Why Record-Breaking Lord of the Rings Prequel is Dividing Fans

The Rings of Power is the prequel to the historic works of J.R.R. Tolkien: find out why everyone’s talking about the plot, characters, cost, and more

Sixty-eight years since the publication of the first book, and 21 years since Peter Jackon’s hugely successful film trilogy, it’s time to return to Tolkien’s Middle-earth.

The first two episodes of Amazon Prime Video’s original series, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, released on September 2, 2022. To mark this new adventure, we’re taking a look at how the first record-breaking episodes have divided fans, and breaking down more details from behind the scenes.

Journey through ten facts about the series, from timeline controversies to the unbelievable visuals. As the half-elf Elrond might say, put up your sword, and read on to explore a new era for Middle-earth...

After atmospheric teasers released over the past few months hinted at the battle between light and darkness that has always lain at the core of Middle-earth, the latest trailer (shared above) gives an action-packed peek at the epic, interweaving storylines following Galadriel and many other characters as they fight to protect the world they live in.

Here, we break down more details from behind the scenes...

1. It had the biggest Amazon Prime premiere ever, but reactions and reviews are mixed

With 25 million viewers in its first 24 hours, Rings of Power is Prime Video’s largest premiere to date. The show has been praised for amazing cinematics, a broad and intriguing set of plot lines, and potentially bringing many new fans into Tolkien’s enchanting world.

Criticisms have included the show being slow to start (but picking up in episode two), and dialogue not sounding like Tolkien, or not making sense for a character. And of course, with changes made to the timeline and new characters being introduced, some fans have been left feeling lukewarm or even angry. Galadriel has a fiery personality, for example, when she’s usually depicted as wise and ethereal. Some worry that compressing the timeline might mean simplifying events, like the long and complex corruption of the human kingdom Númenor.

Some abusive trolling has also occurred—so to avoid ‘review bombing’ and ensure genuine feedback, Prime Video suspended reviews for 72 hours, which according to a source in The Hollywood Reporter has been a policy of theirs since summer.

2. The story comes from…the Appendices?!

Tolkien is known for crafting a highly detailed world throughout his life. After finishing The Hobbit, he wished to explore the history of his world (which posthumously became The Silmarillion) but was encouraged to pursue The Lord of The Rings trilogy, which became very popular. He ended up compiling some backstory into an Appendices section for the trilogy, full of notes and maps.

Amazon acquired the Appendices, fleshing them out into a full story. However, they also condensed the timeline (initially set over thousands of years) so that more character consistency can be followed, which has caused confusion among those hoping for a closer interpretation.

3. It will be the most expensive TV show ever made

The rights to the Appendices were won by the Amazon team for $250 million. They fought Netflix for the rights and the deal was made with the Tolkien Estate, HarperCollins Publishers, and New Line Cinema. But of course, this figure was only the beginning, and some have speculated that spending is could stretch beyond $1 billion.

In comparison, Jackson's original Lord of the Rings trilogy is said to have cost $280 million. This places enormous expectations on Amazon’s shoulders: to deliver something that looks fantastic and justifies the cost to skeptical viewers, who may be concerned about competition and how big-budget streaming series price indies out of the market.

4. This is the first of five seasons

There will be eight episodes dropped on a weekly basis in this season, and five seasons total, beginning from Middle-earth’s Second Age—a time of relative peace—escalating to the forging of the twenty titular rings by Elves including Celebrimbor. Alongside the buildup to this key moment will be other plotlines following Dark Lord Sauron, Galadriel, the island of Númenor, and The Last Alliance of Elves and Men—more on the plot below…

5. You’ll be drawn to the visuals like Ringwraiths to the One Ring

As soon as teasers began to drop, the sheer scale of this production became clear. Some locations will be recognizable to fans of the previous films, while some are new to the screen. But one thing’s for sure: this Middle-earth is full of life and color. The oceans are completely new territory, and there are incredible palaces and cities being teased.

CGI was always going to be key in constructing such a huge fantasy world. However, the creators have tried to create balance, for example in the orcs. Individual orcs are almost entirely created with prosthetics and FX makeup, but CGI is used for large groups.

6. There are 22 stars

That’s a lot of characters to keep track of, and certainly enough to fill five seasons! In many cases, the fates of these characters are intertwined, but so far many details have been kept under wraps, with actors not even being told who they’d play when they were hired.

7. We’ll see core characters earlier in their lives

Vanity Fair scored an exclusive reveal in July, sharing many characters for the first time. Galadriel is still young, and avenging the death of her brother. Likewise, Elrond is a politician rather than ruler of Rivendell. And Celebrimbor, who will go on to forge the rings in a later season, gets his first screen appearance.

8. But new characters will play essential roles

Vanity Fair also discussed several new characters introduced outside of Tolkien’s writings. Halbrand is a human with a dark past who shares a plotline with Galadriel, Arondir is a Silvan elf, Disa a dwarf princess, and Bronwyn a human healer.

9. There are no hobbits?

In The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, there’s no doubting the pivotal role played by the friendly, unassuming hobbits. But thousands of years before their story, in the Second Age, hobbits as we know them didn’t exist. Instead, we’ll meet their ancestors, a nomadic people called the harfoots, who from the teasers seem to have a tight-knit community—and might be the ones to discover a mysterious stranger who arrives in a meteor crash.

10. Season two might not be far behind

The second season of Rings of Power has already been confirmed, and the original deal was for a full five-season commitment. Season two is being shot in the UK.

This article was updated on September 5, 2022.

Take an unexpected journey into storytelling with these resources

1. Explore this free archive of Tolkien's paintings and letters.

2. Learn what worldbuilding is, and how to integrate it into your fiction.

3. Study the art of fantasy writing and worldbuilding with this course by Alberto Chimal.

4. Try matte painting in Photoshop to craft imaginary worlds in this course by Reha Sakar.