‘Engine of a Lada in a Ferrari’

After the finale of the first season, the baptism of fire of The Rings of Power past. How did the prequel to The Lord of the Rings passed the initiation tests? Our final verdict after season 1. “The engine of a dilapidated Lada in a Ferrari.”

We have organized our final verdict into two points of pain and two points of hope.

*This article may contain spoilers

Ever since the last film in the trilogy first hit theaters in 2003, we’ve been eagerly awaiting a new The Lord of the Ringsproject. The expectations for The Rings of Power were therefore tense after a waiting period of two decades. For the time being, however, the Amazon series does not manage to keep the viewer’s tension taut for long.

We have uncovered three major pain points that could be the cause of this. But, we also offer light in the darkness with two hopeful closings.

Two pain points of The Rings of Power

Now that the curtain has fallen on the first season and all the monkeys have been completely shaken up, the time has come to pass judgment on The Rings of Power. And to our regret, we are not tender.

1. Most expensive series ever

As we reported earlier, the most expensive series ever. This is largely due to the astronomical price tag that Tolkien’s descendants placed on the intellectual rights of the books.

But why did Amazon pay $250 million for the Tolkien story and then chop it all up, throw it in a pot, and hope the soup takes hold? There’s a reason those rights are so expensive. Tolkien’s epic has encompassed the imagination of generations young and old for more than half a century and is – not unimportantly – a tried and true cash cow. It’s a nearly perfect story (except for those giant birds that rescue Sam and Frodo). In order to be able to cast it in a cinematic form, it makes sense that the writers of The Rings of Power have had to make creative decisions that would have made Tolkien purists always shudder.

But this is no longer ‘tinkering with the story’. No, this is dishonoring the Bible among fantasy books. You don’t buy a Ferrari and put the engine of a dilapidated Lada in it, do you?

There’s a reason those rights are so expensive. Tolkien’s epic has captivated the imagination of generations young and old for more than half a century and is – not unimportantly – a tried and tested cash cow. In addition, it is an almost perfect story, where no plot hole can be pierced.

Well, perfectly. Except for those giant birds that Sam and Frodo suddenly come to rescue. Although Tolkien has (not) an explanation for that.

To tell the story of The Rings of Power To be able to cast it into cinematic form, it makes sense that the series’ writers had to make creative decisions that Tolkien purists would have always shuddered at. But this is no longer ‘tinkering with the story’. No, this is dishonoring the Bible among fantasy books. You don’t buy a Ferrari and put the engine of a dilapidated Lada in it, do you?

2. Cringe-inducing Disney movie

If you take so many liberties with an almost untouchable original, then the plot must really work like clockwork. Unfortunately, the hands of The Rings of Power not always on point. The series’ rippling pace flows too often from one sleep-inducing scene to the next.

Me enjoying all the emotional moments with the Harfoots, Elendil, Berek, Durin, Elrond, Galadriel, Theo, Bronwyn, and Arondir and ignoring the things that didn’t work that the some in the fandom are currently having a meltdown over #RingsofPower #TheRingsOfPower pic.twitter.com/BKih4trMzQ

— Fabi (@Miss_Fabi_hola) October 7, 2022

The storyline of Arondir, (but mostly) Theo and Bronwyn feels like a cheap, toe-curling Disney movie and every Harfoot on screen is one too many. Dispose of.

Two Points of Hope

It’s not all doom and gloom in Middle-earth. What can disappointed viewers draw on?

1. Weight loss = no loss of face

Trim the fat and you’ll be fine. There are plenty of intriguing characters that The Rings of Power can build on in the future. Elrond and Durin certainly haven’t seen each other for the last time. And it will also be interesting to watch how Galadriel’s character develops after she has one of the rings on her finger for a while.

2. Eagle Eye

Our greatest hope is that the writers have written the first season with an eagle eye. By that we mean with a complete vision of all five seasons in mind, even before a speck of ink was wasted.

It could be that everything has yet to erupt and that afterwards it turns out that the plot of The Rings of Power is not attached to each other by snags. Then we might speak a different language next season.

The Criticism You Can Forget

And then there was that ridiculous discussion.

Xenophobia about The Rings of Power

The Rings of Power was hit hard from the masses in the beginning by xenophobic trolls who bombed the series with bad reviews.

Different skin color? Come on. The power of a series does not lie on the (skin) surface, but deep below. At the heart and soul of the story. Hopefully we will get rid of that whining next season.