The first two episodes of The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power have released on Amazon prime,
and in my opinion, it's a start that leaves me with mixed thoughts. The result of TVs
most expensive show is on one side, an unparalleled grandeur of visual scale, but on the
other, is so far an uneven journey, that feels like it's giving us a familiar beats in a less
satisfying way. In this spoiler-free review, I'm going to be giving you my general thoughts
on the first 2 episodes of The Rings Of Power, discussing what I liked and what I didn't. But
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lets dive into my review for The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power.
So The Rings Of Power has been put to the small screen by showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay,
and we wondered if these fresh screenwritters could handle the weight of such a beloved
franchise, let alone adapt a story found in the appendices of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.
The show is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before we saw the telling
of Frodo and the Fellowship, and as we learn in the beginning with Galadriel's voiceover,
it takes place long after a war between Morgoth and the elves. It tells the events of how
Sauron, who was once a close servant of Morgoth, took charge following the forging of the 19 rings,
which he controlled with the One Ring that we know. The rights alone to the
show cost Amazon a whopping $250 million, and we learnt that the first season cost nearly $500
million to produce, meaning the cost of this one season alone is around a billion. So for
Amazon, this needs to be a hit and a show that can create longevity in the
multiple seasons they'll aim to create. And in mentioning the budget of this show,
this brings me to my main positive of these opening two episodes. For a tv series, the scale
of this is huge and the vissuals are more breathtaking than anything we've seen on TV
so far. The money is put into every frame, whether it be the lived-in sets, the elegant costumes
or the polished digital VFX. It's not like some of the shows we get on Disney Plus and
Netflix where there is noticable effects work used, and here, it feels like they've put the
money and effort in to capture something that looks like Lord Of The Rings. And it provides
a finsihed presentation that would look just as stunning on a cinema screen. The scope captured
in the many locations we visit in these first two episodes, suggests that it's
only going to build from here and New Zealand's scenery feels real yet unsual at the same time,
harkening back to the world building of Peter Jackson's films. It's a mix of practical and
detailed visual effects that many other shows have tried to implement on the small screen
and end up failing in the process. Whether it's the greenery with the Harfoots, the heavenly
lighting captured with the Elves or the rocky insdustrial feel in the surroundings that house
the dwarves. Jackson's films brought a more textured feel that I personally prefer,
but the clean visuals of The Rings Of Power do offer us a sense that the aesthetic will change
as the episodes go on. Ultimately, from a visual sense, The Rings Of Power merges the lines between
television and film and it's an example of heavy vfx work done right, which is
a good thing to build a foundation upon. But what is the story like in this prequel show.
Well in coming to a brief explanation of the plot, we quickly learn that Galadriel is the only
one who believes that Sauron, who killed her brother, is still alive and secretly
building an army of Orcs. Of course, in Peter Jackson's films, Cate Blanchett's Galadriel
conveyed much more wisdom, and here many years before, she's more of a warrior wanting vengenace.
She's determined to find Sauron, but her fellow elves don't beleive her and hold her back from
doing so. There's a few scenes right from the beginning that I didn't love,
and especially with the ones that include the elves on her journey, who she constantly saves in
multiple situations or travels beyond in moments too. It made me question why she even needed them
to begin with. I'm fine with the design of the character and the journey they are
setting her on, but I think they could have used better crafted scenes and writing to really make
us more invested in this version of the character, who appears to be the central one of this journey.
Then there's young Elrond, who is one of those that thinks her obession
has gone beyond the limits. It's not until we see that he himself get's a task that we really start
sink into this character a bit more. He has been ordered on a project by the Elven king to
assist the future creator of the rings, and it takes him to the realm of the dwarves. I didn't
mind his character once we do get to Elron and his chemistry with Peter Mullan's
Durin III and his princess, as it created hints of the chemistry and comedy we saw in Jackson's
trilogy. And as nostalgia it works fine. It's a different time and I expect this relationship to
be a quite enjoyable one throughout the rest of this season. But across the map we do get
another set of introduced characters in the Southlands, where it seems the tension between
elves and men is very high, and a Harfoot named Nori wants adventure, right before it falls
right in front of her. The Harfoots are Irish versions of the Hobbits, and while I liked the
sense of characters it was building, it did remind me too much of the past at times, and I hope we
don't get something too similar with this narrative thread.
So is The Rings Of Power a good start to this prequel show. Well after 2 episodes I do think
it's a good start, but there are a few things that aren't done so greatly. The main issues I
have is that it takes multiple things everyone knows from the famous trilogy, removes the
enjoyment from many of the instances, sets up mysteries that we already know answers too and
puts Galadriel on a path that might have used too much of the runtime to begin with. She
spends a majority of the first episode warning people about Sauron, who in return don't. Sure
this may develop and the character may go on a vengeful push for justice, but I think it
goes against the core of the character we knew. She's an immortal who wants to see the other
lands of Middle-Earth but this show is pushing the soldier aspect that I find quite boring,
unimaginative and light so far. Again, it's not that I don't like this direction, I just
think the execution is weak. A character that can do what others can't and the obstacles that
they have to overcome, can only be overcome by them. The montages and editing between
these different characters also feels too jarring at times, creating a pace that's uneven
and makes it feel like the show is forcing it's worldbuilding upon you, rather then letting it
breathe or show unique facets to the characters that inhabit it. The many cuts to the map
feel cheap and the overall setup of the story reminds us too often of The Fellowship of the
Ring, executing things in a way that feels less impactful. Nori reminds us of Frodo,
and other factions setup an eventual combining of forces to fight a big threat, that again we've
seen before. With it's grogeous production and effects in tact, it leaves me thinking that a
new story would provide the chance to explore new areas of Tolkien's unguarded lands, and
even when we do see a new area here, it seems way too generic. The light striking through
the clouds with Galadriel departing and swimming across a lot of ocean is one laughable example
or even the elves unseen homeland becoming too similar to what's come before.
Again, don't get me wrong, this all looks absolutely gorgeous
on a small screen and the work has been put in from a production standpoint to create a sense
of grandeur, but there needs to be a sense of an individual identity too, letting this prequel
have the opportunity to last the test of time itself. This is only two episodes and
I can't speak to what the rest of the show will accomplish, but I'm hoping its characters will
become more interesting and the story itself will transcend into something unique on it's own.
The Rings of Power is definitely more exciting then a lot of fantasy and science fiction shows
on other platforms that try to build a world using generic beats and presentation,
and while I'm worried this could follow that in it's story too, I'm hopeful that the setup will
progress into something more unexpected. It has definitely got potential and I'm still
looking forward to seeing what Amazon and the showrunners do with it.
But that was my review for The Rings Of Power Episode 1 and 2. I'm giving the first
2 episodes of the show a rating of 7 out of 10. Again, I didn't hate it and I really admire the
effort that has been put in from a visual side of things to bring us back to middle earth,
but I just hope that in the episodes to come it can energise a fresher identity with it's
characters and storyline. I guess everyone is going to react differently to this, but
that's how I felt after the premier episodes that debuted on Amazon Prime. But to those who have
already seen them, what are your thoughts on The Rings Of Power and are you excited
for the next episodes? Let me know down below in the comments section.
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