Lord of the Rings is back! Following the beloved Peter Jackson movies, Amazon Prime Video has charted a new path for Middle Earth by telling of the Second Age of the fantasy world during Sauron’s rise and the creation of the Rings of Power. If you have little to no idea what terms of lore you just read, should you still tune in to The Rings Of Power series? We spoke to the new Lord of the Rings cast and they gave a solid pitch for the casual Tolkien fans.
During CinemaBlend’s interviews with The Rings of Power cast, they were asked how they might convince the most casual of Lord of the Rings fans to check out the series. Here’s what Benjamin Walker, who plays the High King of the Elves, said:
This is where you want to start. The films are Middle Earth in its adulthood and they stand on their own, but this is the first chapter. This is the first steps on these epic journeys to witness. You don’t need to know anything, just turn on Amazon, you’ll be happy.
The Rings of Power is essentially a prequel series to The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogies, except we’re talking about thousands of years between this new show and the characters and plotlines of the adaptations of Tolkien's stories. (Although the Amazon show is not set in the same universe as the Peter Jackson films.)
So as Walker explained, the show actually goes back to the beginning and explains some elements of Middle-earth lore that a casual fan may not be familiar with. He recommends audiences just check it out and not worry about having prior knowledge of the world. Lloyd Owen, who plays a Númenórean sailor named Elendil, shared another point during the CinemaBlend interview. Here’s his pitch to the skeptics:
Each realm is at the peak of its power: Númenor, Khazad-dûm, the Elven Kingdoms. It’s a brilliant way to discover what happened before all of those major events that we know quite well.
Númenor is LOTR’s Kingdom of Men, Khazad-dûm is an underground kingdom of Dwarves, and there are numerous kingdoms where Elves live. It's safe to say that you'll learn a ton more about Middle-earth in The Rings of Power. That’s the beauty of it being the first-ever series that takes place in J.R.R. Tolkien’s world. We've just never had so much time to really explore the world on screen past the story of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins.
Lord of the Rings: The Rings Of Power just premiered with two strong episodes, and critics are overall really digging in their reviews with more episodes set to premiere weekly for those with an Amazon Prime subscription. As the season continues to unfold and set up future seasons, we’ll update you with more from the cast and other news regarding Middle-earth’s new era on screen.
