Tolkien fans are buzzing following the drop of the trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power , a new series that’s set to air on Amazon Prime.
The trailer itself is 60 seconds long, but it’s given fans plenty to talk about.
RELATED STORIES
The trailer was released following the Super Bowl.
It’s a sure way to get lots of eyes on the content, and that’s exactly what happened. The trailer, which you can view right here , starts with a sweeping vista showing a city on the water. The city is likely Númenor, a kingdom on an island to the west of Middle-earth.
We hear a girl’s voice.
It’s a bold choice, as Tolkien’s Middle-earth setting has typically been dominated by male archetypes — with the notable exception of Galadriel who, played by Cate Blanchett, is the first voice heard in the Peter Jackson trilogy.
Who’s the girl?
We know that she’s a harfoot, meaning she’s an ancestor of the better-known hobbits. This is in keeping with the series’ aim to broaden the Tolkien universe and explain some of the earlier lore.
About 15 seconds into the trailer, we see her for the first time. It’s actress Markella Kavenagh who, along with Megan Richards, will play the harfoot.
“There’s wonders in this world beyond our wandering.”
We hear this line as the trailer shows us a shot of green hillsides, giving us a familiar taste of Peter Jackson’s well-loved LOTR movies.
But the trailer makes it clear that this will be a different LOTR experience, with different characters, some of whom carry large antlers on their backs.
Cue the action sequence.
It wouldn’t be a teaser trailer without the promise of some action, and after the quiet intro, the good stuff begins. We see young Galadriel, played by Morfydd Clark, hanging on for dear life on an icy cliff, along with various other action setpieces.
The pace quickens.
It requires eagle eyes at this point since each shot is no more than a few seconds long, but we do see quite a bit: a man stranded on a raft, Galadriel riding a horse, and a few title cards that give a few more clues. One reads “Before the Fellowship,” reminding us that this will be a prequel series.
Hey, it’s (young) Elrond!
This shot shows us young Elrond, but little else. It’s one of many quick cuts that offer a tease, but little in way of substance. We also see Disa, a dwarven princess played by Sophia Nomvete, along with a shot that appears to be at Mount Doom.
It comes out this fall.
Different parts of the trailer will stand out for different fans, but one thing’s for certain: this is a big budget, visually stunning prequel to the well-known LOTR universe. Apart from a few teasers within the trailer, Amazon isn’t really tipping their hand as to major plot points, or even who the main characters will necessarily be.
Fans are already picking apart the trailer.
While there’s been plenty of negativity (I mean, c’mon, the actual show is certainly going to look better than a 2005 fantasy video game, no matter how you cherry-pick the images), it’s to be expected for any dedicated fandom — and Tolkien fans are about as dedicated as they come.
It leaves us with far more questions than answers.
It could be argued that this is what a good trailer does. Though it’s only a minute long, it gives us a lot to chew on. It showed us some of the actors already confirmed to be on the show, but also gave tantalizing snippets of some of the unknown plot points.
Are you going to watch it?
I’m not a LOTR diehard, but even I’m intrigued by this trailer. You can check out the full trailer here . Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!
