The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Prime Video | Release Date: September 2, 2022
2.6
USER SCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 2859 Ratings
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587
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User scoreBy dateMost helpful
3
EthanRuckerOct 31, 2022
After watching Rings of Power for the first time it was pretty bad with one of the worst season finales I have ever seen, but after watching Rings of Power for a second time... It's even worse.
6 of 26 users found this helpful620
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3
zurdososhSep 2, 2022
There is a los of shine but no substance. The characterization, plot and dialogue is bad/mediocre. There is no coherent narrative, no compelling setpieces or setup. The second age has great stories and potential, yet the choices made in theThere is a los of shine but no substance. The characterization, plot and dialogue is bad/mediocre. There is no coherent narrative, no compelling setpieces or setup. The second age has great stories and potential, yet the choices made in the first 2 episodes are disheartening. If tolkien is outdated for the "world as it is today", then don't adapt it. Create new IP's that reflect that the creator's message, but stop trying to modernizing a timeless classic.… Expand
80 of 260 users found this helpful80180
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3
Kbren1Sep 2, 2022
1. So it's a beautiful show. They spent a billion dollars on it. 10/10
2. Insertion of black elves, black men, black dwarves, and black hobbits is historically inaccurate for the region, time period story is set in, and the lore which clearly1. So it's a beautiful show. They spent a billion dollars on it. 10/10
2. Insertion of black elves, black men, black dwarves, and black hobbits is historically inaccurate for the region, time period story is set in, and the lore which clearly describes how people in the story are supposed to look. 7/10
3. All male Elves are emasculated sissies with a massive estrogen surplus in their bodies who need to be led by a strong woman. 6/10.
4. The series lead Galadriel is bossy and unlikable and the consummate Mary Sue. 5/10
5. Silly attempt to virtue signal by forcing an interracial love story btw two people with as much physical chemistry as bricks. 4/10
6. Removed user reviews & star ratings from Amazon site so no one who streams it can rate or comment on show. … Expand
42 of 214 users found this helpful42172
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3
sequin06Sep 3, 2022
OK, it is not as it is portrayed here but it is still an abomination in terms of money spent, potential wasted and non-canonical approach. I will probably watch the rest but would not recommend it to anyone. I will watch it becouse I love cringe.
21 of 95 users found this helpful2174
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3
LeJeanJeanSep 3, 2022
J'vais essayer de faire une récap' du nombre d'emmerdes que cette série ce tape et qu'elle va continuer de ce taper.
1. Non respect du travail de Tolkien et cela non sans un mépris uniquement égalé par l'ignorance de ceux derrière cetteJ'vais essayer de faire une récap' du nombre d'emmerdes que cette série ce tape et qu'elle va continuer de ce taper.
1. Non respect du travail de Tolkien et cela non sans un mépris uniquement égalé par l'ignorance de ceux derrière cette série.
2. Amazon N'A PAS les droits du SDA/Hobbit/Silmarillon, juste les droits d'une collection de notes de Tolkien. Ils n'ont donc pas le droit de cité des choses ce passant dans ces bouquin, ce qui va détériorer la clarté du récit et des évènements.
3. Elf africain/d'Harad lointaine. Ridicule et forcé car tous les elfes sont décrit comme ceux présenté dans les films de Peter Jackson, c'est à dire avec des visages assez fin, européens et avec les cheveux longs. De plus ils viennent tous d'une population assez limité en nombre et du même endroit géographique à la base. Il n'y a jamais d'autres elfes que ces derniers, c'est pas Donjon&Dragon/Pathfinder avec des demi-elfes du sud ou des elfes africains comme dans Shadowrun et c'est pas parce qu'il y en dans ces univers-là qu'il peut ou doit y en avoir ici. 4. Pareil pour les hobbit. C'est pas parce que Tolkien n'a pas précisé "Il n'y pas de hobbit africain" qu'il faut ce sentir obligé d'en rajouté. La consistance ethniques chez des population dans un univers fictif a de l'importance et si vous vous en foutez tant mieux pour vous mais vos standards claqués ne regarde que vous(à bon entendeur).
4.5. Apparemment Elrond est gay maintenant. Allez demander à l'acrtice de Galadrielle, vous allez pas êtré déçu du choix de langage. 5. Ce n'est pas une "adaptation". Ici la régle de "Do not repair what is not broken/Ne répare pas ce qui n'est pas cassé" ou simple "Ne touche à des choses qui n'ont pas besoin de l'être" n'est absolument pas respecté. C'est même PIRE vu qu'ils font volontairement apparaitre des peuples à des moments ou ils ne devraient pas, condensent des évènements qu'ils ne devraient pas alors qu'il y amplement la place de créer quelques chose d'original à d'autre endroit au même moment. Il y a des limites en toutes choses et ces dernières ont été largement dépassés.
5. Les films de Jackson était très peu fidèle sur certains aspect(Gimlie, The scouring of the Shire, etc) mais avaient la qualité d'être de bon divertissement et bien réalisés. De plus Jackson et son équipe n'avait pas ce genre de mépris envers Tolkien et son travail. Pas de tokenism, les grandes lignes étaient suivie en grande majorité, pas d'insultes envers le publique et le dévoiement des personnages n'étaient pas aussi horrible ou abusé.
6. Nombre de sortie des acteurs et d'une partie de l'équipe marketing de cette série laisse assez peu de doute sur leurs intentions racistes, belliqueuses et méprisantes à l'égard du travail de Tolkien et des gens qui apprécient son travail. Oui nan mais désolé, généralement prendre de la fierté à remplacé des populations d'un univers fictives parce que tu trouve qu'ils sont trop blanc/noir/jaune/uniforme c'est pas sensé être positif.
7. Cette volonté raciste de vouloir caser des "gens de couleurs" comme des pions ne plaira pas à tout le monde(désolé les gens, certains d'entre nous n'aimons pas trop les manipulateurs racistes, le tokenism et la propagande raciale), surtout quand cela dévoie le travail de Tolkien. Comment certains appellent ca déjà ? De l'appropriation culturel ou du colonialisme culturel ? Bref.
8. D'après une partie des retours c'est surtout assez ennuyeux et l'écriture est assez grossière voir même de hors-de-propos à certains moments. 9. L'effort de chorégraphie des combats est... pas très bonne. Rien que la scène du troll ont dirait une scène de baston de Scary Movie, ca en fait des tonnes pour rien et c'est encore pire que le Legolas du Hobbit, un véritable exploit. 10. Belles images et bon son, cependant, au même titre que l'outrage qu'Amazon cherche à provoqué, cela ne portera la série qu'un certain temps. 11. Les costumes, y'a un certaine effort pour qu'ils aient une apparence "ancienne" ou "antique", cependant est-ce que quelqu'un sait ou est passé le budget pour du coup ? 12. L'acting c'est en dent-de-scie. Que ce soit une mauvaise direction ou les acteurs eux-même j'entend. Galadrielle à certain moment a la même énergie que Gretta Tumberg, nan mais vraiment il fallait le faire. La naine africaine est correcte mais encore une fois elle est aussi bien choisie que Jet Li pour jouer Shaka Zulu. Y'a quand même un certain gachi.

Ce machin n'est ni le Silmarillon, ni le SDA, ni le Hobbit ni quoi que ce soit de Tolkien. Si une adaptation a très peu en commun avec la travail originel alors c'est qu'elle n'est en rien ce qu'elle prêtent être. Les mots ont un sens, une définition et il y a des limites en toutes choses. Ces dernières ont été largement dépassés pour pouvoir qualifier ce travail comme prenant place dans l'univers de Tolkien.… Expand
19 of 178 users found this helpful19159
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3
GusZSep 3, 2022
Letting aside the fact that this series disrespects and subverts Tolkiens works, the show lacks any soul and point.

I cannot identify with the quest of any character, I do not believe their motivations, I do nor care about their feelings, ILetting aside the fact that this series disrespects and subverts Tolkiens works, the show lacks any soul and point.

I cannot identify with the quest of any character, I do not believe their motivations, I do nor care about their feelings, I am not anxious about their fate because there is no serious threat from no one, since Galadriel will save everyone simply because she is a woman (and hence the Chosen One and perfect in every imaginable aspect) without any effort, struggle, and specially without any moral self questioning (because, again, since she is a woman, everything she decides by herself is right, and everyone who does not follow her is wrong or will be proven wrong).

All of the characters are depicted as plane, one-dimensional souls. Everyone except Galadriel is dumb and inefficient (specially men) and do not have any clue about anything that is happening in the world, until they are enlightened by the perfect being that is She, the Chosen One.

CGI is perfect, with stunning views of cities and landscapes, but then when the action cuts to the actual place, there is no continuity, places seem small and lack the detail that was shown in the CGI pictures.

Yet the worst part is the dialog and the performance of the main characters. No word is said in a believable way, no compelling emotions are transmitted (nor in voice tone nor in facial expression). And the words themselves make no sense either. They are complicated and convoluted in a way that makes them difficult to grasp, until the moment in which you pay particular attention to the meaning and discover that they mean nothing, just a bunch of fancy words put together to appear grandiose and important, but without any rational or emotional meaning. Like a politician addresses a difficult question by pronouncing complicated words without saying anything, the characters in this ROP world speak the language of plain, self evident and uninteresting concepts in a way that mimics poetry and wisdom, but lack any of those.

Would all of this matter if the series wasn't about Lord of the rings? No, really not. I would just stop watching it in the exact moment I did with this episode and forget it.

Would I be writing this review if the series wasn't about Lord of the rings? No, definitely not.

But the show runners decided to disrespect and subvert Tolkien's works for their own profit and personal ambitions, and something must be done to (at least) send them a message.… Expand
21 of 179 users found this helpful21158
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3
AxwelSep 3, 2022
I leave my review of the first two episodes of the series.
In my personal opinion the beginning of the series is quite weak. The interpretation of some canonical characters are far removed from their literary counterpart. Lady Galadriel showsI leave my review of the first two episodes of the series.
In my personal opinion the beginning of the series is quite weak. The interpretation of some canonical characters are far removed from their literary counterpart. Lady Galadriel shows an unseemly and annoying rebelliousness, adding that she shows no wisdom. Especially the fact that she lived in the kingdom of Doriath in Beleriand years ago and it seems that all teachings of Melian were left aside in this version. In reference to Lord Elrond and Celebrimbor, there is not much to say, except the physical appearance that is not very successful. The story of the elf Arondir and the woman is completely unnecessary; the argument that tries to bring the couple closer is bad and relapses into cliché. In the case of hobbits, I quite liked it. It brings freshness to the slow central argument, despite the fact that no character is canonical. Likewise, the contribution of the meteorite character generates additional intrigue. Finally, the most redeemable so far are the scenes of Kahzad dum. The characterization of the male dwarfs is very well done, even the challenge invented in the series, winks at Vala Aulë himself, the one who created the Naugrim; more resilient in all deadly physical sorrow than other races. In the end, the series does not promise what it announced, however, there may be further development as it progresses.… Expand
26 of 195 users found this helpful26169
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3
Benjen42Sep 3, 2022
It's a shiny show. You can definitely see the budget on the screen but no real engagement in the first two episodes. A lot of filler in the first two episodes. Seem like the first two episodes was 80% filler and 20 minutes of plot and I'mIt's a shiny show. You can definitely see the budget on the screen but no real engagement in the first two episodes. A lot of filler in the first two episodes. Seem like the first two episodes was 80% filler and 20 minutes of plot and I'm worried the whole series is going to be like that given the limited rights Amazon has to the actual materia… Expand
61 of 234 users found this helpful61173
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3
S33HSep 4, 2022
Doesn't feel like you are watching the real Lord of the Rings. There is a lot of nonsense. For example elves being teletransported to different locations without time concerns. And there is so much more to add but definitively is not worth toDoesn't feel like you are watching the real Lord of the Rings. There is a lot of nonsense. For example elves being teletransported to different locations without time concerns. And there is so much more to add but definitively is not worth to watch it.… Expand
31 of 207 users found this helpful31176
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3
MichalZyteckiSep 4, 2022
Wokeness is huge in this product. There is no Tolkien in Rings of Power. Even if it was just a standalone tv series I wouldn't like it, it's just purely written.
21 of 96 users found this helpful2175
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3
flippinloudSep 4, 2022
I have tried to remain as objective as possible about this show. It's no doubt that a lot of people were prepared to hate it no matter what. Firstly, there has been a lot of care and attention to the scenery, the music, and the CGI. ShootingI have tried to remain as objective as possible about this show. It's no doubt that a lot of people were prepared to hate it no matter what. Firstly, there has been a lot of care and attention to the scenery, the music, and the CGI. Shooting in New Zealand was a great choice (although I'm biased, as that's my home). I don't think the costumes have had the same attention to weathering and general wearing in as they had in the Lord of the Rings movies or Game of Thrones. After the first episode I was pretty angry, as it was far worse than I thought it would be, however I definitely softened after the second episode. The dwarves are done well, and there is some proper characterisation and interaction that was entertaining. As far as the diversity goes, that's just a factor of today's world. If it wasn't multi racial, then it would have been cancelled for not being progressive enough. This doesn't mean though that it destroys the show though. Look at something like The Great as an example. It's also colour blind, but a very funny and engaging show. Unfortunately here, there is not a strong story or good dialog. I realise we are only two episodes in, however, the comments on this not being Tolkien's world are accurate. This is a generic fantasy story set in a somewhat Tolkienesque world. I think it's a valid criticism that the writers have not respected the source material, at all. I think the real mistake was in the way the show has been marketed from the outset. If you are old enough to remember back to when Lord of the Rings was released, Peter Jackson did regular youtube updates talking about progress and the way that he was interpreting and adapting the source material. Before the movies were released we knew that he loved the book, understood it, and was really trying to deliver something that fans would enjoy. Unfortunately Rings of Power have had cast interviews where they talked more about the progressive elements of the script - the first female black dwarf etc. It has given the view that being progressive and at times political is more important than the underlying story. It's the same issue that fans had with Star Wars ("The force is female"). Going to war against your own fandom or trying to preach to them is unfortunately only going to result in what we are seeing now. We now have fans who believe that the stories they love are being weaponised to push an agenda - even if it's not really the case. In summary, the show looks very pretty. It's obviously had a lot of love and attention, but would have benefited for the same amount of love and attention to a lot of other areas as well. I really don't think this is going to be the Game of Thrones replacement that Amazon was hoping for, and I would be very surprised it makes it to season 5 as they are hopiong.… Expand
24 of 190 users found this helpful24166
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3
RadagornSep 4, 2022
Terrible show. Just good effects...nothing else. It's a shame how these big companies don't know how to adapt what it's known as a great story. It happend with the Witcher, Netflix and now this.
11 of 155 users found this helpful11144
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3
EmirgondSep 5, 2022
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. My heart is bleeding...

From the beginning, the Amazon Rings of Power series wanted to put itself on a par with Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films. Amazon does not live up to this claim, paid for with 1 billion dollars. Money is not everything. So I'll start with the positive aspects:

-With the money, tremendous and partly even coherent images were created. Valinor and Khazad-Dum look very good. One wishes for slower camera movements to absorb more details. And here we come to the limit of the short CGI sequences: They are just facades. (Khazad-Dum was a bit more detailed due to the longer scenes.) Still, it's no comparison to the companions' journey through Moria (Khazad-Dum) and Gandalf's arrival at Minas Tirith in the original Lord of the Rings films by Peter Jackson. -The images in the series are accompanied by good music. Sauron's theme sounds intimidating and threatening - great! At other points, however, the music falls short of expectations. An example: Everyone will still have the atmospheric sound of the Shire of the Jackson films by Howard Shore in their ears. The ancestors of the hobbits of the Amazon series have their own theme. It's quite cute, but it doesn't invite to dream like the masterpiece of Howard Shore.

-The acting of Disa and Durin in the presence of Elrond in the second episode was a bright spot. Unfortunately, the imposing images described at the beginning can't hide the negative aspects of the series.

Weak dialogues and partly very weak storytelling (our main character jumps off the boat in the middle of the ocean with no chance of rescue and of course she gets lucky when she meets the remains of a ship's crew). On the whole, I have to admit to myself that the presentation of the story around Galadriel (our main character) is so weak that I don't even know where to start. The actress can't do anything for the narration. In the films of Peter Jackson, Elves were rehearsed choreographies. Posture, elegance, and expressiveness. In two scenes that I personally noticed, the actress of Galadriel loses face. She plays a millennia-old, high-born Elf who has seen a lot... bad Quote incoming (you have not seen what i have seen) and she seems unfortunately simply - human. Driven by revenge for her brother without putting the greater good in the foreground.

Conclusion

If you love Tolkien's books and appreciate Peter Jackson's first trilogy, then you probably won't have an easy time diving into Tolkien's world with Amazon's new series.… Expand
12 of 137 users found this helpful12125
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3
alesaiyanSep 5, 2022
Idiotic character who act and talk like idiots, people who swim thousands of km, people who walk hundreds of km with no equipments or a Horse, in 5 mins...
14 of 135 users found this helpful14121
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3
RavenxSep 6, 2022
No es una película fiel a los libros, contiene mucho personaje inventado y cambios sin sentido en la historia
14 of 135 users found this helpful14121
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3
MikiDuSep 6, 2022
3 just for graphic.
It looks close to unreal engine 5 demos and I like UE5. So just with love to graphic.
Regarding music... I don't know. Was there some music? I didn't recall after 2 series. Regrading dialogues. First of its hard to3 just for graphic.
It looks close to unreal engine 5 demos and I like UE5. So just with love to graphic.
Regarding music... I don't know. Was there some music? I didn't recall after 2 series.
Regrading dialogues. First of its hard to understand who is parents and who is child. Amazon please add labels.
Then story. Well, I'd like to know more about hobbit story, but I absolutely don't like elves story. Could

So over all. There was no action (except 1 episode with galadriel). Was no atmosphere. It looks like "Friends" in Tolkien world)… Expand
16 of 149 users found this helpful16133
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3
RetlawplSep 6, 2022
verry good CGI and music, but, boring story, flat characters, annoying Galadriel, lots of illogical threads, no Tolkien here, but that's the smallest sin
11 of 146 users found this helpful11135
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3
BuggiesdaddySep 7, 2022
This my first time ever leaving a review for a show but I felt compelled to say something. If you are a fan of the books then don't watch this show! It will only make you angry of all the changes and this is not Tolkien.
20 of 189 users found this helpful20169
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3
Karadras-ccsSep 8, 2022
I Watched it finally, 2 episodes in.
I Almost fell sleep on the second episode. There were pretty cgi and landscapes, but story wise very boring generic. This has lord of the rings glues to it, and it barely feels like it. When I watched theI Watched it finally, 2 episodes in.
I Almost fell sleep on the second episode. There were pretty cgi and landscapes, but story wise very boring generic. This has lord of the rings glues to it, and it barely feels like it. When I watched the first lotr movie, i was simply amazed and fell in love immediately, but while watching this, it just felt whatever. I’ll continue watching, hoping for some improvement (but I doubt it).… Expand
25 of 324 users found this helpful25299
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3
TrixieDixieSep 11, 2022
For the amount of money invested and the source material involved this has been a big disappointment. Poor dialogue, some bad or over acting and contrived storytelling means that, for me, it is a below than average show.
13 of 180 users found this helpful13167
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3
AcateFrSep 22, 2022
Poor actors choice, nice CGI, I would like evade the real world, but when you see the show it's like actual world. Stop this please.
6 of 173 users found this helpful6167
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3
JimmyMcGillSep 24, 2022
The morons calling this show "Marxist" don't seem to understand this show is the product of pure end-stage capitalism.

This show has sporadic insanely good visuals, good action, and then is drowned by something that looks like a 13 year oldThe morons calling this show "Marxist" don't seem to understand this show is the product of pure end-stage capitalism.

This show has sporadic insanely good visuals, good action, and then is drowned by something that looks like a 13 year old with a camcorder back in 1999 making baby's first movie. I don't care about "muh elves aren't white and don't have long hair," the black elf is the coolest person on the show period. But everything else is bleh. How they gonna have my man whipping chains around like the coolest dude on the planet, flying around like a G, catching arrows and cucking orcs, and then Galadriel in the next shot looks like she has no health insurance and doesn't want to get hurt while swinging a lil plastic sword around?

Episode 4, Galadriel does some shuffle karate chop thing and teleports four guards into a prison cell. That was the breaking point for me. It was more entertaining to say "deez nuts" after every line of the show. It made the people watching with me laugh and not fall asleep. This show is literal peak corporate "culture," there's nothing there. Galadriel can apparently teleport up a tower wall, I guess they can't show it cause it's too expensive or whatever despite 1 billion dollarinos thrown at it.

CGI looks okay until it's terrible. Like the scenes on the boat, you can practically see the school gymnasium they filmed the "ship" in. Also how does Elrond teleport between the Dwarf kingdom and the old elf's tower, how does that work. And why does the orange light from fire look like someone photoshopped an overlay layer onto the scene. The scenes in Numenor are comical. Such a huge city with 30 extras in each scene. All that an Gal walks away with what, 120 soldiers to take on the orcs?

There are some beautiful shots for sure, extremely gorgeous stuff, but then you get scenes with pig-wolves that last all of 20 seconds before they are deleted from memory.

I can't even remember any of the character names because I literally just don't care cause they're all boring. I don't even care about the "woke" parts that these alt right incels are whining about. The diverse casting choices are actually the only ones putting in an effort ironically. Everything is reactionary these days, yes the alt right Trump idiots and "we wuz Tolkien purists" conservatives are annoying but so are the people making these shows lazily hoping to just get away with it and shooing all criticism off as the work of incels (which it may or may not be).

It's just that there's not much effort going into the writing or planning, the show feels half-finished or something I dunno. I tried SO HARD to like it, I loved the first two episodes and thought people were exaggerating with the hate. Like bro if they took the black elf and made a show about him just going around beating on orcs for 45 minutes I'd watch the sh*t out of that.

Then episode 3, 4 then 5 rolled around. I just can't.… Expand
15 of 437 users found this helpful15422
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3
Mustakrakish13Sep 24, 2022
Another case of corporate hubris. They buy up a long established, beloved and revered franchise and just throw out the story for their own version. “Screw the author and screw the fans; we know better.”
10 of 178 users found this helpful10168
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3
MrsSpookyOct 7, 2022
One of the most boring shows i've ever watched. Bad script, bad acting, completely uncharismatic characters I don't give a **** about. I started to watch it to compare with House of the Dragon, and it's like comparing an Oscar nomanated movieOne of the most boring shows i've ever watched. Bad script, bad acting, completely uncharismatic characters I don't give a **** about. I started to watch it to compare with House of the Dragon, and it's like comparing an Oscar nomanated movie and Tommy Wiseau's The Room))… Expand
4 of 7 users found this helpful43
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3
Rosie12Oct 9, 2022
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Finished episode 5 somehow, but in no way can I continue. Granted, there are scenes which are nice to look at, but there are so many problems with this terribly written fan fiction. Why are the harfoots (hobbits) such horrible, cruel creatures? Why is Galadriel a blood-thirsty, revenge obsessed unlikeable character? There is so much that doesn't exist in Tolkien's world that the series is just too insufferable form the vast majority of Tolkien fans to endure. Truly disappointing.. .… Expand
5 of 8 users found this helpful53
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3
AaartoriasOct 15, 2022
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The direction, the scenografy and some of the actor are good. the plot and the script are terribile. An empty but beautiful box.… Expand
8 of 12 users found this helpful84
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3
SizerTheBrokenOct 17, 2022
It's just ok. Which is disappointing for a show called The Lord of the Rings. With the material they had, it could have been and should have been so much better.
3 of 7 users found this helpful34
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3
FiffenOct 24, 2022
RoP was a huge disappointment. Even if we (as this review will) set aside the obvious fact that zero respect has been paid to Tolkien's work and just view it as a stand-alone fantasy series it, simply put, is a pure disaster considering theRoP was a huge disappointment. Even if we (as this review will) set aside the obvious fact that zero respect has been paid to Tolkien's work and just view it as a stand-alone fantasy series it, simply put, is a pure disaster considering the extensive budget. As a viewer you constantly fluctuate between boredom caused by the extremely low tempo and irritation over the silly plot and the unlikable characters. Almost every single scene comes across as drawn-out and unnecessarily slow. 50 percent of every scene could be cut without losing anything of value. The show constantly attempts to cover up these obvious short-comings by blasting mood-setting music. To no avail.

The dialogue is best described as cringeworthy, filled to the brim with pseudointellectual garbage.

The characters are terrible. The main character comes across as pure B-word Karen and a Mary Sue. The harfoots are unlikeable psycho-hobbits. You find yourself rooting for the main villain before too long.

The storyline is full of plot holes, fillers and conveniences and there is no universal concept of time. The script is filled with uninteresting mystery boxes leading nowhere.

The series is, lastly, full of overt modern political messaging. It's also filled with intersectional theory, meaning that "all" female characters are wise and capable by default, and "all" male characters are either uncapable or evil. Unless they happen to be portrayed by people of colour, of course. It even allows you predict the identity of the main villain with precision by simply blindly picking the most capable white male character around. Nobody wants this in a showing purporting to create something epic. Please just stop.

I can't think of anything positive except for the visuals, which most of the time are stunning. The armour and some of the CGI needs more work, though.

As a Tolkien adaption this train wreck is a pure 0/10. As a stand-alone fantasy series it's a 3/10.… Expand
3 of 6 users found this helpful33
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3
DarrenSterlingNov 8, 2022
Taken as its own work of fantasy, the show is below average. As a story within the world of Middle Earth, it's terrible. The writers have gone off script and changed critical parts of the world for no obvious reason than perhaps a lack ofTaken as its own work of fantasy, the show is below average. As a story within the world of Middle Earth, it's terrible. The writers have gone off script and changed critical parts of the world for no obvious reason than perhaps a lack of imagination. Disappointing in either case.… Expand
3 of 23 users found this helpful320
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3
timbo2289Jan 29, 2023
Please make the writing better, hire some of writers from andor, Amazon has the cash…
1 of 8 users found this helpful17
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3
JeffSoberJul 22, 2023
I don't even know if I say everything I want to say, I've watched the hole season, just finished rn, I'm just disappointed and so sad, not actors fault, but, the development of most of the characters, their presentation, and the charactersI don't even know if I say everything I want to say, I've watched the hole season, just finished rn, I'm just disappointed and so sad, not actors fault, but, the development of most of the characters, their presentation, and the characters themselves, are really bad, so it kind of messes with my judgment about their performance, you can't tell if they are bad, or if everything was just very poorly written/directed/scripted, I love the extended editions of the first trilogy and the second one, I don't even blink, they are wonderful, but, in this series, it is difficult to finish an episode, many times I fell asleep in the middle of the episode, or, I ended up getting distracted playing with my cat, or, fiddling with my glasses, disappointing, bad script, poor dialogues, bad scenes, very predictable, dull, not involving and boring, characters without charisma and many even kinda annoying, I liked the effects, which are good, but nothing too out of the ordinary, the Hobbit trilogy was very beautiful too. (It's not racial or about female characters leading, the show is just bad, as I said, for other reasons! Nothing to do with the representativeness, I love Kora, MIB...… Expand
5 of 5 users found this helpful50
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2
CaobeiDec 17, 2022
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Such a disappointment, I had to come on here and leave a review because I feel strongly that IMDB is altering the reviews and ratings. The series feels strongly of the hatchet, rush job that I've seen from Disney with treasured stories. After the first two episodes I began to fast forward through the Galadriedl and Aarondir stories. The only storyline I've found remotely interesting, and still the shallowness of characters is very visible is the Brandyfoot and The Stranger. I've written the series off but will probably watch season two with my button on the fast forward button.… Expand
3 of 22 users found this helpful319
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2
DrakanSep 12, 2022
Ok, let's start by the good.

The good: 1. Beautiful and ethereal scenery 2. Gorgeous and heroic-evoking landscapes 3. Very nice CGI effects The bad: 1. Untrue to Tolkien lore 2. Galadriel is unlike the books. She is now an entitled KarenOk, let's start by the good.

The good:

1. Beautiful and ethereal scenery
2. Gorgeous and heroic-evoking landscapes
3. Very nice CGI effects The bad:

1. Untrue to Tolkien lore
2. Galadriel is unlike the books. She is now an entitled Karen who is a swordmaster (not a spellcaster, sic), with super powers that allows her to punch bear fisted solid walls of ice, take ice trolls all by herself (when seven other elite elf warriors had previously failed seconds before), capable of swimming entire oceans without growing tired etc you simply cannot relate to her character as she's a superwoman with god-like powers that doesn't break a sweat. 3. Poor dialogue, questionable plots twists, and used tropes It's an ok show to watch so long as you do not view it with Tolkien's lore and world in mind. If you can manage that, it's fine to watch.… Expand
13 of 181 users found this helpful13168
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2
kamgeforceSep 6, 2022
Golden turd. It is all we expected it to be, incredibly high production, visually stunning, woke as **** no soul, doesnt feel like Tolkien. Galadriel is a pouty boss **** soldier for some reason, not MC material, no desire to follow her aGolden turd. It is all we expected it to be, incredibly high production, visually stunning, woke as **** no soul, doesnt feel like Tolkien. Galadriel is a pouty boss **** soldier for some reason, not MC material, no desire to follow her a single season, let alone 5. Above average for a generic fantasy show solely for the production, but as a lotr show, its garbage.… Expand
23 of 98 users found this helpful2375
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2
KiraseOct 1, 2022
Always find it fascinating when someone has all the money in the world but no taste at all. Buying a multi million dollar mansion, free to create the most cozy, warm, livable, inviting home for family and friends. Instead you get a soullessAlways find it fascinating when someone has all the money in the world but no taste at all. Buying a multi million dollar mansion, free to create the most cozy, warm, livable, inviting home for family and friends. Instead you get a soulless cold place, half empty rooms, kitsch, black marble and gold. Something that people would rather sell and start over instead of calling it home.

The rings of power is just that.
Its only purpose seems to be to show financial potency.
Things look really expensive but completely lack taste and soul.
One episode after another i feel myself just kind of sitting there for another hour waiting for something. The story is so slow that it feels like they should have made another movie or two instead of a series. The characters are so bland that they become completely expendable. All of them could leave the show and i wouldnt mind.

Only well written and entertaining thing in 6 episodes was elronds and durins friendly dispute.… Expand
8 of 11 users found this helpful83
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2
ThaltomSep 16, 2022
Beautiful visuals and some excellent costume and weapon designs. The story itself is garbage. Subpar acting for such an expensive show; that surprised me, I figured they would have bought top talent. You couldn't pay me to watch it.
7 of 174 users found this helpful7167
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2
TimacekSep 5, 2022
An insult to Tolkien as a Tolkien life fan iam feeling very betrayed. In a crusade for a wokeness and other politics they have absolutely bastardized proffessors work. Be ashamed amazon, i wont pity you when the shi-storm will get you. youAn insult to Tolkien as a Tolkien life fan iam feeling very betrayed. In a crusade for a wokeness and other politics they have absolutely bastardized proffessors work. Be ashamed amazon, i wont pity you when the shi-storm will get you. you deserve it full stop. they could not even get the prolog right when it was the ungoliath what sucked the light from the trees and it would have been so epic scene. Shame on you amazon… Expand
13 of 140 users found this helpful13127
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2
AstroCatOct 27, 2022
An absolute embarrassment to watch! I mean like I was really embarrassed watching it, I laughed out loud and even had to pause the playback to take a break it was so painful.

I was overwhelmed with awful dialog, nonsensical amateurishAn absolute embarrassment to watch! I mean like I was really embarrassed watching it, I laughed out loud and even had to pause the playback to take a break it was so painful.

I was overwhelmed with awful dialog, nonsensical amateurish writing, misguided casting, cringe inducing "action" scenes and a story that is riddled with absurd plot holes and ridiculous moments.

The VFX do hold solid and are truly impressive, and to be clear this does not include the costumes and practical effects which are mostly atrocious. The score and sound design are solid for the most part, but not particularly memorable, although the Howard Shore title track is a true bait and switch.

I came in with an open mind, trying to temper the pre-release criticism, but to my pure disappointment I found the pre-release criticism warranted if not tempered in levels. This is truly a media disaster for me, I don't how they can salvage this mess without practically a re-boot for the next season. I'd actually prefer them to throw in the towel, take the loss and move on from this embarrassment.… Expand
4 of 21 users found this helpful417
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2
BlacklycheSep 25, 2022
A massively missed opportunity. Bad writing, slopping costumes and a revisionist approach to Tolkien that wants to alienate fans.
9 of 175 users found this helpful9166
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2
AntekOct 9, 2022
Boring, horrible uninspired script writing, flat characters. Gave up on the 3rd episode.
Good CG though.
7 of 10 users found this helpful73
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2
jseph1234Dec 13, 2022
This show takes TOO Many liberties and is not even close to being accurate in its depiction of Galadriel, the first and second age of Middle earth and what acctually occured. Its just a headache inducing abberation of J.R.R. TolkienThis show takes TOO Many liberties and is not even close to being accurate in its depiction of Galadriel, the first and second age of Middle earth and what acctually occured. Its just a headache inducing abberation of J.R.R. Tolkien Incredible World. Could barely stomach it and ANTOHER Great Author's work (Robert Jordan being the first) that Amazon has ruined by sensationally inaccurate writing!… Expand
3 of 28 users found this helpful325
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2
skepticckSep 6, 2022
Writing in this series is terrible, this script seems written by people who never read a book in their lives and were more interested in injecting themselves and their politics into the script instead of writing a good story, not that theyWriting in this series is terrible, this script seems written by people who never read a book in their lives and were more interested in injecting themselves and their politics into the script instead of writing a good story, not that they would even know how to. Scored 2 for the visuals because the rest is abysmal, the story and the acting are just bad.… Expand
13 of 151 users found this helpful13138
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2
lghulmSep 17, 2022
Too slow to grab any but the utmost Tolkien fan, but then too modern in its intent with casting to deliver the level of immersion in the world such fans need. In the end simply an expensive waste of time and energy, more invested in angeringToo slow to grab any but the utmost Tolkien fan, but then too modern in its intent with casting to deliver the level of immersion in the world such fans need. In the end simply an expensive waste of time and energy, more invested in angering "people with the wrong opinions", than trying to do justice to the mythos and the work.… Expand
7 of 175 users found this helpful7168
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2
WitchcraftSep 6, 2022
Everything visual and auditory about the show is excellent. The CG, effects, sets and costumes are all great. The music and sound design, great. That's where the greatness ends. And now for the terrible... The story is uninteresting.Everything visual and auditory about the show is excellent. The CG, effects, sets and costumes are all great. The music and sound design, great. That's where the greatness ends. And now for the terrible... The story is uninteresting. The writing is cliche, bland and predictable. The acting is mediocre. The battle and fight choreography looks very staged and amateur. I didn't mind most of the modern day updates, like diversifying the skin colors, but the gender inequality and pro-girl-power plugs were so portrayed with such over-used scenarios and contexts that it felt un-original and lazily implemented.

Sadly, the only way to enjoy this show is with dubbing set to a language you don't understand, and by skipping half the action sequences.… Expand
13 of 147 users found this helpful13134
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2
mauvemageOct 5, 2022
Wow, all i can say is wow. I mean, this is a comedy right?
To quote the legendary John Mcrenroe. 'You cannot be serious?'
Oh wait, I just quote a hugely succesful white man, eek! How dare I do that! I dread to think what state the wokeWow, all i can say is wow. I mean, this is a comedy right?
To quote the legendary John Mcrenroe. 'You cannot be serious?'
Oh wait, I just quote a hugely succesful white man, eek! How dare I do that!
I dread to think what state the woke writers of this show are in. Yes they have money, but do they have the respect of their peers? Do they have self-esteem? I doubt it.
If any of them don't like what I've written, please reply or get in touch. This show is not Lord of the rings and doesn't make any sense. Avoid.… Expand
9 of 13 users found this helpful94
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2
InkstaindWretchOct 27, 2022
Bad fanfiction in the guise of a Tolkien story. The first season of the Rings of Power runs as long as Peter Jackson's trilogy but has maybe 1/10th as much going on plot-wise. Entire episodes are nothing but wheel-spinning. To quote BilboBad fanfiction in the guise of a Tolkien story. The first season of the Rings of Power runs as long as Peter Jackson's trilogy but has maybe 1/10th as much going on plot-wise. Entire episodes are nothing but wheel-spinning. To quote Bilbo Baggins, "I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread." This wouldn't be so bad if the series was at least building up to something memorable but in the end it just sort of fizzles out. The storyline involving the hobbits ("harfoots") and their mysterious visitor is the weakest of all, spreading about 10-15 minutes worth of storytelling over 8 episodes. The best is the storyline involving Elrond and Durin attempting to strike a deal between the elven and dwarven empires. The actors play off each well and there's several humorous moments. Ultimately though it doesn't lead anywhere. The fact that the actor playing Elrond looks absolutely nothing like Hugo Weaving doesn't help.
The other two plotlines, Galadriel's obsessive quest to find Sauron and a human village trying to fend off orcs, are given lots of moments of high drama but just aren't engaging. A pair of major plot reveals in the final episode both flop because you can see the twists coming as early as the first episode.
The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit have already been done. There's nothing of Tolkien left to adapt. That sets the bar pretty high for anybody trying to expand on his works: It has to be both original and as good as Tolkien's own novels. The Rings of Power isn't anywhere near that level.… Expand
4 of 20 users found this helpful416
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2
depoNov 2, 2022
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I do not consider myself an extremist Tolkienian, but, like many, a reader who loved the author's writing and the complex creative process that, by applying linguistics, mythology, genealogy, philosophy, and history, led to a real cosmogony.

Let's start with the positives:
The scenography is fantastic! 3D computer graphics manage to recreate a coherent and immersive, credible environment, attributable to Tolkien's stories and to what we have already seen in Peter Jackson's films.

And unfortunately, in my opinion, this is the only good thing in this series: contrary to my expectations, the negative sides are innumerable and deeply impacting.

The first major problem is the actors: the main characters lack charisma and consistency. The king of the Elves, a millennial being who should be of immense experience and wisdom, but he seems a "simple" human king, narrow-minded and with no prospects, so insecure that he continually listens to Elrond's advice, who looks like an arrogant kid with styling.

The actress who plays Galadriel fails to convey, either physically or through her acting skills, the light, the height of a High Elf, a semi-divine being of 3000-4000 years. She looks like an angry, temperamental little girl [quote: "you remind me of my teenage daughter" ... sigh!]. She is totally blinded by her impulsiveness and desire for revenge, with no ability to relate to others, unable to be heard by both the Elves and the humans of Numenor. When she tries to appear absorbed or intense or is framed in the many slow-motion scenes, she does not convey the coolness, strength, or nobility appropriate to her rank, her age, but she just seems empty, absent.

The fact is that it seems that the writers did not bother to understand some key aspects of Tolkien's world, its genesis, the characteristics of each race, and the chronology of events, but rather they were in a hurry to superficially insert their stories original and new characters regardless of the disastrous consequences they generated.

So High Elves, behave like stupid human teenagers, completely distorting them. Numenorian men should be over two meters tall and deeply connected to the Elves.

Sauron should be disguised as an Elf and infiltrate Numenor corrupting the soul of the regent, causing the departure from the Light and therefore the fall of the kingdom that was given to Edain by the same Valar for the help offered by men to the Elves in the wars of the Before It Was.

* SPOILER ZONE *

The rings of power are created, over the span of tens of years, just a thousand years after these events. And not in ten minutes at the end of the season.

The original storylines, created by the writers, are nonsense, using tricks to add unnecessary romance and drama. Visually epic scenes, like Galadriel being burned by the eruption and Isildur's death? Totally useless. The fallen Ishtar they want us to believe is Sauron (using super Sayan priestesses)? But who believes it?

The fact is that Tolkien's books are the most widely read in the world. Everyone has read them, apart from the writers, who seem to be writing dialogues for soap operas. So you can't think about creating a series, spending $ 1 billion, and pretending that no one knows what happens next, or has no expectations of the correct sequence of events.

This series offends the viewers' intelligence and Tolkien's genius. He tries to appear philologically correct by plagiarizing Peter Jackson's films, and at times even mistaking context. The fight scenes are awkward. The werewolf looks like a mouse. Adar looks like a corrupted Elf, he doesn't look like an Uruk Hai should have. And anyway, the Uruk Hai are created by Sauron much later. In each episode, you keep asking yourself: why do they do this? It does not make sense! And why don't they do this else?

Why don't they break the dam with the Orc army instead of damning themselves to find the key that ... opens the dam?

What a mess. How sad. What a missed opportunity!… Expand
5 of 24 users found this helpful519
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2
LtlombardiSep 8, 2022
Didn't like the music, the scenery. It does not look like the movie series,. unfortunately.
It's also too slow and kind of boring.
Galandriel and Elrond are nice and all, but the series as a whole is just not captivating
21 of 151 users found this helpful21130
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2
electronicoffeeSep 6, 2022
Beautiful as hell but shallow as a puddle. This is a bastardization of Tolkeins work for the sake of virtue signaling, shoehorned diversity, and sacrificing art for equity. It's sad because these actors will never know if they were hired forBeautiful as hell but shallow as a puddle. This is a bastardization of Tolkeins work for the sake of virtue signaling, shoehorned diversity, and sacrificing art for equity. It's sad because these actors will never know if they were hired for merit or for their color/gendersex. This is a soulless creation based not on canon but a series of disjointed notes that would serve better for an mmorpg or a tabletop fantasy book setting. The acting from Gaslightdriel is absolutely horrible and she's the star of the show. This is basically THE GALADRIEL SHOW. Ugh. She's NOTHING like in the lore either; this is an absolute insult to her character's history, depth, and grace.… Expand
14 of 151 users found this helpful14137
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2
MdbrownSep 5, 2022
So far the show has been underwhelming. I doubt I would watch episode 3 if not for Tolkein. I was expecting House of the Dragon to be bad due to the way GoT ended, but I was presently surprised. I was expecting Rings of Power to beSo far the show has been underwhelming. I doubt I would watch episode 3 if not for Tolkein. I was expecting House of the Dragon to be bad due to the way GoT ended, but I was presently surprised. I was expecting Rings of Power to be excellent and have been disappointed so far. The first two episodes were slow, the CGI that everyone is raving about looks like a video game and there are plenty of shows with POC in lead roles for me to watch so there's nothing "special" here. Most of the characters with the exception of Durin and Elrond are boring so far. I like female-led shows, but so far I have zero interest in Galadriel and Elanor 'Nori' Brandyfoot -who have a lot of screen-time.… Expand
25 of 158 users found this helpful25133
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2
MinaverusSep 3, 2022
The only part I was entertained came with the dwarves. Princess Disa (I think is how you spell it?) And Durin I thought brought some much needed emotion to the show and actually made Elrond look better as a result. He was like a differentThe only part I was entertained came with the dwarves. Princess Disa (I think is how you spell it?) And Durin I thought brought some much needed emotion to the show and actually made Elrond look better as a result. He was like a different person among the dwarves. I think the elves alone seem to be the worst part of the show and the reason everyone hates it during the first episode. The way they try to make every mundane conversation into poetry is extremely annoying. And then a lot of the things they say don't even make sense even metaphorically. A rock sees only downwards?? They would have been better off making elves communicate telepathically and just act with only body language except when communicating with other races. Or big brain idea... Have them speak ELVISH with subtitles. I'd be very surprised if episode 3 turned this series' fortunes around, as of right now, the majority of the plot seems like utter rubbish.… Expand
78 of 255 users found this helpful78177
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2
CoreGamer1408Sep 10, 2022
Fan baiting show with gaslight marketing. I am apathetic to updating my review for this show beyond season one. Hey Amazon a life long Tolkien fan who doesn't care about a season two of this show. Good job, not...

Tolkien lore wise theFan baiting show with gaslight marketing. I am apathetic to updating my review for this show beyond season one. Hey Amazon a life long Tolkien fan who doesn't care about a season two of this show. Good job, not...

Tolkien lore wise the depiction of Guy-lad-riel, Nuemiaroians and the Southlands are all wrong. Yeah I get normies don't care about the lore, but the writing, acting and story still sucks in TROP. The non lore ideas behind the creation of Mithiral and Mount Doom are laughably bad. Oh my all the big reveals at the end!!!??? This a prequel we know who is who and when live and when they die. The show has no surprises beyond the dumb lore breaks.

My gold standard for a reimagined IP that is well acted and well written is Ronald D Moore BSG. The WB Shadow of Mordor game has a way better Tolkien vibe than TROP. I finally figured a more apt name for this show. "The Repurposers of Power" just like in the creatively bankrupt vein of Star Wars TFA.

This show is no different than the dumpster fires of Star Trek, Star Wars, Dr Who, Predator, Aliens, Terminator, MCU, etc.. It is the current trend for talentless hacks to ruin well crafted franchises by talented artists of yesteryear. Like the Star Wars sequels did for prequels well I am betting TROP will do that for the Hobbit trilogy. Amazon spent nearly billion dollars all to elevate the WB Hobbit movies lmao. This is only season one of five oh deary me, better luck next time, oof!?… Expand
72 of 1334 users found this helpful721262
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2
DickDastardlySep 2, 2022
This is the most expensive acclaimed series in history? It looks like just another generic fantasy series, because there's not much Tolkien in it. Bad to the core. If you are looking for quality go back to the Lord of the Rings triology.
163 of 355 users found this helpful163192
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2
dramaticwordsSep 5, 2022
One day, someone may adapt JRR Tolkien's rich and detailed history of Middle-Earth for the screen in all its majestic grandeur... but it is not this day. The producers of this show seem to have taken Tolkien's works, cut them into slivers,One day, someone may adapt JRR Tolkien's rich and detailed history of Middle-Earth for the screen in all its majestic grandeur... but it is not this day. The producers of this show seem to have taken Tolkien's works, cut them into slivers, thrown them into the air, caught a small handful, and randomly assembled them into a new story they can use as a platform for 21st century themes. Then they hired amateur "writers" who can't write dialogue, characters, or plots of any quality or consistency. Some pretty pictures though.… Expand
28 of 155 users found this helpful28127
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2
Sharpener988Sep 12, 2022
While the show exhibits stunning shots and good CGI, the story falls flat between an uninteresting story full of plotholes and quick-fixes, unlikable characters, a crusty dialogue and a very uneven (and most of the time very slow) pacing:( IWhile the show exhibits stunning shots and good CGI, the story falls flat between an uninteresting story full of plotholes and quick-fixes, unlikable characters, a crusty dialogue and a very uneven (and most of the time very slow) pacing:( I was superexcited for this but between crusty dialogue, uninteresting storylines, unlikable characters and a very uneven (and more oftan than not slow) pacing, this did not deliver nearly what I had hoped:( Being a Tolkien fan, I thought that might be it, but my girlfriend watched it with me and she was equally bored and confused:/ Hope they improve, because this is imo not worthy of the time and money they seem to have put into this… Expand
13 of 180 users found this helpful13167
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2
harveman877Oct 15, 2022
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Wow after finishing the first season I can say what an abomination this show truly is. I would call this fanfiction, but the showrunners clearly aren't fans as they are just making up their own BS and wearing LOTR as a skin suit.Everyone and their mother knew Halbrand would turn out to be Sauron I'm actually kind of surprised with how moronic the writing is they didn't mix him up with the pterodactyl guy from X-men. The fact that in the end he turns out to be evil (or continues to be) because essentially he got shot down by Galadriel is so dumb. Also the elves are morons because even after they realize the guy telling them to forge the rings is pure evil they do it anyways. Just terrible writing in this show all around I give 2 points for the crew and VFX people and maybe a couple of the actors since they are the only people who did a good job and the show is a pretty trash fire since the plot is god awful.It's amazing the damage Bad Robot and JJ Abrams has done to the entertainment industry. The 2 show runners being hacks and former employees of JJ Abrams's infamous Bad Robot. Even shows JJ isn't directly involved with feel his cancerous touch. Amazon you need to fire these people now and stay away from anyone connected to JJ or his terrible company.… Expand
4 of 8 users found this helpful44
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2
abovemindSep 9, 2022
Underwhelming, boring, and a tad mundane. It has elements of good effects and some nice visuals, but feels very untolkien like. More like GoT lite. I wish people actually tried to write good dialogue instead of just throwing money atUnderwhelming, boring, and a tad mundane. It has elements of good effects and some nice visuals, but feels very untolkien like. More like GoT lite. I wish people actually tried to write good dialogue instead of just throwing money at hackneyed writers.… Expand
25 of 98 users found this helpful2573
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2
metta206Sep 25, 2022
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The good: Beautiful music, good visuals, sometimes good CGI, I think the actors are mostly fine. I find the Elrond and Durin storyline quite enjoyable. The bad: Everything else. Galadriel's behavior is inexplicably both stupid and amoral. She jumps out of a boat in the middle of the ocean and attempts a swim that would take weeks at least to complete back to Middle Earth. She threatens murder on several occasions to get what she wants. The scene where she shoves four Numenorean guards (who possess super-human strength) into a cell is just embarrassing. The harfoots want to abandon one of their own due to a injured foot, despite clearly possessing cart technology. What do they do when someone is pregnant? The timeline is a total mess (I'm a huge Tolkien nerd so I know my stuff), with events thousands of years apart mixed together haphazardly. Sometimes the orcs are allergic to sunlight and other times they're fine. About half the segments are simply boring. If the meteor man turns out to be a Wizard, then it's a spectacular fail from a lore perspective (just saying). Not recommended. A big disappointment, especially considering how the writers claimed they wanted to stay true to Tolkien. Clearly what they really wanted was a fantasy show full of moral ambiguity and drama like Game of Thrones because money. I'd suggest getting a whole new writing team to dramatically correct course.… Expand
9 of 169 users found this helpful9160
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2
SailnirSep 7, 2022
OOOOOOhhhh... Shiny. This show has some incredible CG landscapes and cities. That said, the very depiction of the characters and the actions that are credited as being valiant is an absolute inversion of the world Tolkien creates. GaladrielOOOOOOhhhh... Shiny. This show has some incredible CG landscapes and cities. That said, the very depiction of the characters and the actions that are credited as being valiant is an absolute inversion of the world Tolkien creates. Galadriel changes from honorable and wise, as she should be at thousands of years old, to impulsive, vengeful, and spiteful of authority. The Harfoots are shown as simpletons and the daughter is spiteful of their tradition and worries treating them with a similar lack of respect. Arondir abandons his post and defies his orders. His love interest, Bronwyn abandons her child to go on a potentially dangerous adventure. Every human is depicted as a bigot, every male as toxic, the world is darkness. It is very much the opposite of what Sam said, “There's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for.”… Expand
13 of 149 users found this helpful13136
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2
EverCoreSep 4, 2022
I cant believe what I was just watching. I knew it was bound to be controversial and I wanted to give it a try, but thats unwatchable. If you want to watch anything "Lord of the Rings" related, you will not find it here. They have created aI cant believe what I was just watching. I knew it was bound to be controversial and I wanted to give it a try, but thats unwatchable. If you want to watch anything "Lord of the Rings" related, you will not find it here. They have created a generic fantasy show, slapped some Names created by Professor Tolkien on it and called it "Lord of the Rings". Even if you take away their blatant piggybacking on more creative minds, this isnt worth watching. Its focus on controversial current year politics takes every bit of fantasy out of the script, their inaptitude to tell compelling stories denies all immersion, their disregard for character arcs ruins even the most unimportant original side character. It is not a Zero or a One, the visuals are sometimes stunning to behold. That is thanks to the visual effects artists, whose work is the only thing consistently great in modern Hollywood. If you must see for yourself, watch the first episode. But overall, there is sadly nothing in recent TV or cinema history I would recommend less.… Expand
26 of 101 users found this helpful2675
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2
EFRAMSep 2, 2022
What was amazon thinking? This mish-mosh ham-fisted retelling of Tolkiens oeuvre through the exploration of the appendices of his books was boring, banal, devoid of action or drama or emotional heft. Besides the overlong totally unnecessaryWhat was amazon thinking? This mish-mosh ham-fisted retelling of Tolkiens oeuvre through the exploration of the appendices of his books was boring, banal, devoid of action or drama or emotional heft. Besides the overlong totally unnecessary prologue which made the device of exposition into a cudgel, the storytelling, which should have been mesmerizing, and engaging was flat and stale. The acting was passable at best, but the writing and direction were what really sank the 2 hours I viewed. How the mucky-mucks at Amazon high command allowed this 58 million dollar embarrassment to see the light of day is beyond me. nothing to see here. I yearn for a fantasy drama that really brings a new light on a world that is created with excitement, and emotional meaning and TROP is not that.… Expand
55 of 237 users found this helpful55182
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2
tarant75Oct 27, 2022
Even if you're not a big Lord of the Rings fan and you don't really care about the original, you can still say something: extremely boring. A lot of money was put into CGI, but extremely little into the scripts and the actors. TheEven if you're not a big Lord of the Rings fan and you don't really care about the original, you can still say something: extremely boring. A lot of money was put into CGI, but extremely little into the scripts and the actors. The monotonously played, permanently grumpy Galadriel just gets on your nerves. It would have been good if she had been killed in the first episode. But no, she's the main character. Oh dear. I effectively gave up after four episodes. Told by a friend who has seen them all: I didn't miss anything. So no FOMO: you can easily ignore this series. You're not missing anything.… Expand
3 of 25 users found this helpful322
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2
DJacobsonSep 7, 2022
They are calling Tolkien and his fans racist now, that did not work for NuTrek or any other modern crappy movie or TV show, the show has problems most of them have nothing to do with the stunt casting of black people, The black dwarf womanThey are calling Tolkien and his fans racist now, that did not work for NuTrek or any other modern crappy movie or TV show, the show has problems most of them have nothing to do with the stunt casting of black people, The black dwarf woman (without the beard is adequate to good, the dwarves all seem to suffer from the uncanny valley in the way they move, I think Amazon is compositing 3 different sets, one with the dwarves, elves on another and the backgrounds on a 3rd and it looks off to me at times. Perhaps they will get better in later episodes. Look at the final line of the first batch of credits for Episode 1, this is not based on Tolkien's characters or writings, it's just a payday for the NAME Lord of the rings… Expand
21 of 151 users found this helpful21130
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2
AngrySirNov 5, 2022
Even if you ignore the books and judge this series as an adaptation, it still sucks. Even if you ignore the more obvious problems like the plot holes, poor direction, bad editing, and many characters who look and act like they're straight outEven if you ignore the books and judge this series as an adaptation, it still sucks. Even if you ignore the more obvious problems like the plot holes, poor direction, bad editing, and many characters who look and act like they're straight out of some crappy teen show, that's still not the main problem. The series' most serious problem is its tone, Tolkien's works are 90% based on Scandinavian Belief, and the Lord of the Rings films pass that on, it's not an air of fantasy that the film has, it's an air of mysticism, he It seems like a mythological story, beings are treated as celestial forces, the very incarnation of good against evil, the series gave a very human air to everything, very realistic, very medieval, and ends up being another boring series of cheap fantasy.… Expand
6 of 23 users found this helpful617
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2
ashaman01Sep 9, 2022
Woke garbage, not Tolkien, not worth the time. Cgi sucks. Don't listen to the shill npcs.
21 of 108 users found this helpful2187
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2
DHReviewsNov 20, 2022
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is perhaps among the most polarizing products to come out of TV in the last few years. While it rightly goes up against it's genre peers such as HBO's House of the Dragon, Rings of Power cannot helpThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is perhaps among the most polarizing products to come out of TV in the last few years. While it rightly goes up against it's genre peers such as HBO's House of the Dragon, Rings of Power cannot help but falter and fall under the weight of it's own ineptitude. It's flaws are numerous, flagrant, and back breaking. A seemingly polished and beautiful spectacle piece built on foundations made of Loess. Like several of its derided peers, one need only take a glance at the creative team driving the dump truck to see the most fundamental failing Rings of Power makes. Both showrunners have neither the resume nor the pedigree to take one of, if not the, most important pieces of fantasy on earth and create an adaptation of it. Looking beyond the behind the scenes and into the meat of the problems themselves, issues are abound. After a relatively enjoyable first two episodes the series falls apart under the weight of its hubris. Characters are often flat, uninteresting and tritely underwritten. Pacing is glacial at best once the show gets going with most plot points resolving in the most predictable fashion while several prominent ones are forgotten altogether. Narratively the suffers greatly from four entirely underwritten story lines that receive little payoff by the eigth and final episode, begging one to wonder why several appear in the series at all when many do nothing to push the story forward. The series has one passable action sequence near its end, with the few others showing a glaring amount of clumsiness and lack of power its movie predecessors were known for. Positive platitudes to the musical score and digital effects cannot save Rings of Power from artistic mediocrity. Tolkien fans (and fantasy television fans in general) will be left scratching their heads as to this shows potential got led astray so quickly, let alone gets so much wrong. The show amounts to an exceptionally poor Amazon product.… Expand
5 of 24 users found this helpful519
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2
awcowanSep 25, 2022
Absolute drivel. I can't believe this got made with such a terrible story and writing. Looks lovely, but a good TV show that does not make.
9 of 165 users found this helpful9156
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2
Gibbo5885Sep 5, 2022
It slow boring and no direction. Look at lord of the rings for quality writing not this garbage.
16 of 148 users found this helpful16132
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2
makaraszSep 4, 2022
Expensive visuals. Great marketing. But that’s about it. Nothing exciting if you’re not a fan of Tolkien. Disappointing if you are… Watch “The Boys” instead.
13 of 157 users found this helpful13144
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2
garganiumSep 3, 2022
The show drags its feet and fumbles the uncommon exciting scene. The actors gave decent to good performances across the board, which is why this warrants a 2, but the script they're working with feels stilted. At times the dialogue tries toThe show drags its feet and fumbles the uncommon exciting scene. The actors gave decent to good performances across the board, which is why this warrants a 2, but the script they're working with feels stilted. At times the dialogue tries to sound archaic without any of the charm that should go with that. Soundtrack was bad. Costume design looked like homemade cosplay often. A complete waste of two hours, and it's a shame people's genuine talent was wasted on this.… Expand
46 of 215 users found this helpful46169
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2
bwestphaSep 3, 2022
Really guys? Cmon? Tolkien would go insane about this piece of garbage …..
42 of 214 users found this helpful42172
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2
Anna1981Nov 20, 2022
I watched the entire thing. And I can say that if this were not LOTR, I would have dropped this show after episode 1. I tried hard to be open minded, knowing that this won't reach the level of detail and charm that the LOTR movies had. I didI watched the entire thing. And I can say that if this were not LOTR, I would have dropped this show after episode 1. I tried hard to be open minded, knowing that this won't reach the level of detail and charm that the LOTR movies had. I did not even refresh my memory about any other LOTR lore before watching, so inconsistencies with the original lore aren't even part of my review.
The show still sucks! The pacing is WEIRD. The characters are unlikable. Durin was the only character I kind of liked. Galadriel is one of the worst characters I have ever seen. This is the reason why I, as a woman, prefer male main characters. Because they don't know how to do good, strong women! There are some nice looking sets, and scenes, but that's it, and that is not enough to make me care about what happens.… Expand
7 of 26 users found this helpful719
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2
kwisi91Oct 19, 2022
I give them 2 stars because they tried.
All in all these series has nothing to do with Tolkien or how Tolkien imagined middle-earth. The Original Trilogy doing everything right compared to this CGI-trash.
4 of 9 users found this helpful45
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2
Shrik3Sep 10, 2022
OK rating this 0 stars is ridiculous and politically motivated in my opinion. The reality is that fantasy stories are based on the distant past so generally you wouldn't have different races in a small isolated village. So essentially it isOK rating this 0 stars is ridiculous and politically motivated in my opinion. The reality is that fantasy stories are based on the distant past so generally you wouldn't have different races in a small isolated village. So essentially it is something that is forced into the plot as opposed to making sense within a plot. Game of thrones dealt with race in a different way, a way that made sense.. Anyway I'm no closet racist, like I suspect a lot of these reviews have been written by or obsessed with Tolkien lore purity my rating is about the 2 episodes I have seen so far. I didn't like the first episode, especially the scene where a troll is killed by Galadriel, instead of showing her being a good leader and working to fight to face the threat there is a ridiculous scene where the 2 main protagonists do some circus trick to kill the beast while essentially Elven Special Forces are killed because they are not the main characters?! It's lazy and bad writing. The second episode improves more so because it takes advantage of the enormous budget to show some very impressive Hollywood quality scenes but again it's let down by bad writing, and odd design decisions, the Dwarves are just ridiculous, the ridiculous fake Irish accents of the proto Hobbits are pathetic, I literally heard one actress slip from RP (posh English) to a terrible Irish accent in one sentence, the directors are clearly all American and have no ears for authentic accents. LENNY Henry, the Iranian actress as well as the man who plays the Sylvan Elf are standouts in that their acting seems authentic even if they don't have much to go on in terms of dialogue however I can honestly say that I did not like the acting of any of the other characters especially the main protagonist and don't start me on the Dwarves,I hope this improves, I would recommend that people who enjoy flashy special effects, children or people who just want a bit of mindless escapism to watch this, but considering the source material and the budget this is a major disappointment which pales into significance in comparison to the Game of Thrones prequel which is well acted and character driven as well as actually making you think and remember scenes.. My problems are mainly with the acting and the dare I say ridiculous stereotypes used in the film which make a lot of scenes ridiculous to watch.… Expand
21 of 201 users found this helpful21180
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2
MorganCrimsonSep 7, 2022
Una pésima adaptación, solo están utilizando el nombre de el señor de los anillos para su agenda política... personajes, historia todo es diferente, inclusión forzada aun pasando por alto por lo escrito por Tolkien, esto tiene que parar..
10 of 134 users found this helpful10124
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2
MegalovirusSep 5, 2022
Tenía una luz de esperanza de revivir la emoción que me hizo pasar peter Jackson. En verdad que lo de menos es que hayan metido elfos africanos, las actuaciones son tan malas y la habilidad de los guionistas es a nivel de la gente queTenía una luz de esperanza de revivir la emoción que me hizo pasar peter Jackson. En verdad que lo de menos es que hayan metido elfos africanos, las actuaciones son tan malas y la habilidad de los guionistas es a nivel de la gente que escribe para cine de terror. No la vean hasta al final la sensación de los primeros 30 min es la misma no hay sorpresas salvó 2 o 3 imágenes que ya vieron en los avances… Expand
10 of 129 users found this helpful10119
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2
yascher115Sep 10, 2022
Where to begin?
Ah, yes! Rings of Power are a piece of ****
All male characters are idiots and cowards. The script is full of cliches. The casting is miserable. The canon is not observed. And a lot of other bad things.
21 of 184 users found this helpful21163
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2
ZoolybebeSep 3, 2022
WTF is all this bot activity? Does anyone else notice the exact number of dislikes of each negative review? 68 and the exact likes for positive reviews? 68 again HAHHAHAH nothing can save this abortion not even bots
57 of 280 users found this helpful57223
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2
KinikuDec 24, 2022
This is not the books I read. Nor anything like the Peter Jackson movies. Why did the Tolkien Estate OK this?
2 of 28 users found this helpful226
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2
JohnRelentlessSep 22, 2022
Overall a low quality production with minimum effort. Uninteresting characters with less personality than a banana. Effortless costumes that look like cardboard. Lots of ugly CGI and terrible fighting scenes with atrocious camera play. WouldOverall a low quality production with minimum effort. Uninteresting characters with less personality than a banana. Effortless costumes that look like cardboard. Lots of ugly CGI and terrible fighting scenes with atrocious camera play. Would not recommend for fans of Tolkien, it doesnt live up to the standards sadly.… Expand
6 of 173 users found this helpful6167
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2
PudgiepandaDec 28, 2022
Cgi is superb, that’s the only good thing about this show.

Story is terrible and what they did to Galadriel really shines true of the definition of woke. So Galadriel is an intelligent diplomat in the books whom has magic, she is supposedlyCgi is superb, that’s the only good thing about this show.

Story is terrible and what they did to Galadriel really shines true of the definition of woke. So Galadriel is an intelligent diplomat in the books whom has magic, she is supposedly one of the wisest elf’s …etc… in ROP Galadriel takes on a ice troll, defeats ice troll in about 5 seconds. In lord of the rings, the fellowship fight a cave troll and it takes all of them to defeat it and the battle lasts a much longer.

They’ve made Galadriel into some sort of skilled warrior who never makes mistakes or has character flaws, it’s like the writers don’t know how to write female characters… so they turn them into a walking plot armoured entity who can never fail. Galadriel is arguably the main character in the show and they’ve changed the character fundamentally The script is awful and there is nothing which represents the original content here. I have no idea why Amazon bought the rights if they never intended to use original content or previous established characters. Also I wouldn’t believe that NDA bs, It completely makes sense on why Tom Shippery was fired if he voiced his opinion during production and got shut down. Amazon certainly can reap what they sow… Expand
2 of 9 users found this helpful27
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2
GoodEugeneOct 17, 2022
Bad made show. The most beautiful scenes are only for the trailer. Very corrupt critics. Complete disappointment ((
4 of 8 users found this helpful44
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2
Oliveira1Sep 3, 2022
The only good thing in this series is the special effects. The writing is just awfull! The characters are dull and uninteresting I cannot even blame the actors, because they had nothing to work with.
They should have invested more on writingThe only good thing in this series is the special effects. The writing is just awfull! The characters are dull and uninteresting I cannot even blame the actors, because they had nothing to work with.
They should have invested more on writing instead of special effects.… Expand
30 of 200 users found this helpful30170
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2
cylunNov 17, 2022
Most of it has already been said. I'd like to point out the particularly bad fight choreographies. They are pointless, artificially bloated, unnatural, and don't serve the overall plot. Not comparable to the original trilogy.
5 of 23 users found this helpful518
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2
AlphahunterSep 3, 2022
A ambientação está muito bonita, algumas músicas tambem, embora mau empregadas em algumas cenas. Os anões estão bem interessantes, mas os elfos não, não são nada belos nem imponentes e estão excessivamente efeminados, esperava armaduras maisA ambientação está muito bonita, algumas músicas tambem, embora mau empregadas em algumas cenas. Os anões estão bem interessantes, mas os elfos não, não são nada belos nem imponentes e estão excessivamente efeminados, esperava armaduras mais detalhadas e com designs mais interessantes. Os diálogos as vezes soam anacrônicos, não parece que estão na terra média, não trasmite a catolicidade característica da escrita de Tolkien, apenas alguns chavões e clichês hollywoodianos. A grande decepção está sendo aquela que deveria ser a personagem mais carismática, mas não foi; Galadriel é retratada de forma muito descaracterizada, detestável até, as vezes ela parece até uma paródia de Fëanor. Pelo marketing agressivo da Prime Video foi um tanto frustrante esses dois episódios, mas espero que o time tenham a humildade de voltar atraz e corrigir, para entregar sequencias que façam jus a obra do mestre Tolkien.… Expand
22 of 192 users found this helpful22170
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2
hatersgonnabaitOct 1, 2022
I’m on episode 5 and I still have no idea what’s going on in the plot. The stakes are very low.
8 of 11 users found this helpful83
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2
runovSep 3, 2022
There is no idea, there is no one concept, only some kind of mud that does not correspond to the books. I'm upset....I thought it would be a well-shot series, but it turned out to be just awful
48 of 223 users found this helpful48175
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2
Jones76Sep 2, 2022
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ep.3-4: Halfway through season 1 a short update. Did it get better? Not really, but it got a bit more interesting. While I hate Guyladriel with a passion, her Numenor storyline is kind of watchable. I actually enjoy the dwarfs, at least these grumpy guys have an attitude. Harfoots are unwatchable, episode 4 was the best so far, for the simple reason, it had none of these little cringe buggers. Don't know what to make out of the Arondil(?) story, it is dumb, but it has a few good scenes and I actually find Adar(?) intriguing. So what's keeping me from promoting this to a glorious 3 or even 4? Immigration politics, Numenors haven't seen elves in at least centuries, 5 minutes after seeing 1(!!!) they rant about losing their jobs to immortal, never tiring elf workers.

Ep.1-2: First of all, this thing looks really, really amazing, apart for a few moments, where it looks really cheap. That's kinda odd, so much money and armor looks like cheap plastic. All in all though, the look is too clinically clean, especially in battles, why is there no blood? I also like the soundtrack, it's good, not amazing, but good. I also have to say I like the idea, I kinda get what Amazon wanted to do, before they decided to hire an incompetent crew.

Everything else is... really bad. The whole story is rushed, after the prologue I had no idea what is going on and I feel, that a way better story (defeat of Morgoth) was wasted. Characters range from dumb to bland to fu... annoying (hello there harfoots), most dialogues are really hard to bear, so much cringe there. Many scenes are a disaster like free climbing an ice covered mountain in plate armor, or jumping of a ship in the middle of the ocean, or not leaving directly after an orc attack... Rings also follows a common trend these days, so far I have seen one unlikeable Mary Sue (hello there Galadrial) and one very strong women (hi Bronwyn) and an army of stupid, useless men. As a male viewer I can't help but feel insulted.

All in all, watch it for the eye candy it is, but don't do it sober. And don't expect to be entertained, maybe turn it into a drinking game? Every time you cringe, get a shot.… Expand
79 of 419 users found this helpful79340
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2
OndkorvenSep 26, 2022
What a dissapointment. Talentless people trying to adapt Tolkein in the worst possible way.
Horrible Casting, unlikeable characters, lousy dialogue, horrible pacing and worst of all its boring.
Don't watch this trash people! We deserve betterWhat a dissapointment. Talentless people trying to adapt Tolkein in the worst possible way.
Horrible Casting, unlikeable characters, lousy dialogue, horrible pacing and worst of all its boring.
Don't watch this trash people! We deserve better then this!… Expand
11 of 168 users found this helpful11157
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2
MerroApr 4, 2023
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is one of the biggest flops ever. The writing is terrible, the lore is lacking to say the least. The visual effects save this from a 0.… Expand
2 of 9 users found this helpful27
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2
Replikator95Sep 2, 2022
Widoki krajobrazów i muzyka to jedyne rzeczy, które w miarę im wyszły. Generalnie, straszna nuda.
55 of 229 users found this helpful55174
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2
RayhapmanSep 8, 2022
The way how Amazon is treating rightful negative opinions and is putting everyone in the same "racist" bag is awful. The show looks mostly good, yes, but the pacing is bad, camera work is dull (there is pretty much no narrative behind shots).The way how Amazon is treating rightful negative opinions and is putting everyone in the same "racist" bag is awful. The show looks mostly good, yes, but the pacing is bad, camera work is dull (there is pretty much no narrative behind shots). Character introductions are absent, amount of exposition is enormous, leading to believing that shows thinks that the audience is stupid and can't understand things from context. Everything needs to be explained, even if the explanation makes no sense for the characters as they either know it already (the moment when Elrond is telling Celembrimor what Silamriles were) or there is no possible way of them knowing things (Galadriel being Sherlock Holmes in the Sauron`s stronghold). The show has lots of silly moments like the fight with a troll when only Galadriel was able to solo kill it, even though the Party was in search of Sauron, so I wonder how they wanted to deal with him if the ice troll is such a problem. Or when Galadriel chooses to jump ships and swim all the way back by herself, even though is hundreds of miles away from the Middle-Earth. I understand that showrunners wanted to make her badass with all of these "creative" decisions but it really made her silly. What is also visible is that writers couldn't write intelligently conversations to make people look wise and eternal, so they chose to either force poetics in every dialogue in a way that sounds more like a recitation than conversation, or to make everyone else stupid, so that main characters would shine.

Not to mention other Lore-breaking moments like no Celebor, Warrior-Galadriel, time condensation, two Durins at the same time, Meteor-Man, elves looking more like Wither's elves than Tolkien's, hobbits in Second Age. So far my favourite characters are Arondir and Disa, so hopefully, my opinion about the quality and lore-breaking problems won't be marked as racist. Overall, it is just sad.… Expand
25 of 165 users found this helpful25140
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2
TheSaddeningSep 2, 2022
Credit where credit is due, it's pretty but that's as far as it goes really.

This just wasn't Tolkien and I got bored pretty quick. As a fantasy show its a meh, as an adaptation of Tolkien it's just bad. I'm not going to write an essay onCredit where credit is due, it's pretty but that's as far as it goes really.

This just wasn't Tolkien and I got bored pretty quick. As a fantasy show its a meh, as an adaptation of Tolkien it's just bad.

I'm not going to write an essay on my though but I'd say one of the things that bugs me the most is the Elves, they just look wrong. They lack the dignity and ethereal glow that made them Elves. I realise that they don't have to do things the same way PJ did but beyond the point ears there's nothing differentiating them from men. I think the hair is the worst offender, too many modern hair cuts.… Expand
102 of 283 users found this helpful102181
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2
Jhoge04Nov 3, 2022
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. To start off, let me say that, objectively, the series probably deserves somewhere between a 4-6 out of 10, but I am marking it lower because, subjectively and as a passionate, longtime Tolkien fan, I dislike it very intensely.

I'll start off with what works, as it is a short list. The visuals are mostly spectacular, as most others have noted. There are a few shots where the CGI is spotty, but overall it's hard to complain about how the show *looks,* unless it is to point out that it all feels a bit too "clean," lacking the grittiness of, say, Peter Jackson's original trilogy (but this can be said for almost all modern cinema/television).

The music is mostly excellent, with the one exception for me being the Harfoot music. I understand what Bear McCreary was aiming to achieve there, but it strays the farthest from what we might call the "Middle Earth" sonic palette, and I simply don't care for it.

The acting is generally serviceable to good. In fact, I think given better material, most of these actors could have done a terrific job.

That's about it. Now on to what DOESN'T work. I'll try to keep it as short and sweet as possible, which will likely be easier as I intend to avoid spoilers.

This is an adaptation, yes? One might expect an adaptation to at least attempt to, I don't know, ADAPT its source material with some degree of fidelity and faithfulness. This show makes no such attempt. There is not one narrative event that takes place in season 1 that is actually lifted from Tolkien's writings. (The event that closes out the final episode is technically a thing that does happen, but even it happens in such a way as to be totally out of order and thus defeat the purpose of the thing happening at all).

Here we have a show where, rather than tell the story that does exist in the Second Age laid out by Tolkien, the showrunners instead decided to take the names of some characters and places from the lore, add a few new ones, and invent an entirely different story altogether. Far from just "filling in the gaps," the show actively alters established lore and directly contradicts it at every turn.

Defenders of the show love to point out that Peter Jackson made changes in his LotR trilogy adaptation, as if there's some legitimate equivalency to be drawn. Yes, he made changes, but his changes were generally made in service to the translation of the story as it exists in literary form to a form that would actually work on screen. Many of his changes were simple omissions of events or characters that don't meaningfully affect the plot. Others were done in order to enhance the story for a visual medium - but the story remained intact! At the end of the day, his LotR films were laudably faithful, and struck the appropriate balance between book fidelity and quality filmmaking. A film trilogy doesn't become the most awarded film franchise of all time for no reason, fwiw.

Defenders of the show will also point out whenever a reference is made to something that is actually in the lore - as if these little "easter eggs," essentially, are enough to justify every other change, and somehow boost the show's lore accuracy in any real way. "Oh, this character here is going places they never went, doing things they never did, participating in plot structures that make no sense, never happened, and run roughshod over the carefully constructed source material? Who cares, because look, they made a quick reference to Earendil! See, the show IS lore accurate!"

As an adaption of Tolkien, the show simply fails utterly.

The other big problem here is the writing. From the moment-to-moment dialogue, to the overall plot/narrative structure and pacing, I think this is one of the worst written shows I have ever seen, and I'm not being hyperbolic. It isn't simply, as some have said, "painfully average," where the writing isn't great but is competent enough that you can keep your brain engaged and actually enjoy what you're watching. On the contrary, it is so lazy, contrived, nonsensical and unbelievable, that the only way I can imagine anyone might enjoy it is to turn their brain off completely and gawk at the pretty imagery.

Characters don't behave in logical, believable ways. Their motivations don't make sense. Big, important characters routinely - and by sheer, unbelievable coincidence - end up at just the right place, at just the right time, so the plot can move forward. Sequences of events don't seem to connect in a logical or meaningful way. So many scenes, especially in retrospect, feel like one-off D&D moments that have no consequence or bearing on what follows. Fast travel is abused absurdly. It often feels like the writers just had a checklist of "moments" they wanted to have, and devised a bunch of lazy plot contrivances to get us to each "moment." A travesty, all in all.

I'm running up against a character limit here, so I'll leave it at that. The show is an embarrassing disgrace, simply put.… Expand
11 of 30 users found this helpful1119
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2
chunkyspcSep 4, 2022
Wow, I'll never get that time back. Do yourself a favor; if you are a fan of world building, dialogue, sensical action, and great character arcs, then avoid this heap of pretentious garbage. Just go watch Peter Jackson's vision and spareWow, I'll never get that time back. Do yourself a favor; if you are a fan of world building, dialogue, sensical action, and great character arcs, then avoid this heap of pretentious garbage. Just go watch Peter Jackson's vision and spare yourself from a vain, self indulgent, boring assault on your senses (and intelligence). This is truly an abhorrent mess and another example of Big Money's betrayal to both fans and, in this case, the Professor.… Expand
26 of 196 users found this helpful26170
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2
TommyBeenzOct 7, 2022
Characters are 2D.
Plot is so predictable and weak it's an embarrassment to the franchise.
Writers can't write, nor did they seem to read the source material. Geographical innacuracies everywhere. The hobbits. What did they do to hobbits?Characters are 2D.
Plot is so predictable and weak it's an embarrassment to the franchise.
Writers can't write, nor did they seem to read the source material.
Geographical innacuracies everywhere. The hobbits. What did they do to hobbits? They're songs and culture go against themselves. "Nobody walks alone." "now walk alone because you're too slow to walk with us?!" This series is not reflective of the work of arts that Tolkein crafted. It's a hollow, shallow, tokenist (Not Tolkeinist) money grab.… Expand
4 of 7 users found this helpful43
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2
tobasscojelly01Sep 2, 2022
No thank you, so far, for me at least, it's like the hobbit trilogy all over again...It's lacking that depth and is covered in CGI.
75 of 259 users found this helpful75184
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2
4emSep 10, 2022
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. If Amazon did one thing right, it's spliting Tolkien fanbase in half.
They bet all of their money on compyter effects, which you find in every second shot but there is lack of character build up, not enough time to sink something in properly, Galadriel deffinitely not portrayed as 'wise and powerfull' but rather b***h...
I was so angered, more and more after each trailer by them trying to forcefully push their agenda through the show. I was determined not to watch it, not to spoil the amazing world but I talked myself into checking it out. Im glad I did, so I can actually give a proper reviev but I hate myself for spoiling the world to my eyes and memory...

This is not the Middle-Earth we wanted...

The camera was good, outside combat. During combat, it was really chaotic with too much cuts. The music is quite decent but doesn't really stand out. (The music during dwarf scenes was, on the contrary, really terrible, childish, like in some fairy tale, not epic fantasy world..), the scenery during harfoot scenes is nice..

Some actors acting was good, like Halbarand, Celebrimbor, the giant, the innkeeper, even Elrond occasionaly but it was mostly bellow avarage. I was especially disappointed by Gil-Gallad, Arondir and mainly by Galadriel herself. Her lack of expression, be it either facial or gestures, is big. She is like a robot, programmed to say what what was given to her. Overall, too much time spent on boring scenes like eating snails, while moments of interest are short or left out completely...

The clothing was all wierd and wrong. Galadriel's light shirt on ocean was fine but her armor was too much. Galad's gold was too much, arondir's armor was too much. Harfoot clothing was decent, even though I have no idea why they had to make gipsies out of them...

Dwarves are just one big NO. Music was childish, they made them swing from side to side when walking and look all dirty and homeless..

Clothing was my third biggest concern proved right...

Ny second biggest concern was, as said, their agenda. I love me some good actors of colour and I was kinda fine by them placing them among humans but mixing them even into dwarves and elves was another big NO. Thats not how they are portrayed anywhere and if they thought they can get through with it under such famous and loved LotR logo, no. No one seems to learn from the dislikes and by destroying one franchise after another by these choices...

But my first and biggest concern was the amount of CGI. In the trailers, every second shot was made of pc effects and it is the same with the show... even though they look mostly great, they are still CGI. The hobbit was denounced by the fanbase because of it yet they did not care and threw the effects into every second location... pc effects should be used when creating things that cant be get by normal means like dragons or a meteor shower but no make your whole world built on it..
Smaller details like elves with no long hair, really fast pace without giving people much time to sink something in and the ever present oversaturation dont help either...

I watched the first two episodes, sadly, and I wont be watching anymore, nothing in there cought my eye to go on...

Also, I do not like Galadriel's actor but thats just my personal feeling. And if you are annoyed every time the main character walks into the scenes, there isnt much else to really enjoy...… Expand
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SQsell25Sep 2, 2022
The first scene was great but then it turned into a PC formula of actors and characters that most of Hollywood is putting out today. This type of Woke story-line ruins any show. I stopped watching at the 22 minute mark. Trust me that AmazonThe first scene was great but then it turned into a PC formula of actors and characters that most of Hollywood is putting out today. This type of Woke story-line ruins any show. I stopped watching at the 22 minute mark. Trust me that Amazon can see the number of views that stopped watching or will not watch episode 2. With all the money they spent on this, hope it will be a Wake up call. Lastly, Rotten Tomatoes headquartered in the 90210 zip code will not post a negative review of this so do not even try.… Expand
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2
Xd351ghiaSep 9, 2022
I don't know how amazon spent so much and delivered so little, this show feels cheap.

the story and writing are just boring and cringe, and the actors' accents sound so fake....

what a waste :(
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