Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power could have been so much more than it is, but a failed Lord of the Rings movie is a great example of why things turned out differently. For years, Tolkien fans hoped and prayed for a screen adaptation covering the earlier ages of Middle-earth, since this is when the true bulk of this fantasy world's timeline took place. This naturally made the announcement for The Rings of Power rather exciting, since it would cover Sauron's initial rise to power in the Second Age. Unfortunately, not everything about the series has been as hoped.

Overall, Rings of Power has been a fair success. Though there is debate about whether the viewership data reflect a concerning decline, Amazon has been publicly pleased with the fantasy TV show's performance. Still, the actual content of Tolkien's timeline, and the various creative liberties taken with key characters have ruffled feathers. Of course, the nature of Tolkien's Second Age writings made some changes necessary, but Rings of Power isn't what we expected. Still, a more faithful adaptation might not have been so successful.

War Of The Rohirrim Demonstrates What Rings Of Power Could Have Been

War Of The Rohirrim Embellished On The Canon Story (But It Feels Like Tolkien)

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are two drastically different adaptations of Tolkien's work. However, they share something in common in that they both come from stories that had never before been adapted to the screen. Typically, Bilbo or Frodo's adventures are prioritized, and it helps a great deal that Tolkien wrote full novels about their stories. The legend of Helm Hammerhand and Sauron's creation of the Rings of Power, on the other hand, were written like real-world histories, making screen adaptations a little thicker.

Prime Video and Warner Bros approached these pre-Lord of the Rings story adaptations very differently. War of the Rohirrim centers on Helm Hammerhand's daughter, Hera, who wasn't even a named character in Tolkien's works. This was a creative liberty, but it worked because the foundation of the rest of the story was kept more in line with canon. Rings of Power, on the other hand, makes adjustments to just about every aspect of Tolkien's version of the story.

The way that War of the Rohirrim was handled is far more like what we expected from Rings of Power.

The way that War of the Rohirrim was handled is far more like what we expected from Rings of Power. First and foremost, the 2024 animated movie captured the essence of Peter Jackson's version of Middle-earth, which has become the standard for on-screen adaptations. Additionally, the dialogue of War of the Rohirrim feels much more Tolkien than that of Rings of Power. Had Amazon taken a similar approach, it might have felt a bit more like a true Tolkien masterpiece. However, it also might not have been as successful.

War Of The Rohirrim's Failure Proves That Rings Of Power Was Right To Make A Change

Rings Of Power's Formula Is Working

War of the Rohirrim was a breathtaking masterpiece, but it simply didn't perform. The movie was a box office bomb, only bringing in about $21 million at the global box office compared to its $30 million production budget. Additionally, critics were less than pleased with the animated Lord of the Rings film, only allowing it a 48% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes. Sure, this movie managed to take creative liberties while maintaining the gorgeous feel of Tolkien's Middle-earth, but that wasn't enough to earn it any significant success.

Had Rings of Power taken a similar approach to its story as War of the Rohirrim, it may have been something spectacular. However, the evidence indicates that it wouldn't have been as successful. The Prime Video series holds an 84% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, and though general audiences have had less praise, viewership was high enough for Amazon to greenlight further seasons and higher budgets. It goes to show that, sometimes, what we want isn't what will perform in the long run. Rings of Power's formula, though frustrating, is the clear winner said and done.