"House of the Dragon" vs. "The Rings of Power"

[GerateWohl 4,326]

So, to be honest, I am probably as curious on these shows as I am on the Avatar sequels.

Means, not very much. But I was recently thinking about, what might interest me more.

Since both seem to be quite comparable. Both are a prequel to the two probably most prominent fantasy sagas of all time?

Vote if you like. 

 

 

[Jay 37,281]

I'm exactly in between your third and fourth option, so I can't really vote. 

 

I'm equally "excited" for both, in the sense that I'm not actually excited for either, but will check them both out due to mild curiosity

[1977 1,743]

Not a GoT fan and LotR looks like another wokefest, so pass on both.

[mstrox 6,643]

I’m not particularly excited for either, but something based on the Lord of the Rings IP is inherently more exciting than something based on the Game of Thrones IP.

[GerateWohl 4,326]

As already mentioned, I am not excited in any way for any of the shows. But if I could see only one of them, I guess, I would chose HotD.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,493]

Oh, ffs, is that Matt Smith, in the top one? I'll give that a miss, then.

[GerateWohl 4,326]

27 minutes ago, Jay said:

I'm equally "excited" for both, in the sense that I'm not actually excited for either, but will check them both out due to mild curiosity

If you could watch only one, which one would you chose?

That question helped me to make a choice.

[Jay 37,281]

Flip a coin, I literally have no preference of one over the other

 

I'd say House of the Dragon has a better chance at actually being good, of course

But if TROP has original Shore music, that'll be nice to hear

[GerateWohl 4,326]

I thought about getting started about the music. But both trailers share such a terrible soundtrack that my expectation in that regard. But we will see.

[JNHFan2000 2,943]

HOTD gets the edge for me. That's actually because I like that cast more than TROP.

 

I'm still not able to see Galadriel & Elrond without Blanchett & Weaving

[blondheim 1,157]

I can't believe that anyone cares enough about the IP after Season 8 to ever go back. At least TROP is an untested set of creators from a work that isn't secondhand Tad Williams.

[Jay 37,281]

The problem with Game of Thrones wasn't the IP, the characters, the actors, or HBO's commitment to the show.  The problem was the writing of Benioff and Weiss once they got past the source material, and they have fuck-all to do with House of Dragons and all the other spinoffs HBO has planned.

 

So yea, there's potential here for this show to actually be good, and actually restore faith in the franchise.  We'll see!

[A24 4,326]

I don't care. I prefer the less naive world of GOT. 

[GerateWohl 4,326]

I never had such an issue with GoT season 8 and I never found Danaeris going amok was out of character. The only two points of criticism from my side would have been

1. that I could hardly see anything in the battle of Winterfell and
2. that the meeting with the night king, that was carefully build up over eight seasons ended in two minutes without any spoken word, night king dead, that's it.

But in general, I am no fan of prequels, especially when they just picture things we already know.

[Edmilson 7,384]

Both shows don't appear to be good and I'm not a fan of prequels, but at the very least the LOTR show will have (?) original Howard Shore music.

[Jay 37,281]

I believe at this point Shore is still just a rumor and not officially confirmed.... and even if he was confirmed to have been working on it months ago, we don't know if they decided to go another way for the final show eventually after hearing what he came up with

 

Hopefully we find out more soon...

[Chen G. 3,943]

Yeah, I'm very wary of taking Shore's involvement (or McCreary's) as fact anymore, but I still think its a possibility.

 

I think we'll know around the time of the upcoming teaser.

[Richard Penna 3,669]

I'm assuming Shore's not involved until we hear confirmed otherwise. I think McCreary's more likely to be the main composer as he's more used to TV.

[Edmilson 7,384]

McCreary would be a good choice for the show as well. He is more used to TV than Shore, and his God of War 2018 score is the proof that he can write great fantasy music.

[Chen G. 3,943]

Do those people who participate in the McCreary thread and are familiar with his schedule this last couple of years can say if it makes sense that McCreary made space for this project without telling the public?

[GerateWohl 4,326]

If Shore would really be involved, then this would be quite a big selling point and then I wouldn't understand why they are not using any of his themes in the trailer.

[Bellosh 3,382]

Option 4.  I don't care for any of these shows.

 

I have only seen a couple episodes of GoT and I could not get into it.

 

Only thing I'm truly interested in is seeing Sauron in his fair form in this lotr show (if he is even in it??? I have no clue, I haven't read about what they have the rights to at all.)  That seems slightly interesting to me though.

[Chen G. 3,943]

11 minutes ago, GerateWohl said:

If Shore would really be involved, then this would be quite a big selling point and then I wouldn't understand why they are not using any of his themes in the trailer.

 

Whomever is scoring the show, its believed the leaked teaser from a few days ago uses music from their pen.

[Romão 2,274]

Absolutely no interest in either. GOT is bland and Middle-Earth without Tolkien is ridiculous and illegitimate fan fiction. And I though Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy was bad enough as it was

[blondheim 1,157]

Game of Thrones itself is second-rate fantasy. Having George or anyeone else doesn't help.

 

I recommend anyone interested in seeing where Game of Thrones got practically every concept, read any of Tad Williams Osten Ard novels. I actually use to fight that they were different enough to stand apart but then Season 8 made it pretty clear that it was always heading for a total retread.

 

It's Eragon-level

[Chen G. 3,943]

Yeah, I never became involved with the characters in Game of Thrones. Not that I need very black-and-white stories: I love complex characters! But there's a way to do complex characters without being chavalier towards evil. Game of Thrones doesn't do that: Game of Thrones believes that, you know what, the heinous things these characters do aren't soooo bad.

 

Not for me.

[Bellosh 3,382]

25 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

Yeah, I never became involved with the characters in Game of Thrones. Not that I need very black-and-white stories: I love complex characters! But there's a way to do complex characters without being chavalier towards evil. Game of Thrones doesn't do that: Game of Thrones believes that, you know what, the heinous things these characters do aren't soooo bad.

 

I swear at one point the average viewer just watched that show to see who would die next.  It's like what's the point.

[Bilbo 3,709]

I’m cautiously optimistic about House of the Dragon. I think a lot was learned from the reaction to GoT and I think the Dance of Dragons has a story that the casual GoT fans will really enjoy once they give it a chance. D&D have no involvement either. 
 

RoP looks fucking awful in every respect. 

[TSMefford 1,509]

I never finished Game of Thrones (like REALLY never finished it - never even got half way), but I am looking forward to it's show more because it actually looks like Game of Thrones. The cinematography and production design show a similar quality as the original to me.

 

The Ring of Power... I'm sorry, but it looks nothing like Lord of the Rings and when I say that I mean, again... the cinematography, production design, costumes, make up, does not look like Lord of the Rings to me. It all looks too clean, too...generic?

Which is unfortunate, because it's really turning me off to it. The actors and characters could be phenomenal, but the look of it really makes me feel as if whoever is making didn't get the style of the Lord of the Rings films. 

 

To be clear, I don't feel passionately either way. I'm just more turned off to the Rings of Power right now. Tbh, I probably won't end up watching either of them. XD

[GerateWohl 4,326]

5 hours ago, TSMefford said:

The Ring of Power... I'm sorry, but it looks nothing like Lord of the Rings and when I say that I mean, again... the cinematography, production design, costumes, make up, does not look like Lord of the Rings to me. It all looks too clean, too...generic?

Which unfortunate, because it's really turning me off to it. The actors and character could be phenomenal, but the look of it really makes me feel as if whoever is making didn't get the style of the Lord of the Rings films. 

This including the music is what prevents for me the Star Wars live action TV shows from working. Same issue.

[Edmilson 7,384]

Most of the SW shows on D+ are just big budget fan films - and I fear the same will be truth for LOTR.

[Brónach 1,301]

On 12/07/2022 at 5:26 PM, Chen G. said:

Yeah, I'm very wary of taking Shore's involvement (or McCreary's) as fact anymore, but I still think its a possibility.

 

I think we'll know around the time of the upcoming teaser.

 

oh.it was the thing i was looking forward to

 

Nothing related to Game of Thrones could look interesting though.

[Bilbo 3,709]

15 hours ago, TSMefford said:

I never finished Game of Thrones (like REALLY never finished it - never even got half way), but I am looking forward to it's show more because it actually looks like Game of Thrones. The cinematography and production design show a similar quality as the original to me.

 

The Ring of Power... I'm sorry, but it looks nothing like Lord of the Rings and when I say that I mean, again... the cinematography, production design, costumes, make up, does not look like Lord of the Rings to me. It all looks too clean, too...generic?

Which unfortunate, because it's really turning me off to it. The actors and character could be phenomenal, but the look of it really makes me feel as if whoever is making didn't get the style of the Lord of the Rings films. 

 

To be clear, I don't feel passionately either way. I'm just more turned off to the Rings of Power right now. Tbh, I probably won't end up watching either of them. XD

There’s a stench of that awful Sword of Shannarah TV series off Rings of Power. 

[Stark 310]

I care more about LOTR’s universe, but HOTD has a much easier route to being good.

[Nick1Ø66 4,687]

On 14/7/2022 at 12:56 PM, Stark said:

I care more about LOTR’s universe, but HOTD has a much easier route to being good.

 

Agree in general, but will just add there's no "LOTR universe".  This isn't the MCU, Middle-Earth is the creation of a single person.

 

There are the books Tolkien wrote, and the direct adaptations (whether film or art)….anaaaannnnd that's about it.  Everything else is just fan-fic.

 

At least with House of the Dragon, the original creator is involved & approves. This is one reason I'm looking forward to it more. Though I've set my expectations accordingly, it's hard to capture lighting in a bottle twice.

 

On 13/7/2022 at 10:56 AM, His Royal Noelness said:

There’s a stench of that awful Sword of Shannarah TV series off Rings of Power. 

 

I'm getting more of a Wheel of Time vibe, but....yeah.

[crocodile 7,982]

I have no strong desire to see either but will probably sample both to see if that changes my mind.

 

Karol

[Nick1Ø66 4,687]

 

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

Completely agree that HOTD has more chance of being actually good. There's more proven talent involved, lessons learned from GOT etc. It's reassuring that D&D aren't officially involved (but likely were consultants, which is fine because despite everything they are also still responsible for seasons 1-4 of GOT). There's also a lot less riding on its success than the other - I get the feeling that Rings of Power is going to be the most expensive flop ever made for television and will probably ruin Amazon's entire content model if that happens. Not that they have much to lose in terms of original programming, but still, I'd like to be pleasantly surprised if it's good. It just feels like anything less than a mega hit is going to be death for this show.

[Mephariel 451]

If House of the Dragon is a sequel instead, it would be my most anticipated show. 

[Edmilson 7,384]

Amazon didn't need to spend that much money with LOTR. They already have their own Game of Thrones. It's called The Boys 

[Pellaeon 593]

House of the Dragon doesn’t particularly interest me, but I would check out other spinoffs. Snow sounds appealing (I do love the lands beyond the Wall, and hey, not a prequel!) as does The Hedge Knight (the stories are just really wonderful). Also, adaptations of GRRM’s science fiction works would be welcome — Tuf Voyaging, perhaps? Difficult to wish for any of this if it slows down his writing, but, it kind of is what it is.

 

The Rings of Power — what can be said? Tolkien is one of the most voluminous authors of all time. I have a glorious bookcase packed with his writings alone. And yet they decided they would rather do a bland and politically correct Galadriel fanfic? Bizarre. Hard pass.

[Bilbo 3,709]

Dunno why HotD being a prequel is an issue. There aren’t any characters that will be in GoT. There’ll be familiar locations and names but the events of the show don’t have any direct impact on GoT. 
 

It’s just a separate event in Westerosi history. 
 

Now, if it was Robert’s Rebellion they were adapting I’d understand the hesitation. 

[SilverTrumpet 638]

One is a prequel to a show everyone hated in the end and wasn't hungry for more at all, and will almost definitely be terrible.

 

The other is a prequel to a classic made by people who have no respect for the source material whatsoever, and will almost definitely be terrible.

 

I'll be enthusiastically skipping both.

[Nick1Ø66 4,687]

This article (shout-out to @Jay for bringing it to my attention) about the evolution of House of Dragons, and associated GOT spin-offs, is pretty interesting reading.

 

One of the things it talks about is the absolute importance of Martin's involvement, and how HBO came to realise not having Martin more involved in latter seasons of GOT was a mistake. And that the spin-offs featuring plots Martin hadn't really developed (sound familiar?) were ultimately rejected. 

 

Quote

Martin made his worries clear to HBO and one insider admits, “Having a show that’s pure invention and had George scratching his head at various moments was troubling at times.” 

 

HBO thought, “Hey, maybe we ought to listen more to that guy who created all this.”

 

 

Essentially, once the story got away from the one Martin intended, the show started to go off the rails in plot, pacing & character. Which is a mistake HBO didn't want to repeat with House of the Dragon, a mistake Peter Jackson didn't make with LOTR, and probably an expensive lesson Amazon is about to learn.

 

The new House of the Dragon trailer looks pretty great.  And unlike Rings of Power, they don't seem to be needlessly obsessed with secrecy and actually let us in on the story they want to tell. At this late stage in the game I think Amazon's secrecy is more about an anticipated fan backlash than it is creating suspense.

[Chen G. 3,943]

2 hours ago, Nick1Ø66 said:

Essentially, once the story got away from the one Martin intended, the show started to go off the rails in plot, pacing & character.

 

I always find those kinds of arguments very reductive. I'm not an ardent Game of Thrones viewer, but I saw the final season and to my mind the issue was the same issue that The Rise of Skywalker had: it just moved too quickly. You can say that's because they didn't have a written-out source material, but I don't think there's a way to really determind that with any degree of assurance. I personally thinking its too convenient an explanation.

 

2 hours ago, Nick1Ø66 said:

At this late stage in the game I think Amazon's secrecy is more about an anticipated fan backlash than it is creating suspense.

 

I'm beginning to fear you are right here...

[Edmilson 7,384]

At this point, I think HoD will be at the very least entertaining. The Fanfics of Power, on the other hand, doesn't look different from any crappy Game of Thrones-wannabe that came out over the last few years.

 

It'll be utterly demoralizing for Amazon if their expensive show has a worse reception than The Witcher.

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

For what it’s worth, The Witcher has actually been quite well received by critics, especially the second season. I quite like it, they’re really leaning into the campness and it’s a lot of fun.

 

The fans of the books/games on the other hand absolutely despise it. Bunch of tasteless nerds I say!

[pete 903]

Do we know for certain who's doing the music for the Lord of the Rings thing? I know Shore's name was mentioned in an article and then removed. And rumours of a collaboration between Shore and another composer, but I don't think I've seen anything official.

[Chen G. 3,943]

6 hours ago, pete said:

Do we know for certain who's doing the music for the Lord of the Rings thing?

 

For certain? No, we absolutely don't know anything about it for certain, unfortunately.

 

Reports were that Howard Shore is collaborating with Bear McCreary, but neither composer's name should be taken as "certain." Can the board's McCrearites tell whether he could have realistically squeezed Rings of Power into his schedule?

[JNHFan2000 2,943]

8 hours ago, Edmilson said:

At this point, I think HoD will be at the very least entertaining. The Fanfics of Power, on the other hand, doesn't look different from any crappy Game of Thrones-wannabe that came out over the last few years.

 

It'll be utterly demoralizing for Amazon if their expensive show has a worse reception than The Witcher.

 

To me, the trailers from The Rings Of Power indeed look like other fantasy shows from the last few years. It looks the most like The Wheel Of Time (Which I thought was great).

 

But there hasn't been a single trailer from which I can kinda put together what the story is + at this point I'm not that interested in the characters, mostly because there are so many. And I just can't get around the fact that Galadriel & Elrond are in this series but not played by Blanchett & Weaving. That's just so 'off' for me.

 

House Of The Dragon at least has actors I really know and like. And the last trailer showed a lot more and promised something that TROP trailers haven't yet done for me. Spectacle, politics & big fantasy.