SummaryThe series is set several millennia before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings when the rings of power were forged by Sauron.
SummaryThe series is set several millennia before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings when the rings of power were forged by Sauron.
It’s fantasy writ exhilaratingly large, although at the start, what’s so impressive about showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay’s streaming effort (September 2) is its balance between the glorious and the vile, the romantic and the brutal, the euphoric and the despairing, and the grand and the intimate. ... It feels fresh and alive—and poised, consequently, to be the one that rules them all.
Fantasy is a big genre, and there's room for both approaches. And for those who've missed Middle Earth and its inhabitants, The Rings of Power should feel like a homecoming.
A great TV show with awesome pictures and scenes and a perfect soundtrack. The actors and actresses do a really great job and are authentic at any time. I always felt the magic of "The Lord of The Rings", "The Silmarillon" and Tolkien, as I'm a fan of every book since I was a child. I'm very excited to see the second season and can't wait do dive into this huge world full of wonderful fantasy again. Great recommendation for all fans of (high) fantasy and beautiful pictures.
For now, however, it’s safe to say that Amazon throwing the weight of its coffers at this property has resulted in a perfectly winning adaptation that unfolds swashbuckling adventures with clear reverence and affection for the considerable mythos behind it.
The somewhat flawed series can't yet touch those impeccable ["Lord of the Rings"] films, but it scratches the surface. And if nothing else, the gorgeously rendered "Rings" is the most transportive current series on TV.
The first two episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are visually gorgeous, densely lived-in, and awe-inspiring at times. ... There is a big problem, though. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power might have a strong start, but its plot is laden with so many moving parts and far-flung heroes, it’s easy to see the story cratering. ... Without watching beyond the two episodes provided for review, we can only be cautiously optimistic — and skeptical of what’s next.
The dialogue’s often clunky, with cod mysticisms. Tolkien purists will probably be equally aggrieved by the insertion of invented characters and storylines. But showrunners JD Payne and Patrick Mackay have taken a mass of material, originally presented as a chronicle with little in the way of dialogue or character development, and forged a compelling, coherent narrative that fills a mouth-watering gap.
The characters — including Elves Galadriel and Elrond, played by Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving in the films — are phyllo-dough thin, and the plots not much more substantial. ... The performances are serviceable but unremarkable, while the dialogue is particularly corny and inartful, with too many intoned monologues about the search for “the light” or the ever-vague nature of evil.
I really enjoyed Rings of Power, thought it looked amazing and was overall a great compliment to the Lord of the Rings films. I honestly don't understand why it has all the hate from some people.
Despite its gargantuan budget and some beautiful visuals, Rings of Power feels thoroughly hollow. Having not read the books since I was a kid, I assumed I was missing something when I (often) didn't understand what was going on. Nope, it turns out I'm not stupid, the writing is just bad. Fidelity to the lore aside (plenty has been written about that), the writers don't convincingly explain the characters' decisions and motivations, meaning it's hard to become invested in their stories. Conflict between them felt confusing and artificial, and the dialogue was laden with lengthy metaphors and cheesy turns of phrase - I was so sick by the end of hearing about 'darkness' and 'light'. This is compounded by the fairly narrow emotional range shown by each character, although whether it's the acting or direction I'm not sure. Lastly, even without comparison to Howard Shore's score, the music is generic, lacklustre and forgettable. You're not missing much by not watching this.
I thought "The Hobbit" trilogy was the worst adaptation of the LOTR. But when "Ring of Power" by Amazon was released, I thought I was really hard on it. I finished the series; for me, it was tortured. From the first episode to the last, it has been a mess. The production took all creative liberty, and the result was a huge poop. Everything we know about the lore, the series crushed it. I hope the series was erased, or I want to be told that it never existed.