Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power S1 Review: Mostly Enjoyable!

As someone who knows very little about Lord of the Rings, aside from the early 2000s Peter Jackson films and The Hobbit trilogy. I didn’t have that things to hold it up against to thoroughly examine it. I viewed it simply as a “casual.” I’m more of a George R. R. Martin girl. While I know he was inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien himself, they’re two very distinct authors. I tried to read the Hobbit once, but he spent three pages describing a mountain. Though, after watching this, I might just give the series another try. While Martin’s work is more character-driven and therefore, more suited to my tastes, Tolkien’s work appears to be more plot and world driven.

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I had heard The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was causing a ruckus because longtime fans of the books weren’t exactly happy with it. While their reasons seemed to vary, ranging from certain plotlines being altered to character changes, a lot just struck me as downright racist. Yes, I said it. It needs to be said. Some of you are just racist. I don’t get what the big deal about race-switching is here. It’s my understanding that this isn’t the first time we’re seeing a black elf.

Furthermore, while I get everyone may not fit their book description, the Lord of the Rings caste system is supposedly dependent on species (elf, human, hobbit, dwarf, orc) rather than skin color, so what does it matter if some characters aren’t white? How does the race of an actor change anything about the portrayal of that character? As long as you choose the best actor/actress for the role, this shouldn’t even be a discussion. Isn’t one of the points of LOTR that racism isn’t ok? Anyway, now that I’ve said my piece, we can move on.

I believe this is one of the most significant stories in Lord of the Rings as it takes place thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and the Peter Jackson films and also gives the backstory behind the creation of the infamous rings. We follow various characters, but mainly Galadriel, played by Morfydd Clark, who is on a mission of fate and destiny to stop the evil she believes is rising in Middle Earth.

The acting is a bit overdone in some parts if I’m honest, particularly with Clark. Though it can be grating in some areas, it’s not that distracting. Ismael Cruz Cordova gave a solid performance as Arondir. As did Robert Aramayo as a young Elrond. My favorite scenes were between him and the Dwarven Prince Durin (Owain Arthur) and Nori (Markella Kavenagh) in the forest with the other hobbits. There was something warm and endearing about these characters that made me fall in love with them. Speaking of which, Kavenagh was probably the most notable actress for me. She and her best friend Poppy (Megan Richards) remind me so much of Frodo and his friend Sam.

The production design and graphics are stunning, especially when it comes to depicting the legendary city of Numenor. Each location had a different aesthetic that was tantalizing and developing. I even paused some scenes to get a better look. Honestly, the brilliant set design and costuming effectively transport you to another world. You’d expect it to though, for the hefty billion-dollar price tag Amazon shelled out. Whether it was worth the enormous price tag is yet to be determined, but you can’t beat the production quality.

My main complaint with it is that I very much anticipated the ending. The finale should’ve delivered more effectively, but the reveal of Sauron was anticlimactic. Probably because I’d already suspected the culprit. It was fairly obvious from the many breadcrumbs, to be honest. Some even felt it was too obvious, but either way, it was sort of a let down. It made this season appear to be entirely set up for the next rather than an attraction on its own. Nevertheless, I did mostly enjoy it and will be tuning in to season two.

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’
Rating – 3.5/5

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