The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

:

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. C1W
    Sep 3, 2022
    1
    What a supreme waste of time for someone who is a true LOTR & Tolkien fan!. So sick of the Hollywood BS that puts actors in roles they are not suited for only because they are, black, or female, or gay! It's all BS!! Create better roles, and better dialogue, and give the work to whomever is the most qualified. Not who fits the 'culture' H. Wood wants to push. Didn't Dr. King say somethingWhat a supreme waste of time for someone who is a true LOTR & Tolkien fan!. So sick of the Hollywood BS that puts actors in roles they are not suited for only because they are, black, or female, or gay! It's all BS!! Create better roles, and better dialogue, and give the work to whomever is the most qualified. Not who fits the 'culture' H. Wood wants to push. Didn't Dr. King say something about the "content of one's character" and not the color of their skin, or culture, or pronouns, or blah, blah, blah. So sick of this B. S.! I do appreciate the money spent to buy the rights to produce this series as a 'Tolkienesque' work. However, I think the money would've been better spent handing it out to the poor, or a cock fight, or whatever. You pick, but this was not a positive strike toward literary advancement! I guess we now at least know how much money it takes to make JRR Tolkein turn over in his grave. At the very least.… Expand
  2. m1LckyW4Y
    Sep 3, 2022
    0
    The writing is meant to inspire and sound epic, but this fails horribly. The example is the use "for" to start any sentence: For the writing is bad, the show does not touch the soul of the viewer. For the viewer is not touched, a bad review is written.

    Another example is the dialogue: Galadriel says something, a response comes, and Galadriel overrules this in an "epic" way. There is also    The writing is meant to inspire and sound epic, but this fails horribly. The example is the use "for" to start any sentence: For the writing is bad, the show does not touch the soul of the viewer. For the viewer is not touched, a bad review is written.

    Another example is the dialogue: Galadriel says something, a response comes, and Galadriel overrules this in an "epic" way. There is also a Harfoot girl talking like a Disney princess about exploring the world. The rebuttal: Harfoots are always on the move.

    Doesn't that mean that they are exploring the lands already?

    Overall the dialogue is weak, unable to grab attention and the cast does not make you feel like you're in Middle Earth. This show is not a fantasy world, it is a fantasy. It cannot even come close to Lord of the Rings or the House of the Dragons    … Expand
  3. Ryxx
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    Graphics were the only thing that was any good! Everything else was abysmal
  4. FtheCCap
    Sep 6, 2022
    2
    Spent a billion making it pretty while letting the custodial staff write the script
  5. KroSha
    Sep 7, 2022
    2
    I will say upfront that the production looks excellent. Clearly they spent a lot of money on the sets, props and VFX. That's where the 2 stars come in.

    It's a pity that they didn't spend any money on the writing. The cast do their best, but this is just badly written, from plot, character and dialogue perspectives. The showrunners deserve most of the blame here, as they have put    I will say upfront that the production looks excellent. Clearly they spent a lot of money on the sets, props and VFX. That's where the 2 stars come in.

    It's a pity that they didn't spend any money on the writing. The cast do their best, but this is just badly written, from plot, character and dialogue perspectives.

    The showrunners deserve most of the blame here, as they have put themselves in a position where they have changed and disrespected a large chunk of the original Tolkien lore and destroyed any credibility that the series could have had with actual Tolkien fans. They have characters go to places and do things that directly contradict with the established canon.

    What they have created is a generic Fantasy series, which is enjoyable enough in isolation, but with the names of famous, well-loved characters. These "new" characters do not act or behave like their original selves, and that is why this is not Tolkien.

    Had Amazon commissioned a completely new series, in an original setting, and brought these production values to it, it might have done well. But this is a dreadful perversion of Tolkien's mythology that I would not even excuse as fan-fiction.    … Expand
  6. Pristypaul
    Sep 5, 2022
    2
    It's a **** show! They should not use Lord of the Rings, only rings of power. Because its not Lord of the Rings, nowhere related to it.
  7. BlueKura
    Sep 3, 2022
    0
    Lost all interest to watch the show because of the Amazon splash screen startup ad they added to the app.
  8. Skyrim_forNords
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    Hyper woke trash. Elon is right. Leftist SJW writers from Hollywood should not be allowed anywhere near Tolkien's works.

    The performances themselves are pretty mixed - I didn't think the dwarves were too bad, for example, but the African elf gives a very poor performance and ruins every scene he's in. They really dropped the ball as far as casting's concerned. Lenny Henry stank in every    Hyper woke trash. Elon is right. Leftist SJW writers from Hollywood should not be allowed anywhere near Tolkien's works.

    The performances themselves are pretty mixed - I didn't think the dwarves were too bad, for example, but the African elf gives a very poor performance and ruins every scene he's in. They really dropped the ball as far as casting's concerned. Lenny Henry stank in every scene he was in too. I ended up fast forwarding through th more obnoxious performances though.

    All in all this is a spit on Tolkien's grave from the liberal Establishment. I might have given this a five or six if it wasn't for Lenny Henry and the short-hair black elf (I couldn't be bothered looking up the black actor's name), but these two really dragged it down so much that I feel a zero is only fair. I won't be watching again.    … Expand
  9. mutagenb
    Sep 16, 2022
    0
    you can keep deleting user ratings - it won't help
    ..................................................
  10. WayTooBad
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    the writers hate men so much yet they keep writing all the women manly AF, it doesn't make any sense. These condescending talentless hacks think they know better then Tolkien and think they are fixing whats not broken at all.
  11. Kiritsugu
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    I thought this was very badly made. Instead of watching the second episode I did the ironing instead - much more fun. The African elf was a very poor performance imo.
  12. IvanFake
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    What is characteristic and what makes films so popular that we love and often review, such as P. Jackson's films, for example? The fact that the master and the whole team put into their canvas not only the work of their hands and brains, but also "gave their soul" to their creation, breathed into it the light that warms us even on the cloudiest days. In contrast to them, other "filmmakers"What is characteristic and what makes films so popular that we love and often review, such as P. Jackson's films, for example? The fact that the master and the whole team put into their canvas not only the work of their hands and brains, but also "gave their soul" to their creation, breathed into it the light that warms us even on the cloudiest days. In contrast to them, other "filmmakers" have no honor or conscience, for their God is only a "sounding coin", and can not "breathe" anything, as behind their souls is emptiness ... And they come out as from an assembly line - plastic dolls in which a priori can not be a soul.… Expand
  13. Caladan
    Sep 6, 2022
    1
    It is hard to describe what a disappointment this show has become. Really sad and almost tragic to see what childish and incompetent writing can do to destroy a property of such amazing potential. Ugh. I suspect weak, inexperienced show runners are at the heart of this fiasco. Can't blame the actors - although they could have at least hired some seasoned talent. Painful cringe and lazy,It is hard to describe what a disappointment this show has become. Really sad and almost tragic to see what childish and incompetent writing can do to destroy a property of such amazing potential. Ugh. I suspect weak, inexperienced show runners are at the heart of this fiasco. Can't blame the actors - although they could have at least hired some seasoned talent. Painful cringe and lazy, hollow dialogue in almost every scene. What were they thinking? Who did they make this for? Reminds me of later seasons of GOT after they ran out of original source material and had to be creative on their own. I keep asking myself why they could not have hired competent writers who understand the basics of character, dialogue and plot. They had unlimited resources. It comes down to arrogance and ego. I will watch one more episode to see if anything improves, but my hopes are not high.… Expand
  14. kath13
    Sep 4, 2022
    1
    For the nice music and GCI I would give 3/10 had this show been made as a brand new fantasy. The dialogs are shallow, plot inconsistent with a lot of illogical scenes, characters unlikable, costumes bad, acting even worse. However this might change in the future, we have seen only 2 episodes so far. Maybe it would be an average or even decent fantasy, but.. Because the showrunners chooseFor the nice music and GCI I would give 3/10 had this show been made as a brand new fantasy. The dialogs are shallow, plot inconsistent with a lot of illogical scenes, characters unlikable, costumes bad, acting even worse. However this might change in the future, we have seen only 2 episodes so far. Maybe it would be an average or even decent fantasy, but.. Because the showrunners choose to hide behind the name Tolkien and LotR I have to review it as part of his world. This show took some names, places and characters and that's it. Most of the characters do not look like in the books, they definitely do not behave like they should based on the source material. The events are either completely made up or changed so heavily that not even Tolkien himself would recognize them. LotR Rings of Power is no adaptation of Tolkien's work, it is a very badly written fan fiction.… Expand
  15. Dpms
    Sep 4, 2022
    1
    Boring and not true to the original story, so it just makes it that much worse. I can't believe they wasted so much money to ruin a great story and produce complete dribble. Sad thing is this could have been great. Literally take any LOTR fan and give them an opportunity to make it and they would do a million times better than this disaster.
  16. Rocklnder
    Sep 5, 2022
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Looks great, acting terrible, with no connection to Tolkien’s books except names of a few characters. Obviously, an attempt to make money on an established brand name. Don’t waste your time watching it.… Expand
  17. KyleRittenHouse
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    Amazon spent a lot of money on this show's effects but there's something about the casting that is pretty niggаrdlу I just can't put my finger on it. This show is far left Twitter drivel though. Avoid.
  18. No_step_on_snek
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    Garbage show. Badly made with poor writing and overbrimming with liberal identity politics. The casting is 100% an example of white erasure in our own stories.
  19. HaronCobr
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    Политика, феминизм, неуместно разукрасили. Про следование канону говорить неуместно ввиду его отсутствия.
  20. lllyllla
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    Professor John Ronald Reuel Tolkien would have died of cringe if he saw this.
  21. chestimir
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    From the first minutes of the film, I realized that this is a feminist feces.
  22. IF_Sammi
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    Это просто позор, они даже не читали самих книг Толкиена.
    Гномьи женщины без бород, эльфы стремные, толстые, старые особенно дедушка Келебримбор, он же ровесник Галадриэль!
    И это еще куча несостыковок в этом сериале!
  23. Jordic
    Sep 5, 2022
    1
    A disgrace to Tolkien's legacy. Horribly wokified non-canon story writing and acting.

    The only positive point is the CGI, the looks of the created world.
  24. AfricanWhitey
    Sep 5, 2022
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Big tech like Amazon are pushing woke edutainment and the stuff is mostly poorly written and not very entertaining. Bizarre leftist agenda run amok. What a waste of time and money.… Expand
  25. Luisbaque
    Sep 4, 2022
    1
    this show is unwatchable. Needs serious supervision to improve everything - poor writing, acting and fighting gear looks cheaply made..
  26. 1234qweasz
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    Amateur screenplay, mediocre acting, awful direction, and fake/sterilized imagery.
  27. Ranzgnom
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    It has nothing to do with LotR at all. I'm glad. Tolkien doesn't need to see his life's work ruined.
  28. xnorbie
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    Suc a terrible... Terrible casting, terrible dialogues, terrible actors, and terrible all...
  29. jaybird7
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    This show has nothing to do with Tolkien or Lord of the Rings. I can't even call this abomination 'fanfiction' because it is not made by fans but by activist who want to shove their stupid political ideas all over entertainment. Amazon messed with the wrong fanbase. They are now an enemy of the people, and we will fight them until the end of time.
  30. NYG
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    The show insults our intelligence with dumb and cringe dialogues, woke propaganda and ridiculous action scenes. Completely disrespects Tolkien's work. Another toxic disguised show trying to push the same hateful, childish and shallow message.
  31. MARSHALxMAKS
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    Delete negative comments on the assessment and criticism site - "... yes, for such a betrayal there is no curse in either Elvish, or Ent, or human language. Today we will talk with Bezos, the language of dislikes and repeated negative comments!".
  32. Xandersbox
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    I watched the first episodes. I also read all of Tolkien's books and did some academic work on them back when I was an undergraduate. It is outrageous that the series is using Tolkien's work and legacy for its own political and activist agenda. This doesn't represent Tolkien's work at all!
  33. Fawby
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    J. R. R. Tokenism. So little respect for the source material. Its terrible. Bland dialogue. Poorly written characters. Tolkien themes are absent, and instead it's impregnated with modern progressive plotlines, and casting. Such a wasted opportunity.
  34. Taw35
    Sep 10, 2022
    1
    Show is terrible. Violations of lore abound. Pacing bad. Cast quality bad. Story bad. Dialogue terrible. CGI good. Musical score good. Nothing Tolkien but in name. No innovative or inspired writing whatsoever. Not sure who this show is for or why they decided to throw out all of the known facts about characters.
  35. rprovost76
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    I will give this a 1 for the (occasionally) quality visual effects, but this is not Tolkien. It does not even resemble Tolkien. It is just... bad.
  36. Russian_Bot_456
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    Woke twitter garbage. Casting is awful. The black elf and hobbit make this a 0/10
  37. Stvl
    Sep 9, 2022
    0
    Just one of the worst TV shows ever, woke to the point it can be funny if it wasnt tragic, just avoid watching that show as the devil.
  38. paintangel
    Sep 17, 2022
    1
    This show is pure fiction. By the time Elendil was born, the Rings had long since been forged and Sauron had long since completed his Ring and Tower. And Celebrimbor was already dead. Elendil had no daughter either. I can't believe the **** this show is spouting. Sorry, if this were a story and a world of its own, we could rate it differently, but if you buy a license like this, youThis show is pure fiction. By the time Elendil was born, the Rings had long since been forged and Sauron had long since completed his Ring and Tower. And Celebrimbor was already dead. Elendil had no daughter either. I can't believe the **** this show is spouting. Sorry, if this were a story and a world of its own, we could rate it differently, but if you buy a license like this, you shouldn't do such crap. And for the look for 50 million per episode, I expect the backgrounds to look good. I work in the film industry myself as a matte painter and it is no longer a problem to create very good backgrounds in the PC. In contrast, the armour of the High Elves looked so cheap. Pure knight's armour from the Middle Ages, no special shape or ornamentation indicating elven art. Then the clothes of the dwarves were a joke. Just the way they walked in their armour, I thought they put children in it. From their faces and appearance, the elves were probably just people with pointed ears. They had nothing graceful and sublime about them, beings who are thousands of years old and immortal. What imbecile came up with short hair? But the whole show has nothing to do with Tolkien. There is only the name and the places but nothing else. Everything we criticised from the beginning has come true. This is a 50 million joke.… Expand
  39. JF7
    Sep 17, 2022
    0
    I'm going to go ahead and say that the effects are just about the only good thing about this show. As for the acting and this portrayal of Tolkien's works, I'm not a particularly huge fan of it. The show is boring and stiff. If they stayed faithful to the lore, I believe fans on all sides would have enjoyed this, but it seems the producers could not refrain from incorporating outsideI'm going to go ahead and say that the effects are just about the only good thing about this show. As for the acting and this portrayal of Tolkien's works, I'm not a particularly huge fan of it. The show is boring and stiff. If they stayed faithful to the lore, I believe fans on all sides would have enjoyed this, but it seems the producers could not refrain from incorporating outside politics, which now alienates a large part of the fan-base. This just doesn't quite have The Lord of the Rings feel to it.… Expand
  40. Mc1gamer
    Sep 6, 2022
    2
    Misguided attempt to rekindle the magic of the books and movies shows the writers have no idea what made those so magical. They ignore lore when it suits to prop up characters or adhere to their reimagining. Galadriel is a superhero, even among the ageless Elves, who seem inept in her presence. Remember how it took the entire Fellowship to take on a Cave Troll, with Legolas, Gandalf,Misguided attempt to rekindle the magic of the books and movies shows the writers have no idea what made those so magical. They ignore lore when it suits to prop up characters or adhere to their reimagining. Galadriel is a superhero, even among the ageless Elves, who seem inept in her presence. Remember how it took the entire Fellowship to take on a Cave Troll, with Legolas, Gandalf, Gimli, Aragonr and Boromir battling it, a band of Orcs, with the aid of 4 Hobbits? In this it seems an elite team of veteran Elves are just no match for another Troll, but Galadriel can do it with a few quick flourishes. Oh, and did I mention that Elrond, a warrior and leader from the lore, is diminished in his prowess and is relegated to a political opportunist, conspiring with Elven King Gil Galad to remove Galadriel from the board, so they can pursue their aims? Elrond, a military and political leader, is nothing like in the books/movies and Galadriel is now Wonder Woman. If at least this show wasn't snooze material, much of that could be overlooked. Not much faith his turd will improve :(… Expand
  41. Sadamity
    Sep 16, 2022
    1
    This show is bad in so many ways. But the script, the editing, the dialogues. The episode 4 was the worst. A mess.
  42. Steiner369
    Sep 5, 2022
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Disaster of biblical proportions! If this continues (I've seen 2 episodes) I will stop watching. Galadriel (she's called that in the show but she is not really Galadriel) is such an OP character that I expect her to kill Sauron and destroy the one ring herself saving the fellowship unnecessary trip to Mount Doom. And she'll do it in season one. Season two will be her dealing with russian agression on Ukraine and finally season three she will bring world peace. Last two seasons she will be frolicking in the woods with her best gay friend Elrond.… Expand
  43. nightmoonlight
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    Such a disgrace for Tolkien's work. Lord of the Rangs: The Wings of Wokeness!
    Phim là 1 sự sỉ nhục 3 phần phim và đái vào nguyên tác gốc của Tolkien. Khi bọn review ngậm tiền của amazon thì cứt cũng khen ngon!
  44. Hurrikhan
    Sep 17, 2022
    2
    A corruption of Tolkien.
    The scenic views are pretty, everything else is bad.
    The story, the characters, the lazy writing : not worth a minute of your time.
  45. Stach
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    Blatant disrespect for the source material, poor incompetent storytelling, completely uninteresting characters, constant attempts to parasitize on the film trilogy with an inept attempts to add something of their own – so a rather beautiful image leaves indifferent. Simply, this is not Tolkien, as well as not worthwhile cinema.
  46. eltioloco
    Sep 4, 2022
    1
    This has nothing to do with LOTR or Tolkien...
    No tiene nada que ver con Tolkien...
  47. Stepharoo
    Sep 6, 2022
    2
    Boring…is the first thing that comes to mind after sitting through the first two episodes. The writing/dialogue is nonsensical, the characters are one dimensional, and we have modern day things like bullying on full display. Elrond is described as a ‘politician’, which I can’t imagine Professor Tolkien ever using this word is his depictions of middle earth. And the list goes on and on…
  48. TlatoaniDaz
    Sep 5, 2022
    1
    The story is a snore fest the casting of "Galadriel" is terrible and the lore is not Tolkien. It's simply not Tolkien.
  49. Heasly
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    Far from cannon. There was absolutely no respect for the lore. Tolkien fans have every right to be upset.
  50. pacotarantino
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    I am a fan of LOTR, I read all the books, I saw all the movies, I collect their action figures. But I will not continue watching this series, despite the tremendous marketing they do to it. It's disrespectful to Tolkien.
  51. Aragorn777
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    You can't win a battle in Middle Earth with these baby faces. Where are the heroes? Middle Earth is in danger.
  52. Rozalia11
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    Though the visuals are incredible that is where the positives of this show end, the acting is mediocre and dialogues are unnatural and badly written. The plot has nothing to do with Tolkien and his story and no character resembles their book original. It saddens me that the most amazing fantasy story ever written is now being used to further a political ideology instead of justThough the visuals are incredible that is where the positives of this show end, the acting is mediocre and dialogues are unnatural and badly written. The plot has nothing to do with Tolkien and his story and no character resembles their book original. It saddens me that the most amazing fantasy story ever written is now being used to further a political ideology instead of just celebreating the legacy of both books and movies that came before. This show could have been the best tv series ever made unfortuantely someone decided against it.… Expand
  53. Danlatel
    Sep 16, 2022
    0
    Абсолютно не интересный сериал с ужасным кастом , либиралистическим подтекстом, картинка очень плоская , так как по всюду используется хромакей и , нереалистичная атрибутика с костюмами и доспехами на детский утренник.Абсолютно не интересный сериал с ужасным кастом , либиралистическим подтекстом, картинка очень плоская , так как по всюду используется хромакей и , нереалистичная атрибутика с костюмами и доспехами на детский утренник.
  54. volgali
    Sep 16, 2022
    3
    I must admit that some of the scenes is splendid. Yet I can't help but be ashamed due to the scenario. Just embarrassing. I am not talking about Tolkien standards but come on! Cheap writing. Also, where are nonbinary people? I am offended. I feel discriminated against.
  55. MorviCool
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    Everything from the costumes and camera angles, to the dark-skinned elves is awful. Are you at all?
  56. PaddyFR
    Sep 17, 2022
    1
    Very disappointed. The show has too many clichés, the protagonists have very thich plot armour and there are too many conveniences. Pair this with huge lore problems and irrational casting decisions (there are sub-saharan dwarves ?) and this show just let me down completely. I feel empty and sad.
  57. LordSmok
    Sep 21, 2022
    0
    cashgrab for lotr ip money that have nothing in common with Tolkien original world
  58. jaimeratkovich
    Sep 19, 2022
    1
    Estoy cansado de la maldita obsesión de hollywood de crear inclusion. Con ese afan se defecaron en la obra del gran T
  59. DaviMorais
    Sep 23, 2022
    1
    How is it possible that the biggest investment in the history of a series, only served for the visual part? and not everything is at the investment level... Most of the story doesn't even try to adapt the work, it is simply created or altered, and that is simply the worst mistake. If you've read and love the professor's legendary, it's simply impossible to like what the series presents.
  60. portaljockey
    Sep 20, 2022
    0
    This garbage is hands-down the worst insult to Tolkien's works that has ever been made. Nothing about the show is compelling or remotely interesting. The shoe-horned character additions are as forgettable as the crappy writing, and the canon character portrayals are abysmal; especially that of Galadriel. Dumping a ton of money on a colossal pile of **** does not change the fact thatThis garbage is hands-down the worst insult to Tolkien's works that has ever been made. Nothing about the show is compelling or remotely interesting. The shoe-horned character additions are as forgettable as the crappy writing, and the canon character portrayals are abysmal; especially that of Galadriel. Dumping a ton of money on a colossal pile of **** does not change the fact that Amazon has produced a colossal pile of ****… Expand
  61. MattyWil
    Sep 20, 2022
    0
    Looks like Amazon will have a billion-dollar flop on their hands after gleefully disrespecting Tolkien's work.
    If you like watching elves who are thousands of years old act like spoiled, incompetent children, enjoy cringe dialogue, love slow and nonexistent plot lines, or just want more modern political messaging hamfisted into the most timeless literary work of all time, then this is the    Looks like Amazon will have a billion-dollar flop on their hands after gleefully disrespecting Tolkien's work.
    If you like watching elves who are thousands of years old act like spoiled, incompetent children, enjoy cringe dialogue, love slow and nonexistent plot lines, or just want more modern political messaging hamfisted into the most timeless literary work of all time, then this is the show for you!

    Quite literally nothing you see on screen ever happened in middle earth, and the few characters that they do have from the lore have been bastardized beyond recognition.
    Even if you aren't a LotR fan, there are endless elementary mistakes in plot, plot holes, writing, pacing, tone, and acting. This is just a badly written show with a billion dollar Lord of the Rings sticker slapped on.    … Expand
  62. TomWorgin
    Sep 22, 2022
    0
    The show is not an adaptation of the work of Tolkien, it is an allegory what Lindsay Weber admits openly. Yet we know that LotR is not an allegory and that Tolkien didn't like allegories himself. From there follows that what we are shown as not be Middle Earth as we know and like it but a view of a Big US Corporation about today's world. That also means that the show will break andThe show is not an adaptation of the work of Tolkien, it is an allegory what Lindsay Weber admits openly. Yet we know that LotR is not an allegory and that Tolkien didn't like allegories himself. From there follows that what we are shown as not be Middle Earth as we know and like it but a view of a Big US Corporation about today's world. That also means that the show will break and otherwise misrepresent the original work as much as it sees fit. This alone prevents to rate it better than 4/10 because I want to see Middle Earth as Tolkien created it and not the Amazon's views of today's world. Unfortunately the writing is poor, the plot is slow and the characters are clichés even for a generic fantasy show so that it is even far below the theoretical maximum of 4/10.… Expand
  63. Vnox
    Sep 20, 2022
    0
    Music is good, visually is also good... characters, history development and all the rest is absolute trash.
  64. jpinkc
    Sep 20, 2022
    2
    This is NOT TOLKIEN!!! For a generic fantasy show it looks very pretty. The costumes and sets look good. But ITS NOT TOLKIEN!!! They take WAY to many liberties with the characters they can use. Galadriel was never a warrior. Some of the choices to add in Harfoots, and what seems to be a Gandalf type Wizard arriving??? This whole thing has ZERO respect for the source material. I dontThis is NOT TOLKIEN!!! For a generic fantasy show it looks very pretty. The costumes and sets look good. But ITS NOT TOLKIEN!!! They take WAY to many liberties with the characters they can use. Galadriel was never a warrior. Some of the choices to add in Harfoots, and what seems to be a Gandalf type Wizard arriving??? This whole thing has ZERO respect for the source material. I dont know who thought taking this and changing or omitting all the messages in Tolkiens works was good but they need to just GO AWAY!! There is a reason Tolkien is one of the WORLDS MOST READ AUTHORS!!! You destroy what made it great, it wasnt about race or color or any of those issues. It wasnt about any of those issues it didnt want to or need to be about them. This whole thing I hope does not continue or at least TAKE THE TOLKIEN NAME OFF THE SHOW!!!… Expand
  65. AnthonyFantano
    Sep 18, 2022
    0
    lisent I tried some popeyes rangs im gonna tell you popeyes will bless your soul do you hear me dem rangs aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah god i love you
  66. sethman1975
    Sep 20, 2022
    3
    Gave it a 3 for the amazing score and good special FX. The writing and characters are really badly written, something i would expect from a fanfic hobbyist. A major problem is also Galadriel, i can't recall such an unlikable character as her in modern tv. She is somehow flawless, commands the northern army(tolkien never mentioned it), is always right and can apparently best 5 NumenorianGave it a 3 for the amazing score and good special FX. The writing and characters are really badly written, something i would expect from a fanfic hobbyist. A major problem is also Galadriel, i can't recall such an unlikable character as her in modern tv. She is somehow flawless, commands the northern army(tolkien never mentioned it), is always right and can apparently best 5 Numenorian fully armed men in two moves and then scale the tower to the King's chamber assassins creed style. It is so far beyond logical, you have to laugh and it's clear they have made her a mary sue in armor that can never do wrong.

    The show has a logic problem as well by making Galadriel the protaganist in that she isn't even in the last battle of men and elves at the conclusion of the age. She resides in the west and has nothing to do with the most pivotal moment of the age. So much for the "commander of the northern armies".

    Also the "diversity" factor has been ramped up to beyond ridiculous. That scene with all the women at the start of S01E04 was like a UN cabinet meeting with literally every race on the planet there. Also the love interest of the black elf character has a son who isn't remotely the same race. They haven't even tried to make it believable or realistic. It's just "diversity matters" and to hell with logic.

    Also Isildur looks like an islander race while Elendil his dad is a white guy and his sister looks slavic. You can't make up how badly they have fumbled the basics and it ruins all immersion. Don't get me started on the story and character development.

    Such a shame what could have been a series for the ages is just another garbage tier woke CW series with pretty graphics and an amazing score. So sick of these corporations ruining treasured IP's. It's sheer hubris    … Expand
  67. AhmedMajeed
    Sep 18, 2022
    0
    Bad writing, bad acting, bad story progression, stupid instant traveling between far places and the icing on the cake one of the worst most hated protagonist in TV shows and movies "the spoiled little brat Guyladriel"
  68. Sebshep
    Sep 21, 2022
    1
    A soulless attempt at recreating the beauty of Tolkiens works. 10 points deducted for bad writing, dialogue, pacing, costume, casting and acting. One point added back, because some of the wide shots were nice.
  69. vjkratky
    Oct 25, 2022
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. For someone who didn't read the books, the show is boring, and for the lore enthusiastics, the show is a utter travesty… Expand
  70. a_scott_a
    Sep 22, 2022
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. light spoilers here - the basic world-building of Tolkein is ignored. The main character named here Galadriel has nothing to do with the character in the films and books. She would be as fully formed and well positioned as a first generation elf at the end of the second age as she was at the age of the third. She would be six and a half feet tall and shining, not five feet tall and people checking her ears to see who she is. Here we have an underdog cutie dependent on her long dead big brother's knife and learning from a 30 year old human man how to think. A hobo "certain grey wizard" is amnesiac - drooling, setting himself on fire and being used as a pack animal. A love story for the ages between characters barely touching hands, and time spent setting up another love story between characters who can't really matter. Off brand hobbits who don't exactly eat their own, but close enough. An island going to war without any assurance there is something to war against, a war party starting with volunteers who were thrown off a ship for not being good enough the day before. I gave this show 4 chances - the basic bones are rotten, the writing makes no sense, it cant get better. Often pretty, though.… Expand
  71. stoofvlees
    Sep 18, 2022
    1
    How can this happen? Who does it please? Why are they pandering to extreme leftists? Are extremists the target audience? Why can't there be comprising? How is a female acting like a male pig empowering? Where is the spotlight on feminine tropes?

    It's all just so empty and meaningless.
  72. sakkn
    Sep 18, 2022
    1
    Ignoring deviations from Tolkien's work the show is extremely corny. Dialogue is horrible and doesn't make you feel for any of the characters. There is no emotional investment in the plot lines, and it seems like each episode was written by a different set of writers. Nothing makes sense, scenes are immediately invalidated by future scenes and dialogue. Its like the writers just wanted toIgnoring deviations from Tolkien's work the show is extremely corny. Dialogue is horrible and doesn't make you feel for any of the characters. There is no emotional investment in the plot lines, and it seems like each episode was written by a different set of writers. Nothing makes sense, scenes are immediately invalidated by future scenes and dialogue. Its like the writers just wanted to check off a bunch of things and smushed them all together into this show. Very boring.… Expand
  73. zdadthrice
    Sep 20, 2022
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Nothing like trying to ride on the coattails of The Lord of The Rings trilogy to push your leftist agenda. The Sea says ROP is white hot garbage, and the Sea is always right. ✅… Expand
  74. DNA7052
    Sep 22, 2022
    0
    Laughably bad writing, a boring, meandering plot full of unlikable cardboard characters make this a show to avoid. Amazon mass deleting negative reviews of Rings of power AGAIN on their website. Hundreds vanished overnight in the UK alone while 5 star reviews sail through, whatever the content.

    Dishonest doesn't even begin to describe Amazon's approach on this expensive flop.
  75. Tsuriom
    Sep 18, 2022
    0
    Me parece un insulto hacia la obra de Tolkien

    Nada tiene sentido, no soporto el personaje de Galadriel (y los demas tampoco ), me aburre y realmente no veo razones para seguir viendola
  76. eriksl
    Sep 22, 2022
    1
    As a person inspired and engaged with Tolkien, I was looking enormously forward to this show. I can not describe in words how disappointed I am. Now 4 episodes in, I do not care one single bit about the characters, I can not recognize much of the history I have read in Tolkien's works, and even if I lay aside my love for his lore, I think the storyline is horribly written with giganticAs a person inspired and engaged with Tolkien, I was looking enormously forward to this show. I can not describe in words how disappointed I am. Now 4 episodes in, I do not care one single bit about the characters, I can not recognize much of the history I have read in Tolkien's works, and even if I lay aside my love for his lore, I think the storyline is horribly written with gigantic plot holes, ridiculous scenes that don't make sense when you think one second about them, and characters that live more up to tell-don't show when their motivations and drives are explored.

    A missed opportunity, I hope that they instead of cramming all of the Second Age into 5 seasons, had made different storylines with the Fall of Numenor, Galadriel's role in the Second Age, and the real story of the forging of the Rings of Power.    … Expand
  77. Romestamo
    Sep 22, 2022
    0
    Great cinematography but that's about it. The story is non-existent, the pacing is painfully slow, the script is amateurish, acting is poor and well-loved characters from the books are unlikeable here. The showrunners make a passing reference to Tolkien's characters whilst ripping the timeline to shreds and to what purpose? They say that such a long timeline couldn't be filmed withoutGreat cinematography but that's about it. The story is non-existent, the pacing is painfully slow, the script is amateurish, acting is poor and well-loved characters from the books are unlikeable here. The showrunners make a passing reference to Tolkien's characters whilst ripping the timeline to shreds and to what purpose? They say that such a long timeline couldn't be filmed without constantly killing off characters (something Game of Thrones did even with a shorter timeline). There are a number of ways this could have been done successfully such as compressing around the major events of the 2nd Age:

    Season 1: SA1200 - 1600 - The re-appearance of Sauron, forging of the rings
    Season 2: SA1600 - 1700 - War between Sauron and the Elves, Numenor saves the day
    Season 3: SA 2000 - 2300 - Origins of the Nazgul, shadow falls on Numenor
    Season 4: SA 3175 - 3319 - Sauron taken prisoner, Numenor destroyed, Elendil & sons escape
    Season 5: SA 3319 - 3441 - Foundation of Gondor & Arnor, War of the Last Alliance

    Another method, that would have allowed the showrunners to introduce characters earlier, would have been a Highlander-style reminiscing of past events.

    Is it really a good idea to alienate what should be your core audience, the millions of book lovers worldwide that know the lore and chronology better than that of the real world? Would it not have made more sense to hire tried-and-trusted individuals to write/produce such a flagship production or maybe actually listen to the advice of learned Tolkien scholars such as Tom Shippey?    … Expand
  78. CFitz
    Sep 23, 2022
    1
    incompetent and infantile fan fiction. Unworthy of the name of Tolkien. If this was renamed Gladys the Warrior Princess and Tolkien's name was taken off it, then nobody would be angry and some people might even go on watching it.
  79. Herbzilla77
    Sep 20, 2022
    1
    I made it to episode 3 before I tapped out, terrible on all aspects. Slow,boring, no likeable characters , nothing to do with Tolkien, just a really bad show trying to hitch a ride off of a name.
  80. meltwich
    Sep 19, 2022
    3
    It looks great, but the writing and story development is amateurish. It’s a chore to watch, sadly. It’s better than the “Wheel of Time” series from Amazon, but that is a very low bar to step over.
  81. Flashrick
    Sep 18, 2022
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Wow thought wheel of time was bad. Bad characters, costumes and acting. And why is it so boring ? Smash 2k years together and this is why you get ? Junk… Expand
  82. Axeface
    Oct 5, 2022
    3
    I tried my best. I waited 5 episodes. But this show is corporate corruption personified. The art, the music and the acting, its all passable and at times those elements are actually good - I dont hold any of the actors or artists at fault. They have done good work and performed well within the confines of what they were given. The problem here is really shockingly bad writing along withI tried my best. I waited 5 episodes. But this show is corporate corruption personified. The art, the music and the acting, its all passable and at times those elements are actually good - I dont hold any of the actors or artists at fault. They have done good work and performed well within the confines of what they were given. The problem here is really shockingly bad writing along with the corrupt and frankly heinous undertone of shackled creativity.… Expand
  83. Preissnjaga
    Sep 22, 2022
    3
    There may be some good moments, but show is at times very boring and slow-paced. The writing is also more like a mediocre German soap-opera than Tolkien's "unwritten book".
  84. valekzendu567
    Sep 26, 2022
    1
    It breaks my hearth to say all of this, i wanted this to be good, but i will just be honest.
    This show is an absolute insult to Tolkien creations and his characters in every way possible, its a really below mediocre and generic tv series, if you manage to make Tolkien mediocre, generic and boring you failed miserably, you have no excuses, this should be the best tv show of the last years    It breaks my hearth to say all of this, i wanted this to be good, but i will just be honest.
    This show is an absolute insult to Tolkien creations and his characters in every way possible, its a really below mediocre and generic tv series, if you manage to make Tolkien mediocre, generic and boring you failed miserably, you have no excuses, this should be the best tv show of the last years considering the importance of the source material and its absolutely not, it should be way better than a game of thrones spin-off which itself is a deconstruction of Tolkien, if a show about the Targaryen civil war is WAY better than a Second Age tv show you made a failure beyond comprehension.
    And its the most expensive tv show ever made which makes all of this even worse, i have no words for this, this is the biggest failure ever made in pop culture history, maybe just the disney's star wars sequels can be compared to this, and maybe even not.
    Next time dont give to amateurs, social activists and people without real talent a task of this dimensions, i hope Hollywood will learn a lesson after this, i dont want to see this ever again, its such a wasted opportunity... it makes me so furious.    … Expand
  85. Smudge99
    Jan 12, 2023
    0
    Casting, acting, set design, effects, and much more was just done dirt cheap, and it look's that way. Just another boring and bland pile of stank that turned out exactly as they wanted. Summarily it's cheap, poorly acted and written, and it disrespects the source material.
  86. Urand
    Apr 6, 2023
    1
    This a very bad cinema. Peace of **** Very, very, very bad film. Idiots scenario
  87. Weidenwiesel
    May 2, 2023
    0
    Some shows are great. Most are bad. Very few rise to the level of "crimes against humanity".
    Truly, a remarkable achievement.
  88. Bobby51
    Oct 2, 2022
    1
    The most beautiful, yet most boring thing i've ever seen on tv. Even Disney's She Hulk has a more engaging storyline.
  89. Guimoo
    Oct 5, 2022
    2
    Galadriel is an awful main character and unlikeable here. I can't care about all characters actually. Some decisions made by her as a leader and by the Harfoots make no sense. This is also boring and WOKE to the extreme. Just too hard to watch. I dropped out after second episode.
    I love LOTR. Even if this may appeal to some as a stand alone series, there is too much baggage from the    Galadriel is an awful main character and unlikeable here. I can't care about all characters actually. Some decisions made by her as a leader and by the Harfoots make no sense. This is also boring and WOKE to the extreme. Just too hard to watch. I dropped out after second episode.
    I love LOTR. Even if this may appeal to some as a stand alone series, there is too much baggage from the excellent film and books that this mis-handles in an ignorant way.    … Expand
  90. fukringsofpower
    Oct 11, 2022
    0
    It's sad really.
    This show is a C- fantasy show on the SciFi channel. Something which is crappy, perhaps except the cinematography.
    It had the highest budget in history, a source material by the best author of fantasy who ever lived, the father of fantasy dungeons and dragons style. Putting aside the idiotic deviation from the source material, it's just really bad. The characters are    It's sad really.
    This show is a C- fantasy show on the SciFi channel. Something which is crappy, perhaps except the cinematography.
    It had the highest budget in history, a source material by the best author of fantasy who ever lived, the father of fantasy dungeons and dragons style.
    Putting aside the idiotic deviation from the source material, it's just really bad.
    The characters are flat and we can't emphasize and root for them (with 1-2 minor exceptions, like Durin perhaps).
    The writers rely too much on mystery boxes to build suspense, and not on actual story building.
    The logic of events is flawed, it just doesn't make sense (within the rules of that particular fantasy world of course) - like a river on water which creates a volcano to erupt with any steam pressure.
    The dialogue most of time tries to sound smart, but actually falls flat, just no intelligent enough unfortunately.

    Also please be advised that Amazon has went into extreme spin mode, trying to attack the critic of the show, using bot-reviews, and using defamation of fans who love Tolkien's work who are finding this show to be an insult to the beauty of the world he created.

    The only thing which is truly amazing about this show is the contrast between its potential to the outcome, as it is baffling to watch how they've managed to do such a bad job at this.    … Expand
  91. Antek
    Oct 9, 2022
    2
    Boring, horrible uninspired script writing, flat characters. Gave up on the 3rd episode.
    Good CG though.
  92. nhand42
    Oct 4, 2022
    1
    I had dismissed the early negative reviews as insincere - the rantings of reactionaries are not to be trusted - but if anything they had understated the awfulness of this show. The writing is banal, the acting is wooden, and the world is inauthentic. The production somehow achieves the impossible of being overdone and looking cheap. I gave up after two episodes because I would honestlyI had dismissed the early negative reviews as insincere - the rantings of reactionaries are not to be trusted - but if anything they had understated the awfulness of this show. The writing is banal, the acting is wooden, and the world is inauthentic. The production somehow achieves the impossible of being overdone and looking cheap. I gave up after two episodes because I would honestly rather watch paint dry.… Expand
  93. Reos44
    Oct 10, 2022
    0
    Bad scenerio
    Bad characters
    Bad dialogue
    Bad costume designs
    Boring scenes
    Weak timeline
  94. Jhawk0
    Oct 11, 2022
    0
    Gotta love whomever is getting paid by Amazon to write positive reviews for this show… I’ve read things like 10/10! Faithful to the book(s). Lmao. The writing is terrible. The activists they hired as actors and show runners twisted this series in such a way that it’s laughable at this point. I’ve read EVERYTHING that Tolkien has ever put out, and to say this is faithful to his compendiumGotta love whomever is getting paid by Amazon to write positive reviews for this show… I’ve read things like 10/10! Faithful to the book(s). Lmao. The writing is terrible. The activists they hired as actors and show runners twisted this series in such a way that it’s laughable at this point. I’ve read EVERYTHING that Tolkien has ever put out, and to say this is faithful to his compendium is blasphemous.
    It is more like a fleeting memory of a show, that seems like it’s happened before, but trying to remember the details from a dream that has passed; Hollow, and grasping to recapture the wonder that was faithfully captured by Jackson on film. For $60,000,000 an episode, I’d expect a more flushed out narrative rather than a lifetime movie with incredible CGI.    … Expand
  95. Teresa_Claymore
    Oct 14, 2022
    0
    Made by people who don't understand Tolkien and want to subvert his creation. Acted by talentless nobodies, badly cast - the worst being the arrogant black elf, Lenny Jamaica Henry and the far left activist (and gurning champion) who they got to play Galadriel. This is a stain on Tolkien's name. Utter woke garbage.
  96. Mcgreen_21
    Oct 8, 2022
    0
    They took the lord of the rings world, of heroic men great deeds and thoughtful writing. Threw it on the trash and decided to write this woke billion dollar garbage. Where every man is Weak stupid or mean. They jammed actors into roles that they are doing well, and should never have been considered for. They are not trying to live up to the world we love they want to wokify and destroy it.
  97. Astrocitos
    Oct 11, 2022
    0
    This is by far the worst written piece of entertainment I’ve ever seen, in fact can’t say if it has anything good at all. Has nothing to do with TLODR and is just a bad TV show.
  98. Jtburkh
    Oct 9, 2022
    2
    Yawn. This is just more woke nonsense. I'm sure I am just racist or phobic or this is my fault for not liking it. Yawn.
  99. redbutnotdead
    Oct 14, 2022
    0
    I see people/bots downvoting blindly the low rating reviews. Fock your paid bots, fock amazon, fock your correct shiet. RoP is a hot pile of horseshiet with bad writing, degrading tolkien's legendary work, degrading fans' dreams and intelligence. Well no matter how much you pay for downvoting low rated reviews, people are not dumb so you can kiss your dream goodbye you worthless pieces of shiaet.
  100. Kai82
    Oct 8, 2022
    3
    While visually impressing it is just a generic fantasy show with mostly poor writing and an unlikable main character. If you are a Tolkien fan and / or read the books it is even more painful. They made a lot of poor decisions for the show like developers with barely any experience for the most expensive show ever made. Galadriel is nothing like in the books or movies and is only defined byWhile visually impressing it is just a generic fantasy show with mostly poor writing and an unlikable main character. If you are a Tolkien fan and / or read the books it is even more painful. They made a lot of poor decisions for the show like developers with barely any experience for the most expensive show ever made. Galadriel is nothing like in the books or movies and is only defined by being always angry and burning bridges with other characters and often also viewers. As a sidenote even one of her enemies named Adar says that the search for Morgoths (Big bad guy before Sauron) successor should have ended in her mirror and at that point I agree as she wants to kill all Orcs he considers his children painfully before his eyes just to torture him (By the way Adar is a great character and worthy addition). This is monstrous and unforgivable if you are the hero of the show. Then there are the Hobbits which they have to rename Harfoots because they have only the right to the appendixes of LotR (Why was this greenlighted?). They are not different from Hobbits being just the most common type of all Hobbits. Those are horrible people that abandon everyone to death that falls back behind on their travels. This made it hard to like them. To be fair there are some good parts. I like the Dwarven stuff and characters and this includes Disa who is great (many did not expect this). Gil-Galad is also good and I can see sparkles of something that could be an amazing story. Sadly the slow pacing and horrible dialogues ruin a lot of the story. While the visuals aka the CGI effects are amazing I wonder where all the money was used. The settings, costumes and armor often look cheap. Also they name everyone who criticize the show as istaphobs. Has ever insulting your core audience helped to make a show a success? Lastly I ask myself why buying the rights Tolkien if you abandon most of what is Tokien. At the end you have a generic fantasy show that is Tolkien in name only with poor writing and not many characters I liked. I give a 3/10 and if you are more of a Tolkien fan than me you should read this as 1/10.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Most Discussed TV Season of 2022

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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.
    Read full review
  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.
    Read full review
  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]
    Read full review
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