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. Farhadriddel
    Sep 12, 2022
    9
    I think there is too much hate . Just enjoy the show . The cgi is amazing and acting isn't bad at all and actually it is good. Characters looks interesting so far and galadriel is great . Very good for the first 2 episodes .
  2. Djangofidelis
    Sep 12, 2022
    2
    Um desastre, muito mal feito tecnicamente. Quem viu a Roda do Tempo também feito pela Amazon vai reparar que tem os mesmos problemas, só que muito pior. Péssimo produto de entretenimento para os amantes dos livros e também para quem não conhece aquele universo. A propaganda e marketing foram enganosos, a qualidade visual é pior que os trailers e as musicas não encaixam com o clima e osUm desastre, muito mal feito tecnicamente. Quem viu a Roda do Tempo também feito pela Amazon vai reparar que tem os mesmos problemas, só que muito pior. Péssimo produto de entretenimento para os amantes dos livros e também para quem não conhece aquele universo. A propaganda e marketing foram enganosos, a qualidade visual é pior que os trailers e as musicas não encaixam com o clima e os cenários. Uma decepção total. A falsa diversidade é o menor dos problemas dessa serie tendo em conta as gritantes debilidade técnicas e amadoras, que vão desde erros de gravação, erros de edição, erros de direção, falta de um enredo e roteiro definido, diálogos sem sentido e medíocres, atores trocando subitamente de sotaque ( na versão inglesa ), transições de cenas completamente sem nexo e terrivelmente mal executadas. Se os 2 primeiros episódios foram essa tortura, os restantes 6 devem ser mais da mesma atrocidade. Ninguém merece perder tempo com essa aberração.… Expand
  3. Horsedog5
    Sep 12, 2022
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This show is super slow to develop. There are not a lot of actionable scenes. I am hoping that it will get better but so far I am an episode 3 and it is a struggle to keep going… Expand
  4. Savarunl
    Sep 12, 2022
    9
    Very enjoyable show so far. It looks amazing and some of the cast are really good (especially nori). Actually one of the best series in years.
  5. anon228922
    Sep 12, 2022
    0
    Considering the budget and hype about this show, so far it has been just plain boring.
  6. Sickboy0138
    Sep 12, 2022
    0
    This is some of the most absolute boring stuff I've ever seen. They are ungodly promoters of "the message" . Bad diolauge,bad actors and actresses, and awful destruction of Tolkien's beautiful work. It's a shame shows are allowed to even be made like this. Go ahead and just keep reading Tolkien's books.
  7. sirveon
    Sep 12, 2022
    0
    The characters and story are weak, the conversations could be written by a 10 year old. Amazon wonders why the show gets bad reviews and blames it on "review bombing". Ridiculous.
  8. zyzolol
    Sep 12, 2022
    2
    The series don't follow the Characters created by Tolkien other than the name, don't follow the timeline created by Tolkien and disrespect the Tolkien creation.

    If you have Tolkien books, you'll be disappointed. If you are Tolkien fan, you'll be disgusted. If you are a Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings fan, you'll be confused If Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power is your first    The series don't follow the Characters created by Tolkien other than the name, don't follow the timeline created by Tolkien and disrespect the Tolkien creation.

    If you have Tolkien books, you'll be disappointed.

    If you are Tolkien fan, you'll be disgusted.

    If you are a Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings fan, you'll be confused

    If Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power is your first introduction to Middle-Earth, stop watching the series and go read those following books:
    J. R. R Tolkien, Lord of the Rings (including all Appendix)
    J. R. R Tolkien, (Edited by Christopher Tolkien) - Unfinished Tales (including Part II & The History of Galadriel and Celeborn and of Amroth King of Lorien).

    J. R. R Tolkien, (Edited by Christopher Tolkien) - The Silmarillion.

    And you will know why Ring of Power is so bad    … Expand
  9. Tolrein
    Sep 12, 2022
    0
    I am a big fantasy reader and watched a ton of it as well. GOTR, LOTR, Eragon, Shannara, you name it, I've watched it. Therefore it is with an absolute unbiased ton that I state the following:

    What's good: CGI and visuals are stunning. What's wrong: The plot is horrible, the dialogues are amateurish, here's an example meant to be a deep speech: "Do you know why a stone sinks and a    I am a big fantasy reader and watched a ton of it as well. GOTR, LOTR, Eragon, Shannara, you name it, I've watched it. Therefore it is with an absolute unbiased ton that I state the following:

    What's good: CGI and visuals are stunning.

    What's wrong: The plot is horrible, the dialogues are amateurish, here's an example meant to be a deep speech: "Do you know why a stone sinks and a boat floats? Because the stone only watches down to the bottom and therefore it can only go that way, while a boat looks upward to the sky with it's sails and so it floats". Excuse me? I can't believe it was approved.
    The main character is basically mono-dimensional.
    What is worse is that that there is no point where "it clicks" and brings me inside its world (Like Avatar or example), it just feels boring, slow and full of unnecessary (but beautiful) CGI.
    A fantasy show or book HAS to immerse you inside its world, letting you forget about reality.
    This show simply doesn't. It doesn't really matter that it doesn't stick to Tolkien's original work, because as I said I approached it with ZERO expectations.
    However it doesn't tell you a new, exciting and wonderful adventure.    … Expand
  10. Cracker1
    Sep 12, 2022
    0
    Maybe when I die the showrunners can use a ouija-board to ask me for my opinion.
  11. Solonn
    Sep 12, 2022
    0
    It's very funny to see how the negative reviews are downvoted hundreds of times in a very short time, and the positives are upvoted in equal amounts, even though only 600 people have rated the series itself positively.

    But of course only the negative reviews are reviewbombing, Amazon would never manipulate the ratings for their outrageously expensive series ;) That and the defamation    It's very funny to see how the negative reviews are downvoted hundreds of times in a very short time, and the positives are upvoted in equal amounts, even though only 600 people have rated the series itself positively.

    But of course only the negative reviews are reviewbombing, Amazon would never manipulate the ratings for their outrageously expensive series ;)

    That and the defamation of their own customers as racists and trolls is actually enough to boycott Rings of Power and Amazon.

    For the actual review:

    If you force diversity contrary to lore, it usually comes across as very artificial and immersion disturbing. But that's no reason for a series to be considered bad per se, as House of The Dragon shows.

    If you take one of the most important writers in world literature to sell his product, but then rewrite the story of this writer to the point beyond recognition, that is highly outrageous.
    On the one hand it's disrespectful to someone's life's work, on the other hand it's cheating on the viewers who expect something specific under this title.
    But even that doesn't have to be a guarantee that the series is bad.

    But with these terrible conditions, it doesn't stop there.

    First of all, many reviewers think that the series looks good. It's certainly a matter of taste, but I can't share this impression. The world looks extremely artificial. The original Lord of the Rings trilogy, as well as Harry Potter and Game of Thrones have created much more organic looking worlds. The look of Rings of Power doesn't create any immersion for me, I feel like I'm in the cinematic opening credits of a video game.
    And then there are the horrible costumes including Elvis hairstyle for the elves...who would think it was a good idea to depict Middle-earth in this way when Tolkien's work has been illustrated for over 70 years.
    But even bad costumes and cold backdrops cannot completely destroy a show.

    But Rings of Power also has extremely stereotyped characters. For example, Galadriel is the worst Mary Sue I have seen in ages, and of course she is the lonely heroine who is held down by everyone else, when on her own she could liberate all of Middle-earth if only she were let... who does that please written? A writing class to avoid the worst rookie mistakes might have been helpful

    Speaking of writing: where it really gets cringe here are the dialogues. A schoolchild could have written it. "You didn't see what I saw" "Yes I did" "No you didn't" ...

    "The evil here is so strong that the torches no longer warm us. This way."
    "How can you be so sure?!"
    "It's colder than anywhere else."

    "It's a miracle that the tree grows here with the little light." "Where there is love there is always light."

    Wow

    And then we have the tiny little problem that the series (so far) has no story.
    We see Galadriel's brother Finrod for 3 seconds, then it is told that he was killed and now Galadriel hunts Sauron, who will definitely show up at some point, even if nobody believes it for whatever reason... This must be enough.
    Again, for a modern video game, such a story start would be thin. For a film, let alone a series, this is simply insufficient.

    I can still remember a German video game series that was very popular in this country. The last part came out in 2006: Gothic 3. Since there were massive time bottlenecks and money problems during development, the game was never really finished. The starting quest of this unfinished game was "Find Xadras" (For he is apparently a traitor). And this quest then drove you all over the continent of the game world.
    At the time, players were upset about this lack of imagination. That was in 2006 in a video game, a small German studio that had massive development problems.

    Now here we are, 16 years later, the international giant amazon is producing the most expensive series ever made and the starting quest is: "Find Sauron" (Because he murdered your brother (so even simpler than in Gothic 3)).

    lol just lol

    The most positive thing I can say about the series is that it doesn't look as cheap as Xena. In relation to the budget, however, Rings of Power still looks very cheap. And Xena at least had more likeable characters.    … Expand
  12. PlanetGerald
    Sep 12, 2022
    10
    So good, I'm so excited and looking forward to viewing more episodes, best thing on tv right now.
  13. robert-omb
    Sep 12, 2022
    4
    Flimsy cardboard cutouts set in a diorama of superficial beauty. Inconsistent tone, inane dialogue, disregard for the source material, and an aura of soullessness. It's bewildering how something so expensive could feel so cheap. Stick with Peter Jackson or read the books.
  14. DianaDmitriyeva
    Sep 2, 2022
    0
    This is not Tolkien. This is not Lord of the Rings. Promoting modern politics where it is absolutely unnecessary has become the personal signature of all modern screenwriters. That's all.
  15. Tolfaramir
    Sep 12, 2022
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This series could have been the most epic fantasy story ever told but it's not.

    Loosely based on the works of JRR Tolkien, a 3,500 year age has been compressed to a few years, with characters new and old that would never have crossed paths and some that are completely different. The story is not Tolkiens original work. Galadriel, the second most powerful elf only to Feanor, who is now portrayed as a warrior with all the toxic masculine attributes you don't want to see is on a random mission with "looks can be deceiving" Sauron. Elrond is playing a role he never was, traveling several hundreds of miles with no provisions or support except for Celebrimbor who he then turns back once reaching his destination. None of the factions make sense with mixed ethnicities in supposedly close nit off the map tribes who have hidden from the world for a thousand years. The elves don't look like elves, they're not tall or fair but short haired, mixed racial, human looking that you'd only recognise when they focus on the slightly pointed ears. For a fan, it's not Tolkien, for a casual viewer you're left with huge holes, no context, characters you dislike immediately and a very slow progression that's frankly pointless detours.    … Expand
  16. kikiheaven33
    Sep 12, 2022
    0
    Doesn't respect Tolkien's work and what he explicitly asked for in his letters, writing and dialogue is odd and uninspired (not to mention pseudo-intelligent), overused CGI which makes everything look like a video game, flat lighting in many scenes, cheap looking costumes that are far removed from established imagery (why are the outfits an odd mix of Roman and Greek??), unlikeableDoesn't respect Tolkien's work and what he explicitly asked for in his letters, writing and dialogue is odd and uninspired (not to mention pseudo-intelligent), overused CGI which makes everything look like a video game, flat lighting in many scenes, cheap looking costumes that are far removed from established imagery (why are the outfits an odd mix of Roman and Greek??), unlikeable characters, boring sub-plots that left the story feeling empty and pointless, ELVES WITH SHORT HAIR. Need I say more?… Expand
  17. ver0s
    Sep 11, 2022
    10
    Anyone who says that the series is not faithful to the original work and that defends progressive agendas is certainly unaware of Tolkien's masterpiece. Unfortunately we have a generation of young reactionaries led by mindless influencers.

    I recommend anyone with an interest in the silmarillion stories to watch the series to understand what some characters did to become iconic an era    Anyone who says that the series is not faithful to the original work and that defends progressive agendas is certainly unaware of Tolkien's masterpiece. Unfortunately we have a generation of young reactionaries led by mindless influencers.

    I recommend anyone with an interest in the silmarillion stories to watch the series to understand what some characters did to become iconic an era before the LOTR trilogy.

    @ica demais fi, achei brabo!    … Expand
  18. jameshowlett89
    Sep 11, 2022
    2
    well vast majority of Tolkien fan knew it was gonna end up like this but here we are regardless. now is it absolute zero worst show? absolutely not, in fact if this was not LOTR and just a generic fiction/fantasy show, it would be decent enough show but when you realize how badly they've butchered the source materials....sigh
    i can't look at a single elf and not laugh, they all look like    well vast majority of Tolkien fan knew it was gonna end up like this but here we are regardless. now is it absolute zero worst show? absolutely not, in fact if this was not LOTR and just a generic fiction/fantasy show, it would be decent enough show but when you realize how badly they've butchered the source materials....sigh
    i can't look at a single elf and not laugh, they all look like middle aged wanna be boy bad members with goofy haircuts, role swaps of Elrond from a battle master to a dweeb and Galadriel be the badass instead, not sure her powerful magic but brute force because modern kids are actually taught females are similar to males in feats of strength and combat and apparently that is their only worth, their other virtues don't matter? SMDH
    the good: beautiful visuals(better than the initial cgi we saw), out of the half dozens plots a few are interesting enough to follow and care about
    the cond: just read the rant above i guess, not faithful to it's lore, race swapped characters for sake of diversity when you could have just as easily had minority characters within human race, absolute made up creatures, elves that look ridiculous, too many plots mixed into first season, most are terrible and not interesting, i could go on but it's not worth the effort.    … Expand
  19. Salmimio
    Sep 11, 2022
    1
    This show is boringly bad. Acting is bad, story is bad, plot is bad and has no continuity. All the elves have short, styled hair, funny I did not see a single Supercuts or barber pole in any of the towns. The actor that plays Galadriel is mis-cast, she is wooden. On a side note, I noticed that all of the 10/10 votes appear to be bots they all have one of these words in the first sentence:This show is boringly bad. Acting is bad, story is bad, plot is bad and has no continuity. All the elves have short, styled hair, funny I did not see a single Supercuts or barber pole in any of the towns. The actor that plays Galadriel is mis-cast, she is wooden. On a side note, I noticed that all of the 10/10 votes appear to be bots they all have one of these words in the first sentence: childish, stupid, racist, hater, woke, bomber, bot, cry baby. I guess any opinion/rating other than a 10 makes you one the proceeding.… Expand
  20. Tubey
    Sep 11, 2022
    3
    I'm not 'review bombing' this - it's a genuine score.

    The good - it looks incredible. The money spent is right there on the screen. The bad - the characters are wooden, the actors portraying them simply lack the ability/gravitas to do justice to the source material. The writing is stilted and overstuffed, trying to sound Tolkien but is a million miles off from feeling remotely    I'm not 'review bombing' this - it's a genuine score.

    The good - it looks incredible. The money spent is right there on the screen.

    The bad - the characters are wooden, the actors portraying them simply lack the ability/gravitas to do justice to the source material. The writing is stilted and overstuffed, trying to sound Tolkien but is a million miles off from feeling remotely authentic.

    As for the 'woke' controversy/diverse casting, it's... whatever. As a Tolkien fan, I don't exactly like the lore being trodden on, but if it was done well and resulted in a decent show then whatever, can overlook it. Unfortunately, it misses everything it aims for. It's not an outright disaster, but it's bland, mediocre. Dull. And in many ways that's even worse, as this isn't even in the 'so bad it's good' category to become a cult hit.

    It's going to do well short term, as people will be intrigued by the budget and expecting a lot given it's Lord of the Rings. But this is LOTR in name only, and I expect people to tune out very quickly.    … Expand
  21. Grinderman
    Sep 11, 2022
    9
    Visually outstanding, good cast and thank goodness for better dialogue and less slapstick than in the now overrated films. I am happy
  22. azuljp
    Sep 11, 2022
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Una serie que no tiene nada que ver con las películas del señor de los anillos. Está repleta de progresismo y no es más que una herramienta de propaganda y adoctrinamiento de políticas de izquierda. Una serie feminista que aborrece y odia a los hombres.… Expand
  23. Johnnywon
    Sep 11, 2022
    0
    This show seriously misses the point of Tolkiens aim in writing his lore and hence fails to deliver the visual representation of one of the finest story tellers to ever exist. It will soon be forgotten or remembered as the "apocrypha" amongst tolkiens avid readers. Its not even good fan fiction. And fyi as a black tolkien fan black people should feel insulted by their forcefull andThis show seriously misses the point of Tolkiens aim in writing his lore and hence fails to deliver the visual representation of one of the finest story tellers to ever exist. It will soon be forgotten or remembered as the "apocrypha" amongst tolkiens avid readers. Its not even good fan fiction. And fyi as a black tolkien fan black people should feel insulted by their forcefull and needless insertion to other cultures folklore. I can say this as a person i am from the only non colonized African nation which has its own vast and beautifully African folklore that can help black people connect with their cultural heritage and provide Hollywood with untapped interesting stories.… Expand
  24. moler
    Sep 11, 2022
    0
    No vale ni como salva pantallas. Actores malos. Guión malo. Coincidencias con Tolkien son pura coincidencia. Cgi 5 min bien luego aburre igual que los diálogos hechos para gente de 7 años. El sonido se hace pesado
  25. Worrywort
    Sep 11, 2022
    2
    Here's my rapid-fire review: A few good actors here and there but most feel like they were hired off the street, or are miscast entirely. Galadriel is an emotionless Karen, acted with the passion of a dry potato. Some musical cues are nice but it mostly sounds like they just followed a manual, it is expensive-sounding but ultimately soulless and mostly uninspired. Visually it looks veryHere's my rapid-fire review: A few good actors here and there but most feel like they were hired off the street, or are miscast entirely. Galadriel is an emotionless Karen, acted with the passion of a dry potato. Some musical cues are nice but it mostly sounds like they just followed a manual, it is expensive-sounding but ultimately soulless and mostly uninspired. Visually it looks very expensive and is rich in color and light effects, but poor in actual cinematography and camera work - again they just followed a manual. Somehow they managed to make it look fancy and fake at the same time, cgi can't replicate all the tiny little imperfections and details and random texture of real life - and this show uses a LOT of cgi. Enough has already been said about the often embarrassing dialogue, by-the-numbers screenplay and general story that deviates completely from the source material. Half of the characters are pure fanfiction with mostly pointless and unimportant subplots which the show tries to make seem important and is all the worse for it, 'filler' is a drastic word to use but it seems appropriate here. One of my biggest problems is the language, or rather lack thereof; it's just plain straight-up modern day english. Where is the elevated old-english language that Tolkien wrote so beautifully? And why do they pronounce elvish+adunaic names and places in the most forced and unnatural way possible? It sounds like they practiced to make it sound practiced, especially the actor of Galadriel. The total dumbing down of the language is the biggest reason why this show feels empty to me, and in combination with soap opera-level acting it compounds that even further. TRoP largely feels fake and empty, because there is no true inspiration or artistic vision behind it. It is just very expensive confetti, that spits in the face of arguably the most loved and revered work of fantasy that has ever been created, and that is why I give this show a rating of 2/10.… Expand
  26. PaoloLobos
    Sep 10, 2022
    0
    The rings of cringe, uncomfortable to watch. Nothing much happens in the first episode until the last five minutes, “It’s just miserable. There’s visual spectacle – but only achieved through copious amounts of high-quality CGI. Galadriel, seems to be the main character and changed his personality with elrond, who, like all male characters, is useless, cowardly or miserable. a story fullThe rings of cringe, uncomfortable to watch. Nothing much happens in the first episode until the last five minutes, “It’s just miserable. There’s visual spectacle – but only achieved through copious amounts of high-quality CGI. Galadriel, seems to be the main character and changed his personality with elrond, who, like all male characters, is useless, cowardly or miserable. a story full of forced indoctrination.… Expand
  27. Catperson9
    Sep 10, 2022
    2
    Good CGI. Terrible script, casting and acting. Definitely NOT LOTR! What is up with Amazon scrubbing/hiding bad reviews? Everyone trying to say all the bad reviews are review bombing, but most I have read are pretty well thought out. If anything most of the 10’s read more like bots to me.
  28. Digital_Malz
    Sep 10, 2022
    0
    I can't say anything really positive about this disaster: the plot is a mess, the costumes are ridiculous (Roman Elves!), the acting is pure suffering (Morfydd Clark and Cordova have the same expressions all over the episodes), it's full of corny cringe lines, the action scenes look like Power Rangers, the music is "ok", and, despite the beautiful footage, the settings are generic andI can't say anything really positive about this disaster: the plot is a mess, the costumes are ridiculous (Roman Elves!), the acting is pure suffering (Morfydd Clark and Cordova have the same expressions all over the episodes), it's full of corny cringe lines, the action scenes look like Power Rangers, the music is "ok", and, despite the beautiful footage, the settings are generic and uninspiring. It has destroyed Tolkien's work.… Expand
  29. nictom
    Sep 10, 2022
    0
    CGI: Amazing!
    Story adaptation: Horrible! Tolkien must be turning in his grave because of this...
  30. Metalcamper
    Sep 10, 2022
    0
    Series is complete trash, cgi is horrible especially for 60M on episode, scenes are borring, dialogues are like 5year old wrote them, for now in first 3 episodes actually nothing happened.
    You are watching 8 stories happening at the same time and in none of them nothing happens...
    Music is bad at best and totally horrific at some poits it sounds like shi* flutted (youtube it). If i wouldnt    Series is complete trash, cgi is horrible especially for 60M on episode, scenes are borring, dialogues are like 5year old wrote them, for now in first 3 episodes actually nothing happened.
    You are watching 8 stories happening at the same time and in none of them nothing happens...
    Music is bad at best and totally horrific at some poits it sounds like shi* flutted (youtube it). If i wouldnt be watching it with my friends during coffie i would turn it off after 20 min or fall asleep. If it show would be called rings od prime and wouldnt be connected to tolkien i would give it 5, but since its Tolkiens work it deserves less than 0.    … 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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