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LotR: Rings of Power

Started by sheridan, 02 September, 2022, 10:25:02 PM

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sheridan

So, that thing that's been on the side of buses has been released - two episodes in one go.  Think the first one's called [spoiler]Are we there yeti?[/spoiler] or something like that.

Jim_Campbell

Paused the first episode halfway through for a smoke and G&T. Very pretty, but not exactly compelling viewing. Will give it another episode or two, but "expensive wallpaper" isn't going to get it any space in my limited viewing time.

A shame. I wanted to like it.
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Definitely Not Mister Pops

The first episode is mostly elves and I've never been a fan of the Tolkien elves*, and here they don't have hobbitses to ground them or a Gandalf type to low-key undermine their pomposity.

There are also prequel problems. [spoiler]The climax of the first episode is bereft of any drama because we already know Galadriel doesn't piss off to Elf Valhalla for all eternity. [/spoiler] For all the money spent on that scene, there were some very green-screeney lookin' shots.

Hopefully the dwarves show up in the next episode and provide some much needed shenaniganery.

*I'm an unashamed Elf racist. Creepy supremacist fuckers
You may quote me on that.

Tiplodocus

I enjoyed both episodes but definitely picks up in the second. Already hits lots of characters to root for.

Never spotted a lot of particularly bad green screen myself.


I fear it's going to get compared a lot to Jackson's movies (naturally) which will be hard on it. And House Of Dragons. I preferred Rings of Power so far
Be excellent to each other. And party on!

Radbacker

Looks bloody spectacular but hasn't grabbed me by the goulies yet though I only had time to watch the first episode so far.  The opening scene/battle really looks like something you'd see on the big screen not TV, the flaming eagle crashing down was some of f the most spectacular fantasy imagery I've ever seen, makes the recent Wheel of Time series look like low budget drek.  Will watch ep 2 tonight, never read Tolkien but love the Jackson movies so speculation time - So the flaming dude that fell from the sky?  Gandalf or Sauron sneaking his way into the world of man? I mean he has to make the rings and as he is already an established bad guy he is going to have to convince the humans, Elves etc to take said rings and I doubt they would take them off the evil armoured up Sauron so what better way to convince them to take it?  As I said never read Tolkien so it might already be explained in the appendices that they have based the series on.

CU Radbacker

Tiplodocus

I don't think Gandalf arrives until the Third age but a) I forget and b)  it's the nature of telly/movie adaptions to compress/distort timelines so could be. They really want you to think it's Gandalf from the way he talks to the fireflies.
Be excellent to each other. And party on!

sheridan

Quote from: Tiplodocus on 03 September, 2022, 01:26:04 PM
I don't think Gandalf arrives until the Third age but a) I forget and b)  it's the nature of telly/movie adaptions to compress/distort timelines so could be. They really want you to think it's Gandalf from the way he talks to the fireflies.

...but they also want you to think that could be [spoiler]Sauron[/spoiler], because of the [spoiler]eye motif[/spoiler] around the crater.  As any Tolkeinite would be very familiar with who Sauron was disguised as in the Second Age, they're likely to have changed names and identifies around a little to keep everybody guessing.

Rara Avis

Just watched the first two episodes ... it's ok I guess.

Apparently they couldn't get the rights to the Silmarillion so this is based entirely off the appendices from LOTR. They've had to create loads of new characters intertwined with the established characters like Elrond & Galadriel.

As rightly pointed out, Gandalf didn't arrive until the 3rd age so he can't be the stranger - could he be Tom Bombadil?

I haven't made my mind up yet but I hate the Harfoots. Those Irish accents are really grating.


Definitely Not Mister Pops

Quote from: Rara Avis on 03 September, 2022, 07:46:31 PM
I haven't made my mind up yet but I hate the Harfoots. Those Irish accents are really grating.

Those are Irish accents? I thought they were poorly done west country accents.
You may quote me on that.

Jim_Campbell

Well, having now watched Ep2, I've warmed to this considerably. The plot moved on at a decent clip, the introduction of the dwarves livened things up nicely (I'm assuming the 'Maltese Falcon' moment was the [spoiler]Arkenstone[/spoiler]?) and, I'll be honest, I don't really care about how any of this squares with The Silmarillion, or The Unfinished Tales, or any of the stuff Christopher Tolkien mined from his dad's waste paper basket because I don't consider any of it canon, anyway. :-)
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Funt Solo

I've really enjoyed the first couple of episodes.
++ A-Z ++  coma ++

JayzusB.Christ

Just watched the first episode - I thought it was great.  Not quite sure what's going on plotwise yet, but still, Middle Earth is a joy to behold and I was absorbed all the way.  I'm not quite sure about the new Elrond - he doesn't look half as regal as Hugo Weaving; there's a touch of Ramsay Bolton about him.  I did get a bit of a thrill when the penny finally dropped that the main hobbit was Lenny Henry, though.
"Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest"

Rara Avis

Quote from: Mister Pops on 03 September, 2022, 09:39:30 PM
Those are Irish accents? I thought they were poorly done west country accents.

Yes they are poorly done Irish based accents. It seems that these days if writers want to shorthand a group of hearty, salt of the earth type (nomadic) peasants who live in large families and are close to the earth (filthy and wear twigs and fruit in their hair) they just give them Irish accents. Happened in WoT as well the Tinkers had Irish accents too.

JayzusB.Christ

It took me a long time to realise they were bad Irish accents too.  Lenny Henry's isn't too bad, but, y'know, why
I have to ask, what is WoT?
"Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest"

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 04 September, 2022, 08:58:49 AM
It took me a long time to realise they were bad Irish accents too.  Lenny Henry's isn't too bad, but, y'know, why?

Potatoes. POH-TAY-TOES. ;-)
 
QuoteI have to ask, what is WoT?

Wheel of Time, I assume.
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