Amazon's new LOTR series that cost £50 million per episode is lowest rated in franchise

The verdicts are in for Amazon's Lord Of The Rings spin-off The Rings of Power, and they are not the best, it has to be said. Have a look at the trailer:

The long-awaited prequel is the most expensive series ever made, with each episode costing around £50 million to make.

Set thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit or The Lord Of The Rings books, it follows the events of the Second Age and the forging of the famous rings.

The synopsis reads: "Rings of Power will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and one of the greatest villains that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness.

"Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared reemergence of evil to Middle-earth.

Amazon

"From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the farthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone."

But despite only landing on our TV screens today (2 September), the reviews have been flying in.

And according to Rotten Tomatoes, the new series has a lower rating, just 81 percent among critics and 37 percent among fans, than any of the original LOTR movies.

Just for reference, The Fellowship and The Twin Towers got 95 percent from fans and The Return of The King got 86.

I mean, they were three of the best films ever made, so it's understandable, but when they've thrown so much money at it, you'd expect a better return, wouldn't you?

Sharing their thoughts on the site, one viewer said: "So far, this is completely boring. Amazon wanted their own Game of Thrones, but this ain't it chief."

Another unhappy fan commented: "Really poor writing acting is not great the actors have no gravitas. The scenery and visuals are good the armour looks like its made out of playdough. Not a great show won't watch any more."

"Poor attempt to remake Tolkien's work for a modern audience," put a third.

Another added: "All they had to do was actually adapt the material they paid 100s of millions of dollars for... "

Amazon

But while the majority of people seem to be pretty unimpressed, not everyone was so scathing in their analysis. Some people actually liked it.

"Excellent visual presentation. Fantastic dialogue," said one.

Someone else also chipped in: "The writing is very Tolkienesque, the cinematography is out of this world, the CGI is fantastic and the acting is top notch."

The Rings of Power is currently available to watch on Amazon Prime.