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
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
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587
Mixed:
123
Negative:
2,149
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
0
popopoooSep 6, 2022
Just woke leftie garbage, really disrespected everything there is to like about LOTR
19 of 185 users found this helpful19166
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0
kizior3kSep 4, 2022
Zero Tolkiena, strata czasu. Po tym co widziałem, nie mam ochoty na dalsze oglądanie serialu.
Amazon tylko zmarnował pieniądze.
19 of 185 users found this helpful19166
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1
rob919191Sep 3, 2022
Visually it looks fantastic but at the heart and soul of it it is empty and swallow and doesn’t feel like Tolkien at all.
18 of 176 users found this helpful18158
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3
LionaeronSep 10, 2022
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Do yourself a favor and watch the witcher instead. I didn't mind the first 2 episodes of ring of power because i understand world building and introducing characters, but nothing is happening even after 3 episodes, contrast that to the witcher after 3 episodes and holy **** - Geralt is already the butcher of blaviken, taken on a princess striga, saved by Triss Merigold and spared by the elf king Filavandrel. Ciri arrives at brokilon forest after fleeing Cintra and Yennefer has already gone from a pig feeding hermit to the beautiful, powerful strong willed sorceress that we know and love.

Like i didn't expect it to be on the level of the witcher or to be on it's level for pacing but geez you need to have me invest in something, teasing me with celebrimbor for 10 seconds isn't enough.… Expand
19 of 186 users found this helpful19167
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0
GurthugSep 7, 2022
0 because the pacing is awful! 2 hours in and nothing has happened! That's a whole lotr movie! Also the Elves are shockingly bad. House of the Dragon has beaten it hands down (it's LOTR! It should be the best show ever made and it utterly fails!).
19 of 186 users found this helpful19167
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0
Cavalry414Sep 10, 2022
This is the first time I have ever felt compelled to write a review for a TV show. This show is an abomination. Terrible acting. Terrible story. Terrible SFX. Terrible characters. Terrible adaptation through and through.
19 of 186 users found this helpful19167
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0
GoodlibationsSep 10, 2022
It began with the forging of the Great Films. Three hours were given to the Fellowship, captivating, intriguing and finest of all trilogy beginnings. Three hours to the Two Towers, a film with action, love, and hope. And three, three moreIt began with the forging of the Great Films. Three hours were given to the Fellowship, captivating, intriguing and finest of all trilogy beginnings. Three hours to the Two Towers, a film with action, love, and hope. And three, three more hours were gifted to the Return, which above all else delivered a satisfying conclusion. For within these films were bound the true spirit of Tolkien and a celebration of humanity's compassion. But they were all of them deceived, for another film was made. Deep in the land of Amazon, in the Fires of Prime, the Dark Lord Jeff Bezos forged a show, and into this show he poured his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all media.

One show to rule them all.

One by one, the free lands of the internet fell to the power of the show, but there were some who resisted. A last alliance of non-bots and Tolkien fans marched against the armies of Amazon, and on the very slopes of Prime, they fought for the freedom of the internet. Victory was near, but the power of the show could not be undone. It was in this moment, when all hope had faded, that House of the Dragon, son of HBO, took up his father's sword.

Jeff Bezos, enemy of the free peoples of the internet, was defeated. The show passed to House of the Dragon, who had this one chance to destroy evil forever, but the hearts of showrunners are easily corrupted. And the show has a will of its own. It betrayed House of the Dragon, to his death.

And some ratings that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. And for two and a half thousand years, the show passed out of all knowledge. Until, when chance came, it ensnared another watcher.

It came to the creature Elon, who took it deep into the tunnels of Twitter. And there it consumed him. The show gave to Elon unnatural long life. For five hundred years it poisoned his mind, and in the gloom of Elon's cave, it waited. Darkness crept back into the forests of the world. Rumor grew of a shadow on IMDB, whispers of brigading, and the show perceived its time had come. It abandoned Elon, but then something happened that the show did not intend. It was picked up by the most unlikely creature imaginable: a supposed troll, Critical Drinker, of Youtube.

For the time will soon come when trolls will shape the fortunes of all.… Expand
19 of 186 users found this helpful19167
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0
MustafasharifiSep 4, 2022
I am a middle eastern, I dont belive in racism not I am sexist and I write what I feel is wrong with Rings of Power. first of all, races of middle earth are completely changed in this serie. Elves are not wise and without glory and are mostlyI am a middle eastern, I dont belive in racism not I am sexist and I write what I feel is wrong with Rings of Power. first of all, races of middle earth are completely changed in this serie. Elves are not wise and without glory and are mostly human than elves. orcs are completely different. single fighters who come from undergrounds! and hobbits are some few scared creatures that hide weirdly. and about this two episodes: Galadriel, seeking reveng for handred years and cant fight Sauron. she goes to a cave with an Elite groups of elves soldiers that all smashed by a troll and suddenly Galadriel comes and kills troll with some sophisticated attacks! Elrond is a fool politican. Elves haircuts are like Humans in 21th century. actors have no feeling in their acts. you cant say: ok I like this actor or his/her role. dilogues are so bad and you cant see any wittness in them. why would a little hobbit should think she has a responsibilty for a fallen man from sky? the dilogue in that scene is so awfull when 2 hobbit girls talking about that giant. a kid and a healer woman, kill a orc wich an Elite Elf worrior is scaping from. why a fallen man from sky with lots of skills and knoledge can speaks any language and acts like a fool from stone age. I think it s the worst adaptation that anyone can build from a book. I wish a day comes back when Studios stop making movies for their political agandas. instead of that much money on visuals, they should waste some for writers and cast.… Expand
19 of 186 users found this helpful19167
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1
zyzololSep 7, 2022
Don't waste your time.

Slow and Boring.
Mediocre Writing.
Unremarkable Acting.

AMAZON do what they do best --- destroy things people love.
19 of 187 users found this helpful19168
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0
zerobaneSep 7, 2022
"You cannot pass! Soulless adaptation that destroyed a legacy. Episodes drag on forever with zero storyline or plots points; the character intros spans about an hour and is done so poorly done you end up just feeling lost. The lore changes"You cannot pass! Soulless adaptation that destroyed a legacy. Episodes drag on forever with zero storyline or plots points; the character intros spans about an hour and is done so poorly done you end up just feeling lost. The lore changes are forced in to fit a certain agenda; even my wife who is not a Tolkien fan was screaming at the TV. Spoiler for the woke-loons; sci-fi fantasy was woke way before your time, you don't need to destroy the genre.

Welp; good way to burn 465 million dollars; I see imdb is deleting negative reviews as fast as possible, imagine someone must be held accountable for wasting a 1/2 billion dollars on their personal politics. The response is basically its our fault for being Tolkien fans. Shame on you J.A. Bayona.… Expand
19 of 187 users found this helpful19168
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0
StachSep 5, 2022
Blatant disrespect for the source material, poor incompetent storytelling, completely uninteresting characters, constant attempts to parasitize on the film trilogy with an inept attempts to add something of their own – so a rather beautifulBlatant disrespect for the source material, poor incompetent storytelling, completely uninteresting characters, constant attempts to parasitize on the film trilogy with an inept attempts to add something of their own – so a rather beautiful image leaves indifferent. Simply, this is not Tolkien, as well as not worthwhile cinema.… Expand
19 of 187 users found this helpful19168
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0
6d7770Sep 4, 2022
Takes a hatchet to the history and characters of Middle Earth. Amazingly disrespectful of Tolkein. Why pay so much money for rights to material you are going to treat this way?

No matter how much Amazon spends to drown out critical reviews,Takes a hatchet to the history and characters of Middle Earth. Amazingly disrespectful of Tolkein. Why pay so much money for rights to material you are going to treat this way?

No matter how much Amazon spends to drown out critical reviews, this series will ultimately be judged on its lack of merit.… Expand
19 of 187 users found this helpful19168
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0
DaisyDukeSep 4, 2022
Terribly boring, non-canonical fan fiction. Visuals and music are passable. Costumes, writing, dialogue, pacing, lore-keeping, and virtue signaling at its worst. Acting is vapid and passionless. It's a steaming pile of garbage with Tolkien'sTerribly boring, non-canonical fan fiction. Visuals and music are passable. Costumes, writing, dialogue, pacing, lore-keeping, and virtue signaling at its worst. Acting is vapid and passionless. It's a steaming pile of garbage with Tolkien's name slapped on top. A Soulless cash grab. A stain on Tolkiens name. This should have been aborted at conception. These show runners couldn’t write their way out of a high school critical thinking class. How dare they claim it’s their time to write this beloved ip. Amazon sucks.

Also, it’s not review bombing to voice criticisms and displeasure with a show. In contrast, all you people positively reviewing this dumpster fire to counteract this supposed negative review bombing are taking part in your own review bombing. Bunch of hypocritical bootlickers. Get your tongues out of Bezos’ chocolate starfish.… Expand
38 of 377 users found this helpful38339
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0
heloheSep 7, 2022
Not really sure why this should be called "Lord of the Rings" at all. Just call it something else. As a LotR series it deserves 0 points. And what's up with the grading of the video? The colors look washed out and the contrast is all wrong.Not really sure why this should be called "Lord of the Rings" at all. Just call it something else. As a LotR series it deserves 0 points. And what's up with the grading of the video? The colors look washed out and the contrast is all wrong. The CGI looks like from some cheap computer game form 2000. Everyone in the series seems to be a jerk. Very much in contrast to anything Tolkien.… Expand
15 of 150 users found this helpful15135
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0
Adam1972Sep 10, 2022
Indecent! Characters with zero charisma, offended by Tolkien's writings, incredibly boring. Failed
18 of 182 users found this helpful18164
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0
kytosanSep 10, 2022
Utterly disappointed. I thought the Hobbit movies were bad but this takes the cake. Tolkien was known for his detail for world building. Gen Z haircuts and female dwarves who act like 90s sitcom wives and plastic looking armor just flies inUtterly disappointed. I thought the Hobbit movies were bad but this takes the cake. Tolkien was known for his detail for world building. Gen Z haircuts and female dwarves who act like 90s sitcom wives and plastic looking armor just flies in the face of that.… Expand
18 of 186 users found this helpful18168
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0
Jazzi287Sep 11, 2022
This isn't Tolkien. I just wanted a good story from this wonderful fantasy world. Unfortunately this is full of fanfiction characters and bad dialogue. Galadriel is a typical girl boss which means she's a witch to everyone and everything.This isn't Tolkien. I just wanted a good story from this wonderful fantasy world. Unfortunately this is full of fanfiction characters and bad dialogue. Galadriel is a typical girl boss which means she's a witch to everyone and everything. It's just so tiring that they've ruined this amazing source material...… Expand
18 of 186 users found this helpful18168
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0
JammeySep 3, 2022
Its soo horrible what they make from Tolkien book. Big disappointing, that legacy of Tolkien is become today.
I don't see a reason to even comment he details of the series, because its gonna took AGES..
29 of 300 users found this helpful29271
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1
k3nw74Sep 8, 2022
Watched ep1 and half of ep2...couldn't finish. Poorly written and completely off lore. Poor acting outside of a few, and seems the men are cowards or idiots.
23 of 238 users found this helpful23215
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0
AnnaKennedySep 11, 2022
The Rings of Power is a terrible representation of Tolkien's Legendarium. It is filled with horrible writing, lackluster dialogue, dislikable characters, and forced plot. Amazon was not faithful to Tolkien's world. They rewrote the charactersThe Rings of Power is a terrible representation of Tolkien's Legendarium. It is filled with horrible writing, lackluster dialogue, dislikable characters, and forced plot. Amazon was not faithful to Tolkien's world. They rewrote the characters they used and removed others that are essential to the story. For example, Celeborn, Galadriel's husband, is nowhere to be found. Not only did they destroy Tolkien's characters, they disrespected him enough to insert their own. They even went so far as to create entirely new races that so not exist in the Legendarium. In addition to annihilating his characters, they abolished the lore and history. As if it wasn't bad enough to destroy and twist the source material, they ignore one of the most basic fundamentals of story SHOW DON'T TELL. At every turn they deliver exposition and description where they should trust the audience to deduce from what they SEE.

In short, an absolute disaster. Not only is it unfaithful to Tolkien it is a terrible show in general. Amazon is not trying to tell a fantastical story but to impose its ideologies into one of the greatest stories in history.… Expand
18 of 187 users found this helpful18169
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1
Monax308Sep 4, 2022
Disrespect for lore, excessive dominance of LGBT, slow narration, the plot is about nothing, the clumsy play of the actors, parasitizing on a franchise, disregard for the opinion of the community, inflated timing. Special effects plus point.Disrespect for lore, excessive dominance of LGBT, slow narration, the plot is about nothing, the clumsy play of the actors, parasitizing on a franchise, disregard for the opinion of the community, inflated timing. Special effects plus point. The work of artists - plus point. My result: 2 out of 10. (By the way, Peter Jackson was also sent to hell, here, too, in fairness, it’s worth removing the point)
Justice.… Expand
36 of 376 users found this helpful36340
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0
Mcgreen_21Sep 23, 2022
A total disaster of a movie, poor writing teams up with the woke crusade to make a billion dollar dumpster fire.
21 of 220 users found this helpful21199
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0
vladb8Sep 9, 2022
Very poorly written storyline. Just boring. I don't mind that the story is not compatible with the books, but it is not interesting to watch.
17 of 178 users found this helpful17161
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1
Reineman5194Sep 9, 2022
I really wanted to like this show. As someone who has studied and written about the interplay between different mediums, and as a lifelong Tolkien fan, I was excited to see what Amazon Studios would offer.

That said, I am extremelyI really wanted to like this show. As someone who has studied and written about the interplay between different mediums, and as a lifelong Tolkien fan, I was excited to see what Amazon Studios would offer.

That said, I am extremely disappointed. One would not think this is the ‘most expensive TV series of all time’. Where did all the money go? It doesn’t take half a billion dollars to pump out some impressive CGI. For writing, wardrobe and props, story development, and casting, it looks like they spent the bare minimum.

At first viewing, the impressive visuals serve to obscure the bad writing, but after you’ve had time to let it sink in, you realize how poor it is. You have little parables, like the already infamous ‘floating boat’ scene, that are stretching for profound meaning but fall far short and end up confusing. It’s the equivalent of a poorly written comic book or school play. Then there is writing that is lazy or out of place in an ancient/mythic setting. Think use of the word, ‘ok’, or Elrond’s cutesy, “why didn’t you say so.” Or, “you smell like an orc” (do ethereal being like elves stink?). I thought some of the best writing came in the Harfoot scenes (‘The Sky is Strange!’), but they are all speaking those lines with an odd southern Irish accent.

The wardrobe, sets, and props are of inconsistent quality, at best. Some costumes are passable, some look like they were 3D printed and made out of plastic or cheap metal. Again, at first viewing some of the sets look fantastic, but later you realize they felt sort of empty and lifeless, like you could tell they were shot in a warehouse studio. The hair choices for the elves is baffling. Why anyone thought it was appropriate to feature barbershop fades, buzz cuts, and pompadours with copious hair product is beyond me. Bear McCreary’s score is passable but does not thus far have the range and grandeur of Howard Shore’s LOTR. The acting is also a confusing mixed-bag. Once again, at first viewing it seems passable, but something still feels off. Only upon second viewing or later reflection do you realize that the elves (especially Morfydd Clark’s Galadriel) are wooden and expressionless. If you compare with the acting in Jackson’s LOTR, it is crystal clear that the acting quality is simply not there in Rings of Power. One might be tempted to think that elves are supposed to be stoic and expressionless, but this could not be further from the truth! The truth is elves are supposed to more human than humans, almost, express more, emote more, simply be more bright and divine than humans ever could be. Peterson’s original trilogy did a fantastic job at capturing this, while Amazon studios failed miserably.

The casting follows the general theme of: wtf were they thinking? The supreme controversy, both contrived and genuine, about diverse casting is the least of the show’s problems. Though there have been perfectly valid arguments that inclusivity could have been artfully done through Rhun (analogous to Asia in Tolkien’s universe) and Harad (analogous to North Africa) storylines that intersected with those in Middle Earth and Numenor. As it stands, it is awkward and cheap tokenism, which used to be considered offensive to people of color.

Again, elves are supposed to have a timeless quality about them. In this show, Galadriel and Elrond look about forty human years younger than Celebrimbor, while all three are thousands of years old at this point in the story. Elves are supposed to be the fairest and most beautiful beings, some of whom seem to almost emit a holy light. The Rings of Power producers failed miserably at capturing this quality. Furthermore, where are the top class actors? Half a billion dollars couldn’t manage to bring in any recognizable actors?

The plot is jarring at times because there are simply too many events that flatly defy logic. In the first two episodes, a character jumps off a ship in the middle of a huge ocean with the prospect of swimming at least a thousand miles to land with no plan or guidance. Characters are shown arriving at a destination hundreds of miles away without equipment, guides, or horses, as if they got there while taking a leisurely morning stroll. Supposed elite elven warriors are made into hapless bowling pins for an ice troll. These add up and really hinder the ability to suspend disbelief. All this ultimately amounts to a humongously baffling missed opportunity. Seriously, it makes almost no sense! It seems like this show was rushed to the cutting room floor without any edits, reshoots, or recastings. One can only surmise that the producers thought they could ride the wave of goodwill that the Lord of the Rings name carries without putting the care, time, and hard work necessary to create a good final product.… Expand
15 of 157 users found this helpful15142
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1
burke5Sep 6, 2022
My girlfriend forced me to watch this show and every single scene was horrible. The writing was obviously forced through a meat grinder by 20 producers who wrote some horrible fan fiction. Tolkien is rolling in his grave.
15 of 159 users found this helpful15144
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0
JRRbeatsbezosSep 9, 2022
It's like they went out of their way to depart from what Tolkien actually wrote. What's worse is the dialog seems to have been written by a drunk teenager. Tolkien would have been livid to see his life's work reduced to this utterIt's like they went out of their way to depart from what Tolkien actually wrote. What's worse is the dialog seems to have been written by a drunk teenager. Tolkien would have been livid to see his life's work reduced to this utter charletonry.

This is a teenage soap opera, and a bad one at that.… Expand
16 of 170 users found this helpful16154
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0
DarkIndigo88Sep 10, 2022
Terrible. Only good thing are visuals and that is where all they budget went.
17 of 184 users found this helpful17167
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0
eluthingol333Sep 12, 2022
My God. Where to begin. Elrond "career politician"? Random kid wielding Morgoth-era paraphernalia (did they invent a new version of the one ring)? Galadriel finding sci-fi installations in the deep north (x-men crossover)? (Princess) kidMy God. Where to begin. Elrond "career politician"? Random kid wielding Morgoth-era paraphernalia (did they invent a new version of the one ring)? Galadriel finding sci-fi installations in the deep north (x-men crossover)? (Princess) kid Galadriel being mocked by fellow elven children? Dwarves portrayed as buffoons? Proto-hobbits and meteor-man, is this stranger things? Galadriel swimming across an ocean? Unclear where is the bottom of the cringe-well. This is b-movie tolkien knockoff sci-fi crap.… Expand
17 of 184 users found this helpful17167
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2
RagnocaneSep 6, 2022
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I watched the first 3 episodes and I was really disappointed. The show was boring with poor dialogues, the costumes, wigs and make up wasn't the best. Galadriel one of the main protagonist of the story is really unbearable and hateful. The music were fine but not on the same level of the previous movies of the lord of the ring. The cgi is good part the warg in episode 3.… Expand
24 of 261 users found this helpful24237
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0
KINGFISH9Sep 14, 2022
Absolute trash!I saw a lot of bad TV shows, but this one surpassed everyone, they could just mock the great author, and not disfigure his works.
17 of 185 users found this helpful17168
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1
tashkelevraSep 4, 2022
This show is a disgrace. An abomination. It takes the beautiful, finely woven fabric of Tolkien's writing and tears it apart, pours molten **** on the holes and calls it kintsugi. The dialogue is an insult to the watcher's intelligence, theThis show is a disgrace. An abomination. It takes the beautiful, finely woven fabric of Tolkien's writing and tears it apart, pours molten **** on the holes and calls it kintsugi. The dialogue is an insult to the watcher's intelligence, the acting is painful to watch, the story makes no sense. Worst way to spend 2 hours of your life.… Expand
17 of 185 users found this helpful17168
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0
waymirecSep 12, 2022
Just another paint-by-colors story with a focus on ideology and pushing an agenda over good story telling, while at the same time destroying the legacy of a beloved iconic series.
17 of 185 users found this helpful17168
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1
ToothlessFurySep 4, 2022
Does not feel like middle earth...
Elves with short haircuts...
Annoying, childish, unlikable main protagonist.
Badly written nonsensical dialogues.
People teleporting across huge distances, and etc... etc...
17 of 186 users found this helpful17169
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0
lukeakSep 14, 2022
I never liked to read as a kid until I read Tolkien, and I have loved to read ever since. Furthermore, Tolkien is practically one of the primary forefathers who invented the formula for what would become the fantasy genre. He’s not just anI never liked to read as a kid until I read Tolkien, and I have loved to read ever since. Furthermore, Tolkien is practically one of the primary forefathers who invented the formula for what would become the fantasy genre. He’s not just an author; he played an impactful role in history itself. Tolkien’s literature is not only studied in universities, but it has also laid the groundwork for thousands of fantasy writers to this day. Amazon using Tolkien’s writings for their own money making agenda is extremely disrespectful to Tolkien, his millions of fans, and to an entire subculture. However, what takes this situation to an entirely new level of disrespect is how people are bringing racism into it. The fact that people, Amazon included, have insinuated that we are being racist and misogynistic for disliking Rings of Power is such a horrible insult and so off base. A la verga! I find that personally insulting and enraging. How dare you insult people with such a horrible accusation without even knowing them. It’s so disgusting that Amazon has even tried to play this race card in order to avoid the real issue of how they have ruined one of history’s best writers, because they wanted to make bubble gum entertainment just to make money. They fired the Tolkien scholars when they wrote the script that’s all you need to know. Amazon…it’s shameful what you have done, and how you’re reacting to your mistake is even worse, shameful.… Expand
17 of 186 users found this helpful17169
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0
cruel_framesSep 12, 2022
Atrocious writing and absolutely insufferable main character, that is both Mary Sue and a Karen and constantly demands to "see the manager". With the money Amazon spend on this series, you would expect securing the commitment of establishedAtrocious writing and absolutely insufferable main character, that is both Mary Sue and a Karen and constantly demands to "see the manager". With the money Amazon spend on this series, you would expect securing the commitment of established actors or at the very least - competent writing. Writing and acting is what makes or breaks a show. Not budget, paid reviews or virtue signaling. You are not doing any favors to the "diverse" actors, if you put them in a disaster of a show with barely anything to work with.
While I am extremely disappointed with the show so far, I must give credit where it's due. Some of the CGI and cinematography is really good, unfortunately not enough to offset the horrible writing of the show.

P.S. Initially, I gave the show a 1 to reflect the superior production quality. However after seeing how the creators, instead of taking the overwhelming criticism to heart, started instead attacking their viewers by calling them bigots and racists, I am going for a score of 0. Do not waste your time.… Expand
20 of 221 users found this helpful20201
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1
Tural436Sep 9, 2022
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. They betrayed Tolkien literature.The script and character are very bad. There are a lot of logical errors in the script.… Expand
15 of 168 users found this helpful15153
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1
SlomoGotSkillsSep 8, 2022
Although the CGI and the general feel of the visuals are stunning and reminiscent of the LOTR movies , the addition of colored actors in every story arc and the warrior (?) Galadriel distracts the viewer that constantly questions is thisAlthough the CGI and the general feel of the visuals are stunning and reminiscent of the LOTR movies , the addition of colored actors in every story arc and the warrior (?) Galadriel distracts the viewer that constantly questions is this Tolkien or not and diminishes the immersion to the series imo. I'm not opposed to have colored actors play in fantasy movies or have strong heroic figures be females but I refuse to be spoon fed 'wokeness' and in a Tolkien show nevertheless… Expand
23 of 261 users found this helpful23238
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0
JayNowSep 10, 2022
First of all, I wanted this show to be good. I hoped it would be as good as LOTR, but that is too high of a goal, so I lowered my expectations. If I would lower it to match the level of quality of this show I would go through floor and findFirst of all, I wanted this show to be good. I hoped it would be as good as LOTR, but that is too high of a goal, so I lowered my expectations. If I would lower it to match the level of quality of this show I would go through floor and find myself six feet under.

That is also great depiction of entertainment contained in this show. Being burried six feet under would still be more fun, than this boring mess.

Casting was a failure, not because of inclusivity, but because of the unexperienced and dull actors. Some are good enough and others are worse than casting of corporate anti-sexual-harrasment videos.

Writing is unispired, boring, lazy and oh god disrespectfull. Nothing about Tolkien except the names. Total disrespect to the author and the fans, that by now adore his work for more than a half of the century.

CGI, special effects and such are mostly fine, but still seem like a mess, that force to wonder where all the money went.

Music is not fitting and just dissapointing.

Galadriel deserves few words on her own:
Nobody likes Karen behaviour, especially people who like Tolkiens work. Galadriel is portrayed as a arrogant, extremelly unlikable and nothing like in the books.

Lastly about the drama:
Fans aren't mad about the black, or whatever casting. Fans are mad, that amazon lazilly took existing thing and butchered it infront of them, just to make money. People are mad, that the books were thrown out of the window, because to this point every media around Tolkiens work inspired fans to take the book and submerge deeper into its lore. There is nothing Tolkien about this show. If it was made as a whole new show, some fans would loved this. It is just another, not-so-great fantasy show. Calling people racist because of their reviews is arrogant and stupid. Best thing to do, would be to scrap this mess and relaunch it next year with reworked story, effects, music and recasted few WHITE ELVES.… Expand
16 of 182 users found this helpful16166
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0
antialiasedSep 9, 2022
Abysmally bad writing, a glacial pace, and flashy CGI all tossed in a blender.
16 of 182 users found this helpful16166
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0
frankrunSep 14, 2022
The storyline is boring and implausible. Galadriel is a ridiculous joke - killed a cave troll in literally 5 seconds singlehandedly. Remember LOTR Fellowship of the Ring where the entire Fellowship including Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas,The storyline is boring and implausible. Galadriel is a ridiculous joke - killed a cave troll in literally 5 seconds singlehandedly. Remember LOTR Fellowship of the Ring where the entire Fellowship including Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Boromir, Gimli and a few hobbits together almost died by a single cave troll? Oh and she jumped off a ship and *swam across an ocean*. Everything is just utterly ridiculous and terrible writing. It makes Season 8 of GoT look like Shakespeare.… Expand
16 of 184 users found this helpful16168
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2
Limsanity733Sep 26, 2022
As Tolkien fan, I was excited to see Tolkien's work or some semblance of it come to life on screen. I am mindful that Amazon paid a lot of money to make this happen and given the current times and technicalities of what exactly they boughtAs Tolkien fan, I was excited to see Tolkien's work or some semblance of it come to life on screen. I am mindful that Amazon paid a lot of money to make this happen and given the current times and technicalities of what exactly they bought the rights to, I knew there would be deviation from canon (casting, non-canonical plotlines, etc) which I am fine with. I am also aware that Tolkien was a genius who spent decades shaping his world and lore and it would be quite unfair to expect writers of a TV series to match the quality work.

Yet, even with these caveats, I am completely perplexed to no end on how abysmal the writing for this series is given the reported cost per episode of about $60 million. It is so bad that no amount of fancy cgi and visual effects can mask this. I am left now wondering...where did all the money go? Is it that hard to spend a bit more on quality writing?

Here are some issues I have:
First, why would you cast a 5000+ year old Galadriel (one of the oldest elf still alive on Middle Earth at the time of the show) into the likes of a "tempestuous" teenage brat who has to be taught lessons on diplomacy from a 20-30 year old man...Really?

Second, there are simply too many storylines going on here for character development and for me to be invested in. I don't think the show so far would change at all if you dropped the Gandalf + Harfoot story line completely.

Third, I think the writers could have done much better by focusing on a few characters and explored the internal character struggles more in depth. For example, Elendil + Miriel's faithfulness in their belief in time of doubt and disavowment - why do they still cleave to the old ways? what sacrifices are they making to continue in their path? Another example could be SHOWING Halbrand's history in the Southlands and the horrible things he may have done more in depth first before meeting Galadriel instead of TELLING us. They try to do this with Elrond and Durin and Mithril but this whole plotline is not convincing to me. In contemplating some my points made above, I have to come to the conclusion that (1) such quality writing is not possible for TV. Games of Throne went to **** after they exhausted all of the source material; and (2) a faithful understanding and appreciation of the philosophy and spirit behind Tolkien's work which is Christian at its core is highly improbable in Hollywood today.… Expand
15 of 173 users found this helpful15158
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0
TheReviewer669Sep 13, 2022
Lord of the rings was an emotional experience during my adolescence. This is an empty shell that only bears an ever so superficial resemblance with it. The pervasive woke philosophy behind the film makes it even worse. Amazon should go backLord of the rings was an emotional experience during my adolescence. This is an empty shell that only bears an ever so superficial resemblance with it. The pervasive woke philosophy behind the film makes it even worse. Amazon should go back to selling books rather than try to hire creative people.… Expand
16 of 185 users found this helpful16169
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0
bashnia007Sep 14, 2022
Destroyed and abused the world of Middle-earth. I don't have anything against multicultural world in fantasy. And the Tolkien's books describe a lot of races. But they do it logically. If the creature (a dwarf) lives and works in mines, itDestroyed and abused the world of Middle-earth. I don't have anything against multicultural world in fantasy. And the Tolkien's books describe a lot of races. But they do it logically. If the creature (a dwarf) lives and works in mines, it isn't tall (try to work in a mine when you are 2 meters and thin), but strong. Dwarfs don't see a lot of sun in their mines, so there are white. What can we see in the TV Series? Black queen of dwarfs. How is it possible? The same with elfs. There was even a elf description in the books, that elfs are white. Do you know any elf from the South? You can make black characters. There were people on the South (Numenor, Gondor). 2 Wizards went to the South and East, they also can be black if you want. But it seems, showrunners even didn't read books. They wanted to show modern world using Tolkien's decorations, and you can't believe in it, because you understand, modern morale and modern traditions look artificial in this world. What will be next? Galadriel will use M16 and AK74?… Expand
16 of 185 users found this helpful16169
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0
johan401Sep 15, 2022
As a parody of a well established lore it is a great show. A bit pricy but dark lord bezos has deep pockets. As a serious tryout to create something meaningful its below pathetic. Should they spent at least half the amount on productionAs a parody of a well established lore it is a great show. A bit pricy but dark lord bezos has deep pockets. As a serious tryout to create something meaningful its below pathetic. Should they spent at least half the amount on production compared to marketing and buying positive reviews it would have been much more better than this abomination. Watch at your own risk!… Expand
16 of 185 users found this helpful16169
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0
NotTolkienSep 9, 2022
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Updated - Looks like Metacritic is getting 10/10 review bombed by Amazon paid shills. Here's a little something I noticed. If you take the "users found this helpful" section and assume that say 28 of the remaining 128 down votes are legitimate then 100 are Amazon shills (currently at 12 of 140 users found this helpful) you can get a better idea as to how many actual legitimate positive reviews there are (currently 329-100=229 legitimate reviewers). The reason this works is the down votes all came within a short period of time after posting this review. The down vote number increased by the same amount as the 10/10 positive reviews increased in that same time period.
I have watched the first 3 episodes and this show is just plain boring. There is no story to speak of. The plot advancement is extremely slow and convoluted. Most of the characters are one dimensional with cheesy dialog. The actor that plays Galadriel only has 2 facial expressions pissed off and smiling maniac. The CGI ranges from decent to pathetic. The bug eyed Warg in episode 3 is just laughable. After 3 episodes I cannot see it getting any better and if you add to this Amazon calling anyone with a negative review an istophobe makes this show not worth giving another chance. Amazon, 3 strikes you are out! I canceled my Prime membership and will be shopping elsewhere.… Expand
28 of 324 users found this helpful28296
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1
KzixSep 9, 2022
my god i am watching the episode 3 and most of the content is cringe. The top of the list is the scene of orc prison: prisonner behaving like they can make the rules then this riduculous debate about chopping down a tree... Garbage tv
15 of 174 users found this helpful15159
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1
GiovaniMenezesSep 3, 2022
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. " O fato de ser um mundo 'imaginário' não lhe dá qualquer direto de remodelá-lo de acordo com o seu gosto, mesmo que pudesse em poucos meses criar uma estrutura coerente que levei anos pra desenvolver".

J. R. R. Tolkien - Carta n° 190… Expand
38 of 443 users found this helpful38405
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1
AlfadasSep 7, 2022
On a meta level the development, marketing and now release of this series plays out like a greek tragedy akin to Icarus (has all the ingredients for greatness but turns out tragically). Personally, I'm in awe of Tolkien's life's work, lovedOn a meta level the development, marketing and now release of this series plays out like a greek tragedy akin to Icarus (has all the ingredients for greatness but turns out tragically). Personally, I'm in awe of Tolkien's life's work, loved the movie experience of the original Lord of the Rings, I had mixed feelings about the Hobbit and felt disheartened about this current project after the first episode. The added value seems to come in crisp shots of this beautiful world. But immersion was frequently broken by awkward dialogue and forced plot points. The team developing the story seemed to have a story in mind that they would like to tell and try to mix it with an existing great story in order to market their better. It feels like an unfortunate attempt of a cash grab, by piggy banking on the success of earlier great work (eg Tolkien, Peter Jackson). The focus seems to be on marketing and appealing to current cultural/political ideas instead of storytelling. In conclusion, if you like Tolkien's world, and would like to more content telling or expanding on his work, there is much better fan fiction on YouTube.… Expand
22 of 258 users found this helpful22236
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0
Josuelo789Sep 25, 2022
Pretty with some really nice location but story wise soooo boring. I'm 7 hours in an nothing really interesting has happened.
15 of 179 users found this helpful15164
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1
DOHmetacritic10Sep 10, 2022
While I am not a person who adheres to some arbitrary Tolkien fan standard - for the books nor the previous films - there is plenty to dislike with this series absent any other consideration. I have not watched the original films in decades,While I am not a person who adheres to some arbitrary Tolkien fan standard - for the books nor the previous films - there is plenty to dislike with this series absent any other consideration. I have not watched the original films in decades, but I remember them as being emotionally impactful and very long.

I will say this about the source material; this is probably the most beloved thing to people who like it, ever. The most towering example of a massive work that enraptured billions of people that has ever existed. If somebody is into this kind of stuff, it is basically the bible. So. Setting out to callously mine this fabled work and thinking you could improve on it, or ignore it, was blunt stupidity.

This new thing. It looks cheap. Period. Something this dependent on special effects better make sure the effects are special. As an old Ray Harryhausen fan I am a person who will watch a product just to enjoy the effects work. Not in this case. Almost all the scenes appear flat and artificial, as though they were wrapped in a blooming plastic. Badly conceptualized and poorly executed, and frequently over lit. If I were told this show were produced by the CW I would believe it.

There is one standout actor in the entire cast. There is a lot of overt face-making, which is not good when you're attempting to suspend disbelief in a silly place like Middle Earth. Inexplicable pauses and eyebrow work do not get the job done (Morfydd Clark seems particularly out of her depth and frantic). I don't need star power at all but there aren't any performers in this show that land, with the exception of Lenny Henry. He is memorable from the moment he appears and the production knows it. Otherwise the actors are cast precisely to "type" and behave as placeholders, delivering shorthand dialog that doesn't stick. There are some sidebar characters who are more interesting that the main cast. Three episodes in and I don't care about anyone's outcome. At this point I am rooting for the Orcs. They are at least clearly motivated and interesting.

I'm bored. And that is the overall problem. There is no weight to any of this. It's the worst thing it could be - Frivolous. It's a rushed experience but among the deluge there is no information to care about. If someone asked what ROP is about I could honestly say I'm not sure. Orcs? Or something. It's as though the people making this had a big movie bowl and tossed things into it without understanding what they represent - hurling "elements" at the audience is not the same thing as constructing a believable place and therein weaving a compelling tale. Oddly their aversion to the old books and movies has not stopped the new project from telling an almost identical story.

One would guess that this group of people got together and had a meeting, and sat around throwing ideas around, and saying things like "Orcs! These guys like Orcs!" or "Swords, we have to get a lot of swords and battles with yelling!", and definitely "Game of Thrones had dragons, let's get dragons!" Film makers either know what they're doing with this kind of High Fantasy world building or they don't. They don't. Also, publicly crapping on the original and the bajillion people who love it was also not a fantastic idea. I suppose that sums it up. Lord of the Rings / Rings of Power has a lot of not fantastic ideas.… Expand
15 of 181 users found this helpful15166
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5
bjmetacriticSep 2, 2022
Halfway through season 1, I think we have a fair picture of this show.
The Good
-CGI and practical effects are mostly good. -The portrayal of the dwarves is mostly good. The Bad -The pseudo-Tolkien dialogue comes off as amateurish and breaksHalfway through season 1, I think we have a fair picture of this show.
The Good
-CGI and practical effects are mostly good.
-The portrayal of the dwarves is mostly good.
The Bad
-The pseudo-Tolkien dialogue comes off as amateurish and breaks immersion. -The portrayal of Galadriel as a rude, impulsive super-soldier is annoying.
-The elves do not look or act like the elves in the books, which makes it feel like generic fantasy. -The hobbits are insufferable. -The plot moves at a snail's pace.
-There are obvious plot holes and inexplicable decisions.
The fact that I'm still watching means the show has some appeal, but there is a lot of room for improvement. I hope (but do not expect) that they will learn from the season 1 feedback and course-correct in coming seasons.… Expand
30 of 363 users found this helpful30333
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3
nix1331Sep 15, 2022
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Having her jump off a ship in the middle of the ocean alone is also a lazy way to create suspense and action. Galadriel literally "jumping ship" to swim around in the ocean doesn't make sense unless you just want to create a damsel-in-distress moment and cram action scenes in your TV show.… Expand
18 of 219 users found this helpful18201
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1
WlladimirSep 10, 2022
"Tolkien is turning in his grave." Top G Elon Musk - Pretty much sums up my thoughts. Visually pleasing, that´s about it.
15 of 183 users found this helpful15168
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1
Clintf5Sep 10, 2022
After the fist episode I was extremely disappointed but still wanted it to get better. The second episode was a tiny bit better but still not worth watching. Now after the third episode, I’m starting to wonder why they released the series atAfter the fist episode I was extremely disappointed but still wanted it to get better. The second episode was a tiny bit better but still not worth watching. Now after the third episode, I’m starting to wonder why they released the series at all. I’m sure more than a few people lost their jobs over this. What an embarrassment.… Expand
15 of 183 users found this helpful15168
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0
madX93Sep 3, 2022
Amazon Studio has money but absolutely no talent or experience, I looked the show up on IMDb the site where Amazon has been deleting reviews, the site that they own, the show's writers have no previous or known works in writings other thanAmazon Studio has money but absolutely no talent or experience, I looked the show up on IMDb the site where Amazon has been deleting reviews, the site that they own, the show's writers have no previous or known works in writings other than this show and some other work that I have never heard of, written by Patrick McKay · John D. Payne, I have never heard of these guys until now. their past work is unknown to me, how do you choose your writers? I watched enough tv shows and movies that I can do better than this, this show is comedy, and cringe, a lot of time while watching I was laughing, I just couldn't take it seriously, the Heros of this show look so weak and always needs the help of others, especially (Galadriel) her height: 5' 3¾" (1.62 m) IRL she reminds me of Noot from Water World for some reason, they made her a lot like Deloris from West World she is always angry and looking for revenge and like to ride horses, if watch West World you would know what I mean, and she is always mumbling when she speaks to everyone why? Every time she speaks, she mumbles, she needs to yell like a hero would. I thought this show was comedy, especially the opening scene when they are fighting the orcs and then the guy is yelling and crying and the orc just hugging him instead of stabbing him. Give it to Netflix or Disney or Parmount or some other studio they are going do much better job and hire better people for the job, I grantee you. Thank God for Amazon for providing us with these cringe worthy moment and laughable moment like they "they took our jobs". I don't remember when Elden Rings the video game came out, but the show's writer played the game and said that it is, then went and watched The Hobbit, and the LOTR Trilogies, and flipped the books and said we are ready. Also, Arondir looks so weak and doesn't have enough thinking before planning.
This show is more misogynistic more than real life for instance the human absolutely has no strong leaders, only Elves and Dawrfs, that is the only way for human women to be a leader when there are no strong men around, another instance is the queen that her dad is dying that is the only reason she is the leader because she didn't have any brothers, another example is the opening Galadriel is fighting the giant in the Icey mountain the man put his sword for her so she can jump why she couldn't jump on her own? I will let the writers answer that.
The part of this series is when Amazon ghosted Peter Jackson and then stole every idea from his movies and put it in the show, like the mounting drone shots, the swords movement, the fighting scenes, the arrows shots, and so many others, if you have watched the movies, and match the scenes you would understand the similarities they are more like copy and paste, no creativity, or anything new introduced to the table, "… Expand
28 of 355 users found this helpful28327
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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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0
Odin-Sep 11, 2022
The only surprising thing about the Rings of Power, is Amazon’s apparent reach in buying positive ‘critic’ reviews. The rings of power is the very reason why you CANNOT rely on influencers and critics as a metric for whether something isThe only surprising thing about the Rings of Power, is Amazon’s apparent reach in buying positive ‘critic’ reviews. The rings of power is the very reason why you CANNOT rely on influencers and critics as a metric for whether something is subjectively entertaining or otherwise. Yet the show makers and paid critics have the temerity to cry foul at ‘review bombing’ – Oh the irony. This show is so bad I feel I need to apologise to all the Tolkien fans for ever doubting them. Tolkien fans, I sincerely apologise, your fears were 100% valid. I don’t think there is enough booze in the world to induce permanent forgetfulness of this intersectional feminist diatribe as a veiled ‘tribute to Tolkien.’ To anyone still considering watching this glorified catalogue of left-wing caricatures, stereotypes and tropes through a feminist lens I say, good luck and you’ll be sorry. My only hope is that these critics for sale charge a hefty price tag for abandoning any pretense of journalistic integrity – the cost of securing their pseudo intellectual insights making up the bulk of the supposed $1 billion of this self-indulgent, narcissistic, bechdel test passing tripe.… Expand
28 of 364 users found this helpful28336
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0
IIIAHMIIISep 6, 2022
The wing of power is just a terrible woke cringe fest that needs to be removed from this earth.
24 of 314 users found this helpful24290
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0
chrissyboi85Sep 7, 2022
Darn you Amazon you can go to hell. I've never wanted a company to die a horrible death as I do Amazon. Die Amazon die. I will never forgive you for bastardizing Tolkien.
23 of 316 users found this helpful23293
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4
o0thePope0oSep 9, 2022
3 episodes in I'm not Interested in any character. Not really invested in the story and in fact it's not very clear what's happening (no rings either). People teleport around the world in no time, there are strange little fellas always dirty3 episodes in I'm not Interested in any character. Not really invested in the story and in fact it's not very clear what's happening (no rings either). People teleport around the world in no time, there are strange little fellas always dirty and with stuff stuck in their head.
it does not seem very well thought out. Even the protagonist seems a bit childish, for a being that's been around for millennia.
Better stick to the books, I'm afraid. Great visuals, though!… Expand
23 of 324 users found this helpful23301
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0
HeathenSep 11, 2022
The most boring trash I've ever watched. Reduced Tolkien's work into easter eggs and somehow expects people to know tolkien stuff when making sure tolkien readers will hate this fanfic.
23 of 357 users found this helpful23334
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0
JfksjSep 7, 2022
Peter Jackson: "We made a promise to ourselves at the beginning of the process that we weren't going to put any of our own politics, our own messages or our own themes into these movies. In a way, we were trying to make these films for himPeter Jackson: "We made a promise to ourselves at the beginning of the process that we weren't going to put any of our own politics, our own messages or our own themes into these movies. In a way, we were trying to make these films for him (Tolkien), not for ourselves."

That's not the case with this show.… Expand
21 of 327 users found this helpful21306
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2
unknown_no_knowSep 9, 2022
Elves are people, but with elf ears. They are never many-many years old.

Another fantasy...
31 of 499 users found this helpful31468
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0
JobakaSep 12, 2022
I dont know where to start and where to end. It is so much wasted potential and so many bad writer decisions. If you want to know what the story should really involve you have the check this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9NR06-QtR8I dont know where to start and where to end. It is so much wasted potential and so many bad writer decisions. If you want to know what the story should really involve you have the check this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9NR06-QtR8
But honestly, I thought it was awful. The first scene left such a sour taste in my mouth, and it just kept getting worse from there. As a Tolkien adaptation it's pitiful. 1/10 is a generous score.
By the end of the second episode I couldn't wait for it to be over so I could go to bed. With one or two exceptions, I found the characters astoundingly unlikeable, the plot was unengaging, and I really really didn't care about any of it.
The series should have been just some different fantasy story and not pretending to be a Tolkien story. And I know this may sound like a hateful review, but it's not. I'm not hateful, I'm not emotional, I'm not angry. I'm just blown away by how dumb the whole thing was. I genuinely can't fathom how anyone can watch it and consider it Tolkienian.… Expand
22 of 356 users found this helpful22334
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0
wmurphy011Sep 6, 2022
The is the best example of purposely destroying art for corrupt political/Marxist ideals, in existance. It is the polar opposite of Tolkien's vision and ruins his work at every single turn. Most of the characters have been completely changedThe is the best example of purposely destroying art for corrupt political/Marxist ideals, in existance. It is the polar opposite of Tolkien's vision and ruins his work at every single turn. Most of the characters have been completely changed in order to be "woke". Also, new characters were made up while important main characters Tolkien created were deleted. Races were changed, sexes were changed, the appearence of certain fantasy races were changed, the story was heavily changed, and character's personalities are completely different from what they're supposed to be. No one should be supporting this, or anything like it. The people who made it are Marxist political radicals.

Besides the fact that it's an overtly woke mess, which made a point to purposely destroy Tolkien's vision (apparently they believe they are better at writing fantasy than Tolkien), but the production values are all over the place. Some scenes look incredible while others look very poorly put together. I blame that solely on the directing. It's a directors job to oversee the entire production and make sure the final product is the best it can be. There was a big failure here, in that regard.

The acting is one of the shows weakest technical aspects, however. Some of the actors are so inept with their abilities that they come across like people who you'd find on a WB channel television show. For a 1 billion dollar budget I have no idea how the production values are as bad as they are. While they're not terrible, they're not nearly as good as anyone was expecting. Maybe it's the fact that instead of seeking out incredible talent to portray Tolkien's art accurately they, instead, focused all their efforts on trying to shoehorn in as much woke/Marxist programming as possible.
as low as they are. h of the productionva.… Expand
19 of 309 users found this helpful19290
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1
jason94Sep 8, 2022
There are parts of ROP that I like. I don't even mind the bad writing. Neumenor looks great. But the woke diversity of the show ruins it. That's coming from a nonwhite person. There is massive bot activity and review manipulation happeningThere are parts of ROP that I like. I don't even mind the bad writing. Neumenor looks great. But the woke diversity of the show ruins it. That's coming from a nonwhite person. There is massive bot activity and review manipulation happening here. After one day, a bad review gets over 100 downvotes and a glowing review gets over 100 upvotes? Amazon, you're just making yourself look bad by doing this. Come on Amazon bots, do your worst and downvote me already.… Expand
41 of 670 users found this helpful41629
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0
szymonzssSep 5, 2022
Boring and plain even as generic fantasy. As adaptation of Tolkien it is abomination.
19 of 312 users found this helpful19293
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0
LorigaSep 20, 2022
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Good visual effects from afar, but non-existent acting and a storyline Incomprehensible if you have no basis for Tolkien's novels. A ruined and forgettable adaptation and a betrayal of the original work.… Expand
20 of 350 users found this helpful20330
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2
nightfall1021Sep 11, 2022
If you removed everything that was "bad" or "could have been better" you'd have some nice scenery and a bit of music. Slow and boring, poor writing and direction. Just sad.
20 of 352 users found this helpful20332
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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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1
beschissenSep 9, 2022
I really wanted to like this but the episodes are meandering along with hollow characters, goofy dialogue, and esoteric nonsense. They could do a better job of explaining things to a casual LotR fan. I will give the show some credit forI really wanted to like this but the episodes are meandering along with hollow characters, goofy dialogue, and esoteric nonsense. They could do a better job of explaining things to a casual LotR fan. I will give the show some credit for looking very pretty, but it is also VERY hollow. Considering that each episode costs about $60 million, it adds another level of sadness to how this show is turning out. As a result, I can only give it one star. Given that the new Game of Thrones is out at the same time, I consider GoTR to be a vastly superior product to this LotR iteration. While the plot might improve, I am afraid the bad acting in LotR will remain the same.… Expand
32 of 599 users found this helpful32567
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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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0
ChancewiJun 20, 2023
This is not Lord of The Rings, this some SJW/Self insert. This will be a case study some day in business school on how to waste a billion investment along with Budlight and Disney.
6 of 6 users found this helpful60
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0
GuibeyJul 21, 2023
Wathed lord of the rings 1000x. Im a fan of all Tolkiens writings and this serie is a total garbage.
5 of 5 users found this helpful50
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0
ZuzaG95Jul 21, 2023
The series is simply abysmal. Apart from the fact that it's not an adaptation and more like a generic b-grade cinema fantasy, the story is just weak. Meagre, not engaging, after the first episode you can figure out what big plot twist isThe series is simply abysmal. Apart from the fact that it's not an adaptation and more like a generic b-grade cinema fantasy, the story is just weak. Meagre, not engaging, after the first episode you can figure out what big plot twist is going to happen at the end of the series. Furthermore, the characters are shallow and the main characters are unlikable. The most expensive failure in the history of the series...… Expand
5 of 5 users found this helpful50
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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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0
cmsaunliJun 24, 2023
God damn it's awful. I physically couldn't stand making it to the end. Is there a season 2? I desperately hope not. Painful.
4 of 4 users found this helpful40
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0
immrholidayJun 11, 2023
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Where do I begin?

Galadriel is an unlikeable Mary Sue with an ego rivaling Vladimir Putin. She's untouchable and perfect in every way, a group of elves struggle with a troll? No problem! Here come Galadriel! Wanna jump off a ship in the middle of nowhere and survive? Crazy idea right!? Not for Galadriel, who not only survives, she runs in a mysterious man who obvious isn't Sauron. Want some terrible fight choreography? All of the fight scenes, there was even a training scene where she states the obvious... "Stab, twist, gut." I mean she did forget slash... but how can you blame her? She's Galadriel, the golden child of the elves. Let's talk Hobbits, just kidding there is nothing to tell besides they find some wizard dude who is totally not Gandalf. Which is weird because he doesn't show up til the 3rd age. Then lets talk about Dwarves, being the best trash inside a junkyard isn't much praise but we get golden lines like - "give me the meat and give it me raw." I thought I was watching the wrong rings of power and started to wonder where is Brooklyn Chase fit in this scene? There is no sense of scale or time in this show. The armor all looks cheap and poorly designed. Not to mention one of the most legendry smiths in all of Middle Earth, doesn't understand metal alloy. They gave a terrible origin story to mithril that it somehow is going to save the tree, so the elves can live and all they gotta do is wear those rings of power...

They disrespected Tolkien's work and disrespected us as an audience.… Expand
4 of 4 users found this helpful40
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0
tai_fungJul 3, 2023
I wish I could rate this season lower. It's an abomination. It's a betrayal of Tolkien's work, and a shoddy, attempted-member-berry farce that contains such basic, almost-CGI generated quips/lines that one wonders if this was made as a vanityI wish I could rate this season lower. It's an abomination. It's a betrayal of Tolkien's work, and a shoddy, attempted-member-berry farce that contains such basic, almost-CGI generated quips/lines that one wonders if this was made as a vanity exercise. The writers showing making us think they're not that creative, but then showing us that they ARE is a bold strategy . . . I guess?… Expand
4 of 4 users found this helpful40
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0
TrolisjwJul 22, 2023
This is the most awful show ever done. A disgrace to tolkiens legacy. Not a good show
4 of 4 users found this helpful40
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0
GojoItadoriJul 23, 2023
This is the WORST show on TV right now not even taking into the account the obscene budget. The dialogue is non-sensical and showcases how little the marketers *COUGH*, I mean "writers", are in tune with basic human conversation as theyThis is the WORST show on TV right now not even taking into the account the obscene budget. The dialogue is non-sensical and showcases how little the marketers *COUGH*, I mean "writers", are in tune with basic human conversation as they spend their time surrounded by fart sniffing intellectuals, celebrities, and greed. Even in a fantasy setting, the lines are so horrendously out of place, juvenile, and contrived. There are a handful of, not just 1 or 2, "wait what? How is that even possible?" moments in every single episode. Also, this version of Galadriel has to be the most insufferable, 1 dimensional, entitled, outright nasty, and painfully corny character to have been created for TV since the beginning of the streaming era. Almost nothing she says or does is remotely believable, not bathed in a petulant tone of outright meanness or superiority, or not meant to demean, properly educate, or "one up" whoever she's interacting with. It's a rusty, vanity soaked dagger in the back of Tolkien. A shameless pandering to normies that lap up their nutritionless store brand kibble media fed to them on a daily basis. A self congratulatory fornication of egos, agendas, and $. Not to be harsh... oh hell why not, but the same people loving on this show and claiming the hate is rooted in character flaws of the reviewers are likely the same people that thought Jurrasic World Dominion was wonderful. Like that unfortunate cash grab, Rings of Power insidiously rides in on the back of cherished nostalgia and intrigue all the while abusing and mutating that which carries it into a poorly conceived, barely recognizable amalgam of unprovoked errors. The real hate, the real disrespect, lies in the hearts and minds of the hack creators and the monied interests behind them who play on society's joys, divisions, and previous works of art to make a quick buck.
1185 people found this helpful.… Expand
4 of 4 users found this helpful40
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3
indi01Aug 3, 2023
It has nice CGI, but the show has almost no bearing on the world Tolkien created.
2 of 2 users found this helpful20
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0
enut_butterAug 14, 2023
Absolute garbage. Probably the worst adaptation of anything I’ve ever seen. I genuinely don’t have the words for this absolute disgrace but I wish the worst upon everyone involved in the creation of this abomination.
2 of 2 users found this helpful20
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1
Saracen7Jul 27, 2023
Hire good actors, find some talanted directors and writers, put some effort into your work and just tell a good story. You do have money for that Jeff. Do not take chances, just put a honest effort. Pays off better than reliance on trends and luck.
2 of 2 users found this helpful20
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5
IchxySep 27, 2022
To much slowmotion. Its a mediocre series with no really up and downs. Namedropping just to say hey you know? But it is enjoyable if you don't know much of middle earth.
2 of 2 users found this helpful20
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0
BlizzardsukksAug 7, 2023
most expensive dumpster fire today. thank you, amazon! i hope we will see more of this train wreck
2 of 2 users found this helpful20
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6
ChaothicOct 29, 2022
Nothing spectacular, but at least better than the house of weddings and drama.
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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0
AntiCringmoviesAug 7, 2023
Massive lord of the rings fan here, so sad to be majorly disappointed by this show. Every character that is cannon has been bastardized by amazon, and every new character is a characature. Bad irish accents being imitated by non-irish actors,Massive lord of the rings fan here, so sad to be majorly disappointed by this show. Every character that is cannon has been bastardized by amazon, and every new character is a characature. Bad irish accents being imitated by non-irish actors, the same for scottish, non-scottish actors trying to do scottish accent. Its incredibly cringe. Then you have galadriel my favourite character from the lore/books, now my least favourite character from the show. So annoying, horrible and angry towards her friends / soldiers 'one track minded', everything galadriel isn't. Then we come to the action scenes, a troll attacks the entire group one shotting multiple men on the way over, then galadriel has a 1v1 'dance sequence' spinning her sword about in front of a green screen until the troll dies instantly to just her attacking. Some of the worst combat choreography i've ever seen. The only positive is the visuals/sets and I feel sorry for the talented few who were in charge of these decisions while amongst the children writing the scripts. Feels like a fan fiction that has had 1b$ thrown at it.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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0
Achilles997Aug 17, 2023
The worst that happened to JRR Tolkien, his story, his fans, his family and every human being who got in touch touch with this trash. The worst TV show even if you discount that it rapes the source material. The worst advertisment ever.The worst that happened to JRR Tolkien, his story, his fans, his family and every human being who got in touch touch with this trash. The worst TV show even if you discount that it rapes the source material. The worst advertisment ever. Making sure every LOTR fan hates it by calling us names. I hope it gets canceled but I'd rather the show runners commit suicide and leave an apology note to everyone.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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1
pdubyanzlOct 6, 2022
It's very difficult to watch and remain engaged. At a base level it is boring, lacks cohesion or characters that compel the viewer to invest and care about them. Their personalities are wooden, and lack any redeeming features, and one findsIt's very difficult to watch and remain engaged. At a base level it is boring, lacks cohesion or characters that compel the viewer to invest and care about them. Their personalities are wooden, and lack any redeeming features, and one finds oneself rooting for Sauron and the Orcs... The plot is non-sensical, everything happens in the nick of time, and is very predictable. Different storylines intersect in the most implausible fashion. It's as if the writers looked at a map of Middle Earth and decided events would take place all over it, without any consideration of the vast distances. There's no sense of grandeur, or scale that one associates with Tolkien.
As a huge Tolkien fan, I cannot fathom how anyone can enjoy this show, For casual viewers I can understand how it may seem like a half-way decent show, but at the same time, I am so disappointed. I was incredibly hopeful for this show.… Expand
13 of 15 users found this helpful132
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0
BootyBangJun 6, 2023
If they want to feel empowered/respected, they should stop stealing, and start creating.
6 of 7 users found this helpful61
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4
QgeezySep 27, 2022
With a budget like this, expectations should be much higher. The characters are bland, lifeless vessels that cary out a boring story. The bizarre part is how they have beloved source material and maybe even more beloved Peter Jackson TrilogyWith a budget like this, expectations should be much higher. The characters are bland, lifeless vessels that cary out a boring story. The bizarre part is how they have beloved source material and maybe even more beloved Peter Jackson Trilogy to lean on. The men just hate the elves. No reason. Galadriel is a one dimensional soldier. Elrond, the brilliant leader, is banal and tactless.
The actors themselves I feel are doing a serviceable job. The dialogue the are forced to bring to life is a brutal march of exposition in which the actors do what they can to bring the miserably dead script to life.

It looks great most of the time. The first revealing of the resplendent halls of Khazad-Dum gave me hope that the show would hit its stride. But the story is ruined by an empty army of characters you can’t bring yourself to care about.
The result is a bland, water-color story hung in a beautiful frame.… Expand
6 of 7 users found this helpful61
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1
andmyaxediedOct 13, 2022
This show is the antithesis of The movie trilogy by Peter Jackson.
I have honestly enjoyed watching the youtube reviews of the series that are ripping it to shreds for it's lack of logic, lack of continuity, complete and utter disrespect forThis show is the antithesis of The movie trilogy by Peter Jackson.
I have honestly enjoyed watching the youtube reviews of the series that are ripping it to shreds for it's lack of logic, lack of continuity, complete and utter disrespect for the lore and legacy of Tolkien more than watching the series itself.

Tolkien and his wife's tombstones in real life are marked with the names Beren and Lúthien and this show decided to take that beautiful tale and give it to Galadriel - who this show seems to completely misunderstand and misrepresent. They have made her the villain with no reputable or remarkable traits and nothing redeemable about her character. Just a sociopath dead-set on a mission to kill and doesn't care who gets in her way - elves, humans, orcs, doesn't matter - everyone must die and anyone any my way is just collateral damage.

Imagine being 2000 years old and needing to be lectured by a 30 year old human on diplomacy?

Imagine be being filled with revenge for 500 years and the second a little boy seems to have that same trait you lecture him on how it's not good for the heart to carry revenge and celebrate the deaths of others - mind you this is literally hours after she just threatened to bring the orcs out into the sun to watch them suffer or later kill all of Adar's Children in front of him so that he can feel pain before she finally kills him...but now just hours later "It is not good to have hatred or revenge in your heart or to celebrate killing evil". Honestly, WTF. The show's dialogue somehow looks like a play written that would barely make sense on Broadway - it gives you the same feeling as Anakin in Star Wars explaining that he "hates sand, it's coarse and it gets everywhere".

Almost all dialogues and scenes end with you as the viewer thinking - WTF are they serious? And then we get to the worst of it all - a character ask a question, looks to the sky, and then letters appear on the screen to answer the question like it's a Garfield Sunday newspaper comic.

The characters that die on the show have no backstory and so therefore us as viewers don't care at all, nothing is sad, nothing is happy, if fact - it's almost as if you feel sorry for the 'bad guys' throughout the whole show.

Everything that has transpired could have taken place in 2 episodes, if they had taken the extra episodes for character development, backstories, flashbacks etc. then we might would have carried some emotion with the characters but instead everyone gets about 2 sentences of 'tell not show' (which is the opposite of good storytelling) and then we are following their current timeline.

Pure waste of time, obviously a huge waste of money for Amazon prime - I hope that the Tolkien family has the right to ask Amazon to cancel the show for all of our sake.… Expand
11 of 13 users found this helpful112
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0
Luka1998010Oct 9, 2022
The critic score on this website for this heap of trash and disrespect is beyond bizarre...
Tolkien made a fantastic world and characters, only for Amazon to buttf*ck his legacy to no end.
10 of 12 users found this helpful102
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1
Luis91Oct 11, 2022
I could say so many things, but I'm not going to bore them........well a little yes, ONLY (so that they say that it is a series of the Lord of the Rings: if they removed what they wanted, they added those who wanted and interpreted order andI could say so many things, but I'm not going to bore them........well a little yes, ONLY (so that they say that it is a series of the Lord of the Rings: if they removed what they wanted, they added those who wanted and interpreted order and time as they wanted!!!?) They would have better called it ("Of The Rights of the Lord of the Rings: A series we invented")… Expand
10 of 12 users found this helpful102
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0
IahnosOct 11, 2022
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ho aspettato il sesto episodio per dare una recensione. Purtroppo a parte l'ottima computer grafica questa serie ha ben poco di buono e non mi riferisco alla canonicità. Non essere *canonica* è l'ultimo dei problemi in quanto fosse stata una bella serie sarei stato comunque contentissimo di vederla.
I dialoghi sembrano scritti da dei bambini dell'asilo e sono spesso piatti, inconcludenti, superficiali e spesso mancano di logica.
Le sceneggiature, sopratutto le scene d'azione sembrano uscite da Xena principessa guerriera ed il cringe straripante sembra un mix tra Underworld, Blade ed il peggio del cinema blockbuster anni 90/2000 ma con più budget.
Mi chiedo ora (spoiler) come è possibile che una spada magica ricercata in lungo e largo sia solo una chiave e serva semplicemente a distruggere una diganed accendere il Monte Fato come se fosse una cucina a gas? … Expand
10 of 12 users found this helpful102
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0
TropiOct 12, 2022
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Unlike LOTR, where each scene was memorable, a masterpiece designed to transmit a message and fill you with emotions, Rings of Power is... lacking content, to say the least. The conversations are plainly stupid. Galadriel has just one face filled with anger. I don't really care if it is just bad acting on her part or an overly simplistic character. She basically plays a spoiled brat with a temper who always throws a tantrum. I've imagined her as a wise person, managing always to avoid a fight rather than look for one with the mindset of a teenager... The show is a complete disappointment, probably the worst screenplay I have ever seen. I think that it was intended for a very stupid audience, otherwise I can't explain how it can be so bad. Only if you really want you can create such a **** otherwise you would still get some things right.… Expand
10 of 12 users found this helpful102
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0
Alonso_4138Oct 12, 2022
At some point, I thought that now the idiotic pretentious pathos of this series will pour out of the screen. For a long time I have not seen a more incoherent wasteful plot, coupled with absolutely mediocre moronic dialogues. A monstrousAt some point, I thought that now the idiotic pretentious pathos of this series will pour out of the screen. For a long time I have not seen a more incoherent wasteful plot, coupled with absolutely mediocre moronic dialogues. A monstrous failure on the part of the so-called creators and just wasted time.… Expand
10 of 12 users found this helpful102
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0
Fiedler10Oct 9, 2022
Has nothing to do with Tolkiens Books. Sometimes the show feels silly, and sometimes it seems like a (bad) LOTR parody.
9 of 11 users found this helpful92
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0
TsuriomOct 7, 2022
I can't accept this Warrior Galadriel
The writing is horrible and boring Characters don't have any logic
9 of 11 users found this helpful92
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