I loved Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which I first read several decades ago, and read again two or three more times since then. And twenty-some years ago, Peter Jackson did brilliant work in bringing Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf, Aragorn, Elron, and the Rings’ other major characters to life on the big screen.
And now comes Amazon's "The Rings of Power." What a disappointment! I was really looking forward to this series, until I watched the first two episodes last night.
In Amazon’s new gazillion-dollar series, the dialogue is too often slow and BORING. The writers try for profundity, but it comes off as clunky mock-profundity instead. The actors are largely unknown…for a reason. They’re mediocre actors, at least in these roles. So far no one stands out as a fascinating character I simply must watch. The big money must have gone for all the CG artwork instead of paying the salaries of A-list screenwriters and actors.
Contrast “The Rings of Power” actors with Peter Jackson’s cast. Elijah Wood as Frodo, Sean Astin as Sam, Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, and, of course, Ian McKellen as Gandalf were truly interesting, sympathetic characters – characters with depth, played by highly engaging actors. The Amazon tv production is NOT mesmerizing. It’s not deep. And the actors are B-televison actors – not even B-movie actors.
Where the Rings of Power production does shine is not in its script, its characters, or the actors who play them, but rather in the costumes and the sets. It’s a gorgeous production. But a visually beautiful set does not a watch-worthy series make.