If you love fantasy, 2022 is the place to be. Not only did a brand new Game of Thrones show just roar its way onto HBO, but Prime Video is gearing up to debut the latest instalment in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings series. And apparently, it’s quite good.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power takes place thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. It’s a story set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, created by picking through the appendices and detailed descriptions in Tolkien’s work. Series creators J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay got every bit of info Tolkien had on the era, put it all together, and created this brand new story: a show about Sauron’s rise to power, the creation of the Rings, and much much more.
The eight-episode first season begins September 2 with the debut of the first two episodes. Critics who were already sent the first two episodes for editorial purposes were allowed to talk about them as of Tuesday evening. Below you’ll find a ton of reactions, beginning with two from writers on this very website, myself and editor James Whitbrook.
The Lord of the Rings: #TheRingsOfPower instantly captured my imagination w/ captivating stories & characters in a Middle Earth that’s both familiar & new.
The story/setup is so dense, however, the pacing in EPs 1 & 2 is rather slow, but it definitely leaves you wanting more. pic.twitter.com/nJJSHFMaLo
— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) August 24, 2022
I’ve seen the first two episodes of LOTR: The Rings of Power, and it’s… interesting. A lot of setup, a lot of disparate stories and characters to flit between. Promising though.
Oh, and it genuinely looks incredible. You believe that this was the most expensive TV show around. pic.twitter.com/XeLOt21NLf
— James Whitbrook (@Jwhitbrook) August 24, 2022
James and I both agree that the show is beautiful and shows a lot of promise, but moves a little slowly because it’s juggling so many stories. Basically you’ve got the elves, the dwarves, the humans, and the Harfoots. Then inside each of those groups, two or three characters apiece are doing different things. Galadriel is hunting something. Elrond has a journey to go on. The dwarves have scores to settle. And while the Harfoots just want to migrate to a new place, two of their kind find a mysterious stranger who falls from the sky.
Yeah, it’s a lot, and while James and I were two of the more measured reactions, we were more or less alone in that. Almost everyone else was a full-on rave. Here are more.
#TheRingsofPower is definitely a promising return to Middle-earth based on the first episodes. Stunning visuals, compelling characters, and a magnetic lead in Morfydd Clark’s Galadriel, who refuses to surrender the widely-held belief that Sauron is defeated. Can’t wait for more. pic.twitter.com/XNf9Xie0Qm
— Carly Lane-Perry (@carlylane) August 24, 2022
Two episodes of #TheRingsOfPower in and … so far, so good! The production value is pretty remarkable. One breathtaking visual after the next, and the level of detail in the costume and production design is something else. As for the story/characters … pic.twitter.com/n2HeKHdKPM
— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) August 24, 2022
I have seen the first two episodes of #TheRingsOfPower, and I can’t say much yet, but I will say this: I REALLY enjoyed them, and I am very much looking forward to talking about this show for the next five years. At least! @LOTRonPrime @PrimeVideo
— Tolkien Professor (@tolkienprof) August 24, 2022
Good news, @FilmBayona directs the HELL out of the first two episodes of The Lord of the Rings: #RingsOfPower. Watch it on the biggest screen you can. Markella Kavenagh, Robert Aramayo, and Owain Arthur are standouts. The whole series looks like a big win for Prime Video. pic.twitter.com/jB8nIPa45h
— Gregory Ellwood – The Playlist 🎬 (@TheGregoryE) August 24, 2022
I’ve seen #RingsofPower and I can say for certain you’re in for a treat. Big, bold, and beautiful to behold. TBD if it’ll sit alongside Jackson’s films or deserve Tolkien’s name, but for now it’s all the maximalist pizazz one might expect from a historically expensive production. pic.twitter.com/Fgwh5L8eYC
— Eric Francisco (@EricFrancisco24) August 24, 2022
The Rings of Power (first 2 eps) is better than the marketing materials would have you believe but has work to do making the plot exciting. It feels massive and sets up the factions well but pacing is off. The Dwarves are already cooler than in The Hobbit! #TheRingsOfPower pic.twitter.com/crqr3wLCSh
— Rob Keyes (@rob_keyes) August 24, 2022
Have seen the first 2 episodes of the @primevideo‘s #LordOfTheRings series. Prepare to be blown away by the scale and scope of #TheRingsofPower. 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.’ ½ pic.twitter.com/OTZjH41WTS
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) August 24, 2022
I can now say that the first 2 episodes of #TheRingsOfPower are as cinematic as fantasy can be on TV. Feels made especially for Tolkien fans and is as *epic* as LOTR should be.
JA Bayona and cinematographer Óscar Faura continue to make magic together, a real dream duo. pic.twitter.com/YsBRrpf6Mb
— Andrew J. Salazar (@AndrewJ626) August 24, 2022
I watched the first two episodes of #TheRingsOfPower and I was blown away. I was always more of a casual fan, with no great attachment to the source material, so I expected this to be too much for me. At times it is, but it’s still engaging enough all I wanted was to know more.
— Lissete Lanuza Sáenz ✨ (@lizziethat) August 24, 2022
Amazon’s new #LordOfTheRings series #TheRingsOfPower is impressive. The massive budget just bleeds off the screen, and it *feels* like something that would fit alongside Jackson’s films. But even with such a huge world, it’s never overwhelming and keeps it’s focus.
— Trent Moore (@trentlmoore) August 24, 2022
And there you have it. Just a small smattering of fans and critics who are all in on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Are you going to watch come September 2? Let us know below, and check back soon for even more coverage.
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