The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

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Season 1
Season #: 3, 2, 1
User Score
3.0

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 2938 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 711 out of 2938
  2. Mixed: 141 out of 2938
  3. Negative: 2,086 out of 2938

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User Reviews

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  1. Bluto1941
    Sep 4, 2022
    2
    Its looks nice, the clear deviation ftom Tolkien's lore the biggest issue is its just BORING. I actually feel asleep during the first episode. Ugh.
  2. Lobok
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    Anyone who defends this is scum. This show is so laughably bad, so terrible with special effects, cgi, writing and screenplay that it's on par with D&D's 2000 movie. It's low effort fanfiction and it shows very early on. There wasn't one single score that stood out, I actually don't believe Howard Shore personally composed a single song, they paid for the name alone. On it's own pedastal,Anyone who defends this is scum. This show is so laughably bad, so terrible with special effects, cgi, writing and screenplay that it's on par with D&D's 2000 movie. It's low effort fanfiction and it shows very early on. There wasn't one single score that stood out, I actually don't believe Howard Shore personally composed a single song, they paid for the name alone. On it's own pedastal, this series is trash, but the fact that it comes from such a pedigree of fantasy thats touched millions? Tolkien would be sickened, and frankly so am I.… Expand
  3. Gyger
    Sep 4, 2022
    2
    Remind me of Bridgerton which colliding current things with classic universe. I don't think it works for LOTR universe.
  4. TrergFirestorm
    Sep 4, 2022
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. There is no agenda, firmly and clearly!

    Literally from the first scenes, the series simply horrifies any fan of the series. Fantasy is a popular genre in large part because of its effective mix of hyperrealism and conventions/assumptions. But at the same time, many professional filmmakers believe that fantasy can only consist of assumptions (which is exactly what you can see in this series). The director and screenwriter seems to be working with fantasy for the first time and has no idea what this genre is about at all. Where the original introduced us to the world and the main characters for an hour, the Amazon series simply throws facts and events at us.

    The series literally begins with a bad boy leading a company of bullies and destroying Galadriel's paper ship. Literally in the first scene, we are shown how the bad boys mock the poor girl, EXACTLY THE SAME AS IN A THOUSAND MODERN FILMS. In the same way as in thousands of modern films, Galadriel immediately answers them, begins to play the boy. Literally in a millisecond, we are given as a fact the death of her brother, and a couple of minutes later they show how Galadrimary Sue solo scatters the Troll when her squad of men cannot oppose him. Similarly, on the way to point B, the men from the detachment are constantly whining, while the beautiful Galadriel with a steely character (at the 5th minute of the series where he came from is unclear) leads the detachment to the goal. Why we should empathize with the death of Galadriel's brother, whom we were shown for a minute, is decidedly incomprehensible. Empathy for Galadriel herself is based on the well-known spoiler that Sauron is eventually alive and working towards his goal, but the series builds this empathy extremely ineptly: namely, that Galadriel is right because he is right, and her squad, the king, Elrond are just fools and they don't understand anything. An absolutely brilliant dialogue between Elrond and Sue, in which the second one first manipulates the first one by going to fight Sauron alone, and then says that everyone should believe her because she feels in her heart. Gala then ineptly cosplays Arwen's scene from the original, forgetting that she had a coherent character arc...so the scene doesn't work again.

    With a branch of an elf and a girl, too, everything is bad. A couple of minutes pass and we are again poked with a fact: the girl and the elf love each other... Again, no reasons, process, feelings, lined up... Just accept it as a fact... At the same time, there is no chemistry between the actors... Branch in the first episode seems to be the most waste of time in the history of cinema: I especially liked the monologue of the mum of the muzzle, which literally quoted Bilbo from the original. What for? The question immediately arises that it would be possible to remove all these garbage and unwritten lines in order to at least build the dramaturgy of the Galadriel branch ... But of course, all these branches will somehow connect and do something important for the plot, only already on the first series to look at is insanely boring and uninteresting. The series is made up of clichés, tropes and bad acting... Looks like big-budget fanfiction, but definitely not one of the most anticipated series of the decade. This is extremely similar to the main failure in the history of cinema, after which we will not see good fantasy for a very long time ... It's a pity    … Expand
  5. MateoDiaz
    Sep 4, 2022
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Not even all the money in the world can fix this hot mess. Galadriel is a literal 5000 Y.O teenager. And they removed narvi from the story.… Expand
  6. chuck_Vindaloo
    Nov 28, 2022
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This isn't Tolkien. Period! Nothing about this show feels Tolkien. The writing, stories, characters, dialogue are not Tolkienian. I've really tried very hard to like this show. I did, but after 5 episodes, I'm out. Its unbearable, specially after the insanity about the origins of Mithril and elves need for it. At this point, I think amazon is trolling us. Nothing about this show makes sense. Gil-Galad is portrayed as scheming and evil. Elendil is some low level commander. Harfoots are psychopaths who leave their own to die. Elrond has no conception of oaths and how serious and consequential they are in Tolkein's world. Durin and Disa are the only barely likable characters in the whole show. The lead character, Galadriel is petulant child. How does an 5000 yr old elven nobility have no courtly manners.. she is disappointing and poorly written, even after 5 episodes. She has only one mode and always dialed up to a 11. So many plot holes and characters that don't make any sense. Just lazy writing and poor pacing. 5 episodes in and still nothing has happened. Its like bland generic fantasy show that has Tolkien label slapped on it.. This isn't even Tolkien inspired or an adaptation. Huge disappointment.… Expand
  7. BillHimmel
    Dec 17, 2022
    2
    Started bearable and interesting, but I stopped watching at the beginning of the 4th episode!
    This wasn‘t the Galadriel of Tolkien! Nor were the Noldor, Gil-Galad, Numenor or Elrond written in a way that captures the spirit of Tolkien.
  8. Feministi
    Sep 22, 2022
    0
    Diverse cast and especially women were made to look bad on purpose; what hellish prose is this!?
  9. nitnitsuj
    Sep 26, 2022
    0
    Awful, sad, cringy I'm really saddened that this show turned out into this hot pile of manure.
  10. kodokuna
    Sep 26, 2022
    1
    The greatest advertisement made for a money laundering scheme. I can find no other explanation for the level of incompetence they show throughout.
  11. lord_korgas
    Sep 19, 2022
    2
    What say about this show? It's cheap, generical, bad acted, bad directed and bad written. I was not hoping it would be faithul to it's source material, since producers said that they would fill the blanks of the appendix, so I was not expecting it to be 100% faithul, but expecting some of it to be faithful and to be good by itself, rather the contrary, it's visual is impressive but hollow,What say about this show? It's cheap, generical, bad acted, bad directed and bad written. I was not hoping it would be faithul to it's source material, since producers said that they would fill the blanks of the appendix, so I was not expecting it to be 100% faithul, but expecting some of it to be faithful and to be good by itself, rather the contrary, it's visual is impressive but hollow, as pratically all of the locations on this show, that constantly remind me that i am seeing a television work, i can't get imersion, i can't related to the characters or care about them, 'cause they are not developed, this is full of allegory, and it's well known that Tolkien hated allegory, and Tolkien wrote a work so deep, full of phylosophical ideas to be discussed, base values of western society, for JD Payne and Mckay to polute it, to destroy it, ops, to reflect the world as it is. You like this **** ? Ok , no problem it's your right , but please don't say is the best show ever, or , that this is faithul and respectful to Tolkiens work, for it's not, it's a corruption of his works, and this corruption will sink, as once a corrupted empire of Numenor did.… Expand
  12. chrissyboi85
    Sep 24, 2022
    0
    This show doesnt deserve a 10. it definately doesnt. its really sad because the positive reviews are fake. I will never forgive you Amazon. Go ahead and die please the world will still go on without you.
  13. wmurphy011
    Sep 25, 2022
    0
    Every aspect of this show was very poorly executed accept for the cinematography, which is actually very nice. It reminds me of being hypnotized by a witch only to have your brain shrivel up and die. So if you want to be lulled into watching a bad show because of its visuals, that's on you. You might also enjoy Michael Bay movies.
  14. ReneeRought
    Sep 25, 2022
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Were to begin? I am so disappointed. They destroyed so much lore in just the first 8 minutes. I am truly at a loss for words. I wanted to love this series but how can someone call themselves a fan of Tolkien and like this? We are 5 episodes in and This is absolutely Jeff Bezo's fanfiction. Poorly written fanfiction at that. I have read better stories based on Tolkien's work on Fanfiction.net.

    The dialogue is like a teenager wrote it and were trying to sound regal but failed. We are 5 episodes in and nothing has happened yet. Galadriel is not Galadriel. I don't know who this character is. She is so unlikeable, selfish, hateful and rude. Gil-galad goes from being the wise, kind, noble King to being a liar, manipulator and someone that would risk Elrond to a fate worst than death by encouraging him to break an oath. (if you don't know what happens to oath breathers please refer to LotR and the army of the dead Aragorn commanded. That is what happens to oath breakers.) Elrond went from the leader of armies, the scholar and the Lord of Elves with an impeccable lineage to nothing more than a pawn and a speech writer for Gil-galad.

    The Hobbits and yes I will call them what they are. Harfoots, Fallow Hides and Stoors are all HOBBITS. They are the most terrible, cruel heartless and I will say evil races in Middle Earth. How do we get Bilbo, am, Frodo, Merry and Pippin out of those filthy disgusting creatures?

    Miriel was never Queen regent of Numenor. The Numenorians were so powerful that Sauron, when faced with them, would not even fight them. He surrendered to them. Yet now they have no army and only 3 ships? WTF?

    The best thing about this series are the dwarves. Even that isn't done correctly but at least it's the closest to correct that I have seen so far.

    Now recently they have given us a completely BS origin of Mythril and a convoluted reason the elves need it. Episode 5 is the straw that broke the camel's back for a lot of us that were giving this show a chance. This whole Elf putting his light into a tree while fighting a Balrog then lightening struck thing is complete and utter crap.

    If you have never seen the movies or read the books or even heard of Tolkien before this series, this series is made for you. It's made for those that don't know any better and I am almost jealous that you like it but as a life long fan (since I was 6 years old and I am almost 50) I can not endorse this travesty.

    The story telling is weak. The acting is awful and the writing is horrendous. Visual's are great on the wide shots but if you are wanting to see the cities from the ground level you are not going to get that. It makes me wonder where the money went. It did not go into the costumes that look like dinner theater costumes. The armor looks like it was made from spare tin dad had in the backyard for 20 years.

    This is bad so bad.    … Expand
  15. Ciclope25
    Sep 25, 2022
    2
    En características muy generales es fiel al silmarilion, pero en cosas importantes no, por ejemplo: En el silmarilion y en los cuentos inconclusos jamás se habla de Galadriel como una guerrera, la serie coge pinceladas de los relatos escritos por Tolkien y los mezcla todos como le parece para hacer un popurrí que no acaba de gustar
  16. PsychicGian
    Sep 25, 2022
    3
    Wide as an ocean, deep as a pond! It’s a pity because it looks majestic and sounds great. However, this show so boring and it’s going nowhere! there are too many subplots which are absolutely uninteresting and take an eternity to merge. Pacing is so frustratingly slow you question the time spent watching this and find yourself looking at the phone, out of the window or doing somethingWide as an ocean, deep as a pond! It’s a pity because it looks majestic and sounds great. However, this show so boring and it’s going nowhere! there are too many subplots which are absolutely uninteresting and take an eternity to merge. Pacing is so frustratingly slow you question the time spent watching this and find yourself looking at the phone, out of the window or doing something else. Characters are flat and insignificant. Among other flaws, as expected, forced racial inclusivity is going against the lore and completely ruins immersion.… Expand
  17. metacritiqueur
    Aug 25, 2023
    1
    C'est beau mais c'est chiant, des centaines de millions pour chier sur l’œuvre du maitre, il fallait oser. GaladrIEL est mono-expressive et détestable à souhaits, le reste c'est du wokisme dans l'univers du seigneur des anneaux, et c'est sans grand intérêt.
  18. EthanRucker
    Mar 24, 2023
    3
    After watching Rings of Power for the first time it was pretty bad with one of the worst season finales I have ever seen, but after watching Rings of Power for a second time... It's even worse.
  19. ycal94
    Mar 24, 2023
    1
    Terrible. Again I won't give a 0 as don't believe anything is that bad the visuals for this show are impressive however that's it's only redeeming feature. Leave the classics alone, not true to the source material at all please create a new series of your own instead of doing your best to ruin a beloved classic. Peter Jackson made the original trilogy with love and clearly he had deepTerrible. Again I won't give a 0 as don't believe anything is that bad the visuals for this show are impressive however that's it's only redeeming feature. Leave the classics alone, not true to the source material at all please create a new series of your own instead of doing your best to ruin a beloved classic. Peter Jackson made the original trilogy with love and clearly he had deep respect and admiration for Tolkien's vision which shined through...this doesn't. Has nothing was learnt from the disaster that was Ghostbusters (2016)????… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Most Discussed TV Season of 2022

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 40 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 40
  3. Negative: 0 out of 40
  1. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Jo Livingstone
    Sep 16, 2022
    80
    Adar’s début drips with signifiers. ... When Adar informs Arondir in Episode 4 that he has been told many lies, some that “run so deep even the rocks and roads now believe them,” it is still a thrill. Tolkien succeeded in creating a mythic world, one that has now grown vast enough through acts of typological repetition and imitation to conquer television, too.
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  2. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Chris Barsanti
    Sep 16, 2022
    63
    With war brewing and the forging of the rings seemingly still far off, the first half of The Rings of Power’s first season constitutes little more than stage-setting for the struggle to come. Given the lack of quests and central commanding figures, it often makes for less-than-gripping drama. However, given that there are four more seasons already planned, and potentially dozens of new characters to be introduced, the slow and throat-clearing build is possibly a good sign.
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  3. TV Guide Magazine
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    Sep 9, 2022
    90
    The Rings of Power is a reminder of what drew many of us to epic fantasy in the first place: wonder. ... This series set in an ancient realm displays one dazzling and painterly landscape after another. Power also doesn't skimp on action. [12 - 25 Sep 2022, p.10]
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