User reviews

This is the perfect example where money cannot buy everything. I wish this was done by HBO/House of Dragon team or if Amazon already spent so much money, why not paying Peter Jackson a truck load of $$$ and have him in front of the universe He already masters with full creativity control. Costumes/armors look cheap and dialog and history is being told like a Brazilian soup opera! Just plain sad as this had such potential. As a Tokien lore fan, some characters are being treated so badly, and others created that have zero importance are over "powered". The elf and lady being in charge of the "man" resistance was laughable!

Visually beautiful but unfortunately the dialogues are poorly written and superficial, Galedriel who has a lot of screen time and massive importance unfortunately is portrayed very badly makes me question how could they allow such performance, not to insult the actress at all but the performance was horrible almost everyone in the show was better performing than her. Overall fun to watch but very superficial and Shallow. The plot is yet to reveal itself but so far nothing interesting. Good to mention the good portrayal of elrond.elendil. Music is also good and appropriate. The dark theme is a bit overlooked.

I never read any of the books for The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit so I didn't know what to expect but I did enjoy TLOTR trilogy and the trailers for this looked pretty good so I gave it a chance. Also, they've been hyping this show ever since it was announced years ago that this is going to be the next big show everyone falls in love with so I was expecting the next Game of Thrones. It's not, I was hoping it would be a lot better than what it is. I should have known since the reviews are so mixed but people were hyping it up forever and again the trailers were pretty good. I'm currently watching season 2 and it's just more of the same. I'll probably continue watching it but it's going to be a struggle to finish it.

Quite boring and not entertaining. At least the scenery is nice and the feeling of nostalgia for LotR. Which is pretty much all you get from the series.

There is little but none action, scenes and conversations are too long and make you sleepy. By 5th episode you would have expected something intriguing to happen yet they keep on talking and talking using terms (probably known only to Tolkien fans) no common viewer could understand.

I tell no difference between the episodes. I also keep expecting something mind-blowing that makes me hyped for the next episode and I get nothing.

Elfs are not "elfy".

Durin is the only highlight and dwarves in general. In the whole series, producers have managed to only keep dwarfs similar to us known dwarves from LotR and Hobbit.

You know how boring the series has become when it's Friday and you're not in a rush to see the new episode. Even as a fan of LotR, it's so not entertaining that I will switch to House of Dragons. There - I said it.

Visually it's a worthy successor of Peter Jackson's films but the storytelling is slow, unnecessarily complicated and mundane.

Some characters are well developed but the majority lack consistency and are easily forgettable. Probably a willingness to create a very surprising season finale is pushing the series in a very slow pace. The finale is crammed with events and leaves the viewer a bit confused.

The quality of the dialogue is far from the strong dialogue with memorable quotes of the LOTR series.

Tolkien stories are classical tales and are not about plot twists and surprise finales. The series miss solid memorable characters and positive storytelling about virtues and life.

Visually pleasing but overall a weak member of the family.

I feel like it has become a trend to hate on new series that are set in a world we grew up in. It's never good enough for many.

In my opinion this show improved so much in season 2. Firstly It's visually stunning. It's so great to see the world before the lord of the rings. They perfectly portray the downfall of middle-earth where the depict the (self)destruction of every realm. The cunningness of Sauron and the power of the Rings are also impressively shown.

Also a lot of key moments are portrayed in the serie that every fan would love.

No reason for all the hate. Of course it isn't The Lord of the Rings, but none will ever be.

Let me start by saying that the best thing you can do is to just ignore this show. Despite nice visuals its mediocre at best and watching the first few episodes was nothing but a painful waste of time. (Tbf: I started cleaning the flat and did some laundry 30 minutes in so its not a total loss...)

The most striking thing about the show is how incredibly dumb it is. Dialog and narration are so weird, pretentious and non-sensical that it literally made me curse a few times. Sometimes it feels like the creators fail to compound simple sentences! Its the kind of language used in poor book reports and really stings at times. Apart from that its just cliche after cliche and characters dumping exposition on each other.

Honestly, I dont even want to go on because writing this makes me angry. This show is everything thats wrong with cinema and television these days - combined in one giant multi million dollar dumpster fire. Its an uninspired,, cynical attempt to squeeze money out of an excisting IP while piggybacking off current social trends. The latter is done in such a blatant way that its bordering the immoral.

To cut it short I believe this is the one thing the show really drives home and we as an audience should remember: The people behind shows like this dont care about social issues. They also dont care about existing stories and characters we love. They just want you to watch their formulaic garbage and are willing to pull every string and push every button to make you. Do yourself a favor and dont.

It has its moments where it shines, mainly that it looks expensive. Between the lavish costumes, beautiful landscapes and sets, and the quality of the orcs, you can tell that Amazon spent a pretty penny on production. What I don't understand is how such an epic story with beautiful scenery and mythical species can somehow manage to be so dull. It feels out of date in a strange way, like it has all been done before between the LOTR and Hobbit trilogies. Maybe if this came out back in the early 2000's it would be a hit, but it feels like it has past its prime. Too many shows have come out with the same feel since the release of the first movies, and have gotten more complex (GOT, House of Dragon, Wheel of Time, etc.). Maybe that is why it feels so dated. It's like loving a movie as a child but when you watch it as adult, it just isn't as good as you remember. Ironically the topic that seemed to cause the biggest controversy seems to be its strength. So many were complaining over casting of an "elf of color". The scenes with the "ethnic" elf are by far the most entertaining. His appearance is striking and his acting is believable. The others seem to be acting in some Shakespearian play. The drawf segment with Elrond was just so difficult to get through. I felt the same with the Hobbits. I'm sorry Amazon, but I think this was a miss. Move the actor that plays the elf to House of Dragon and shut this down and save some money.

Two episodes in, and I find it utterly uncompelling. No character has been developed enough to give a dang about. Please tell me they aren't going to hang this series on the uninteresting, stone faced Galadriel. You can't tell us who we're supposed to like. They've spent absolutely no time making us care about these stories or their characters. It's like saying, "this person wears a white hat...so they're good and you must like them. This person wears a black hat, so you have to hate them." No mythology has developed (beyond the basic LOR) The story and dialogue are subpar, stilted and uninteresting. As far as the acting, it is wooden. Durin isn't terrible. At this point in LOR, Gandalf, Frodo, Aragon, Samwise, etc. Were far more interesting, believable, and human than this lot. At this point I'm FAR more interested in the GOT sequel than this mess.

Unlikable characters. Storyline with giant logic flaws. Twists that were so obvious, that we saw them coming the moment the twist characters were introduced. The only thing making the twists a surprise was that writers threw out what was already established in the books to make it happen.

To me, this ended up being another reboot, that not only was terrible, but spat on its predecessors.

The only upside I'll give it, is at least the visuals looked deserving of this shows' giant budget. If only they put some of this budget towards a strong writing team. It's hard to imagine how this show could be turned around.

The Rings of power series is adding a new dimension to the works of Tolkien. It appeals to both book readers ( those who aren't sitting on their high horses of perfection) as well as those new to the works of Tolkien. It is fun and engaging. Clever backstories and Beautiful cinematography! It's getting people to talk about fantasy again after the gap left by GOT. The Acting is top notch. The Visuals are amazing. The is Score 10/10. The Dialogue, some real quality moments there although not perfect. The pacing of season 2 was perfection! Precisely what the audience was looking for! I can't wait for season 3.

The story was there already you guys had to present it to us in a thrilling way but no it was a very slow moving series with very little CGI/VFX.

The scenes are amazing but they are lacking the action. No powers/mythical creatures/magic etc. Were there which was expected from Lord of the rings.

Each episode gradually became less exciting as there were no action sequences/effect which would keep the viewer watch the full episode.

The costumes, music background scenery was good but it was not exciting as the original Lord of the Rings Movies.

I was excited that a tv series is coming but it was not worth the hype.

Don't give up on this... It's a slow starter. Season 2 is extremely good.

I know people have unfavourably compared this to original Tolkien. It's not like it at all... this is miles better.

The storyline is extremely clever. Makes complete sense with what came later in Hobbit and LOTR... and even better, we get the proper baddie in the flesh.

Even the Orcs have depth. It seems rather than mindless killers they actually just want to live in Mordor and be left alone free from persecution. I was actually rooting for them at one point.

Don't dismiss this. It's properly good, you just need to see out season 2 and you'll see what I mean.

Dialogs, places, music, visual effects are good actually but I didn't like the script at all.

The series is progressing so illogically. Galadriel is swimming in the great sea as if someone is going to come out. Fortunately, there are more people in the sea than in the land. At least you would have made sea smaller on the map. Maybe then it was a little bit logical. Everyone just wants to be hero illogically. Galadriel goes after Sauron and the Orcs with 8 people. The black elf says I will go alone and say her to go back. Then why are you going with him saying I won't leave you alone?

Especially the Harfoots . A "meteor" falls close to a 50-person village. And they see it, but only one girl goes and looks and hides the guy in a little village. Elrond and the other elf are walking to the dwarves like they are neighbours. At least show the horses. Dwarf is tripping to Elrond.

The series is progressing so illogically that right now. Okay, visual effects us good but people are also looking for some logic. The series is not good just because the visual effects are good. Visual effects is not a only criteria to evaluate. Then marvel movies are also 10/10. Some people just see CGI and visual effects and say it's the best series. The most important thing in a movie and TV show is the script. Secondly the actors come. By the way, the actors aren't that great either. I think the budget of the series is just VFX effects and locations.

Visual Excellence: The visual aspect of the series is outstanding. The realm of Khazad-dûm and the natural beauty of Middle-earth are breathtaking. The dwarven kingdom carved within the mountains feels like a work of art.

Character Development: While characters like Galadriel portray a fierce warrior persona well, their depth sometimes feels lacking. Sauron's presence and cunning are effectively portrayed, establishing him as a compelling antagonist.

Plot and Pacing: The pacing of the first few episodes is somewhat slow. With multiple plotlines running simultaneously, some parts can feel confusing. However, patience pays off as the story becomes engaging.

Overall Experience: Despite its high production value and visual spectacle, the series could benefit from deeper storytelling and character development. Nevertheless, it serves as a beautiful gift for Tolkien fans.

After watching 6 Episodes: Visually beautiful but most of the choices in pacing and scene progression is extremely generic. Like a cut scene of any other fantasy video game that is designed to get you to the gameplay which the player care about.

In this video product imagine all what you have is collation of these filler cut scenes with script that is average at engaging one's attention.

I find 20% of the script superb and honest that does bring you fully into the world.

Similar ratio with the scene choices where you see some interesting shots that are aligned with the emotions and direction of the story and then again for most of the scene it shift back to a generic safe shots that appear less related to the progression of the story.

I find Arondir, Nori Brandyfoot, Halbrand characters hitting the perfect beat in how they are interacting in that story.

Unfortunately, other actors are either casted slightly off or the directions they have received is not allowing them to move away from a set range of frequency.

E.g. One of the main characters always acts in high stake and high range brackets even the situation is about sad acknowledgement. Most of the audience I talk to perceive this as a glass wall performance where some actors are not able to break through it and starts to give this jarring feeling.

I will watch the season one only so I can see if anything changes. I see myself not remembering this show until the season 2 comes out and still wanting to continue watching it.

This show feels nothing like LotR, neither the book trilogy, nor Jackson's adaptation. If anything, this show more closely resembles all those epic fantasy copycats that started coming out in the 80s which were LotR fanfic in all but name with only a few elements changed around and renamed. Had you told me that what I was watching was Amazon's Wheel of Time rather than Lord of the Rings, I wouldn't have been surprised - the tone of this show is much closer to that and other poor, uninteresting boomer series like it.

Anyway, this isn't very good, however, the blame is not evenly distributed. The writing is, BY FAR, the worst part about it. Not only is the script weak in how little it accomplishes given the runtime and how long it takes to set stuff up, but the scene-to-scene dialogue is excruciating. The lines meaningless drivel most of the time - they're stupid, borderline incoherent. Not to mention that this sounds like it was written by a person that has no idea what the kind of old-sounding English language should be like, so it comes across as unnatural, similar to when you watch a movie about the military written by someone that has no idea how soldiers talk to one another either in private or formal settings.

Many of the things the characters said made me have to pause and go back to make sure I hadn't misheard. There's also some incredibly awkward use of language, like an en elvish king at one point saying: "... washing away the last remnants of our enemy like a spring rain over the.bones of a spoiled carcass." I don't know what it is about this line that crystallizes to me just how little these writers understand either elves or just writing in general. In what formal setting would a leader start talking about carcasses? And this is not just any king, but an elven king of old, a race that's known for their songs, their poetry, their love of beauty - do you seriously he'd use such a crude example filled with grim imagery to illustrate his point? That would be a fine line for a dwarf, maybe, but not for an elf. But the writers lack the sensibility to see how this would be a problem. This isn't even about being a fan of LotR, it's about having a certain level of artistry and common sense. If you can't imagine a president or a minister saying something, there's a very strong chance a king would never say that either, especially not an elf.

I will concede that the show looks beautiful at times, but in a fake, plastic sort of way. You can tell it's the product of CGI artists and not a talented photographer finding the right place for a breathtaking shot, and in that sense it feels incredibly soulless. Another problem is that a lot of these beautiful shots feel unearned. If a character braves a dank mine and emerges on the other end to glimpse a heavenly valley, that makes for a satisfying scene. But here the grandiose scenery seems to be used without any rhyme or reason and isn't meant to further the storytelling, I think the point is to wow the viewer. But ultimately all you're being offered is a glorified desktop background with a couple of actors in greenscreen talking in front of it. Hardly the type of stuff to get your heart pumping.

Most disappointing of all might be the score, for which I have no explanation. Bear McReary is a very talented artist. Whether it's Battlestar Galactica, God of War, Black Sails, or even smaller series like Da Vinci's Demons, he always delivers. Here, the music is just... so bad. If you told me it came out of some early 2000s RPG and was made by a teenager without real musical training I would've believed you. I cannot fathom what happened between him and the showrunners. Granted, I wouldn't have thought of Bear McReary's style as a great fit for LotR, but still... How can it be this generic and off? Just how much time did Amazon give the man to work on it? Because given their history, if I have to lay blame on either party, there's no way I'm going to assume it's Bear that screwed up rather than Amazon. Disastrous outcome.

Ultimately, this show is a huge wasted opportunity. I think everyone that loved the movies and books was dreaming of the day the Silmarillion would get an adaptation. And nobody could've even hoped it would come from the most powerful company and wealthiest man in the world. And what did we end up with? Some subpar show that barely even feels related to the source material, based on the appendices, written by a group of people that quite frankly shouldn't even qualify as professionals in their field. I'd be amazed if these guys can write good YA novels, let alone fantasy epics. Given the results, it feels like a lot of the people that worked on this were: a) totally unqualified b) a very bad fit for this IP, or C) soured on the project long before it aired. You can't be handed over what's almost infinite money and come up with something this insultingly mediocre and inauthentic. It just shouldn't be possible. Some of the outfits these characters wear look more like they were ordered off of Amazon for a cosplay. That they don't fit Jackson's LotR is acceptable; but that they feel like they're made of plastic and wouldn't be worn by any normal human being in real life is not. These showrunners seem to think that grittiness doesn't in any way connect to authenticity, and that the way you make some gripping and realistic is by slapping lairs of makeup made to look like grime and dirt on actors' faces. That's simply not the case, and any look at the behind the scenes of LotR or any quality, longlasting movie would've taught you this simple lesson.

Do I recommend this? No, I don't. It's just not worth your time, and if it ever does become good, social media will let you know. I think it might appeal to younger teenagers that have no vested interest in the LotR movies, but that's about it. No adult would find these characters believable or engaging, and there's nowhere near enough action where you can just watch this for the spectacle and turn your brain off. So far, it doesn't even feel like the show has a plot, it's just a series of barely connected vignettes.

A billion dollars on this. Wow.

Despite all the negativity online, some of which is deserved, the show is pretty decent. Sure, it's not going to be the absolutely best at everything, fight scenes while entertaining don't always make logical sense, but then again some of the highest rated shows out there that these same people praise are full of the same types of flaws.

I'm not a diehard fan that's read every scrap of material Tolkien ever wrote, so I can't comment on how accurate it is to that one sentence in that one obscured scribbled notation but at the very least it feels somewhat authentic to the legacy.

Overall, if you enjoy fantasy, LOTR and just want something to chill out and watch then this show is definitely worth watching.

Don't expect to be blown away, but it's a creative and fun watch about a very beloved universe.

SUMMARY The story takes place in so called "Second Age" of Middle Earth after the defeat of the evil Morgoth who for the first time in history brought darkness, death and decay. The Elves defeated Morgoth and his armies of Orcs. But the lands were left in sorrow and his evil orc followers had spread around every corner of Middle Earth and were now under the command of Morgoth's dark commander Sauron, who never got beaten

It centres around Galadriel who had been traveling from centuries to the farest corners of Middle Earth to hunt down Sauron without a clear trail.

ANALYSIS All of this has been made without having the rights to adopting the first two ages of Middle Earth, but merely the appendixes of the third generation about what had happened before. The history and stories of 3500 years runs in non chronological order and, liberties had to be taken on the story. This sounds concerning to me and most likely to other fans of the books. But it actually works, mostly at least some elements like the dialogue can come across a bit clunky in comparison to conversations coming from Tolkien's hand.

Also instead of going on a route of many different characters in the beginning Galadriel gets a lot of focus, whilst as a viewer there is no instant connection with her persona.

DIALOGUE 6/10 Good at best, boring and odd at other times. The forced emphasis on getting the pronunciation of Galadriel right is a bit ridiculous especially since her name comes up quite a bit. And sometimes the daunting task of creating dialogue that fits in Middle Earth fails. But in general the dialogue is ok to watch.

ACTING 6,5/10 There is room for improvement as some of the halflings and elves needs to grow in their role. The acting is a bit theatrical at times (due to the script). It seems to be expected, that this will looses up as the series progresses. Most of the actors are lesser know, so the actual focus can be on the story instead. Some stand outs, Robert Aramayo as Elrond can be rough at times, but Owain Arthur as Durin is very convincing.

VISUALS & DECOR 10/10 No complaints, it's looks great and it is a feast for the eyes. It is here where the series shines

COSTUMES & MAKE UP 7,5/10 Very well, but not as good as Game of Thrones, sometimes the characters look like actor from Earth today in a costume. Instead of being an integral part of the Middle Earth universe

MUSIC 7,5/10 Good and fitting during the show on the background. Although the intro and outdo songs are traditionally cinematic and could have been more epic.

CREATIVE LIBERTIES 7/10 While the pace and cinematics are fantastic. The original dialogue is both good and bad variably. The halflings inclusion and some other liberties can take you a bit out of the original lore. But as much concern I had prior to release it is at no means inherently bad.

OVERALL JUDGEMENT 7/10 So how good is it, and why? It is an ambitious project that comes with its flaws, but that is not what matter at the end of the day.

The question is: is it watchable and fun, and that is surely is. It looks good and the rough edges on the points discusses earlier, may clear up as the series progresses.

It is fun and interesting watch and whilst the first episodes don't totally suck you in, they will please people and will leave the majority of people wonder for more.

Supposedly there was a bidding war between HBO and Amazon that the latter won. Just imagine the excellent series we'd have been treated to had the former won the rights.

This was just so wrong on many levels. Tolkien's books were in many ways a reflection of the times he lived in and some of the dreadful experiences he had suffered during war times. For instance the Dead Marshes were a reimagining of dead soldiers under water at the Somme. The series, in some of its characters, bore no resemblance to that long-ago England. Nor did the themes of industrialisation and its ruinous effects appear.

A billion was spent on this. Why could they not have commissioned armour that looked the real thing rather than cheap plastic? The headguards for the Numenorian horses were particularly ridiculous.

More of this largesse should have been spent on plot development and scriptwriting as well as characterisation.

The various races - Elves, Men, Dwarves, Harfoots, Orcs - were assigned their own accents and a pig's ear they made of it too. The elves, attempting Received Pronunciation, made glaring errors that the voice coaches and checkers didn't pick up on. "Proh-ject" instead of "project" was one that sticks in the mind. But as for the cod-Irish accents of the leprechauns, sorry Harfoots, and the embarrassing Scottish accents of the dwarves, these were laughable. The Orcs were not speaking Cockney, as some have asserted, but a strangled south London accent that was obviously put on as badly as the Oirish and Scotch travesties.

Then there are the utter impossibilities that happened. The same character attempts to swim a thousand miles as well as later surviving a pyroclastic flow without a single blemish. Elves are immortal, not indestructible. One character suffers a mortal wound and needs Elvish medicine but somehow manages a six-day horse ride to get it.

Despite red herrings, I knew 100% who Sauron was very early on. I shan't say when or how as I don't want to leave clues but how Galadriel didn't guess is beyond me.

And then the Harfoots. What were they for? We could have had better plot development and more time for what was so sorely lacking in other departments without their aimless presence.

OK, I watched it all so it gets a three. I just don't agree that it got better in the final three episodes. To me, it became more absurd and superficial. I'm not sure that I'll particularly rush to get the second season.

Terrible. Complete disregard of already written and established Tolkien lore, poor building of character and storyline.

I rarely write bad reviews for shows but as a die-hard, lifelong LOTR fan, you've let me down. Imagine spending £1bn on this pile of excrement. 1 dimensional characters despite unlimited pre-written potential.

My girlfriend gave up after episode 2 but I tried to persevere. Alas no.

Sauron the deceiver portrayed as a bumbling, well-meaning, drifter esc character?!? He's an archangel devoted to Morgoth and one of the most inherently evil beings ever in the LOTR universe. Capable of unimaginable acts. Here portrayed as a vulnerable, hobbit-protecting vagabond.

Terribly sorry to use such vulgar language but your show is: a) s***, b) flipping the bird to every Tolkien fan who watched and c) a frankly unethical use of £1bn given that amount of money could end world hunger.

Booo.

The hate that this series is confronting is a crime against human history! You mean to tell me that someone saw for example the episode 7 of season 2 and just numbered it 1/10 stars?! Dear Lord I could go on a crusade about the unfairness that this series has to deal with!!... it's one of the best things I've saw in my life!!... amazing acting and characters, perfect story and dialogues and gorgeous sceneries!... it's almost perfection!... I hope it will be completed and not stop to season 2 cause that would be the worst thing that happen to us fans and TRUE lovers of the Lord of the rings!.. ILOVEIT!