The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is set to premiere on Friday, and following the recent social media reactions, critics are now allowed to share more in-depth thoughts on the first two episodes of the Prime Video series.
For the most part, the first wave of reviews have been very positive indeed. The show is being hailed as a triumphant return to Middle Earth, and, for better or worse, it sounds like the setting is very much in-keeping with the world Peter Jackson established in his beloved LOTR films.
This news is sure to be welcomed by fans of the trilogy, but those hoping for a slightly different take on Tolkien's immersive fantasy tales might be disappointed.
The Rings of Power currently sits at 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, and while there are only a handful of outright negative reviews, there have been a few recurring criticisms. The script is said to be somewhat clunky at times, and it sounds like viewers might find certain characters in the sprawling ensemble more compelling than others.
Check out the full reviews at the links below, along with a new critics TV spot highlighting some of the praise.
I didn't get a chance to write a review, but I very much enjoyed the first two episodes.
Amazon Studios’ forthcoming series brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness.
Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power stars Morfydd Clark, Benjamin Walker, Charles Edwards, Charlie Vickers, Markella Kavenagh, Nazanin Boniadi, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Tyroe Muhafidin, Maxim Baldry, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Owain Arthur, Trystan Gravelle, Sir Lenny Henry, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Leon Wadham, Daniel Weyman, and Sara Zwangobani.