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strange headache
Banned
There's plenty of "meh" shows out there that nobody cares about. The issue is in slapping a Tolkien sticker on it, that's why people care. Let's be honest here, you and most others wouldn't even be watching this if it weren't for the name recognition. You can't have it both ways, capitalize on passionate fandoms through brand recognition and expect people not to care when you deliver a middling product.
You're looking for a family friendly time waster that's fine, just leave Tolkien's name out of it because his legacy certainly does not deserve to be pulled down like that.
Batiman
Banned
Why not just ignore it? Everyone knows Tolkien ain’t making this show. It’s not like Amazon are canceling his books and rewriting them. There’s tons media/toys/games that spawned from Tolkien’s work. Nobodies crying about shadow of mordor or the Gollum game tarnishing Tolkien’s work, because everyone knows it’s not coming from him.
strange headache
Banned
Well why don't you just ignore the critics instead of whining in this thread about it?
IDKFA
I am Become Bilbo Baggins
I do. Especially Shadow of War.
darrylgorn
Member
Don't be sad. Cause sad backwards is das. And das not good!
Batiman
Banned
Look at you’re posts on this thread and ask yourself who’s the one whining every Friday. Week after week. It’s funny actually
Deputy Moonman
Member
Lol i had no idea this thread existed. That's probably for the best as I was able to watch the entire season with zero outside influence on what was thought to be good or bad about the show. Overall, I enjoyed the rings of power.
What are the rules on spoilers here? I might have been one of the few people who enjoyed the twist at the end with Halbrand lol. I thought the pacing of the show was rather slow but also think that season 2 is set up to be better than the first season. I can hope at least. As has probably been discussed ad nauseum, my understanding is that the producers of the show don't have the rights to use the silmarillion. Which is a bummer.
My favorite parts of the show would have to be the interactions of elrond and durin, and his wife disa. I thought their chemistry was entertaining and heart warming. My wife didn't watch the series with me the first time, so I re-watched it again with her just recently. It was interesting watching Halbrand's behavior knowing his true identity. I also liked revisiting Halbrand's encounter with Adar, knowing Adar must have tried killing sauron at an earlier time. "I split his chest open." I also enjoyed watching Elindil and isildur knowing their future part in the first downfall of sauron.
Eh it is what it is. We'll have a to wait a long time for the second season regardless. Cheers!
What are the rules on spoilers here? I might have been one of the few people who enjoyed the twist at the end with Halbrand lol. I thought the pacing of the show was rather slow but also think that season 2 is set up to be better than the first season. I can hope at least. As has probably been discussed ad nauseum, my understanding is that the producers of the show don't have the rights to use the silmarillion. Which is a bummer.
My favorite parts of the show would have to be the interactions of elrond and durin, and his wife disa. I thought their chemistry was entertaining and heart warming. My wife didn't watch the series with me the first time, so I re-watched it again with her just recently. It was interesting watching Halbrand's behavior knowing his true identity. I also liked revisiting Halbrand's encounter with Adar, knowing Adar must have tried killing sauron at an earlier time. "I split his chest open." I also enjoyed watching Elindil and isildur knowing their future part in the first downfall of sauron.
Eh it is what it is. We'll have a to wait a long time for the second season regardless. Cheers!
Trazyn the Infinite
Member
Look at your posts on this thread and ask yourself who's the one whining every Friday. Week after Week. It's funny actually.
strange headache
Banned
You know what Tolkien's work is about? It's about this:
This is why we cherish Tolkien and celebrate his legacy. None of that can be found in Amazon's show. It's not about the spectacle, the special effects, the action scenes or the big budget vistas, it's about the wisdom and values found within Tolkien's work. But you don't care about that, do you? You just want to munch on your popcorn, be easily entertained and watch the fancy colors flickering on your screen.
Is it really so hard to understand why people are miffed about this show? Despite its humongous budget, Amazon totally failed to capture the essence of what makes Tolkien great in the first place. Even worse than that, it completely goes against Tolkien's spirit while the showrunners are bragging about all the wrong things.
Amazon believes that big budget can hold criticism in check. But that is not what I have found. I've found that it is the small scenes the writing, the lessons we gleaned that keeps soulless entertainment at bay.
thegame983
Member
Don't know if this has been posted but this guy is pretty funny. Goes through every episode.
NecrosaroIII
Ultimate DQ Fan
For me, The Silmarillion has long since supplanted LotR as my favorite Tolkien work. When I think of Tolkien, I think k of the Music of the Aunur, or Fingolfins crossing of Helcaraxe. Or Tuor and Maeglins fight during the Fall of Gondolin. I think of the depravity the Sons of Feanor sink to in order to fulfill their fathers doomed oath. I think of the Bending of the world during the downfall of Numenor.
There are all these huge moments in Tolkiens universe. Lord of the Rings is amazing. But in the face of all the First Age (and Second Age to a lesser degree), it's quaint.
pramod
Banned
Looks like were probably gonna get the Tolkien Cinematic Universe, whether we want it or not.
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Tams
Member
Mate, it took me over a week to even bother with the last episode.
And 'hate watching' is a perfectly valid reason to watch. People slow down to look at traffic accidents; it's the same thing just less morbid.
You'll rag on anyone who dares criticise this if they haven't watched it, even if only partly. So you'll never be happy with someone unless they like the show.
Plus, perhaps Amazon won't delete review when I get around to leaving one.
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Alex11
Member
Well in theory, just saying, it wouldn't be such a bad thing, as long as there are involved decent writers and directors and respectful of the lore and more importantly the vision of Tolkien.
I mean, the first and second ages extend over thousands of years and are brimming with major epic events and incredibly interesting characters.
So I think it would be good in the sense that they won't have to cram, like this show, so many events together and would be great for the characters as well, they would have time to develop their personalities properly.
Nico_D
Member
About the books...
Enjoy! (Tearing your hair out)
www.cbr.com
Enjoy! (Tearing your hair out)
Ways Lord Of The Rings Has Aged Poorly
Despite being a significant benchmark in fantasy epics, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings franchise hasn't entirely stood the test of time.
www.cbr.com
OmegaSupreme
advanced basic bitch
I'm not surprised. CBR has been like this for a long time.About the books...
Enjoy! (Tearing your hair out)
Ways Lord Of The Rings Has Aged Poorly
Despite being a significant benchmark in fantasy epics, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings franchise hasn't entirely stood the test of time.
DKehoe
Gold Member
Goddamn, thats abiout the dumbest article I've read in quite some time. Hate article for the clicks is right.About the books...
Enjoy! (Tearing your hair out)
Ways Lord Of The Rings Has Aged Poorly
Despite being a significant benchmark in fantasy epics, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings franchise hasn't entirely stood the test of time.
And he doesn't even mention "throwing faggots on the fire"! I mean, come on, if you are gonna criticize JRRT for something and try to get folks riled up, and you DON'T toss that little gem out there without context (faggot being a term for a stick of wood that long pre-dates the slur), are you even trying????
Doom85
Member
About the books...
Enjoy! (Tearing your hair out)
Ways Lord Of The Rings Has Aged Poorly
Despite being a significant benchmark in fantasy epics, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings franchise hasn't entirely stood the test of time.
I mean, they’re right on the money about Boromir. Dude was pretty one-note in the books, with 90% of his dialogue being a stubborn asshole obsessed with going to Gondor. In the movies, he actually got some moments that portray him as a generally decent guy.
When he died in the book, I was all:
When he died in the movie, I was all:
I also preferred Theoden in the films. In this case, they’re written mostly the same, I just think he was one of the less interesting characters in the books, while Bernard Hill‘s performance really elevated the character for me.
Granted, it’s pointless to point out to lots of people as so many are so stubborn about any book being better than its movie adaptation. Which makes me wonder how many of their heads exploded when Stephen King said he preferred the ending in the movie adaptation of The Mist over what he wrote in the short story…
ThatStupidLion
Member
After falling asleep within the first 15 min. I gave it another shot
Nothing great. Some okay stuff. Standby what i said long ago that the casting is garbage. Only can handle Elendil and the orcs. Adar is okayish. Burn the rest. Sadly its the only bit of modern media i can get to scratch the Tolkien itch. So as a crappy to average show it has to suffice
Nothing great. Some okay stuff. Standby what i said long ago that the casting is garbage. Only can handle Elendil and the orcs. Adar is okayish. Burn the rest. Sadly its the only bit of modern media i can get to scratch the Tolkien itch. So as a crappy to average show it has to suffice
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Lord Panda
The Sea is Always Right
The one true Galadriel 
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Cyberpunkd
Member
Fucking this.
Who saved Middle-earth? It was not Frodo. It was Gollum, because decades before he was saved by a lonely hobbit. Tolkien’s key point was: even the smallest of creatures can change the course of the world.
Amazon’s RoP have nothing of it - it’s predestined mighty lords and mighty ladies deciding about the lives and fates of lesser beings. Why? Nobody knows, guess they are destined to do so! The same bullshit 19th century determination that was used by rubber barons to argue they were chosen by God to be rich.
BearNecessity
Banned
That was a terrible scene like everything else that was made up for the Hobbit movies. The problem is the show also had too many of these scenes, and most of them fell flat. At least half the characters had at least 1 scene where they attempted to say something deep and profound. You need to develop the character first before they start speaking in poetry.
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Cyberpunkd
Member
This has to be a troll article.About the books...
Enjoy! (Tearing your hair out)
Ways Lord Of The Rings Has Aged Poorly
Despite being a significant benchmark in fantasy epics, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings franchise hasn't entirely stood the test of time.
Also - slow start to Fellowship is because it was conceived as same in tone to the Hobbit, it’s only after Bilbo’s party Tolkien decided to pivot. So first 80 pages feel different.
IDKFA
I am Become Bilbo Baggins
About the books...
Enjoy! (Tearing your hair out)
Ways Lord Of The Rings Has Aged Poorly
Despite being a significant benchmark in fantasy epics, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings franchise hasn't entirely stood the test of time.
I knew diversity would be a raised issue before clicking on the link. Point number 5.
Representation in media matters, as some studies have suggested that positive representation can lead to greater acceptance of people who are othered. Having a series of books featuring all-white lead characters is a notion that feels dated with today's sensibilities.
How is that not racist?
Nico_D
Member
The first 100 pages or so are definitely very slow. There are some good bits, even with Tom Bombadil but mostly it is a chore. But after that it gets better and better.
Cyberpunkd
Member
BadBurger
Many “Whelps”! Handle It!
'Lord Of The Rings' star Bernard Hill hits out at 'The Rings Of Power': "It's a money-making venture"
'Lord Of The Rings' star Bernard Hill has hit out at Amazon's 'The Rings Of Power', labelling it a "money-making venture".
www.nme.com
LordOfChaos
Member
Even as of the very last episode and climactic scenes, there's zero juice for the squeeze and only fizzle outs
FunkMiller
Member
I ended up only suffering through four episodes of this pointless horseshit before giving up.
Don’t try to make a tv series out of a load of background bullet points, unless you’ve got the skills to link it all well.
The writers of this show clearly haven’t.
Hopefully they’ll cancel it when season 2 bombs.
Don’t try to make a tv series out of a load of background bullet points, unless you’ve got the skills to link it all well.
The writers of this show clearly haven’t.
Hopefully they’ll cancel it when season 2 bombs.
Well, amazon seems to be doubling down on the creative team for season 2 so we'll see.
Regardless of how it turns out, these guys literally talked themselves on to the BIGGEST SHOW IN HISTORY, mad props to them for the hustle. I'll just hug my leather bound editions of Tolkien's works and the 4k BRs of the LOTR films to recover
FunkMiller
Member
Well, amazon seems to be doubling down on the creative team for season 2 so we'll see.
Regardless of how it turns out, these guys literally talked themselves on to the BIGGEST SHOW IN HISTORY, mad props to them for the hustle. I'll just hug my leather bound editions of Tolkien's works and the 4k BRs of the LOTR films to recover
I'd be amazed if it makes it past season 2.
They stopped talking about viewing figures a long time ago, and Jeff is notorious for shitcanning stuff if it's not working, no matter how expensive it is.
I think they are obligated for 5 seasons, though I dont recall if there is a minimum ep count or spend per season. So we could see the show devolve into a couple of "specials" or something but I don't think they can outright cut bait.
But they paid SO MUCH for that IP, it'd be a shame to give up rather than just shitcan the creative team and start fresh with something else they have access to. They could easily keep the stuff that's working (for me that's about half the cast, the set and costume folks, the cinematographers and effects guy) and dump what isn't (the showrunners, the writers, the other half of the cast, the stunt team unless they were actively hamstrung by said writers) and hammer out something decent. Just tweaking the lore (like, pay attention to it) and that fixing the atrocious dialogue alone would do wonders even if they keep on the direction and semi-plot as is.
They already paid the money, what's gonna happen if they stop at 2?
Fbh
Member
They could be sued for breach of contract?
I suppose if there was a minimum production order (i.e. 5 seasons of at least x hours of content) it would have been because the estate WANTS a long form show over a single film or whatever other offers they entertained. THEY care about the quality of what amazon puts out because if RoP absolutely CRATERS Tolkien fandom then the estate loses BILLIONS in perceived value as well. They certainly wanted hype like the LOTR era with all the merch and associated properties in full swing because then they can sell off other parts of the legendarium for far more money.
Personally, as much as I love Tolkien, it is grossly baffling how that guys scribbles are getting turned into a multi-billion dollar empire that drifts farther and farther from his ideals. It's kinda like Sauron and Morgoth won in the end
Though his kids will hopefully spread across the land like the Noldor of old, the Dunedain springing back to life, so maybe there is that 
Nickolaidas
Member
The only reason they haven't fired those hacks yet is the fact that they (Amazon) want to give their 1st season the chance to win awards. Once that passes over, their asses are gone.Well, amazon seems to be doubling down on the creative team for season 2 so we'll see.
Regardless of how it turns out, these guys literally talked themselves on to the BIGGEST SHOW IN HISTORY, mad props to them for the hustle. I'll just hug my leather bound editions of Tolkien's works and the 4k BRs of the LOTR films to recover
BaneIsPain
Member
I wouldn’t rule out if this Celeborn or Anarion
Posca from Rome is back
Posca from Rome is back
Goddamn.
This should be played at the beginning of EVERY writers meeting for season 2 because this is EXACTLY how the season 1 summary sounds like and those writers should be ASHAMED of what they did.
Tams
Member
Those writers are incapable of feeling shame.
