📺 Stream EntrepreneurTV for Free 📺

'Tolkien is Turning in His Grave': Elon Musk Slams Jeff Bezos' Latest Project Prime Video premiered its Lord of the Rings adaptation, "The Rings of Power," last week -- and reviews from fans haven't been great.

By Emily Rella

entrepreneur daily
Ben Rothstein/Prime Video via Amazon Studios
Ben Rothstein/Prime Video via Amazon Studios

Amazon's long-anticipated The Lord of the Rings prequel series, The Rings of Power, premiered on Sept. 2, and viewers are tuning in.

The company announced that more than 25 million viewers around the world watched the series on its first day — a record debut for a Prime Video series.

Still, high viewership doesn't always mean the best reviews from fans. Though the show has received a positive 83% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes so far, some fans of the series have found the show to be confusing and too far-off from the films and book series.

One such fan critic was Elon Musk, a longtime rival of Bezos', who took to Twitter to slam the series and inadvertently, Bezos.

"Tolkien is turning in his grave," Musk bluntly wrote. "Almost every male character so far is a coward, a jerk or both. Only Galadriel is brave, smart and nice."

Over the weekend, Amazon paused reviews for the series after "review bombers" flooded the show with negative reviews, many thought to be trolls trying to bring down the show's overall rating. Amazon did not specify when Prime Video reviews would be unlocked.

The only reviews still left up of the show are on Rotten Tomatoes, where the premiere of the new series received a 34% audience review score, many taking up grievances with the show's plot and writing.

"There is ZERO of Tolkien's vision in this show," one reviewer said. "Yes there are pretty pictures in some of the show but the acting is Daytime TV quality."

Watch the official trailer for the show below:

The show was expected to receive early criticism by trolls after social media flooded with jokes and negative comments about Bezos and his involvement when the show was announced earlier this year.

In fact, even Bezos admitted that his own son was skeptical of the show's adaptation of the original Lord of the Rings universe.

"After Amazon got involved in this project, my son came up to me one day, he looked me in the eyes, very sincerely, and he said: 'Dad, please don't eff this up.' And he was right," Bezos told a live audience at the UK premiere of the series.

The Rings of Power will release episodes weekly on Fridays, with a total of 8 episodes in the series.

Emily Rella

Entrepreneur Staff

Senior News Writer

Emily Rella is a Senior News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

These Coworkers-Turned-Friends Started a Side Hustle on Amazon — Now It's a 'Full Hustle' Earning Over $20 Million a Year: 'Jump in With Both Feet'

Achal Patel and Russell Gong met at a large consulting firm and "bonded over a shared vision to create a mission-led company."

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business News

These Are the 10 Most Profitable Cities for Airbnb Hosts, According to a New Report

Here's where Airbnb property owners and hosts are making the most money.

Side Hustle

How to Turn Your Hobby Into a Successful Business

A hobby, interest or charity project can turn into a money-making business if you know the right steps to take.

Starting a Business

This Couple Turned Their Startup Into a $150 Million Food Delivery Company. Here's What They Did Early On to Make It Happen.

Selling only online to your customers has many perks. But the founders of Little Spoon want you to know four things if you want to see accelerated growth.