Rings of Power The Rings of Power show discussion - spoilers allowed for all aired episodes

[Chen G. 4,620]

This show...is not some abysmal, flat-on-face catastrophe.

 

But I can't say I was feeling anything beyond "oh, this is pleasant, you know?" at the best of times. More detailed thoughts after some sleep and a rewatch.

[LSH 1,048]

I like it!

[tomsmoviemadness 3,495]

Watched the first 2 episodes. I liked it a lot.
Lot's of people won't probably, but I don't care. I thought it was great.

The music in these first episodes though, is outstanding.

The way McCreary uses all the themes and plays some on top of each other is remarkable. All the themes are so well used and are all recognizable in the show.
I'm sure it will stay high in my Top 10 scores of the year

[blondheim 1,160]

Well it’s not as terrible as I thought it would be. In a way, I was impressed by that but there are definitely some things to roll your eyes over in both episodes. It’s not as diminished a return as I thought it would be. The short-haired elves do have a really hard time rocking those robes. They look like they belong in an overwrought Roman epic.

 

The Sauron theme sounds even dinkier and cliche in the show. I still just can’t get behind the Galadriel material. It plays a lot but never more than the opening phrases in different orchestrations. I was really hoping for actual score instead of just placing themes all over the place, barely changed. The Khazad-Dum stuff has a few moments where it isn’t too bothersome but then when the theme plays over the end credits you can hear how hollow and simple it is.

 

I feel more positively about the show and more negatively about the music. It’s an ironic reversal of my expectations a few months ago when Bear and Shore were announced. I thought the music would be the only worthwhile part of this while I’d probably have to suffer through the show and now it’s the music I must suffer to watch some relatively decent television.

[Disco Stu 15,501]

I look forward to months (years?) of watching you whine about how no one else hates the music.

[blondheim 1,160]

1 minute ago, Disco Stu said:

I look forward to months (years?) of watching you whine about how no one else hates the music.

Hahahah, it will end soon I hope. I’m just a huge Howard Shore fan. I got to see the Hobbit Suite premiered in Pittsburgh and I met him and asked him a theory question and he was kind enough to answer and not seem put out or annoyed (although he very well may have been, he had the decency not to show it.) I really respect the man and his work. I wouldn’t say something as silly as “it feels personal” but the whole thing is close to my fanboyish heart in a way not many other things are.

I hadn’t been this excited for a continuation of musical world since maybe the Star Wars prequels and my excitement blinded me to the point where I truly believed it would be good no matter what. I hadn’t realized that until Galadriel landed.

 

Now I know I would never have been given an opportunity like this. I’ve also never felt the pressure of a big studio. So a lot of my ranting is for an ideal, regardless of the reality. They are plenty of people who will just compare it to other TV music and “ be realistic” about it. I just feel like someone out there has to fight for the ideal sometimes.

 

When I liked Rogue One and it seemed so many people didn’t, I fought for it so I’m not mad at the people who are enjoying the music. They seem to be mad at me, though. I’m probably as baffled as those Rogue One disparagers were with me at the time but I let them find each other and have their day. I’m just out here trying to engage with like-minded individuals; I don’t know many people who listen to this kind of music.

 

So my mind is still full of disappointment. Who knows, by the end of season two I might have warmed up to the music. I can’t predict the future. I’m not still going on and on about how over-rated The Batman was, but my friends and acquaintances had to hear about it for a little while. We’ll all get through it together 

[Nick1Ø66 5,971]

16 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

I look forward to months (years?) of watching you whine about how no one else hates the music.

 

[Chen G. 4,620]

28 minutes ago, Nick1Ø66 said:

 

 

This line is in the show almost verbatim.

 

Also, before Elrond enters Khazad Dum, he speaks about "tables filled with salted pork and enough malt beer to fill the Anduin." And its actually by far the strongest part of the show thus far!

[crumbs 14,869]

As a casual LOTR fan, I really enjoyed this! Thoroughly exceeded my expectations, especially after reading all the negativity here

 

The score in particular works a treat. Galadriel's theme is a real keeper, especially the French horn rendition in episode one.

 

Not going to concern myself with how accurate it is to Tolkien's writings; personally I think that's a foolish endeavour. Adaptations are, by definition, not intended to be replicas of the source material. Even Jackson took some artistic liberties in his trilogies, some more successful than others.

[mattrushing02 28]

As a huge fan of Tolkien, who has read much of his work as well as his son's work after him, I've never been above someone trying to work in the visual medium with his world. They are different. One of the refrains from Jackson's LOTR trilogy specifically, was that they found, the closer they got to Tolkien, the better the movies became. (It is almost like the creator of a world understands it better than anyone else 🤔)

 

One of the things I loved about Jackson's work is that they seemed to completely understand the aesthetic and world Tolkien had created and his "why" for his series. 

 

Jackson's greatest triumphs in his series were casting and visuals. His cast really shined and made us believe the world we were in was real.

 

Sadly, this show has very little of any of this. This show is Tolkien adjacent. It is something that is pretending to have something to do with Tolkien. The entire series is made up and it feels like it. It doesn't help that the cast is particularly uninteresting for the most part, except Elrond and his relationship with the dwarves, which was actually a lot of fun and had actual heart.

 

The worst of all offenses is that Galadriel is so one note. The actor is given nothing to work with. They have taken one of my favorite characters and made her a bland bag of modern tropes. Gone is the nuance of Cate Blanchett's performance and a writing team that understood what Tolkien was going for in her character. Instead we are left with a generic revenge driven character that could be anyone in any story, ever.

 

The visuals are ok, but not amazing, especially the water tank scenes.

 

The show itself feels too modern. The character design lacks a timeless quality that Jackson's series worked so hard for and achieved.

 

So far this show is ⭐️⭐️  

 

[A. A. Ron 1,930]

The themes for Galadriel, Nori, Durin and “The Stranger” are all really great. I also love the somber horns for Elendil and Isildur. Bear knocked it out of the park as far as I’m concerned.

[Chen G. 4,620]

8 minutes ago, mattrushing02 said:

So far this show is ⭐️⭐️  

 

 

To me its  ⭐️⭐  ⭐️ out of  ⭐️⭐  ⭐️⭐  ⭐️

 

Aramayo's Elrond is great and everything with the Dwarves is gold. The rest... eh...

[blondheim 1,160]

6 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

 

To me its  ⭐️⭐  ⭐️ out of  ⭐️⭐  ⭐️⭐  ⭐️

 

Aramayo's Elrond is great and everything with the Dwarves is gold. The rest... eh...

Apparently I just love Dwarves because I agree. I loved The Hobbits a lot more as well. I thought the Dwarves were all wonderfully unique and lovable and I really cared for them. I think the Dwarves are so far the most successful depiction of a culture in the show. I smiled a few times.

[mattrushing02 28]

Yeah the dwarven kingdom was amazing looking and they were the most fun of the show. I can't say I am hopeful because I know what Amazon did to "The Wheel of Time" 😬

[Nick1Ø66 5,971]

1 hour ago, crumbs said:

As a casual LOTR fan, I really enjoyed this! Thoroughly exceeded my expectations, especially after reading all the negativity here

 

The score in particular works a treat. Galadriel's theme is a real keeper, especially the French horn rendition in episode one.

 

Not going to concern myself with how accurate it is to Tolkien's writings; personally I think that's a foolish endeavour. Adaptations are, by definition, not intended to be replicas of the source material. Even Jackson took some artistic liberties in his trilogies, some more successful than others.

 

I'm not concerned with absolute fidelity to Tolkien's writing. And I agree it would be foolhardy to attempt such a thing in adaptation, and it probably wouldn't make for good entertainment if they tried.  But that said, there is some room for nuance here, and I do distinguish between the liberties that Jackson & Co. took with the text in adapting Tolkien's book, and the wholesale fan fiction this series is. I see a lot of people conflating the two, and I think it's a potatoes to Lembas comparison.

 

I won't have a chance to watch until later tonight, but people who I trust have told me, more than anything, that it's not so much bad but...boring. Which is probably worse than being bad.

 

Though I'm sure the production values are sky-high.

 

 

[mattrushing02 28]

2 minutes ago, Nick1Ø66 said:

 

I'm not concerned with absolute fidelity to Tolkien's writing. It would be foolhardy to attempt such a thing in adaptation, and it probably wouldn't make for good entertainment if they tried.  But that said, there is some room for nuance here, and I do distinguish between the liberties that Jackson & Co. took with the text in adapting Tolkien's book, and the wholesale fan fiction this series is. I see a lot of people conflating the two, and I think it's an apples to oranges comparison.

 

I won't have a chance to watch until later tonight, but people who I trust have told me, more than anything, that it's not bad but...boring. Which is probably worse than being bad.

 

Though I'm sure the production values are sky-high.

 

 

 

100%. You cannot be 100% true to everything because again, the mediums are different. Well said about the idea of liberties and outright fan fiction, I think you nailed it.

[Chen G. 4,620]

7 minutes ago, Nick1Ø66 said:

it's not so much bad but...boring.

 

The first episode, taken in isolation, is.

 

Very.

[blondheim 1,160]

Yeah they released two episodes for a reason.

[p0llux 428]

So far, it's a grade B show in comparison to the grade A of GoT or HotD. It's decent enough that I'll keep watching. With just 2 episodes out of 8, things better pick up in the ep 3.

[Chen G. 4,620]

To be fair, Episode 3 has a lot of things to introduce us to: not just Numenore but also the proper antagonist of the season!

[Servant of Morgoth 20]

34 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

To be fair, Episode 3 has a lot of things to introduce us to: not just Numenore but also the proper antagonist of the season!

Pharazon? Or are you speaking about Halbrand?

[Chen G. 4,620]

Adar, played by Joseph Mawle. A corrupted Elf (yes, really) that's leading the Orc invasions of Tirharad.

[blondheim 1,160]

Did Halbrand really say “looks can be deceiving?” Or did I hallucinate that?

[Chen G. 4,620]

Something to that effect.

 

I don't believe he's Sauron or anything like that, personally.

[Nick1Ø66 5,971]

1 hour ago, Chen G. said:

everything with the Dwarves is gold.

 

Well that's dissapointing. Not Mithril? 

[Glóin the Dark 1,307]

11 hours ago, Nick1Ø66 said:

...I do distinguish between the liberties that Jackson & Co. took with the text in adapting Tolkien's book, and the wholesale fan fiction this series is; . I see a lot of people conflating the two...

 

One doesn't have to conflate those two phenomena to acknowledge that neither of the works is close to Tolkien's. Jackson's is in terms of its plot, but its deviations in tone, style and attitude are far more than mere liberties with the text. (I'm not saying that that is inherently a vice; Tolkien's artistic sensibilities aren't in any way supreme or infallible.)

 

I do, on the other hand, see a lot of ardent Jacksonians condemning works such as this Amazon thing on the basis of how Tolkien would feel about it. It's fair to point out the inconsistency in that.

 

 

11 hours ago, blondheim said:

Apparently I just love Dwarves

 

[Chen G. 4,620]

26 minutes ago, Nick1Ø66 said:

The thing about the cinematic Dwarves is, they're like Klingons in terms of the race being a set of stereotypes. If you're into them (and I am), and they look and act like the template for Dwarves or Klingons, and reflect that culture and set of behaviors you've come to expect, you're going to enjoy them

 

Depends on the Dwarf, but yeah, sure. I mean, in terms of the Dwarves being humourosly-cantankerous Scotsmen, Amazon went with the most prominent practitioner of that longstanding tradition in Peter Mullan, scene-stealing in a single brief scene towards the end of the second episode.

 

But I also enjoyed the dynamic with Elrond (who is totally the MVP of the show) and the visuals of Khazad Dum. Some of the extras look hokey, but they're not dwelled upon all that much.

[Richard P 4,189]

Is this line between Nori and Poppy 8 mins into episode 2 some sort of fourth-wall joke?

 

Quote

... and anything bad that happens the next three seasons will be our fault ...

 

[Servant of Morgoth 20]

3 hours ago, blondheim said:

Did Halbrand really say “looks can be deceiving?” Or did I hallucinate that?

He did. Because I think he is just more than a Middle Man from the Southlands

[blondheim 1,160]

28 minutes ago, Servant of Morgoth said:

He did. Because I think he is just more than a Middle Man from the Southlands

I almost hope he is Sauron just so I can rationalize that they don’t care about mystery-boxing that plot. I have doubts that he is, although I think they really want us to suspect him

[Marian Schedenig 9,042]

Well, wow. I just watched the first two episodes, and despite some reservations I can't help being quite taken with the whole affair so far.

 

For some context, as I've hardly ever been active in the Tolkien threads since they were moved to their own sub forum in a previous age: I read LOTR in multiple times in my teens in the 90s, and also The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales, before the PJs came out. I re-read my entire Tolkien library (and then some, including Letters), some two or three years ago, after visiting the Tolkien exhibition in Oxford. I've loved PJ's LOTR since they came out (although after a longer break, I was a bit disillusioned during my last viewing, and more bothered by some obvious changes that I now think don't work that well, although there's still plenty about them to love), and I did originally love parts of his Hobbit films (while being seriously troubled by others), until I was so distraught by the third one that I still haven't revisited them (or seen the EEs). I understand many of the changes PJ & Co made to LOTR from the source material, and very much appreciate some of them (like making Aragorn more indecisive, Boromir more of an inherently good guy gone bad, Faramir less ideally steadfast until he "understands") and can quite easily accept changes to the plot when they don't harm the overall story, but I am sensitive to central points of lore and of core character traits (Gandalf hitting Denethor is one of the biggest blunders in the PJ trilogy, as far as I'm concerned, along with Aragorn decapitating the Mouth of Sauron). I'm watching this new series strictly as a depiction of Tolkien's Second Age (with necessary extensions). Viewing it as a random fantasy series loosely inspired by Tolkien seems pointless to me, because as its own thing it hasn't shown much that's interesting so far, and what I *am* interested in is seeing all the fragmentary bits and pieces from the source material - which you can't get without invented connecting tissue, at least not in a straightforward narrative. (My own dream of having an adaptation of the First and Second Ages as a David Attenborough style documentary (think how Branagh presented Derek Jacobi's Chorus in Henry V) is sadly entirely unlikely).

 

And in view of all that, I find much to admire here, as far as I can judge after just two episodes. There are a couple of what seem to be major blunders, my main three being:

 

1. Gil-Galad "granting" Galadriel & Co passage back to Valinor. Tolkien's own views of how long/how strongly Galadriel herself was affected by the Doom of Mandos changed over time (the concept that alludes to me most, where Galadriel wasn't released from it and allowed to return home until her own essential contribution to Sauron's final downfall, was discarded by him in his later writings), but I don't think there is an original version of the source material where she would have been free to return in the 2nd Age, or at least not based on Gil-Galads judgement after some relatively minor 2nd Age deeds.

 

2. The Valinor Nexus. Yes, it's always described as very bright and all that, and I also like Gandalf's metaphorical description of it in PJ's ROTK (although it's lead even more people to interpret the ending as Frodo more or less literally dying, which seems to be just a twisted take on the misguided Numenorean rumour that setting foot on the Undying Lands grants immortality). But why does it appear as a blinding nexus that seems to swallow up all the enter, leaving Galadriel no choice but to escape by jumping into the sea and swimming hundreds or thousands of kilometers back all on her own?

 

3. Gandalf's arrival by Stardust comet. Granted, the details of their arrival are mostly left mysterious by Tolkien (I guess both to protect the mystery of the Istari, and as part of their mission as sem-official agents of the Valar), but at least my impression has always been that they arrived traditionally by ship (which fits in with Cirdan giving his own Ring to Gandalf, which I always imagined happened more or less straight after his arrival).

 

But most of other complaints are minor, and there's plenty of good stuff, including stuff I've long been hoping for - I've wanted to "see" Moria "live" as it was during Durin's (or Durins') day(s) ever since glimpsing its leftovers in FOTR, for example. As a presentation of the world, especially as a (backwards) extension of how it is presented in the PJ films, it's wonderful so far, and the capitalistic necessity of making things ever bigger more impressive (helped by the technology advancements of the last two decades) fit in with that, much to the contrary of PJ's Hobbit. Details aside, the big story arcs that can so far be glimpsed seem to hopefully be intact from the source material, which means that I'll hopefully get my chance to "live through" all the history that I've been admiring for so long (that it has to be tied together by new material I don't see as pure fan fiction but as a necessary part of making the whole thing presentable, and as long as the new material isn't outright bad or in major conflict with the source material, I can appreciate it when it's good or simply accept it when it's mediocre). For this reason, I don't find it boring so far at all - it may be slow, but so was Tolkien's own storytelling as well.

 

Morfydd Clark's Galadriel is one of my favourite things about it so far (unlike some other opinions, as I've seen). Sure, her character is different than Blanchett's - less super-wise, more active; but then she's quite a bit younger still, after all, and still very much more actively involved in the affairs of the world, and not yet weary of it. Certainly also more impulsive, because I think in any interpretation, her wisdom and acceptance of the ways of the world at the end of the Third Age are a major part of what allows (or at least ultimately makes) her to finally return to Valinor. The rest of the cast is very fine as well, although I do find it a b it curious that Clark was certainly partly chosen for a strong resemblance to Blanchett, while Robert Aramayo's Elrond is nothing like Weavings in looks, voice, or bearing. The dwarves are wonderful (although their women are too womenly). Gandalf's arrival, aside from the Gaimanesque comet spectacle, I also enjoy very much, and despite my misgivings it's a brilliant idea of explaining both his fondness of Halflings and their appearance in the story at this stage.

 

The music I feel is as good as it can possibly be in a production like this at this time, and better than could probably have been hoped for. At the risk of sacrilege, I had my doubts that Shore would have been up for it - in fact, even back in 2000, a project like LOTR was so far removed from his usual work that I was relieved and surprised how well it worked out and how he undeniably managed to establish a very appropriate and conceptually complex musical world for Middle-earth. But even with the Hobbit films I had the feeling that neither his interests nor his art of storytelling were up for the quite different style of the new films. I find it hard to imagine Shore committing to writing hours and hours of music for a show like this and keeping it lively throughout. Judging from the first two episodes, McCreary seems to succeed in doing just that, maintaining Shore's overall style and making it a bit more dynamic where necessary, without so far resulting in the modern trappings of just keeping everything very simple and solving every narrative climax by adding extra drums.

 

Much will depend on how they can maintain a narrative balance between Tolkien's material and their own extensions, and how true they can stick to the core concepts and avoid serious blunders. If they can manage that, I think it's almost impossible to get too boring for me, because the source material alone is engaging enough that the series should remain exciting as long as remains true to it and shows us all those iconic moments acted out with its cast, production design, and music.

 

What is also painfully clear though is how much potential is lost by the fragmentation of the rights to Tolkien's material. If they were allowed to use the full Silmarillion and could avoid leaving out or glossing over all that background (from the SA's point of view) material, or even having to replace it with stuff of their own, we could have even more of what to me is the main draw of the whole project, with at the same time less need for fan fiction.

[JibberJabberwocky 12]

2 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

Gandalf's arrival, aside from the Gaimanesque comet spectacle, I also enjoy very much, and despite my misgivings it's a brilliant idea of explaining both his fondness of Halflings and their appearance in the story at this stage.

 

What makes it Gaimanesque? I assume you are referring to Neil Gaiman.

[artguy360 1,899]

Watched the first episode. The production values are film quality. The visuals are incredible. Not sure how I feel about all the plotlines yet but I like Galadriel's stuff a lot. The music is also great, it's a rich and layered orchestral sound. Really well made show. 

[rough cut 1,742]

I enjoyed the first two episodes. But enjoyable as it is, it all felt a bit pointless, like Galadriel’s journey on the sea and back (that I understand is completely made up and not in the source material - and it really didn’t add anything).

 

But beautiful and of cinematic quality, good acting, fantastic FX. I’m looking forward for the plot to move forward and get a better grasp of the story.

 

But what is up with people bombing - both love and hate - on the review sites these days? At this point it’s just the lovers and the haters going head to head with no room for honest reviews.

IMDb:

[Luke Skywalker 1,939]

I was impresed by the two episodes, they could almost fit with jacksons version.

 

the music is not bad, but it could have been amazing if shore had composed the twenty odd main character themes….

 

[Incanus 5,801]

While I haven't seen the show, @Quintus, who is banned at the moment and thus cannot write this himself, asked me to convey a message to you all that he has watched the first episodes of this show and loves it.

[Chen G. 4,620]

I'm amazed by this positive reaction: quite aside from any Tolkien-based reservations, I found it...pleasant but dull. The first episode, taken in isolation, was a crashing bore of frenetic editing that cut from one locale to the other, and the prologue all but redundant.

 

The second episode picked-up considerably, and both benefit enormously from Aramayo's delightful Elrond and from great visuals. However, some of the storylines - the Harfoots and especially Tirharad, namely - are duds.

[Holko 10,231]

Somehow I got suckered in and watched the first one. Disregarding things like Galadriel not being Galadriel, that whole boat thing being weird and stupid, elves not feeling like elves, things they never could've gotten right like the Trees, etc, etc... I just found it boring, a ton of cliché characters in cliché situations with cliché dialogue. Looks good in general but designwise it's afflicted with the shiny squeaky TV fantasy blandness instead of the rich tangible details of PJ's trilogy. Overall nothing really feels like it has weight and much depth to it. I guess now I'll wait to see the dwarves and Númenor too but if it continues like this I'll just stop.

[Chen G. 4,620]

Numenore isn't in this until episode 3...

 

But the Dwarves are in episode 2 and it does improve considerably on the first, partially as a result of their presence.

[crocodile 8,520]

I think the series is absolutely fine, which is definitely helped by lavish production values. There's nothing particularly "great" about it but I enjoy the first two episodes more than I did The Hobbit trilogy. It doesn't necessarily mean much but I am willing to stick with it for an hour every week in order to visit pretty fantasy land. As I am not a Tolkien scholar it is perfectly fine for me to watch this completely detached from any preconceived notions. Yeah, from storytelling perspective some of it might feel bit stilted but the actors make it enjoyable. I particularly liked the stuff with Durin in the second episode.

 

I am somewhat amused by the "is but isn't" Jackson's Middle-earth approach. They clearly want to milk that but cannot do that too closely. Which might be, in a way, a good thing. This corporate calibrating is hilarious though. 

 

The music is mostly enjoyable but doesn't yet offer much in terms of storytelling nuance of Howard Shore. It is very competent and, once again, broadly evokes what came before. But there's a certain stodginess to the writing that prevents it from really taking off. But then, I suppose they need to first establish thematic material so that it can be played with later. Or at least I hope they will. So far I gave a listen to the suites on the series compilation album and the first episode's album and it was a pleasant enough couple of hours. I like the Gandalf's eerie theme and some of the Harfoot and Elf stuff. If you think about it, having Bear McCreary and his team handle this series is probably one of the best outcomes possible.

 

Karol

[Marian Schedenig 9,042]

10 hours ago, Doctor Faust said:

What makes it Gaimanesque? I assume you are referring to Neil Gaiman.

 

Gandalf's arrival is pretty much the same as Yvaine's in Stardust.

 

5 hours ago, rough cut said:

But what is up with people bombing - both love and hate - on the review sites these days? At this point it’s just the lovers and the haters going head to head with no room for honest reviews.

 

Yes, looking at the overall IMDb rating, it seems very controversial, but when I clicked on the reviews, I got about half of brief 10/10 and half of reserved but mostly positive comments.

 

7 minutes ago, crocodile said:

I am somewhat amused by the "is but isn't" Jackson's Middle-earth approach. They clearly want to milk that but cannot do that too closely. Which might be, in a way, a good thing. This corporate calibrating is hilarious though. 

 

I'm not quite sure what you mean by that, because they clearly replicate pretty much all that they can/should from the PJ films (down to the colour grading). What's different to me just seemed to be what the source material/a couple of thousand years difference necessiates.

 

Well, except for the Elves' hairstyles, perhaps (which I didn't even notice, to be honest). You could argue that fashion has changed a bit over a few millennia, but you could also argue that this is unlikely for the Elves of all peoples. In any case, they seem to have gotten the hair colours right, so that's something.

 

But I *still* don't know where the idea of pointy ears came from in the first place.

[crocodile 8,520]

5 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

I'm not quite sure what you mean by that, because they clearly replicate pretty much all that they can/should from the PJ films (down to the colour grading). What's different to me just seemed to be what the source material/a couple of thousand years difference necessiates.

Oh sure, you can absolutely justify that. And I'm fine with it. What I'm referring to is mostly the legal minefield of "we want to cash in on this look but were told by our lawyers and Tolkien estate not to reference it". It must have been a tricky balance to strike. I find it amusing.

 

Karol

[Marian Schedenig 9,042]

5 minutes ago, crocodile said:

Oh sure, you can absolutely justify that. And I'm fine with it. What I'm referring to is mostly the legal minefield of "we want to cash in on this look but were told by our lawyers and Tolkien estate not to reference it". It must have been a tricky balance to strike. I find it amusing.

 

I understand what you mean, but I don't think I've seen it in the show. Can you give an example? What I did notice is the legal minefield of "we're telling a story that's very much connected to important events in the First Age, but we don't have the rights to that, so we can only allued to them or show them for a few split seconds".

[crocodile 8,520]

23 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

I understand what you mean, but I don't think I've seen it in the show. Can you give an example? What I did notice is the legal minefield of "we're telling a story that's very much connected to important events in the First Age, but we don't have the rights to that, so we can only allued to them or show them for a few split seconds".

It wasn't my intention to take it all apart. Just a general impression I get from watching. It doesn't detract from anything though.

 

Karol

[Marian Schedenig 9,042]

I'm not trying to argue, just trying to figure out if it's something I missed or if it's something that really depends more on the source material than you're aware. Not that it's important, really. And I guess after a few more episodes, it'll be easier to tell.

[blondheim 1,160]

Yeah I have to say the show is way more enjoyable and decent than I expected from the advance marketing. I have at least a shred of hope that it will be fun to watch for the next five years, despite the occasional eye-rolling that I’m sure will continue

[Stark 556]

I like it so far - there have been no egregious sins against the world or characters, the “vibes” are well done, the music is sublime, everyone involved clearly does know their Tolkien and is trying to do a good job. It’s not perfect but I have no serious complaints and, for a new Tolkien adaption, that is most impressive.

[A24 4,565]

Saw the first 30 minutes of the first episode, and while it certainly looks the part, it reminded me why I don't like Fantasy (save for GOT).

[Marian Schedenig 9,042]

 

[Oswin Pond 59]

4 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

Yes, looking at the overall IMDb rating, it seems very controversial, but when I clicked on the reviews, I got about half of brief 10/10 and half of reserved but mostly positive comments.

 

It's mostly positive because Amazon, who owns IMDB, have been removing literally every single reviews that are below 6 stars. Which is frankly astonishing. 

I expected the show to be awful, I ended up enjoying it quite a lot, but this practice is really disgusting in my opinion.