Critic Reviews

It’s fantasy writ exhilaratingly large, although at the start, what’s so impressive about showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay’s streaming effort (September 2) is its balance between the glorious and the vile, the romantic and the brutal, the euphoric and the despairing, and the grand and the intimate. ... It feels fresh and alive—and poised, consequently, to be the one that rules them all.

Lavishly made, endlessly beautiful to watch and substantive enough to make you care, this is fantasy at its absolute highest level. It builds on the promise of that Season 1 finale to deliver truly epic adventure.

The series marries what we've learned to love about contemporary fantasy, like Game of Thrones with its multiple main characters, with the depth and detail of Tolkien's universe. While there's still a whole season to watch, The Rings of Power is off to a successful start in delivering on its promise of quality and firing on all cylinders.

Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series The Rings of Power is worth the wait: a grandly ambitious epic with stunning visuals.

The good news is that in its first two episodes, Rings Of Power isn’t just good; it’s stupendous. ... While the show takes its time introducing us to the world and its initial groups, there’s no sense of dragging. The plot is propulsive, which is not necessarily a term one would normally use to describe Tolkien.

The Rings of Power is a reminder of what drew many of us to epic fantasy in the first place: wonder. ... This series set in an ancient realm displays one dazzling and painterly landscape after another. Power also doesn't skimp on action. [12 - 25 Sep 2022, p.10]

The show has made a major leap forward with a magnificent second season. .... While there will likely still be some pushback from fans of the original film trilogy and Tolkien’s written work, this is undeniably the most striking fantasy show of the year.

There’s plenty of action throughout, none of which feels harried, and building to a grand and explosive confrontation that honors the scale of what Jackson wrought for the big screen without severing our emotional connection to the story. But the story’s timelessness grounds it in foreboding; this season has a lot to say about the rise of charismatic empty suits and the peril of trusting in shiny new promises.

It’s true, the pace of The Rings of Power’s first two episodes is slow and deliberate, and the show has to work to balance its screentime amongst many seemingly disconnected plotlines. But it’s clear that the show feels confident enough in the story it’s telling to allow its audience the necessary time to get to know its characters and their various goals and passions, before launching into the potentially world-ending stakes in their future.

Remains a worthy backstory complement to Peter Jackson’s Oscar-winning cinematic trilogy.