The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

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

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 2938 Ratings

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

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User Reviews

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  1. TheBeardedNinja
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    I tried to turn my brain off from Tolkien lore and the Peter Jackson movie and watch this as simply a fantasy show but the dialogue is just terrible: "Why does a boat float and a stone can not?" highlights one of the worst piece of dialogues I've ever heard in all my years of watching TV.

    Also awful is the fact that the series feels more like a soap opera than high fantasy. The music    I tried to turn my brain off from Tolkien lore and the Peter Jackson movie and watch this as simply a fantasy show but the dialogue is just terrible: "Why does a boat float and a stone can not?" highlights one of the worst piece of dialogues I've ever heard in all my years of watching TV.

    Also awful is the fact that the series feels more like a soap opera than high fantasy. The music which added to the prestige of Peter Jackson's works is terrible and non-existent in this series. There's essentially no theme or piece that lifts scenes and adds vitality and emotion. With this budget they should have gotten a much better composer than Bear McCreary - who I have only heard doing "Agents of SHIELD" but even then, the show's theme song was distinct and recognisable.

    It's incredulous for a corporation to spend this much on a show and have it suck this bad. This is a terrible series.    … Expand
  2. Krayton86
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    It is awful!

    Everything is so sharp and lit! No out of focus backgrounds, or any kind of atmosphere!
    All the WHITE MALE characters are cowards, dumb, or jerks! But Galadriel (KAREN-DRIEL) is the perfect Mary Sue character, there is! It is a feminist bullsh_t!
  3. Rabullione
    Sep 6, 2022
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The first episode was nothing special, but it wasn't bad. I honestly looked forward to watching the second episode.

    But after two episodes, the series has already devolved into contrived silliness, closer to what I'd expect from a low-budget network TV show than from from a high-budget blockbuster.

    *S1:E2 - Elrond enters a high stakes rock smashing competition(?). Meanwhile, Galadriel jumps the shark.*

    And it was jumping the shark, wasn't it? The protagonist, a leader among the wisest people of Middle Earth... tried to swim across a friggin' ocean. Are they even trying?!

    Call me when they bring in Peter Jackson.    … Expand
  4. Starfree
    Sep 2, 2022
    1
    The show couldn’t keep my concentration. 15 minutes felt like 2 hours and nothing happened. The show jumped around every 5 seconds. I stopped watch 30 minutes in, because you have a B plot where there is no conflict and the characters have no development. Then the A plot you spend 20 minutes learning how the pretty elf queen from Lord of the Rings is a **** Karen who literally leaves herThe show couldn’t keep my concentration. 15 minutes felt like 2 hours and nothing happened. The show jumped around every 5 seconds. I stopped watch 30 minutes in, because you have a B plot where there is no conflict and the characters have no development. Then the A plot you spend 20 minutes learning how the pretty elf queen from Lord of the Rings is a **** Karen who literally leaves her men in her dust to die.… Expand
  5. dr_heartless
    Sep 6, 2022
    10
    Loved it! It really sets a new high bar for what can be done on streaming. The acting is excellent and the visuals are amazing. It's also the update to the LOTR IP sorely needed. Check it out for your self, don't fall in the trap of the negative reviews from people who clearly didn't even watch the show.
  6. xnorbie
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    Suc a terrible... Terrible casting, terrible dialogues, terrible actors, and terrible all...
  7. Stepharoo
    Sep 6, 2022
    2
    Boring…is the first thing that comes to mind after sitting through the first two episodes. The writing/dialogue is nonsensical, the characters are one dimensional, and we have modern day things like bullying on full display. Elrond is described as a ‘politician’, which I can’t imagine Professor Tolkien ever using this word is his depictions of middle earth. And the list goes on and on…
  8. stevemal
    Sep 6, 2022
    2
    This is not a show for the Tolkien fan who is read the Silmarillion or Unfinished tales. The changes to the characters and lore is unforgivable. The story they give us is poorly written. The characters are unlikable and the dialog is terrible. Most people will not want to waste their time with this series. It's a shame as I really wanted to like this show.
  9. evilspeculator
    Sep 6, 2022
    1
    Unfortunately, even outside the uproar over virtue signaling and the breaking of canon, there is very little good and far too much bad in this show.

    The Good. Some of the CGI landscapes are epic. Particularly Khazad-dûm, the dwarf kingdom. The best part of the show was the portrayal of this place and the dwarves in general. Lenny Henry as Sadoc Burrows is one of the few believable    Unfortunately, even outside the uproar over virtue signaling and the breaking of canon, there is very little good and far too much bad in this show.

    The Good.

    Some of the CGI landscapes are epic. Particularly Khazad-dûm, the dwarf kingdom. The best part of the show was the portrayal of this place and the dwarves in general.

    Lenny Henry as Sadoc Burrows is one of the few believable and likable characters despite some terribly written lines.

    The Bad.

    As good as the CGI was, the implementation was poorly executed. The characters placed in front seem divorced from their surroundings. It breaks the illusion and leaves this feeling of fakeness.

    The music at times was off. Rising to a giant crescendo at odd times. Too loud at times. To comedic at times. There were some good parts but the bad ones kept dragging my attention away from the scene to listen to what was going on with the music.

    The just plain awful.

    The writing was terrible. Really terrible. Not only was the dialogue bad but the storyline, in general, hasn't budged and a quarter of the first season is gone. Why they put a billion-dollar investment into the hands of two talentless hacks with so little proven experience, is a great mystery.

    The acting is equally bad. They chose poorly by not supporting the cast with some proven talent.

    Nomvete as Disa was one of the worst. Terrible accent. Weird eye thing and just being overly dramatic in general.

    Morfydd Clark as Galadriel was the worst. The writers might have intended for her to be a tough female lead you sympathize with but she came across as completely unlikeable. I think it's a combination of poor writing and Clark's constant angry face. When she doesn't have angry face on she has stone face on. Missed some real opportune times to build some sympathy for her character by being strangely stone-faced during what should have been an emotional scene.

    Last, the portrayal of the harfoots was disgraceful. They wanted them in so bad, canon be damned, they shoehorned them in and completely blew it. Instead of coming across as heartwarming and endearing, they are clownish buffoons dressed like hobos. They should be known as hobofoots. The cherry on top is the awful Irish accent that they inexplicably have.

    The result of all this is Tolkien fans, and fantasy fans in general, everywhere being left with a giant case of blue balls. This really failed on so many levels. In the end, I didn't feel blown away and eagerly anticipating the next installment, I didn't even feel like I was back in Middle Earth.

    The "talent", and I use that term loosely, behind this clearly does not understand Tolkien's work. One of the key parts of which is the use of unlikely heroes. Simply compare superhero princes warrior Galadriel to Frodo Baggins.

    If they would have hired some real writers, brought in a few talented actors, and dropped all the forced attempts to "modernize" Tolkien's world, this would have been a home run. I mean Peter Jackson already gave them a blueprint to make this show a success. What a shame.    … Expand
  10. kabamaru
    Sep 2, 2022
    0
    Very boring show, notable for its ill pacing and bad acting. Polished trash.
  11. sixlink
    Sep 6, 2022
    2
    I love stuff like this, fantasy, heroes and magic..
    Unfortunately this is dull, devisive, copies almost every piece of cinema it has, formulated lacks any pace or intrigue..
    It's just loads of money and fancy cgi that's like candyfloss there's nothing left after the sugar melts... I really wanted this to be good, didn't even get to the bit where it was culturally diverse (which is probably    I love stuff like this, fantasy, heroes and magic..
    Unfortunately this is dull, devisive, copies almost every piece of cinema it has, formulated lacks any pace or intrigue..
    It's just loads of money and fancy cgi that's like candyfloss there's nothing left after the sugar melts...
    I really wanted this to be good, didn't even get to the bit where it was culturally diverse (which is probably the best thing it has going for it)
    . Managed 7 minutes 49 first sitting tried again and got another 3/4 minutes in.
    It's Dreadful..
    Besides it's a prequel prequel of blockbuster movie that was really good and actually engaged, this just feels like the boring bit at the back of a book no bodyreads appendix are dull, full, dull.
    This like Tolkiens list of who's related to who... No story at all    … Expand
  12. leonel5142
    Sep 6, 2022
    6
    Beautiful scenarious, but only this, the chacarters construction and person it's empty and without unic things.
  13. FilmFan1789
    Sep 6, 2022
    1
    Wow! i didn't think it was possible for a billion dollar venture to have really bad scripting/screenplay. Enter Amazon's Rings show. The writing is clunky at best, disgustingly mediocre at worst. The script sounds like a fifth grader trying really hard to sound smart by using unnecessarily long sentences and big words. All the actors were actually decent in their performances, but evenWow! i didn't think it was possible for a billion dollar venture to have really bad scripting/screenplay. Enter Amazon's Rings show. The writing is clunky at best, disgustingly mediocre at worst. The script sounds like a fifth grader trying really hard to sound smart by using unnecessarily long sentences and big words. All the actors were actually decent in their performances, but even actors have limitations. You can only do so much with a bad script. Not their fault. Blame this show's failure on the writers and producers. i was extremely bored watching the first episode, so i will Not be watching the succeeding ones. i have better uses for my time.… Expand
  14. Adventurer69
    Sep 6, 2022
    3
    Even creators told us „its not tv show, its something new”. And so they did - boring, souless production with couple of nice shots (that saves this from 0).

    I forced my self to finnish 1st episode and will not make the same mistake with 2nd. Just watch new GoT its x100 better.
  15. petrch1990
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    The streaming series formula. Find a franchise everyone knows and loves. Apply a formulaic, generic, Netflix style script (the love interest, the cliffhangers, the nasty white guy, the sex and gore). Throw in a politically correct, "diverse" cast, ensuring women are in fiesty, warrior-type roles, token black actors are front and centre in the marketing material (don't bother with actors ofThe streaming series formula. Find a franchise everyone knows and loves. Apply a formulaic, generic, Netflix style script (the love interest, the cliffhangers, the nasty white guy, the sex and gore). Throw in a politically correct, "diverse" cast, ensuring women are in fiesty, warrior-type roles, token black actors are front and centre in the marketing material (don't bother with actors of Chinese descent, they don't get so many woke points). Throw in some CGI to paste over the unimaginative script writing. Get someone to do a Hans Zimmer style soundtrack. Make some money, hollow out someone's legacy, whine that people are "racist" if they don't appreciate their nordic cultural and artistic history being "reimagined" through the lens of multiculturalism and inclusion. It's not so much terrible or infuriating as just boring and predictable.… Expand
  16. IF_Sammi
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    Это просто позор, они даже не читали самих книг Толкиена.
    Гномьи женщины без бород, эльфы стремные, толстые, старые особенно дедушка Келебримбор, он же ровесник Галадриэль!
    И это еще куча несостыковок в этом сериале!
  17. HipstersBane
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    Message to the positive review bombers, do you realize you need to double the score of bad reviews to make a dent in the total score in a positive way? give up!
    The show is awful. Bad characterization not according to lore, writing is terrible fanfic level terrible. Don't waste your time.
  18. Imhonest
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    I can't believe the amount of money they have spent on this ... I mean if you look at the numbers is not even funny. who greenlight this ffs ?

    This show is not about entertainment but about political agenda and "the message",
  19. StockportBlue
    Sep 6, 2022
    1
    What could've been a great show has been ruined by this incessant need to make everything a box ticking exercise for woke quotas. It's an insult to J. R. R. Tolkien's legacy.
  20. Fawby
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    J. R. R. Tokenism. So little respect for the source material. Its terrible. Bland dialogue. Poorly written characters. Tolkien themes are absent, and instead it's impregnated with modern progressive plotlines, and casting. Such a wasted opportunity.
  21. confushis
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    Holy Moley, what was that??? I have been more entertained watching TeleTubbies.
  22. Caladan
    Sep 6, 2022
    1
    It is hard to describe what a disappointment this show has become. Really sad and almost tragic to see what childish and incompetent writing can do to destroy a property of such amazing potential. Ugh. I suspect weak, inexperienced show runners are at the heart of this fiasco. Can't blame the actors - although they could have at least hired some seasoned talent. Painful cringe and lazy,It is hard to describe what a disappointment this show has become. Really sad and almost tragic to see what childish and incompetent writing can do to destroy a property of such amazing potential. Ugh. I suspect weak, inexperienced show runners are at the heart of this fiasco. Can't blame the actors - although they could have at least hired some seasoned talent. Painful cringe and lazy, hollow dialogue in almost every scene. What were they thinking? Who did they make this for? Reminds me of later seasons of GOT after they ran out of original source material and had to be creative on their own. I keep asking myself why they could not have hired competent writers who understand the basics of character, dialogue and plot. They had unlimited resources. It comes down to arrogance and ego. I will watch one more episode to see if anything improves, but my hopes are not high.… Expand
  23. loreto411
    Sep 6, 2022
    10
    Great show!! So well done!! Looking forward to watching more.
    It is a great treat for the eye and I love the new characters, like hartfoots!!
  24. Mc1gamer
    Sep 6, 2022
    2
    Misguided attempt to rekindle the magic of the books and movies shows the writers have no idea what made those so magical. They ignore lore when it suits to prop up characters or adhere to their reimagining. Galadriel is a superhero, even among the ageless Elves, who seem inept in her presence. Remember how it took the entire Fellowship to take on a Cave Troll, with Legolas, Gandalf,Misguided attempt to rekindle the magic of the books and movies shows the writers have no idea what made those so magical. They ignore lore when it suits to prop up characters or adhere to their reimagining. Galadriel is a superhero, even among the ageless Elves, who seem inept in her presence. Remember how it took the entire Fellowship to take on a Cave Troll, with Legolas, Gandalf, Gimli, Aragonr and Boromir battling it, a band of Orcs, with the aid of 4 Hobbits? In this it seems an elite team of veteran Elves are just no match for another Troll, but Galadriel can do it with a few quick flourishes. Oh, and did I mention that Elrond, a warrior and leader from the lore, is diminished in his prowess and is relegated to a political opportunist, conspiring with Elven King Gil Galad to remove Galadriel from the board, so they can pursue their aims? Elrond, a military and political leader, is nothing like in the books/movies and Galadriel is now Wonder Woman. If at least this show wasn't snooze material, much of that could be overlooked. Not much faith his turd will improve :(… Expand
  25. IJustWorkHere
    Sep 6, 2022
    1
    I expected to be disappointed and I was, so I guess I'll give it an extra point for meeting my expectations.
  26. jaybird7
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    This show has nothing to do with Tolkien or Lord of the Rings. I can't even call this abomination 'fanfiction' because it is not made by fans but by activist who want to shove their stupid political ideas all over entertainment. Amazon messed with the wrong fanbase. They are now an enemy of the people, and we will fight them until the end of time.
  27. Perseus69
    Sep 6, 2022
    1
    Shameless woke attempt at forcing pointless diversity down your throat using a worldwide beloved author and IP. Luckily the abysmal quality of this show will convince people that they can't just ignore the problem posed by the woke virus to contemporary western culture. How did it come this?
  28. Kingpuff
    Sep 6, 2022
    8
    I'm actually looking forward to the next episode of RoP. The dialogue could be better and the pacing needs to be tightened up. But otherwise is enjoyable.
  29. Skyrim_forNords
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    Hyper woke trash. Elon is right. Leftist SJW writers from Hollywood should not be allowed anywhere near Tolkien's works.

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

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

    All in all this is a spit on Tolkien's grave from the liberal Establishment. I might have given this a five or six if it wasn't for Lenny Henry and the short-hair black elf (I couldn't be bothered looking up the black actor's name), but these two really dragged it down so much that I feel a zero is only fair. I won't be watching again.    … Expand
  30. CrazyOkie
    Sep 6, 2022
    9
    Don't pay attention to the review bombers. Ridiculous.
    Is the show "perfect"? No. But it is good, the writing is fine, the story so far is decent - building to something, perhaps too slowly for some. The actors and actresses are all very good, the cinematgraphy/visuals are spot-on. You can argue that liberties have been taken with the source material, but there isn't much source material    Don't pay attention to the review bombers. Ridiculous.
    Is the show "perfect"? No. But it is good, the writing is fine, the story so far is decent - building to something, perhaps too slowly for some. The actors and actresses are all very good, the cinematgraphy/visuals are spot-on. You can argue that liberties have been taken with the source material, but there isn't much source material for this to go off of, really. This is not like the LOTR or Hobbit movies, where there are novels that the books are based on (and PJ took greater liberties with those adaptations than we have seen so far with TROP). Black elves and dwarves? Who cares? It's fantasy, folks. Lighten up.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Most Discussed TV Season of 2022

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 40 Critic Reviews

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