***Official*** Amazon Rings of Power Thread (1 Viewer)

[Psychopav]

I was taken a back at just how high the vitriol was on season 1

I was around the internet when the ramp-up to Jackson's films was happening and belonged to several forums of Tolkien fans. It was nuts - people were losing their minds over eye color or how large a dagger was supposed to be. I remember a moderator on one forum railing against every casting choice, leaked story choice, and pretty much everything else. He went and saw FOTR when it came out (why?) and wrote a review on the site. I'll never forget that he said he cried watching it because of how badly Jackson screwed up.

It's a million times worse now. When I saw they had cast Lenny Henry (the most accomplished actor in the whole damned cast), I thought "here we go...."

As an adaptation of Tolkien, I'd give the LOTR films a B+. I didn't like some of Jackson's changes (he butchered Denethor and was almost as bad with Gimli) and I thought he misread a few of Tolkien's themes, but I thought he did a better job than we had any right to expect. As films, they are monumental achievements.

I thought the Hobbit films were a mess and got progressively worse.

The Rings Of Power, I'm all in on. It's the least faithful adaptation we've had in terms of "facts", but I think they get the soul of the story (mostly) correct.

Agee with you on all points except I'd probably give Jackson an A-. Phenomenal achievement despite some of the thematic misses and poor "action" decisions.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I was taken a back at just how high the vitriol was on season 1

I was around the internet when the ramp-up to Jackson's films was happening and belonged to several forums of Tolkien fans. It was nuts - people were losing their minds over eye color or how large a dagger was supposed to be. I remember a moderator on one forum railing against every casting choice, leaked story choice, and pretty much everything else. He went and saw FOTR when it came out (why?) and wrote a review on the site. I'll never forget that he said he cried watching it because of how badly Jackson screwed up.

It's a million times worse now. When I saw they had cast Lenny Henry (the most accomplished actor in the whole damned cast), I thought "here we go...."

As an adaptation of Tolkien, I'd give the LOTR films a B+. I didn't like some of Jackson's changes (he butchered Denethor and was almost as bad with Gimli) and I thought he misread a few of Tolkien's themes, but I thought he did a better job than we had any right to expect. As films, they are monumental achievements.

I thought the Hobbit films were a mess and got progressively worse.

The Rings Of Power, I'm all in on. It's the least faithful adaptation we've had in terms of "facts", but I think they get the soul of the story (mostly) correct.

Agee with you on all points except I'd probably give Jackson an A-. Phenomenal achievement despite some of the thematic misses and poor "action" decisions.

My B+ was as an adaptation. As a "I know nothing of the source material" work of art, I'm giving him an A

 

[Psychopav]

I was taken a back at just how high the vitriol was on season 1

I was around the internet when the ramp-up to Jackson's films was happening and belonged to several forums of Tolkien fans. It was nuts - people were losing their minds over eye color or how large a dagger was supposed to be. I remember a moderator on one forum railing against every casting choice, leaked story choice, and pretty much everything else. He went and saw FOTR when it came out (why?) and wrote a review on the site. I'll never forget that he said he cried watching it because of how badly Jackson screwed up.

It's a million times worse now. When I saw they had cast Lenny Henry (the most accomplished actor in the whole damned cast), I thought "here we go...."

As an adaptation of Tolkien, I'd give the LOTR films a B+. I didn't like some of Jackson's changes (he butchered Denethor and was almost as bad with Gimli) and I thought he misread a few of Tolkien's themes, but I thought he did a better job than we had any right to expect. As films, they are monumental achievements.

I thought the Hobbit films were a mess and got progressively worse.

The Rings Of Power, I'm all in on. It's the least faithful adaptation we've had in terms of "facts", but I think they get the soul of the story (mostly) correct.

Agee with you on all points except I'd probably give Jackson an A-. Phenomenal achievement despite some of the thematic misses and poor "action" decisions.

My B+ was as an adaptation. As a "I know nothing of the source material" work of art, I'm giving him an A

Yeah me too. Omitting the scouring of the Shire was the biggest offense to the source themes imo. The second issue is having Aragorn "die" unnecessarily in TTT when he left out that key scene in ROTK really (really) irked me. The other changes were understandable, but I think get rid of the extraneous Aragorn dies scene, put Shelob's lair in TTT, have "Frodo Lives" buttons printed up and sold in the interim between TTT and ROTK. Add Scouring of the Shire to ROTK FTW imo.

Since you likely need time remove hobbits saving the day lighting the signal fires and the scene in Minas Tirith where everybody fawns over them, and the whole thing plays out better. Changes for change sake imo.

 

[the moops]

 

[beer 30]

I own every one of them and never thought about it that way lol.

Really? Never once? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sword_of_Shannara

Incidentally I didn't care, I was just so engrossed with the genre I read everything I could. I think the Shannara series led me to Kathryn Kurtz and her Deryni series which was phenomenal. It was like a combination of Tolkien and Brooks, historical ties but liberal enough use of magic to make it interesting.

 

[Instinctive]

I own every one of them and never thought about it that way lol.

Really? Never once? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sword_of_Shannara

Incidentally I didn't care, I was just so engrossed with the genre I read everything I could. I think the Shannara series led me to Kathryn Kurtz and her Deryni series which was phenomenal. It was like a combination of Tolkien and Brooks, historical ties but liberal enough use of magic to make it interesting.

I mean it was a book from 1977 that I read as like an 8-10 year old, before I read LOTR, and then I just never really noticed i guess because it was established in my mind?

 

[beer 30]

I own every one of them and never thought about it that way lol.

Really? Never once? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sword_of_Shannara

Incidentally I didn't care, I was just so engrossed with the genre I read everything I could. I think the Shannara series led me to Kathryn Kurtz and her Deryni series which was phenomenal. It was like a combination of Tolkien and Brooks, historical ties but liberal enough use of magic to make it interesting.

I mean it was a book from 1977 that I read as like an 8-10 year old, before I read LOTR, and then I just never really noticed i guess because it was established in my mind?

Ah see the details tell the story. If you read it before LOTR at the age of 10 I get it. That was your first impression, makes sense.

For me it was pretty easy to make that leap: book cover, the group.

 

[Instinctive]

I own every one of them and never thought about it that way lol.

Really? Never once? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sword_of_Shannara

Incidentally I didn't care, I was just so engrossed with the genre I read everything I could. I think the Shannara series led me to Kathryn Kurtz and her Deryni series which was phenomenal. It was like a combination of Tolkien and Brooks, historical ties but liberal enough use of magic to make it interesting.

I mean it was a book from 1977 that I read as like an 8-10 year old, before I read LOTR, and then I just never really noticed i guess because it was established in my mind?

Ah see the details tell the story. If you read it before LOTR at the age of 10 I get it. That was your first impression, makes sense.

For me it was pretty easy to make that leap: book cover, the group.

Yeah I read the link you did and refreshed the exact plot (I've read everything in the series a couple times, so one book vs another blends at this point) I can see it.

My brain also just doesn't really compare things unless I intentionally do it. I think it's one of my best qualities. Means I don't suffer from comparing myself to other people, I can enjoy similar TV shows when one was definitely better, etc.

Except basketball. Having been in it so much, I can no longer watch college without my brain pointing out all the mistakes so i just have to not watch. I wish I could love those flaws lol.

 

[Tick]

I was taken a back at just how high the vitriol was on season 1

I was around the internet when the ramp-up to Jackson's films was happening and belonged to several forums of Tolkien fans. It was nuts - people were losing their minds over eye color or how large a dagger was supposed to be. I remember a moderator on one forum railing against every casting choice, leaked story choice, and pretty much everything else. He went and saw FOTR when it came out (why?) and wrote a review on the site. I'll never forget that he said he cried watching it because of how badly Jackson screwed up.

It's a million times worse now. When I saw they had cast Lenny Henry (the most accomplished actor in the whole damned cast), I thought "here we go...."

As an adaptation of Tolkien, I'd give the LOTR films a B+. I didn't like some of Jackson's changes (he butchered Denethor and was almost as bad with Gimli) and I thought he misread a few of Tolkien's themes, but I thought he did a better job than we had any right to expect. As films, they are monumental achievements.

I thought the Hobbit films were a mess and got progressively worse.

The Rings Of Power, I'm all in on. It's the least faithful adaptation we've had in terms of "facts", but I think they get the soul of the story (mostly) correct.

Yeah Tolkien fans (and very closely behind Star Trek fans) are the grand daddies of toxic fandom before the terms “toxic fandom” were ever coined. I still remember when some of the very first early set photo’s leaked which were of Arwin riding with dummy prop of Frodo to escape from the Nazgul. People were up in arms that it wasn’t Glorfindel like in the book. When Fellowship came out that honestly was one of the best scenes in the first film IMO.

The music in that scene is stunning. My wife sings in a symphony chorus that performed the music of all three movies while they played on a screen above the orchestra and chorus... Howard Shore's music was incredible throughout. I knew it was great when I saw the movies, but really paying attention during the live performance made it sink in more. It's John Williams to Star Wars.

 

[massraider]

According to The Hollywood Reporter, viewership for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power may reflect the critiques, with only 37 percent of viewers finishing the series domestically. The series' completion rate overseas was 45 percent; however, that still indicates less than half of those who start watching The Rings of Power end up finishing it. This, coupled with the series' lack of awards recognition, does not bode well for the show's future.

 

[thecatch]

According to The Hollywood Reporter, viewership for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power may reflect the critiques, with only 37 percent of viewers finishing the series domestically. The series' completion rate overseas was 45 percent; however, that still indicates less than half of those who start watching The Rings of Power end up finishing it. This, coupled with the series' lack of awards recognition, does not bode well for the show's future.

what’s the completion rate for other similar shows, I wonder. I imagine they are lower than one would think.

 

[massraider]

what’s the completion rate for other similar shows, I wonder. I imagine they are lower than one would think.

You know, I really have no idea, but feels like fans of this genre probably complete shows more than average viewer. Pure guess on my part.

 

[Todem]

Two episodes in and I freaking love it.

 

[PIK95]

Peter Jackson ruined the Ents most of all. It was offensive to me. I did enjoy Fellowship alot.

 

[Buckna]

According to The Hollywood Reporter, viewership for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power may reflect the critiques, with only 37 percent of viewers finishing the series domestically. The series' completion rate overseas was 45 percent; however, that still indicates less than half of those who start watching The Rings of Power end up finishing it. This, coupled with the series' lack of awards recognition, does not bode well for the show's future.

what’s the completion rate for other similar shows, I wonder. I imagine they are lower than one would think.

The Reporter article was interesting and stated that 50% is considered solid but not spectacular per some "insider" they talked to. The article itself didn't spend much time on Rings of Power other than the very beginning, saying the show despite a promising start wasn't the breakout hit they were hoping for. It mostly focused on Amazon's struggles with trying to establish itself as a player in Hollywood. Everything from throwing too much money at various talent both in front of and behind the camera with little return, to a confusing corporate structure with no clear vision or direction.

Lots of other internet sites running with the 37% number they cited, almost as if there is a concerted effort to slam the show. One Forbes article in particular I wasted time reading that was terrible calling the show complete trash and a flop

 

[kupcho1]

I'm out.

I find that more and more I'm less interested in watching streaming services. I don't think it's me, I think the quality has gone rapidly downhill. I (unlike apparently 63% of the people who started watching it) actually finished the series.

Rings of Power was not good.

 

[PIK95]

According to The Hollywood Reporter, viewership for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power may reflect the critiques, with only 37 percent of viewers finishing the series domestically. The series' completion rate overseas was 45 percent; however, that still indicates less than half of those who start watching The Rings of Power end up finishing it. This, coupled with the series' lack of awards recognition, does not bode well for the show's future.

what’s the completion rate for other similar shows, I wonder. I imagine they are lower than one would think.

I made 1.5 episode's of Wheel of Time fwiw.

 

[Sleestak]

According to The Hollywood Reporter, viewership for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power may reflect the critiques, with only 37 percent of viewers finishing the series domestically. The series' completion rate overseas was 45 percent; however, that still indicates less than half of those who start watching The Rings of Power end up finishing it. This, coupled with the series' lack of awards recognition, does not bode well for the show's future.

what’s the completion rate for other similar shows, I wonder. I imagine they are lower than one would think.

I made 1.5 episode's of Wheel of Time fwiw.

Ditto.

 

[ChicoCat]

Just started this over the past week. Have one more to go. I'm surprised at how much it keeps my interest. The reviews and general anathama from the internet had me thinking it was going to be a slog fest. As it stands, the only thing I don't particularly care for is the "is this guy Sauron or is that guy Sauron" game of Three Card Monte they seem to be playing. It's tolerable...but COME ON..THAT'S GANDALF...not Sauron. Hopefully they jettison that type of ginned up melodrama for Season 2.

 

[PIK95]

When is season 2 anyway?

 

[ChicoCat]

Sometime

When is season 2 anyway?

2024. Amazon is going to have a decent slate this year; what with Rings of Power, The Boys and the new Fallout show coming out.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

Sometime

When is season 2 anyway?

2024. Amazon is going to have a decent slate this year; what with Rings of Power, The Boys and the new Fallout show coming out.

Just in time to start charging us extra on top of our prime membership.

 

[beer 30]

Just in time to start charging us extra on top of our prime membership.

Lets not forget ads as well

 

[kupcho1]

I'm amazed that there are people looking forward to this show's second season. I was really hoping to like it, but they botched it so badly I can't see how they ever recover.

 

[Chaz McNulty]

I'm amazed that there are people looking forward to this show's second season. I was really hoping to like it, but they botched it so badly I can't see how they ever recover.

I actually enjoyed it, but my expectations were not high.

 

[Jayrod]

I'm amazed that there are people looking forward to this show's second season. I was really hoping to like it, but they botched it so badly I can't see how they ever recover.

Say what now?

I thought it was phenomenal.

 

[stbugs]

I'm amazed that there are people looking forward to this show's second season. I was really hoping to like it, but they botched it so badly I can't see how they ever recover.

I actually enjoyed it, but my expectations were not high.

Me too. Most of the bad reviews I saw were more trolling. I thought it was solid and am looking forward to the second season.

 

[Battersbox]

I liked it, didn't love it.

I'm guessing I liked it more than I should have because I watched it after Wheel of Time, which was an abomination. Rings of Power was excellent in comparison.

 

[Buckna]

I'm amazed that there are people looking forward to this show's second season. I was really hoping to like it, but they botched it so badly I can't see how they ever recover.

I actually enjoyed it, but my expectations were not high.

Me too. Most of the bad reviews I saw were more trolling. I thought it was solid and am looking forward to the second season.

The hate is strong with the internet fanboys.

Joking aside, it wasn’t perfect and had some flaws but I really enjoyed it. Overall opinions seem to be that Amazon was able to greatly improve season 2 of Wheel of Time after boatloads of criticism too so hoping when Rings comes back it will be even better.

 

[kupcho1]

I'm amazed that there are people looking forward to this show's second season. I was really hoping to like it, but they botched it so badly I can't see how they ever recover.

Say what now?

I thought it was phenomenal.

An average Rotten Tomatoes' audience score of 38% would put you solidly in the minority.

Some of the misses IMHO:
1. The ham-handed handling of Sauron (from the contrivance of randomly meeting Galadriel in the middle of an ocean to abandoning the actual Tolkien story in the name of deception)
2. The Harfoots. All of them. All of the time. Per Tolkien, Hobbits didn't do anything prior to the Third age, but I guess someone wanted an origin story???
3. "Fidelity" to Tolkien Forbes: "Ostensibly, this is an adaptation of Tolkien’s Second Age. The story, by showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, is drawn from The Lord Of The Rings and its appendixes, though unfortunately Amazon never bought the rights to The Silmarillion ... Then again, perhaps it’s all for the best that The Silmarillion remains outside the grasp of these creative butchers. Payne and McKay sold their vision of a Lord of the Rings adaptation thanks to what has been described as a ‘fidelity’ to Tolkien, yet nothing could be further from the truth "
4. Diversity: How The Rings of Power got diversity wrong (and House of the Dragon got it right). tldr: TRoP used a formula, HotD used logic

My opinion lines up with Forbes' review:

Amazon’s “adaptation” is badly made TV with a nonsensical story built on wild coincidences, contrived plotlines and a blatant disregard for the various building blocks that make any story complete: Logical character choices, a sense of time and place, and narrative tension—not to mention an overly large cast of mostly forgettable and uncharismatic characters, some wholly made up for the show and others changed entirely as to be almost unrecognizable.

In every way that truly matters, The Rings Of Power fails from the writing to the acting to the presentation. It fails as an adaptation, neither enriching Tolkien’s work nor remaining true to it. It fails as a good fantasy, giving us generic tropes and melodrama rather than blazing new ground. And it fails as a compelling story, filled with cheap mystery boxes and unsurprising ‘twists.’

 

[El Floppo]

I'm amazed that there are people looking forward to this show's second season. I was really hoping to like it, but they botched it so badly I can't see how they ever recover.

Say what now?

I thought it was phenomenal.

An average Rotten Tomatoes' audience score of 38% would put you solidly in the minority.

Some of the misses IMHO:
1. The ham-handed handling of Sauron (from the contrivance of randomly meeting Galadriel in the middle of an ocean to abandoning the actual Tolkien story in the name of deception)
2. The Harfoots. All of them. All of the time. Per Tolkien, Hobbits didn't do anything prior to the Third age, but I guess someone wanted an origin story???
3. "Fidelity" to Tolkien Forbes: "Ostensibly, this is an adaptation of Tolkien’s Second Age. The story, by showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, is drawn from The Lord Of The Rings and its appendixes, though unfortunately Amazon never bought the rights to The Silmarillion ... Then again, perhaps it’s all for the best that The Silmarillion remains outside the grasp of these creative butchers. Payne and McKay sold their vision of a Lord of the Rings adaptation thanks to what has been described as a ‘fidelity’ to Tolkien, yet nothing could be further from the truth "
4. Diversity: How The Rings of Power got diversity wrong (and House of the Dragon got it right). tldr: TRoP used a formula, HotD used logic

My opinion lines up with Forbes' review:

Amazon’s “adaptation” is badly made TV with a nonsensical story built on wild coincidences, contrived plotlines and a blatant disregard for the various building blocks that make any story complete: Logical character choices, a sense of time and place, and narrative tension—not to mention an overly large cast of mostly forgettable and uncharismatic characters, some wholly made up for the show and others changed entirely as to be almost unrecognizable.

In every way that truly matters, The Rings Of Power fails from the writing to the acting to the presentation. It fails as an adaptation, neither enriching Tolkien’s work nor remaining true to it. It fails as a good fantasy, giving us generic tropes and melodrama rather than blazing new ground. And it fails as a compelling story, filled with cheap mystery boxes and unsurprising ‘twists.’

 

[Gr00vus]

Yeah, the first season of this was pretty bad.

 

[NewlyRetired]

My whole family enjoyed season 1 and are really looking forward to season 2.

 

[Jayrod]

I'm amazed that there are people looking forward to this show's second season. I was really hoping to like it, but they botched it so badly I can't see how they ever recover.

Say what now?

I thought it was phenomenal.

An average Rotten Tomatoes' audience score of 38% would put you solidly in the minority.

Some of the misses IMHO:
1. The ham-handed handling of Sauron (from the contrivance of randomly meeting Galadriel in the middle of an ocean to abandoning the actual Tolkien story in the name of deception)
2. The Harfoots. All of them. All of the time. Per Tolkien, Hobbits didn't do anything prior to the Third age, but I guess someone wanted an origin story???
3. "Fidelity" to Tolkien Forbes: "Ostensibly, this is an adaptation of Tolkien’s Second Age. The story, by showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, is drawn from The Lord Of The Rings and its appendixes, though unfortunately Amazon never bought the rights to The Silmarillion ... Then again, perhaps it’s all for the best that The Silmarillion remains outside the grasp of these creative butchers. Payne and McKay sold their vision of a Lord of the Rings adaptation thanks to what has been described as a ‘fidelity’ to Tolkien, yet nothing could be further from the truth "
4. Diversity: How The Rings of Power got diversity wrong (and House of the Dragon got it right). tldr: TRoP used a formula, HotD used logic

My opinion lines up with Forbes' review:

Amazon’s “adaptation” is badly made TV with a nonsensical story built on wild coincidences, contrived plotlines and a blatant disregard for the various building blocks that make any story complete: Logical character choices, a sense of time and place, and narrative tension—not to mention an overly large cast of mostly forgettable and uncharismatic characters, some wholly made up for the show and others changed entirely as to be almost unrecognizable.

In every way that truly matters, The Rings Of Power fails from the writing to the acting to the presentation. It fails as an adaptation, neither enriching Tolkien’s work nor remaining true to it. It fails as a good fantasy, giving us generic tropes and melodrama rather than blazing new ground. And it fails as a compelling story, filled with cheap mystery boxes and unsurprising ‘twists.’

I'm not unfamiliar with the LOTR to the point that I've read the books on three separate occasions and watched the complete Peter Jackson trilogy around 5 times now.

But I never dove into any of the other writings, back history, etc. so I'd say I'm more knowledgeable on LOTR than the average person, but not exactly a superfan.

That said, what I enjoyed about the show (and its been a while since I watched it) was the development of Galadriel, Sauron and Elrond and the mystery of not knowing who was who or what was going to happen. The world was visually well done and the characters were similar to what the books and movies felt and looked like. In other words, it was the same Middle Earth I'd grown to love but a different story that I wasn't familiar with which was exciting.

I'm not saying it is a home run, but it is hardly unwatchable drivel either. It is a good fun story and a further exploration of the world I really enjoyed.

 

[Doug B]

Some of the misses IMHO:
1. The ham-handed handling of Sauron (from the contrivance of randomly meeting Galadriel in the middle of an ocean to abandoning the actual Tolkien story in the name of deception)
2. The Harfoots. All of them. All of the time. Per Tolkien, Hobbits didn't do anything prior to the Third age, but I guess someone wanted an origin story???
3. "Fidelity" to Tolkien Forbes: "Ostensibly, this is an adaptation of Tolkien’s Second Age. The story, by showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, is drawn from The Lord Of The Rings and its appendixes, though unfortunately Amazon never bought the rights to The Silmarillion ... Then again, perhaps it’s all for the best that The Silmarillion remains outside the grasp of these creative butchers. Payne and McKay sold their vision of a Lord of the Rings adaptation thanks to what has been described as a ‘fidelity’ to Tolkien, yet nothing could be further from the truth "

Viewers without deep familiarity with Tolkein's works probably had an advantage in approaching Rings of Power.

 

[Instinctive]

I'm amazed that there are people looking forward to this show's second season. I was really hoping to like it, but they botched it so badly I can't see how they ever recover.

Say what now?

I thought it was phenomenal.

An average Rotten Tomatoes' audience score of 38% would put you solidly in the minority.

Some of the misses IMHO:
1. The ham-handed handling of Sauron (from the contrivance of randomly meeting Galadriel in the middle of an ocean to abandoning the actual Tolkien story in the name of deception)
2. The Harfoots. All of them. All of the time. Per Tolkien, Hobbits didn't do anything prior to the Third age, but I guess someone wanted an origin story???
3. "Fidelity" to Tolkien Forbes: "Ostensibly, this is an adaptation of Tolkien’s Second Age. The story, by showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, is drawn from The Lord Of The Rings and its appendixes, though unfortunately Amazon never bought the rights to The Silmarillion ... Then again, perhaps it’s all for the best that The Silmarillion remains outside the grasp of these creative butchers. Payne and McKay sold their vision of a Lord of the Rings adaptation thanks to what has been described as a ‘fidelity’ to Tolkien, yet nothing could be further from the truth "
4. Diversity: How The Rings of Power got diversity wrong (and House of the Dragon got it right). tldr: TRoP used a formula, HotD used logic

My opinion lines up with Forbes' review:

Amazon’s “adaptation” is badly made TV with a nonsensical story built on wild coincidences, contrived plotlines and a blatant disregard for the various building blocks that make any story complete: Logical character choices, a sense of time and place, and narrative tension—not to mention an overly large cast of mostly forgettable and uncharismatic characters, some wholly made up for the show and others changed entirely as to be almost unrecognizable.

In every way that truly matters, The Rings Of Power fails from the writing to the acting to the presentation. It fails as an adaptation, neither enriching Tolkien’s work nor remaining true to it. It fails as a good fantasy, giving us generic tropes and melodrama rather than blazing new ground. And it fails as a compelling story, filled with cheap mystery boxes and unsurprising ‘twists.’

I'm not unfamiliar with the LOTR to the point that I've read the books on three separate occasions and watched the complete Peter Jackson trilogy around 5 times now.

But I never dove into any of the other writings, back history, etc. so I'd say I'm more knowledgeable on LOTR than the average person, but not exactly a superfan.

That said, what I enjoyed about the show (and its been a while since I watched it) was the development of Galadriel, Sauron and Elrond and the mystery of not knowing who was who or what was going to happen. The world was visually well done and the characters were similar to what the books and movies felt and looked like. In other words, it was the same Middle Earth I'd grown to love but a different story that I wasn't familiar with which was exciting.

I'm not saying it is a home run, but it is hardly unwatchable drivel either. It is a good fun story and a further exploration of the world I really enjoyed.

Yeah biggest difference for me on this vs, say, Wheel of Time, is I didn't read all the extra stuff outside LOTR, so the "diverges from books" which usually bothers the bejeezus out of me, didn't crop up. it felt like a made up pre-LOTR show, which to me, it was. And it was a good one, though I wouldn't say amazing.

 

[El Floppo]

I'm not unfamiliar with the LOTR to the point that I've read the books on three separate occasions and watched the complete Peter Jackson trilogy around 5 times now.

But I never dove into any of the other writings, back history, etc. so I'd say I'm more knowledgeable on LOTR than the average person, but not exactly a superfan.

That said, what I enjoyed about the show (and its been a while since I watched it) was the development of Galadriel, Sauron and Elrond and the mystery of not knowing who was who or what was going to happen. The world was visually well done and the characters were similar to what the books and movies felt and looked like. In other words, it was the same Middle Earth I'd grown to love but a different story that I wasn't familiar with which was exciting.

I'm not saying it is a home run, but it is hardly unwatchable drivel either. It is a good fun story and a further exploration of the world I really enjoyed.

This is exactly me. And I think I even read the Silmarilian at some point.

Whatever non LOTR book contextual misinformation there might be, it works as a story and as tv. And I agree- it's not top tier or anything, but it's still totally enjoyable for a fan (apparently not Uber fan) of the world and fantasy in general... Which is me.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

I'm not saying it is a home run, but it is hardly unwatchable drivel either. It is a good fun story and a further exploration of the world I really enjoyed.

This is roughly where I am, but I think part of the problem is just that given what they had to work with, it probably should have been more.

It wasn't BAD per say, but my wife is a fantasy geek so we watch pretty much every fantasy series that comes available on streaming services (and there are a lot) and I would say this was pretty firmly in the middle, relatively average amongst them. Given what they had to work with, and the budget they had to work with, and the time they had to work with, it seems like kind of a waste to churn out just another average fantasy show of which there are 20 equivalents. This was supposed to be Prime's killer app and it's far from that.

It's kind of the same way I feel about the Obi-wan series. It was fine and decently entertaining, but if you told me we were going to be getting a show with post-RoS Obi-Wan and young Vader and them crossing each other's paths and meeting face to face again, I was hoping for more than "fine and decently entertaining".

Rings of power's lore with LoTR or Game of Thrones quality storytelling, characters, and production is what I was hoping for given the budget and time they threw at this. Same thing for Obi-Wan. Give me that setting with Andor quality writing/acting and it would have been incredible.

 

[ChicoCat]

I'm amazed that there are people looking forward to this show's second season. I was really hoping to like it, but they botched it so badly I can't see how they ever recover.

Say what now?

I thought it was phenomenal.

An average Rotten Tomatoes' audience score of 38% would put you solidly in the minority.

Some of the misses IMHO:
1. The ham-handed handling of Sauron (from the contrivance of randomly meeting Galadriel in the middle of an ocean to abandoning the actual Tolkien story in the name of deception)
2. The Harfoots. All of them. All of the time. Per Tolkien, Hobbits didn't do anything prior to the Third age, but I guess someone wanted an origin story???
3. "Fidelity" to Tolkien Forbes: "Ostensibly, this is an adaptation of Tolkien’s Second Age. The story, by showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, is drawn from The Lord Of The Rings and its appendixes, though unfortunately Amazon never bought the rights to The Silmarillion ... Then again, perhaps it’s all for the best that The Silmarillion remains outside the grasp of these creative butchers. Payne and McKay sold their vision of a Lord of the Rings adaptation thanks to what has been described as a ‘fidelity’ to Tolkien, yet nothing could be further from the truth "
4. Diversity: How The Rings of Power got diversity wrong (and House of the Dragon got it right). tldr: TRoP used a formula, HotD used logic

My opinion lines up with Forbes' review:

Amazon’s “adaptation” is badly made TV with a nonsensical story built on wild coincidences, contrived plotlines and a blatant disregard for the various building blocks that make any story complete: Logical character choices, a sense of time and place, and narrative tension—not to mention an overly large cast of mostly forgettable and uncharismatic characters, some wholly made up for the show and others changed entirely as to be almost unrecognizable.

In every way that truly matters, The Rings Of Power fails from the writing to the acting to the presentation. It fails as an adaptation, neither enriching Tolkien’s work nor remaining true to it. It fails as a good fantasy, giving us generic tropes and melodrama rather than blazing new ground. And it fails as a compelling story, filled with cheap mystery boxes and unsurprising ‘twists.’

Jackson's LOTR is almost universally beloved despite not holding true to key points of Tolkien's stories(mankind's ability to stand on its own/the Hobbits ability to stand on their own) and key characters (Glorfindel, Tom Bombadil). Kind of funny that not holding true to the various books is a key argument for those who disdain Rings of Power.

 

[thecatch]

I'm amazed that there are people looking forward to this show's second season. I was really hoping to like it, but they botched it so badly I can't see how they ever recover.

Say what now?

I thought it was phenomenal.

An average Rotten Tomatoes' audience score of 38% would put you solidly in the minority.

Some of the misses IMHO:
1. The ham-handed handling of Sauron (from the contrivance of randomly meeting Galadriel in the middle of an ocean to abandoning the actual Tolkien story in the name of deception)
2. The Harfoots. All of them. All of the time. Per Tolkien, Hobbits didn't do anything prior to the Third age, but I guess someone wanted an origin story???
3. "Fidelity" to Tolkien Forbes: "Ostensibly, this is an adaptation of Tolkien’s Second Age. The story, by showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, is drawn from The Lord Of The Rings and its appendixes, though unfortunately Amazon never bought the rights to The Silmarillion ... Then again, perhaps it’s all for the best that The Silmarillion remains outside the grasp of these creative butchers. Payne and McKay sold their vision of a Lord of the Rings adaptation thanks to what has been described as a ‘fidelity’ to Tolkien, yet nothing could be further from the truth "
4. Diversity: How The Rings of Power got diversity wrong (and House of the Dragon got it right). tldr: TRoP used a formula, HotD used logic

My opinion lines up with Forbes' review:

Amazon’s “adaptation” is badly made TV with a nonsensical story built on wild coincidences, contrived plotlines and a blatant disregard for the various building blocks that make any story complete: Logical character choices, a sense of time and place, and narrative tension—not to mention an overly large cast of mostly forgettable and uncharismatic characters, some wholly made up for the show and others changed entirely as to be almost unrecognizable.

In every way that truly matters, The Rings Of Power fails from the writing to the acting to the presentation. It fails as an adaptation, neither enriching Tolkien’s work nor remaining true to it. It fails as a good fantasy, giving us generic tropes and melodrama rather than blazing new ground. And it fails as a compelling story, filled with cheap mystery boxes and unsurprising ‘twists.’

Jackson's LOTR is almost universally beloved despite not holding true to key points of Tolkien's stories(mankind's ability to stand on its own/the Hobbits ability to stand on their own) and key characters (Glorfindel, Tom Bombadil). Kind of funny that not holding true to the various books is a key argument for those who disdain Rings of Power.

I (unfortunately) wandered into LOTR reddit during season one and no, apparently Jackson's trilogy is not held in high regard by most of the uber nerds (quite the opposite). It's a segment of the fan base that just can't be satisfied, I don't think.

 

[Gr00vus]

I'm amazed that there are people looking forward to this show's second season. I was really hoping to like it, but they botched it so badly I can't see how they ever recover.

Say what now?

I thought it was phenomenal.

An average Rotten Tomatoes' audience score of 38% would put you solidly in the minority.

Some of the misses IMHO:
1. The ham-handed handling of Sauron (from the contrivance of randomly meeting Galadriel in the middle of an ocean to abandoning the actual Tolkien story in the name of deception)
2. The Harfoots. All of them. All of the time. Per Tolkien, Hobbits didn't do anything prior to the Third age, but I guess someone wanted an origin story???
3. "Fidelity" to Tolkien Forbes: "Ostensibly, this is an adaptation of Tolkien’s Second Age. The story, by showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, is drawn from The Lord Of The Rings and its appendixes, though unfortunately Amazon never bought the rights to The Silmarillion ... Then again, perhaps it’s all for the best that The Silmarillion remains outside the grasp of these creative butchers. Payne and McKay sold their vision of a Lord of the Rings adaptation thanks to what has been described as a ‘fidelity’ to Tolkien, yet nothing could be further from the truth "
4. Diversity: How The Rings of Power got diversity wrong (and House of the Dragon got it right). tldr: TRoP used a formula, HotD used logic

My opinion lines up with Forbes' review:

Amazon’s “adaptation” is badly made TV with a nonsensical story built on wild coincidences, contrived plotlines and a blatant disregard for the various building blocks that make any story complete: Logical character choices, a sense of time and place, and narrative tension—not to mention an overly large cast of mostly forgettable and uncharismatic characters, some wholly made up for the show and others changed entirely as to be almost unrecognizable.

In every way that truly matters, The Rings Of Power fails from the writing to the acting to the presentation. It fails as an adaptation, neither enriching Tolkien’s work nor remaining true to it. It fails as a good fantasy, giving us generic tropes and melodrama rather than blazing new ground. And it fails as a compelling story, filled with cheap mystery boxes and unsurprising ‘twists.’

Jackson's LOTR is almost universally beloved despite not holding true to key points of Tolkien's stories(mankind's ability to stand on its own/the Hobbits ability to stand on their own) and key characters (Glorfindel, Tom Bombadil). Kind of funny that not holding true to the various books is a key argument for those who disdain Rings of Power.

I (unfortunately) wandered into LOTR reddit during season one and no, apparently Jackson's trilogy is not held in high regard by most of the uber nerds (quite the opposite). It's a segment of the fan base that just can't be satisfied, I don't think.

I'm one of those. I don't like the Jackson movies either. I can understand why people do however (for the Lord of The Rings anyway, his rendition of the Hobbit is absolute trash).

This series, I can't say that of. The writing is pretty terrible in multiple ways - regardless of the adherence to the source material.

 

[NewlyRetired]

I'm amazed that there are people looking forward to this show's second season. I was really hoping to like it, but they botched it so badly I can't see how they ever recover.

Say what now?

I thought it was phenomenal.

An average Rotten Tomatoes' audience score of 38% would put you solidly in the minority.

Some of the misses IMHO:
1. The ham-handed handling of Sauron (from the contrivance of randomly meeting Galadriel in the middle of an ocean to abandoning the actual Tolkien story in the name of deception)
2. The Harfoots. All of them. All of the time. Per Tolkien, Hobbits didn't do anything prior to the Third age, but I guess someone wanted an origin story???
3. "Fidelity" to Tolkien Forbes: "Ostensibly, this is an adaptation of Tolkien’s Second Age. The story, by showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, is drawn from The Lord Of The Rings and its appendixes, though unfortunately Amazon never bought the rights to The Silmarillion ... Then again, perhaps it’s all for the best that The Silmarillion remains outside the grasp of these creative butchers. Payne and McKay sold their vision of a Lord of the Rings adaptation thanks to what has been described as a ‘fidelity’ to Tolkien, yet nothing could be further from the truth "
4. Diversity: How The Rings of Power got diversity wrong (and House of the Dragon got it right). tldr: TRoP used a formula, HotD used logic

My opinion lines up with Forbes' review:

Amazon’s “adaptation” is badly made TV with a nonsensical story built on wild coincidences, contrived plotlines and a blatant disregard for the various building blocks that make any story complete: Logical character choices, a sense of time and place, and narrative tension—not to mention an overly large cast of mostly forgettable and uncharismatic characters, some wholly made up for the show and others changed entirely as to be almost unrecognizable.

In every way that truly matters, The Rings Of Power fails from the writing to the acting to the presentation. It fails as an adaptation, neither enriching Tolkien’s work nor remaining true to it. It fails as a good fantasy, giving us generic tropes and melodrama rather than blazing new ground. And it fails as a compelling story, filled with cheap mystery boxes and unsurprising ‘twists.’

Jackson's LOTR is almost universally beloved despite not holding true to key points of Tolkien's stories(mankind's ability to stand on its own/the Hobbits ability to stand on their own) and key characters (Glorfindel, Tom Bombadil). Kind of funny that not holding true to the various books is a key argument for those who disdain Rings of Power.

I (unfortunately) wandered into LOTR reddit during season one and no, apparently Jackson's trilogy is not held in high regard by most of the uber nerds (quite the opposite). It's a segment of the fan base that just can't be satisfied, I don't think.

I made the same mistake. The level of vitriol out there is amazing.

And yes, I can confirm there are plenty of haters out there for the things Jackson changed/added/left out.

 

[Todem]

Read LOTR multiple times as well as The Hobbit.

I enjoyed Jacksons take on both. I have watched the extended versions multiple times and own all of them on 4K Hi Def.

I was very late to watching The Rings of Power.

Enjoyed it.

Looking forward to season 2

 

[Poke_4_Life]

Since this was bumped I had hoped there was a S2 release date. Alas, everything I just found on the Google still says 2024 TBA.

 

[beer 30]

Jackson's LOTR is almost universally beloved despite not holding true to key points of Tolkien's stories(mankind's ability to stand on its own/the Hobbits ability to stand on their own) and key characters (Glorfindel, Tom Bombadil). Kind of funny that not holding true to the various books is a key argument for those who disdain Rings of Power.

Glorfindel I'll grant you but I don't have an issue with Bombadil being left out. It was a confusing part of the book to begin that was promising but went nowhere. Even Tolkien didn't have a good explanation for Bombadil so adding him into an already complex story with zero pay off would have just created unneeded confusion. The sacking of the Shire is what irked me the most but if you are looking, there are plenty of things to complain about.

 

[Instinctive]

Jackson's LOTR is almost universally beloved despite not holding true to key points of Tolkien's stories(mankind's ability to stand on its own/the Hobbits ability to stand on their own) and key characters (Glorfindel, Tom Bombadil). Kind of funny that not holding true to the various books is a key argument for those who disdain Rings of Power.

Glorfindel I'll grant you but I don't have an issue with Bombadil being left out. It was a confusing part of the book to begin that was promising but went nowhere. Even Tolkien didn't have a good explanation for Bombadil so adding him into an already complex story with zero pay off would have just created unneeded confusion. The sacking of the Shire is what irked me the most but if you are looking, there are plenty of things to complain about.

I don't even remember Bombadil. I do remember really missing (as in wishing it was portrayed) the whole Saruman industrializes the Shire we gotta save it piece.

 

[the moops]

I'm amazed that there are people looking forward to this show's second season. I was really hoping to like it, but they botched it so badly I can't see how they ever recover.

Say what now?

I thought it was phenomenal.

An average Rotten Tomatoes' audience score of 38% would put you solidly in the minority.

Some of the misses IMHO:
1. The ham-handed handling of Sauron (from the contrivance of randomly meeting Galadriel in the middle of an ocean to abandoning the actual Tolkien story in the name of deception)
2. The Harfoots. All of them. All of the time. Per Tolkien, Hobbits didn't do anything prior to the Third age, but I guess someone wanted an origin story???
3. "Fidelity" to Tolkien Forbes: "Ostensibly, this is an adaptation of Tolkien’s Second Age. The story, by showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, is drawn from The Lord Of The Rings and its appendixes, though unfortunately Amazon never bought the rights to The Silmarillion ... Then again, perhaps it’s all for the best that The Silmarillion remains outside the grasp of these creative butchers. Payne and McKay sold their vision of a Lord of the Rings adaptation thanks to what has been described as a ‘fidelity’ to Tolkien, yet nothing could be further from the truth "
4. Diversity: How The Rings of Power got diversity wrong (and House of the Dragon got it right). tldr: TRoP used a formula, HotD used logic

My opinion lines up with Forbes' review:

Amazon’s “adaptation” is badly made TV with a nonsensical story built on wild coincidences, contrived plotlines and a blatant disregard for the various building blocks that make any story complete: Logical character choices, a sense of time and place, and narrative tension—not to mention an overly large cast of mostly forgettable and uncharismatic characters, some wholly made up for the show and others changed entirely as to be almost unrecognizable.

In every way that truly matters, The Rings Of Power fails from the writing to the acting to the presentation. It fails as an adaptation, neither enriching Tolkien’s work nor remaining true to it. It fails as a good fantasy, giving us generic tropes and melodrama rather than blazing new ground. And it fails as a compelling story, filled with cheap mystery boxes and unsurprising ‘twists.’

Take it the book only thread buddy. This show was incredible

 

[kupcho1]

Take it the book only thread buddy. This show was incredible

“I really don't have the time to discuss the errors of your value judgements.”

 

[NewlyRetired]

Lots and I mean LOTS of massive rumors floating around now, and the rumors seem to have some legs.

If you want to go into Season 2 fresh, do not look for these online as they are loaded with spoilers. I stopped reading myself so I don't know how far the rumors go.

The biggest, and easily the most juicy, rumor is that Amazon has quietly acquired the full rights to the Silmarilion and did this specifically for season 2.

In general from what I can tell, the rumors have upset the die hards who already hated Rings of Power to begin with. Should be a nice bumpy ride again

Supposedly season 3 is already half written.

If you don't care about spoilers and want to jump on the hate train, OneRing has all the details.

 

[beer 30]

Lots and I mean LOTS of massive rumors floating around now, and the rumors seem to have some legs.

If you want to go into Season 2 fresh, do not look for these online as they are loaded with spoilers. I stopped reading myself so I don't know how far the rumors go.

The biggest, and easily the most juicy, rumor is that Amazon has quietly acquired the full rights to the Silmarilion and did this specifically for season 2.

In general from what I can tell, the rumors have upset the die hards who already hated Rings of Power to begin with. Should be a nice bumpy ride again

Supposedly season 3 is already half written.

If you don't care about spoilers and want to jump on the hate train, OneRing has all the details.

This would actually make a world of difference to this series if true. I'd be inclined to do a season of flashbacks to explain it all. Would be so cool if true.