I will not be using any images featuring important moments or writing about specific parts of the plot that unfold within the first two episodes, so this first impressions post will be accessible to all who may come across it and may read it. I know there will be a lot of fans of the franchise that definitely will want to avoid reviews and posts online regarding the series so that they can go in on their own and enjoy it without really knowing what is to come, as well as form their own opinions of it. However, I also want to state that while the films definitely played a big part of my youth, I am also far from a huge Tolkien fan, and definitely not one to know the full details of the lore within this world; especially given how dense that lore can be. I just don't have the interest or patience to look that deep into things, truthfully.
That in part has played a big impact in how I originally viewed this series and its production through Amazon, from announcement to first images to trailers, and thus its release. I have ignored everything. I just had no faith that Amazon would be capable of not absolutely butchering the name as is the case of streaming giants as they attempt to hook people in by any means necessary, even if it means completely tarnishing the name of something beloved. Even now, two episodes in, I still do not have a whole lot of faith that it won't go south. Anything could happen, and it certainly would not disappoint me nor would it surprise me. It is simply the expected outcome in this era of filmmaking.
While I had ignored all of the marketing and production side of the series, I still did come across much of the controvery surrounding it online. People's thoughts on the use of different races to portray the, well, fantasy races found within the world Tolkien built. People claimed it was "woke" or would be catering to the world's annoying political climate where the fragile are the most vocal and forever need to be reminded of how they are 'fighting the good fight'. It happens all the time now, and shows and films are often plagued with social commentary that just is not necessary at all regardless of the stance it shares. Part of me expected something like this, it is almost inevitable at this point. And definitely tiresome. Though, having seen the show was out, I figured I would give it a chance with little else to do today.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
I have to admit, I am quite surprised at the quality of the show so far. I definitely expected far worse, but it is evident that Amazon really put time, money, and effort into at least creating something that was both authentic to the franchise of The Lord of the Rings while also being capable of standing out on its own, also not reflecting the gritty, fantasy style of many other shows that hold fantasy and medieval elements. I had the concern that the show would end up copying Game of Thrones due to its success, and definitely the reason behind purchasing the rights to make this show was having seen the Game of Thrones popularity and thinking an existing franchise offering something similar would bring in new Amazon Prime subscribers.
The show starts off as you would expect too. In a similar nature to the films, though with more exposition than was probably necessary to get the show really going quickly. Some of this moment did feel a bit rushed and could've been given a bit more time to really pan things out. I felt like certain moments didn't quite make perfect sense or held some weakpoints as a result of it quickly trying to find its footing to move forward already. This exposition lasted for about seven minutes. The films also had this exposition, though it was much shorter in comparison. I can't really say it was too much of a negative given it was, and does often, just carry off from many of the established storytelling structures found in the material its following from.
And this is where I am still surprised: thus far the show has not really been too reliant on its prior cinematic entries. The way it introduces characters and ideas we have seen before is done rather tastefully and without seeming like blatant fanservice purely made to carry off of nostalgia. This is something Star Wars completely fails to realise, failing to see that people do not want endless fanservice that points at things we know and love, but uses them to instead tell new stories for us to remember within those worlds. Of course, this could all end going forward. I am only two episodes in and I can't assume everything will continue with this more tasteful method of storytelling within a world we all know and love.
Moving forward, I want to add that the cinematography and directing still seems quite faithful. It really does look beautiful in parts, while still offering a more modern look as a result of moving from the 35mm film format we saw in the trilogy, to today's digital format that holds the majority of productions. There also does not seem to be too much of a reliance on special effects -- something that I think everyone was concerned about given much of what made the trilogy so loved was its admiration for physical sets and locations, and using special effects only when absolutely necessary. There are still some somewhat jarring moments in the series where we can tell special effects are used, but I have noticed the show attempts to take advantage of dark environments and scenes to mask them; essentially giving us less to notice within the shot so that they can hide special effects a bit easier.
I'd say thus far it has some pretty solid art direction. I don't have any complaints there, and in parts, as mentioned before, it can be really beautiful to see.
Characters
It still appears very early on in introducing characters and its general plot, but so far the characters and their performances haven't been that bad at all. I am glad that most of the cast is mostly unknown actors, so we don't have these connections to them from prior performances that ultimately pulls us from our immersion within this world being crafted and reminds us of Lenny Henry being a British television comedian. Yeah, that part was a bit disappointing to see. That said, it's a minor appearance so far and I can't say it is a bad one in terms of performance. I am interested in seeing how these characters develop and learning more of them and their personalities, though. As anything could happen going forward, I would hope that they remain strong and do not end up being used as relief through quirky humour and cheap jokes. Sadly this is to be expected given how other shows these days are addressed.
Still, I am quite surprised at the quality so far. I think it has a lot of potential going forward. It could definitely be much worse, more to what I expected. It is nice to be surprised. It isn't an incredible show, but it's not bad so far either. There is plenty of room for it to lean more towards one of those directions as it continues to find its footing. Remember, Game of Thrones was considered to be peak television until those final two seasons!
I think so far it has all it needs to be a hit. There are always going to be weakpoints in a series, but if the attention to detail and awareness of what it is carrying from can ensure it doesn't stray too afar from that source material, nor rely on it too much, can continue, I definitely will stick around to see it progress.