Indeed, some of “The Rings of Power’s” shortcomings echo those of HBO’s lavish “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon, inch which burns brighter by comparison. Based on the initial episodes, the gap between characters audiences got to know in Peter Jackson’s trilogy and their ancestral counterparts feels much more pronounced.
The series structure — episodes will drop weekly following the two-part premiere — also tends to ask some bad habits versus even Jackson’s infamously long movies, along with plodding interludes and a second episode that unfolds on multiple fronts without feeling as if a whole lot is happening, relatively speaking.
Enthusiasts of M. R. R. Tolkien’s ornate world will no doubt be tempted in order to luxuriate in the centuries-spanning approach to this tale, which picks up with the extended prologue concerning a vast and pricey battle with the makes of Sauron, great subsequent disappearance. Although some hope for lingering serenity, the revenge-minded Elvish warrior Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) remains vigilant, convinced that, as she describes, “Evil does not sleep. It waits. ”
Like “House of the Monster, ” “The Ring of Power” offers sought to feature women and people associated with color more conspicuously, while capitalizing on the ageless qualities of the Elves, among other things, to offer connections despite the gaping time lapse among this series and the films.
Overall, the Elves occupy an enhanced role, including the hardened soldier Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova), who also will become more promient since battle lines begin to get drawn.
Even so, the particular latitude provided by a good episodic approach, plus plans for several seasons, doesn’t initially translate into more convincing characters, and after catching audiences up on a brief history, the buildup towards the meat of the story grinds slowly.
Slowly, “The Rings of Power” introduces a variety of players representing the particular worlds of Males, Elves, always-colorful Dwarves and a Hobbit subset known as Harfoots (a distinction that, hopefully, won’t be on the final). At times, as the collection flits among them, it begins to feel like “The Lord of the Roadmaps, ” splashing pictures of the various kingdoms across the screen since it navigates from one location to the next.
Those locations reflect the scope of the production at its grandest, while the mythical beasts presented actually prove a bit more uneven.
Thus far, Amazon’s formidable loot — sufficient of an investment to become an inextricable section of the coverage — has been brought to bear in the service of relatively uninspired storytelling, lacking in narrative urgency. The expectations raised by the title therefore become something of a double-edged sword, particularly when so much has been made of promoting what a gargantuan effort this guaranteed to be.
As for the epic fight that awaits, “The Rings of Power” might still increase to the occasion. Yet despite those beautiful, sweeping vistas of Middle-earth as the songs swells and the digital camera pans across them, after the initial intro it’s hard to resist the temptation to express, “Wake me when you get there. ”
“The Lord of the Bands: The Ring of Power” premieres September. 2 on Amazon . com Prime.