Morfydd Clark stars as Galadriel in the visually stunning The Rings of Power. Photo / Supplied
Morfydd Clark stars as Galadriel in the visually stunning The Rings of Power. Photo / Supplied
When a streaming series costs US$465 million ($760m) to make, the expectations are clear. This better look amazing.
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power does. It is a visually spectacular series with ambition and scale. You can see every dollar they spent in its impressive, high-end production.
It's almost a shame that it's not a movie because if it was released in cinemas, you could properly appreciate all those aesthetic pleasures – the glistening elven world of Lindon, the tumult of the Sundering Seas or the prosperous dwarf kingdom of Khazad-dum.
The settings are rich in detail and actually inspire awe. It's going to intoxicate any Lord of the Rings fan who will feel as if everything they've imagined from J.R.R. Tolkien's tomes can spring up right in front of them.
But what if you're not a rusted-on fan? What if your affinity extends only as far as you once saw at least one of Peter Jackson's early noughties films? Will this high-fantasy world be too dense?
You can see every dollar they spent in its impressive, high-end production. Photo / Supplied
The Rings of Power, created and adapted by self-professed Tolkien uber fans J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, is a glossy series that is relatively accessible for even a LOTR neophyte.
While it's expansive and introduces a ton of characters and environments in the first two episodes made available for review, it's an easy entry for a newbie.
The show is conscious there's a lot to be done in terms of scene-setting and world-building and it takes that time. That demonstrates a surprising discipline from Payne and McKay who have never led a TV series before and were likely peachy keen to share the minutiae and textures of Tolkien's lore.
It does mean the pacing can seem a little slow and it at times still feels opaque – and some of the timelines are vague – but it's a solid jumping-off point for a show that's hoping to entrench the audience in for several more seasons to come.
Set thousands of years before Lord of the Rings and the quest to destroy Sauron and his One Ring, The Rings of Power takes place during the Second Age of Middle-Earth.
The Rings of Power is a glossy series that is relatively accessible for even a LOTR neophyte. Photo / Supplied
Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) is a younger elf than the one portrayed by Cate Blanchett in the Jackson films, and she's spent many, many years searching for a lurking evil she's convinced still exists after the war against the now vanquished Morgoth.
Not everyone believes the young warrior elf, preferring to not upset the relative peace of the time.
Elsewhere, the elves, including a young Elrond (Robert Aramayo) are looking to forge an alliance with the still flourishing dwarfs, including with Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur).
An uneasy detente between humans and elves is tested when the elf Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova) and human Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi) strike up a forbidden romance.
And the proto-hobbit harfoot Nori Brandyfoot's (Markella Kavanagh) penchant for adventure is stirred when a flaming ball falls out of the sky and reveals a strange creature.
Those are just a handful of the subplots in the wide-ranging story that will introduce dozens more characters before the season closes. It's all weaving a lush tapestry of the first rise of Sauron and the villain's creation of those infamous rings.
The first episodes are a solid jumping off point for a show that's hoping to entrench the audience in for several more seasons to come. Photo / Supplied
The Rings of Power is asking a lot of its audience but in return, the rewards are great. This isn't a dip-in-dip-out, casual viewing experience. It's asking you to be all-in because that's exactly what it's doing.
And it's in it for the long run, so you better be too.
