Lord of the Rings Universe Thread

[BryceC]

I am liking this show so far. Clearly they are world building now and I am enjoying the slow burn. Not sure why they changed Galadriel’s character from a sorcery/magic based one to just another sword swinging hero who I know they will explore her getting all those powers eventually but isn’t magically powerful and intelligent enough for a protagonist? They have to make her Legolas too? God forbid we give female hero’s any flaws at all besides being stubborn.

She doesn't yet have her ring, which I think is the primary source of a lot of her magical abilities.

 

[JCity]

So, I finally finished the second episode and I find myself at a somewhat similar place as I was after the first one. Do I dislike the series so far? No. However, am I really digging the series so far? No, not yet at least. The second episode was at least a slight uptick from the first, but the pacing overall still remains very slow. I can't even say the writing is bad, as most everything is still so up in the air right now. I guess I'd argue the biggest thing I was wanting more of so far is compelling characters and the actors playing them. If the story is going to start slow, you really need to hook the audience with some compelling characters, which I just haven't been, at least not yet. The biggest casting I struggle with is the Elrond actor. It doesn't help that he just doesn't look like an elf to me. He is too short with too wide of a face. I also tend to zone out anytime the Harefoots enter the scene. They have nowhere close to the charisma of Frodo, Bilbao, or the gang. My highlights so far has been the new elf in the Southland storyline with his girl and everything with the dwarves. Oh, and the visuals alone are 100% on point and on par with the movies. Those alone are keeping me coming back right now.

I just feel like it's boring, it looks wonderful, but nothing is making me want to continue to watch other than its connection to the LOR universe. Compared to House of the Dragon which doesn't look as good but the characters are already showing strong development and are interesting. I'm not finding in character in Rings of Power interesting to this point.

 

[JCity]

She doesn't yet have her ring, which I think is the primary source of a lot of her magical abilities.

It's implied she had powers before but it's a bit of a mystery where those came from.

 

[Mr Janny]

I just feel like it's boring, it looks wonderful, but nothing is making me want to continue to watch other than its connection to the LOR universe. Compared to House of the Dragon which doesn't look as good but the characters are already showing strong development and are interesting. I'm not finding in character in Rings of Power interesting to this point.

It's fine, in my opinion. Entertaining, but not the best thing I've ever seen. It's honestly not fair to compare it to HOD, but it was pretty stupid for them to release it at the same time. They're inviting the comparisons.

 

[JCity]

It's fine, in my opinion. Entertaining, but not the best thing I've ever seen. It's honestly not fair to compare it to HOD, but it was pretty stupid for them to release it at the same time. They're inviting the comparisons.

It's fantasy, that's what us readers of fantasy do compare everything

 

[BryceC]

It's implied she had powers before but it's a bit of a mystery where those came from.

True. But like Elrond back in the day, he was in armor just like everybody else at the end of the second age. I also don't think magic in LoTR is really powerful the way we think of it in other fantasy. Gandalf had a sword and he used that thing.

 

[Mr Janny]

It's fantasy, that's what us readers of fantasy do compare everything

Sorry, don't get me wrong, I'm not faulting you for comparing them. That's only natural. And it was always going to be compared with the GOT universe, even though they're two different kinds of fantasy, in my opinion.

It just seems to me that releasing it in such close proximity to HOD was a mistake.

 

[tman24]

i think casting was more worried about having the young actors kind of look the the actors from LOTR, not if they look like elves or not.

 

[houjix]

I am liking this show so far. Clearly they are world building now and I am enjoying the slow burn. Not sure why they changed Galadriel’s character from a sorcery/magic based one to just another sword swinging hero who I know they will explore her getting all those powers eventually but isn’t magically powerful and intelligent enough for a protagonist? They have to make her Legolas too? God forbid we give female hero’s any flaws at all besides being stubborn.

She led some rebellion when she was younger. Her trying to chase down Sauron may be poetic license, but she was supposedly a warrior at one point.

 

[houjix]

Her whole storyline on the water right now seems pretty stupid overall, needless and flawed right now. I'm hoping we don't get past that whole part and think it was all a waste of time. We know a little right now as to where it seems like the point of it all is going, but if what we know right now is all there is, it seems like a long unneeded boring way to connect two dots.

Her part in the rebellion basically got he exiled from Valinor. Since they probably aren't going to go into that, refusing to go back on her one chance to return will probably serve in its stead.

The meeting the dude in the sea is probably going to be a way to introduce Numenor, as it was an island kingdom somewhere west of Middle Earth.

 

[Triggermv]

i think casting was more worried about having the young actors kind of look the the actors from LOTR, not if they look like elves or not.

If that is the case, I think they failed at both

 

[BryceC]

i think casting was more worried about having the young actors kind of look the the actors from LOTR, not if they look like elves or not.

If that was the goal they failed miserably. That guy who is supposedly Young Elrond looks nothing like Weaving and young G looks nothing like Blanchett.

 

[houjix]

I was just reading that Amazon does not have rights to The Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales, so all of this series is based on the appendices from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books. So they basically are going to create things whole cloth to fill in the gaps that might have otherwise been explained in the books they do not have rights to adapt.

 

[brett108]

I just feel like it's boring, it looks wonderful, but nothing is making me want to continue to watch other than its connection to the LOR universe. Compared to House of the Dragon which doesn't look as good but the characters are already showing strong development and are interesting. I'm not finding in character in Rings of Power interesting to this point.

I think I would be more accepting of its flaws if every review site hadn’t been”OMG this is the best show evahhh!”. It’s just not. It feels beautiful but oddly soulless, which is Hollywood in a nutshell.

 

[Rods79]

Sorry, don't get me wrong, I'm not faulting you for comparing them. That's only natural. And it was always going to be compared with the GOT universe, even though they're two different kinds of fantasy, in my opinion.

It just seems to me that releasing it in such close proximity to HOD was a mistake.

Guess it depends on what fantasy book series you’re more emotionally invested in. For me, it’s Tolkien. I find HOD just “fine”…so I have more interest in keeping up with this show. Still watching both though, so it’s not like one is really taking away from another. There’s room for both.

 

[JCity]

I think I would be more accepting of its flaws if every review site hadn’t been”OMG this is the best show evahhh!”. It’s just not. It feels beautiful but oddly soulless, which is Hollywood in a nutshell.

It's what I expected from Amazon which is just throw so much money at it that it will look good if nothing else.

 

[Bret44]

I am enjoying Rings of Power so far (don't love it, but enjoy it), and I am finally getting in to the Silmarillion because of it. I tried to read that book when I was 17 and just couldn't get in to it. Getting older is funny. Given that they just have the rights to the Hobbit, tLoR, and the appendices, there is quiet a bit they will have to leave out, which is a disappointment.

 

[houjix]

I am enjoying Rings of Power so far (don't love it, but enjoy it), and I am finally getting in to the Silmarillion because of it. I tried to read that book when I was 17 and just couldn't get in to it. Getting older is funny. Given that they just have the rights to the Hobbit, tLoR, and the appendices, there is quiet a bit they will have to leave out, which is a disappointment.

I made the mistake of choosing that book for a book report in 9th grade. The teacher hadn't given us the format yet, but wanted us to get started on reading our books. She eventually gave it to us and it was create a resume for the main character. As far as I was concerned, Morgoth was the main character. It was a hoot listing special skills for him.

 

[BryceC]

I was just reading that Amazon does not have rights to The Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales, so all of this series is based on the appendices from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books. So they basically are going to create things whole cloth to fill in the gaps that might have otherwise been explained in the books they do not have rights to adapt.

I mean this sincerely I am extremely happy about this. Make up your own stories. I'm getting pretty tired of adaptation actually. I know I'm in the minority on this, especially with Marvel, but when they bring back the X-Men I think they should just make a bunch of new mutants. The X-Mansion is always getting blown up anyway, just blow up Cyclops and Professor X and give me a whole bunch of new ones. I'm actually kind of disappointed Galadriel and Elrond are in this.

 

[Bret44]

I particularly enjoyed the Khazad-dum sequence in Episode 2. I like the Dwarves, and they did much better with them than they did in all of the Hobbit Trilogy.