Rings of Power Review Part 1 Spoilers

 

Rings of Power Review Part 1

So I watched The Rings of Power, and here's my review of it...it's meh, but I did have a lot of problems with this show. I feel like the series changed too much of Tolkien's work. Now, this is only the first two episodes, but I have a lot of issues with this series. 

This looks good; not going to lie.

The settings and kingdoms in Middle Earth look amazing.

First, I want to say the visuals and effects are good, the filming locations are good too, Moria looks good too, and I am interested in the Harad Elf Story. As well it's good to hear Howard Ashman again.

However, I don't like the other stories I feel should have been done differently. A good example is Galadriel's story arc. 

There was no need to change her story arc in the Second Age, and I got to be honest. She comes off as a Karen. I hate to use that name, but she does. I just did not like how she's being written in this show. 

In the lore, Galadriel was never a commander or a warrior. She is one of the series's wisest and most powerful characters and doesn't need to pick up the sword. She's a sorcerer who has a powerful connection to nature. In the second age, she's married and has a daughter. She tries to find her kingdom to rule, eventually becoming Lady of Lothlorien. That's the story arc they should have stuck with instead of this whole revenge against Sauron arc. Also, her brother didn't die in a big battle, but there is still a chance they will stick with the Beren and Luthien story. Galadriel is done terribly in this show; if you agree or disagree, that's fine. The opening episode also has her being bullied as a child, which is like, really? 

Also, those who will defend Galadriel being a warrior don't believe those quotes and descriptions. Those don't count because Tolkien would have written her in a battle if she was a warrior. 

They also cut her husband Celeborn in the show, but he might appear in a future season.

I know Amazon didn't have the rights to certain Tolkien works, but they could have done it better.

If you ask me, this show should have been a period-piece fantasy series. Set in a different timeline, that was a major event in Middle Earth's history. The first season should have focused on the elves after the first age and focused on them picking up the pieces of the events of the First Age. 

The actors do a good job, but their characters need improvement. But these are the first two episodes. I hope they do more with the characters or make them more interesting. Also, I really don't like the hairstyles they have in the show; elves have long hair and let me tell, most renowned Tolkien artists drew them with long hair. 

Now the show added hobbits, but the show they are called harfoots even though it still counts. Hobbits weren't involved in any event in the Second Age of Middle Earth. I feel like they should have saved the hobbits for a future season like for example, Season 4 could have been set during the Third Age, and the Hobbits played a role in the Fall of Arnor, the Kingdom of the North. I think they just added hobbits because everybody loves hobbits, and they should have built up the hobbits better. 

Also, Nori and Poppy here are basically the Frodo and Sam of this series.

Again, this only two episodes I watched, so maybe it will work, but I have a feeling the Stranger is Gandalf, which would not surprise me and breaks canon.

I got to be honest, I feel Ismael Cruz Cordova would have been better suited to play Celebrimbor instead of Charles Edwards, but it's the first two episodes. 

Also, would it have killed them to give him long hair? 

Now we have an original story set in the Southlands, aka Harad, and I'm not surprised because I knew they would do this. Even Tolkien once wrote that Harads and Easterlings were not all evil. In fact, in the Silmarillion, it's revealed that some Easterlings from House Beor remained loyal to the elves and stood by them against Morgoth. The Blue Wizards storyline could also have been used, but you know, adaption rights. I admit this storyline interests me, but this original story makes sense, and the whole male elf and female human works, and it's not forced.   

Also, I find it interesting that they also made Bronwyn a single mom. She's the town healer and basically kills an orc and presents its head to show the town's people to escape the orcs. 

Let's be honest that these original characters may or may not work in the series. There's a good chance these characters will be like, why are they here, and their story arcs make no sense.

Now the dwarves I like in the series, and I love seeing Moria before its downfall at the hands of the Balrog Durin's Bane. I like Durin the Third, and Princess Dis was good, despite how some of the dialogue was bad. Still, the friendship between the two, I don't think, was canon to the lore, though, but these two had interesting dialogue. 

If you thought you would get an epic prologue like the films, no, we don't. 

It's really disappointing. I was hoping to see Morgoth and maybe show more events from the First Age. It was disappointing.

Next episodes, we will see Numenor, but the characters we will see should have been saved for a future season. If you ask me, they should have focused on Tar Minister as he was the last good King of Numenor as his son would speak up against the Valar. They should have built up the King's Men in the first season instead of flush appearing into it. They also didn't need to give Elendail a daughter and Pharazon a son. 

Overall, I feel strongly mixed in this show, and I don't like most of the changes they've made. Still, I will give this show two more episodes. Maybe the next ones will get better. I still stand by my problems with the show. They didn't need to make Galadriel a warrior, they didn't need to add hobbits in the first season, they shouldn't have merged two timelines, and they shouldn't have changed too much of the lore. 

I heard Amazon ghosted Jackson when they went to him for ideas. 

When Jackson adapted Lord of the Rings, he made changes to the story, but he still profoundly respected Tolkien's themes and story. He didn't merge two timelines or change a lot of the characters. Say what you will about Arwen replacing Glorfindel, but that's fine. It worked because it still respected the spirit of Tolkien's writing.

So far, I give Rings of Power a 4 out of 10. If you watch it and like it, that's fine, and if you watch it and don't like it, that's fine too. We got more episodes to watch, so maybe it will get good, or it will become total crap and pure fan fiction. Who knows? Let's just wait and see.