Return to Middle-earth: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Series Begins

Amazon Prime brings Tolkien's world to life again. Lavish pictures, diverse cast. Expectations from the most expensive series in the history of television and streaming are high.

Fantasy lovers have an exciting fall ahead of them. After the Game of Thrones offshoot House of the Dragon, the Amazon Prime platform now continues with The Rings of Power. Twenty years after director Peter Jackson took the risk and made the movie "The Lord of the Rings" based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien, which became a huge success, the inhabitants of Middle-earth are now back: wizards, elves, dwarves, hobbits (or their ancestors ) and orcs, a horde of killing monsters.

For a new trip to Middle-earth, the American streaming platform Amazon Prime allocated one billion dollars - making "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" the most expensive series in the history of television and streaming so far.

Five seasons from Middle-earth are planned

The series, which will have five seasons, tells the story of the events that precede "The Lord of the Rings" and the "Hobbit" trilogy. It begins in the second era of Middle-earth, about 3.000 years before the hobbits Frodo, Sam and their companions set out for the Haunted Mountain, also known as the Mountain of Dare. But Tolkien connoisseurs know: some characters can become ancient. And so, characters like Galadriel and Elrond or the evil Sauron are now played by other actors.

As stated on the Amazon Prime platform, familiar and new characters must face a new emergence of evil in Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of Lindon, from the island kingdom of Numenor, to the farthest corners of the map, these realms and characters will create a legacy that will shape the future of Middle-earth.” Just as Lord of the Rings fans have come to expect.

The future of Middle-earth

The Second Age of Middle-earth begins peacefully. The great villain Morgoth was defeated after a long war and peace returned to the realm. However, the elven warrior Galadriel does not believe in peace - and she is not wrong. For Morgoth had a helper who was still ready to do evil with a horde of dangerous orcs. That assistant, you can guess, is called Sauron. Galandriella sets out to avenge her murdered brother and face Sauron.

Meanwhile, somewhere else in Middle-earth, a meteorite strikes, with a strange stranger on board. He meets two girls from the Hairfoot tribe, the shaggy, wild ancestors of the hobbits. The appearance of Hairy Legs inevitably makes the viewer smile. The eternal bickering between elves and dwarves also has comedic potential.

Giggles and chills

But creepy things also happen – when the earth opens up, when a village is attacked, people disappear, cows give black milk, there are sea monsters in the sea, and orcs gather to bring evil under Sauron's command.

In order not to be difficult to navigate, all the characters are presented epically, and there are really many protagonists. This slows the pace of the first two episodes, but does not disrupt the fascination during the viewing.

For the first season alone, Amazon invested half of the total budget of one billion dollars. No expense was spared on the equipment, the costumes are stylized to the smallest detail, and the backdrops – computer generated or real New Zealand landscapes – are breathtaking.

New, interesting actors play in the series, first of all Morfid Clark, who plays Galadriel. Gwyneth Paltrow appears in the role of an elf, and Elrond is played by Robert Aramajo, who is not far behind his predecessor Hugo Weaving.

Middle Earth is becoming diverse

Unlike theatrical films, the cast is more diverse. In Peter Jackson's Middle Earth, all the important roles were played by white men, but in the new series the fantasy world is inhabited by people of all skin colors.

Underneath the German-language trailer, on YouTube, among the many comments are criticisms that the legacy of JRR Tolkien and Peter Jackson is being destroyed for profit. "It says Lord of the Rings, but it could also be any other series where they named characters from Lord of the Rings. I think that Amazon did not record this series for fans (…) but for the general public," reads one comment.

On the other hand, numerous critics, who have already watched the first episodes, are delighted. The British "Guardian" writes: "This is an extremely entertaining series, a real cinematic feast." Is it really so? Lord of the Rings fans, fantasy lovers and newcomers to Middle-earth can see for themselves starting today, September 2, on Amazon Prime. Two episodes have already been released, and the rest will be released once a week.