Having put hundreds of millions into putting together a series version of “Lord of the Rings” a amazon showed that he put his money into the production but not the narrative, with a beautiful prequel that could leave all but the most devoted Hobbits feeling bored.
“The Rings of Power” should be a source of considerable curiosity, but amidst an onslaught of big-budget streaming, this seems unworthy of reigning over all.
In fact, some of The Rings of Power’s shortcomings echo HBO’s “Game of Thrones” prequel, “House of the Dragon,” which shines brighter in comparison. Based on early episodes, the distance between the characters audiences have come to know in Peter Jackson’s trilogy and their ancestral counterparts seems even more pronounced.
The show’s format – episodes will be released weekly after the two-part premiere – also tends to attract some bad habits against even Jackson’s notoriously long films, with slow interludes and a second episode that plays out on multiple fronts without seeming like a lot is happening, relatively speaking.
Enthusiasts of JRR Tolkien’s ornate world will no doubt be tempted to revel in this tale’s secular approach, which begins with an extended prologue to a vast and costly battle with Sauron’s forces, and his subsequent demise.
While some hope for lasting peace, the vengeful elven warrior Galadriel (Morfydd Clark ) remains vigilant, convinced that, as she says, “evil does not sleep. He waits”.
Like “House of the Dragon,” “The Rings of Power” sought to present women and people of color more prominently, while capitalizing on the timeless qualities of the Elves, among other things, to provide connections despite the time lag between these series and films. .
Overall, Elves occupy an enhanced role, including the soldier Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova ), which also becomes more prominent as battle lines begin to be drawn.
Even so, despite an episodic approach and multi-season plans, the series doesn’t initially translate to more compelling characters, and after catching audiences in the story, the buildup toward the heart of the story moves slowly.
Gradually, “The Rings of Power” introduces a variety of characters representing the worlds of Men, Elves, Dwarves, and a subset of Hobbits known as the Hairy Feet (a distinction that, we hope, won’t be at the end).
At times, as the series navigates through them, it starts to feel like “The Lord of Maps”, scattering images of the various realms across the screen as it navigates from one location to another.
These locations reflect the scope of the production at its grandeur, while the mythical beasts featured actually prove to be a little more uneven.
Until now, Amazon’s investment has been used in the service of relatively uninspired narratives lacking in narrative urgency. The expectations raised by the title thus become a double-edged sword, particularly given how much has been done to promote the gigantic effort it promised to be.
As for the epic battle that awaits, “The Rings of Power” may still rise to the occasion. However, despite these beautiful, sweeping views of Middle-earth as the music swells and the camera pans over them, after the initial intro, it’s hard to resist the temptation to say, “Wake me up when you get there.”
“The Rings of Power” debuts September 2 on Amazon Prime.
Source: CNN Brasil
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