Review | “The Rings of Power”: Peter Jackson is missing, but the essence of “The Lord of the Rings” is still there

(CNN Spanish) — It’s been almost 5 years, but it’s finally here. Amazon first announced in November 2017 that “The Lord of the Rings” would get a television series; finally, this September 2, the new production of the universe created by JRR Tolkien arrives on TV (or, rather, streaming to then go to your television, surely).

The series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” debuts on Prime Video with its first two chapters this Friday in the United Kingdom and, if you live in America, it will be on Thursday night.

It is one of the most anticipated series of 2022 and in recent years. It is not for less: just like the ‘one ring’, the universe of “The Lord of the Rings” is something that attracts you, absorbs you and hardly lets you go.

The shocking settings, endearing characters, and numerous battles are something that fans cherish to the core of their hearts (and so do film critics, as the first three movies won outright). 17 Oscars).

All this legacy we owe, in the first instance, to the tolkien books; and then Peter Jackson, the mastermind behind the original trilogy and “The Hobbit” trilogy.

And it’s just because of Jackson’s relevance that it’s rare to see a new production of “The Lord of the Rings” without his presence.

“The Rings of Power” is the first audiovisual production (not counting video games and other formats) of “The Lord of the Rings” that is not directed by Peter Jackson. However, the series, at least in the first two episodes, continues to maintain the essence that permeated the New Zealand filmmaker.

It seems like an exaggeration, but it is not, mainly due to three factors:

1. The music

The music for “The Rings of Power” continues to be provided by Howard Shore, who won two Oscars for the original music of “The Fellowship of the Ring” and by “The return of the King“. From the beginning of episode 1 with the phrase “Nothing is evil in the beginning” (“Nothing is bad at the beginning”), Shore’s notes do their thing to transport you fully to “The Lord of the Rings”.

2. The landscapes

The scenarios that we can see in the first two chapters of the series are just as imposing as those of the original trilogy. This makes a lot of sense, as season 1 (which will have eight episodes) was filmed in New Zealand, where the “Lord of the Rings” movies were filmed and which is also Jackson’s country of origin. Get ready to see, for example, the sea voyage of the elves to the Undying Lands or the impressive Khazad-dûm mines of the dwarves. Perhaps the fans are more nervous about the scenarios they will see in the second season, because Amazon changed its filming from New Zealand to the UK. We’ll see.

3. The classic and the new

We will be able to see characters already known from the “Lord of the Rings” universe, such as Galadriel, Elrond, Isildur or Sauron, and new additions created specifically for this series. In fact, great weight of the series will be on the shoulders of the heroine Galadrielwho is played by actress Morfydd Clark (on the original trilogy, the role went to Cate Blanchett). The new characters will also have a very relevant role in the story: it is enough that in the first two episodes you pay attention to names like Bronwyn, Arondir, King Durin III, Prince Durin IV or Nori (the latter, a hobbit… that’s right, you’ll see a lot of hobbits).

“Story that deserved to be told”

“The Rings of Power” is located thousands of years before of the events that occurred in the trilogies of “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings”, which took place in the Third Age of Arda (the latter is the name of the world where the universe created by Tolkien is located).

Specifically, the events of the new series take place in the Second Age of Arda, and will show how the rings of power were forged in a time of apparent peace in which evil resurfaces. In addition, it will present how the Last Alliance of elves and men was formed, which ends up defeating Sauron (as we can see at the beginning of “The Fellowship of the Ring”).

“The Second Age is the great unfilmed story in all of Tolkien’s legend, with the forging of the rings and the Last Alliance. We felt that was the story that deserved to be told.” commented Patrick McKayone of the creators of the series.

Whether that story really deserved to be told or not, only time and fans will tell. But there is no doubt that the essence that took “The Lord of the Rings” to the top has not faded, not even because more than 20 years have passed since the first film.

With information from Scottie Andrew and Diksha Madhok.