“Tolkien is turning over in his grave”: why the series “The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power” is criticized

Viewers who managed to watch the first episodes of the new Amazon Prime series The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power are sharing their opinions online.

Many users speak negatively about the new project.

Unlike critics who released laudatory reviews of the prequel to the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, the general audience greeted the project coolly - on Rotten Tomatoes its viewer rating was 39% (against an 84% critic rating), and on Metacritic the overall viewer rating was only 2 .5/10 (more than 1.6 thousand negative reviews).

Some viewers believe that the series turned out to be boring in terms of plot.

So, one of the users wrote that the two episodes already released turned out to be terrible and that he fell asleep while watching the first one.

“These two episodes are just a pain.

I had to watch the first one twice only because I fell asleep in the process.

The series was so terrible, ”he said.

Also, the audience scolded the project for choosing actors for the role of some characters, in particular those who were fair-skinned in the books and could not have representatives of a different race in their family.

However, not everyone decides to speak directly about this.

One netizen joked that he wants to say it but doesn't know how.

“How do you express your reluctance to see black people on a show without saying so directly?”

the blogger thought.

Another viewer asks rhetorically: if he did not like the series for any reason, does this mean that he is a racist?

Many have also mentioned the fact that the entire plot in the series focuses on Galadriel.

According to Twitter users, she is shown in the feed as strong and courageous, and most of the male representatives are weaklings.

However, the audience noticed this phenomenon not only in a specific project, but in modern cinema in general.

For example, one of the commentators noted that it has already become a cliché.

“In movies, women are heroes and men are bastards.

In a fight with men ten times their size, women win 100% of the time.

In every recent movie where there's a fight between a super-buffed man and an ordinary looking woman, the woman ends up punching the man.

Now it has become a worn out cliché…” — the viewer writes.

• © Shot from the series "The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power" (2022)

A similar opinion was expressed by businessman Elon Musk.

After watching the first episodes, he wrote on his Twitter that "Tolkien is rolling in his grave."

“So far, all male characters are either cowards or jerks or both.

Only Galadriel is brave, smart and good,” Musk said.

Some Russian viewers also managed to make their verdict on the series after watching the first two episodes.

In one of the VKontakte communities, a user writes that he did not really like the project.

The reason, in his opinion, may be inflated expectations.

At the same time, the plot seemed boring to him.

“Very delayed.

So much so that, as mentioned above, after watching two episodes, there is a feeling of emptiness.

What did you just watch?

What is it all about?

What events do you remember?

The devil knows.

About Galadriel.

None.

Here are the frank answers to these questions,” the author writes.

The user also noted that many scenes were not large enough, and Peter Jackson in his trilogy could show much more events in the same amount of time.

“Scales.

Yes, scale again.

But this time the questions are not about quality, but about quantity.

The first battle, the troll, panoramas... All this is there, but all this is criminally not enough for two hours of running time.

During this time, Peter Jackson in his Lord of the Rings managed to show a whole kaleidoscope of events, ”the viewer writes.

Another user compared "Rings of Power" with the recently released series "House of the Dragon".

The girl said that she watched the third series of the Game of Thrones prequel and was both delighted and perplexed.

In her opinion, the series based on the universe of John R.R.

Tolkien was not so impressive.

“Why do we have such a miserable Witcher, such no Lord of the Rings?

After all, you can do cool things, right?

And the “House of the Dragon” categorically shows this to us!

I am delighted, and hurt, and offended at the same time, ”said the girl.

• © Shot from the series "The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power" (2022)

In addition, Russian fans of Tolkien and the Jackson trilogy criticize the series for inconsistent with the original in many aspects: from modern hairstyles and dialogue, to the choice of actors.

“A pervasive lack of logic.

From a frank oxymoron, like the old elves, to simply inadequate, randomly even distribution of dark-skinned actors by race, Galadriel's marathon swim to the shores of Middle-earth, primitive dwarves and insane Gandalf, ”says one of the fans.

Despite the negative reviews, most of the public praises the series for the special effects and the picture as a whole, noting that all the money invested, apparently, went to the visual component of the project.  

The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power premiered on September 2.

Journalists who were able to watch the tape even before the premiere praised the project for its scale and brilliance, as well as for the special effects, soundtrack and acting.

In particular, they liked the spectacle of the picture and the way the filmmakers reflected every detail.

“In general, the first two episodes of “Rings of Power” I was very encouraged.

Every corner of civilization that is given attention opens up a new perspective and fabulous wonders related to this or that culture.

A straightforward plot (filmed. -

) with a gleam in the eyes, ”wrote Brandon Katz, author of The Wrap portal.

According to experts, the quality of the series speaks of serious teamwork and an impressive budget.

Other journalists noted that they were skeptical about the picture, but after the show they changed their minds.

“I have to admit I wasn’t very enthusiastic about Rings of Power, but then I watched the first two episodes and now I’m a real fan.

Everything is shot perfectly, with an excellent combination of practical effects and computer graphics.

The plot lines are addictive thanks to the excellent cast.

I put it on the list “very looking forward to continuing,” said journalist Tara Bennett.

In addition, the first viewers appreciated the dwarves, who look much better in the series than in the Hobbit films.

However, not only the gnomes turned out to be different: the orcs in the series have also undergone changes.

They turned out to be more like living people.