Much has been said about the upcoming The Lord of the Rings; The RIngs of Power prequel, but now that some sources are getting early access to the series, it looks like Amazon's take on the world of J.R.R. Tolkien has won the favor of critics.
The Lord of the Rings series won’t actually be released to the public until August in select theaters and September on Amazon Prime Video, but the press’ reception has been largely positive after seeing the series’ first couple of episodes. For example, despite admitting the pacing is slow at first, Gizmodo’s Germain Lussier said Rings of Power “instantly captured my imagination w/ captivating stories & characters in a Middle Earth that's both familiar & new." Similarly, Collider's Steven Weintraub claims viewers will be blown away by how massive this Middle-earth feel, saying, “I don’t know how they managed to pull this off, but they made a 'Lord of the Rings' show that feels like Lord of the Rings."
Also from Collider, Carly Lane-Perry praised the show’s “Stunning visuals, compelling characters, and a magnetic lead in Morfydd Clark's Galadriel.” This is an opinion that seems to echo the general feeling that Rings of Power's enormous billion-dollar budget was spent in all the right places. Trent Moore writes, “The massive budget just bleeds off the screen," claiming the Rings of Power would not be out of place if put up next to Peter Jackson's glorified trilogy, especially when it comes to visual effects and scenery, which is crucial to this kind of fantasy setting.
The New York Post's Lauren Sarner channeled some of the serious doubts Lord of the Rings fans had expressed about the prequel. She recognized that she was “very pleasantly surprised. It is actually good! Very good! Visuals & tone are just right” for what she considers a fitting addition to the Tolkien library. Overall, these first two episodes seem to have convinced critics that Rings of Power is, at least, well worth watching for fans of the franchise, some of whom have voiced their skepticism with a flurry of dislikes falling upon every Rings of Power trailer leading up to the premiere.
Rodrigo Salem from Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo says “the PROLOGUE itself will destroy any awful feeling you had” in response to that sense of wariness that appears to govern the fandom right now, noting how Rings of Power would certainly benefit from a movie theaters experience for better enjoyment. Suffice to say, whatever critics say should be taken with a grain of salt, as productions like Thor: Love and Thunder and The Terminal List have shown there’s a clear divide between audience scores and journalists, so perhaps it’s better for everyone to make up their own opinion.
Nevertheless, Game of Thrones spin-off The House of The Dragon enjoyed similar fanfare from critics and audiences, which might just signal that HBO and Amazon are about to go head to head with two fantasy series of gigantic scale. It’s certainly a good time to be a fan then, just ask The Sandman's Neil Gaiman.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will premiere on Amazon Prime Video, starting September 2, 2022.
Source: German Lussier, colliderfrosty, carlylane, trentmoore, LaurenSarner, neilhimself, rodrigosalem