The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Series Review
💡 Watch The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Prime Video.
Perhaps the most enthralling series to come our way this decade, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is a powerhouse of a series; that takes us back to the ages before the events of J.R.R Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Series Review and Summary
💡 This post is both a review and summary of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. That is to say, it may contain spoilers.
Galadriel
Galadriel, played by Morfydd Clark, is an elf who was born in the age of light. She grows up in beautiful splendor alongside her big brother. The world is, however, overcome by evil when Morgoth strikes and Galadriel's brother has to go to war to protect middle-earth from being overcome by evil. He, unfortunately, dies in battle in the pursuit of Morgoth and his destruction. Galadriel is scarred for life and vows to exact her revenge against Morgoth.
Morgoth
The dark lord, Morgoth is defeated at last but his servants, the chief of which is Sauron, remain. Sauron is in command of orcs that he uses to terrorize middle-earth. Galadriel, now all grown up is in pursuit of Sauron and heads to the North Pole to look for him. She follows her trail with a handful of soldiers sworn to her and granted by the Elven High King.
Rebellion
The soldiers, however, rebel and Galadriel is forced to go back to Lindon, the Elven capital. There, the High King Gil-galad banishes her from war and she is sent with the others to Valinor. Galadriel refuses to go with the rest and while on their ship, jumps off into the Sundering Seas, and starts her swim back to Middle-earth.
Shipwrecked by Monsters
Whilst on her way, she comes across a raft with several people on it. They rescue her and that is where she meets Halbrand, played by Charlie Vickers. The raft is attacked by 'the worm', a sea monster, and only Galadriel and Halbrand remain. They are worn out and nearly die on their small raft (which is joined with strings) before they are rescued.
Elendil
A Numenorian sailor and ship captain, Elendil, played by Lloyd Owen, rescues Galadriel and Halbrand and takes them to Numenor, an island city under Queen Regent Miriel, played by Cynthia Addai-Robinson. Elendil also has a son Isildur, played by Maxim Baldry, who he wants to get into the Sea Guard. Isildur, however, is distracted by the West and literally hears a voice calling to him there.
Isildur's Dream
Isildur doesn't want to be part of the Sea Guard. He feels his destiny is calling him to the West and is dismissed from Sea Guard training after a callous mistake. His father, Elendil, is very disappointed as Isildur also gets his two friends dismissed from the Sea Guard.
Galadriel's War
After being enlightened by Halbrand of his escape from orcs, Galadriel is sure, now more than ever, of the threat posed by Sauron. She seeks an audience with Queen Miriel and does all she can to persuade her to grant a few of her ships and men to help rescue middle-earth and the Southlands.
The Harfoots
All this while, we are being introduced to the Harfoots, a migratory tribe of hobbits that live in small communities and are very keen to disguise themselves. We meet Elanor Brandyfoot, alias Nori, and her friend Poppy Proudfellow, played by Megan Richards. Nori, played by Markella Kavenagh, is a curious Harfoot, unlike the rest, and she always drags Poppy into her little and near-dangerous adventures.
The Stranger
One day, the Harfoots see a falling star which Nori approaches and finds a man in the spot where the star falls. He has supernatural power and Nori feels that she should help him. She does and the stranger becomes accustomed to middle-earth little by little.
Elrond
Galadriel's half-elven friend, Elrond, played by Robert Aramayo, is an architect and politician who is sent by High King Gil-galad to Prince Durin, son of King Durin of the Dwarf Kingdom. Elrond doesn't realize it but he is sent to search for a particular ore whose power could help save Lindon. Lindon for a while now had been withering and overcome by a darkness that sucked the life out of it. Gil-galad believed that deep within the dwarf mountain, there lay a powerful ore which is later named 'Mithril'.
Prince Durin
Prince Durin, played by Owain Arthur, is Elrond's dear friend. They had not seen each other for two decades. In Elven time, two decades isn't that long but for a dwarf, it is a long time. Durin isn't at all impressed when Elrond comes knocking. Elrond is turned away but invokes a challenge of strength. They go head to head with Prince Durin and he buys enough time to express what he wants. He also gets to meet Prince Durin's family including his wife Disa, played by Sophia Nomvete, and their kids.
The Southlands
In the Southlands, we meet Bronwyn and Arondir. Bronwyn, played by Nazanin Boniadi, is a human and a mother to her son Theo, played by Tyroe Muhafidin. Arondir, played by Ismael Cruz Cordova, on the other hand, is an elven soldier sent to the Southlands to man a watchtower. Arondir and Bronwyn have a forbidden love for one another and their chemistry is palpable. Things, however, go wrong when the Southlands are attacked by orcs.
The Orcs Beneath
The Orcs are hideous creatures that are neither human nor dead. They scour middle-earth in a maze of tunnels that they dig. The orcs are led by Adar, who they call lord father. Adar is keen to retrieve an object that is in the hands of Southlanders.
The Key
The object, a key, is crucial to Adar's plan to conquer Middle-earth. Adar and the orcs finally get their hands on the key, after battling with a section of humans who refuse to bow down to Adar. Bronwyn and Arondir had by this time escaped the village and camped at the watch tower. They mount a successful ambush there but their second one back at the village fails. Adar gets hold of the key and uses it.
The Numenorian Saviors
When Arondir and Bronwyn are almost defeated in the village, as their ambush against orcs goes sideways, they are rescued by Numenorian soldiers who arrive at just the right time. The soldiers are led by Queen Miriel herself, who accompanies the soldiers, Elendir, and Galadriel as a savior force for the Southlands and the entire middle-earth.
The Eruption and Doom
When the key is used and inserted, it unlocks a dam whose water flows through the tunnel dug by the orcs to a mountain's core. The mountain erupts, sending balls of fire all over the Southlands. Bronwyn's village is destroyed and numerous people lose their lives. Queen Miriel makes it but she loses her sight.
Pharazon
Queen Miriel had left her aide, Pharazon, played by Trystan Gravelle, in charge of Numenor. Her ailing father, a supporter of elven and human collaboration dies while she is away. On reaching Numenor, Elendir signals trouble as he can see the black banners hung all over the harbor, signifying the death of the king.
The Istari
Back to the Harfoots, Nori and the other Harfoots realize that the stranger is one of the Istari. A mysterious trio, three strange beings, had sought the stranger and vowed that he was Sauron. They worshipped him and were ready to serve him. The stranger, however, proves himself the opposite of Sauron and one of the Istari and banishes the trio to smithereens. The Istari is a kind of helper sent from the stars to help fight Sauron, the evil lord.
Celebrimbor
A renowned Elven smith, Celebrimbor, played by Charles Edwards, is instructed by Gil-galad to build a new forge. Elrond is sent by Gil-galad, played by Benjamin Walker, to assist Celebrimbor and the two seek out mithril and its use in saving Lindon, and the Elvens' existence in Middle-earth. Prince Durin's father, however, refuses Mithril mining despite attempts to persuade him by his son, citing safety concerns.
The 3 Rings of Power
In the end, Celebrimbor and his team manage to alloy the little Mithrill they have to create three rings. The alloy amplifies the mithril's power and the made rings are three as in the words of Galadriel, "one will corrupt, two will divide" but three will balance. The rings are made "not of the flesh, but over the flesh".
He Was Among Us All Along
By this time, Galadriel had discovered that Halbrand was not who she thought he was. He wasn't 'the true king of the Southlands', far from it. He was Sauron. The dark lord's greatest servant. She confronts him and nearly drowns in the stream in Eregion, but Elrond manages to save her. Sauron escapes and heads off to the erupting mountain veiled in black. The end.
Our Rating
We thought of one phrase to describe The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and the only phrase we could conjure is "Purely Sublime". Yes. TLOR: TROP is that good, and we rate it 9.9/10, our highest rating ever for any film. The series is beautifully shot and eerily clear. The series also brings back such fervor and vitality that we'd expect from The Lord of the Rings; and we totally, totally, loved it! Please do watch it. It is available on Prime Video and you can get a Prime Video subscription using the link below.
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