A Gyűrűk Ura: A Hatalom Gyűrűi - Série 1

I have been resisting this series for a long time, leading discussions with many people and thinking about when would be the best time to finally decide and watch it. In the end, the period of greatest calm won, and after seeing it, I must admit that I expected much, much worse. The first episodes are kind of introductory. Breathtaking visuals, very solid musical background, recognizable faces of actors who don't completely captivate. At some point midway through, I started to get quite bored and read about what a tough job the screenwriters had when they had to work with only a portion of Tolkien's work, and even more limited and trimmed down to tell the story they need. Some viewers give them credit for this exclusively, but fortunately I am not so knowledgeable in the world of Middle-earth, so I mostly just got lost in it. But then the sixth episode came - the battle and the gradual culmination of some storylines. Since then, I couldn't tear myself away from the series, and after the eighth episode, I concluded that it was definitely not a waste of time. Let's see what the second season brings. It's now on a good track, so it's up to it whether it takes the right direction or falls back into that gray average that this series also knew how to show. (2022.12.29)

Giving it one star because it's currently trendy, that would be reminiscent of the Titanic days, which would certainly not be wise. However, I can understand the extreme indignation of die-hard fans of the saga, because the Lord of the Rings series is aesthetically quite impressive, and thanks to some nice cinematography and decent work with the music, it's a bit epic, but script-wise it's a mess, and when it comes down to it, The Rings of Power looks like a mix of Indy, Harry Potter and the Twilight saga. The acting and the casting are a failure. Technically, there is something to build on and work with in a second season, but in order for that not to be a fiasco, it will have to undergo a drastic overhaul and its creators will have to thoroughly redo a lot of things. (2023.04.18)

After finishing the first season, I'm not exactly bursting with enthusiasm, but I was bracing myself for something far worse. I've come to expect that every successful venture (like the Lord of the Rings trilogy) will eventually be milked for sequels and prequels until we're left with a weak imitation, akin to tea steeped in hot water five times over. So far, it seems the creators haven't strayed too far from the source material, though they did miss the mark on several occasions. What bothered me most were the dull and uninspired dialogues, the excessive use of CGI, and an overwhelming amount of slow-motion shots (most of which seemed unnecessary; such as the frequent studies in equestrian riding). It wasn't the disaster I had anticipated, but I can't say I was entirely satisfied either, although there were a few bright moments that caught my attention. / Lesson learned: "It will be our duty to forge for him a tomb, granting him the immortality in stone." Either the people of Númenor had a very unconventional burial practice, or I simply don't get it. (2023.08.29)