The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power offers the wonder of Middle-Earth featuring Galadriel watching for Sauron's return and characters that are tied into his forging of the Rings. It is created by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay based on the appendices found in the Return of the King (1955) novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. The series debuted on September 1st and currently streams on Amazon Prime. Darkness as we hear a chorus and then narration by Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) similar to the beginning of The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001).
The epic sweep of the music is by Bear McCreery. We see children playing in blindfolds. She mentions the earliest of ages when there was no sun called the Years of the Lamps in the Silmarillion. They take notice of young Galadriel (Amelie Child Villiers) sitting by herself on a rock. Young Galadriel whispers as she folds a paper, origami-style. An elf boy (Jagger Serafin) watches Galadriel from across a stream, part of the river Híri. He mocks her for her paper ship. They race along the banks and it unfolds into a swan ship. The bully kids begin to throw rocks at it
Galadriel rushes over to stop them when the ship is struck and sinks. She tackles the lead bully and is about to give a punch, but she is stopped by the appearance of her brother, Finrod (Will Fletcher). Later, they take next to a tree in a field. Galadriel had learn to form the ship from her brother. Finrod explains that a stone only looks down into the darkness. The ship, he says, is surrounded by darkness, but looks up into the light. Galadriel adds that light is reflected in the darkness. Finrod answers her questions whispering to her.
He notes that he won’t always be around and then walks to see their parents. Finrod walks up a hill to see the city of Valmar, then next to it are the Two Trees of Valinor, the bright one is Laurelin, the Gold Tree, and then Telperiod, the Silver Tree. An incredibly beautiful visual. The visual effects are by WETA and ILM plus many other effects houses! It would be interesting to see the early scenes show the quality of light on the skies of the Sun and Moon on Valinor. Then, we see Laurelin burn, turn to an ashen trunk, it’s leaves drift away, and we see behind it a dark shadow in the cloudy sky of Morgoth.
He is a fallen Valar, though the destruction of the trees was by the Ungoliant, an ancestor of Shelob. The Sun and the Moon (not explained) were fruits from the Two Trees. Galadriel mentions the resistance, Elves (including Finrod) drawing their swords in silver and gold armor. A fleet of ships set sail with the Elven legions. We ship from the map of Valinor, across the Sundering Seas, finally to the unknown and dangerous realm, Middle-Earth!
In a battle, a Fell Beast tosses aside a Giant Eagle through flames, a chaotic battle in the rain, Finrod uses his sword against countless Orcs! We see bodies adrift in a sea of red. In the ruins of battlefield, the older Galadriel, in a white dress, takes the helmet of her brother, and places it on a giant mound of helmets. Narrator Galadriel says Morgoth was defeated (by the other Valar), but his orcs wen to every part of Middle-Earth. Then, we pass legions of Orcs, Sauron is revealed in his black armor, a lieutenant of Morgoths and a corrupted Maia, Gandalf was one of the Maiar.
Finrod, explained by Galadriel, vowed to destroy him and then we see Finrod’s body with a white sheet on him with his sword. His body has Sauron’s mark, which is a trident-like symbol. He was killed by a werewolf sent by Sauron in the books. A tearful Galadriel takes up his vow and sword. His death was in the First Age. Four white-sailed ships head out on the hunt for Sauron. They race across a river and to a snowy mountain top.
This leads them to “Forodwaith, the Northernmost Waste”, with Galadriel narrates that the Elves have started to forget Sauron. We close in as the hunters scale an icy mountain next to a waterfall! One of the company, Thondir (Fabian McCallum), asks Commander Galadriel if they should continue their hunt without a trace of Orcs or Sauron. He wants to set up camp and then return home. At night, the winds howl as the company trudges on with torches, Galadriel shows them that they are beneath a dark fortress!
Inside the cold fortress, one Elf says he can’t feel the warmth of the torch, Galadriel tells him that the evil has taken away the heat! She sees a mirror-like patch of ice and shatters it with her gauntlet. Galadriel orders the men to take down the ice. Her chainmail and plate armor is impressive. Kudos to the costume designer, Kate Howley, great material for cosplayers! Thondir has discovered twisted Orcs embedded into a wall.
Galadriel pours water on a stone that reveals Sauron’s mark! She says Sauron left it there for Orcs to follow. The less courageous Thondir says the mark was made long ago and wants to get back to report to the High King. Galadriel says she can never stop until Sauron is defeated. Another soldier, Rian (Kip Chapman), is searching and finds a Snow Troll! It bashes three of the company, Galadriel leaps off a sword to slash at the troll, and brings it down! She orders a march north, but Thondir and the others put down their swords. Mutiny!
On the map, we move to “Rhovanion, The Wilderlands East of the Anduin”, this is land below Mirkwood Forest, east of Rohan. We see two men carrying giant antlers like wings on their backs. The older hunter (Tom McCathie) warns the other about Harfoots, the early form of Hobbits. They start to leave and a patch of grass rises worn by a Harfoot!
A whistle is blown and the other Harfoots appear from their hiding places. This is what Hobbits were like in the books, secretive, and hidden from people. An elder Harfoot, Sadoc Burrows (Lenny Henry) appears and sniffs around, then declares that the hunters are gone. An entire village of Harfoots appear including Marigold Brandyfoot (Sara Zwangobani) who calls out for her daughter Nori. I love the leaves entangled in the Harfoot hair. Also, the muted, but different colors of the earthy dress of the Harfoots.
Sadoc goes through his book and sees an image of the hunters with two Warg-like creatures behind them! Largo Brandyfoot (Dylan Smith) tries to reassure his wife that Nori will protect the children. Elanor “Nori” Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh) has taken the group past the village. Much to the worry of her friend, Poppy Proudfellow (Megan Richards). They slip through a fence and Nori has to pull Poppy through and she ends up in the mud.
This is a touch of comedy with all of the heaviness of the Elven company. They have found bushes of blackberries that they collect and munch on. A child has found something in the mud. Nori sees that it is a track of a wolf and has everyone head back to the village. A Warg sniffs and looks toward the Harfoots. Elrond (Robert Aramayo) is writing on a parchment when he is called by an attendant. The attendant has a veil and white dress that is stunning, so different from the standard Elf.
She tells him that he can’t attend a meeting since it is only for Elf lords. Then, the attendant says that his friend is there. Elrond rushes off with his sword and we are shown “Lindon, Capital of the High Elves.” It has the architecture of Rivendell with white buildings set amongst yellow-leafed trees with waterfalls around it. The land is at the western edge of Middle-Earth that later had the Grey Havens where Frodo and Gandalf took the ship to Valinor.
Galadriel, in a gold and blue dress and garland, contemplates a painting of the Valinor when Elrond greets her. She shows him the mark of Sauron and wants an audience with the high king to get another company. Elrond tells her she defined the company’s order from the king to continue without limits. Still, the high king is going to honor her. Back at the Harfoot village, Largo tells his daughter about the hunters, and then she is chastised by her mother, Marigold. Nori wonders about the outside world and gifts her parents with blackberries.
Gold-leafed laurels are placed on the company in their armor by the high king Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) reciting the speech written by Elrond. He says that they will all be honored going to Valinor. Galadriel looks at Elrond at this honor which he had known. Multi-colored fireworks fill the night sky like flowers. Galadriel regards the carved relief of Finrod carved from a tree. Elrond joins her and she says that she will refuse the gift.
Galadriel tells him that she has known evil and that it will wait until they have forgotten. Elrond says that if she turns away from Valinor, she won’t be able to go back, and be shunned by the Elves. When know what happens in Return of the King (2003). He says that she will be healed of her pain in the Blessed Realm. Elrond promises to take up her mission if Sauron has returned. This moves across the map to “The Southlands, The Lands of Men”, this is above what would become Mordor. These are fields of Men who have buildings with peaked roofs like Rohan below the mountains. Two grey-cloaked men appear carrying bows.
Inside a tavern, there is discussion of poisoned grass as one of the archers enters. He takes off his hood and reveals his Elf ears, it is new character, Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova). His breastplate armor has the look of the Green Man, a medieval icon, probably an Ent. A woman, later we know as Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi) leaves. Arondir brings up the poisoned grass. This upsets a drunken young man, Rowan (Ian Blackburn), he is upset at the watching of his people. This was from a thousand years ago. Rowan expects the return of the true king. He leaves the tavern and sees Bronwyn at a well.
She gives him a bottle of Alfirin seeds, these are the white flowers that we saw at the Rohan tomb in The Two Towers (2002). I love that a main character is a healer, not just a warrior. His fellow soldier, Médhor (Augustus Prew) is suspicious of his relationship. They return to their post at the guard tower in Ostirith, at Mordor. This is of course a forbidden love. The threat of Sauron is the shadow over Middle-Earth and these characters are all connected to it! It feels like a wider world than what was in the Lord of the Rings films with its diverse cast, earlier cultures, and costumes! Rings of Power is for viewers with patience, it has beautiful landscapes, acting especially Clark, that introduces a few of the great cast!
Five Rings of Power out of Five!
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