Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is set to premiere its first two episodes at 2am on Friday, September 2 – a little earlier than previously expected in the UK.
The eagerly-awaited fantasy epic is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, a relative time of peace for the various tribes.
The Prime Video series will tell the story of how this peace was eventually broken with violence and bloodshed by those who covet the Rings of Power and control over Middle-earth.
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The response from reviewers who have seen the first two episodes is overwhelmingly positive, particularly praising the scale of the project and its visuals.
"Rings of Power is a cinematic experience," tweeted critic Rodrigo Salem. "In a perfect world, we would watch it on a big screen. It's pure Tolkien and yet feels very connected to Peter Jackson's movies. The FX are brilliant, the acting is superb and the PROLOGUE itself will destroy any awful feeling you had."
The Wrap reporter Brandon Katz wrote: "Okay so the first two episodes of #LordoftheRings #RingsofPower are a spectacular sight to behold. The scale, scope, ambition and grandiosity is unrivaled on TV. It also has the laborious task of introducing SO much necessary world building that it takes a bit to set flight."
Despite concerns over the most expensive TV show ever made failing to impress, people urged fans to give it a chance.
Entertainment Tonight journalist Stacy Lambe tweeted: "Having seen the first two episodes of #RingsOfPower, I have to admit I was surprised how much I liked it. The lush and expansive series very much breathes new life into the franchise.
"And it's a show that I think people will enjoy once they allow themselves to be sucked into it."
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will air on Amazon Prime Video from September 2, 2022.
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Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy.
A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre.
In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.
