The Lord of the Rings movies are regarded as modern classics, so The Rings of Power has big shoes to fill while bringing J.R.R. Tolkien's work to the small screen. The Rings of Power is set during an earlier time period than Peter Jackson's trilogy, offering a fresh perspective on Middle-earth. Still, both The Lord of the Rings and The Rings of Power build on Tolkien's established stories and lore. However, when it comes to determining which project is the most faithful to his books, the answer is complicated.

Since its debut in September 2022, The Rings of Power has been criticized for numerous reasons, including its deviation from Tolkien's writings. The Prime Video series introduces characters and storylines that don't exist within the author's body of work. Occasionally, it takes liberties with the details that are included in the show as well. Some of these changes work better than others. On the contrary, The Lord of the Rings sticks to the script more closely than The Rings of Power. However, it has a more difficult time capturing other elements of Tolkien's source material.

The Lord Of The Rings Movies Have A More Faithful Narrative

The Lord of the Rings movies contain a more faithful narrative than The Rings of Power, mostly because they're based on a single story. Jackson's films adapt Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy from start to finish, closely following the journey outlined within its pages. Although Jackson takes liberties with his adaptation — like cutting Tom Bombadil and making Arwen a more prominent character — he leaves the most crucial plot points intact. Therefore, Frodo's on-screen quest to destroy the One Ring looks similar to his adventure in the books — enough so that it's often lauded as one of the best fantasy book-to-film adaptations.

Unlike The Lord of the Rings films, The Rings of Power doesn't follow one of Tolkien's books from start to finish. Instead, the Prime Video series builds upon Middle-earth's Second Age, which isn't thoroughly covered in Tolkien's writings. The author discusses the Second Age in the notes and appendices spread across his publications. However, he leaves many details to readers' imaginations. The Rings of Power creators J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay took the bare bones of his descriptions and used them to craft their own story.

That's among the reasons the series gets so much flack, even though it covers canonical events. The Rings of Power tweaks the timeline of those occurrences, and it adds more depth and diversity to the cast of characters involved. The show humanizes The Lord of the Rings' villain, Sauron, offering a motive for the character's conquest of Middle-earth. It also explores figures like Galadriel, Elrond, and Isildur through a new lens. As such, its narrative strays from Tolkien's, certainly more often than the movies do. However, The Rings of Power does have one thing going for it that Jackson's adaptations don't: its tone.

The Rings Of Power Has A More Faithful Tone

Although The Rings of Power brings a fresh story to the Lord of the Rings franchise, it captures the tone of Tolkien's work more authentically than Jackson's movies. The author's son, Christopher Tolkien, dismissed the films for this reason, telling Le Monde that they felt like "an action movie for young people aged 15 to 25." The adaptations do have a blockbuster quality to them, making the Fellowship's adventures grander and more thrilling than they are on the page. That's partially why they've drawn such a huge audience, even appealing to viewers who haven't read Tolkien before.

Alternatively, The Rings of Power takes a slower, more meandering approach to Tolkien's world, one that's definitely present in the author's books. It focuses on the politics between Middle-earth's races, taking its time to outline the author's extensive lore. The Prime Video series also works in a number of songs, a touch Tolkien was known to include in his stories. In short, The Rings of Power takes advantage of being a television show and the freedom that affords in a way Jackson's movies weren't able to simply by virtue of being films.

With its slower pacing and political approach to Middle-earth, The Rings of Power is pitched at a more mature audience. That's true of most of Tolkien's writings, except for The Hobbit. The show's more mature content highlights its commitment to Tolkien's tone, even if it's less concerned about perfectly adapting Middle-earth's history. And although Jackson's movies stick more closely to the events in the books, they're far from perfect when it comes to accuracy.

Neither Jackson's LOTR Movies Nor The Rings Of Power Properly Adapt Tolkien

There's plenty of debate over whether the Lord of the Rings movies or The Rings of Power adapt Tolkien's works more accurately. The truth is, neither the films nor the Prime Video series get everything right. The Lord of the Rings movies do everything book adaptations should, especially when they're headed for the big screen. Jackson cuts slow and unnecessary moments from his telling of Tolkien's story while expanding upon the more gripping details. He spends extra time on the characters and the battle scenes, making for a heightened cinematic experience. Jackson also changes key events, such as Saruman's end, to better fit into the films' narratives.

Meanwhile, The Rings of Power strives to honor Tolkien's influence as it paves its own path within his world. Like Jackson, the creators added to and cut parts of Tolkien's lore in the hopes of appealing to a wider, more modern audience. That's a must when working with books written decades ago. Despite such changes sometimes ruffling feathers, they are appropriate and necessary updates, and The Rings of Power is better for them.

Even though The Lord of the Rings and The Rings of Power don't tackle Tolkien's work with complete accuracy, diehard fans can still hope for a faithful adaptation in the future. Warner Bros. Discovery's Lord of the Rings movies may accomplish what neither of these projects managed. Not much is known about the impending additions to the franchise, but they may take criticisms about previous projects' accuracy (or lack thereof) to heart. If that's the case, perhaps a more precise take on Tolkien's Middle-earth is on the horizon.