Fans are skeptical about the second season of The Rings of Power despite a good critics’ rating after a disappointing and flawed first season.

The Rings of Power Season 2

The second season of The Rings of Power is almost ready for release and critics seem to be impressed with the show’s sophomore effort. After a divisive first season, however, fans seem to be skeptical about the ordeal. The first season of The Lord of the Rings-based show had many flaws and criticisms despite a good rating from critics.

Many of author J.R.R. Tolkien’s fans were unhappy with how the show treated its source material. Criticisms of the dialogues, writing, and general characterizations were common among multiple reviews and the only positive side to the show seemed to be its VFX and production value.

Fans Are Skeptical About The Rings Of Power Season 2’s High Critic’s Score

Morfydd Clark as GaladrielA still from The Rings of Power | Credits: Amazon Prime Video

Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of the most celebrated series of films in Hollywood history. Based on the fantasy novels by J.R.R. Tolkien, Jackson was lauded for bringing a faithful adaptation of a book series that was considered impossible to adapt. Coupled with brilliant effects and a phenomenal cast, the trilogy was a success.

Amazon Prime Video’s The Rings of Power, however, seems to have not enjoyed similar impactful success. The Game of Thrones-esque Middle Earth story is set a century before the events of the Lord of the Rings and is largely based on Tolkien’s expansion of the world he created. The second season is set to premiere on August 29.

The cast of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerA still from The Rings of Power | Credits: Amazon Prime Video

Early reviews for the first three episodes of the second season are reportedly high. The show has an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with over 39 reviews. The sophomore season seems to have received generally favorable reviews. However, fans are not convinced.

There seems to be a disconnect between the critics and the audiences, as recent shows like The Acolyte also seemed to have similar differences of opinion. The show was canceled earlier this week due to low numbers.

J.R.R. Tolkien Fans Hated The First Season Of The Rings of Power

Charlie Vickers as SauronA still from The Rings of Power | Credits: Amazon Prime Video

The disconnect between the critics and the audiences for the second season of The Rings of Power is all too familiar as the first season of the show also faced something similar. While critics initially gave the show’s premiere an 83% rating, the audience’s score for the show was reportedly 38%.

Amazon reportedly held the reviews for the show for 72 hours, speculating that it was being review-bombed by viewers (via THR). However, the reviews as the season progressed seemed to point out many inconsistencies and flaws in the show’s writing and dialogues. According to Forbes, many of the dialogues seemed unnatural.

So much of the dialogue felt like something a machine would write; not quite how actual people talk. The bit about why stones sink and ships don’t is one of those ‘fake wise’ bits that I can imagine an AI writing…Whether or not this is AI, it’s the kind of writing that mimics Tolkien but is transparently not something he would write.

Criticism was also put on the show’s writing and characterizations, with many fans calling it out for not being faithful to J.R.R. Tolkien’s world. Moreover, only 37% of the audience reportedly finished the series, which was not a good sign (via Forbes).

The Rings of Power is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.