Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022) – Season 1 Review

★★★ 1/2

Set thousands of years before the events in The Lord of the Rings, Amazon’s The Rings of Power follows the Second Age of Middle-Earth and the forging of the rings of power to combat the rising of a new evil.

The Rings of Power was an entertaining and visually stunning series that took a step in the right direction. Considering the popularity of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films, it is surprising that the only content to follow was The Hobbit trilogy nearly 10 years later. Another 10 years and we are getting this series. I for one thoroughly enjoyed returning to the shores of Middle-Earth for another adventure. There have  been some complaints voiced that the series deviated from J.R.R. Tolkien’s lore in some respects, but that sure didn’t stop me from nerding out and enjoying it.

Starting off strong, the series nailed the visuals and special effects. Everything from the wardrobe to the set pieces were fantastic, and the makeup for the orcs has arguablly never been better. Because of the time gap between the Second Age, when this series takes place, and the Third Age, when Lord of the Rings takes place, Rings of Power featured many new locations. Among these was Valinor, the Undying Lands; Lindon, the high elf city, which we saw briefly at the end of Return of the King; Eregion, the elven city where the rings of power were forged; and Numenor, the Greco-inspired island where the line of Gondorian kings hailed from. We also got a look at the Dwarven kingdom of Khazad Dûm during its golden age, as well as the Southlands, both of which look very different later on. Each of these locations were breath-taking and unique, reflecting the different cultures and diversity of Middle-Earth. And I’m guessing this is where a large chunk of the $465 million Amazon spent on season 1 went towards.

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The story started off a bit slow, but the second half of the season really kicked it into gear. It takes time to build the set up of a good story, but Rings of Power seemed to suffer from weekly releases, each episode often dragging its feet and leaving me unsatisfied. But, I guess the fact that I was eager to continue watching is an encouraging sign. It also felt like the series featured too much screen time of the Harfoot’s storyline and not enough of the Dwarves’. The show is definitely finding its footing, however, I thought that after the initial set up, the story drastically improved.

It was nice being introduced to characters like Isildur (Maxim Baldry), Elendil (Lloyd Owen), Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards), Gil-Galad (Benjamin Walker), and Prince Durin (Owain Arthur) – characters we have only really heard of, but never seen before now. I liked most of these characters and thought that most of them fit well. One issue I did have trouble with was associating some of the characters we have already seen on screen with this series’ younger versions, namely Galadriel and Elrond. Each of these characters played a decent part in the series, but they never resembled their Lord of the Rings Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving counterparts. Instead of the ethereal elven queen, Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) appeared far more hot-headed , often taking a “shoot first and ask questions later” approach. Elrond (Robert Aramayo), who we have seen before as a scholarly elven warrior, gave the impression of a politician who has never touched a weapon. One could argue that these characters are younger than their established characters in Lord of the Rings. Hopefully, as the series progresses, we will see these two elves develop and reflect the characters that are known and well-loved.

Overall, Rings of Power was an enjoyable and entertaining series with stunning visuals and a decent story. I would rate it 3 ½ / 5 stars, and would recommend it to anyone who is a Lord of the Rings fan or just a fantasy fan in general. The quality seemed to be on par with Amazon’s The Wheel of Time series, so if you enjoyed that, give Rings of Power a shot. Even though season 2 will not be released until 2024, season 1 has left me excited and interested to see what comes next.

The Rings of Power season 1 is available to stream on Prime Video.

Next: The Wheel of Time (2021) – Season 1 Review

Elvis (2022) Review

★★★★ 1/2

“When things are too dangerous to say, sing.”

Going into Elvis, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The trailer looked great and I was curious, not already knowing a whole lot about the superstar. While I wasn’t quite motivated enough to go see it in theaters, I was still eager to catch it on whichever streaming service it ended up on a month or two later. Recently, the movie landed on HBO Max and I got the chance to give it a watch. And it was incredible.

I have seen a couple biographical music movies, such as Yesterday and Bohemian Rhapsody, and enjoy getting to learn about the history while simultaneously being entertained. While Yesterday was a fun, alternative way to explore the Beatles’ music on film, Bohemian Rhapsody fell more along the lines of a traditional biographical film. Maybe it was just the tragic story of Freddie Mercury, but something about Bohemian just seemed a little off to me (although, the Live Aid concert during the last 20 minutes of the film was fantastic). After Bohemian, I was a little skeptical going into this one. Luckily, where Bohemian felt a little off, Elvis was firing on all cylinders. 

Austin Butler in Elvis (2022)

I was blown away by Austin Butler’s portrayal of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Even not being a big Elvis fan, it was clear that Butler cared a lot about the role. He surprisingly nailed Elvis’ mannerisms, singing and animated movements proving that he was without a doubt the right man for the job. While Butler stole the show, Tom Hanks also brought his A-game to his role as Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis’ shady (or perhaps snowy) manager. It would be surprising if Butler and Hanks aren’t nominated for Oscars for their respective roles for this film. 

Directed by Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rogue!, The Great Gatsby), I really appreciated how the story was told from the point of view of Hanks’ Colonel Parker. Rarely are stories of this fashion told from the antagonists’ perspective, and I thought this was a great creative choice setting Elvis apart from its music biopic peers.

Elvis was a fantastic film providing a glimpse into Elvis Presley’s early life, his quick rise to fame and his tragic fall. I’m going to rate Elvis 4 ½ / 5 stars and highly recommend you give it a watch. Those not already a fan of the “King” likely will be after experiencing this film.

Elvis is available to stream on HBO Max.