The reviews for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are now in, and it sounds like any worries anyone had that this would not be a worthy chapter in the Tolkien saga were hugely unfounded. Coming courtesy of Amazon Studios, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, with critics heaping enormous praise on the prequel series for its performances and cinematic scope.

We begin with our own Julian Roman, who calls Rings of Power “a spectacular beginning to an epic adventure,” and commended the series for being worthy return to Middle-Earth while applauding Morfydd Clark as Galadriel.

“You'll be glued to the screen for every second of the premiere. It's amazing to watch fantasy done right. The production values are stratospheric. Every part of the show looks real and has an absorbing quality. The action scenes are rivaled by whimsical, and dare I say, adorable moments with the harfoots.”

ScreenRant’s Mae Abdulbaki continued the positivity, praising Rings of Power for forging its own identity while still maintaining its connection to The Lord of the Rings.

“With so much potential, The Rings of Power’s biggest obstacle is overcoming its semi-slow pacing at the start. If episode 2 is any indication, however, the rest of the season’s episodes will follow suit in balancing character development with action and suspense."

Therese Lacson of Collider calls Rings of Power a marriage of Game of Thrones and rich Tolkien lore, concluding that what they have seen of the series so far is “firing on all cylinders.”

“The series marries what we've learned to love about contemporary fantasy, like Game of Thrones with its multiple main characters, with the depth and detail of Tolkien's universe. While there's still a whole season to watch, The Rings of Power is off to a successful start in delivering on its promise of quality and firing on all cylinders."

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Will Debut on Prime Video

Dave Nemetz of TVLine continued to praise the show’s epic vision saying, “But beyond all that, Rings of Power just feels epic. It manages to tap into an elemental power that transcends plot and character and whisks us away to a world filled with wonder." Sam Stone of CBR, meanwhile, lauded the series for balancing crafting its own world with staying close to Tolkien’s; “Familiar and yet wholly its own, The Rings of Power is shaping up to be a show worthy of carrying the Lord of the Rings name as a clear love letter to Tolkien's fantasy world."

It's not all positive, however, with Empire’s Helen O'Hara criticizing certain elements of the script and some new characters. Ultimately though, they still rated the series an impressive 4/10.

“Lavish and sweeping, The Rings Of Power puts its money where its mouth is. It might take a second to get accustomed to these new characters, but the signs are that it will be worthwhile.”

The Hollywood Reporter’s Daniel Fienberg also took issue with some of Rings of Power, quickly tiring of the “brooding and the ethereal blandness” of some characters. Despite this, they still conclude that the series is off to a “promising start.”

“Will The Rings of Power continue to hold together as more characters are added, as directors after Bayona take their turns behind the camera, as the focus on a singular plotline intensifies, as the race to the end forces an accelerated schedule on visual effects? Unclear, but after two episodes, it’s a promising start."

Finally, Caroline Framke with Variety calls The Rings of Power “a perfectly winning adaptation,” but wonders how it will fare across multiple episodes and seasons.

“As the series forges ahead, combining storylines and leaving literal translation from page to screen behind, it will be telling to see just how ably “The Rings of Power” can stay rooted in its venerable source material while, inevitably, bending it into something new."

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is scheduled to premiere on Prime Video on September 1, 2022, with two episodes back-to-back.