As someone who equally enjoyed JRR Tolkien’s original work and Peter Jackson’s magnificent film adaptation at the turn of the century, I started watching ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ with a raised eyebrow and all the skepticism of the world; but after two episodes I have to admit that I’m done having a great time with what, as fellow Randy Meeks has defined, is still a fanfic. But what a fanfic!
Middle Earth through the ears
It remains to be seen if the following episodes match the level of spectacle and intensity of the start without the impeccable figure of JA Bayona leading the production; but virtues like his stunning production design —you can see in each shot the millionaire that each chapter has cost— or its balanced narrative in terms of tone and cadence, will probably continue to enrich the experience.
However, among all the benefits that ‘The Rings of Power’ exudes is the soundtrack of the always interesting Bear McCreary; responsible for the scores of ‘Outlander’, ‘Foundation’, the ‘Devilish Doll’ of 2019, or video games such as ‘God of War’ —and its imminent sequel ‘Ragnarok’—.
His impeccable work, which fully immerses us in Middle-earth through the ear canals, follow in the footsteps with which Howard Shore built his compositions for the Jackson trilogy, but experimenting with new instruments; giving rise to a truly exquisite soundtrack to enjoy both inside and outside the series.
If you want to immerse yourself in the Second Age, you can do so by listening to this gem on platforms like Spotify or Amazon Music. But if you are subscribers of the latter, each week an album will be released with all the compositions of the premiered episode, including unpublished cuts —for now, the first and second ones are already available—. Without a doubt, a gift for music lovers.