It's been 19 years since the third part of the "Lord of the Rings" series was shown in cinemas. In 2012, the prequel "The Hobbit" thrilled the masses. After a long wait, the series "The Rings of Power" is now starting. But can she keep up with the movies?
Fantasy fans have been waiting for this day for a long time, now the time has come. The series "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" starts this Friday with a double episode on Amazon Prime Video. After that, the first season, which is scheduled for a total of eight episodes, continues at weekly intervals. Expectations are very high - and not just because it's the most expensive series of all time to date. But also because the original film trilogy by director Peter Jackson won a total of 17 Oscars and inspired millions of people for the world of hobbits, dwarves and elves. Can Amazon production withstand this pressure of expectations?
A "The Lord of the Rings" prequel already thrilled viewers in 2012: "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" started in the cinemas, two more parts followed. The "Hobbit" trilogy takes place 60 years before the events of "The Lord of the Rings" and follows the footsteps of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) - who, together with the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and 13 dwarves, liberate a mountain from a dragon wanted to.
The Rings of Power series now jumps even further back in time. It takes place in the so-called Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before the Ring of Power was destroyed in Mount Doom. In the first 15 minutes, viewers are given a retrospective of what happened on the continent. At this point, fans get to see a visually stunning battle, mass graves, and plenty of horrific figures. Because the series begins with the great battle of the elves against the evil Morgoth. Memories of the final battle in "The Return of the King" are immediately awakened. Here, too, good wins in the end, some elves return to their homeland - others remain in Middle-earth.
In general, the pace within the first two episodes is very high. Some characters are introduced, many storylines run parallel - where they will end and if they will ever converge is uncertain. From the very first minute, you get a pleasant feeling, as if you were returning home, that is, to Middle-earth, after a long journey. This is also because the creators have once again brought the world of author J. R. R. Tolkien (1892-1973), the author of the "Lord of the Rings" books, to life with breathtaking backdrops, a wealth of detail and visually stunning scenes.
At the center of the events is a female protagonist that fans already know: the young Elf Galadriel. The character already played a role in the earlier films and was then played by Oscar winner Cate Blanchett. Welsh actress Morfydd Clark takes over in the series. Galadriel lost her beloved brother Finrod in battle against Morgoth and his successor Sauron.
She then swears revenge and travels to the farthest corners of the world to find evil. She fights her way through an icy desert, presents herself as a strong leader and kills a troll single-handedly - it's immediately clear: you shouldn't mess with her. But after the dark forces have long been pushed back and there is no trace of Sauron, the Elvish High King withdraws the troops and brings them back home. Only Galadriel does not trust the roast and is convinced that the enemy is making plans in secret. "Evil does not sleep, Elrond. It waits," sums up the warlike Elf aptly.
Which brings us to another character fans already know and have a major role to play: Elrond, once played by Hugo Weaving, now played by Robert Aramayo. But in the series he is not yet the great elf who apparently eats wisdom with spoons and who sends the companions on their great journey in the "Lord of the Rings" films. Instead, he plays the charming politician who, unlike his girlfriend Galadriel, doesn't really want to believe in hidden evil.
There are many more characters introduced in the first two episodes. For example, the Elven soldier Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova), who falls in love with the human Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi). The Elvish soldiers are also said to give up their positions in the human regions - but here there are increasing signs that something evil is up to mischief. Cows give black milk, an entire village is - in the truest sense of the word - swallowed up by the ground. Arondir gets to the bottom of the events.
It's in the nature of things that it's going to be dark. After all, as the title suggests, the series revolves around the origin of the Rings of Power. So the jewels that nearly destroyed the peoples of Middle-earth and helped Sauron rise. But from time to time the sun breaks out between the dark clouds - in the form of harfeet. The beings are relatives of the hobbits and look very similar to the former "Lord of the Rings" heroes Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and Co. Luckily! Because without the peaceful, nature-loving characters, something would definitely be missing. Nori Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh), an uncharacteristically curious girl, wants to see the world and constantly wonders "what else is out there". An ancestor of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins perhaps? When a mysterious man falls from the sky, it seems her time has come.
In addition to humans, elves and harfeet, dwarves also play a role. The special feature: The viewer gets to see the mines of Moria when the people were still looking for treasures there. Elrond visits Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur) there - although elves and dwarves actually hate each other, the two have a special friendship. Here, too, a "The Lord of the Rings" flashback sets in, because the relationship between Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) in particular caused a few laughs in the trilogy.
But even if, as a viewer, you keep discovering parallels between the films and the series, there are also innovations that were partly overdue. So it's a very diverse cast. While the "Lord of the Rings" flicks almost exclusively featured white actors, that changes in the Amazon production. That's a good thing, because everything else wouldn't have been up to date either. Also, having a woman take the helm feels good, burying the previously dominant "Lord of the Rings" patriarchy. Nine companions set off at that time, there was no room for companions. Which of course was also due to Tolkien's novels. Now the story was spun further, which is why the makers were much freer in the cast.
As already indicated, the production costs of around 715 million US dollars - for the first eight episodes - are noticeable in the design alone. But in between you ask yourself whether the impressive cities of the elves, the stone halls of the dwarves and the great animated monsters would not have been something for the cinema after all. Does this fantastic world possibly blow up the television at home, which for some people only consists of a laptop screen? That can perhaps only be answered at the end of the adventure. A second season has already been commissioned.
