THE RINGS OF POWER Directors Talk Season 1 Response Ahead of Finale
By Movieguide® Staff
After the success of J.R.R. Tolkien’s books and their Peter Jackson adaptations, the latest installment to the LORD OF THE RINGS franchise, LOTR: THE RINGS OF POWER, was in for some critiques from a fiercely loyal fanbase.
For the first-time show-runners Patrick McKayJohn D. Payne, the minds behind the 5-year, multi-million dollar project, pressure could not be more intense.
Despite a relatively strong start for Season One of the series, according to Nielsen viewership numbers (12.6M U.S.), critics and fans have not held back on their opinions of the new show, justified or not.
“Some of what’s been hardest to hear is the cynical point of view that this is a cash grab,” McKay told The Hollywood Reporter of backlash thus far. “It’s like… the opposite. This is the most earnest production. This is not a paycheck job for anybody. This is a labor of love.”
From day one, Amazon, McKay and Payne, and those working on the project said that their main goal was to honor the world that Tolkien had created; and that fans have fallen in love with over the years.
“It was our collective passion and fidelity to Tolkien that really won the day,” Amazon Studios TV co-head Vernon Sanders said.
The Hollywood Reporter stated McKay and Payne’s initial pitch as, “Chronicle the first five minutes of Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring — the Galadriel-narrated prologue that told the story of the rings of power — during the course of five seasons.”
While this timeline would allow McKay and Payne to explore and create new characters, it would also present new challenges as diehard fans would look for an unflinching accuracy to Tolkien’s world.
After multiple pitches, Amazon picked up the story, and filming began, a process that would turn into a grueling 18-month shoot due to COVID-19.
“The entire making of this show has been a massive learning experience for everyone involved. We had no idea what we were getting into. No one else did, either,” McKay revealed.
Payne added that they learned a lot while shooting the first season: “One of the big things we learned was even when it’s a small scene, it always has to tie back into the larger stakes.”
“There are things that didn’t work as well in season one that might have worked in a smaller show,” McKay echoed. “It has to be about good and evil and the fate of the world or it doesn’t have that epic feeling you want when you’re in Tolkien.”
Despite the storm of opinions, Payne said he wants to create a lasting legacy with the show, regardless of what awards or accolades the show receives.
“Some things get an immense amount of critical acclaim and win tons of awards and are forgotten the next year,” Payne said. “Conversely, some things don’t get a lot of love yet become classics being watched 60 years later. I think it’ll take a while for the dust to settle.”
However, insiders likened Amazon’s gamble on THE RINGS OF POWER to New Line’s gamble on Jackson’s original trilogy.
“The show is exceptionally important to them,” an Amazon partner told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s a branding opportunity for Amazon to show that they can deliver something with a patina of quality in terms of audience, critical and cultural reception, which they have not yet had. And strategically, in a market where there’s contraction at many of their competitors — Netflix, HBO Max — they think this is ushering in a moment for them to expand. Not just in terms of throwing money at things, but their ability to draw other talent and opportunity.”
Of the negative reviews, head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke said: “We all saw it coming, there were no surprises. Having insight into our global audience, we also have insight into the darker sides of how people can manipulate reviews and have other points of view that we wouldn’t support.”
Despite the five-year buildup to THE RINGS OF POWER debut, McKay and Payne soon learned that HBO Max would debut its GAME OF THRONES prequel two weeks prior.
The comparisons between the two shows were shoved into the limelight, but the comparisons had started far earlier.
“It dominates the narrative about how it’s received,” McKay said. “But it was not at all part of the narrative in how our show was conceived. Hopefully, we’re competing against ourselves.”
So far, THE RINGS OF POWER is nothing like GAME OF THRONES or its sequel show, HOUSE OF THE DRAGON—with excessive violence, nudity, and sex.
Movieguide® previously reported:
After five episodes of Amazon’s million-dollar show, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER, the head of Amazon Studios, Jennifer Salke, said that she and the producers are excited for future seasons.
Salke said they also wanted to make the show appropriate for families to watch together, a rare endeavor in today’s world of immoral entertainment.
“There’s so much darkness in the world,” she said. “Leaning into light was the other thing that was really appealing to everybody — bringing something to our global customer base that is hopeful and has light and that a family can watch. So many people have grown up with this literature, and we wanted this series to pay it forward for new generations of Tolkien lovers.”
Salke added that fans made their opinion known from the outset and said they did not want to re-create another show like GAME OF THRONES.
“The line we’ve been using is ‘If you’re old enough to read the books, you’re old enough to watch the show.’ We knew from the beginning that this was not our ‘Game of Thrones.’ In fact, the fans spoke up from the minute the deal was closed, saying, ‘Please don’t try to insert sex and a level of provocative violence,’ things that don’t feel true to the stories that Tolkien wanted to tell,” she said.
However, THE RINGS OF POWER, much like Jackson’s trilogy and Tolkien’s original work, do not shy away from showing the dark side of Middle Earth.
“That’s the secret sauce of Tolkien right there,” Payne told THR. “The grimmer things get, the more those pops of light have a contrast to bounce off of. That’s what’s beautiful about Tolkien. Even in points of complete despair you can have two halflings look at each other and say, ‘I’m glad you’re here with me.’”
The sentiment is echoed in Payne’s favorite Tolkien quote: “They passed in thought out to regions where pain and delight flow together and tears are the very wine of blessedness.”
“It’s the idea that eventually sorrow can become part of the joy,” Payne said. “Because you’ve gone through so much pain, and now you’re on the other side of it.”
A portion of Movieguide®’s review of Episode 6 reads:
After a lackluster Episode Five, Episode Six gives viewers a true mythical epic, with lots of jeopardy and excitement. For the first time, the series includes a reference to “The One,” the Creator-God of Middle Earth. Episode Six has a strong moral, redemptive worldview. As such, it tells a story of good against dark, demonic evil. Episode Six of RINGS OF POWER has lots of intense battle violence with some blood. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children.
As the story progresses, Movieguide® hopes they maintain the moral compass established in Tolkien’s books that upholds a biblical worldview.
While it may have some minor diversions from the extensive lore of Tolkien’s written works, it presents a refreshing fantasy adventure in stark contrast to GOT and THE HOUSE OF DRAGONS.
