***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.