‘The Rings of Power’ TV review: ‘Lord of the Rings’ show is a triumph

nypost.com:

notoriously hefty$715 million they reportedly spent on the first season budget and rights to the “Lord of the Rings” franchise.The money certainly shows onscreen: “The Rings of Power” is a dazzling, gorgeous, thrilling trip to Middle Earth.[Warning: Some minor spoilers ahead.]Premiering Sept.

1 at 9 p.m. EST on Prime Video and set in Tolkien’s fantasy world thousands of years before the events of the Peter Jackson movies, the show similarly begins with a voiceover from the elf Galadriel (Cate Blanchett in the films, Morfydd Clark in the show), who narrates a montage of a war that happened in the past.

This isn’t an auspicious way to begin most shows, but it appropriately sets a tone of nostalgia here.As we’re told, these previous wars involved a villain called Morgoth, who had Orcs and the famous “LOTR” villain Sauron to do his bidding.

In the present, Morgoth is gone, and Orcs haven’t been spotted in years. But Galadriel is convinced that Sauron and Orcs are still out there, so she’s been on a centuries-long mission to defeat them on behalf of her slain brother. (Clark bears an impressive likeness to a young Blanchett, and she does an admirable job of capturing her mannerisms.) The other Elves essentially see Galadriel as a Debbie Downer, and their king is ready to move on from the days of bloodshed and officially declare a time of peace.