The long-awaited prequel to The Lord of the Rings, Ring of Power was widely praised by television critics, with most reviews praising the plot, visuals and cinematography of the first two episodes.
The show is based on an appendix to JRR Tolkien’s original Lord of the Rings novels and is set thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings novels and movies.
Amazon.com Inc’s Prime Video series exploring the Second Age of Middle-earth reveals the story behind the forging of the ring and an alliance formed between elves and men to fight an ancient evil. I’m talking
Lord of the Rings: Ring of Power, which debuts on the streaming service on Friday, received 84% positive ratings out of 136 reviews for the early installment on the Rotten Tomatoes website.
Erik Kain of Forbes was “skeptical about the series” but was a “believer” after the first two episodes.
“What showrunners Patrick McKay and JD Payne have created is simply amazing in its scope and scale, raw beauty and grandeur,” he said.
“It’s nothing short of a masterpiece.”
While many fellow critics shared its enthusiasm, some were unimpressed.
Entertainment Weekly’s Darren Franich thought there were “ways to make prequels” and said “Rings of Power” got them all wrong.
The series “takes the six or seven things that everyone remembers from the famous movie trilogy, adds a water tank, makes fun of no one, makes fun of a mystery that isn’t a mystery, and makes senseless. Sending the best characters in a detour,” Franich wrote.
In contrast, Geeks of Color’s Elijah Montoya believes the series will ignite love from the “Lord of the Rings” fandom. He sees the prequel taking “the distance” and allowing the franchise to regain “its rightful place.”
“A world based on the work of JRR Tolkien will soon once again be the most vibrant jewel in the crown of pop culture,” Montoya wrote.
