Early reviews for Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power call the TV show ‘breathtaking’

Early reviews are in for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power have started to roll in and critics are calling the TV show ‘breathtaking’.

Some lucky critics were given a look at the first two episodes of the highly awaited Prime Video series.

Collider journalist Perri Nemiroff took to Twitter to praise the show’s visual effects, writing: “Two episodes of #TheRingsOfPower in and ... so far, so good! The production value is pretty remarkable. 

“One breathtaking visual after the next, and the level of detail in the costume and production design is something else. As for the story/characters.”

Entertainment writer Salem said the series also captures J.R.R. Tolkien’s essence while still feeling ‘connected’ to the original films.

He added: “The FX are brilliant, the acting is superb and the PROLOGUE itself will destroy any awful feeling you had.”

Managing editor of Fangirlish, Lara Hale, marvelled at the show’s storytelling and female characters: “Watched the first 2 episodes of #TheRingsOfPower and it's a powerhouse of storytelling that reaffirms why I love LOTR and the kind of world building that empowers and inspires. Also, bada** women. Can't forget about them!”

While the world waits for the first episode to drop next month, the series has already entered into production for season two.

While that might seem a while away, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay have teased that a favourite fan character will make his introduction in season two.

“We don’t want to give too much away, but one character we’re excited for folks to meet in Season 2 is Círdan the Shipwright,” Payne told TIME.

“In the time of our story, he’s the oldest of all known elves in Middle-earth—in fact he lived so long, he had a beard.”

Círdan is described to be one of the ‘wisest and most foresighted’ of the elves.

He is the highest and most noble of the Sindar, Lord of the Falas during the First Age.

The wise elf also served as the Master of the Grey Havens from the Second Age through the Third and Fourth Ages.

At one point, he also possessed Narya, the Ring of Fire, but ultimately gave it to Gandalf. 

Despite serving as an essential character in the books, Círdan only appeared once in the LOTR films and it was very brief.

But with all this hype, we can’t wait to see him grace the small screen.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is set to be released on September 2 on Prime Video.