'The Rings Of Power' Reviews All Agree On One Major Artistic Choice

Today’s a very good day in the world of pop culture. Between the release of The Last of Us Part I and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, there is plenty of new content to keep you entertained this weekend. The Rings of Power was met with acclaim when first impressions appeared online last week. Well, full reviews are now in and critics are all agreed on one thing.

Yet to dive into the show? Take a look at the trailer for The Rings of Power below.

Critics are all united in the opinion that The Rings of Power is a visual spectacle. The key concern is how long the show will be able to keep this up. The Verge described the series as “a big, expensive cinematic event,” with News.com.au adding that, “It is a visually spectacular series with ambition and scale. You can see every dollar they spent in its impressive, high-end production.”

Film Companion similarly appreciated the production value but posed the following question: “When each scene is sealed under a layer of lacquer and gloss, how can any emotion hope to pierce through?” Chicago Sun-Times described the show as “one of the most expansive, lush and well-photographed projects you’ll ever see - a gorgeous, sprawling and magical albeit somewhat overstuffed epic filled with fascinating characters populating a world that feels like a colorful waking dream.”

The film has landed an overall Metacritic score of 71 and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 83%. The audience score is a completely different story though. Scoring the show just 38%, users called The Rings of Power “slow” and “an embarrassment of what is one of the greatest stories to ever adapt.” The reception to the series is certainly a tale of two halves.