Review Rings of Power: TV show shines with its own identity in an world already known

Sabryna Esmeraldo

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A mix of excitement and fear has followed longtime Lord of the Rings fans since the Rings of Power series was announced. Will the series do justice to such a great film and book franchise? Or will it stumble, like The Hobbit trilogy?

Cut to the chase: Lord of the Rings fans, you won't be disappointed! New fans, you will want to know more of this world.

The review below contains no spoilers.

It's the world we already know, but it's all new

Rings of Power does an excellent job taking us back to Middle Earth. But don't think it will be "more of the same". With an eye-popping setting (and justifying the budget), the series brings the essence and atmosphere of the universe of The Lord of the Rings, but with several novelties and details from this world that give the production an extremely rich identity.

Something that fans of the books have always highlighted about Tolkien's works is the wealth of details of the world that the author created, about each place, about each people. And it is undeniable that a series with several episodes of almost an hour has much more space to explore this than the movies. And it explores!

The first two episodes take the viewer by the hand across the entire map of Middle Earth (another interesting reference to the books, whose cartography has always been a high point). And the chapters do that to present details of different peoples.

References without overexplanation

The Rings of Power introduces us to Galadriel in her youth, well before she becomes the leader of Lothlórien whom Frodo meets in The Lord of the Rings. A much younger Elrond also shows us his path to becoming the wise elf leader played by Hugo Weaving in the movies. The main explanations and references to the plot of the original franchise seem to revolve around them. But nothing in excess.

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In conversations or even moments of narration, the two elves mention names and quickly tell stories about other characters that older fans already know. The conclusions from this are:

1. The series does a good job explaining its own plot to new viewers of this universe without repeating what can be seen in the movies, but without leaving big doubts;

2. The production will leave longtime fans buzzing with every reference;

3. If you're a new fan, watching the show with an older fan by your side can be a really fun and enlightening experience, because this person can give you details about references that the show won't bother to explain, simply because it doesn't need to for its own plot.

The familiar characters are fine, but the new ones are awesome

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Yes, Galadriel is as good as we could hope. Brilliantly played by Cate Blanchett in the original Lord of the Rings franchise, here the character comes to life in the interpretation of Morfydd Clark. In just two episodes, it is already possible to see that the elf will be a major protagonist, alongside the other main characters. But, as we've already said in this review, The Rings of Power has an identity of its own, and the series achieves this through its new characters.

Amidst elves, dwarves, orcs and other races, the human Bronwyn (played by Nazanin Boniadi) had her moment to shine in these first two chapters, and left the viewer anxious to see what the character will bring forward. Inhabitant of the south of Middle Earth, she has a close relationship with the elf and soldier Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova). Arondir should still have some good battles, but at the beginning of the series, it was Bronwyn's turn.

The young Nori is another character who promises to conquer the audience from the first moment. Nori is a hairyfoot, ancestors of the Hobbits who led a nomadic life, always hiding from other people. But Nori has the spirit of adventure that we already know some Hobbits have. And it's exactly what makes her different that should change the course of her people's history. Plus, she's a really fun character.

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In charge of the incredible kingdom of Khazad-dûm are Prince Durin (Owain Arthur) and Princess Disa (Sophia Nomvette), who have already shown us that there is much more to know about the dwarves than the movies were able to show us.

The plot still needs to develop, but the path already seems right

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As you would expect, the first two episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are a great introduction to everything and everyone that makes up this Second Age of Tolkien's world, previously unexplored in cinemas or television. So the plot still has a way to go to really shine. For now, the emotions are due to the references for those who already know this universe, some good action scenes and a cliff hanger in each episode.

But this is far from being a problem. With such a complex and rich world, the production is right to spend this time, without exaggeration, to make the proper presentations: the characters, Middle Earth and the plot itself. And it successfully leaves the expectation that the next chapters should bring an interesting development, breathtaking action scenes and a climax worthy of the film franchise and Tolkien's works.

From this beginning, however, the production manages to transport the viewer to a fantasy world full of extremely human emotions, such as fear of the unknown, the desire for revenge, the search for peace, the curiosity for a new adventure. All this already seems to be on a good way to translate the essence of the books. And the visible care of award-winning director J.A. Bayona (Seven Minutes After Midnight) demonstrates not only his affection for the work, but also the results of his experience with fantasy productions.

It is certainly a series that promises to delight older fans, but which should also win over new generations of viewers to the universe of Middle Earth.