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. AnderzL7
    Sep 5, 2022
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. In the span of two episodes this show already seams to have ruined all the characters from the original stories by making them into something they never were. They have added new meaningless shallow characters just to make the show politically correct or to make it «similar» to the characters in the original works (for example female sam&frodo). If you just wanted to make a story about a strong female warrior protagonist with all the nuances of the people of the world today you should have done so with a new IP, but don’t market it as something in J.R.R Tolkien’s universe because it obviously does not fit in and shows no respect for the source material.… Expand
  2. Adm2324
    Sep 5, 2022
    1
    As a fan of the original source, I expected that the series would respect this very original source. This did not happen.
  3. D112233
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    Its a big shame especially because of the amount of money invested in this series. There are stunning effects but since there is a lack of actind/plot/real connection to the source. In one word it's boring.
  4. Sorenati
    Sep 3, 2022
    0
    The visuals look stunning and beautiful and i really enjoyed the dwarves but that's where the good ends.
    The bad: the elves don't look the part. You would think a creature that is immortal would seek perfection and beauty but no, the elves here look they want to sell me their new and improved blender.
    The dialogue sound like a 14 yearold's attempt at sounding deep and meaningful but it    The visuals look stunning and beautiful and i really enjoyed the dwarves but that's where the good ends.
    The bad: the elves don't look the part. You would think a creature that is immortal would seek perfection and beauty but no, the elves here look they want to sell me their new and improved blender.
    The dialogue sound like a 14 yearold's attempt at sounding deep and meaningful but it does not make sense.
    The main character gladriel who did NONE of the things she does in the show in the books. Is bad she feels like a mary sue and says stuff that sound deep but is ultimately hollow and meaningless.
    This is thieft. This show is not good but that is subjective. If you enjoy this show all power to you but for me this show is absolutely butchering tolkien and was not worth a watch at all.    … Expand
  5. danzam
    Sep 2, 2022
    0
    Show is full of awful and dumb cliches that ruin it. Writing is bland and uninspired.It's bad even at being bad, it's just boring and disappointing in it's mediocrity. Even if it was completely disconnected from the name of Tolkien, it would've been still boring and uninspiring.
  6. DanaDaskalova
    Sep 3, 2022
    0
    They have completely violated Tolkien's legacy... I know that they did not have the rights for extensive parts of the lore, but they have maimed even the avaliable material and character history, thus making it not only unoriginal but also insulting. Why did they not make Galadriel the powerful sorceress she was in the books, but a silly, banal all-capable Mary Sue, angry with the World?They have completely violated Tolkien's legacy... I know that they did not have the rights for extensive parts of the lore, but they have maimed even the avaliable material and character history, thus making it not only unoriginal but also insulting. Why did they not make Galadriel the powerful sorceress she was in the books, but a silly, banal all-capable Mary Sue, angry with the World? Where is the almost angelic and wise precence and feel the Elves are meant to radiate in the books? This is just general, modern fantasy that tries to take advantage of the greatest fantasy series ever written...… Expand
  7. Borovvik
    Sep 3, 2022
    1
    1 is good mark for this. Better than The Witcher, but it's still awful **** Of course, Amazon could have bought many reviewers, but even if they paid me, I would not rate this series well, it simply is not right.
  8. Thazari
    Sep 6, 2022
    1
    So I personally don't really care about whether or not the show is woke or faithful to the source material, as long as the show is entertaining on its own. Unfortunately it is not. While the scenery and cgi are amazing, the dialogue is weak and the moment to moment events just don't really feel cohesive or making any sense. While the world looks pretty, the plot feels soulless and fails toSo I personally don't really care about whether or not the show is woke or faithful to the source material, as long as the show is entertaining on its own. Unfortunately it is not. While the scenery and cgi are amazing, the dialogue is weak and the moment to moment events just don't really feel cohesive or making any sense. While the world looks pretty, the plot feels soulless and fails to captivate me, which kind of ruins the stakes.… Expand
  9. JAM24
    Sep 7, 2022
    3
    Great visuals effects, good photography, mostly likable supporting characters. That’s about all that has gone well so far. The lack of a strong lead who can anchor the story is painfully noticeable. The nonsensical adaptation makes you wonder why are all elves, except Galadriel, so inept? How can you be unconscious under water and suddenly break the surface as if nothing happened? It’sGreat visuals effects, good photography, mostly likable supporting characters. That’s about all that has gone well so far. The lack of a strong lead who can anchor the story is painfully noticeable. The nonsensical adaptation makes you wonder why are all elves, except Galadriel, so inept? How can you be unconscious under water and suddenly break the surface as if nothing happened? It’s laughable to tie this fan fiction to Tolkien. Almost all the male characters are unlikable, of absurdly weak character, and a complete opposite to the source material. In summary, one should assume at this point that TROP is nothing more than a modern take on fantasy, loosely based on Tolkien’s work. If that’s the goal, they have succeeded.… Expand
  10. HunieKZ
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    Lotr those who watch the movies those who read the books please don't watch. they will be disappointed like me....
  11. 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!
  12. 1infantry23
    Sep 5, 2022
    1
    Looks nice but jumbled story that has me bored to tears. Will stick with it a while but not hopeful for this one. In comparison HOTD has me hooked and I wasn’t expecting that
  13. gromak555
    Sep 7, 2022
    0
    The acting is terrible, as is the dialogue of the characters. Low-budget films look better sometimes.
  14. sapatech
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    I hate everyone who make this film! All of you, you need to change your works
  15. event_horizon
    Sep 5, 2022
    1
    The CGI is absolutely feature film quality. The main problem is that it seems like the entire budget was spent on an army of VFX artists with some external donations being made for the soundtrack. At least that would explain why both the writing and acting are what one would expect from a middle school drama club which lacks funding, guidance and motivation.
    Therefore, the audiovisual    The CGI is absolutely feature film quality. The main problem is that it seems like the entire budget was spent on an army of VFX artists with some external donations being made for the soundtrack. At least that would explain why both the writing and acting are what one would expect from a middle school drama club which lacks funding, guidance and motivation.
    Therefore, the audiovisual quality of the show stands out almost like a beacon of hope in contrast to the writing and acting. Neither of those potentially positive aspects of this show however are groundbreaking or even anything that could be considered special. The quality itself is good, but unfortunately it is also generic to the point where it could be from any fantasy film with a decent budget from the last ten years.
    From the trailers I have expected this to potentially be a decent show when taken out of the Tolkien universe. But unfortunately, even that seems to have been too high of an expectation. The plot points are mostly contrived and nonsensical, the dialogue reminds one of what is expected from a teenager who believes himself much more intellectual than he truly is. Sounding "deep" is of more importance than actually communicating anything of substance, while also failing at the former in a hilarious twist.
    The at times overwhelming dissonance between what is shown and what is told means that even if there was no original lore that is being blatantly ignored, it would still be a complete failure.    … Expand
  16. Slicknic89
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. My favorite part was when Galadriel said, "Its Tolkien time," and then turned into an evil witch and ninja choped the baddy right in his privelidged patriarchy. This show is an inspiration to all struggling writers. If people have told you your script is sloppy piece of boring trash, just turn to this and say hey if they got a Billion Dollars, so can I.… Expand
  17. ArAdunakhor
    Sep 6, 2022
    1
    Give just 1 because I liked the idea of constructing the plot and characters history step by step and with a bit of mystery. But STOP. You wan a fantasy story with all the politically correct features? Ok no problem. CREATE IT without abusing the name and the work of Tolkien. I'll wath this new saga. But here you have done a great mistake. You have corrupted and distorted a so wellGive just 1 because I liked the idea of constructing the plot and characters history step by step and with a bit of mystery. But STOP. You wan a fantasy story with all the politically correct features? Ok no problem. CREATE IT without abusing the name and the work of Tolkien. I'll wath this new saga. But here you have done a great mistake. You have corrupted and distorted a so well described setting. I can understand some narrative adaptations, ok, but not the horrors the every fan of Tolkien has already underlined. It' self evident that you have done this on purpose, just to raise audience around the planned and guided polemics. It's very sad to say this, because a lot of people work around this projects, but I wish you will correct or fail and close. For now the fans should boycott...… Expand
  18. Qcard
    Sep 6, 2022
    1
    expensive and pretty CGI which makes it look fake. Absolutely horribly written characters. without LOTR name could be a 4/5 fan film. Amazon has sullied Tolkien's and even Jacksons good name.
  19. base_d
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    the Washington Post which is owned by Jeff Bezos gave this show a 4 out of 10. Dont believe me go see critics and scroll down.

    This show is atrocious and disrespectful to Tolkein's work. Good news is they likely saved money by filming the hobbits scenes in San Francisco's tent city and Seattle's CHAZ.
  20. 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
  21. 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
  22. DoychTrendo
    Sep 3, 2022
    0
    How to butcher a beloved author and franchise – first off you need to be a megacorporation and buy the rights for starting the production. Then release the production which is UTTERLY insulting to the fanbase, receive well deserved criticism then blame the fanbase of being racists and trolls. This is unwatchable. GaladRrRrRrRrRiel is written shockingly BAD – no hero’s journey, she just ISHow to butcher a beloved author and franchise – first off you need to be a megacorporation and buy the rights for starting the production. Then release the production which is UTTERLY insulting to the fanbase, receive well deserved criticism then blame the fanbase of being racists and trolls. This is unwatchable. GaladRrRrRrRrRiel is written shockingly BAD – no hero’s journey, she just IS powerful, perfect and amazing. Male characters are portrayed as weak, naïve and stupid. Writers tried so hard to be witty and “profound” that the dialogue is just beyond understandable. Only good thing is the CGI. Oh, Amazon, by the way, good job of silencing criticism and unfavorable reviews. Way to go 1984!… Expand
  23. Styx100
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    This has no relation to LotR or Tolkien. This is generic fantasy, worse since it's based on identity politics, with a few name drops that are nothing like the characters whose names they use. Galadriel? She's a woman and that's where the similarities end. Beyond things like that, the backgrounds might be pretty, but look fake with characters in front of them and dialogue that tried toThis has no relation to LotR or Tolkien. This is generic fantasy, worse since it's based on identity politics, with a few name drops that are nothing like the characters whose names they use. Galadriel? She's a woman and that's where the similarities end. Beyond things like that, the backgrounds might be pretty, but look fake with characters in front of them and dialogue that tried to sound wise, but was mostly nonsense in the form of bad allegory. A rock looks down... What?!

    If you want a low end, darker, blonde (lol) Xena with identity politics, that's mostly talk and little action, this might work. But this uses the name "Lord of the Rings" and it's not. This makes up it's own lore, completely changes or makes up bad characters and is boring. Even taking LotR out of the equation, it's boring and that's the worst thing you can say about entertainment. I'm not even angry, I call it like I see it and "You shall not pass!"

    I agree with the people that complain about review bombing. Most of those 4 and 5 star reviews are fake, lol. Review bombing happens at both ends of the spectrum, but true review bombs tend to say almost the same thing over and over and tend to say little more than a short sentence. This is not that, nor was I rude like the name calling shills or fake "Galadriel" attacking people.

    Amazon refusing to let people rate and review this show on their site says it all. They've done everything to stop, censor or shame through lies, anyone who thinks this is less than the most perfect thing ever made... and they've failed, time and again, only making things worse for themselves. So, yeah, lowest rating since this is NOT LotR, but lies that it is.    … Expand
  24. Tsora
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    Very dull and boring. I don’t care about the woke changes; I just wanted a good fantasy story. I didn’t get it.
  25. Shazamm
    Sep 5, 2022
    1
    “Evil cannot create anything new, they can only corrupt and ruin good forces have invented or made”
  26. Yogo32
    Sep 3, 2022
    1
    It's very boring show. Characters are not interesting, only the dwarves from Khazad dum keep the production level. Dialogues and story? So dumb. Oh and main character, go Galadriel! She is terrible
  27. 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.
  28. Viomaniac
    Sep 5, 2022
    1
    For the Dwarvens they get one star. They are almost nailed to the core. But the rest... where to start. Main Character is a Karen hunting the manager... or the total failed elves. I dont care if they are people of colour. Why does not one elve looks and act like a elve? Not one minute of Tolkien there... i had no hope for the show but it even is worse then i could imagine!
  29. PotatoQueen32
    Sep 14, 2022
    4
    Pretty uninspired show, it feels like it was written by total amateurs trying to emulate other better shows. The acting, costumes and writing are comparable to CW shows and the writing alone is on par with GOT season 8. Amazon spent a lot of money just for pretty cgi but skipped out on everything else. It shows when all the 10 scores (ha!) can only talk about its graphics. If Amazon wantsPretty uninspired show, it feels like it was written by total amateurs trying to emulate other better shows. The acting, costumes and writing are comparable to CW shows and the writing alone is on par with GOT season 8. Amazon spent a lot of money just for pretty cgi but skipped out on everything else. It shows when all the 10 scores (ha!) can only talk about its graphics. If Amazon wants to do better they should hire seasoned writers… Expand
  30. Withywindle_Elf
    Sep 7, 2022
    0
    Badly made woke trash. If you hate Tolkien and white people you'll love it.
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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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