After so many trailers featuring sweeping vistas and talks about what it would be in relation to the Peter Jackson films, Amazon’s Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power series finally dropped before the weekend started. You can read our review of the show right here, but it’s no secret that this show has been the talk of the town for weeks, with several critics and audiences alike having found themselves pretty charmed by the television debut of Middle-Earth. And to no real surprise, Amazon’s ready to break out the fine china and sing the show’s milestones.
With two episodes under its belt, Rings of Power is said to have attracted over 25 million viewers around the world, and becoming the biggest premiere in the history of its Prime Video service. Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke heaped praise onto showrunners Patrick McKay and JD Payne, and called the show’s success “fitting that Tolkien’s stories…have led us to this proud moment.”
But with good news, there must come the bad. Namely, that as Amazon basks in Rings of Power’s success, it’s also suspended reviews for the show over on Rotten Tomatoes for the next 72 hours. (Per The Hollywood Reporter, an Amazon rep explained that this was a practice that Amazon began back when the summer started.) The “why” is so Amazon can ensure that reviews are legitimate and not part of some scheme by racist or sexist trolls, as was the case with She-Hulk and Ms. Marvel before it. Rings’ user score stands at 38% at time of writing, and perusing the section, there are a lot of half or one stars with very short blurbs on why the show didn’t work for them.
The user reviews will get sorted out in time, but in the meantime, may as well bite the bullet and watch the show yourself. Either you’ll like it, or you’ve got House of the Dragon to fall back on for your fantasy fix. That, or Witcher, Wheel of Time, you get the idea. And if you have seen Rings of Power, let us know what you thought of it in the comments below.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
