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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  1. MauiNowie
    Sep 3, 2022
    0
    The acting is terrible other than the black elf. The writing is also terrible.
  2. 2daaria
    Sep 4, 2022
    1
    The first episodes just confirmed what I feared before - this is not Tolkien, this is not Middle-earth. This is a generic fantasy with wokeness and current agenda. Galadriel is some Mary Sue from a fanfiction.net story written by a teenage girl. This is bad. And totally disrespectful towards Tolkien lore.
  3. MrJPrime
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    Imagine this board meeting. Remember when we did a bunch of stuff fans hated for the beloved ring of time? Let's do all that same stuff, but worse, for a more beloved property.
    It's obviously gotta be a political agenda cause on what planet would they think this is a good idea?
    Too bad cause the production quality is good. If they'd have given the FANS what they want they'd have had a slam dunk.
  4. omiranha57
    Sep 4, 2022
    2
    “Evil cannot create anything new, they can only corrupt and ruin good forces have invented or made"

    J. R. R. Tolkien
  5. TmatoCE
    Sep 3, 2022
    2
    This is not Tolkien material, it's a story based on 2 sentences in LotR. They don't have the rights over the books so they can't use any sentence from the hobbit, the silmarillion or LOTR itself.

    Not Tolkien nor Christopher would have allowed this show, they would have protected the books. It's not just bad on the merits of acting, scripting, and plot, it's actively an insult to Tolkien's    This is not Tolkien material, it's a story based on 2 sentences in LotR. They don't have the rights over the books so they can't use any sentence from the hobbit, the silmarillion or LOTR itself.

    Not Tolkien nor Christopher would have allowed this show, they would have protected the books. It's not just bad on the merits of acting, scripting, and plot, it's actively an insult to Tolkien's memory. Amazon should be ashamed of what they've done.    … Expand
  6. DeeJayE
    Sep 3, 2022
    2
    What an absolutely terrible, disrespectful **** show. We all knew this series was going to be awful, but this series is actually worse than i myself, and many, many others had expected. What a phenomenal piece of **** this show is. The only reason i have given it a 2 is because of the special effects, everything else, literally everything else is just **** awful.
  7. kokoG
    Sep 3, 2022
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Don't listen to the paid 10/10 reviews of people claiming to be "real" Tolkien fans. This fictional tale of the second age contradicts almost everything canonical Tolkien wrote. From the elves only Gil-Galad is portrayed faithfully and fells like an elf. All of the elves act like humans with the slight difference that they speak overly complicated, in fact so complicated it's hard to understand them sometimes. GalaDRiel gets bullied in the beginning. The worst offence is certainly GalaDRieL if you know what I mean. Nothing about her character is canon starting from how her brother died and how she is a commander of the northern armies to how she is commanded to go to Valinor ??? (as if you can be commanded to go there) and then refusing at the last minute and deciding to jump off the ship(I guess her genius plan is to swim back to Middle Earth). The funniest thing was when Elrond the actual commander of Gil-Galad's armies told GalaDRieL how she is the commander of the northern armies and she replies with something of the sort of spoken like a true politician. I kid you not I totally expected Elrond to respond with "What is a politician my lady?". It was so stupid how they showed the darkening of Valinor and The War of Wrath for like 30 seconds casually skipping 2 thousand years. For the amount of money they spent they could've at least shown us Morgoth, Eärendil, Gothmog, Ancalagon or at least the Valar throwing Melkor through the door of night. They didn't even bother to tell us the name of the war, like everyone is just supposed to know. Episode 2 was just very boring to be honest with you. I liked how they made Moria, although it seems like they copied DA Origins. I was expecting the dwarves to have a scottish accent, but I think they went overboard with it to the point where it seemed like they were just mindless/primal brutes who care only for drinking, eating and mining. And I spotted a scene at the end that troubles me a lot, I think we might get a plotline where there's conflict over a Silmaril in the second age?, but we'll wait and see. The whole plotline with harad and the southern lands is somewhat interesting which proves the point that they should've just made a series about the travels of the Blue Wizards in the East and South. Oh and we have a wizard in the second age as well now, how very original. Also I thought his fall as a meteor was very Tyrael-esque. All in all this is total fanfiction, and the acting and dialog aren't very good either. I only place 2 stars because the visuals are on a very good level.… Expand
  8. MentosFreshner
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    The only reason why I don’t like this show because everyone has dumb heads in it.
  9. dldavi0428
    Sep 4, 2022
    3
    The Rings of Power was boring. The first hour feels like two, and the second episode really does nothing to advance the plot. Come to think about it, I still don’t know what the plot is. It’s like they used every idea the writers came up with, so there is no clear focus. This show had nearly $1 billion budget, so they said “We can do whatever we want!” and they did. Plus every music youThe Rings of Power was boring. The first hour feels like two, and the second episode really does nothing to advance the plot. Come to think about it, I still don’t know what the plot is. It’s like they used every idea the writers came up with, so there is no clear focus. This show had nearly $1 billion budget, so they said “We can do whatever we want!” and they did. Plus every music you sounds like “The Rains of Castamere”.… Expand
  10. celtaheaven
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    Soulless modern garbage. Also Amazon, just stop. You are a delivery computing company, nothing more than this.
  11. cruel_frames
    Sep 4, 2022
    2
    Good cinematography and CGI ruined by absolutely attrocious screenwriting and insufferable main character. You had it all in your hands Amazon, well crafter world and a myriad of great characters... how could you F this up?
  12. PrinceSid
    Sep 4, 2022
    2
    Gorgeous and Sonorous but a disgrace to Tolkein's legacy. The writers clearly hate Tolkein's work, and in their shear ******* hubris, they think they can improve upon his legendarium by shredding it into a billion pieces. The show is overflowing with current-year faddishness and the typical utter contempt for race, sex, class, and culture. I feel sorry for the artists who had to work soGorgeous and Sonorous but a disgrace to Tolkein's legacy. The writers clearly hate Tolkein's work, and in their shear ******* hubris, they think they can improve upon his legendarium by shredding it into a billion pieces. The show is overflowing with current-year faddishness and the typical utter contempt for race, sex, class, and culture. I feel sorry for the artists who had to work so hard to gild this rot. Wake up, Hollywood.… Expand
  13. kamgeforce
    Sep 4, 2022
    2
    Golden turd. It is all we expected it to be, incredibly high production, visually stunning, woke as **** no soul, doesnt feel like Tolkien. Galadriel is a pouty boss **** soldier for some reason, not MC material, no desire to follow her a single season, let alone 5. Above average for a generic fantasy show solely for the production, but as a lotr show, its garbage.
  14. EverCore
    Sep 4, 2022
    2
    I cant believe what I was just watching. I knew it was bound to be controversial and I wanted to give it a try, but thats unwatchable. If you want to watch anything "Lord of the Rings" related, you will not find it here. They have created a generic fantasy show, slapped some Names created by Professor Tolkien on it and called it "Lord of the Rings". Even if you take away their blatantI cant believe what I was just watching. I knew it was bound to be controversial and I wanted to give it a try, but thats unwatchable. If you want to watch anything "Lord of the Rings" related, you will not find it here. They have created a generic fantasy show, slapped some Names created by Professor Tolkien on it and called it "Lord of the Rings". Even if you take away their blatant piggybacking on more creative minds, this isnt worth watching. Its focus on controversial current year politics takes every bit of fantasy out of the script, their inaptitude to tell compelling stories denies all immersion, their disregard for character arcs ruins even the most unimportant original side character. It is not a Zero or a One, the visuals are sometimes stunning to behold. That is thanks to the visual effects artists, whose work is the only thing consistently great in modern Hollywood. If you must see for yourself, watch the first episode. But overall, there is sadly nothing in recent TV or cinema history I would recommend less.… Expand
  15. Naamtar
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    Bad in every possible aspect: Script, plot, casting, music, cgi, comedy, clothes, action and adaptation. Everything is wrong in this series, dumb and boring. Souless product.
  16. MMM3
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    Soooo boring. They made it a kids' show. Too much cgi. Bad dialogue, story is told incoherently, the harfoots are ridiculous and gratuitous childishness. Poorly cast actors for the characters they're meant to be. Story and dialogue is too basic, predictable and innocent to maintain adult interest.
  17. Chrogio
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    It's a fresh new modernized fantasy tale with only the cover of LOTR accompanied by a bunch of characters with known names but no semblance of the original ones.
  18. lordofthetrolls
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    its really disjointed with some bad acting, its a shame because the story is a muddled mess with absolutely overbearing marketing campaign put me off emails from amazon even though i dont have prime anymore
    Visually its great it looks good most of the costumes and sets are nice but the casting and acting really throw it off, then theres the media and social blitz about how woke it is    its really disjointed with some bad acting, its a shame because the story is a muddled mess with absolutely overbearing marketing campaign put me off emails from amazon even though i dont have prime anymore
    Visually its great it looks good most of the costumes and sets are nice but the casting and acting really throw it off, then theres the media and social blitz about how woke it is which is greatly exagerated the whole controvosy is all manufactured for buzz which will predictably start to die down now that its actually out.
    i hope the show improves becuase amazon deleting user reviews on imdb is disgusting i was gonna leave it a 5/10 but the behaviour of the cast crew and amazon leave much to be desired    … Expand
  19. Franmart
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    Falta de respeto al legado de J. R. R. Tolkien y propaganda política progre.
  20. abhimanyumeta
    Sep 4, 2022
    2
    The show's main hero – a young boy named Kaguya – is struggling to understand his newfound status as a teacher. He's no longer with the same company as his father, so it's up to Kaguya and his team of friends to fix his problems – only for him to find himself at odds with one of the most revered gods. As the series progresses, it gets to the core of the issue: how could Kaguya learn all ofThe show's main hero – a young boy named Kaguya – is struggling to understand his newfound status as a teacher. He's no longer with the same company as his father, so it's up to Kaguya and his team of friends to fix his problems – only for him to find himself at odds with one of the most revered gods. As the series progresses, it gets to the core of the issue: how could Kaguya learn all of the answers he needed, or not? In order to do that, our protagonist must learn from one teacher who's been making the same mistakes Kaguya made.

    The finale of the anime series will feature two seasons, the first featuring a five and a half hour single episode of the series – which will be released later this year. However, in addition to the previous four episodes, two episodes of the sixth season will also be released through the streaming service Sushi Shinkansen (which will follow the end of the five-episode season).[1]

    Plot & Sound Composer/Storyboard

    The anime series is scheduled for release this year for various platforms. If you want to watch the two episodes (shown below), there's also quite a few other video game related information from the series below.

    Final Crunch

    (Japanese title) Episode 3 is a 10-episode season that introduces characters from Game Boy Color as they try new things.    … Expand
  21. BlueRed44
    Sep 4, 2022
    2
    After watching the first episode I find myself wondering who this series was made for. It isn't for hardcore Tolkien fans because it destroys the lore. It can't be for casual Tolkien fans either because it's boring and soul-less. It isn't for fans of witty repartee, or fans of comedy, or those who want escapism because it fails to be engrossing. Perhaps there are people who want agendaAfter watching the first episode I find myself wondering who this series was made for. It isn't for hardcore Tolkien fans because it destroys the lore. It can't be for casual Tolkien fans either because it's boring and soul-less. It isn't for fans of witty repartee, or fans of comedy, or those who want escapism because it fails to be engrossing. Perhaps there are people who want agenda driven, boring stories with good visuals and decent music but I'm not aware that any exist… Expand
  22. CHIEFMEGADETH1
    Sep 4, 2022
    2
    This show is without a doubt the most boring Fantasy show I have ever watched. WTF Amazon? If you didn't focus on Diversity and trying to redefine the powerful female characters. What you give us are the most cringe and boring dialogue and crappy stories.
    Got through half of the second episode and turned it off :(
    I'm not even going to watch it anymore. Time is precious to me. this is a    This show is without a doubt the most boring Fantasy show I have ever watched. WTF Amazon? If you didn't focus on Diversity and trying to redefine the powerful female characters. What you give us are the most cringe and boring dialogue and crappy stories.
    Got through half of the second episode and turned it off :(
    I'm not even going to watch it anymore.
    Time is precious to me. this is a waste of time IMO    … Expand
  23. Five_Arregate
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. terrible writing, unlikeable main charecter, and totally off when it comes to accuracy in relation to the books.… Expand
  24. Gabythedog
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    Decepcionante . Guión nefasto . Galadriel es como capitana Marvel . Aburrida .
  25. NoelN
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    How did it come to this?

    This first two episodes were the worst pieces of tv or cinema i ever watched! Just another great franchise ruined through the continuing woke agenda that plagues the whole movie industrie. For example: in the first episode galadriel defeats a troll in like 10 seconds after 5 male elves had not a slimmer of chance. And of course there is a LOT of token casting    How did it come to this?

    This first two episodes were the worst pieces of tv or cinema i ever watched!
    Just another great franchise ruined through the continuing woke agenda that plagues
    the whole movie industrie. For example: in the first episode galadriel defeats a troll in like 10 seconds after 5 male elves had not a slimmer of chance.
    And of course there is a LOT of token casting like black elves black hobbits
    asian hobbits and black dwarves. The stupid thing is the southlanders are all white the ONLY people that have actually darker skin in the books! I guess they dont want all the people that were allied with morgoth to be black.
    The few good actors let the other actors seem even worse than they are, let me quote from an interwiew: "We are both offscreen activsts." Just look at the difference between critics score and audience score: at the moment it is 85% Critics to
    34% audience, that should tell you everything you need to know.
    Im just burnt out from all of this agenda and propaganda.

    I will now go back to reading the silmarillion once more, so
    Goodbye and Aurë entuluva    … Expand
  26. ZheakanRUS
    Sep 5, 2022
    3
    Скучно, сюжет не очень, некоторые герои деревянные, графика только хорошая но слишком много ее (3 только за графику)
  27. TwoThe
    Sep 3, 2022
    2
    An attempt of making a great TV show made by people who obviously have no idea how to do that. Attempts at epic dialogues which just sound cringe, massive plot holes, ridiculous character decisions, boring costumes, bad writing all over the place. The landscape shots are nice, the music is great, but that's about it. It feels like they didn't even try to make this a good show.
  28. Mystichydra
    Sep 4, 2022
    2
    Where to begin with this predictable disappointment? Seriously... For starters, it feels amateurish through-and-through. I could just 'see' every scene getting shot, and the poor editing (it really is bad. No fluidity between cuts, often noticeable lack of background continuity, etc) and merely adequate acting only exacerbated that. It felt like a lesser homage to so many things. The sceneWhere to begin with this predictable disappointment? Seriously... For starters, it feels amateurish through-and-through. I could just 'see' every scene getting shot, and the poor editing (it really is bad. No fluidity between cuts, often noticeable lack of background continuity, etc) and merely adequate acting only exacerbated that. It felt like a lesser homage to so many things. The scene near the beginning which introduces the multiracial hobbits (sorry, 'harfoots'...) was taken straight out of Hook with the lost boys. Only very poorly done. This series so far is sappy, saturated, unengaging, unimmersive, and dismisses the source material in fundamental ways, only to replace it with unnecessary drivel. Totally formulaic, with undeserved swelling orchestral music over pretty and ultimately vapid imagery. Hope you like glittery shots of shimmering forests of soft lighting. So much soft lighting.

    They bastardized Galadriel, and basically turned her into a less charismatic Xena. In general, elves are cool. Or at least they should be. They were impressive for all kinds of reasons in Middle Earth. Rankin/Bass elves were amazing. Jackson's were... ok. For some reason nowadays, it's common to portray them as effeminate, preppy-emos. Well, they certainly did here. When not trying to force awe with a sledgehammer, the dialogue is just facile words coming out of a sad-puppy-dog-type face. Unless it's Galadriel, who's a neurotic-paranoid Xena, talking about the arbitrary evil she senses.

    And of course the polarizing issue - the rather inorganic multi-diverse representation. I don't have a problem with elves as whatever colored skin as a general concept. I think racism is anachronistic and disgraceful. I also think one can criticize the opaqueness of the casting choices, within the parameters of the Middle Earth universe, and not be considered racist. It saddens me that we are in a place where this distinction cannot be made. It breaks immersion, and totally thwarts the long-nurtured understanding of the ins and outs of how Middle Earth works.

    That universe happens to not really have any people of color in it, canonically speaking. Largely because Tolkien was inspired by Norse mythology and things like Beowulf. If there were a show about African mythology and had some Asians in it, i'd be making the same points. People love Tolkien. Serious fans who have had LOTR embedded in them since growing up might get reactionary if fundamental aspects are changed for the alleged sake of equality. And the ones who don't care about these common sorts of modifications or appropriations, in my opinion, are not truly fans. Probably of anything, since ideology supersedes any kind of taste refinement whatsoever.    … Expand
  29. Monkrag
    Sep 2, 2022
    5
    Visuals are amazing but there are some annoying choices like short hair elves

    Soundtrack is great Writers and dialogue pull down the show heavily With the first lines and scenes the writers show they do not understand Tolkien or LOTR as there is a strict diversion of Good/Evil. Gald Is poorly written as the vengeful, "can't get over it" warrior and feels far more like a Mary    Visuals are amazing but there are some annoying choices like short hair elves

    Soundtrack is great

    Writers and dialogue pull down the show heavily

    With the first lines and scenes the writers show they do not understand Tolkien or LOTR as there is a strict diversion of Good/Evil. Gald Is poorly written as the vengeful, "can't get over it" warrior and feels far more like a Mary sue/Karen critics are talking about.
    Writers annoyingly devote significant screen time to awkward racism against the black elf and interracial relations as a statement about race in US again shows lack of interest in writing a LOTR story and priority of sending a message rather then making a good show. Half foot Frodo copy n pasta is unnecessary but I will say I enjoy the chief shaman one.

    Another potential good show ruined by writers who just want use a IP and "correct" it as their new chief Tolkien expert says after they fired the other one who disagreed with their choices. Also as an extra I will say do not positive or negative review bomb as this obliviously isn't a 0 or a 10    … Expand
  30. Rozen21
    Nov 10, 2022
    0
    Why don't black people create something of their own, and not defile the established lore of existing projects? Surely Africa also has its own stories and legends, go ahead. But this is a rhetorical question, it is clear that the agenda is not controlled by black people .. the question is why this is being done .
  31. Biggun
    Oct 19, 2022
    0
    Série woke da A et Z cherchant plus à militer pour la représentation des minorité nous imposer le communautarisme que nous offrir une qualité artistiques aux fans de l'oeuvre de Tolkien.
  32. Lord_Volta
    Sep 4, 2022
    3
    I got bored and decided to do my homework instead.

    There are so many eye-rolling moments that you need to walk away to avoid a migraine. I'm not going to subject myself to this mess.

    Watch Jeremy Jahns' review if you want more details.
  33. kidcassidy14
    Sep 4, 2022
    4
    Many reviews written already and many of them might be a bit harsh. But its mostly because of the arrogance of Amazon and their political agenda. Anyway, now the show itself. Is it any good? The looks and design are not bad, neither is the music. They've done a pretty good job there. Those aspects are important, but more important is the level of writing and acting. If those aren't good,Many reviews written already and many of them might be a bit harsh. But its mostly because of the arrogance of Amazon and their political agenda. Anyway, now the show itself. Is it any good? The looks and design are not bad, neither is the music. They've done a pretty good job there. Those aspects are important, but more important is the level of writing and acting. If those aren't good, then a good looking show will fail. Unfortunately it looks like this will be the case here. The writing is pretty awful at times and so is the acting. Some of the actors need to look tough, but instead of looking touch, it makes me cringe how terrible it is at times. Of course, Amazon has an agenda and want diversity. That's fine, but at least make it work and believable. Lord of the Rings isn't Lord of the Rings anymore, if you don't respect the original book. That's the case here, they've done what they wanted to do, didn't care about quality, just released a statement and that's it. Too bad people look away now and don't care about the product you've released. So next time work on that and don't foll your customers!… Expand
  34. aydarkh
    Sep 3, 2022
    2
    This is not at all what the fans wanted, this is not Tolkien, unfortunately a cheap show without a plot, stuffed with all sorts of nonsense.
  35. 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.
  36. 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
  37. 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.
  38. 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
  39. PatrykKeska4
    Sep 7, 2022
    4
    For now 4 stars this is the most what I can give.
    Ofcourse when we gonna ignore source material and Tolkien work, and treat this series as generic fantasy show.
    pros : * for soundtrack, not all of them but I belive it can be epic. * Dwarfs - yes dwarfs, atleast Amazon know how to create dwarfs, how to create location and right vibe. Still has nightmares after what netflix did with    For now 4 stars this is the most what I can give.
    Ofcourse when we gonna ignore source material and Tolkien work, and treat this series as generic fantasy show.

    pros :
    * for soundtrack, not all of them but I belive it can be epic.

    * Dwarfs - yes dwarfs, atleast Amazon know how to create dwarfs, how to create location and right vibe. Still has nightmares after what netflix did with Witcher series and dwarfs.

    * CGI, open world , some location feels a little bit plastic but overall we can see what costed a lot in this series. Honestly i preffer more dark and dirty characterisation

    cons:

    * a completely unsuccessful casting, most of the characters are not fit. Honestly I'm surprised, i thought it will be complete disaster but some characters are better than in trailers.

    * Logic - actually lack of logic,

    * Garadiel - Most annoying and wooden played character

    * poor dialogues - mother of god... Someone try to force make epic elvish Proverbs which actually has no sens at all...

    * for now poor writing - what can I say.
    I fell asleep in the first episode. Episode two is way better and this is the reason why Amazon dicided to release two at once, otherway most of the reviews should be around 1/2.

    * Actually there is no middle earth here, I'm mean this vibe which Peter Jackson bring on the screens.

    * Costimues - yes, When I did put a CGI and locations in pros, I'cant say same about outfits.All of them looks "clean" and feels plastic...

    * I did complain about casting, from a view an actor fitting to the role, right now i have even worse feeling about species overall looks except dwarfs.
    Don't get me wrong, But Elves should looks epic like "higher class" than humans. Exactly how Jacson show them. Most of them looks exactly like my neightbours... Most funny is there is one Elves which facial structure
    is right for Elvs and this characters is Arondir. Still i wish we had Elvs with long blond hairs.

    * diversity - yes... Best way to ruin the show becouse you have to mix everthing and evryone... Is it that hard to respect lore, and give everyone a right respect ?
    There is a lot of ways to do it right. I don't want to see "myself" as an Elf or Dwarf BECOUSE I don't have attributes which are specific for this species... Is it that hard to do it ? Where most of "diversity" beliver see the problem. EVERYONE DON'T HAVE TO FIT EVERYHERE... We all are diffrent and this make us special.    … Expand
  40. 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
  41. Gallandro1
    Sep 4, 2022
    4
    RoP struggles to find a rhythm over its two introductory episodes. Unfortunately the cast is largely forgettable outside of Elrond and the dwarves. Even more problematic, Galadriel is so one-note over these two episodes that she’s extremely unlikeable as a character.

    Gorgeous visual, but uninspiring story and script make for a very mixed bag.
  42. xareth
    Sep 4, 2022
    4
    I am not disappointed. After seeing trailers and actors saying what we should expect I was expecting the show to be below average. Also, I was expecting the same from House of the Dragon, however GoT sequel (after two episodes) was better than I anticipated. It is not the case of Amazon interpretation of Tolkien.

    I am a big fan of Tolkien's work and Peter's Jackson lotr movies. However,    I am not disappointed. After seeing trailers and actors saying what we should expect I was expecting the show to be below average. Also, I was expecting the same from House of the Dragon, however GoT sequel (after two episodes) was better than I anticipated. It is not the case of Amazon interpretation of Tolkien.

    I am a big fan of Tolkien's work and Peter's Jackson lotr movies. However, in case of Rings of power, it was a chore to see this world butchered. However, I decided to watch and rate first two episodes as regular fantasy..

    Positives:
    - actors are matched ok.
    - some views are nice looking
    - clothing is ok. Some armor look average, but it is not something really poor
    - music often is ok
    - race swap: i was worrying that it will be a problem with black elf but actor is fitting well there

    Negatives:
    - dialogues are awful. Each scene is a conflict between characters. They argue about anything..
    - Plot is not believable, however maybe in later episodes will be better.
    - Most of the scenes feel like fillers.
    - CGI.. everywhere CGI.
    - and when they want to make orc not cgi it looks not so great. It looks like human that is wearing orc makeup..
    - fight scenes.. Galadriel fighting troll.. it looks just stupid.. There is no impact when she attacks troll. Compare it to fight in Moria vs troll. You could feel that troll is dangerous enemy. That he has thick skin. You need spear to penetrate it, not slice and dice it with a knife..

    Probably I could write more.. But it is just bland below average show. It is not terrible. You can watch it and have some fun. However, if we take into consideration it costs $750, 000,000 and it was created based on Tolkien's work.. It is disappointing that they did not manage to give us great show.    … Expand
  43. Iyunzusto
    Sep 6, 2022
    5
    It's actually pretty entertaining and an absolute feast for the eyes. There's a decent amount of suspenseful writing.

    As for the diversity issue, here's the problem. It's that it feels inauthentic. It's forced. And that takes you out of the immersion which compromises the experience. People are not racist for questioning black hobbits. Why are black people black? It's a defense against    It's actually pretty entertaining and an absolute feast for the eyes. There's a decent amount of suspenseful writing.

    As for the diversity issue, here's the problem. It's that it feels inauthentic. It's forced. And that takes you out of the immersion which compromises the experience.

    People are not racist for questioning black hobbits. Why are black people black? It's a defense against equatorial sunlight. So why would there be black hobbits and white hobbits originating from the same northern-europe-analogue climate? Also why, if they're an insular society, are the black people still black and the white people still white? You mean they haven't cross bred for thousands of years?

    So because it's not believable, it comes across for what it really is - the ideological efforts of the casting team to inject diversity and inclusion for the sake of diversity and inclusion. Instead of thinking about the plot and characters, now I'm thinking of some diversity officer on the production team listing quotas for black hobbits.    … Expand
  44. 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
  45. Murphyslaw
    Oct 11, 2022
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I watched up to episode 6 and don't think I have any wish to continue. This feels like a generic tv show filled to the brim with mediocrity, with very little of the magic in the books or the movies.
    The music is ok, the visuals are nice and the acting from certain individuals is relatively good. I particularly enjoy the scenes with Elrond and Durin. The actress playing Galadirlel also seems to know her salt, it's just unfortunate she got stuck with such an unlikable, wooden, and single track character. I'd put a lot of the other cast in the same boat unfortunately. Good acting, badly written character. Sadly none of that makes up for the terrible writing and absolutely massive plot holes. Not to mention, despite the universe this is set in, in the end everything just felt... small.

    SPOILERS!

    Episode 6, a massive charge of horses is seen bolting at top speed to their destination to apparently save the village which is under attack. How on earth did they know it was under attack? Were they just running their horses hard for no reason and just happened to stumble across this? Why would they be doing this to their horses if they had no idea where they were immediately going, what they were up against, or even WHY they were charging in the first place? This scene just starts this way, there is no context given to explain ANY of the actions from the cavalry.

    Even worse is this sadly seems so easy to notice and fix. Add a scene before the charge. They are scouting/slowly making their way inland. They see a commotion in the distance. Galadriel has them prepare to charge, she spies orcs with her elven eyes. (she spotted land an hour before humans could see it not 5 minutes earlier in the episodes -_-) It is as if no one proof read this. This was a one and done, shipped out the door 'perfect' as is.

    This is but one example of many. Actions are taken that make no sense. Characters feel wooden and on rails. And the audience is left to fill in TOO many blanks (if that is even the writers intent and it's not just purely bad writing) The other elements of the show are then sadly left to pick up the pieces.

    TL;DR Not worth watching. For the massive amount of money they have spent on this, you'd think they would have hired competent writers.

    P.S. It is unfortunate this has been hounded by alt right extremists and this toxic "anti-woke" crowd, as it reduces the value of fair criticism. For what it is worth, I think Ismael Cruz Córdova is doing a fine job and I LOVE the woman playing Durin's wife, Sophia Nomvete. She had sass!

    Despite trying to give them leeway and not be a purist when it comes to established canon, I still can't stand what they did to hobbits or harfoots. Genuinely hate it. Ugh    … Expand
  46. tonto
    Sep 4, 2022
    4
    High production values leads to beautiful cinematography, but the writing leaves something to be desired. The show is a slow burn, with a lot of dialogue that's kinda clunky and it takes a while to get moving. It doesn't really feel like the original Lord of the Rings trilogy.
  47. Vertas
    Sep 3, 2022
    4
    It's not that the show is bad and probably would've been quite alright if it had been presented as a new IP. The problem here is the absolutely sacrilege way they've handled the established lore of Tolkien's world. Amazon have not shown any respect for what Tolkien created and only see his work as a cash grab from his fan base.
  48. MrFlyby
    Sep 4, 2022
    4
    Spending 1 billion dollars to make a show that employs c list actors, inexperienced and unintelligent writers, only to bastardize the lore of the source material marks a new era in corporate invasion of popular culture .

    It’s not hard to understand. We liked LoTR because it was good. The acting was good, the writing was good, and it honored the source material. Same with GoT. but this    Spending 1 billion dollars to make a show that employs c list actors, inexperienced and unintelligent writers, only to bastardize the lore of the source material marks a new era in corporate invasion of popular culture .

    It’s not hard to understand. We liked LoTR because it was good. The acting was good, the writing was good, and it honored the source material.

    Same with GoT. but this show fails at almost everything it sets out to accomplish aside from making pretty cgi.    … Expand
  49. Veska
    Sep 4, 2022
    5
    When you order LOTR from Wish...And elves with short hair look like humans with fake ears...
  50. KeirAndo
    Sep 4, 2022
    5
    Two episodes in and it's really not as "woke" as I was worried, but it's just badly written and acted.
    It looks beautiful,but the writing is just really over-egged and some of the acting is just totally overplayed. Poor Galadriel has been done a total disservice.

    And dwarf women are supposed to have beards and look like men!
  51. Peachboiii
    Sep 3, 2022
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is a review for the two first episodes.

    I refuse to believe people with brains are behind those 10/10 reviews. This show was an insult of intelligence. But neither does it deserve a 1/10.

    Where to start? Lets start with Aman. Finrod, the dialogue between him and Galadriel is cringe and/or weird. Seems like they tried really hard to be profound. I really dislike his hair. Elf children behaving like thst in the undying lands too? It feels off. Valinor looked great tho.

    There are lot weird pacing/awful cuts.

    The ice climbing scene is awful. Galadriel is so far ahead and it comes off as arrogance. Yes, we get it. She is better than everyone. If they're trying show her determination, i feel they failed. And traveling in snow and ice in metal armor? That's profoundly dumb. Frostbite, she says. Yeah, no **** Her whispery voice was annoying. It annoys me that she is so annoying, because seeing the promo pictures, i thought the casting was spot on. But i guess its not the actress' fault, and more the writers/director. But by the time they reach the fortress, i really dislike her. Galadriel that is, not Morfydd. When they find the mark of sauron, one elf says why bother, it might be centuries old. So are you, you dumb stick. You're an elf ffs. Immortal. Whats a century for you?

    Then they encounter a troll. It kills some of them, then Galadriel comes and beats it singlehandedly. Without an effort. Mary sue much? And there's some crouching tiger hidden dragon matrix kinda **** It was the worst part about Legolas in Lotr, and they do it here too, literally 16 minutes in

    First meeting with the harfoots was ok. However, as a small traveling tribe, the ethnicities from around the world feels a bit weird. And they resemble gypsies or hobos, more than hobbits.

    There's some dialogue between Elrond and Galadriel in Lindon that feels clunky. You see what they're trying to do, but they dont really nail it. Again, i blame poor writing. And again some very noticable weird cuts.
    And fireworks? Really?

    Arondir bar encounter was cringe. I think the elves clothing were really nice, except fron the face on armor. I really hope they're not doing an elf/human relationship as an homage to tolkien, cause i feel that just stupid and disrespectful. Really, really hope its going to be more like Aegnor and Andreth.

    The sick cow black goo was extremely, i dont know, weird, stupid? And this really felt like it happened just to make the plot happen. Again, i blame poor writing.

    Gil Galad looks great. Really great casting, but the character/writing is bad/off.

    Celebrimbor is so far off from what i imagined, so thats a personal negative.

    The sail to aman was really good. Favourite part so far. Or the image of the two trees.

    By episode two, i really dislike the harfoots. And I hope by god meteor man is not Sauron or Gandalf.

    The map showing their trip to khazad dum was laughably stupid. And they're wearing the same clothes, and the whole seems like they took a 10 minute trip to their neighbour. Khazad dum looked great though.

    Dwarves decent so far, but Elronds interaction with Durin and Disa felt queer. And Durin and Disa scenes felt more like a sitcom. I was really hoping to see dwarves being taken more seriously this time.

    The sea monster scene was good, but the Halbrand sea scene alone with Galadriel is weird. Off. Being secretive just for intrigue? I blame poor writing here too, because i haven't seen enough of Halbrand to judge his acting.

    The fact that Galadriel thought of swimming back to middle earth is so profoundly stupid. So utterly, profoundly stupid. What the... where the writers thinking?

    And maybe i zoned out, but it was weird how was she suddenly awake to start swimming when she was unconcious under water?

    Two durins??? Make it make sense
    The scene with the orc in the house was fun.

    Overall, the elves hair is effing laughable. Nitpicking but still, it all adds up to be annoying. They also feel alot like humans.

    Dialogue is very weird and clunky. I think the writers was trying to hard? And were out of their depth. The pacing is bad and there are some really weird cuts. The music is good and the acting isnok for the most part. The visuals are mostly stunning. Best part about the first two episodes. Other than that, i found them very boring. It might get better, but i will only review the first two as my subscription runs out, and I have no interest i watching the rest. To summarize, its a visually stunning turkey.    … Expand
  52. 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.
  53. Feministi
    Sep 22, 2022
    0
    Diverse cast and especially women were made to look bad on purpose; what hellish prose is this!?
  54. Marangoni13
    Sep 3, 2022
    5
    So far is mediocre. The only good thing is the production. You can see the money invested in
  55. 20comer70correr
    Sep 5, 2022
    5
    Review in Portuguese and English.
    Resenha em português e Inglês.
    Eu vi algumas coisas que não me agradam muito, eu vejo que progressismo está acima de tudo na série, eles querem enfiar as suas ideologias políticas nas nossas cabeças a todo custo. E, eu não duvido que o LGBTQHFGFGFGHW (todo ano há um novo tipo de sexo) apareça a qualquer momento. Todavia, em contraponto, eu gostei dos    Review in Portuguese and English.
    Resenha em português e Inglês.

    Eu vi algumas coisas que não me agradam muito, eu vejo que progressismo está acima de tudo na série, eles querem enfiar as suas ideologias políticas nas nossas cabeças a todo custo. E, eu não duvido que o LGBTQHFGFGFGHW (todo ano há um novo tipo de sexo) apareça a qualquer momento. Todavia, em contraponto, eu gostei dos gráficos e a nostalgia de ver o universo que eu gosto nas telas, mas disto apenas, por isso o meu 5; pois, se a minha avaliação dependesse de roteiro e fidelidade à obra original, eu avaliaria em 2.


    I saw some things that I don't like very much, I see that progressivism is above everything in the serie, they want to get their political ideologies in our heads at all costs. And, I do not doubt that the LGBTQHFGFGFGHW (every year there is a new type of sex) will appear at any moment. However, in contrast, I liked the graphics and the nostalgia of seeing the universe that I like on the screens, but I only liked that, that's why my 5; because, if my rating depended on the script and fidelity to the original work, I would rate it at 2.    … Expand
  56. nitnitsuj
    Sep 26, 2022
    0
    Awful, sad, cringy I'm really saddened that this show turned out into this hot pile of manure.
  57. davy420
    Sep 3, 2022
    5
    It lacks a lot of things, nothing like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, none of its vibe. The music is lacking, the acting sucks, the story is a mess, and the overall feel of the show is a dud. When I watch The Lord of the Rings it takes you away, to that magical but scary place. This show feels like Europe, 300 years ago, with monsters. It just lacks character. I don't get what's wrong withIt lacks a lot of things, nothing like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, none of its vibe. The music is lacking, the acting sucks, the story is a mess, and the overall feel of the show is a dud. When I watch The Lord of the Rings it takes you away, to that magical but scary place. This show feels like Europe, 300 years ago, with monsters. It just lacks character. I don't get what's wrong with the music, why is it so boring and uninspiring.

    The one good thing about it is the diversity of people, It's not just a sausage fest and their are people of color in this world. Which makes the world feel richer, but that's the only good thing about the show.    … Expand
  58. 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.
  59. 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
  60. 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.
  61. 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.
  62. 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
  63. Natanloewen
    Sep 4, 2022
    5
    It's a slow burning, epic montage of
    majestic middle earth scenery. We are lucky to have this as fans. Though it's best to expect "fanfic" with lore references, it’s still thoroughly enjoyable thus far.
    Personally I want to see way more time showing life in elven Lindon and Eregion, and much less about the invented mortal Tir-Harad and Harfoot stories at this point - and less arbitrary    It's a slow burning, epic montage of
    majestic middle earth scenery. We are lucky to have this as fans. Though it's best to expect "fanfic" with lore references, it’s still thoroughly enjoyable thus far.
    Personally I want to see way more time showing life in elven Lindon and Eregion, and much less about the invented mortal Tir-Harad and Harfoot stories at this point - and less arbitrary jumping back and forth (like the Lindon ceremony scene, don't cut to Harfoots to see what they're up to while Elrond and the High King are preparing the most exquisite honors for an elf's lifetime for Varda's sake!). I'm excited to see how this unfolds and speculate based on the lore what is going to happen with regards to the mystery meteor-man character, and who's ending up as a Nazgûl, and what manner of skills the dwarves and elf-smiths can conjure up.    … Expand
  64. 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
  65. 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
  66. SeekDWay
    Sep 18, 2022
    4
    Average at best with too much appropriation and watering down of Tolkienian lore.
  67. Voodoo123
    Oct 15, 2022
    5
    I enjoyed watching season 1 for the sheer spectacle of its budgetary prowess but couldn't help feeling it was such a shame so much of the established visual style was sacrificed for diversity casting - I mean unattractive actors? Black elves, hobbits and dwarves? Adventurous alpha female hobbits??? It's just not honouring the original content. Entertaining as a a standalone fantasy butI enjoyed watching season 1 for the sheer spectacle of its budgetary prowess but couldn't help feeling it was such a shame so much of the established visual style was sacrificed for diversity casting - I mean unattractive actors? Black elves, hobbits and dwarves? Adventurous alpha female hobbits??? It's just not honouring the original content. Entertaining as a a standalone fantasy but deeply flawed production to have discarded the well established visual style of the cinematic lotr universe. The soundtrack was superb.… Expand
  68. NirvanaCrux
    Sep 7, 2022
    5
    Amazon Prime’s Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power is a truly beautiful experience that puts television programming on a cinematic scale. The show’s characters and story are authentically J.R.R. Tolkien in the best possible way. The first two episodes reeled me in and I am looking forward to premiere of the third episode on Friday. This show will appeal to lifelong fans of all ages who’reAmazon Prime’s Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power is a truly beautiful experience that puts television programming on a cinematic scale. The show’s characters and story are authentically J.R.R. Tolkien in the best possible way. The first two episodes reeled me in and I am looking forward to premiere of the third episode on Friday. This show will appeal to lifelong fans of all ages who’re readers and viewers of both the books and Peter Jackson’s timeless trilogy.… Expand
  69. RageoftheGODs
    Sep 20, 2022
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I’ll start off by stating I’m not a Tolkien lore or Lord of the Rings fanatic. So, I really don’t know if the show is staying true to the lord or not. I’m reviewing the show so far (through episode 4) simply for the writing, acting and visuals. The first thing to mention is the visuals are very well done. The world looks amazing and the character costumes (for the most part) all look great and believable; especially the orcs, the look awesome. The acting is fine, but the quality varies from character to character. The main character, Galadriel, is the one I like the least. She’s very bland and boring and not very convincing. Adar is the character I’m most interested in so far, he hasn’t been in the show much but he has been the one I’m most interested in. Durin and Elrond are also good character. Most of the others are forgettable. The plot so far leaves much to be desired. We’re 4 episodes into the show and I still really don’t feel like I’m being “pulled in” or like I have that feeling where I can’t wait till the next episode because I have to know what happens. Overall, it’s been a very slow progressing season so far with too many characters I really just don’t care about and not enough really happening to keep me invested and want to keep watching. 5/10 so far.… Expand
  70. Okicritic
    Sep 19, 2022
    4
    After watching half of season 1, it's clear the show is rich in style and poor in substance. Each episode barely moves the plot along, several characters feel completely unnecessary, the star character is insufferable, and the dialogue is borderline cringeworthy. The writers need a major course-correction in season 2 if this series has any hope.
  71. gargioni
    Sep 4, 2022
    4
    This review is for the 2 first episodes only - which I've watched yesterday.
    On a base 0-10 - with comments.
    Story Writing: solid 2 (it is genuine not good) 40+ here. I've watched a ton of movies and TV series for now. You know when it is good, it is good. Definitely not the case here, some of the actors are great, but the lines are too off, some naïve mistakes. There is no cohesion    This review is for the 2 first episodes only - which I've watched yesterday.
    On a base 0-10 - with comments.

    Story Writing: solid 2 (it is genuine not good)
    40+ here. I've watched a ton of movies and TV series for now. You know when it is good, it is good. Definitely not the case here, some of the actors are great, but the lines are too off, some naïve mistakes. There is no cohesion direction and editing to make some scenes work, and most of the time you end up with a great pile of ketchup on top of a great potential amazing tasty pizza.

    Tolkien Lore: 1.
    Everyone here is correct. The disregard with some important things is there: Elfs with short hair, "not all" dwarfs have beard, armor choices, well known character aspirations are off, doesn't fit well here and there and it is very unfortunate because if those were fixed, a lot of backlash would have been prevented.

    Acting/Writing Main Story - Galadriel group: 2 (it is really not good)
    The actress does not perform good, the character is robotic and you got that feeling that something is off all the time. I have zero desire (yet) to know what comes next there.

    Acting/Writing Human Story - Elf, Lady, and others: 7
    The human/orc story is good. The actors involved in these scenes show good acting. It is not perfect, but it delivers. I'm interested in watching more.

    Acting/Writing Elf Story - Elrond, Durin group: 9
    The actors here are great. It would be perfect IF they added the beard on ALL dwarf ladies (multiple dwarf ladies are shown, no beard). Acting is good, story is good, editing is good, the Mines are interesting, the thing the Elfs want to create is captivating, the greedy way of the desire to build it is exciting to watch unfold.

    Acting/Writing Harfoots: 7
    I think the editing is very off. Some scenes are too long. The writing is too childish and sometimes it is you want to fast forward. The Wizard and the lady mistery is good. She is a good actress. The desire to explore, and see the world is done right. I want to see more of it. The downside is the writing for the villagers, the characters lines and decisions sometimes show disconnection.

    Editing: 3
    some scenes are too short, some are too long, it is not a good editing in general.
    There are many inconsistency with writing where decisions made by characters doesn't fit what they previously said a second ago. It seems rushed and very unpolished.

    Direction: 4
    Seemed rushed. There is no cohesion between music, writing, editing, story telling, pace. Most scenes are well made (some are bad) and the overall composition is not good.

    Music: 5
    The score is good. There is no theme to identify with (maybe the music will unfold later). The sound volume is sometimes too loud or too low for the scene. I would have given a higher score if the direction and editing was better.

    CGI VFX: 9 (it is good but not perfect)    … Expand
  72. jzathajenius
    Sep 3, 2022
    4
    Im sure it will only get better, but the first episode is a bit of a snoozer. Its pretty indefensible for Amazon to waste a billion dollars on a half baked IP spinoff series when that money can be put to such better use in the world.
  73. Icebow76
    Sep 4, 2022
    4
    Not the best thing I’ve ever seen, certainly not the worst either. It’s watchable. I would have left a 7 if only it had been just a new series with a different name… and didn’t clumsily alter the works of JRR Tolkien.
  74. TheLee
    Sep 8, 2022
    5
    Visuals are top notch. Too many characters. Really hoping they pick it up in episode 3
  75. All_ButTrU4
    Sep 3, 2022
    4
    What i did find exhausting woth the show is it's pace. It's a glacial slow burn that doesn't really excite during it's establishing episodes, sure it feels like the groundwork for a bigger story but given that hasn't unfolded yet i consider it a fault. It als feels lifeless,focused on the bigger things than the interpersonal which could make it so much more interesting. It should focus onWhat i did find exhausting woth the show is it's pace. It's a glacial slow burn that doesn't really excite during it's establishing episodes, sure it feels like the groundwork for a bigger story but given that hasn't unfolded yet i consider it a fault. It als feels lifeless,focused on the bigger things than the interpersonal which could make it so much more interesting. It should focus on scaling it's range and fleshing out it's key players.… Expand
  76. asm9855
    Sep 6, 2022
    5
    So far, really good. Good acting, engaging fight scenes and CGI. I’m hooked!!
  77. Brunacorpse
    Sep 4, 2022
    5
    Que produção linda, a abertura é genial, a trilha sonora está a altura dessa produção. Tudo muito classudo e lindo. Amei muito a representação dos pés peludos, o arco dos anões ficou perfeito.
  78. pozomarcelo
    Sep 3, 2022
    5
    The efforts in CGI in the very first episodes makes me want for more. I'm really eager to watch the following episodes. 100% recommended.
  79. Locke11110
    Sep 4, 2022
    5
    Incredibly well done. Great casting and great writing. Mostly faithful to the lore.
  80. Ltlombardi
    Dec 3, 2022
    4
    Didn't like the music, the scenery. It does not look like the movie series,. unfortunately.
    It's also too slow. But I did find myself wanting more.
  81. geewah
    Jan 3, 2023
    7
    While the first few episodes are all about world building and character development, the show does suffer as it takes a while for it to find it's feet.
    The last few episodes are where things really pick up and it's perfectly set up for a strong 2nd season.
  82. CarlElmore
    Jan 23, 2023
    7
    It's weak and there are definitely some story issues but the production, visuals, acting are all great. This show is overhated.
  83. Juddee
    Jan 28, 2023
    9
    Don't listen to all the review bombers. Go and watch this show if you haven't already. The production all around is amazing.
  84. 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.
  85. 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.
  86. 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
  87. Fixer84
    Mar 16, 2023
    8
    We are not at the level of the movies, that's for sure. But it's not all as bad as many say either.
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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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