Two big bets from two big studios were released between the end of August and the beginning of September with resounding success on the services of streaming. House of the Dragonprequel to game of Thrones made it through HBOMax. While Rings of Powerpredecessor of the stories we saw in The Lord of the Rings came through the screens Amazon Prime Video.
House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power were born in the same era and around the same time. Both are developed in similar universes and therefore it is most likely that they will go to the same categories in the most recognized prizes or awards.
It is too early to sentence one over the other. However, we can already start making comparisons based on what we have seen from each of the series. In fact, specialized sites and expert critics already ponder Rings of Power above House of the Dragon.
But with the controversies of elves with a different skin color than they were used to, fans have buried the prequel to The Lord of the ringsdespite the fact that its production, the most expensive in history, is simply wonderful.
Precisely that specific element, that of the enormous amount of money that the producers of the series based on the stories of JRR Tolkien spent, is what made the production debut with 100% on the specialized site Rotten Tomatoesalthough it has already dropped to 84%.
In the case of House of the Dragon, since it came out and until now it has maintained its solid 85%, according to the same digital medium. The fight is shoulder to shoulder, inch by inch or, taking it to its series jargon: chapter by chapter or season after season until the end.
Which of the two is better?
If we have to compare with the few episodes that go, there is no doubt that House of the Dragon has made a better development of its plot. This is accompanied by the development of each of the actors who play the characters.
The series barely has three episodes and there are already at least four characters with whom we identify. At the top we place two: Princess Rhaenyra and her uncle Daemon Targaryen. In both we see Daenerys and the fire that characterizes this family of dragons.
Then there is the king, Viserys I, a kind of Ned Stark with blond hair who did manage to get on the iron throne. We hope that he does not have the same fate, so that the series is not so predictable. But we cannot deny that his personalities have a certain resemblance.
And finally there is Alicent Hightower, who starts out as Rhaenyra’s best friend and later becomes queen and as the gq magazinealso happens to be a threat to the throne that the princess had inherited.
While in the case of Rings of Power things go a little slower. The character that is the subject of debate among fans, wander, the elf, could wake up at any moment. But if we compare the magnitude and presence in the series, like the ones we mentioned from House of the Dragon, the spotlights are taken by the interpretation of Galadriel.
In the series it is still not The Lady of Lothlórien that we enjoyed in the first film trilogy. She is rather an amazing combatant willing to give her life defying the rules to stop the enemy.
The road is just beginning to travel. There are many adventures, ups and downs ahead. We only hope that both will continue and ensure us captivating and exciting stories.