The most famous parts of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth saga have already been adapted as films in Peter Jackson’s Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings trilogy and his less revered adaptation of The Hobbit. In both cases, elements from the “Appendices” were added to enrich the projects, or in the case of The Hobbit, to turn a children’s book into a weighed-down trilogy. So it’s understandable that diehard and casual fans alike are going into the Prime Video prequel series with trepidation. Is there enough story left to tell to make The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power worthy of eight hours of your life? Or is Amazon making Misty Mountains out of Hobbit hills?
(Ben Rothstein/Prime Video)
Set thousands of years before Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power anchors itself to the stories we know and love through Galadriel (previously played by Cate Blanchett, now portrayed by Morfydd Clark). Galadriel has spent many years in Middle-Earth hunting down an evil power that has eluded her elven army. When the elves decide to call off the war and return to their land of Valinor, Galadriel makes the tough decision to stay and carry on the fight.
Telling the origin of the rings of power, including the “One ring to rule them all,” Galadriel may be the most recognizable single character in the series, but everything about The Rings of Power feels comfortably familiar. The cast of characters is dauntingly large, but also folds in all of the Middle-Earth inhabitants you would expect, including hobbits, dwarves, orcs, trolls, and humans. Concerning Hobbits, the series focuses on a different species of the little people known as the Harfoots who don’t live under rolling hills, but make their homes in the forest. And there may even be a wizard or two running around.
Being a prequel, there’s some level of predictability that could easily make it feel stale. To the show’s strength, Sauron is kept as a shadowy mystery. He’s a formidable presence looming over everything, but being a master of disguise, it’s easy to get caught up in trying to figure out if any of the characters introduced in the double-episode premiere are this powerful puppet master.
(Ben Rothstein/Prime Video)
Prime Video’s decision to launch the series with two episodes feels smart after realizing how many characters are introduced within that two hours. This first season includes a total of eight episodes, so many of them will presumably get more screentime later on. Thankfully, the show does its best to give connecting tissue to each subplot through elves connected to Galadriel, who definitely feels like the main character in these two hours of story.
The cast and creative team may be new to Middle-Earth, but The Rings of Power looks like the world you remember from the Peter Jackson films. Part of this is surely due to the involvement of Weta Workshop, Weta Digital, and WetaFX, companies that Middle-Earth fans will know well from watching hours of DVD bonus features from the previous films. This season was also filmed in New Zealand just like the films. And like Peter Jackson, the series was adapted by a team of Tolkien super fans, the writing/producing duo J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay, who prove that they know this world well judging by the double premiere.
I went into The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power with lowered expectations, having felt underwhelmed by The Hobbit. Comparisons to the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy are inevitable and while the two-hours available at launch aren’t as satisfying as The Fellowship of the Ring, it gets off to a promising start. Morfydd Clark is captivating as Galadriel and the rest of the cast and characters prove to be interesting and lovable, feelings that will presumably grow stronger as the story unfolds.
(Ben Rothstein/Prime Video)
I give The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power 4 out of 5 seared marks of Sauron.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres with two episodes on Friday, September 2nd, exclusively on Prime Video worldwide. New episodes will be released on Fridays.
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