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Amazon Prime’s Rings of Power recently concluded its second season. Since its debut, the series—based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and the expanded Middle-earth lore from The Silmarillion—has faced criticism for various reasons. Some call it boring, others label it woke, or say it simply “doesn’t feel like Tolkien,” but few can actually pinpoint what’s wrong with the series.
What’s surprising is that Rings of Power borrows heavily from Peter Jackson’s beloved The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Yet, as history has shown, copying a successful formula doesn’t always guarantee a similar result. Let’s explore the ways Rings of Power misunderstood what made The Lord of the Rings so iconic.
1. Rings of Power Plot Changes Should Never Have Sacrificed the Story’s Purpose
Due to time constraints and the need for storytelling efficiency, Jackson’s adaptations had to cut many elements from the books. Characters like Tom Bombadil and Glorfindel were removed entirely, while minor roles like Arwen were expanded. These decisions were strategic: if something didn’t advance Frodo’s story, it was left out.
RoP, however, takes the opposite approach. It elevates characters who only exist briefly in the lore, like Gil-galad, but reduces them to exposition machines. At the same time, it introduces entirely new elements, like the proto-Hobbit race called the Harfoots, whose storyline feels disconnected from the main plot. These additions fail to support the central story of Sauron’s rise and Galadriel’s role in it. Instead, they add unnecessary distractions, making the episodes feel bloated and leaving viewers bored.
2. Being Action-Packed Should Never Trump Good Writing
Jackson’s movies are known for their unforgettable action sequences: Ringwraiths chasing Frodo across the river, Gandalf’s battle with the Balrog, and epic war scenes. These moments are essential because they raise the stakes and highlight the grandeur of the story. Action is a vital part of fantasy, but it’s not enough on its own.
To its credit, RoP delivers visually stunning action scenes with strong effects and stylish direction. However, these scenes lack the emotional buildup that makes them truly impactful. Take the Númenor arc, for example. It tries to give Galadriel an “Aragorn in Rohan” moment, rallying a reluctant nation to war.
The key difference lies in the characters. Aragorn displays humility, and the people of Rohan are portrayed as sympathetic, making it easy to root for them. In contrast, Galadriel comes across as arrogant and condescending, while the people of Númenor are depicted as unlikable and bigoted. Without characters worth rooting for, the battles feel hollow, no matter how impressive they look.
There’s also the issue of plot logic—or the lack thereof—which brings us to the next point.
3. Fantasy Should Still Have a Sense of Time and Space
Jackson’s films condensed the books’ timeline from years into months, but they never lost the sense of a grand journey. The characters’ travels were filled with challenges and felt meaningful, maintaining the scale of Tolkien’s world. In RoP, this sense of time and space is poorly executed. Critic Erik Kain from Forbes describes it perfectly:
Middle-earth has no sense of scale. Fast-travel is a big problem, but so is a lack of basic world-building. Númenor is… just over there a ways. A quick sea voyage. Rhûn is over that hill, not far from the Harfoot migration. Mordor to Eregion is a leisurely stroll. It all ends up feeling small and cramped in ways that Jackson’s films never did, and certainly Tolkien’s books—which make the Shire feel so very, very far from Rivendell, let alone Gondor, let alone Orodruin itself—go to great lengths to convey the vastness of it all, in ways this show never bothers.
4. Female Empowerment Doesn’t Mean Zero Flaws
Éowyn’s iconic “I am no man” moment in The Return of the King was powerful because it was the culmination of her journey from a sheltered noblewoman to a warrior. Her character growth earned her place on the battlefield. By contrast, the female empowerment in RoP skips this kind of development. Galadriel and Bronwyn are presented as strong from the start, but their strength is never earned. The narrative avoids giving them flaws, and they’re never shown learning from mistakes. Instead, their struggles are framed as everyone else’s fault. This lack of complexity makes them less compelling as characters, regardless of gender.
That brings us to the next point…
5. Heroism Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect
Jackson understood that Tolkien’s stories were about the nature of evil and the internal struggles of even the most heroic characters. Boromir’s temptation, Frodo’s burden, and even Sam’s moments of doubt show that no one is immune to weakness. These flaws make their victories all the more meaningful.
In RoP, morality is presented in black and white. The heroes are always right, and their decisions carry no personal consequences. Without internal conflicts or lessons learned, the characters come across as shallow. This approach results in a story that’s easy to follow but ultimately forgettable.
6. Featuring Familiar Characters Doesn’t Automatically Generate the Same Excitement
This is an inevitable thing with every IP-based project: the reintroduction of beloved characters or tropes to elicit nostalgia. RoP is no different. It has elves, orcs, “hobbits,” dwarves, and men who fight for Middle-earth’s future. We’ve come to love them when they were called Frodo, Sam, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and so on, because of their depth and development, not just their archetypes.
This is especially true in the Harfoot storyline. While it’s meant to evoke the charm of the Hobbits in The Lord of the Rings, it feels disconnected and contradictory. The Harfoots sing about sticking together—“Nobody goes off-trail, and nobody walks alone”—yet they abandon anyone too weak to keep up.
Likewise, just because people loved Aragorn and Arwen’s star-crossed romance, that doesn’t mean every LOTR project needs to have one. Bronwyn and Arondir’s human-elf romance does not raise the stakes nor advance their developments. Similarly, Bronwyn and Arondir’s romance feels forced and unearned, while Galadriel and Halbrand’s dynamic exists seemingly for viral TikTok edits rather than character development. In its current form, it just feels like something the writers included because the enemies-to-lovers trope is popular.
7. Poetic-Sounding Dialogue Doesn’t Always Make Something Epic
Tolkien’s writing is celebrated for its poetic language, but it’s always grounded in context and meaning. RoP tries to emulate this style but often falls flat. Consider this line from the first episode:
“Do you know why a ship floats and a stone cannot? Because the stone sees only downward. The darkness of the water is vast and irresistible. The ship feels the darkness as well, striving moment by moment to master her and pull her under. But the ship has a secret. For unlike the stone, her gaze is not downward but up.”
What does that even mean? The analogy is confusing, the imagery doesn’t make sense, and the attempt at profundity ends up feeling hollow. The show is full of moments like this, where the dialogue aims to sound grand but ultimately says very little.
8. Majestic Score and Stunning Visuals Can’t Substitute for True Grandeur
RoP excels in its production values. Bear McCreary’s score captures the spirit of Howard Shore’s iconic music from The Lord of the Rings, and the visuals—shot in stunning New Zealand locations—are breathtaking. The realms of Númenor and Moria are beautifully designed, and the costumes are top-notch. In terms of aesthetics, the show is on par with Jackson’s films.
However, none of this matters without compelling characters or a meaningful story. The result is a show that looks spectacular but lacks the emotional resonance and depth of its predecessor. At its core, RoP focuses too much on looking like The Lord of the Rings and not enough on feeling like it.
