Review: ‘Rings of Power’ is a solid albeit muddled start

By Saswat Pati     9/6/22 11:04pm

Rating: ★★★½

It’s safe to say that in regards to the high expectations surrounding it, “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” has proven to be a solid start for the next story to come from the world of Tolkein. Though not immediately gripping like HBO’s “House of the Dragon,” the first two episodes of “Rings of Power” effectively build the foundation of the plot while presenting some of the best visuals I’ve ever seen from a television show.

For some context, “Rings of Power” is the most expensive TV show ever produced, with a budget of $1 billion dollars for the entire first season. Because of this, expectations were naturally high for whether “Rings of Power” could live up to the original “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy, which is widely considered one of the best fantasy adaptations of all time. The series is set nearly 3,500 years before the films and will explore how the titular Rings were created and how Sauron made the One Ring, storylines that featured heavily in J.R.R. Tolkein’s “Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings.”

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To that end, the first two episodes of  “Rings of Power” accurately replicate Tolkein’s stories. In the first episode, there were moments where I was astonished by the scene’s beauty, and the score only serves to enhance that awe.

While the production value of the series is top notch, the plot and its pacing, while good, are not spectacular. The first two episodes primarily serve to introduce the series’ many disparate characters, and from my count, there are four major storylines being developed. The “main” storyline centers around the elves, specifically Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), as they seek to hunt the evil antagonist Sauron. Galadriel is motivated by a desire to avenge her brother, whom Sauron killed. She has to go on her own because as the centuries have passed, many of the elves no longer see Sauron as a threat. Other plot threads include a forbidden romance between an elf and a human, a mysterious meteor that is discovered by some harfoots (think hobbits) and the forging of the rings of power.

Of the four storylines being developed, Galadriel’s is by far the clearest and most engaging, and Clark does a good job of portraying the elven princess as a seasoned combat veteran. Her action scenes are very well choreographed, and viewers can likely empathize with her search for vengeance against the evil foe.

However, the rest of the storylines are not nearly as fleshed out, which leads to my greatest concern of the series’ premiere: there still is too much mystery surrounding what the show’s conflict will actually be about. While our heroes have begun to be established, there could be more foreshadowing to keep viewers engaged. For example, aside from one scene at the start of the first episode, the presumptive antagonist Sauron is nowhere to be seen. The hook was still nonexistent by the end of the second episode, which ended on a flat note.

That said, I believe that “Rings of Power” has succeeded in establishing the charm and wonder of Tolkein’s Middle-Earth on the small screen. This show has great potential, and viewers are sure to be rewarded for tuning in weekly with more incredible visuals and hopefully more developed storylines.

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