REVIEW of War of the Rohirrim (spoilers)

Overview of Plot

The War of Rohirrim’s plot was well done and extremely book accurate which is so nice to see in an Middle-Earth adaptation. The movie starts out with Miranda Otto reprising her role as Eowyn to narrate the movie. Eowyn gets us back into the Middle-Earth mind set and sets up the time frame of the movie which is 183 years before the LotR. Eowyn also introduces us to one of the main characters, Hera, and how she was raised by a warrior king. Eowyn says do not look at the old songs for mention of her because there is none, and that is because in the original story she is just the unnamed daughter of Helm. The plot then ramps up into a brawl then a war. We saw all the lore monuments that we expected to see including the Brawl, the siege of the Hornburg, and the death of Helm; and in the end, a certain white wizard comes to take over Isengard. The plot flowed well even with the several time jumps which are hard to do but they all worked great.

Favorite Characters and Events

My top favorite character is Helm Hammerhand. His voice, played by Brain Cox, was great and what I imagined for his voice. The brawl scene and war council scene splendidly showed Helm’s arrogance and how he is not the best hero or king. The scene when he freezes to death fighting an army of Dunlendings was a stunning sequence where he somewhat redeems himself protecting his daughter and the gate.

Fréaláf was another great character. When he is scolded for making the wise plan of defense, he was outcast from the army even though his plan was a good one. To see him on the throne at the end was fitting and satisfying. Fréaláf at Dunharrow had great visuals; Dunharrow looked just like the stronghold from the original film despite this one being Anime.

I enjoyed the opening scenes and the visuals of the Hornburg; the ice and snow was cool (pun intended). I love how you did not immediately see Helm attack, and in a way, you felt the terror of the Dunlendings as the Wraith of Helm Hammerhand stalks you in the frozen night.

The two Orcs collecting rings was a fun original aspect. It worked well in the movie and did not contradict any lore. It made sense that Sauron, who desperately need his Ring back, would send out his orcs to collect rings in search of his or any other of the rings of power. It also makes sense how Sauron would not trust his orcs with the true knowledge of why they collected rings. And as a bonus, the orcs were ironically voiced by Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan (Merry and Pippin from the LotR films).

Least Favorite Characters and Events

I enjoyed all the characters very much—they all fit really well with the lore and the world of Middle-Earth. However, there was one character who looked more Anime than Middle-Earth in style. Hama, the son of Helm Hammerhand, had very Anime boyband style hair and also had earrings. This look didn’t fit with the rest of the Rohirrim.

One thing I did not like was the whole Eagle plot. In a way, it cheapens the role of the eagles in the other movies. If every time one thing goes wrong the eagles are always there, it shows people as helpless. Tolkien did not write his stories that way.

The battle outside of Edoras was not as impressive as in the LotT trilogy because you did not get to see the scale of the battle. This is probably just because it is harder to do that in an Anime film.

Also, in the end the movie shows Hera overpowering Wulf in their fight. Realistically, that could not happen. She is somehow really good at climbing really, really high mountains without any training? Then, she is proficient in jumping large distances to large distances? It was somewhat unbelievable.

Source Material

The movie was very lore accurate unlike some Amazon adaptations I have heard of. There were things they added (and almost every single one worked well), and there were no big lore cuts. I saw everything I wanted and expected to see lore-wise. I would venture to say this movie is more Lore accurate than the originals only because it has a lot less info to be true to. Despite this, I would still choose the originals over The War of the Rohirrim any day because Peter Jackson’s originals cannot be beat.

Overall Assessment

I really enjoyed the movie as a whole. It was so, so, so nice to get a good Tolkien adaptation after a gap of maybe 20 or more years. If the fact that it is anime bothers you, I encourage you to give it a shot. I have never liked Anime, but that was not a problem after the first 5 minutes. It was more Middle-Earth than Anime. I Give the War of the Rohirrim an 8 out of 10.

REVIEW of Rings of Power Season 2

Overview of Plot

The Rings of Power Season 2 plot was, for the most part, enjoyable and well-crafted. There were many good things about it, however, one of the lows was the Stranger/Harfoot/Rhun storyline. It was very disconnected to the rest of the world, and almost nothing significant happens compared to the other storylines. The first scene of the Stranger in the final episode was cut very strangely with no continuity from where we had last seen the Stranger with Tom Bombadil. I spent the entire scene thinking it was one of his visions or dreams, and I could not tell what was going on. Later in the episode, I realized the events of the scene had actually happened. I am not a fan of the Stranger turning out to be Gandalf. I was hoping for Blue not Grey. It is not how Gandalf was supposed to come to Middle Earth, and it is one age too early.

The Annatar/Celebrimbor part was by far the best thread. I liked how Annatar/Sauron played on Celebrimbor’s vices of pride and lust to create the best and most marvelous things of the age. Every time Celebrimbor started to catch on, Annatar manipulated him some more, making it Celebrimbor’s fault that the rings were flawed and turning the smiths and garrison of Eregion against him. It was enthralling to watch as Celebrimbor broke Sauron’s hold on his mind to get away and to prove whose will was mightier. In the end, he stood up against Sauron and died knowing that Sauron would one day be defeated.

The Southlands storyline served only to get Arondir to the siege of Eregion and make Theo in charge, and to introduce Isildur to his girlfriend who can’t go to Numenor with him (Boohoo!) At the ending of the Southlands story, it was fun to see Kemen demoted to the lowly task of dealing with the Southlanders after he messed everything up back home on Numenor with the Faithful and the Kingsmen.

The Khazad-Dum plot was good but could have been better. Durin IV was amazing. But Durin III’s ring obsession was too similar to the Bilbo scenes from the Peter Jackson LOTR trilogy. In the original story, the dwarven rings did not corrupt; they just enhanced wealth. But in Rings of Powers, they made the dwarven rings corrupt the king and drive him beyond sanity. During III’s last moments were moving as puts down the ring, tells his son he is strong, and jumps to strike the balrog. The balrog ends up killing the old king and collapses the passage. Although in the real lore, the balrog was not meant to be disturbed until much later, it was still an outstanding scene. The dwarf Narvi was nice to see, but it would have been nice to see more of him and Celebrimbor working together on the Doors of Durin and maybe even on the dwarven rings.

The Lindon, Elrond, and Galadriel plot was a fine plot–not the worst but not the best. Cirdan was a great canon character to see, and I really missed him in the second half of the season. I liked how Elrond was against using the rings, and it was fun to see him lead the charge of the Lindon army. Galadriel still needs improvement as a character, but she did get a lot, lot better. I enjoyed how when she sees the Eregion guards she puts them in their place by reminding them of Celebrimbor’s authority as the true lord of Eregion.

The Numenor plot was amazing, one of the best, how Ar-Pharazon steals Miriel’s eagle and throne and how the political infighting becomes serious. One nice part was when Elendil turned in his sword as he was stripped of his position, and Valandil said, “Captain leaving deck.” All the Faithful sailors turned and saluted in a dramatic gesture which made Kemen upset. Another great part was when Kemen killed Valandil and blamed Elendil for starting the fight. Elendil’s unwavering moral compass was nice and accurate of his character. He said lines like: “Faith is not faith unless it is lived,” making the Numenor plot great to watch.

Favorite Characters and Events

My first and most favorite character from Season 2 is Elendil. We got to see who he really was at his core this season, how when everyone else says Yes, he says No. He knows what is right and what is wrong. He lets nothing get in the way of his faith, even his family. The actor Lloyd Owens captured Elendil perfectly.

My second favorite character is Annatar, Lord of Gifts (Sauron). It was nice to finally get this plot back to canon, the way it should have been in Season 1. I like how he says that he will choose good, but every time a choice comes, he chooses evil. His romance with Mirdania is just a tool. When the time comes, he throws her off the wall, making it look like Celebrimbor did it. He manipulates nearly everyone in the show.

Some other great characters are Elrond, Arondir with his cool elf stunts, Cirdan, and Celebrimbor. These actors had amazing acting talents.

One of my favorite scenes is the Elendil trial where he says, “Yes, I will renounce my crimes. No, I will not pledge loyalty to Ar-Pharazon the traitor.” The tension and the Numenorean music playing in the background turns it into one of the best scenes.

Another great scene is when Narvi says to Durin IV, “There’s an elf that needs to talk to you,” and Durin says, “Let him in!” Narvi says, “We need to do it quietly, for this elf has been banished from all dwarven realms.” The Watcher and Durin both realize that it is Elrond at the same time, and we feel their deep connection.

A fun scene is where Arondir and Isildur kill the Nameless Thing and Arondir says: “There are many nameless things in the deeps of this world. This one we shall call…supper.” It was fun to see the grim and serious Arondir make a joke.

Least Favorite Characters and Events

My least favorite character is the Stranger because his story is boring and takes away from the Numenor and Eregion story, Oh yeah, and also because he is Gandalf.

I still dislike Nori (the Harfoot) a lot.

Tom Bombadil was cool to see. The actor looks like how I imagined him. But his outfit was poorly done. His bright blue jacket was more a pale, faded, ragged outer robe than “bright blue his jacket is.” His boots were yellowish leather, not really “big yellow boots.” His hat was not the pilgrim-style hat I imagined it to be. Also, his singing skills need to improve. It shouldn’t be non-emotional mumbles. It should be loud and jolly.

One thing I noticed in both seasons is that Galadriel really likes to take advantage of her “plot armor.” In Season 1, she walks into a volcano with no ill effects. In Season 2, she jumps off a cliff.

Hopes and Fears

I’m still hoping for my “Dead Men of Dunharrow” theory.

I enjoyed seeing Gil-galad fighting in the siege of Eregion and can’t wait to see him and Elendil team up against Sauron in the Battle of the Last Alliance.

I am scared where the Stranger…I mean, “Gandalf” storyline is going.

I hope Galadriel is done with being a rage monster for good.

Source Material

It was great to see key canon book moments like the forging of the rings of power, the siege of Eregion, the reign of Ar-Pharazon, and the finding of Rivendell.

I did not like the many out of place story bits like “Gandalf,” the balrog (although it was really cool), Tom Bombadil, barrow wights, and more.

There are several original aspects of the show such as Arondir’s thread, Isildur being stuck in Middle-earth, the majority of the dwarven plot, but they worked better with the world than the out-of-place, unchronological pieces of lore that were shoved into the second age.

Overall Assessment

Season 2 of Rings of Power was enormously better than its predecessor, Season 1. It had better canon moments and better storylines altogether. It wasn’t relying on one good storyline to hold up the rest of the show’s flaws, but had many strong threads that were enjoyable to watch.

I give it six out of seven dwarven rings, 7.5 out of 9 rings for men, and most of the hair on a hobbit’s toes.

Overall, it was a pretty good season. Cheers!

The Middle-Earth Olympics

What would the Middle-Earth Olympics be like? It would be a game of good vs. evil. On one side you would have the evil forces of Sauron, Saruman, and Russia; on the other side you would have the forces of Men, Elves, and Dwarves representing the free peoples. It would be held in Michel Delving, the capital of the Shire.

There would be many different games such as a relay race of Man, Elf, and Dwarf vs. Uruk-hai, Orc and Troll. There would be archery contests, sword fighting tournaments, horse riding competitions, and swimming races.

One crowd favorite would be the River Barrel Race. How this sport works is the athletes ride barrels down a stream using all sort of weapons and battle tactics to defeat the other competitors, also mounted on barrels. The first one to make it to the end of the river alive with barrel intact is the winner.

This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Middle-Earth sports found in the Olympics.

***Disclaimer: The Middle-earth Olympic Committee is not responsible for any harm and injury or death caused by these games.

Here you have it, folks–what the Olympics would look like in Middle-Earth!

Tolkien’s Middle-Earth Inspirations

Many of you have read The Lord of the Rings, or at least watched the movies. (If you haven’t, then what’s wrong with you?!) But not everyone is familiar with the ways Middle-earth was inspired and created. Today I will tell you about the three main inspirations for Tolkien’s work: his language experience, the mythologies of early cultures, and the Bible. All of the information comes from books written by J.R.R. Tolkien and works about Tolkien by David Day.

J.R.R. Tolkien wrote in one of his letters: “The invention of languages is the foundation. The ‘stories’ were made rather to provide a world for the languages than the reverse. To me a name comes first and the story follows.”

Many modern fantasy writers make languages for their books but very few make books for their language. Tolkien was ever a linguist. He learned Latin as a boy. He was fascinated with Gothic, Old English, French, etc. He started to make up languages such as Nevbosh, which looked similar to Old English. He worked on his first prototype of Elvish in his late teens. When he got into Oxford, he studied to become a linguist. Later, he got a job as Professor of Anglo-Saxon. Near the end of his life, he received awards for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, but the award he loved most of all was the one Oxford gave him for his linguistic pursuits. This award was not about his works, but it was about him, and his pursuit of language knowledge.

Tolkien’s linguistic learning provided inspiration for his books set in Middle Earth. There are over a dozen languages in the world of The Lord of the Rings. The common tongue, or Westron, is similar to our language English. Rohirric, the language of the Riders of Rohan, is similar to Anglo-Saxon, the language that Tolkien taught at Oxford.

Tolkien has several different kinds of Elvish dialects for the high elves, the gray elves, and the silvan elves. Quenya is used for the high elves and is reserved for important, ceremonial moments. The grammar of Quenya is inspired by Latin and Greek and the vocabulary is similar to the Finnish language. Sindarin is the everyday Elven language. It is similar to Welsh and other Celtic languages.

In Mordor, the Black Speech is used. This language is similar to ancient Mesopotamian languages. Tolkien designed it to sound rough and harsh.

As you can see, Tolkien’s world was greatly inspired by the languages he studied and loved. From Anglo-Saxon, to Latin, to Celtic, to Mesopotamian, the languages of our world influenced the world of Middle-Earth. But these languages had myths and stories that go along with them.

Tolkien was also inspired by many European mythologies and legends. He incorporated elements from Greco-Roman myths, Norse mythology, and the tales of Arthur, Charlemagne, and Sigurd.

The Greco-Roman myths inspired many things from Middle-earth such as the Valor. For those who do not know , the Valor are the gods with a lowercase “g”. Manwe, lord of eagles and ruler of the Valor is like Zeus, king of the gods. Ulmo, the lord of waters, is similar to Poseidon. And Aule, the smith and maker of the dwarves, is like the blacksmith god Hephaestus. Mandos, god of the dead and the doomsman of the Valor, is equivalent to Hades, the Greco-Roman god of the underworld (although Mandos is a good version of Hades, not evil).

Besides the myths of Greece and Rome, Tolkien was also inspired by Norse or Viking mythologies. The name middle-earth itself came from Norse old English and Germanic. Also the forest of Mirkwood comes from a Norse word that I dare not pronounce. Mirkwood of Norse mythology was a dark and pathless forest. Many characters and creatures of Middle-earth originated in Norse tales and stories such as trolls, wargs, dwarves, elves, barrow-wights.

The stories of three great courts of the Middle Ages inspired Tolkien: the story of King Arthur and his knights, of King Charlemagne and his peers, and of Sigurd. For those of you who do not know who Sigurd is, he is a hero from the Volsunga Saga. Many people compare Aragorn and Gandalf to Arthur and Merlin, which is not wrong, but one also can and should compare Aragorn and Gandalf to Charlemagne and Turpin, and to Sigurd and Odin. The old mentor figures of Merlin, Turpin, and Odin share wisdom like Gandalf with the young hero.

Aragorn, Arthur, Charlemagne, and Sigurd all bear magical swords forged long ago. Aragorn’s sword Narsil or Anduril was forged by Telchar, the dwarven smith of the first age. Arthur’s sword Excalibur was made in the legendary land of Avalon. Charlemagne’s sword Joyeuse [joy-ooze] was made by Wayland the Smith who also made many other famous swords. Sigurd’s sword Gram, which formerly belonged to Odin, was also forged by Wayland. Tolkien connects his hero Aragorn with these legendary heroes by giving him a blade forged by a legendary smith from long ago.

Another major inspiration was the epic Beowulf. The original manuscript of Beowulf barely survived a fire in the library. But in the part where the thief is stealing the cup from the dragon, the page is burned. It never says who the thief was or why he stole the cup. In The Hobbit, Bilbo steals a cup from Smaug the dragon, and then Smaug takes out his anger on the lake men who are much like Beowulf. The Hobbit is Tolkien’s theory of the thief.

Tolkien was inspired by all the heroes and mythologies of Europe, but by none more than the true mythology of the Bible.

Tolkien was influenced most of all by the Word of God. As stated before, the Valor are gods with the little ‘g’ but there is a being who is God with a big ‘G.’ His name is Eru, the One. Tolkien wanted his story to be like the mythologies that he loved, but he also wanted his world to be like the true story found in the Christian Bible. So he incorporated both.

Tolkien gives the elves their own Fall. After the lights of the world were destroyed, the elves rebelled against the Valar leading to exile and death.

Gandalf is one of the many little Christs of middle-earth. He departs from the fellowship and battles the Balrog (aka a Demon of darkness) for three days and then returns to the living as Gandalf the White to finish his task that Eru gave him to defeat Sauron.

Another little Christ figure is Frodo who carries the ring. This heavy burden is not his responsibility, but he shoulders it anyway, possibly a symbol of Christ bearing our sins.

Yet another Christ figure is Aragorn. He is both a healer and a long-awaited king. His coming is prophesied in the poems of Middle-earth, just as Christ’s coming as king was foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament.

As you can see, Tolkien was inspired by many things to create his wonderful masterpiece that we cherish today. Some of his greatest inspirations were languages, mythology, and Scripture. Knowing about Tolkien’s inspirations furthers your enjoyment of his books and the movies based on them.

Just like Tolkien, we can work hard at pursuing our own interests in school and in life. We can appreciate different aspects of history, literature, languages, and God’s creation, even if we don’t know how we will use these things at the time. Having a wide variety of interests will form who we are as people, and the more we understand of God’s world, the better we can create our own worlds, whether they be in books, art, music, movies, or games.

So, the next time you read The Lord of the Rings, look for the hidden inspirations that make it so extraordinary, and get inspired to learn all you can so you can make your own world like Tolkien did. – A.L.Spears

SEASON REVIEW of Amazon Rings of Power (Season 1)

OVERVIEW OF PLOT

The plot of Season One of the Rings of Power was very intricate—too intricate, in my opinion. The story thread of Galadriel is her looking for revenge for her brother on Sauron. But also, apparently, she mentioned in a later episode that Celeborn (her husband) was missing…which seems like it should have been mentioned in episode 1. The story thread of Elrond was his friendship with Durin and his faithfulness to his friend and his people. The story thread of Bronwyn and Theo and Arondir was to protect the Southlands from Adar and the orcs. The story thread of the Harfoots, which is my least favorite, was to befriend the “stranger,” who seems to be some kind of wizard (hopefully blue, not gray). The story thread in Numenor showed Queen Miriel returning to the faithful of Numenor and helping Galadriel against Sauron and Adar. Meanwhile, Elendil was mourning the death of his wife, trying to find the best place for his kids, and trying to navigate the politics of Numenor. In the end, he fully commits to the faithful.

FAVORITE CHARACTERS & EVENTS

My favorite character was Elrond half-elven, herald of Gilgalad. His friendship with Durin seemed one of the most “Tolkien” relationships (if you know what i mean?). His outfits I like a lot; the blue fit his character well.

Elendil was a close second for favorite characters. He was noble and protective of his family. I would love to see the relationship between him and Isildur grow and see how it will develop before Elendil dies and Isildur takes the one ring as a payment for his brother and father.

One of my favorite events was in Episode 2 when the scene fades out to the map of Middle Earth and the dwarven music starts playing–and you see Celebrimbor and Elrond going to see Durin. It was a very dramatic scene with the music and visuals.

Another favorite event was when Halbrand gives the idea of using another alloy to combine with the mithril to make the elven rings. Then he says, “Consider it a gift.” Which is a very Sauron thing to say since in the books, he was disguised as Annatar, the “lord of gifts.” Even though they did not use that name, possibly because they did not have rights to it, this little comment is a clever way to hint at the name to anybody who knows the Silmarillion. It was like putting a sign on Halbrand’s forehead saying, “I am Sauron.”

LEAST FAVORITE CHARACTERS & EVENTS

My least favorite character was Nori, or to give her full name, Elanor Brandyfoot. My first point of dislike, which not many have discussed, was that the name Nori is a name of a dwarf from the company of Thorin Oakenshield. To use this name for a hobbit seems odd. Hobbits, I will say again and again, do not appear in Tolkien’s second age, so they should not be in the Rings of Power second age.

My second least favorite character was Galadriel. The actor was good, but Galadriel’s story went downhill. Her character was completely ruined because she was always fight-y, fight-y, fight-y. Yes, in the Silmarillion she wanted to leave Valinor to establish great realms for the elves, but she doesn’t fight at all in the book. Jumping off of a boat near Valinor and swimming to Middle Earth was like swimming across an ocean–not possible, even for a great elf. It was also inconsistent, because when Galadriel was trapped in Numenor, she could have tried to swim to Middle Earth if she was such a great swimmer.

My least favorite event in the first season was the big battle in the Southlands. It was quite bloody and every time somebody got hit, apparently it was a major artery and blood started shooting out everywhere. When Bronwyn was shot, she needed to die, but she kept staying alive somehow. The reason she needed to die is because there are only THREE love stories between men and elves: Beren and Luthien, Tuor and Idril, and Aragorn and Arwen. Having Bronwyn and Arondir as a love story completely destroys the pattern. The one good feature about this battle was how cool Mount Doom looked before it popped its top. But when the volcano erupted and ash was coming towards the town, a lightning bolt came out of nowhere, which was confusing.

HOPES AND FEARS

My hope, along with many others, is that the stranger (“Meteor Man”) ends up being revealed as…not Radagast…not Gandalf…not Saruman…but one of the BLUE WIZARDS! If he is a blue wizard, my hope is that the second one will also show up. Another hope is that they bring Isildur’s brother Anarion into the series. He is one of my favorite characters in the book–but I have a lot of those. Another, probably futile hope, is that the Harfoots will get destroyed by Sauron and that Arondir and Bronwyn will not survive.

My hope for Isildur is that he will somehow in someway make an oath with the Southlanders, but when it is time for the Southlanders to fulfill their oath they will not answer—making them prime candidates for the ghostly wraiths in the Paths of Dead. This would depth to Aragorn’s story as the heir of Isildur summons the dead to fulfill their oath.

One of the flaws I’ve noticed (something I may have mentioned in an episode review) is that Elrond is supposed to marry Galadriel’s DAUGHTER. How is that going to work out? I’m afraid they’ll have to change the story or do a weird, awkward time jump. Another thing to worry about is that I just heard a week ago that the Adar actor quit the show–he was very good. What are they going to do? I don’t like when movies or shows change actors after you get used to one person playing a character.

COMPARISON WITH ORIGINAL SOURCE MATERIAL

First off, Galadriel I give a two out of ten for faithfulness to the original source material. As I already mentioned, she is too fight-y, and her arrogance makes her a different person than the one in the book. Elrond I give a nine out of ten. The Durin plot was an add-on to the original story, but it felt like it fit with the original story (since in the books the dwarves of Khazad Dum rush out to save Elrond when he is fighting Sauron and about to be destroyed…which hints there could a friendship between Elrond and Durin).

Arondir, Bronwyn, Theo, Nori, and the Stranger all get a zero out of ten. Even if the Stranger turns out to be a Blue Wizard, he doesn’t come to Middle Earth from a flying meteor in the book. Gilgalad I was really disappointed in. He barely came into the story, and his character doesn’t seem like the Gilgalad we know in the books. His attitude wasn’t open with Elrond, instead of being like a father to him as he was in the books. Gilgalad will have to become a much stronger character if he is to join Elendil in fighting Sauron in the last alliance.

Elendil gets a…I don’t know what I would give him. Elendil’s character was a good one, but he didn’t get much dialogue or attention in the show. There was barely anything to work off of to decide if he will be true to the original, especially this early in the Numenorean timeline. We should find out how good Elendil really is in the show when Ar-Pharazon takes over and launches an attack on Valinor.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

The first season of The Rings of Power introduced you to lots of characters. It did not track with much lore besides the forging of the rings…and that was kind of “off” since they didn’t forge all the rings they were supposed to before Sauron left. The music was excellent. The story, not so good. Some of the story threads were interesting, and some were boring or ridiculous. Despite this, I will definitely watch the next season because it wasn’t a total failure and it’s not like there are better Tolkien shows out there…

There is also hope. If you despised this show, there is an animated show coming out in 2024 about the Rohirrim and Helm Hammerhand whom Helm’s Deep is named after. It is narrated by Miranda Otto, the actor who played Eowyn in the trilogy.

REVIEW of Amazon Rings of Power, Season 1, Episode 3

Rings of Power Episode 3, titled “Adar,” was a lot more gruesome and had a lot more tragic scenes, including the fight with the warg and the tavern brawl.

Scattered and alone after the first dark lord has fallen, the orcs are trying to rebuild without being eradicated by elves and men. The practical orcs were really fun to watch, especially because of the way they had to hide from the sun while making the slaves work. They look much better than the orcs in The Hobbit movies which uses CGI to make orcs. The orcs in Rings of Power are much scarier because the actors seem to do better without a green screen and the full costumes are more realistic.

Hallbrand, the man on the raft in episode 2, was thrown in jail in episode 3 for stealing a smith’s crest. His fight with the smith and other Numenoreans was one of the more gruesome scenes. I hope that soon, somehow, Isildur frees or aids Hallbrand, and in the process an oath is made. Next, Hallbrand should travel to Middle Earth and attempt to unite the southlands under one banner. but he will be defeated and retreat to the white mountains (the future Paths of the Dead) with the rest of his people. When Isildur eventually founds Gondor, he should call Hallbrand to his aid, invoking his faith to defeat Sauron. But Hallbrand has already lost many people and is afraid of a massive defeat. He will deny the summons, thus becoming the king of ghosts in the Paths of the Dead that Aragorn will later summon in The Lord of the Rings. This is all speculation on my part, but I want Hallbrand to be this character.

Numenor was extraordinary to look at. The music was not as good as the dwarven theme, but still outstanding. In Numenor, in the Silmarillion, the scepter falls to Miriel after her father’s death (in the show, he does not seem to be dead). Pharazon forces Miriel to become his wife even though they are cousins so he can take over the kingship of Numenor. In the show, he still appears to be chancellor. Hopefully, queen regent Miriel is undercover as one of the faithful. The “faithful” were the remnant of the Numenoreans who stayed faithful to the elves and the Valar (the gods of Middle Earth). The Numenorean character I appreciated the most was Isildur’s father, Elendil. Future high king of Gondor and Arnor, Elendil was played wonderfully by Lloyd Owens. He is right up there with Elrond, half-elven, in my opinion..

Since we’re on the topic of Elrond, there were no scenes featuring him in this episode, or any of the elves of Linden or the dwarves, for that matter. Since this is one of the story lines I most care for, I was disappointed to see that it wasn’t expanded upon. I want to see more of the friendship between Elrond and Durin.

The Harfoots in this episode were worse than they had been in the other episodes. They did not expand on the Stranger story line (the most interesting thing about the Harfoots), and their time on the screen took away from the epic story of Numenor.

In closing, an interesting line from this episode is when the orcs mention that Adar, their leader, is searching for a weapon. I think this is Theo’s blade. Adar is most likely Sauron in disguise. In The Silmarillion, the name Sauron deceives elves and men with is “Annatar,” lord of gifts. Adar…Annatar…see the connection?

I rate this episode a 3.5 out of 5 stars (or 5 out of 7 palantiri, if you prefer). What did you think of this episode, and what are you most looking forward to in the next episodes? Leave a comment.

REVIEW of Amazon Rings of Power, Season 1, Episode 2

Rings of Power Episode 2 was interesting, easy to watch, and enjoyable. The music continued to be outstanding, especially the Dwarven theme. There were a few hidden treasures of Tolkien lore. It had many more intense and creepy scenes than Episode 1. I rate it a 4.5 out of 5. Beware that if you read on, there may be some spoilers for Episode 2.

One of the hidden treasures of Tolkien lore was the fish dragon. A fish dragon is a special breed of dragon living in the sea that Tolkien wrote about in a volume of The History of Middle Earth: The Lost Road and Other Writings. In the show, it was impressive and very serpent-like. I encourage you to call this catastrophic sea creature a “fish dragon” and not a “sea serpent” as that is its proper name.

In the first episode, Sauron looked amazing when we glimpsed him in one scene–he looked similar to the Sauron from the Peter Jackson films but different enough to hint at his cunning and deceitful personality in the second age. But this is not the form he will have for the whole show. In the Silmarillion, Sauron disguises himself as Annatar, “lord of gifts,” to deceive elves and men. He appears to Celebrimbor, forger of the rings of power, and deceives the elf into teaching him the techniques that will lead to the One Ring. With Annatar being a disguised Sauron, we have no idea who Sauron will end up being in this show. It could be Meteor Man (the stranger from the sky), it could be Halbrand (the man on the raft with Galadriel), or it could even be one of the Harfoots. Uh, probably not.

My favorite scenes from Episode 2 were the Dwarven sets with the breathtaking imagery of Khazad-Dum in its former glory. For those who don’t know (my mom), Khazad-Dum would be abandoned to a balrog and later earn the name of Moria, which means “black chasm” in Tolkien’s invented language. In the show we see the splendid halls, windows, and greenery inside the mountain.

The creepiest scenes surround Bronwyn, the healer from Episode 1. When she returns home, her son Theo is hiding in a cupboard from an orc who came from catacombs under their house. She decides to have some mother-son bonding time and stays behind with Theo to defeat the orc. The orc was famished because after Morgoth’s defeat, the orcs had been scattered around Middle Earth until Morgoth’s lieutenant Sauron took his place. I liked the way the orc was very afraid of the sun and had a bone and leather helmet and armor to cover its skin from the sun. This is very important because later in the Third Age, Saruman would breed the Uruk-hai to be not affected by the sun and able to raid more freely.

I still didn’t enjoy the Harfoots much, but they haven’t intruded yet into the main story, so we will have to wait to see how it unfolds.

In the upcoming episodes, I am most looking forward to seeing Numenor in its splendor and glory. At the end of Episode 2, a Numenorean ship, most likely carrying Elendil, rescues Halbrand and Galadriel who are stranded at sea. Elendil is the man who would later flee from Numenor when it sinks into the sea (Tolkien’s Atlantis legend), and his descendants would be the kings and queens of Gondor and Arnor. Eventually, the line would lead to Aragorn who would reunite those separated kingdoms.

What are you most looking forward to in the next episodes? Leave a comment.

REVIEW of Amazon Rings of Power, Season 1, Episode 1

The Rings of Power TV show details the history of the second age of Tolkien’s mythology. Episode 1 did a satisfactory job with the plot. Sadly, I cannot describe the show’s plot if I am planning to keep no spoilers in this review.

The music was outstanding. Howard Shore, the composer for most of the music in the Peter Jackson trilogy, composed many songs for the Amazon show which made everything feel more and more like Middle Earth.

The visuals were absolutely stunning, particularly with the lighting and the landscape scenes. We got to see most of the important locations such as Linden, the southlands, and the vales of Anduin. It felt right for the world of Middle Earth. It probably helped that they filmed it in New Zealand.

The costumes were amazing. Gil-galad’s laurel wreath matched with the Linden landscape. Elrond’s blue was perfect for his character. Arondir’s Ent chest-plate was perfect for his elven character.

So far, Elrond is my favorite character. His attitude, his friendship with Galadriel, and his need to find out where he belongs in Elven society make him a perfect representation of what a young Elrond should be. The actor is a good fit for Elrond, half-Elven.

It is possible that Galadriel could be considered the main character, but we’re only on the first episode. Galadriel needs to have a much bigger character arc to become the character that we know her as in the third age. Right now she is: “Battle, battle, battle–kill Sauron!” Like Gil-galad says, sometimes the wind that tries to blow out the fire can make the fire bigger. Galadriel is risking the lives of elves in her lust for revenge. In the Silmarillion, Galadriel spends much time with Melian, queen of Doriath, having some calm time. But in the show, it looks like she stayed with her brother through the battles of the first age, making her a rage monster.

My least favorite part of the show are the dirty, grimy, un-lore-true Harfoots. They remind me of “Radagast” from the Hobbit movies with their unkemptness and hair situation. None of the Harfoot characters are truly Middle Earthian.

All in all, I would rate Rings of Power, Episode 1 nine of ten “hobbit holes,” four out of five “wizards,” a half of the one ring, or for you normal folks, 4.5 stars out of 5.