Hey guys
I believe that Rings of Power is one of the most honest fantasy series I have seen in recent years.
Whether one will be able to enjoy it is a matter of mentality. As an avid reader, I'm used to seeing mediocre to bad series and movies based on my favorite stories. Based on the promotion I was prepared that Rings of Power will not be faithful to Tolkien. It couldn't for many reasons (there is no fixed canon, they don't even have the rights to much of the second season material, etc.) no matter what they say to appease their critics. So personally I had originally chosen to watch it as an AU/fanfic inspired by Tolkien. as we expected, does not tread on the lore. Apparently he's just using basic ideas as a backbone and shaping a new story.
The whole series left me with such a feeling: it's a homage (they also pay homage to the Silmarillion with visual references without even narrative development because they didn't have the rights) more than a metaphor. It takes elements from Tolkien's stories, keeps themes related to the nature ,evil, the inability to shake off the past, the relationship with greed and the desire for personal creation, but at the same time something new is created.
The pace didn't bother me. There was an switching between slow and faster points which created some balance.
Visually the series is beautiful, if we exclude the costumes and the criminal haircuts of the male elves (- Gil-Galad), which destroy the ethereal feeling that should prevail. I'm disappointed by the action scenes and I won’t even comment galandriels swimming . There are admittedly cringey parts that I managed to ignore because I was having a good time.
Overall I would say that if anyone is watching expecting to find the lore being adapted word by word they will be disappointed. I think that, despite the flaws, the combination of adventure, relationships between the different races, and the development of how these affect the friendships and interactions between
the characters will keep anyone who manages to see beyond the books entertained
I will be expecting the other episodes because I believe we first have to watch their whole story unfold before we have a complete view
