Sorry, but it will never come close.

The second season of The Rings of Power has been released. Viewers were shown three episodes at once, the remaining five will be released one per week.

The series is often compared to Peter Jackson’s trilogy and not in favor of the first one. But what has Jackson done that makes you revisit The Lord of the Rings every time?

Here are some reasons why The Rings of Power will never be able to repeat the success of The Lord of the Rings.

1. All Characters Have Different Motivations, Which Is a Source of Confusion

The ultimate motivations of most of the characters in the series are completely unclear – this makes their adventures simply boring to watch. By the time they return to the screen, the viewer has forgotten what they were doing before.

Why did Nori and the Stranger go to the lands of Rhun? What happened to Arondir and his companions? How did Isildur get into the Spider Cave? Everyone has their own agenda, which complicates the story.

In The Lord of the Rings, the plot was easier to follow because all the characters were united by one goal – the destruction of the Ring and Sauron. The liberation of King Theoden from Saruman’s spell, the call of the Ents to join the war and take Orthanc, the Battle of the Pelennor Fields – all of these arcs converged in one way or another.

It was easier for the viewers to understand the motivations of the characters, even though they were scattered throughout Middle-earth.

2. The World of Middle-Earth in the Series Is a Rather Faceless Place

Here is the grandiose Numenor and the graceful Lindon and the dark Mordor. The costumes are beautiful, the locations are picturesque, the battles are grand. And yet, in both the first and second seasons of The Rings of Power, something is missing that was definitely there in The Lord of the Rings.

In Jackson’s films, in order for Galadriel’s gaze to be filled with ancient wisdom, the lighting on the set was specially arranged to reflect it in Cate Blanchett’s eyes. All episodes involving elves were made smoother to show their colossal difference from humans. The graphics were used very precisely when it was necessary, for example, to make the Oliphaunts.

In the series, elves can only be distinguished by their ears, Numenor is not much different from Lindon – and the magic seems to disappear. Show viewers a set from The Rings of Power and they’re likely to mistake it for a location from The Witcher or House of the Dragon.

3. The Rings of Power Lacks the Main Thing LoTR Had, And It’s Crucial

Peter Jackson very skillfully conveyed the wisdom that Tolkien filled his books with. We revisit these movies not just because they have cool special effects and amazing actors. And hardly because of the plot itself – after all, there is nothing original about the dichotomy of good and evil.

The Lord of the Rings amazed and still amazes with the unique wisdom it shares with the viewer. You still can remember many quotes from the movie, for example: “Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement.”

Unfortunately, The Rings of Power, both the first and second seasons, do not even come close to this – the series seems to have no soul. As if it was made not out of a manic desire to transfer the characters to the real world, but because it has recently become fashionable to create sequels to cult works.

The Rings of Power can be examined down to the smallest detail, it can obey all the laws of film adaptation. But it’s unlikely that twenty years from now we’ll be talking about it with the same bated breath that we’re talking about The Lord of the Rings.