Lord of the Rings is one of the most successful and loved trilogies. The book by author JRR Tolkien created a world of wonder and amusement. The core of the series is rooted in good vs evil. It also celebrates the little man in the Hobbit. Naturally when it was announced that Prime Video would be creating a series titled the THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER the internet was abuzz. Gone in this outing are friends from years gone in are a new set of challenges but that means we get to cheer for new heroes.

Unlike the films middle earth is at a time of peace, however as we have seen before peace only lasts for so long. 

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER brings the heroic legends of Middle-fabled earth's Second Age to the big screen for the first time. This epic drama takes place thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and transports viewers to a time when great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the thinnest of threads, and the greatest villain to ever flow from Tolkien's pen threatened to cover the entire world in darkness. These kingdoms and characters will leave legacies that will live on long after they are gone, from the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Nmenor, to the farthest reaches of the map.

The first two chapters set up the players and the different realms. As in the trilogies we have the Elfs, Dwarfs, Hobbits, Warriors, Humans and Oxes. 

The legacy begins with a young Galdriel (Morfydd Clark). We met her as a young elf girl. The events of her youth determine her course as a young warrior. She believes that evil will soon make its return. Elrond(Robert Aramayo) a half elven architect and politician is stuck in the middle. He wants to support Galadriel but is loyal to the king. Arondir (Ismael Cruz) a silvan elf who is part of the Elfan army but finds himself attracted to one of the locals. This is highly frowned upon by his fellow elfs. 

Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi) is a young mother and healer and soon will find that trouble is much closer than she suspected. All of the above mentioned characters are common in the Tolkien world because he often has his character challenging themselves while dealing with epic tasks.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER is first of all a visual wonder. One can tell that every frame was thought out and the locations are simply breathtaking.  There isn’t one wasted frame. The viewer is sitting with anticipation wanting to know more about our new friends. We are also rewarded with the humor of the hobbits, the brawn of the dwarfs and the serenity that surrounds the elfin world. 

This is a large cast and there is a lot of back and forth between the worlds but it's never rushed and one can sense that slowly these worlds will collide. 

It’s a little early to say who will be fan favorites but there are some contenders in Galadriel, Arrondir, Durin IV- Dwarf Price (Owain Arthur)and Saddoc Burrows-Hobbit elder (Lenny Henry). The thing that made the trilogy so special is the fact that it forces characters that wouldn’t work together to make pacts. The intertwining of those relationships creates conflict but also forge adventurous alliances.

Many may compare this to the film but they shouldn’t because the series has the luxury to develop the characters and create more conflicts . We get a chance to know backstories that help us lean in more. Very rarely does a series get to partner special effects, outstanding cinematography with great story telling. 

Showrunners -J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay were tasked with a huge hurdle creating something new while staying true to the story. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER has something for the Og fans while not being so ambiguous that new fans can’t come aboard.

The cast is equally stellar made up of mostly unknowns and role players but like their predecessors will become household names when all is said and done. 

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER will become appointment viewing and look for twitter to be a buzz once episodes drop.

The adventure begins on September 1 on Prime Video.