rings of power: a tolkien fan's review

by Bronislaw Andrus, Editor

Op-Ed, Arts and Entertainment

On September 1, 2022, Amazon released the first two episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Now, the entire eight-episode first season is available on Amazon Prime.

Let me preface this review with an important note: I am a huge Tolkien fan. Ever since my Dad read me The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings as a kid, I have been fascinated by Tolkien’s expansive mythos. But when I got the chance to read The Silmarillion, Tolkien’s posthumously published history of Middle-Earth, I gained a much greater appreciation for the detail, precision, and care Tolkien put into every aspect of his world. My primary concern with The Rings of Power is that it doesn’t do justice to that precision. 

The Rings of Power is based on events in the Second Age of Middle-Earth, which are covered extensively in The Silmarillion. But Amazon only purchased the rights to The Lord of the Rings (plus its Appendices) and The Hobbit — and although the Appendices include a lot of valuable information about Tolkien’s universe, only around 100 pages actually reference specific events in the Second Age. It’s a little disappointing that a show reportedly costing over $500 million to produce would have the rights to only a fraction of the stories its creators have the responsibility to represent.

Lack of material, however, doesn’t excuse poor writing. I laughed out loud when I first heard Elendil, the future High King of Gondor and Arnor, say, “It was the sea that put her in my path. And the sea is always right.” A line so nonsensically general would never have been approved by Tolkien, a perfectionistic professor at the University of Oxford who specialized in language and literature. The series also misrepresents Galadriel, a central figure in many of Tolkein’s stories — portraying her as a headstrong, one-dimensional warrior bent on vengeance, rather than a wise but temperamental leader with nuanced motivations.

But if the qualms of hardcore fans don’t appeal to you, there are other reasons why Rings of Power falls short of its hefty pricetag. Most of the episodes have a mixture of slow pacing and fast pacing, leaving me waiting for some scenes to end (the Harfoots’ journey through the marshes, for one) and wishing that I could see more of others (the ring-making endeavors of Celebrimbor, Elrond, and Durin). Several episodes left me feeling like the directors could have easily hit all the right plot points in twenty minutes, rather than sixty. And while the show was visually impressive, many scenes rely too heavily on digital effects and CGI. Peter Jackson’s innovative physical filming techniques in the Lord of the Rings movies, by comparison, (especially to create the height differences between Men, Elves, and Hobbits) have allowed the classic cinema trilogy to stand the test of two decades.

Despite all its shortcomings, Rings of Power still has some redeeming qualities. Númenor, the powerful island kingdom in Tolkien’s legendarium, looks stunning, and — as it should — features many elements of Peter Jackson’s interpretation of Minas Tirith. Although some fans have criticized the Númenoreans’ armor, I think the emblem and colors the costume designers chose are appropriate and appealing. And the storyline about Elrond, Durin, and Celebrimbor is one of the most engaging in the show, even if it isn’t entirely accurate in Tolkien’s history. 

Ultimately, the show is a mildly entertaining piece of fan-fiction with some fundamental flaws — but anything that puts a spotlight on Tolkien’s masterful mythos is worth checking out. 

DISCLAIMER: The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the various authors in this paper do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of Kamiak High School or The Gauntlet. 

Sources

Clark, Travis. “'The Rings of Power' Isn't Just a TV Show for Amazon - It's Another Way for the Company to Dominate Every Aspect of Your Life.” Business Insider, Business Insider, https://www.businessinsider.com/rings-of-power-more-than-a-tv-show-for-amazon-2022-9#:~:text=Amazon%20spent%20nearly%20%24500%20million,%22The%20Rings%20of%20Power.%22.