Like many people, I'm a big fan of The Lord of the Rings. By that I mean I like the movies, video games, and the inspiration behind them. When I heard that there was going to be an Amazon TV show based in the world that Tolkein created I was cautiously optimistic. A lot of entertainment now is not about entertaining the fans but talking about politics, showing sexual content, or showing how moral and right the creators are by having "diversity" for diversity's sake. This has typically taken the form of relegating people of color to the status of props while showing white people as evil. Needless to say, many shows have been getting canceled and receiving backlash for doing this (I am looking at you she-hulk).
I'm happy to say that the creators of Rings of Power did not do this. Unfortunately, they did something else. They somehow managed to make a show about a fantasy world with dwarves, elves, magic, war, and monsters utterly boring. How is that possible? Well, it's simple. Most of the characters acted in a way that was unrealistic or just plain stupid. Most times, they were downright unrelatable. Issues that could have been solved or avoided by anyone who has ever interacted with another human (or elf) before were prominent throughout the show. Then there's the issue of one of the primary villains, who didn't seem very threatening and whose goals were unclear. The mystery in the show was not special or important. And I know I said this earlier but I have to say it again. The characters were sooooooooo unrelatable. There were two characters who had a bromance going. They were my and Keria's favorite. Every other character was just there to move the plot of the story.
This is why I say the show is uninspiring. The people who worked on the show probably thought that they could throw anything on paper and just say "based off of Lord of the Rings" and it would be successful. It was not. We are passed the time as a society where the name is more important than the content. I am hoping the negativity that this show received inspires companies to put actual effort into the story.
Please check out my Tik Tok for a longer spoiler-free review of Rings of Power
Tik Tok
Rings of Power Pt .1
Pt. 2
Pt. 3