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. RuMiK
    Sep 5, 2022
    2
    Some of the effects and cgi looks nice and all but , plot characters really lacking, plots that don't exist, lines that try to sound wise and profound but are totally nonsense, some visuals/costumes don't fit the universe.
    How i wish it was good, sadly it isn't
  2. Andreycko
    Sep 5, 2022
    2
    Why did you ruin my favorite movie? Some elves are not beautiful, it was boring to watch, I put 2 only because of the good graphics.
  3. Inductionist
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    Besides extremely high production value, there is almost nothing positive to say about this series. Tolkien fans will feel lost. The average fantasy fan will find nothing new or original. The cast seems misplaced. What a disaster.
  4. kwisi91
    Sep 4, 2022
    2
    Be woke - get broke.
    well, that's one factor lol but to be more serious... much CGI, boring story and has nothing to do with Tolkien. Another franchise which got destroyed by AMAZON like they did with Star Trek and other things.
  5. Evstachip
    Sep 4, 2022
    1
    Galadriel’s amazing and all the men are stupid. But atleast it looks good.
  6. c3pu
    Sep 4, 2022
    3
    Seelenlos. Ich werde nach den ersten beiden Folgen nicht weitergucken. Eine klare Handlung ist nicht erkennbar. Alles will groß und episch sein, aber man fragt sich, warum eigentlich?
  7. El_Misterioso
    Sep 4, 2022
    1
    boring, it lasts a long time, almost every minute I see this thing I would rather play Human Fall Flat (one of the worst games I've ever played)
  8. foxtyke
    Sep 4, 2022
    2
    When I watched the Rings of Power, I could not find the immersion I found in the literary works of Tolkien nor the Jackson movie adaptations of the property.

    I understand there's a lot of review bombing going on but really, this does not evoke the feelings of Tolkien level of storytelling and work but more or less, it feels like a Netflix treatment of a property. Think of the Netflix    When I watched the Rings of Power, I could not find the immersion I found in the literary works of Tolkien nor the Jackson movie adaptations of the property.

    I understand there's a lot of review bombing going on but really, this does not evoke the feelings of Tolkien level of storytelling and work but more or less, it feels like a Netflix treatment of a property. Think of the Netflix adaptation of Resident Evil and you have a better idea of how Amazon treated Rings of Power in terms of handling the property.

    I encourage you to watch at least the first few episodes to form your own opinion, perhaps your experience will be different and more positive but for me, it was just not very good even with creative license for the age in which the Rings of Power is set. I'd gone into it with higher hopes than most I believe for the series but as time has progressed during production and more information was released through trailers and interviews, I felt the focus was less on the work itself and more on pushing a social message through the production.

    Nonetheless I did give it a fair shot but found it sorely lacking in canonical detail and with droll and contrived writing, even for major moments in the series. Again however, you may see it differently and that is okay but the purpose of this review is to simply share my experience with Rings of Power so, do not hold my opinion as end-all-be-all and watch it yourself.

    What bothers me is that given the reception of this series by the large existing fanbase, whether they've actually watched or not, it will likely result in future adaptations of Lord of the Rings being far more harder to greenlight for production regardless of their quality. I was hoping that it would bring the world and works of Tolkien to new generations but, it is what it is and I really can't say more than my personal thoughts and experience.    … Expand
  9. Kirbyisthebest
    Sep 3, 2022
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Guys I just went in blind because Tolkien is a bad writer so who cares if this is all made up. Going in blind though, this made no sense and was really boring. Its just some nasty frigid tomboy lady with pointy ears swimming around for an hour. Why did she get on that ship if she was just going to swim around for an hour? What's a morgoth? Why are the pointy eared effeminate teenager and dwarf teenager dudes fighting like schoolkids until that big elderly dwarf lady puts them in their place? They should grow up, they don't look like teenagers, they must be at least 30 years old. Visually it looks like a cheap version of the phantom menace, but at least things happened in the phantom menace and they had laser swords. Here its just people standing around looking at a homeless man fall out of the sky for two hours. WTH none of this makes sense to me. Is there a novelization of this story somewhere to make it make sense, because I don't get any of this at all. What a waste of money, they could have helped so many people with that money, disgusting. They should have just saved that money and remastered Xena Warrior Princess in HD. That show was cheesy but at least a watchable fantasy with a much more likeable leading lady… Expand
  10. Sir_Blyatman
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    Gratest fantasy universe. Gratest budget. And gratest FAILURE. thats really sad.
  11. Ronaldcampos
    Sep 3, 2022
    1
    Sin duda alguna esta es una ofensa para los que vimos las pelis de la trilogía original y leímos los libros. Le doy un uno porque tiene excelente fotografía y música. Pero en cuanto historia, guión y ritmo es pésima.
  12. Bozkat
    Sep 3, 2022
    0
    Visually stunning but content is weak. The dialogue is embarrassing and the characters unlikeable. The portrayal of Galadriel as an unconvincing warrior elf is so far removed from the angelic, mysterious character in Tolkiens ream. Dreadful.
  13. PassMeTheLembas
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    "Do you Know why a ships floats and a stone cannot? Because a stone sees only downward"..!?

    Do you know why Tolkien could write dialogue but Amazon cannot? My rating sees only downward.
  14. Whimsical_Wolf
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This show has an absolute plethora of problems, from small to very very large. The biggest is that it fails to create a fantasy world that feels like the world Tolkien created. Armor is clearly made of plastic, dialogue is either overly complicated in an attempt to sound high brow (it fails anyway) or ripped out of our current day English (no one ever said "OK" in medieval times). Personalities that we know from Tolkien's writings have been massively changed to the point they are those characters in name only. The Elves act just like humans, indeed with the exception of their Spock-like ears, look just like humans. The bullying scene at the beginning is ridiculous...behaving like human children is just one of many things that remove their other-wordly atmosphere from them. Characters make super illogical decisions (jumping our of a boat in the middle of nowhere with no way to get home wtf), or say super illogical things (when hunting Sauron yes you actually WOULD want to go where sunlight "fears to tread" (more shoddy dialogue there too)). The acting is forced or unconvincing in most characters...only a few actors seem to be comfortable with their role. The initial premise is flawed as well - all the Elves knew Sauron was a Maiar (basically a fallen angel)...so they should have known that he'd be able to come back....Galadriel being the only one to know makes no sense. And Galadriel is either always right, angry, or both, and can do anything, without flaw - not a believable character. Where are the Ripleys from Alien, the Sarah Connors from Terminator 1 and 2? There's a lot more I could say (the pacing.....or lack thereof!) but I think I've provided enough detail to back up this rating. There was zero respect shone to Tolkien's lore, so zero is what I'm giving to this show.… Expand
  15. Xiruhel
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    It is not even close to Tolkien. This abomination is just bad fan fiction poisoned with modern agenda and politic interests.
    Hopefully this garbage will get canceled after the first season.
  16. ricnur23
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    seriously insane how bad is this show in cinematic aspects, its all cgi also for panorama, all set in studio nothing of real. I write a review on imdb an they deleted because the show is going under 6 and they blocked all reviews becuase imdb is of amazon. Nice. In this age when something is trash you can say . Nice
  17. burakcem
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    This show has nothing to do with Tolkien's work. Only some of the characters names are from Tolkien, and the name of geography where the events are happening are from Tolkien's work. Everything else is completely different. Dialogues are very bad, casting is very bad, storyline is very bad, acting is very bad. The only good thing about the show is the scenery. This is not middle earth.
  18. Negreirosff2
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    An abomination . A total direspect to the Tolkiens legacy. Seems the writters never cared reading the work they are suppposed to be based upon.
  19. Jamelitt
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    Literally the worst writing I've ever had to listen to in a show. Maybe it just feels worse because the characters are supposed to be intelligent and thoughtful and what they're given to say is so dumb and shallow. It starts stupid from the first 5 minutes, "why does a boat float?" Who wrote this nonsense metaphor?? Like something a 14 year old writes in their creative writing class thatLiterally the worst writing I've ever had to listen to in a show. Maybe it just feels worse because the characters are supposed to be intelligent and thoughtful and what they're given to say is so dumb and shallow. It starts stupid from the first 5 minutes, "why does a boat float?" Who wrote this nonsense metaphor?? Like something a 14 year old writes in their creative writing class that the teachers laugh about in the lounge. I feel bad for the actors who have to say these lines with a straight face... speaking of which straight faces is all you get from the actors. Maybe that's the inexperienced directors fault but I find myself questioning if all the characters are secretly dead since they can't emote. Remove all the social experiments that once side hates and one side loves and you're left with a bad fan fiction written on a YA forum by a middle school student.… Expand
  20. Iconoclast13
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    It's horrible fan fiction at best. They've completely changed characters such as Galadriel, she doesn't have her husband or child, not a sorcerer but a warrior which she never was, left out several of her brothers to make her a strong independent woman on a revenge quest which never happened, have her leading an army which never happened, made the men around her ignorant to highlight howIt's horrible fan fiction at best. They've completely changed characters such as Galadriel, she doesn't have her husband or child, not a sorcerer but a warrior which she never was, left out several of her brothers to make her a strong independent woman on a revenge quest which never happened, have her leading an army which never happened, made the men around her ignorant to highlight how strong and independent this woman is compared to men. She's unlikable, the horrible writing doesn't help.

    There's more, such as harfoots not being in the second age, dwarven women missing their beards, casting to fit identity politics, Gandalf being in the show when he wasn't alive during this time, etc. They should have just made their own universe instead of tainting lotr.    … Expand
  21. JoelWasRight
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    This made me appreciate th PJ movies a lot more than I used to. I tried giving it a chance but couldn't even finish it. It's just Bolshevik trash. The woke casting was really jarring - like seeing White tribe members in Wakanda would be - and it felt like the non-Whites were cosplaying as fantasy Europeans and doing a poor job at it. Other than that, this show has a very flashy, overlyThis made me appreciate th PJ movies a lot more than I used to. I tried giving it a chance but couldn't even finish it. It's just Bolshevik trash. The woke casting was really jarring - like seeing White tribe members in Wakanda would be - and it felt like the non-Whites were cosplaying as fantasy Europeans and doing a poor job at it. Other than that, this show has a very flashy, overly clean presentation - nothing at all like the 'lived in' feel of the movies. Many of the performances were poor, especially from the sneering SJW activist who plays Galadriel. I don't recommend this. 0/10… Expand
  22. Damson_Rhee
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    I was looking forward to this, despite the questionable acting, but it's just sooo bad. Thanks to Amazon Tolkien's works have been ruined for the sake of 'The Message'. Honestly, if you love Bezos or hate white people then this is likely going to be a 10/10 for you, but otherwise you're best steering clear.
  23. JayKayLetsGo
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    If you love Tolkien and LotR, you should stay away from Rings of Power. While the series clumsily cannibalizes elements from Tolkien's universe, it cannot hide the fact that large parts of the plot are fictitious and not only non-canon, but also have absolutely nothing to do with Tolkien's original intention. Die-hard fans know: Tolkien had built the universe of Middle-earth as aIf you love Tolkien and LotR, you should stay away from Rings of Power. While the series clumsily cannibalizes elements from Tolkien's universe, it cannot hide the fact that large parts of the plot are fictitious and not only non-canon, but also have absolutely nothing to do with Tolkien's original intention. Die-hard fans know: Tolkien had built the universe of Middle-earth as a consistent, purely Anglo-Saxon mythology (in contrast to the then established Greco-Roman mythology). Accordingly, one finds a large number of cross-references to Anglo-Saxon, Germanic and Norse mythology in LotR. The cultures and people of Middle-earth also represent members of a fantasy culture, but they unmistakably originate from the continental European community of legends and culture. That was also the secret of the success of LotR, a community that, analogous to the Germanic-Anglo-Saxon heroic epic (Beowulf, Siegfried), fights a seemingly invincible threat with credible cultures, myths and people. So let's take a quick look at the most prominent characters that were invented in this series and aggressively placed in marketing: Arondir - black Legolas Disa - black dwarf princess (without beard) Elanor Brandyfoot - halfling woman Poppy Proudfellow - halfling woman Marigold Brandyfoot - black halfling woman and matriarch Bronwyn - Iranian woman Sadoc Burrows - black hobbit Theo - Asian man The canon characters continue this trend, which of course leads to even greater conflicts with Tolkien's lore: Míriel, who is the mother of Feanor, who is described in the book as "bright-eyed", is - surprise - black, as well as Tar-Miriel, who is even explicitly described in the book as "fairer than silver" and "with bright eyes". You CAN do something like this. I have absolutely nothing against fair representation of minorities in contemporary or historical films. But only if it can also be reconciled with the plot and the logic of the respective universe - in a Transformers film, Avengers or anywhere else. But if a film based on Anglo-Saxon-Germanic culture suddenly presents a population structure like that of a modern US college, that leads to a break in immersion, to put it mildly. But then please don't pretend that this cast came about by chance and not the product of conscious, ideological-political motivation.… Expand
  24. wozron
    Sep 6, 2022
    1
    Tolkien had bad days. Tom Bombadil could have been less ridiculous, Goldberry more meaningful. However he had an instinctive knowledge of what makes something epic and resonant.
    Rings of Power doesn’t seem to have a handle on what makes people emotionally engage and empathise with characters caught up in events beyond their control, forced to rise to a challenge.
    Instead we have the    Tolkien had bad days. Tom Bombadil could have been less ridiculous, Goldberry more meaningful. However he had an instinctive knowledge of what makes something epic and resonant.
    Rings of Power doesn’t seem to have a handle on what makes people emotionally engage and empathise with characters caught up in events beyond their control, forced to rise to a challenge.
    Instead we have the usual roster of Mary-Sues contemptuously despatching monsters without effort while their adoring peons pick themselves up off the floor.

    If Frodo had Simply Walked Into Mordor after slaughtering everything that tried to stop him then tossed Gollum and the ring into Mount Doom while repeatedly kicking the Mouth of Sauron in the crotch for fun, Jackson’s trilogy would not have been as highly regarded. Rings of Power screenwriters take note. When you write characters that are unstoppable you run into the Superman Effect- there are no threats so there are no stakes. Learn to do better.    … Expand
  25. soundhound
    Sep 5, 2022
    3
    I liked the Dwarves, they were the most interesting characters in the show. Scenes are pretty, CGI is decent.

    Unfortunately, other than that, the show is boring, the acting is CW quality at best, and the characters are so often obnoxious that it's hard to watch. Morfydd Clark, who plays the main character, is the one ring to bore them all, despite apparently being stronger and more    I liked the Dwarves, they were the most interesting characters in the show. Scenes are pretty, CGI is decent.

    Unfortunately, other than that, the show is boring, the acting is CW quality at best, and the characters are so often obnoxious that it's hard to watch. Morfydd Clark, who plays the main character, is the one ring to bore them all, despite apparently being stronger and more skilled than any other elf. She looks angry or annoyed the entire time, which ironically, is the same look on my face while I watch this. This is not Tolkien's Galadriel. Other characters are just as bad, some were not even supposed to be there. If they weren't going to portray the characters correctly, then why even use the LOTR name?

    It's truly heartbreaking that studios today are unable to respect our favorite stories, our fondest memories, our cherished nostalgia. Instead, they always believe they can do better, that they can improve what is already the best of the best.

    Now they are hiding their heads in the sand, manipulating, hiding, and deleting honest reviews, and outright assaulting fans with valid criticisms. This is a complete and total embarrassment, and someone needs to answer for it.    … Expand
  26. CancelPrime
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    This show does not sound like, feel like or look like how you imagine Lord of the Rings. The 'elves' are old-faced and terrible. Why one of the characters has an 18th century style wig like this is some costume drama, I don't know.

    The dialogue is corny, not sounding Tolkien-esque at all, and the acting is wooden for the most part. Characters have such a range of different accents, even    This show does not sound like, feel like or look like how you imagine Lord of the Rings. The 'elves' are old-faced and terrible. Why one of the characters has an 18th century style wig like this is some costume drama, I don't know.

    The dialogue is corny, not sounding Tolkien-esque at all, and the acting is wooden for the most part. Characters have such a range of different accents, even those from the same community, that it really breaks the immersion.

    The show has no respect for Tolkien or his vision, messing up his timeline, cutting out plot points in a way that makes the whole thing make no sense and the people involved look stupid, focusing on characters that aren't in the lore or changing the character of existing ones entirely.

    The musical score is overused, filling every second of silence and trying to make it more epic than it is, not letting people take it in.

    The main character, Galadriel, is nothing like Cate Blanchett's perfect rendition of her, instead she is insufferable and even unlikeable. Her action scenes look like something out of a Marvel movie, which is out of place here (and yes, those Legolas superhero scenes were out of place as well, but not as offensive as he wasn't the main character by a long shot).

    Amazon pays no homage to Tolkien or even Peter Jackson's superb example of how to bring LOTR to the screen, instead says 'we can do it better', forcibly changes things like the aesthetic of the elves, relies far too heavily on CGI, and falls flat on its face.

    There is nothing redeeming here. Cast it into the fire.    … Expand
  27. megid0
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    “Evil cannot create anything new, they can only corrupt and ruin good forces have invented or made"
    J. R. R. Tolkien
  28. Trofeem
    Sep 5, 2022
    2
    Отвратительная поделка, нагло паразитирующая на имени Профессора. Ставлю 2, только за более-менее хорошую графику
  29. Slagathorscave
    Sep 5, 2022
    1
    Truly a waste of time. You'll be more entertained listening to unhinged rants on TikTok for 2 hours
  30. Evilivan
    Sep 4, 2022
    1
    Very disappointing.

    Visually some moments are pretty stunning with beautiful scenery aand that's pretty much the only good thing I can say about this show The writing is simply atrocious: the dialog are very poor, un-engaging and unnatural, the characters are extremely bland and hard to attach to, there are many convoluted expositions scenes that just made me sigh. Overall it's slow,    Very disappointing.

    Visually some moments are pretty stunning with beautiful scenery aand that's pretty much the only good thing I can say about this show The writing is simply atrocious: the dialog are very poor, un-engaging and unnatural, the characters are extremely bland and hard to attach to, there are many convoluted expositions scenes that just made me sigh. Overall it's slow, generic and just not very engaging, on top of giving little regards to the source material. I hope it gets better but I'm not holding my breath.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Most Discussed TV Season of 2022

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 40 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 40
  3. Negative: 0 out of 40
  1. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Jo Livingstone
    Sep 16, 2022
    80
    Adar’s début drips with signifiers. ... When Adar informs Arondir in Episode 4 that he has been told many lies, some that “run so deep even the rocks and roads now believe them,” it is still a thrill. Tolkien succeeded in creating a mythic world, one that has now grown vast enough through acts of typological repetition and imitation to conquer television, too.
    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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