Review: 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' dives into the roots with precision and ambition

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

If you are somehow managing to recover from the House of the Dragon fever with its second episode having dropped recently, there is barely any breathing space for everyone out there as we step into the biggest and most expensive series of all time, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Amazon Prime Video. From the times of watching Frodo guarding to ring to reach Mordor in the original trilogy to now going thousands of years back in the second age of Middle-Earth; having had the chance to see the first two episodes before hand, here is what I thought about it-

The Prologue Sucking You in Right Away

The smartest thing that creators JD Payne and Patrick McKay do right away is begin with a brilliant prologue as the first episode begins. Talking about going into this world and Galadriel and her quest, any feeling that you possibly had about being skeptical or worrisome going into it is immediately eradicated. Witnessing a voiceover talking about entering into this world as Galadriel catapults here and there while being reminded of Peter Jackson's moments from the trilogy is a brilliant way to suck us in right away.

The Sheer Scale

It might seem like a given as we talk about the scale here as the trailer suggests but trust me when I say, even then, you aren't truly ready for the monstrosity of a setting that Rings of Power is showcasing here. It is unlike anything you have ever seen. Every visual of the two episodes can easily be converted into a canvas painting without a question. This might be presented as a TV series and at-home viewing for so many but I cannot stress enough how this is big-screen viewing at its absolute best. Coupled with phenomenal sound design, the visuals might just be reason enough for anyone to tune in to this grandiosity.

Electric Ensemble

As we know, this series has a giant ensemble with an array of actors playing pivotal characters and indeed all of them play their parts in the best possible way. However, the standouts are Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, Isamel Cruz Cordova as Arondir and the perfect comic relief presented by Owain Arthur as Durin IV. His bromance with Elrond (Robert Aramayo) is one of the highlights of the first two episodes giving such much light-hearted moments. The two other actors that specifically make an impact are Markella Kavenagh as Elanor 'Nori' Brandyfoot and Nazanin Boniadi as Bronwyn where the former's innocence, curiosity and bravery is what makes her an amazingly written character while the latter's vulnerability and bravery on separate occasions is fantastic. The love angle between Arondir and Bronwyn is so beautiful as it represents the same forbidden love that is similar to J.R.R. Tolkien's stories about Beren and Luthien and Aragorn and Arwen.

Complex World Building

The show is undoubtedly an instant draw for even the most skeptical Rings fans out there owing to the aforementioned factors. It helps that the world-building here takes its time and as complex it is, it is almost essential. As we catapult through the visuals of middle-earth from Numenor to the High Pass where Harfoots would live in smials, there is a sense of patience that is required from the viewer to be invested. 

Hence, this might prove to be an arduous task of fetching the non-LOTR fans out there. The creators have repeatedly said how even a non-LOTR fan can tune in for this magnum opus and while it is true, given the attention span attached to a viewer today as the series premiers on a streaming service is minimal, it will be very hard to sustain. If the viewer isn't invested in the complex storyline at play here in the first few minutes, it would become easy for the person to switch to anything else and not really care about it later. It is a worry that The Rings of Power will struggle to combat.

The Verdict

With pots and pots of money riding on it, The Rings of Power delivers on what it promised - being faithful to Tolkien's original works, presenting a visual treat like no other, world building with the leisure of time and finally, a breathtaking experience of being transported into a fascinating world for a long time.

Rating - **** (4/5)