The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022– ) User Reviews

I expected much better after all the hype

[twillbox · 3/10 · 3 September 2022]

NOTE - after finishing the series I downgraded my rating to a 3.

Ok So where to begin. I gave it a 2.5 stars or a 5 out of 10 because I don't want to seem like I am review bombing. I notice the positive reviews seem very general whilst the mediocre and bad reviews seem much more specific, which I find telling. Yes the Cinematography is great and most of the production values are also very good, though some are off key as well. After two episodes I have little idea where the plot is going and the scene writing seems very weak. The dwarves are pretty well represented but all the humans except the one lead female seem like idiots. The Harfoots/halflings are kinda cool. The elves seem very poorly represented and very off key on so many levels. So yes, I have read just about everything JRR wrote himself, but I don't mind some adaptation for TV/Film either, but this really seems to miss Tolkien's tone. Most of the Elves just don't look or act like.. well...Elves...Period. That's a big problem. Sorry but it is. Many are miscast. Elrond? Come on. No dis to the actor, just wildly miscast and badly written. Most of the Elves are poorly written and directed, and they are the backbone of the story here. I like the actress playing Galadriel, but the way her character is written is ridiculous and not very engaging or likable. It seems everyone making entertainment content from classics wants it to be something it isn't. They would have been better off making a different show that was original or based on something they actually wanted to be somewhat faithful to in their representation. Instead it feels like a rip off.

Most of the dynamic and action based scenes have way too close in camera work and are jolting and unclear. And they jump back and forth too quickly between story lines so it is hard to get invested. Written for people with really short attention spans perhaps? The CGI is ok but I honestly don't see where they spent all the $ unless it was in a critic payoff slush fund. Or perhaps most of the critics are not really familiar with the source work at all and don't know the stories and tone that this is supposed to be based off of.

I had trouble getting through both episodes. Honestly, most of the adult characters seem whiney, immature and kind of stupid. Many of these folks are already classic adult developed characters at this point in the timeline, not the whelps they seem to be here. Again, very poor writing and character development. I am struggling to like or care about anyone in the show, though I do like Arondir & Nori.

I will probably keep watching the show for the visuals and the pastime but it seems like it should be so much more than it is. I really don't mind creative license to fill in the plot development if it's well done. It just seems like it is not well done here. They could make things up that match the gist and tone of Tolkien's second age, but instead it almost seems like a completely different world/story which is not how they presented the show in the lead up marketing campaign. I mean they have been hawking this thing mercilessly for months and months like the second coming of Tolkien. And really building on that point, It seems like they used the name to capture an easy audience when they did not have enough of the rights, or the desire to do a solid adaptation. Seems like a marketing gimmick. Meanwhile Amazon has bought and tied up the rights to many fine 20th Century SciFi and Fantasy works by the top talent of the time and then failed to bring them to market. The works of Roger Zelazny and Marion Zimmer Bradley are two great examples of fantastic properties that they have bought and then let languish, where they could be first to the table in high value adaptations of the Chronicles of Amber, or the Darkover stories just to name a few. Instead they went for the easy name recognition and then made a visual spectacle with little real substance. What a shame, and a squandering of both opportunity and a ridiculous amount of $.

I could say more but I don't want to just rag on the show. I know many fine people put their talent and hard work into it, and taken as a stand alone perhaps it is not so bad. Unfortunately for everyone except people who just take whatever they are given, it was not presented as a stand alone, but rather and important adaptation of Tolkien's work, which it clearly is not.

If you don't care about Tolkien much or any continuity of the world building or tone, then one can watch it as reasonably entertaining eye candy I suppose, in an entertainment world that is long on content but short on quality.

I wrote this to inform not to simply be critical.

Cheers.

First Season - Disconnected Bits & Pieces With An Incomprehensible Story line

[mikeh-54044 · 1/10 · 4 September 2022]

To be fair, like the late Christopher Lee, I re-read LOTR every year or two.

The design of the sets, CGI is totally faithful to that of Peter Jackson's team. Wonderful!

The "writers", a term I use lightly, seem to have never heard of the basic rules of storytelling. A story is about people at whose fate we develop an interest, fascination, curiosity through the efforts of the writer(s). In order to make this happen, the writer structures and paces the story with a beginning, a middle, and an end that neatly integrates and resolves the fate of the characters in an interesting manner.

This "offering, despite having spent obscene amounts of money in its production, contains zero of these storytelling elements. It seems to consist of isolated bits and pieces; entirely disconncted from one another; and no story in sight. It is boring, annoying, and makes no sense of any kind.

Professor Tolkien, armed with just a pen and tablet; unable to even afford to have the manuscript typed, created an enduring classic. Perhaps the "writers" should buy themselves a couple of pens, a tablet, and try to summon the genius of Professor Tolkien.

2 Episodes in: "It's okay."

[KissMyAss31193 · 4/10 · 2 September 2022]

I honestly didn't really have any expectations, except for a general respect. Respect for the source material, respect for themselves and most importantly respect for the audience.

It doesn't exactly succeed in any of these aspects, but it doesn't entirely fail them either. At least not most of the time.

This show's quality level is right between the Hobbit trilogy and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It's not that brilliantly amazing, nor that breathtakingly bad, so it's okay.

But it's certainly lacking. It didn't leave a strong impression at all, mostly because of the extreme speed of things. There is no real build up of the characters or story, which serves to turn every action scene into a giant bore-fest. These characters have not yet been established and already they're fighting snow trolls, orcs and discover mysteries.

The actors are doing a good job, mostly. Cough! Cough! Charlie Vickers. Cough!

But there is no breathing room for these characters to expand. It's all: NOW! NOW! NOW!

Yet in 2 hours time this show introduces just about as many characters and as much plot as the Fellowship of the Ring did, only here it feels so much less important. I'm not just talking about the fact that we are mostly following the story of characters, who we already know will make it to the end of the show anyways, but the sheer lack of actual steaks. We have yet to establish something to care about. Something to lose.

If you want to watch this, you probably already cared about this universe way before and they know it.

TLDR: It's kinda fun. Kinda stupid. Great visually. Not offensive. Take it or leave it.

i will be honest

[lobitoneors · 6/10 · 2 September 2022]

I was expecting a total fiasco but I must admit that aesthetically and visually it is an excellent job. But, Galadriel disappoints me, she is very belligerent for the thousands of years she is supposed to be and the elves in general seem to lack all knowledge before the outside world. The detail that the elves have short hair disappointed me a lot, the elves are not being treated and portrayed as they should. The representation of the Elven Kingdoms is wonderful.

I like the dwarves, they don't get out of the picture and Khazad-Dûm is a monument to the art of Durin.

Speaking of the story, for a fanfic based on elements of the appendages and being built, they treated the elves poorly in the first instance.

Surprisingly good

[Rasalgheti_2000 · 7/10 · 2 September 2022]

A pleasant surprise, the cinematography is impeccable, the characters quite well done, the plot looks like a link between the stories of the First Age, the Silmarillion and the stories of the Lord of the Rings of the Third Age, the rhythm of narration is pleasant albeit a bit slow. If the outcome of the series will be to narrate how Sauron forged the Rings of Power, it will definitely be something to watch. Until this moment, I think that in general terms, at least the first chapter delivers. I think enough to be cautiously optimistic about what the next 7 episodes might turn out to be. I must add, again that I am pleasantly surprised.

Not as good as Jackson's films, but then again, what is

[elljawa · 7/10 · 2 September 2022]

It's inevitable that this gets compared to Jackson's LOTR films. It isn't as good. But it wasn't likely to be. Hell, even Jackson wasn't able to follow up his own work all that well.

I would say, this is better than The Hobbit, even if it does lack some of the directorial flair of the film.

Pilots are always hard and usually pretty bad and by that metric,. This is a far better pilot than manh others. Far too much time was spent on a somewhat clumsy prologue, but once it got going it's pretty good

It's more visually appealing than it looked in the trailer. It seems maybe the saturation was closed in the trailer, the show itself doesn't look nearly so digital or artificial. I'm enjoying the lighting and cinematography for the most part. There is one shot of CGI blood splatter on a camera lens that is pretty jarring but not a huge deal

The writing is pretty standard for fantasy. The characters could be stronger. It gets the job done

Looking forward to the rest of this. Time will tell if this pays off for Amazon. I hope it does.

I'm Feeling It So Far

[koltonbrett · 10/10 · 3 September 2022]

Though I've never done any of the reading, I'm a major Middle Earth fan. The original trilogy will forever be among my favorite movies. It's honestly so good to be back in Middle Earth again. Two episodes into this show and I'm really enjoying it so far. I'm going to have no problem watching the complete season. I love that the tone switches back and forth between dark and lighthearted, much like the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The different characters and locations are really interesting and I feel like I'm really diving into this world like never before. Visually, it's absolutely stunning to look at it. I heard it's the most expensive show ever made, and it definitely looks like it. I can see a trend already that these episodes are going to keep leaving us with multiple cliffhangers, just like the show Lost did, which I also love.

I feel like as long as the show stays respectful of Tolkien and who he was, and considerate towards fans of the 6 other Middle Earth movies, then this could be something truly wonderful. It can give us the world building and epicness of Game of Thrones without all the explicit content. It's nice to have such a large scale fantasy show that I feel I can watch with my family.

Very good so far

[lu_lou_belle · 7/10 · 3 September 2022]

I am enjoying this prequel so far, though it bites off a chunk of a book if its going for Silmarillion origin stories.

It seems more restrained in story telling style than Peter Jackson's pull out all the stops and all the tropes of epic tales told in the cinematic realm. It's no less beautiful in its camera work and cgi. As a true Tolkien fan I didn't much care for the melodrama and overt sentimentality writ large in LOTR, or the ridiculous cgi that had armies swarming like pikes of fireants in a flood. Those elements were not necessary and detracted from the experience.

The series format seems better suited to the multiple stories lines, would have been better for LOTR and the severely stretched Hobbit.

It's early in this series, so I hope the trend continues.

If you liked Peter Jackson's POV, you might find this a little bland, but its worth a try at least.

Edit early October after 5 episodes:

Oh well. First two episodes set my expectations too high. It's a muddled romp through scenes with no overarching theme, and whether its writing or story editing, seems to assume facts not in evidence, doesn't offer any reason d'etre for the action, or any reason for audience to care about the actions of its characters with the exception of the dwarves and the proto-hobbits, and one fallen elf. Elves as a collective people seem to be suffering from adolescent existential angst, drama without much purpose, with the numenorians and all of middle earth a prop for their catty behavior. Chief among storyline weaknesses:Galadriel as presented is not a capable epic hero rallying her peers to her quest. Still worth watching out of disinterested curiosity whether or not the production works its way out of the mire its has become 1/2 way through. Not gonna be a bingeable classic.

At this point, best thing that might happen would be an 'in the middle of the film' 5th wall chorus of Monty Python Knights dashing through a scene shouting "Get on with it!"

i have read the book and love this show

[classic-cap · 8/10 · 2 September 2022]

This was great in my option, loved the Humans, Elves, and humans in this, the halfling was the only thing I felt was not that great.

But all if this was filmed beautifully, from the locations to the sets to the clothes and even the props, all of it has been the best I have seen in any tv show.

The sound is on point, love the music and sound effects,

story is the only thing that is not great (the halfling story) , I have only seen two episodes, so it could get better, who knows? But i have enjoyed it and does remind me on Tokens books, more than the movies, ( in my opinion).

And that is my thorts on this, and mine alone of for some reason this makes you angry, it is just a tv show in the end, so see it as that, this was not writing by Token, so if you do not like this don't watch this.

Peerless Perfection - E01&E02 Review

[JoshuaMercott · 10/10 · 3 September 2022]

"The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" has practically become a declaration that rolls off the tongue and gathers tones of fan-crazed passion and pop-culture promise before it leaves the mouth. What Amazon Studios did with this production is nothing less than a game-changing take on what is even possible for a television show. Streaming and series will never be the same again.

In its dual-episode debut, "Rings Of Power" created a golden benchmark for not only established adaptations but also storytelling for the small screen. Both episodes made me feel as though I was back in theatres watching Peter Jackson's trilogy come alive. While it was saddening to hear they didn't get back to the man who gave us three of the most evergreen titles that will grace the "Lord of the Rings" franchise, the team who worked on "Rings of Power" regardless served excellence that would have made Jackson smile.

But I cannot continue without first stating just how proud this production would have made J. R. R. Tolkien. That was no mere man but a legend who has in recent decades inspired a slew of rich adaptations. But originally, the outstanding nature of his writing has been a constant source of inspiration for writers and novelists everywhere, especially those interested in world-building and high fantasy. No reader worth their salt will come away from a Tolkien book the same.

In "Rings of Power", just the way they captured the life and times of disparate races - Elves, Dwarves, Humans, Orcs - and creatures galore from Tolkien's literary Second Age of Middle-Earth was a testament to the screenplay writers' sheer determination to make this series a resounding success.

I loved every frame, and am now surprisingly confused about which scene I should start praising. As with most breathtaking undertakings of this kind, I shall endeavor to start at the very beginning. The creation myth Tolkien crafted in his book "The Silmarillion" found admirable translation in "Rings of Power".

Episodes 1 and 2, namely "A Shadow of the Past" and "Adrift" respectively, were directed by J. A. Bayona, who brought excellence to bear on each frame. Writers J. D. Payne, Patrick McKay, and Gennifer Hutchison did superb work scripting the magnificence I saw on screen this night.

Bear McCreary's musical scoring was stirring, warm, chilling, and brilliant. He captured the soul of this franchise and that's saying something after what Howard Shore did with the original trilogy, and "The Hobbit" movies that came after.

Aaron Morton, Alex Disenhof, and Oscar Faura created enormously high standards for cinematography with their work in "Rings of Power" - such sweeping panoramas and intimate close-ups. The production design and editing teams deserve their weight in gold for their work in helping bring this story to life. The art direction and set decoration teams did superb work. Hair-makeup, sound effects, and stunts were outstanding. Kate Hawley's costume design was exemplary - every stitch and hem was on point.

As for the CGI and VFX teams, they were the de facto hobbits from the Aragorn-crowned scene in "Return of the King". According to Variety, they used "20 VFX studios, nearly 10,000 VFX shots to revive Middle-earth". This crew certainly bows to no-one but we shall bow to them.

Galadriel, played by Morfydd Clark, was outstanding - her performance redefined so much about this iconic and inspiring character. In just two episodes, Clark proved to be the Wonder Woman of the Tolkien-verse. Her acting also paid due homage to Cate Blanchett's take on the character.

As for Sauron, he is a particularly significant character in the Tolkien-verse. In connection to him, we are yet to see what actor Bridie Sisson will be bringing to the series. Perhaps some sort of religious devotee or ritual summoner? Sisson lived up to that 'aura', as witnessed in the trailer. Future epis may reveal Sauron's true identity.

Poppy Proudfellow, played by Megan Richards, was remarkable. Elanor "Nori" Brandyfoot, played by Markella Kavenagh, was great. Some 'new Frodo and Sam' vibes with those two, only Harfoots instead of Hobbits.

The stranger, potentially Gandalf (!), played by Daniel Weyman, was intriguing - his performance was rife with mystery and magic. Fans know the true origins of Gandalf, and wizards like him. They are not exactly human. Future epis will reveal more, I'm sure.

Celebrimbor, played by Charles Edwards, was good. Theo, played by Tyroe Muhafidin, was also good. Elrond, played by Robert Aramayo, was superb - so many subtle and skillful throwbacks to Hugo Weaving's acting in the original trilogy. Arondir, played by Ismael Cruz Cordova, was amazing. Bronwyn, played by Nazanin Boniadi, was good. Thondir, played by Fabian McCallum, was also good. Halbrand, played by Charlie Vickers, was noteworthy.

Sadoc Burrows, played by Lenny Henry, was memorable. Malva, played by Thusitha Jayasundera, was quite good. Marigold Brandyfoot, played by Sara Zwangobani, was great. Rowan, played by Ian Blackburn, was notable. High King Gil-galad, played by Benjamin Walker, was quite good. Princess Disa, played by Sophia Nomvete, was superb. Prince Durin IV, played by Owain Arthur, was exceptional - his 16-piece beard transformation was itself a lesson in hair-makeup excellence.

We saw what turmoil the villain at the start of this epic, namely Morgoth, brought to bear. We also saw how his tyranny and power-lust influenced and inspired the rise of his devoted servant, the sorcerer Sauron, he who was responsible for later forging the One Ring, which mastered the titular rings of power smithed by Celebrimbor.

All other cast and crew did enchanting work in "LOTR: Rings Of Power" E01&E02 now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

As I write this review, I am dumbfounded and incredulous about the sheer magic they wrought in "Rings of Power". Every scene was akin to an immersive painting - languages, cultures, races, cities et al. What a relief for us fans who have been waiting with bated breath to see just this at long last. They not only set the groundwork but also built Tolkien's world atop it all in wholesome and glorious detail.

I offer my sincerest gratitude to Amazon Studios for making millions of fan-dreams come true in our lifetimes with the brilliant work and hard-won excellence you forged in this intricate and time-honoured production. In the spirit of Pippin enquiring after 'third breakfast', I eagerly await the third episode with a heart heavy with satisfaction and beating with expectation. This is the stuff Tolkien-dreams are made of.

Impressed so far, missing something though

[kaydrelia · 6/10 · 7 September 2022]

Huge LOTR fan, love Tolkien and I enjoyed Peter's trilogy. This series isn't too bad despite all the people acting like they knew Tolkien personally and decide to attack it. Mixed feelings on the elves, they don't seem as "superior" as I expected, and the character development across the board seems messy. I refuse to engage in the arguments about there being black actors playing certain parts, who cares? It's Hollywood, it's pretend, use your imagination, there's bigger fish to fry in the world. Hoping for more character development, I would also love to see more backstory to the very beginning of time, I'm a nerd like that I guess, but so far it hasn't been bad at all, just harder to follow than I'd hoped. Looking forward to more episodes, the CGI is beautifully done so far!

Lots of potential

[patrickbfitzmaurice · 9/10 · 6 September 2022]

I get people have are over protective of Tolkiens work, his books are unparalleled to any other fantasy and adventure novels. But the books live where they do untouched and any cinematic take on the them will always be something entirely separate. Tolkien would hate any movie or show based on his work and it's likely no one will ever be entirely true to the source material.

With that said, this show is fun and I'm excited to see how it evolves. It already has covered many interesting places, creatures, lands. It really has the potential to grow into a wonderful series. Let's hope the writing stays interesting and the actors develop their characters. Will keep watching!

My first thoughts of the beautiful series!

[kohliej · 10/10 · 3 September 2022]

My initial first thoughts of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power! I absolutely loved what I've seen so far! It's sad to see the haters of the series! Adaptions aren't going to be perfect but that's okay! Enjoy it for the beautiful cinematography, the lovely composed soundtracks, and variety of stunning special effects!! If the toxicity of the "fans" try to ruin this series success I'll be saddened, I have hopes for this series to succeed! I was drawn in from first moments so I want to see more! As a fan of mainly the Peter Jackson trilogy I love the approach shown in the series. Here's a list of things that I've loved!

The visuals: I am a huge fan of the visuals of this show! Content aside I can just watch and be captivated by the beautiful imagery of what I can view on the screen! Compared to what we've gotten from some recent series or even some films the cgi/effects are impressive. Especially compared to recent Marvel productions. Overall it's great visuals really push it along.

The score: If there's anything that really grabs my attention in series or films it's the score. Growing up loving music, it's a great treat to hear such beautiful written music. The score has its own unique footing but still having a similar feel to Howard Shore's work. I mean Shore wrote the score for the shows main titles which is beautiful! In my opinion my favorite written part in the score is Galadriel's theme. It's excites my soul hearing it. The others pieces of the score are beautifully written and is music to my ears.

The characters: It's always so intriguing to see the characters and creatures that we come across in this vast world of Middle Earth. The characters, from the leading roles and even some of the smaller roles have the opportunity to stand out in multiple ways. I love how diverse the cast is, and how it's wonderful to see it throughout the series. The characters that have stood out to me so far are Galadriel, Nori, and Arondir to name a few. They're plenty of fantastic characters who add so much life to the world and are so awesome to see play a part in the story!

The story: As I stated I am a big fan of the Peter Jackson Trilogy, and that being said I can't criticize the story of the show because from my point of view I'm excited to be back in middle earth. The story so far has been a lot of world building for the story more or less. I find that exciting from a storytelling stand point. I can see why others might seem stand off-ish about it. It's slower than what you might find elsewhere but I can see that picking up as the series progresses. As what I've watched so far, I'm invested to see what else is to come from the story!

Conclusion, overall these are my initial first thoughts on the first two episodes so my opinion could change but as of now, I absolutely love what I've seen and ecstatic to see what else is in store!

For those who do read this review/thoughts of the series! Give it a chance!

Captures Tolien's writing well with a good story, but characters are a bit boring

[prhilmes-1 · 8/10 · 5 September 2022]

The first two episodes were very good. Don't expect a big action-packed adventure just yet like the movies. Expect something closer to the first few chapters of one of Tolkien's books. Lots of characters and story lines are introduced. And enough story has been told that I am very interested to see what happens next.

Overall, I think the show does an excellent job of capturing the essence of Tolkien's writings and so far it seems to have a really good story to tell. The characters (writing and acting) are probably the weakest part of the show. They all just seem too boring. I hope they develop better over the coming episodes becoming more interesting, engaging, and exciting. They aren't bad - they just aren't great. The best part of the show is probably how well it looks from the tiny details in the costumes to the elaborate sets and top quality CGI. It's even better than the movies. Thankfully, it is not just resting on its looks as I do find the stories being told to be compelling so far. We will see where it goes, but I definitely recommend it.

Also, I like that it is appropriate for most of the family (middle school and up). Too many shows these days are chalk full of profanity, sex, violence, drugs, etc. In this sense, it's very refreshing.

2 Episodes of Gorgeous Scenery and Intriguing beginnings

[marbajc · 4/10 · 3 September 2022]

Every scene is dripping with beautiful scenery, attention to detail, and a full fleshed out world. I was blown away by how beautiful this show is. I can't speak much to the story, because we only have two episodes, but I'm intrigued by the beginnings of all these stories and am looking forward to seeing them all weave together. Excellent beginning. I genuinely don't understand the hate. We haven't seen the story yet, how have many people decided it's bad? You haven't seen it yet. And the complaints it's not "true" to the source material? It is as true as it can be to clearly communicate the story so far. Tolkiens lore is scattered and often inconsistent, so please chill out. It absolutely does feel like an adaption of Tolkien.

Promising Start and a New Take

[jakeobnyc · 2 September 2022]

Obviously nothing can live up to the expectations that original Lord of the Rings Trilogy gave us. There are a lot of ways that this show could completely fail under the shadow of the past iterations of this world, but the first two episodes are quite enjoyable. The show did not try to remake the Lord of the Rings that we know. There is still the magic and light humor of Middle Earth, the grand conflicts, moments of horror, and fantastic acting that we are accustomed to but it's unfair to compare it to films that have been idolized for two decades. This is a new IP, and a new take on Middle Earth, give it a chance.

Gets better as the season goes on!

[Supermanfan-13 · 8/10 · 22 September 2022]

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is every bit as good as I had hoped it would be. Actually, I'm blown away by how much I enjoyed this. The writing and acting in this is just terrific. The way they build these characters and the world they live ivn is what makes this show so special. You actually care what happens to these characters. This series definitely is good enough to stand on its own and not just get compared to the trilogy. I admit I never read the books for The Lord of the Rings so I had no expectations as far as that goes. Don't let some of these ridiculous negative reviews dissuade you from watching this, most are from people who hate everything. I'm glad that this did so well as it is one of the most watch shows of the year. This is actually one of my favorite shows of the year and I can't wait for more seasons to come.

Very Entertaining

[Rob1331 · 8/10 · 4 May 2023]

I absolutely loved this show! This series takes place thousands of years before both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. I was never the biggest Lord of the Rings fan. I enjoyed the movies but wasn't a die hard so even though I planned on watching this I wasn't going crazy for it like a lot of other fans. I have to say that I have really enjoyed it so far as it has the same feel as the movies did (the visuals are absolutely incredible)! It's not often that a series that's based off a huge movie franchise can live up to its hype but this one definitely does. It seems to me that most of the people who dislike this are really die hard fans who don't like that the changed some things up from the books. I've never been one to mind when a show or movie has to change up a few things from the original source material because I know they have to adapt it for tv/movies and that's hard to do. As long as it's entertaining I'm ok with it but I get why some people may not be. I'm so glad that this has already been renewed and I'm already looking forward until next season.

Medioce

[AzimAzimzade · 7/10 · 4 September 2022]

Dialogs, places, music, visual effects are good actually but I didn't like the script at all.

The series is progressing so illogically. Galadriel is swimming in the great sea as if someone is going to come out. Fortunately, there are more people in the sea than in the land. At least you would have made sea smaller on the map. Maybe then it was a little bit logical. Everyone just wants to be hero illogically. Galadriel goes after Sauron and the Orcs with 8 people. The black elf says I will go alone and say her to go back. Then why are you going with him saying I won't leave you alone?

Especially the Harfoots . A "meteor" falls close to a 50-person village. And they see it, but only one girl goes and looks and hides the guy in a little village. Elrond and the other elf are walking to the dwarves like they are neighbours. At least show the horses. Dwarf is tripping to Elrond.

The series is progressing so illogically that right now. Okay, visual effects us good but people are also looking for some logic. The series is not good just because the visual effects are good. Visual effects is not a only criteria to evaluate. Then marvel movies are also 10/10. Some people just see CGI and visual effects and say it's the best series. The most important thing in a movie and TV show is the script. Secondly the actors come. By the way, the actors aren't that great either. I think the budget of the series is just VFX effects and locations.

Poor writing. Ruins established lore

[rocket-47573 · 22 October 2022]

Unlikable characters. Storyline with giant logic flaws. Twists that were so obvious, that we saw them coming the moment the twist characters were introduced. The only thing making the twists a surprise was that writers threw out what was already established in the books to make it happen.

To me, this ended up being another reboot, that not only was terrible, but spat on its predecessors.

The only upside I'll give it, is at least the visuals looked deserving of this shows' giant budget. If only they put some of this budget towards a strong writing team. It's hard to imagine how this show could be turned around.

More sparkle than substance

[quinncom · 8/10 · 3 September 2022]

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was just mediocre in my opinion. The story had too many tropes and it came off as being sanctimonious. Everything about it was like every other generic hero fantasy story you have ever seen, and with kitsch, over-the-top special effects. Did an AI make this movie to appeal to the masses? It has some meaningless undertones that there is something special, but without validation. It is beyond me why this kind of story keeps getting rehashed. A speculative rabble rousing about the return of a powerful magic thing has been done and redone many, many times in various forms of entertainment for decades with little to no variations. The CGI looks "good" but is too fantastical for any kind of relevance. No matter how flashy it may be, the fact that it comes back around to being boring is a sign that there is something fundamentally lacking.

Really don't understand the hate this is getting

[tomgregory · 10/10 · 12 October 2022]

The rings of power story is based on the lord of the rings lore and the literature outside of the 4 main books, i.e. Tolkien notes and the silmarillion book (published after his death).

To fabricate a TV series based on notes and lore about Tolkien's universe is extremely impressive. The story is a slow burner allowing characters to grow, the characters are likeable or hateable. But it's engaging and entertaining.

I'm extremely confused as to why the internet is hating on this, what were people expecting? I really don't know. It seems like it's impossible to please people at the moment.

I'm hugely grateful that this story is being told that has the amazing production value that the rings of power has and I really hope they are not discouraged by the few and they carry this on for at least another season.

Never thought I'd ever get to see a Silmarillion TV show and I'm pleased that this has been made to such a high standard as well.

I would encourage anyone reading this review to watch it, it's epic.

Mediocre Show

[flywire-57106 · 6/10 · 4 November 2022]

Overall, I'll start by saying it's worth the watch so far. It's not the greatest show and didn't capture my attention enough to keep watching it every new episode release, but i waited this long to give an honest review. The best part of the show has to be the scenery and settings, they absolutely nailed the aesthetics and created some of the most beautiful scenes I've ever seen in any show. Unfortunately the character creation leaves a little more to be desired, and even more so with the storyline. The story follows a few different characters which is nice to switch it up, but in doing so they follow the harefoots, and this part had to be one of the most boring and frustrating parts of the show, they should have left them out. As far as the rest of the story though, they did alright following some of the original stories of characters you see in the movies, so many years later. Because I'm a fan of LOTR, i recommend the watch, but it's nothing like what Peter Jackson would have pulled off.

Too far from the original story

[marcoflaiani · 1/10 · 1 July 2023]

With so much written by the Author and not yet used in movies, i really didn't need someone else's story telling. Too much deviation from the original. To be more true, this is not Middle Heart's world for me. I am a fan since my childhood, but i could not manage to look at more than the first two episodes of The rings of power. Actors are not so bad, photography is good, but characters have nothing about the orginals. It's really not good for me to have in the storytelling things so much different from the original story, because we start from a book that has a strong order inside. Galadriel turned from queen to a fighting princess is too much for me. Hope next season will be better, but i believe not.

Pretty good start

[Bordric · 9/10 · 2 September 2022]

Was not bad at all a little slow to get going but so many characters to introduce so is to be expected. However was pleasantly good 2 hours to start off with. Good acting from everyone in the cast.

I do not know all the lore so just as a series I think I will enjoy it very much. Looking forward to the rest of the season and hope it only gets better. Should get more exciting as the threats become better known and action picks up a bit.

Just wish I could binge the whole thing at once, with today's streaming it has become the norm for some of us at least with many series out there. Would have kept me home for the holiday weekend for sure.