This article contains spoilers for The Rings of Power episodes 1 & 2.The first two episodes of Game of Thrones, HBO's tremendously popular TV series, had in proving there was a market for long-form storytelling, treading a path that many successors have followed. When Game of Thrones ended in 2019, every studio, streaming service, and network hoped they would be the one to fill the gap. Amazon Studios turned to a classic franchise, The Lord of the Rings, for a prequel TV series.
The Rings of Power's $1 billion budget makes it the most committed challenger for Game of Thrones' legacy. That budget makes The Rings of Power the most expensive TV series ever made, and Amazon execs have justified it by insisting a phenomenal amount of world-building was necessary. The decision to film season 1 in New Zealand naturally means many viewers will compare The Rings of Power to Peter Jackson's much-loved film adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and even the soundtrack seems evocative of them. All this means it's impossible to overestimate the weight of expectation resting upon Amazon's latest TV series - both from general audiences and from Amazon's own body.
Amazon Studios has had many successful originals, but none have had the cultural significance of Netflix's Stranger Things or Disney+'s The Mandalorian. According to Business Insider, this is their moment of truth; "If it doesn't succeed, there's going to be a big question from Andy Jassy and the board," one insider reportedly observed. "If we can't take this piece of IP and make it successful, why is Amazon Studios even here?" Fortunately, all signs are that The Rings of Power will indeed deliver on its potential, and live up to the legacy of The Lord of the Rings.
The Rings Of Power Doesn't Just Play On Nostalgia
It's impossible to overestimate the importance of nostalgia in modern popular culture. That's the secret to the success of Stranger Things, which plays off on '80s nostalgia in fresh and creative ways. It would be easy for Amazon's The Rings of Power to play the nostalgia card as well, focusing on homages to Peter Jackson's Oscar-winning blockbusters. But the decision to set The Rings of Power in Middle-earth's Second Age prevents that becoming too much of a problem. Only a handful of long-lived familiar characters are still around, and the locations are very different. This may be the past of Middle-earth, but it feels fresh and new.
It helps that The Rings of Power draws on lore that is less well-known, from the appendices and personal notes of J.R.R. Tolkien himself. "Tolkien talked about not creating Middle-earth but excavating it. We felt like we were discovering things that were already there,” co-creator J.D. Payne explained (via new characters such as Halbrand, who do not appear to exist in the established lore (unless, of course, Halbrand is using, or will use, an alias). The broad brush-strokes of the story may be easy to deduce, but the details and character arcs remain a mystery.
The Rings Of Power Tells A Tremendously Effective Story
The Lord of the Rings was the ultimate four-quadrant franchise, with something for everyone. The Rings of Power strikes that same balance, blending spectacle and quieter character moments, dramatic threats and rich humor. It would be so easy for the show to feel weighed down by a brooding sense of darkness, as Sauron begins to manipulate events in his favor and engineers the creation of the Rings of Power, but The Rings of Power adroitly avoids that mistake. Sauron's identity remains elusive, imbuing the whole story with a sense of mystery that's entirely appropriate given the villain is a shapeshifter and a liar.
It's striking how quickly The Rings of Power has fleshed out its character, partly by deploying the same archetypes as J.R.R. Tolkien himself. The Harfoots are delightful, and the dynamic between Nori and Poppy is wonderfully reminiscent of Merry and Pippin without being derivative. Elrond and Durin feel like a riff on Legolas and Gimli, but with dark secrets between them. Galadriel's portrayal has proven a little more divisive, with some feeling Tolkien's character should never have been reinvented as a warrior. And yet, for all that's the case, her arc feels crucial and her character will clearly evolve. Galadriel's story actually improves The Lord of the Rings' ending, in which she finally sails to the Undying Lands, her mission complete and Sauron defeated at last.
The Cinematography & Soundtrack Of The Rings Of Power Is As Good As The Lord Of The Rings
Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings films went to great lengths to develop Middle-earth itself as a character in its own right, with stunning cinematography and a wealth of landscape shots that showcased New Zealand in all its beauty. The Rings of Power follows the same approach, with lavish cinematography and stunning visual effects that are all the more impressive given this was shot during the pandemic. As eye-watering as the budget may be, every single scene shows why the show was so expensive. The Rings of Power featured over 9,500 VFX shots, drawing on the skills of 20 VFX studios.
Meanwhile, it's also worth singling out the soundtrack for The Rings of Power, released on Spotify ahead of the premiere. The Lord of the Rings is synonymous with the work of Canadian composer Howard Shore, who won four Grammy Awards, three Oscars, and two Golden Globes for his work on Peter Jackson's films. Amazon wisely brought Shore on board once again to compose the main theme tune, ensuring there would be a strong sense of continuity between the portrayals of Middle-earth. The main score is from American composer Bear McCreary, who has openly itted he's a fan of Shore; he was delighted at how well his music fitted with Shore's, and with good reason.
season 1 is eight episodes long, and only two have been released. On the basis of these first two episodes, this is everything Amazon wanted - a worthy successor to The Lord of the Rings, somehow managing to be just as good as those unforgettable movies. The challenge, however, will be seeing whether The Rings of Power can continue to flourish into season 2, when production will move from New Zealand to the U.K., a shift many have criticized as out-of-keeping with the franchise's world. It's going to be exciting to see what the future has in store for The Rings of Power.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power continues Thursday/Friday on Prime Video.
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