Bernard Hill, the man most famous to US audiences as the captain of the Titanic inTitanicand King Theoden of Rohan, was not a fan of Amazon’sLord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Amazon’sLord of the Rings: The Rings of Powercost the streamer almost a billion dollars in production. On top of that, the series raised concerns amongst fans ofThe Lord of the Rings, both the books andthe series of films from Peter Jacksonstarring Elijah Wood, which came to define early 2000s epic fantasy.
Related:Rings Of Power Season 2 Begins Filming Ahead Of Season 1 Finale
The Rings of Powerhad its defendersfrom the cast members of the movies—the actors behind the Hobbits particularly taking to Twitter to defend the mixed-race casting—but other actors like Hill think the overall execution of the series was lacking. Hill toldMetro UKhe wasn’t impressed by what he viewed as a cash grab. “It’s a money-making venture and I’m not interested in watching that or being in it," Hill said. “Good luck to them and all that stuff but it’s not like the real thing.” That said, Hill did have praise forThe Hobbittrilogy, noting that while they started with a thin book, Jackson and company had more or less landed on something of quality, which is another opinion most fans and critics don’t agree with
Rings of Power, based purely on the appendices that Tolkien wrote for his novels to explain some of the mythos and the huge legendarium he’d created, has earned mixed reviews. Many critics found themselves pleasantly surprised by the series, but commoncomplaints aboutRings of Powerpointed to the slowness, the lack of cohesion, and the early weakness of the writing (from a pair of first-time showrunners, an odd choice for a billion-dollar production). Other Critics praised the series (after a rough, slow start) for coming to a surprising conclusion, the decent characterization, and the look of the series.
Considering the working conditions and loyalty of Hollywood, Hill’s feelings aren’t out of line. It shows that no adaptation will please everybody, and generally, actors show loyalty to the directors and crews they’ve worked with in the past. Hill is no exception to this rule. HisRingswill always beThe Lord of the Rings, notThe Rings of Power.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerseason 1 is streaming on Amazon Prime.
MORE:LOTR: The Rings of Power’s Galadriel Was More Accurate Than The Movies
