Andrew McManus
Wait…. this isn’t a movie? As my readers know we normally go to the movies for each week, however in the past there have been special occasions. This is one of them! The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy are without a doubt some of the best films ever made (mainly the original trilogy) I can remember watching them over and over as a child and throughout the years since. Several years ago, Amazon had a press release that came out indicating they would be producing a Lord of the Rings television show. I groaned. I was worried this would be a money grab, or a pale comparison to the films. However, on September 1st, 2022, at 9:00 pm the first two episodes were released. For this week’s review, I want to discuss the first episode and when the first season ends in October I will come back and discuss the whole season. Spoiler alert…this is VERY GOOD.
Onto the show.
We open with some backstory of the 2nd age of Middle Earth. We learn about the elvish people fighting Morgorth (essentially the master of the big bad from the LOTR trilogy) We learn this tale will be about the rise to power by Sauron. The intro to this show is fast. I have one complaint that I had to go back and rewatch the intro as I was a little lost (and I love the series so that is surprising) however…the acting is SUPERB! This intro episode focuses on a young Galadriel (Clark) as she hunts for Sauron and for the enemy. No one believes they still exist. Hundreds of years pass after the last battle and with a small crew she scours Middle-Earth looking for some signs of life from the enemy.
We then meet new characters and see a shaky alliance between Elves and Men. I will say the battle scenes are absolutely jaw-dropping. It was rumored the Amazon spent a TON of money on this show and if they did it was money well spent because it looks absolutely fantastic. In the first half of the episode, we see a battle with a Snow-Troll (didn’t even know this was a thing) that rivaled some of the epic battles in the films. We then see large scale war in various lands and elves numbered in the thousands fighting orcs. I wanted to nitpick and complain about the CGI, but it worked! The cast list I’ve showed you isn’t even half the of the cast in this series. These characters are some you see in this first episode. I will cut to the chase. If you are a fan of the original films. You are going to watch this. You will not be disappointed. If you’re on the fence, give it a watch. The acting works, the effects are amazing to see, and the story slowly comes together. The first two episodes are released as you are reading this on Amazon Prime. Going forward each new episode will come out Friday. WATCH THIS SHOW. I can’t wait to talk to you all again when the season ends! Next week back to the movies!!! 4 ½ stars out of 5
