Prime Video takes us back into JRR Tolkien’s Middle Earth with The Rings of Power.

The first two episodes were released on Friday September 2 with following episodes released on the same day each week.

Prime Video’s synopsis says “Beginning in a time of relative peace, we follow an ensemble cast of characters as they confront the re-emergence of evil to Middle Earth.

“From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains to the majestic forests of Lindon, to the breath-taking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.

“The Rings of Power series is based on The Lord of the Rings and its appendices.

“The story takes place the Second Age of Middle Earth after the defeat of the evil Morgoth who for the first time in history brought darkness, death, and decay.

“The Elves defeated Morgoth and his armies of Orcs. But the lands were left in sorrow and his evil orc followers had spread around every corner of Middle Earth and were now under the command of Morgoth’s dark commander Sauron, who was never beaten.”

The series is expected to be the most expensive TV show in history, with Amazon expected to spend at least $1 billion on its production.

This new amazon series was shot in the breath-takingly beautiful New Zealand same as The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.

It was filmed during 2020 and 2021 and had to be paused for several months during the COVID 19 pandemic.

It looks great and it is a feast for the eyes. It is here where the series shines. Most of the actors are lesser known, so the actual focus can be on the story instead.

There is room for improvement as some of the halflings and elves need to grow into their roles. The acting is a bit theatrical at times, due to the script.

It seems to be expected, that this will loosen up as the series progresses.

The story in the first two episodes is centred around Galadriel who has been traveling for centuries to the farthest corners of Middle Earth to hunt down Sauron without a clear trail.

This younger version of Galadriel is played by Morfydd Clark and she is amazing, which bodes well for the show as she is one of the main characters.

This version of Middle Earth is very well crafted. It is beautiful but feels very dangerous. There is so much more to explore in this World, and the show runners have crafted an excellent start for us to begin this journey.

Some of the other reviews I have read have complained about how slow it is. I would argue it is necessary they are introducing us to a new version of Middle Earth and they have a lot of new characters to introduce I feel they did this really well.

There was some action and I have watched things that are way slower.

I am looking forward to see how this series develops.

My Rating: 8/10