The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Amazon Prime)

That was a great episode. Galadriel is PERFECTION, I'm so happy they got her right. Elrond I'm warming more to although there's something very cheesy about his delivery that reminds me of a LOTR spoof.

That opening scene nearly killed me. However after all that wonderful back and forth between the Numenor Queen and Galadriel, the fact it was the MAGIC TREE or whatever losing its leaves that made them all change their mind was kind of amusing.

Loving the dwarf stuff and Disa is definitely a standout in the whole cast. I missed Nori and co but I guess there's so much going on they can't squeeze everyone in.

Also obsessed with how they all pronounce "Numenor"
 
I'm still not fully invested in this. It's just plodding along, I wish it would pick up the pace.

Although "Give me the meat, and give it to me raw" has made watching worthwhile.
 
Yeah I’m not as GRIPPED as I am to House of the Dragon, it’s such an odd decision to release both at the same time.
 
I think there's just a big demand for extravagant fantasy TV series right now, especially adaptations of beloved titles. It wasn't really possible before big budget streaming services.

It'll probably fall out of fashion for a while at some point?
 
I’m still mostly enjoying the music and the rich visuals. I agree it needs a kick in terms of story, it’s doing the GoT thing of jumping around but its lacking the shock factor that kept you engaged.
 
This was a bit of a dud episode. Had to watch it in parts as it wasn’t holding me. It just felt like all the stories from the last episode dragged out with no new development. I think if you missed that episode out you wouldn’t really have missed anything. Total filler.
 
I really liked the music and the way this fight were choreographed. The Numenor set is just so vivid and colorful.


 
Watched all five and it's not especially gripping me.

I wonder if the giant hanging around with the harfoots is actually sauron.
 
I think he’s more likely to be Gandalf
 
I’ve had him pegged as Gandalf from the start, but a swerve as Sauron would be interesting.
 
Gandalf would indeed be more obvious. Just wondered if his killing of fireflies was a little teaser.
 
Do we have any sense of what ratings this is doing? Does Amazon ever do that?

I imagine they'll have to eventually as shareholders will want to know where their half a billion went.
 
I think they said it was their biggest premier with 25 million (Wheel of Time was before it) but with streaming it’s so hard to tell what that number actually means.
 
According to Variety, the early ratings for Ep1 were 25m streams globally, which seems small to me. But they've probably gone up since. And Amazon don't reveal how they measure their data (Netflix used to do similar) only that it has broken records for Prime. Not sure how much of a benchmark that is.

It'll be more of a strategic acquistion than a ratings chaser and so I doubt they'll delve too deeply, but I'm sure Prime will want this to get bigger with each season. Luckily they have GoT as a precedence to grow.
 
I think part of the rights deal was a commitment to 5 seasons but I could be wrong.

I think it’s different from GoT, the amount of negativity from the crazies for this has been off the charts.
 
Oh I read that there's a negativity campaign because of the ethnic casting of the elves and harefoots.

Humans gonna human.
 
It’s just there’s such a market for these people today, it’s an easy way to get a ton of views on YouTube if you put an angry face over a “woke Amazon lotr/GoT/Marvel/whatever fail” for your thumbnail
 
The irony is Arondir already pisses over anything Orlando Bloom brought to Legolas across 6 films.
 
Big epic episode but I thought the setup was a bit stupid. The orcs should have been able to overwhelm them quite easily, they could have worked this much better as siege in a tower rather than a battle around a hut.

Loved that final literal twist.

Also Halbrand has to be Sauron, right?
 
That episode was super good! The animation of the water flowing into the magma followed by the volcanic eruption was so good. And everyone was just conveniently standing outside waiting for it to happen :D
 
Great episode. Some of the writing and acting at TIMES is a little off but you live in that world with Tolkien. It's an inevitable trait.

I dived into some of the YouTube bile and some of these people, my God, it's way worse than I could have imagined. There's 'Tolkien influencers' who put on live streams that run for HOURS just talking about how much they hate the show and how wrong it is, and they have thousands of followers just ripping the show to shreds, insulting all the writers, cast, producers, directors, Amazon, fans of the show, everyone. So much hate.

It begs the question, though - WHY ARE YOU STILL WATCHING IT? 6 episodes in and you're commenting how it's getting worse and worse. Switch it off then!

God I hate humans.
 
Obviously most of the criticism is just racist incel bollocks, but I do think the show has major pacing and scripting issues.

I’m worrying that it’ll do a Westworld and start promising but rapidly descend into a tragic overpriced niche that nobody watches anymore.
 
I always think back to the old expression "Just cuz you like movies it doesn't mean you'd know how to make a good one".

These people watch for one reason: to relive their fantasies. And when the show inevitable doesn't cater to their needs, they trash it. They don't come with an eye for curiosity. They're there to consume. DASSIT.
 
I thought it was just the racism, but it's just one part of a wider issue of Tolkien purism taken way over the top. These people feel like they own the rights to the show because they've dedicated their lives to it. It's really fucked up.

Also I wouldn't call Westworld TRAGIC :oi: it's a brilliant show that;s just overly complicated that most people wouldn't have the stomach for.
 
Counterpoint, of the six episodes so far, there have been four where NOTHING FUCKING HAPPENED
 
VoR said:
Counterpoint, of the six episodes so far, there have been four where NOTHING FUCKING HAPPENED
Click to expand...

I disagree with this. Episode 5 I would go with, the rest have been good to great.
 
Westworld’s problem was that it got too invested in twists that it lost the plot and then once they left the park it just lost the spark.

I think this show is fine, some of the earlier GoT was slow so I’m willing to give them time. Also Tolkien’s world is just not as interesting.
 
I am intrigued by where it goes now, but the (possibly) fatal mistake I think they've made this season is in moving so slowly and keeping all the characters so siloed (until Friday' ep, admittedly).

Anecdotally, the majority of my friends have bailed on it already sometime between episodes 4-5.

The Harfoots have literally spent the past four episodes on a MILD HIKE which has not been gripping viewing (also, not enough screen time)
Elrond and the dwarfs are probably the most likable characters and they've also had very little screen time and a wheel-spinning plot which has so far gone nowhere.
Galadriel spent four(?) episodes wandering around Numenor being a sour-faced bitch (sorry, I know that's what all the misogynists have been saying but it's also KINDA TRUE)
Bronwyn and Arondir have had the most compelling plot thread but even they haven't exactly been EVENT TELEVISION

I really do want to love it, but they're going to need a major re-tool for season 2 if they're going to justify the amount of money Amazon is flinging at it.
 
I've watched three episodes so far and though the production values are off the chart, I'd agree that the script and plotting is quite ropey. I'm not particularly compelled by any of it.

The Elves are the most fun (and have featured the most heavily so far), but I find the hobbits rather grating. They worked in the films because they pull them out of the Shire so quickly, but here, it's like you're permanently stuck in Hobbiton, with its twee twiddly music and gloopy sentiment. I want a warg to chew Nori's head off please.
 
Oh whatever they ARE.

That's obviously what they're going to become once they stop dragging those carts around and pull the twigs out of their hair :D
 
Episode 5 didn't go with a BANG. Too much NORI, and then that boring Númenorrrr stuff :zombie:

The show has told us that Sauron will return in a fallen star, but I still hope he's not the stranger, and that that's just misdirection. Lots of things point to it, but I can't see him having lost his memory, or not be aware of what he is.

The myth of the tree was well told. Every scene with Elrond is a treat actually, and I particularly love him and Durin together.
 
I watched the sixth part last night (attack on the watchtower / attack on the village). Quite good, though people constantly turning up at the exact moment someone is about to get arrowed/their throat cut/etc. got a bit silly, especially if you've sailed across the ocean for days to arrive right on time.

I missed how the treacherous northern type managed to get hold of the hilt and use it to unplug the dam - I thought the elf (good one, not bad one) had it, and went to hide it. Quite interested to see where Isildur goes from here (when's he going to get the SWORD) as he's a drip in this. Nice to see Mount Doom working again.
 
The aftermath of the destruction in this week's episode dragged a bit for me, and the red scenes had a very video game look which always takes me out of things.

I enjoyed Elrond and the dwarves more.
 
I seem to be the only one not enjoying Elrond. I don’t think he can act and his face annoys me. The dwarves I don’t mind.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top Bottom