Amazon’s ‘The Rings Of Power’ is Good, Fight Me

Amazon’s new The Rings of Power makes a big splash with its first two episodes.

The new Lord of the Rings in-universe tale The Rings of Power is getting some reviewer hate after Amazon premiered the first two episodes of the highly-anticipated series. Well, all of those haters can fight me, because I thought it was good.

Amazon Streaming has bet big on its new show The Rings of Power. Leading up to its release the show gained a lot of negative press from both trolls and concerned fans. Now that the first two episodes have dropped the world can, at last, get a look at what’s been made. And it’s actually… good? Like really solid, and you can fight me on that. So here are my spoiler-free first impressions.

This Show is Pretty AF

Courtesy of Amazon Prime

Let’s get this straight. This show is pretty. Amazon spent a ton of money on The Rings of Power and it shows. Leading up to it some people said the trailer made the show look like a B-movie. To this I have to say… have you ever seen a B-movie? Like seriously. This show has stunning visuals. Is everything 100% perfect? Likely not. But it’s super pretty and atmospheric. Even more importantly the visuals help the story. The various races and locations look distinct. Khazad-dûm looked tons different than the Harfoot lands. This show brings it from a visual perspective.

One of the Reasons the Rings Of Power is Good? It Takes Its Time.

via Amazon

The Rings of Power has a ton to introduce. This is a massive sprawling story with a huge cast. One major worry I and others had was that the first episode would be a bit overloaded. I’m not going to lie, it is a lot in the first episode. However, I think the showrunner did a really great job of slowly building things. Not every character, plot, or location is introduced in the first episode. The show starts focused on Galadriel.

From there it slowly expands to focus on other characters and plot lines. But overall, it takes time to introduce them. By the end of the two-episode premiere, there are some major characters and locations that we still haven’t encountered.

Courtesy of Amazon Prime

I don’t think this is a bad thing at all. It lets us get to know the already-introduced characters a bit. It’s managed to avoid overloading people with too much lore and too many faces and places. The show is building and expanding its world, but it’s doing it at a pace that won’t leave people scratching their heads.

It’s Got Solid Acting

Courtesy of Amazon Prime

Across the board, I loved the acting in The Rings of Power. Every single actor I noticed brought their A-game. Sophia Nomvete, Morfydd Clark, and Markella Kavenagh were all standouts for me. But I honestly didn’t think there were any really bad performances. 

The Rings Of Power Could Be Great, So Give it a Chance

Courtesy of Amazon Prime

Overall, I really liked the first two episodes that premiered. I understand that if you are a Tolkien purist you can find fault with the show. The timeline is a bit messed up. Some of the first maps they show appear to be incorrect. It’s not 100% accurate to every bit of detail Tolkien wrote but never published in his lifetime. I get it. But I also think this show is straight-up good. Based on these two episodes it has the potential to be an amazing adaptation.

Courtesy of Amazon Prime

I love that a lot of the teaser shots we got were from really early in the show. Rather than spoiling the plot, they just showed what is essentially the introduction. I loved the music, the visuals, and a lot of the dialogue. I loved that the major characters have some pretty clear and understandable motivations. If you abandon the position of some kind of Tolkien purist (which is really a Christopher Tolkien purist) you will really enjoy the show. It truly has a lot going for it.

Courtesy of Amazon Prime

In the end, The Rings of Power is good.  I loved the first two episodes and you can fight me on that. They delivered exactly what I wanted. I’ll be back with a spoiler-filled recap, soon, but for now, enjoy the adventure we are all on.

Let us know what you thought of the episodes down in the comments. 

Author: Abe Apfel

Abe is that rare thing, an Austin local born and raised here. Though he keeps on moving around, DC, Japan, ETC., he always seems to find his way back eventually. Abe has decades of experience with a wide range of tabletop and RPG games, from historicals, to Star Wars to D&D and 40K. He has been contributing to BOLS since almost the start, back when he worked at and then owned a local gaming store. He used to be big into the competitive Warhammer tournament scene but age has mellowed him and he now appreciates a good casual match. He currently covers 40K tactics and lore, as well as all things Star Wars, with occasional dabbling in other topics. Abe remains in mourning over the loss of WFB to this day.