Review by myebay11

To establish my point of view: I've read LOTR and Hobbit multiple times. I've read the Simarillion and the Book of Lost Tales. I'm familiar with canon. I have, of course, watched the movies multiple times. The eerily narrated opening scene of Fellowship is one of the things I use to test subwoofers- it's one of my favorite things ever. I'm currently two episodes into this series.

The promo shots of this series made me skeptical, but I have been very pleasantly surprised. While some of the casting decisions don't seem to match my expectations, I'm willing to roll with it because I do like all the characters. Moryfydd Clark is clearly not Cate Blanchett, but she does deliver a similar demeanor and I think her performance is quite good.

The grandeur of the scenery is on par with the movies. The story seems prepared to deliver detailed accounts of Middle Earth's history: pre-Hobbiton hobbits, the arrival of (presumably) Gandalf, animosity between elves and dwarves and the great drama that must have accompanied the delivery of the rings and the transformation of their bearers.

As a fan of Tolkien for about 45 years or so, I'm engaged and looking forward to what this series has to offer. I expect my rating to go up from 8 -- but it's early.