With The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power set to premiere its first two episodes this week, early reviews have now started to come out for the upcoming Amazon Prime series. For decades, J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved fantasy franchise has continued to be instrumental in the world of pop culture. From the beloved book series to the Peter Jackson movies, The Lord of the Rings universe is about to make a massive return to the screen, although this time as a TV show. After acquiring the television rights in 2017, Prime Video is about to become a new home for Tolkien's franchise.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power centers on the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years prior to The Hobbit and Tolkien's main series. Similar to the Game of Thrones and Star Wars franchises, the Prime Video drama has been one of the most secretive series ever since its early development. With a five-season commitment, The Rings of Power will explore the forging of the rings, the tragic fall of Númenor, and the origin story of how Sauron became the powerful villain of this universe.

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After an extensive wait, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 1 is finally premiering this week on Prime Video worldwide. With the highly anticipated two-part premiere coming on September 2, early reviews have started to come out as multiple members of the press have been able to screen the first two episodes. Check out several samples below:

Mae Abdulbaki, Screen Rant

"The Rings of Power has the advantage of being set so long before the events of The Lord of the Rings trilogy that it has a hope of standing on its own. Its connections to the events of the movies and books, as well as the inclusion of a few familiar characters from the original trilogy, certainly help, but the fantasy series indeed has a life of its own. With so much potential, The Rings of Power’s biggest obstacle is overcoming its semi-slow pacing at the start. If episode 2 is any indication, however, the rest of the season’s episodes will follow suit in balancing character development with action and suspense."

Therese Lacson, Collider

"Ultimately, though, The Rings of Power does a good job of keeping you apprised of the rising evil to come and feels as if it is moving toward assembling a potential Fellowship all its own, with Galadriel at the lead. Although the titular rings are not playing a role so early on in the show, there is more than enough to keep audiences entertained — mysterious figures, political plots, dire survival situations, and more. The series marries what we've learned to love about contemporary fantasy, like Game of Thrones with its multiple main characters, with the depth and detail of Tolkien's universe. While there's still a whole season to watch, The Rings of Power is off to a successful start in delivering on its promise of quality and firing on all cylinders."

Helen O'Hara, Empire Magazine

"These new characters will take some getting used to, and time will tell if we can love them as we did Frodo, Aragorn and the rest — especially the sometimes-shaky Harfoots. The script is occasionally clunky, too: we hear that Orcs have spread “to every corner” of the world and literally a minute later are told they haven’t been seen in years. Blame the sheer scale of the timeline, perhaps. Galadriel has, after all, lived a few thousand years already, and there are at best hundreds of years of story still to cram in. But we can think of worse places to spend a few millennia than in the vividly created surroundings of Middle-earth. Let’s go hunt some more Orc!"

Dave Nemetz, TVLine

"Showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay (Star Trek: Beyond) do have a lot of story threads to juggle, but they all work so far, with the early episodes planting seeds that will pay off later, like a powerful sword fragment and a mystical stranger born from a fiery comet. (Breaking Bad vet Gennifer Hutchison is also a writer and executive producer here, which is an encouraging sign.) But beyond all that, Rings of Power just feels epic. It manages to tap into an elemental power that transcends plot and character and whisks us away to a world filled with wonder."

Caroline Framke, Variety

"With a whopping 50 episodes reportedly planned, it’s hard at this point to say how successful “The Rings of Power” will ultimately be as a whole. There’s plenty of time for some plots to overstay their welcome as their paths intersect with more intriguing ones, or for the series’ overall narrative to get tangled in the weeds of Tolkien’s dense “Lord of the Rings” appendixes. For now, however, it’s safe to say that Amazon throwing the weight of its coffers at this property has resulted in a perfectly winning adaptation that unfolds swashbuckling adventures with clear reverence and affection for the considerable mythos behind it. As the series forges ahead, combining storylines and leaving literal translation from page to screen behind, it will be telling to see just how ably “The Rings of Power” can stay rooted in its venerable source material while, inevitably, bending it into something new."

Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter

"Two episodes isn’t enough time to make a conclusive decision, but I quickly tired of Córdova’s brooding and the ethereal blandness of some of the supporting elves. Many of my complaints are species-specific complaints, an objection to the balance of storytelling and the variations of character groupings, just as House of the Dragon created instant Targaryen fatigue. Will The Rings of Power continue to hold together as more characters are added, as directors after Bayona take their turns behind the camera, as the focus on a singular plotline intensifies, as the race to the end forces an accelerated schedule on visual effects? Unclear, but after two episodes, it’s a promising start."

Sam Stone, CBR

"There is a lot for Tolkien aficionados to love in The Rings of Power, but the show has also stayed perfectly accessible for viewers that have not read the books nor seen Jackson's adaptations. The show moves at a very deliberate pace but with enough action and riveting drama to maintain the audience's attention as it invites them into its warm, welcoming approach to Middle-Earth. Familiar and yet wholly its own, The Rings of Power is shaping up to be a show worthy of carrying the Lord of the Rings name as a clear love letter to Tolkien's fantasy world."

Sauron in The Rings of Power

As expected, many of the early takes on The Rings of Power focus on how there is a lot of world-building being done. Given that this series explores new territory for screen adaptations of Tolkien, the first few episodes may definitely have a pacing that differs from the rest of The Rings of Power season 1. There are also a lot of new characters, both established ones from the books and fresh creations that have never existed prior to the Prime Video show. That alone requires the first episodes to lay a lot of groundwork.

However, what is becoming clear is that even though fans have had to wait a long time to get this show, it will have been worth it, as the production value for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is highly celebrated in these reviews. In the current age of high-quality-produced Star Wars shows on Disney+ and HBO's Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, the sci-fi and fantasy genre is bigger and stronger than ever, and this series is now joining those ranks. The trailers for the Prime Video drama had already indicated viewers are in for a movie-like experience, and it's great to hear critics see that reflected in the first two episodes of The Rings of Power season 1.

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