The Rings of Power: Faithful to Tolkien or a New Vision?

Why is The Rings of Power so Controversial?

Amazon’s The Rings of Power (a TV Show streaming on Amazon Prime Video, and based on Tolkien’s books - with a timeline set during the Second Age) has come to be criticized. While many critics appreciate its attempt to expand on Tolkien’s lore and its powerful use of special effects, many critics and film buffs, especially those who adore The Lord Of The Rings and are dedicated to Tolkien’s world - are left to feel conflicted regarding those departures in the series’ story, those changes to Tolkien Canon as well as its characters, its storyline and its timeline.

The production company did have the rights to use those key characters as they adapted The Lord of the Rings as well as The Hobbit. However, the Tolkien Estate retained those rights to use The Silmarillion - leaving it unclear if Rings of Power would have had the same rights to use characters from Tolkien's original world, leading to an outcry and discussion over just how close the production had to adhere to the Tolkien’s story, which included both its themes and the overall narrative, while seeking to avoid an excess of original material, or perhaps, even distortions of the story itself. This led to accusations of those changes not only having impacted Rings of Power’s spirit and themes but the overall feel for many fans of Tolkien’s world, particularly when considering the historical backdrop of events.

Does The Rings of Power Adhere To The Tolkien Timeline?

Celebrimbor looking concerned in Rings of Power Image

Those familiar with Lord of the Rings will recognize a deep and intricately woven timeline. It takes viewers across an incredible amount of time, encompassing several ages - such as the Second Age, when Sauron gained power through a series of terrible events (which were chronicled by Tolkien and his vast collection of books). This timeline is the basis for how The Rings Of Power is built, showing how events can unfold across a length of time. The TV Show attempted to make those Tolkien adaptations easier for fans to comprehend. This included a more modern twist and incorporating several production values that were a stark contrast to earlier adaptations like the Lord of the Rings movie series from Peter Jackson - which was one of the most iconic productions from the franchise.

While many may believe it should adhere strictly to Tolkien, it seems as if Rings of Power is taking on a unique spin and using its storytelling style to make it an ideal viewing experience for those interested in Amazon Prime Video’s production - with a modern, and sophisticated aesthetic.

How Is The Rings of Power Different From Other Tolkien Adaptations?

Miriel and Elendil in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 Episode 5 Image

While many might view The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (which include their book versions as well as Peter Jackson’s movie adaptations) as a foundational, even sacred part of Tolkien's world. The Rings of Power represents an even more significant, ambitious project. It's designed to deliver a brand new view of Middle-earth and show how the Second Age is, in many ways, the era where Tolkien’s events become more grandiose and a powerful reminder that even in this rich world, events have consequences - such as the creation of the Rings and the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, who often appears to be the ultimate threat to all of those in Tolkien’s realm.

This series is considered one of the bestsellers , as those fans and critics have found an array of fascinating Rings of Power characters - in an effort to offer new narratives and story arcs - one that may even show an unexpected twist and depth to those figures, giving viewers a different perspective.

Will The Rings of Power Be Renewed For A Season 3?

Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor in The Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power Season 2 Episode 5 Image

Although Amazon Prime Video has not announced a renewed season. There's still a large amount of buzz surrounding The Rings of Power and whether or not The Rings of Power season 3 will happen. With those events taking shape throughout Rings of Power season 2, those events have led to new expectations - including some key scenes - especially in regard to the powerful figure - known as The Stranger - whose arrival is both intriguing and enigmatic.

The series has proven itself to be immensely popular with a large and increasing viewership - in many cases a major reason behind why production might opt to make another series. Even so, The Rings of Power viewing figures (with some of those statistics confirmed by Variety and TheWrap) have helped establish how those audiences continue to engage in its stories - those based on Middle-earth. However, this could potentially be affected by several variables: Amazon will want to see an return on investment - an assessment of how successful those sales have been, especially those Rings of Power sales for the books and related merchandise, in addition to a possible need to assess how the public is reacting to the story - making a "no" possible. One can see why those in charge will want to know how The Rings of Power legacy might play out - an essential factor for future installments.

How Does the Tolkien Estate Feel About The Rings of Power?

Kemen in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 Episode 5 Image

J.R.R. Tolkien is one of the greatest fantasy writers and authors in history. The vast legacy he created and those elements of The Hobbit as well as The Lord of the Rings - continues to enthrall a vast amount of readers. But those rights - including the rights for adaptations - were passed to the Tolkien Estate. While The Rings of Power has aimed to keep its core production values to remain faithful to the overall Tolkien story. They do have a history of being skeptical.

There has been a bit of friction as many who follow this saga closely may know. The Tolkien Estate has a history of being cautious when it comes to authorizing those rights, but has sought to collaborate on those productions, as they try to ensure that those who create new interpretations or even reinterpret his world - are keeping those core values of the story, in addition to the integrity of Tolkien's world, while making those creative choices for productions. Although, there is some controversy, this collaboration appears to be continuing as a testament to how much respect the Estate has for his legacy. In many ways, it is the same way Tolkien wanted - those who have sought to bring those fantastical events and the worlds of The Lord of the Rings into an accessible medium have found that the estate is an invaluable partner.

Why Does the Rings of Power Matter If it Deviates From Tolkien?

Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power Season 2 Poster Showing Charlie Vickers as Sauron Image

While The Rings of Power has gained enormous success on Amazon Prime Video, those dedicated fans and even critics have commented on its departure from the Tolkien Canon. The show also aims to showcase several unique details that would differentiate it from previous Tolkien Adaptations like The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings, as the production aims to have its own set of creative decisions, especially with its storytelling and how it takes viewers into this new world - that is so full of intrigue and excitement.

But it seems as if this series has more of a focus - one that's important - as a producer would want to have an impact, and Amazon appears to have created an innovative take on Middle-earth’s past, which has served as a key reason for many audiences to enjoy these productions, even with those critics who often cite it as not following Tolkien literally - the fact it’s drawing in a large amount of fans (particularly those new to The Lord of the Rings and those familiar with this universe) gives the show an even more powerful ability to reach more audiences.

Why Does the Rings of Power Need to be So Different From Tolkien?

The Rings of Power was given an enormous task - a major undertaking, and it was a bold venture for Amazon. It was their desire to take a world - that had previously been depicted by Peter Jackson in his iconic films - into their world. This meant they had to think outside of the box as they developed the series - finding ways to create new perspectives, and stories.

Those following the Tolkien world might understand that he had a deep sense of his universe, a history of writing books (not only those iconic productions, such as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings but those behind the scenes such as The Silmarillion, all which helped to create those essential, intricate details for a series, so that fans would understand it better - but a television show was a different avenue and they had to make an adjustment to ensure the series could deliver a full five seasons. They couldn’t follow every detail - it would have required several decades to do so - even though the Tolkien Estate had provided access to an array of Tolkien’s books, giving Amazon a lot of materials to draw upon - and, in doing so, has opened an entire world to new audiences and, at the very least, is driving a great number of sales. In a sense, the show’s producers are seeking to bring about those changes and adjustments - an element of creativity that would set it apart from prior adaptations and make The Rings of Power a show of its own.