After the first two episodes of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power S1”, my first impression of the series was that this was going to be an engaging adventure to follow throughout the autumn. An adventure that, despite taking some liberties, preserved the spirit of author JRR Tolkien.
Since then, the series has managed to provoke me with unrealistic pyroclastic currents, I’ve allowed myself to be irritated by a slightly too fast narrative pace, had bursts of disbelief when the series has strayed too far from Tolkien’s original works and I’ve laughed myself to death at strange wolf designs.
But now that the first season is finished, I can state that the series creators have also managed to keep the sense of magic and adventure that they established in the first two episodes.
I have cried over the warmth of the friendship between Elrond and Durin and allowed myself to be spellbound by the dwarf princess Disa’s enormous presence in the TV box. I have allowed myself to be fond of little Harfoots with big hearts and an even bigger mysterious friend.
I have allowed myself to be seduced by the mysterious being of a southern king and carried away by the courage and strength of an elf princess. And the series has continued to take my breath away with spectacular images and atmospheric music.
Tolkien’s Spirit Is Absorbed
When the first season is now over, the feeling that this is Tolkien’s Middle-earth is stronger than ever with me.
And that the wait for the next season feels excruciatingly long immediately after the season finale, is a good sign that series creators Patrick McKay and John D. Payne have managed to create the right magic with “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power S1”.
One of the great mysteries of this first season has been what face Sauron, the prince of darkness, hides behind.
I won’t reveal whether we get answers to that here, but I can say that the season manages to unravel several common threads in a satisfactory way before the finale is over.
Here follows the original review of “Maktens ringer”, which was published as the first impression after two episodes of the series.
It’s been over 20 years since Peter Jackson introduced a wide cinema audience to author JRR Tolkien’s imaginative world in 2001.
The height of the fall is enormous when Amazon will now take us back to Middle-earth in “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”.
After shelling out millions for the rights alone, Amazon has spent an almost staggering amount on the first season of the series. But is it possible for the world’s most expensive TV series to live up to the soaring expectations of Tolkien fans worldwide?
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The answer is that “Rings of Power” will have several Tolkien purists tearing their hair out in frustration at the liberties series creators Patrick McKay and John D. Payne have taken with the source material.
This is how it is with adaptations. Changes from the original work will always occur.
But after watching two episodes, there is no doubt that The Rings of Power is a grand and beautiful adventure, made by people with an understanding of Tolkien’s world and a love for the stories he told.
