Cate Blanchett’s Galadriel, who also appears throughout The Hobbit trilogy and is one of the main protagonists of the new Amazon series (this younger version of Galadriel is played by Morfydd Clark). Galadriel advises Frodo, and he decides to continue his journey to Mordor without the others, bringing only his most trusted confidant, Sam. Jurassic Park, created through the imaginative writing of novelist Michael Crichton and the filmmaking magic of Steven Spielberg, was one of the most beloved and successful movies of the ‘90s. Two sequels and two decades later, the Jurassic World trilogy returned the franchise to relevance and, across three additional movies, added $4 billion USD to its collective box office haul. With both trilogies now complete, here is a guide to help you navigate the series’ story. There are six feature-length Jurassic movies - three Jurassic Park films and three Jurassic World films. The canon also includes two short films and an animated Netflix series, which is included in the chronology below. 1. Jurassic Park (1993): The Jurassic Park chronology is largely straightforward as the feature films’ release order lines up with their chronological order - only the short films and Netflix series may require a bit of guidance. Jurassic Park adapts the Michael Chrichton novel of the same name and sets up the series’ narrative conceit: Dinosaurs have been cloned by extracting DNA from prehistoric mosquitoes preserved in amber and a reckless entrepreneur (Richard Attenborough) is using the clones to fill a theme park on the fictitious island Isla Nublar. Paleontologist Alan Grant (Sam Neill), paleobotanist Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), and mathematician/chaotician Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) arrive on the island to assess the safety of the park. They’re joined on their tour by Lex and Tim Murphy, the grandchildren of Jurassic Park founder John Hammond. A tropical storm lands on the island and a saboteur kills the power to steal corporate secrets, resulting in a deactivated security system. With the dinosaurs now unrestrained, the island tour turns into a deadly escape mission against velociraptors and a Tyrannosaurus rex. 2. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997): Set and released four years after Jurassic Park, The Lost World brings back Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm and Attenborough’s John Hammond to star alongside Julianne Moore’s paleontologist Sarah Harding. The Lost World is set on a second island, Isla Sorna, where Hammond also cloned dinosaurs. The island was ultimately abandoned, and the dinosaurs were left to fend for themselves. A power struggle for control of Hammnod’s company, InGen, leads two opposing factions to Isla Sorna. One faction, led by Hammond’s nephew Peter Ludlow (Arliss Howard), wants to again try exploiting the dinosaurs for profit, while Hammond, Malcolm, and Harding aim to turn the island into a nature preserve where the creatures can be studied away from human interference. The two sides struggle against the backdrop of uncaged, territorial dinosaurs, once again resulting in frenetic chase sequences and occasional death. The exploiters are successful in capturing a T-Rex to transport to a new park in San Diego, which escapes captivity and wreaks havoc on the city. Malcolm and Harding attempt to capture it nonlethally. 3. Jurassic Park 3 (2001): Sam Neill reprises his role as Alan Grant for the series’ third film, with Laura Dern’s Ellie Sattler returning as well, albeit for a much smaller role. Another four years have passed between The Lost World and Jurassic Park 3 - both in the real world and in-universe chronology. Jurassic Park 3 is once again set on Isla Sorna, where a man and a boy have gone missing. Grant, in need of money for his continued dinosaur research, accepts to give a helicopter tour of the island in exchange for funding. We learn the tour is actually a rescue mission chartered by the missing boy’s parents. As expected, the dinosaurs welcome the humans with hostility. The group is pitted against a pack of velociraptors, which they must outsmart and outmaneuver while searching for the missing persons. Grant eventually contacts Settler to coordinate a rescue mission. The end of Jurassic Park 3 began a 14-year hiatus for the franchise. 4. Jurassic World (2015): Set and released 22 years after the original Jurassic Park, Jurassic World quickly became one of the highest grossing movies of all time after it's release. The film takes viewers back to Isla Nublar, where a new dinosaur theme park has opened. Jurassic World stars Chris Pratt as animal behavioralist/velociraptor trainer Owen Grady and Bryce Dallas Howard as Jurassic World operations manager Claire Dearing. Claire’s two nephews venture off on their own to explore the park, while a genetically modified mega-dinosaur, the Indominus rex, escapes captivity. Claire and Owen venture out to save the boys as the situation escalates and more dinosaurs join the fray. With the boys safe, the action turns toward subduing the Indominus rex. Owen is tasked with confronting the beast with his trained velociraptors, which does not go according to plan. The climax of the film is an epic showdown between the Indominus and a T-Rex. The surviving humans flee and the great dinosaur theme park experiment is once again shuttered. 4. Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (TV Series - 2020): Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous is a canonical, family-friendly animated Netflix series. It’s not essential viewing but we’re including it for those who want the complete Jurassic Park experience. Camp Cretaceous ran for five seasons and takes place during the events of the Jurassic World trilogy. The show follows six kids who attend Camp Cretaceous on Isla Nublar. The dinosaurs break free and the kids are left to survive on their own. 5. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018): Falling Kingdom is set three years after Jurassic World. Fallen Kingdom continues to explore the dangers of exploiting dinosaurs for the sake of profit. Jeff Goldblum reprises his role as Ian Malcolm. A volcanic eruption threatens the lives of the dinosaurs of Isla Nublar. Malcolm promotes correcting for the unnatural creation of present-day dinosaurs by letting them die in the eruption; Claire Dearing lobbies to save the creatures through her Dinosaur Protection Group. When the U.S. Senate votes to let the dinosaurs die, Claire teams up with Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell) to save them. She recruits Owen Grady to support the cause. We learn of ulterior motives within the rescue group and discover the series’ cloning technology has not been limited to dinosaurs. The film ends with many of the dinosaurs set free and humanity entering a new era – one in which the two species must co-exist. 6. Battle at Big Rock (Short Film - 2019): Battle at Big Rock is a 10-minute short film set between Fallen Kingdom and Dominion, specifically one year after Fallen Kingdom. It shows the first major confrontation between dinosaurs and humans following the events of Fallen Kingdom. 7. Jurassic World Dominion: The Prologue (Short Film - 2021): Originally shot as the beginning of Jurassic World Dominion and is a five-minute short. 8. Jurassic World Dominion (2022): The last movie in the Jurassic World trilogy, Dominion explores the premise set up by Fallen Kingdom: a world in which humans and dinosaurs co-exist. It’s set four years after Fallen Kingdom and unites the most recognizable characters from the franchise’s two trilogies: Owen Grady (Pratt), Claire Dearing (Howard), Ian Malcolm (Goldblum), Alan Grant (Neill), and Ellie Sattler (Dern). The integration of dinosaurs into nature had great ecological effects and led to great ethical dilemmas. Claire and Owen work on behalf of the dinosaurs’ well-being, while genetics company Biosyn exploits the animals for profit. Elsewhere, giant locusts are destroying crops across the U.S. Ellie and Alan work together to find the locusts’ link to Biosyn. |
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