Packing a Powerful Punch

Does The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power pack much of a punch?” As a fan of J.R.R Tolkien’s books The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, I’m happy to say it does.

The show was released on Sept. 1 and was highly-anticipated by audiences world-wide. The show channels various genres including action, adventure, and fantasy television. It showcases all-new characters that are in Tolkien’s books, as well as some characters that Lord of the Rings fans will recognize, such as Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Elrond (Robert Aramayo), but as their younger selves.

Set in the Tolkien’s “Second Age” which takes place before The Hobbit (The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit being set in Tolkien’s vision of a Third Age), the show begins with Galadriel as a small child talking with her brother Finrod (Will Fletcher) after she attacks a kid for destroying her paper swan. Finrod talks to her about the “darkness and light” in life, and how to differentiate which path she should take. Years later, Galadriel is now in charge of hunting down the dark lord Sauron after an unfortunate event befalls her brother. After the discovery of the dark lord’s return, forces all across Middle Earth must fight against a new evil that threatens to take over their land.

My favorite aspect of the eight-episode series is the beauty of the cinematography. Since the show is set in the Second Age, writers created a world which looks different from the Middle Earth of the Third Age to which viewers may be accustomed. Although the landscape is different, the show still has that traditional wimsical Middle Earth feel to it. I enjoyed every panoramic shot there is and couldn’t get enough of them. My favorite scenes, however, were the ones set in the kingdom of Númenor, an island of men west of Middle Earth. The shots were breathtaking and as beautiful as the day was long.

Another aspect of the show I liked was the casting and how the cast embodied their characters. The casting for many of the roles, especially Galadriel, was spot on. Morfydd Clark did an outstanding job portraying a younger Galadriel. Her mannerisms and diction were perfect compared to the older version of Galadriel many fans are familiar with, however, this is my opinion since some other fans have completely disagreed with this.

Another character I thought was casted perfectly was Durin IV (Owain Arthur), the dwarven prince of the kingdom Moria. Although Durin has never been on screen before, Arthur represented his character exactly how I imagined him to be. His portrayal was amazing and his chemistry with actor Robert Aramayo (Elrond), who plays an elf, was lovely to see. They both performed well together and represented the friendship between Durin and Elrond beautifully.

Although I am a fan of Tolkien, I am not completely knowledgeable on every aspect of his works. I was a bit confused during the big reveals of the show and had to get my dad, a major Tolkien fan, to explain those parts to me. This was my only negative thought about the show. However, it wasn’t so confusing that it annoyed me. I found it an easy show to follow along with and something any new Tolkien fan could enjoy without being completely lost. It’s important to remember though that this is a different age in the Tolkien timeline which melds things you are familiar with, with totally new characters and storylines, which is very different from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

Overall, I would give the show a 9 out of 10, just because of the slight confusion I had at the last episode. The show received an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, which I believed should’ve been at least a 92%. Whether you’re a new fan of Tolkien or a returning fan, this show has plenty of action and suspense for everyone to enjoy.