“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” (2022) is a high-fantasy television series created by Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne for Amazon Prime Video. It serves as a prequel to J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, exploring events that occur in the Second Age of Middle-earth.

Set thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the series delves into the history of Middle-earth, focusing on the forging of the Rings of Power and the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron.

The series starts by introducing various plotlines and characters, such as a young Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), Elrond (Robert Aramayo), and new characters like Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi) and Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova). While Tolkien fans will recognize many names and events, the show also takes creative liberties, which has stirred debate among purists.

The pacing, especially in the early episodes, can feel slow. The series juggles multiple storylines across different regions of Middle-earth, which sometimes makes it challenging to keep track of characters and plot points. However, as the season progresses, the threads begin to converge, leading to a more cohesive narrative by the finale.