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. 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.
  31. busiek
    Sep 7, 2022
    0
    I just watched 2 epizods with my friends, so "I've seen my share"...

    PROS: CGI (mostly) and music. CONS: break Tolkien's lore, bad writing, brain-dead dialogs and "pseudo- intelectuall" gibberish, bad acting, unlikeble charakters, creepy Hobbits, cheap costiums (plastic armors and printed fabrics) and no reason to watch it... Elfs look like humans with pointed ears, they are old and    I just watched 2 epizods with my friends, so "I've seen my share"...

    PROS: CGI (mostly) and music.

    CONS: break Tolkien's lore, bad writing, brain-dead dialogs and "pseudo- intelectuall" gibberish, bad acting, unlikeble charakters, creepy Hobbits, cheap costiums (plastic armors and printed fabrics) and no reason to watch it... Elfs look like humans with pointed ears, they are old and tired...

    0/10 for "based on Tolkien's work", 2/10 for generic fantasy...

    No more!!!    … Expand
  32. BeatsMeanzHighs
    Sep 3, 2022
    0
    Giving this a 1 merely for some of the work of the VFX artists. Otherwise a horrendous piece desecration of a beloved decades old fantasy world. Tolkien's Galadriel has nothing to do with the atrocious insufferable depiction given by the actress. The writing is what you'd expect from people who think that Tolkien needs to be "fixed". If you love Tolkien then spare yourself any pain andGiving this a 1 merely for some of the work of the VFX artists. Otherwise a horrendous piece desecration of a beloved decades old fantasy world. Tolkien's Galadriel has nothing to do with the atrocious insufferable depiction given by the actress. The writing is what you'd expect from people who think that Tolkien needs to be "fixed". If you love Tolkien then spare yourself any pain and avoid this dumpster fire.… Expand
  33. Bullstomp
    Sep 3, 2022
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I tried to watch with an open mind but woah, this sucks. Galadriel is such an unlikable, overpowered character. The pacing is agonizingly slow and the acting is meh at best. The story is not engaging at all and not a single character provokes an emotional investment.

    The cinematography was good for the most part and the only reason I gave any score to this dumpster fire.    … Expand
  34. davygravy93
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    For the life of me I just cant figure out who this was made for. Pretty funny that amazon blocked reviews, I guess they put too much money into it so they think you aren't allowed to hate it? lol
  35. Telsatall
    Sep 3, 2022
    0
    I will update my few view as the season progresses. I was hoping this was going to be a good show but so far with the first two episodes, I am very disappointed. It feels hollow, the writing is bad, it was assembled poorly and it isn’t compelling whatsoever. On top of this, Amazon is censoring the honest ratings both on IMDB and on Amazon itself. It was actually very hard to keep watching.
  36. Obiwank
    Sep 3, 2022
    0
    Other review sites deleting any reviews under 5 and manipulating. Hope metacritic doesn’t do the same.
  37. randomonthenet
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    Amazon's failure to listen has led to this, whatever it is. The disrespect shown to Tolkien's decades of work has cemented why when you have access to the source material you don't deviate from the path. If you wanted a GOT Bezos then maybe create your own setting and do whatever you want with that. The worste of it is that 2nd September 1973 is the date Professor JRR Tolkien passed.Amazon's failure to listen has led to this, whatever it is. The disrespect shown to Tolkien's decades of work has cemented why when you have access to the source material you don't deviate from the path. If you wanted a GOT Bezos then maybe create your own setting and do whatever you want with that. The worste of it is that 2nd September 1973 is the date Professor JRR Tolkien passed. Did amazon choose this date to honor his memory or plop on it from a bigger height?… Expand
  38. Pouyanar
    Sep 3, 2022
    0
    Just terrible. What the showrunners did to Tolkien's work is equivalent to walking into the Louvre and "Improving" the Mona Lisa with spray paint and a blowtorch. If you insist on making a bland, generic, poorly written and acted fantasy series - create your own IP and do not use works so beloved.
  39. Jakeryanoc
    Sep 3, 2022
    1
    The only people we can praise for working on this project is those whom spent so long on the stunning visual effects. However....the DIALOGUE is awful, the time crunching is confusing, the characters chosen are just as confusing, and it does not feel or sound like LOTR. Elves have super clean fades, perms, and the Elrond protrayed looks more like the younger version of Celebrimbor. InsteadThe only people we can praise for working on this project is those whom spent so long on the stunning visual effects. However....the DIALOGUE is awful, the time crunching is confusing, the characters chosen are just as confusing, and it does not feel or sound like LOTR. Elves have super clean fades, perms, and the Elrond protrayed looks more like the younger version of Celebrimbor. Instead of bringing different races from actual distant lands, which is actually canon.... they have now officially made it seem like all dwarves, elves, hobbits (sorry HaRFoOtS) and humans of color, are what... extinct during the time period of the hobbit and ROTK ??? Maybe on vacation?? Do the world a favor when handling this tv series. Cast it into the fire! Destroy it!… Expand
  40. Gorthaur
    Sep 3, 2022
    1
    As a huge Tolkien fan and lover of the original lotr trilogy I wanted nothing more than to enjoy this show. Unfortunately, it is even worse than I had feared. I knew changes would need to be made to the story seeing as how Amazon only has the rights to ~5% of the source material regarding the second age, but this show is abysmal. Characters are completely misrepresented and unlikable.As a huge Tolkien fan and lover of the original lotr trilogy I wanted nothing more than to enjoy this show. Unfortunately, it is even worse than I had feared. I knew changes would need to be made to the story seeing as how Amazon only has the rights to ~5% of the source material regarding the second age, but this show is abysmal. Characters are completely misrepresented and unlikable. Dialogue is forced, cheesy, and bland. Storylines are nonsensical and leave you wondering why you should even care what happens. It was a chore to watch the first two episodes. There were some good visuals, but that isn’t nearly enough to justify $1 billion and squandering the potential for a show based on one of the greatest literary achievements in history. I have no idea who this show is aimed towards, but it’s the equivalent of watching a high-school drama class performance.… Expand
  41. Papanik
    Sep 3, 2022
    0
    The lore go out of the window here this is crap, bravo Amazon you waste over a billion dollars so John Ronald Reuel Tolkien can roll in his grave
  42. Fahhq
    Sep 3, 2022
    1
    This was a joke, right? But really can we get a good show? I tapped out halfway thru the 2nd episode
  43. Aomatveev
    Sep 3, 2022
    1
    Terrible.

    Really very bad, the script is incredibly stupid. the graphics look cheap, the actors are poorly chosen, dark-skinned elves and dwarves, why? how soon will we see same-sex families of the Middle-earth family?
  44. Necrophagia
    Sep 4, 2022
    1
    they killed Tolkien. it was impossible to write such a bad script, but they wrote it. everything is bad except for the visual effects. disgustingly ugly elves, dialogues for morons. not interesting to watch for a minute.
  45. Alexkhill1
    Sep 5, 2022
    1
    The characters are not even close to what we saw in the movies. In the first 20 minutes, they try to show us the same number of whites and blacks .... tolerance goes off scale!
  46. kaypro2
    Sep 5, 2022
    1
    I tried to watch both episodes, but the dialogue and scene situations just got to bad for me to continue to the end of episode 2. The focus on Girl Boss Galadriel was awful as was the writing that the actor had to work with. The lore that Tolkien created was bastardized to the point of no recognition. The scene with Elrond and the dwarf was painful. No dwarf would cry in his soup if ElrondI tried to watch both episodes, but the dialogue and scene situations just got to bad for me to continue to the end of episode 2. The focus on Girl Boss Galadriel was awful as was the writing that the actor had to work with. The lore that Tolkien created was bastardized to the point of no recognition. The scene with Elrond and the dwarf was painful. No dwarf would cry in his soup if Elrond did not go to his wedding. I’m sorry, but this was pathetic fan fiction mixed liberally with Amazon woke inspirations.… Expand
  47. LucyTolkien
    Sep 5, 2022
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is not Tolkien at all. The actors cannot play, the dialogues are terrible and fight scenes looks theatrical and fake. When it comes to visuals they are good but some of them are too much and sometimes cgi looks really fake. There is also no logic in this show e.g. Galadriel jumps off the ship and swims many miles in the direction of Middle-Earth in just a dress. Like what? I undesrtand elves are strong but this is too much. The next absurd scene is when she breaks wall of ice with her hand or when she is in the battlefield in a dress and collects helmets. This is absurd. And I do not want to talk about her personality because she is very rude and selfish in everything what she does. The other absurd is the big worm or sth that attacks out of nowhere, eats some people and stops attacking. Male characters are bad, hobbits scenes are stupid and do not make sense. There is of course modern agenda like Galadriel is bullied by elves, racism from men towards elves or homosexual undertones. Why are they putting such themes in the Tolkien I am asking … Expand
  48. Arbusto
    Sep 3, 2022
    1
    Can we not bring "politics" into a fantasy series? I mean. Can we just watch a movie/series and not care who gets to "slay the dragon?
  49. Unicron666
    Sep 4, 2022
    1
    An absolute travesty. The only mark I gave it is for the effects which are middling at best. This has nothing to do with Tolkien, it is like a modern American take on what they think Tolkien is suoppsed to be. Needless to say they missed the mark by a massive degree
  50. ZeldasChampion
    Sep 5, 2022
    1
    First off. I don't get why race appears to be getting brought up as an issue as there were black people in the Tolkien books like the Harfoots and certain elves.

    With that being said and from what I have seen, they're taking way too many liberties with the book's history. I came in this hoping to see a thorough representation of the lore established both in the main books and the    First off. I don't get why race appears to be getting brought up as an issue as there were black people in the Tolkien books like the Harfoots and certain elves.

    With that being said and from what I have seen, they're taking way too many liberties with the book's history. I came in this hoping to see a thorough representation of the lore established both in the main books and the Silmarillion. Instead, I am getting some loose interpretation with the writers saying this show is "not for purest". Well, then I guess this show is not for a "purest" fan like me.    … Expand
  51. halfelfpaladin
    Sep 5, 2022
    1
    We had the epic chance to finally see Tolkien's Second Age on screen. I am a huge fan of the professor's work, I have read his books multiple times When the show was announced I couldn't be more happier.

    Finally, the show is here, he first two episodes that is, and we can watch it. I have seen the episodes and sadly the hope that I had very fast turned in to dread. The Good, The Bad    We had the epic chance to finally see Tolkien's Second Age on screen. I am a huge fan of the professor's work, I have read his books multiple times When the show was announced I couldn't be more happier.

    Finally, the show is here, he first two episodes that is, and we can watch it. I have seen the episodes and sadly the hope that I had very fast turned in to dread.

    The Good, The Bad and The Ugly...

    The Good

    The visuals are really beautiful, every landscape shot is true pleasure for the eyes. The music is epic and strong. Durin IV is the best character. And that is it.

    The Bad

    It seems like the show was written by unexperienced high schoolers. The dialog is horrible, the way the characters act is blend, boring and at times illogical. There are scenes that are even stupid and hard to believe that characters would behave like that, even their motives seem really off. The writers have tried to make the dialog as something deep and with bigger meaning, but they have utterly failed to do so, instead it sounds stupid, rushed and superficial. The costimography is simply horrible. I have seen cosplayers making bar better props than those in the show, both in quality and design.

    The Ugly

    This sadly is anything but going back to Middle-Earth. A complete and total desecration of Tolkien's work. Some of the characters are so changed they are brought to the point of being unrecognizable. Sadly, one of my favorite characters in the books, Galadriel has been reduced to a miserable soldier fully driven by revenge, with no regard for the lives of those around her. Her reasoning is deeply flat and irrational, her actions make her seem even more bland. The show deviates so much from Tolkien's work that this simply is not Middle-Earth. The worst thing is that even we we remove all nomenclature that connects the show to the professor, it is still a bad show, badly written. It feels like the showrunners have no respect for the audience and are offering a shallow plot and even more shallow characters, expecting that the audience will just gobble up the low quality product. The disrespect for Tolkien is also very evident, considering how they butchered the professor's writings and lore.

    It saddens me deeply to see the professor's work desecrated like this. His stories deserve better. This show is anything but Tolkien, this is anything but Middle-Earth, and those characters are nothing compared to their original source material characters. Bad in so many ways.    … Expand
  52. JackOLantern81
    Sep 5, 2022
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. If you want to have “Lord of the Ring” in the title, then show some respect to the OG story. Otherwise you can just create your own story.… Expand
  53. Kurina
    Sep 7, 2022
    0
    Go woke go broke. Tolkien must turn in his tomb, it's a shame that some greedy company can take some masterpiece and change it into turd.
  54. vortexander
    Sep 3, 2022
    0
    simplemente mierda progre elfos negros hobbits negros enanas negras sin barba el señor de los anillos version alliexpress una total mierda. creo haber visto un elfo con el pelo largo todos pelo corto rapado a los lados recien salido de la barber seguramente la mitad seran gays y la otra mitad no binario por un momento pense que era de netflix
  55. Cristian_costa
    Sep 3, 2022
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A produção e efeitos são maravilhosos, mas é uma história com personagens vazios e sem nexo nenhum com Tolkien e seu legendário.… Expand
  56. FurryRobots
    Sep 5, 2022
    1
    Incredible waste of $1B budget. A poor attempt at social engineering using a beloved literary icon as a shield to hide it's intent. If your going to do this at least be more subtle... and above all do not bore your intended victims.
    The only reason this review get's a 1 is because the CGI and camera work were well done.. and those that provided that work shouldn't be punished for the    Incredible waste of $1B budget. A poor attempt at social engineering using a beloved literary icon as a shield to hide it's intent. If your going to do this at least be more subtle... and above all do not bore your intended victims.
    The only reason this review get's a 1 is because the CGI and camera work were well done.. and those that provided that work shouldn't be punished for the failings of the showrunners. The rest of the production.. from script to acting, directing and editing would have caused the creation of the word 'cringe' had it not already existed before. The showrunners should be embarrassed at their mismanagement of a once in a lifetime budget like this work had. Hopefully a failure like this will help birth a new found spirit of desire for entertainment for entertainment purposes instead of subversion of out of favor people.    … Expand
  57. Bwolf1713
    Sep 5, 2022
    1
    Without respect of the lore, we reject to the core. Absolute abomination and a sacrificial offering to the woke oligarchs of todays modern Hollywood.
  58. lloyder
    Sep 7, 2022
    1
    This program does not justify the increase in the price of the Amazon subscription. poor story. Disastrous actors with a lack of charisma. Characters taken from a children's story. Plot full of topics. A totally forgettable series after seeing it. A shame to miss the opportunity to develop a dark fantasy story, which is what Tolkien really wanted to convey in his books.
  59. Zaine6
    Sep 13, 2022
    5
    It's serviceable at best which isn't ok for such an IP and budget. This isn't just another show, this could should of been THE show of our life time. Additionally none of the changes that were made were necessary and just a slap in the face that takes us out of the immersion.
  60. Emerson1979
    Sep 6, 2022
    1
    Horrível, desnecessário, sonolento, sem impacto e outros adjetivos para a série que ninguém pediu para ser produzida!
  61. Dovahbomser89
    Sep 4, 2022
    1
    Absolute Garbage. Avoid ! Terrible and childish dialogue. Characters / actors have no chemistry. Dull script. Wooden acting.
    Boring scenes that drag on. Galadriel is insufferable and unlikeable, not good when the character is the protagonist. This series made hobbits (harefoots) annoying. Elven male warriors were always phenomenal fighters - Look at Thranduil, Legolas, Elrond, Haldir etc.    Absolute Garbage. Avoid ! Terrible and childish dialogue. Characters / actors have no chemistry. Dull script. Wooden acting.
    Boring scenes that drag on. Galadriel is insufferable and unlikeable, not good when the character is the protagonist. This series made hobbits (harefoots) annoying. Elven male warriors were always phenomenal fighters - Look at Thranduil, Legolas, Elrond, Haldir etc. The elven males in this series are weak and pathetic.

    It is not only a disgrace to Tolkien's legacy but for all those people who have grown up and taken refuge in his wonderful world. This nothing to do with Tolkien at all.
    How can Jeff Bezos spend a billion on this and not fire the whole production crew is beyond belief. This is a generic fantasy show with good effects. That is all it is.

    This show has nothing engaging to offer and you will never want to see another episode of this atrocious show.
    If you want an Entertaining , Engaging and Wonderful Fantasy respectful of Tolkien's world & lore ,watch Perter Jackson's trilogy instead of this Utter Garbage.    … Expand
  62. CrudManAdz
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    Opening troll scene a waste of displaying elfish combat efficiency as an elite unit who have survived for centuries on the hunt etc … measly snow troll kills a few and no team work. Galadriel simply does solo sword jump stupidity. Overly dramatic moments at times. Let it build before just constant emotional music and pauses. Just cringe.
  63. anonusername678
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    Evil cannot create anything new, they can only corrupt.

    "Melkor spent his spirit in envy and hate, until at last he could make nothing save in mockery of the thought of others, and all their work he destroyed if he could." - J. R. R. Tolkein
  64. ramm1x
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Nothing to say to this crab show and horrible Galadriel story and the most shi*y acting I ever see… Expand
  65. jke2500
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    There is nothing Tolkien here. Some place names and character names but the characters that bear the Tolkien names are not the characters Tolkien created. I would give this less than a star if I could.

    "Evil cannot create anything new, they can only corrupt and ruin good forces have invented or made" J. R. R. Tolkien “I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always    There is nothing Tolkien here. Some place names and character names but the characters that bear the Tolkien names are not the characters Tolkien created. I would give this less than a star if I could.

    "Evil cannot create anything new, they can only corrupt and ruin good forces have invented or made" J. R. R. Tolkien

    “I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history – true or feigned– with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers." J.R.R. Tolkien P. S. I love the part where we meet Whiskey Jack for the first time. He tells Galadriel "We're Bridgeburners First in Last Out." So epic.    … Expand
  66. Isidar
    Sep 7, 2022
    0
    Es un aburrimiento total... Que lástima de dinero tirado a la basura. Me alegro
  67. V0X_Populi
    Sep 3, 2022
    1
    Дорогой и пустой блокбастер который ушёл очень далеко от Толкина и трилогии.
  68. SanderV815
    Sep 5, 2022
    2
    Lets start with the positive:
    Rings of power has amazing landscape scenes, and the elven cities look fairly good as well.
    Unfortunately, this pales in comparison with it's problems. Let's start with the main problems. The dialogue is about as bad as it can get. This is very noticeable in parts where the writers try to be deep and pseudo-philosophical. The characters act like petulant    Lets start with the positive:
    Rings of power has amazing landscape scenes, and the elven cities look fairly good as well.

    Unfortunately, this pales in comparison with it's problems. Let's start with the main problems. The dialogue is about as bad as it can get. This is very noticeable in parts where the writers try to be deep and pseudo-philosophical. The characters act like petulant (and dumb) children, especially Galadriel and Durin. The lore is also clearly ignored, I don't want to include spoilers, but there's a lot of things that are not just minor deviations or additions to Tolkiens work, but major and problematic contradictions to the events of the second age.
    The fight scenes are marvel superhero level of unbelievable.
    Remember seeing Legolas riding that shield down the stairs at helmsdeep and thinking "that's a bit ridiculous". This is that times ten.
    The Harfoot scenes are entirely unnecessary and boring.

    While I think the show mostly looks as good as you expect from a high budget show, there are some places where the props and cgi looks very fake. This is mostly the case with the very cheap and plastic looking elven plate armor, as well some clearly styrofoam or plastic parts in khazad-dûm. In general, the swords, armor, clothes, etc, also look a lot less believable. It's all a bit generic fantasy looking. Visually It's all more on the level of the Hobbit movies then LOTR.    … Expand
  69. 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",
  70. 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.
  71. Blokin
    Sep 6, 2022
    1
    I wonder how many “10 score” bots can Amazon afford to artificially pump up the overwhelmingly negative opinion of the actual public, after burning a billion on this dumpster fire…

    Dialogues are comically cringy, casting abysmal, costumes nonsensical, acting amateurish, choreography primitive. The fresh haircuts are especially off-putting. Best part is the visuals, but they’re just “meh”,    I wonder how many “10 score” bots can Amazon afford to artificially pump up the overwhelmingly negative opinion of the actual public, after burning a billion on this dumpster fire…

    Dialogues are comically cringy, casting abysmal, costumes nonsensical, acting amateurish, choreography primitive. The fresh haircuts are especially off-putting. Best part is the visuals, but they’re just “meh”, and again, a BILLION dollars…
    They made literally no effort to make a good show. They don’t actually deserve anything higher than 0, I just didn’t want to appear too bitter.    … Expand
  72. xGudNitex
    Sep 3, 2022
    1
    Horrible take on the Tolkien universe. The writing and character design is terrible. Cinematography and sound are good enough to deserve some recognition. However, they are not enough to overcome the boring and poorly acted script.
  73. bustermuster
    Sep 7, 2022
    0
    Garbage, watched the first two and they are too slow and the acting is awful. What happened to all the races the elves no longer look like elves and every one just looks like a human. the story is poor and forced diversity for sake of it give it a rest.
  74. Gojeonpa
    Sep 5, 2022
    2
    The only thing remotely good in this series is the first 7,5 minutes of the first episode, the rest of the show was a complete bore. Meh visuals, awful CGI, ridiculous character interpretations, too many made up storylines. The only other positvie qualities were in my opinion the new characters, but only because you can't butcher the interpretation of a new character as you can an alreadyThe only thing remotely good in this series is the first 7,5 minutes of the first episode, the rest of the show was a complete bore. Meh visuals, awful CGI, ridiculous character interpretations, too many made up storylines. The only other positvie qualities were in my opinion the new characters, but only because you can't butcher the interpretation of a new character as you can an already established character. The only people who in their right mind can rate this higher than 6 have a): Never read anything the professor has written, or b): Have something personal to gain by pandering to the shows agenda.… Expand
  75. Dodger
    Sep 7, 2022
    4
    The only thing going for this show at the moment are the visuals. The dialogue/script in genuinely aweful, every conversation is so stilted. I think everyone else have covered the issues with character developemnt the story and pacing so i'll leave that bit to them.
  76. luxton
    Sep 4, 2022
    0
    Another franchise utterly abused in the name of diversity and the LGBTQQIP2SAA community being “represented” equally. Forget good writing, acting, screenplay and a convincing fantasy world with races that clearly reflect the biome they inhabit, that is, dwarfs are pale skinned which makes sense as they’re mountain dwellers in the northern hemisphere, elves are also pale skinned due toAnother franchise utterly abused in the name of diversity and the LGBTQQIP2SAA community being “represented” equally. Forget good writing, acting, screenplay and a convincing fantasy world with races that clearly reflect the biome they inhabit, that is, dwarfs are pale skinned which makes sense as they’re mountain dwellers in the northern hemisphere, elves are also pale skinned due to being woodland folk. There’s a reason the books took such a long time to write, it’s called world building. This takes time and effort, and this insult of a series completely disregards everything that made Tolkien’s work so great! Nothing is convincing in this mess of an insulting season. I suppose the LGBTQQIP2SAA minority (less than 1%) will absolutely love it.… Expand
  77. DOGS9
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    The series is absolutely terrible especially the actors , its like watching a middle school play not middle earth.
  78. confushis
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    Holy Moley, what was that??? I have been more entertained watching TeleTubbies.
  79. lightvsdarkness
    Sep 4, 2022
    1
    Desecration of a timeless classic in order to propagate crazy modern ideology done by braindead people.
  80. InfiniteGnosis
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Frodo did I ever mention the time I fought a snow troll? We had spent weeks scaling icy mountains and the rest of my team had frostbite even though elves barely feel the cold and can walk on snow. When we arrived at the top they wanted to immediately climb back down again. Our elf eyes saw nothing until a moment later we saw a huge palace that was clearly visible.

    On making our way inside we found a red symbol, resembling the sign of the Crimson King from Stephen King's Dark Tower series, haha yes Frodo, I stopped reading after book 4 too. An Ice Troll attacked without warning and threw my elite elf team against the walls like dolls while I watched expressionlessly for several seconds. I executed sword jump slash (Triangle Triangle Square Cross, Right Left Right) and killed it instantly, after another couple of stabs because I forgot to finish with another Triangle.

    My team was so impressed they mutinied and insisted I be court-martialed and returned to Valinor immediately once we had spent months climbing back down. Fortunately all were uninjured and fully capable of making the trip. They were all good friends.    … Expand
  81. Geodatan
    Sep 5, 2022
    2
    This show accomplishes two things:
    1-Hate the main character. Galadriel, an important character in Tolkien's work and well loved, in this show she is a hateful, narcissistic, selfish, vindictive, unpleasant character, who does not like to be contradicted, and who has to get away with it. It also doesn't help to masculinize Galadriel.
    2-Laziness, this series makes you lazy to continue    This show accomplishes two things:
    1-Hate the main character. Galadriel, an important character in Tolkien's work and well loved, in this show she is a hateful, narcissistic, selfish, vindictive, unpleasant character, who does not like to be contradicted, and who has to get away with it. It also doesn't help to masculinize Galadriel.
    2-Laziness, this series makes you lazy to continue watching it. It doesn't have a quality soundtrack, it's very random and boring. There is no character that stands out.
    The script deserves a rewrite from top to bottom. It has boring dialogues.
    The story is not canon. This never happened in the original work. So this series either you take it as an attack on the original work, or you take it as a joke since nothing that happens in this series really happened in the original work.

    The bad milk of the showruners and the studio is criminal. Premiering the series on the anniversary of Tolkien's death is not a random decision. Do you want to rewrite the original work?
    It is also bad milk to make viewers believe that the work is by Tolkien by putting it in the title. "The Lord of the Rings. The Rings of Power" when this story has nothing to do with the play The Lord of the Rings.

    There are ways to make a prequel, and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power gets them all wrong. It takes six or seven things that everyone remembers from the famous movie trilogy, adds a water tank, makes no one have fun, provokes mysteries that aren't mysteries, and sends the best character on a pointless detour. The latter is the super elf Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) who spends the premiere telling people to worry about Sauron. In response, the people tell him not to worry about Sauron.    … Expand
  82. CornishGary
    Sep 6, 2022
    1
    Let us never forget the backbone behind this hate was Amazon's creation of the famous influencer videos. I suspect they were seeking to cancel this sort of reaction. As a review of the work Amazon never understood the material, Tolkien created a world alongside ours with a rich tapestry of fine details which is recreated by its readers. 99% of said anger is over how far off they are offLet us never forget the backbone behind this hate was Amazon's creation of the famous influencer videos. I suspect they were seeking to cancel this sort of reaction. As a review of the work Amazon never understood the material, Tolkien created a world alongside ours with a rich tapestry of fine details which is recreated by its readers. 99% of said anger is over how far off they are off even getting the basics right; they thought nothing of changing lore’s to fit a woke agenda. The world is already formed in everyone’s head and it’s not politically correct, it’s what surrounded Tolkien. I am unsure why they needed to use Tolkien, this version has none of Tolkien’s art, never forget his world was a much different place with women unable to undertake superhero tasks. Yes, the world has moved on but Tolkien has not. CGI is not what was required but what Tolkien sought story building. Amazon is guilty of Cultural vandalism and a complete failure to understand what they working with.… Expand
  83. RudolfAlencar
    Sep 6, 2022
    1
    Beautiful photography, but very little inspired by Tolkien's works, with weak characters and a forced protagonist, it looked like I was watching Naru from the movie Prey.
    The arrogant lines of the producers was another point to give a low grade.
  84. Kuroneko87
    Sep 7, 2022
    0
    They just deleted a bunch of negative reviews. AGAIN.
    Terrible show, go watch House of the dragon instead.

    They made sure this dumpsterfire has a higher score than House of the dragon.
    Ofcourse they did...
  85. Asgalurch
    Sep 4, 2022
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Wanted to give it a 2/10 then I remembered the "rock don't float because looks down and ship focus on light" writing..

    If you came for an adaptation of the professors work you should look otherwise. Probably in the books the writers forgot to read.

    The show looks stunning... mostly. Some times even a billion dollars cannot hide CGI and actors looking like they are a PNG in front of another PNG. Overall though the visuals are okay. I liked Telperion and Laurelin for the 2 seconds they were in the show... followed by me nearly fainting because there was no mention of Ungoliant.... but hey what do I know... just a fan of another franchise that is about to be ruined by a billion dollar corp that thinks they could do better than someone with actual knowledge on worldbuilding, ethnics and philosophy....

    Nearly none of the characters Tolkien wrote about are where they are supposed to be/are who they are supposed to be. In contrast of being a wise eldar princess that wants a kingdom of her own to rule in middle earth, Galadriel is "ThE WaRrIoR oF ThE WaStes" and a commander => this is not lore accurate... the writers must have gone back to the wrong books... Also she should look way older than Elrond and not same or even younger than him... She is his mother in law ffs...
    Elrond is not a politician... He actually was a commander of Gil-Galads armies, unlike Galadriel. And yes he was a diplomat too but this is definetely not Elrond Half-Elven who has also eldar blood in his veins and is most definetely one of the lordiest elven lords out there... He is the son of Earendil ffs... The elves love and adore him... but nah he is not invited to the council cause he is a mudblood...

    Next time don't call it Lord of the Rings... in contrast to other fandoms we actually act as one because J.R.R Tolkiens work is bigger than just Peter Jacksons movies... It is awhole Mythos and not something that should be tampered with... The original writings will still be remembered in a hundred years from now .... This show.. not so much    … Expand
  86. eJay222
    Sep 6, 2022
    2
    The most boring, didn't even finish the first episode, and of course some of the characters in this universe that shouldn't be there I don't particularly like either.
  87. PheASsant
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    Классический прогрессивный сериал, никакого уважения к Толкину , первоисточник вертят как хотят. Говно
  88. Mogey
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    Boring characters that have no chemistry between each other and way to many close ups
  89. noxti
    Sep 6, 2022
    1
    I wanted to give this show a fair chance because it is based on middle earth, however the writing is terrible, the casting doesn't make sense, liberal propaganda is everywhere, Galadriel really doesn't project any strength or warrior spirit.

    And sorry, call me Rcist if you like, but black elves and hobbits don't make any sense, elves are monolithic by nature and hobbits are all from a    I wanted to give this show a fair chance because it is based on middle earth, however the writing is terrible, the casting doesn't make sense, liberal propaganda is everywhere, Galadriel really doesn't project any strength or warrior spirit.

    And sorry, call me Rcist if you like, but black elves and hobbits don't make any sense, elves are monolithic by nature and hobbits are all from a small region.    … Expand
  90. Rubenh
    Sep 6, 2022
    1
    Such a disapppointing departure from the riveting lore steeped in historical context to forefully accommodate today's norms and preferences without purposefully serving the narrative, which is wafer-thin throughout the first two episodes by the way.
  91. Rodrigotk
    Sep 6, 2022
    1
    A true attack on Tolkien's epic narratives! Horrible!

    "Evil cannot create anything new, it can only corrupt and ruin what the forces of good have invented or done.” - ::: J.R.R. Tolkien :::
  92. GamingUnites
    Sep 14, 2022
    5
    A prime example of big business throwing money around to buy the rights to an IP they have no intention of respecting for the mere purpose of trying to 'buy' fans as if they are livestock; cattle to be herded into their corporate pastures so they can be milked like cash cows.

    Apart from the very high production values, this is a decidedly mediocre series made far worse due to its    A prime example of big business throwing money around to buy the rights to an IP they have no intention of respecting for the mere purpose of trying to 'buy' fans as if they are livestock; cattle to be herded into their corporate pastures so they can be milked like cash cows.

    Apart from the very high production values, this is a decidedly mediocre series made far worse due to its cultural insensitivity. Plot holes, nonsensical character behaviour, Marvel-esque (but executed poorly) action sequences, shallow characters and ofttimes woeful, secondary-school-level writing make this a great disappointment. There are even several instances that outright copy notable moments from the original trilogy of movies in a weak, vapid attempt to awaken the affection and nostalgia people have for those wonderful films in a vain push to buy goodwill. And we're only 3 episodes in. It's pathetic.

    A wizard getting angry and rising to his full height whilst the world dims around him? Check. People bickering and fighting while a lone, brave, quiet voice grows in power until it causes them all to turn in stunned silence? Check. It's so weak and derivative.

    If you enjoy dialogue that is constantly vague and constantly says cheesy things similar to, "Sometimes the wind that seeks to extinguish a flame, ends up inflaming it' then you'll be right at home here.

    Oh, and a note on their casting choices:

    If it were any other region's folklore that was being made into a TV show, people would be screaming for the creators to show respect and cultural sensitivity but it's based on white European heritage so it must, apparently, be abused and vandalised.

    Listen here Amazon (Disney etc,..), if you want to create worlds that fit into your cultural agenda then go ahead...but could you at least consider doing so by creating something new? Is that too much to ask? To ask for creative people to, er, you know, create? Don't just attempt to ride on the coattails of established IP's and their fandoms whilst not honouring the works in question. It's artistically bankrupt, creatively cowardly and outright dishonest.

    You can't take something people love, change it drastically and subsequently complain when they're not happy. As for those who complain the negative reviews are from bigots, well, how comes HotD is doing fine? That's as diverse as it gets. How comes there are even reviewers who said it's mediocre?

    Oh, and if you loved Cate Blanchette's ethereal, graceful and yet subtly powerful and awe-inspiring Galadriel then you'll probably be as crestfallen as I was to see the character reduced to what the modern world apparently refers to as a 'Karen'. It's as if they deliberately want you to dislike her, tremendously. She's almost always irritable, distrusting, constantly acting hard done by and treats people as if they're servants no matter how helpful and patient they are being.

    I know it's many years before the Galadriel we know from Jackson's trilogy but still, she's horrible.

    In summary, they had no intention of keeping to the feel of the original books and movies. They wanted the money-making potential of the IP, but nothing else. They also seemingly wanted the material, story and characters to fit their 'culture-war' agenda and so hired writers (I use the term loosely) based on that rather than talent. This is the result. A creatively poor mess with mixed up priorities.    … Expand
  93. wilall138
    Sep 5, 2022
    1
    Awful WOKE CRAPOLOA!!! Quit hiring for diversity first off! Second Tolkien is rolling like a rotisserie in his grave after this rubbish
    Butchers his work! I think a roomful of chimps and one turtle wrote this
  94. Lostsoulsbeach
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    After a short while I thought Amazon hi-jacked some original names and aborted history themes of Middle Earth that Tolkien wrote of pre-Sauron. I watch both eps and came away with that I saw WOKE-crap with Progressive Puking everywhere, on everything.
  95. MoKSho
    Sep 7, 2022
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It’s sad but its everything I expected it to be. The best parts are the Dwarves, Khazad Dum looks beautiful and Disa is lovely. Arondir makes a solid Elf. Sadly this isn’t Tolkien Lore. As is the bastardized version of the character of Galadriel. Abysmal. Annoying af. As are the Harfoots and the arc surrounding "Superman". The conversations are dull. Sometimes the show looks beautiful but that’s not enough to make up.… Expand
  96. iamvaro
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    The show has very bad acting and hideous writing . A disgrace to Tolkien's legacy.
  97. haroldojr
    Sep 5, 2022
    0
    A disrespect for the legacy left by J. R. R. Tolkien.
    I will not submit to this sealing, my money will not contribute to this aberration.
  98. JoA1973
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    For those who feel criticism of this show is racist/sexist, go look at the rating for the GOT prequel series. This show is horribly written and the acting is atrocious. There is no defense of it. I'm not a rabid Tolkien fan nor have I read the original material. I'm simply a consumer of science fiction/fantasy stories and I can tell you this show blows. Such a massive opportunity wasted.
  99. aksu
    Sep 6, 2022
    0
    The two episodes are very poorly written and has a lock of technical problems in terms of narrative, plot and character development. It's very odd to see a billion budget mainstream serie with such bad techniques.

    Despite visuals, the use of patternized armors and weapons make some scenes very boring. The landscape and cities are gorgeous, but the series does't show nothing from a    The two episodes are very poorly written and has a lock of technical problems in terms of narrative, plot and character development. It's very odd to see a billion budget mainstream serie with such bad techniques.

    Despite visuals, the use of patternized armors and weapons make some scenes very boring.

    The landscape and cities are gorgeous, but the series does't show nothing from a closer point of view, we see only static images from a far take.

    I really didin't like the "short hair" elf thing, but why almost all male elven characters must have shor hair? It makes no sense.

    The main character, Galadriel, she is very anoying and lack development, the character doesn't fit the role of Galadriel fro J. R. R. Tolkien, but ok, it's just an adaptation.

    Now, talking about the whole adaptation thing. The serie is a very bad Tolkien adaptation.
    If the series didn't carry the Tolkien name, it wouldnt be more than a mediocre show.    … Expand
  100. SAN4ES_86
    Sep 7, 2022
    0
    Просто ужасно и не достоверно. Если есть желающие добавить в кино все тенденции современного мира в лице цветных, лгбт и прочего ТАК создайте свое что то новое. Не лезьте туда, кто вас никто не просит, не надо менять и идти в разрез с книгой.Просто ужасно и не достоверно. Если есть желающие добавить в кино все тенденции современного мира в лице цветных, лгбт и прочего ТАК создайте свое что то новое. Не лезьте туда, кто вас никто не просит, не надо менять и идти в разрез с книгой.
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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.
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  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.
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  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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