"Epic drama set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings' follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth."

OUR REVIEW:

The time has finally arrived to begin our journey back into The Lord of the Rings, and with a two episode premiere, The Rings of Power is off to a devastatingly underwhelming return to Middle Earth with a true reliance on its dazzling visuals. Let’s begin with episode one, a true slog of an episode, strung together with lore that only true Tolkien fans would be able to appreciate - it’s an exposition dump that leaves you numb by the credits. Aside from the hypnotic visuals leading the way, none of the characters introduced in the premiere episode will leave any desire to return apart from the closing minute. 

All hope is not entirely abandoned as the second episode is miles ahead of everything the premiere was able to conjure. While the characters remain to be incredibly lacking in nearly every regard, we have gotten a little bit more time to become adjusted to their personalities - they’re all still not overly entertaining to watch. However what this sequel episode is able to do that the first one almost entirely failed to was have some intriguing set up and most of all some great, albeit quick battles on screen. 

The acting thus far hasn’t been a cause of concern, in fact it is merely in the writing on the walls that leaves me wondering if this is a series worth continuing forward with. A billion dollar show that seems to have used all of its finances to create a beautiful world but a lackluster story structure to fall back on. As it currently sits, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power hasn't even introduced the “Rings of Power” and we are off to such a slow start that it’s almost worth waiting until all episodes are out to hit the x2 speed on the remote. This may be a win at the end of the day but for now, it’s a very up in the air series with a lot of potential that’s struggling to show all its cards.