REVIEW #214 Rings of Power (Season 1)

The Rings of Power is a prequel series set over a 1000 years before the events of The Lord of The Rings. Following a variety of existing and new characters from Middle Earth and beyond, exploring how the Rings of Power came into existence and how Sauron rose to power.

Unlike many Lord of the Rings fans, I was actually super excited about The Rings of Power. I for one wanted to explore this universe further and what better way to do that, than exploring how the rings themselves were formed, especially if we get origin like stories for existing characters along the way. I am so pleased that it lived up to my expectations, Amazon have created a visual and audible masterpiece and although the story does lack in some places it’s still enough to hook audiences back into this amazing world. From the very first episode until the very last, the cinematography is outstanding! Now of course, with the amount of investment in the show you would expect nothing less but it doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate its beauty. We witness the formation of Mordor in spectacular fashion, it’s probably my favourite scene in the entire show, we see Khazad-Dûm in all of its glory and we are also introduced to the power of Númenor. It’s impossible to say The Rings of Power hasn’t benefited the franchise when it’s shown us landscapes such as these, landscapes only ever mentioned in the films or shown as a fraction of its former self. There is no need to compare the show to the OG trilogy, Amazon’s intentions were never to compete with them but instead, to build upon the universe further and I feel it achieved that. The acting across the board was good and it almost felt very theatrical. The delivery of dialogue and the movement utilised reminded me of a theatre production and I kind of liked that approach in comparison to the usual TV and film technique. 

Now it’s hard to judge the arcs of some characters based on a debut season, especially when the version of said character we know is from over a 1000 years in the future. For example, why Galadrial is so battle driven and determined to defeat Sauron herself when in the original trilogy she is happy to almost sit on the sidelines, her gifts being the only contribution to Frodo’s journey. Even if it is to keep her ring away from Sauron, you would expect her to get involved in some way to finally avenge her brother. Obviously we will see how she transforms into that version of herself over the duration of this show, so for now I am not to bothered by it but its definitely stuck in the back of my mind. So ‘The Stranger’ is in fact Gandalf, well a wizard so it certainly seems that way. I loved seeing his relationship with the hobbits blossom and that certainly explains his love for them that carries over the centuries going forward. The big guess over the course of the eight episodes was…who is Sauron, I think most had guessed it but nonetheless his reveal was great and the offer to Galadrial and the vision of her by his side peaked my interest, I almost want to see how that version of events play out. A devilish, villainous duo that are a power to be reckoned with. I could continue speaking about J. R. R. Tolkien’s world and how this show fits in it for so long so I will try to wrap it up now. Is the story perfect? Absolutely not, it’s choppy and it has a few plot holes, sure but it’s a good start and I’m sure much more will be explained in future seasons. Season 2 has already begun filming and I hope we don’t have to wait too long to see where these characters are off to next. If there’s one thing you take away from this review, please let it be to stop comparing this show to the Lord of the Rings films!! You’re dooming Rings of Power before it had even finished, let it be its own project that develops the world further, more content for us fans to love and enjoy.

Overall (8.5/10)

Thanks for reading.

Callan