The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (TV Series) A Shadow of the Past (2022) User Reviews

I like what I see, I dislike what I experience

[izubi-90624 · 6/10 · 2 September 2022]

Visuals, stunning. Everything looks great, outfits look great(Minority doesen't). Some scenes come out very, in a word. "Silly". They just don't fit. Dialouges, well. Let's just say subpar. The one with stone at the beggining, just. What the?

If you are more of a hardcore Tolkien universe fan and have knowledge of history of people and the lands, than you will have problems with the story. This will affect your experience and you will find changes strange and unfitting. Story is not cannon.

If you are casual viewer, I think you will enjoy this episode. It looks great, charaters feel okey. All, in all. Good enough to keep you occupied and not feel bored.

Not a great start, but let's see.

[dsgodlike · 5/10 · 2 September 2022]

First of all, some of the scenery and the CGI were absolutely stunning,but some of the costumes felt out of place and didn't look really good.

The music didn't really stand out in my opinion.

Now for the rest, this is just my opinion(and a minor spoiler warning).

You would kinda hope that Galadriels company of immortal warriors, who are the longest serving company(i think) would be skillfull and smart soldiers, well nope.

You would think Galadriel would be a good commander? She force-marches a company of maybe 10 persons into the mountains,past the point of fatigue and support. TO FIND SAURON. THE ULTIMATE EVIL.

Personally i didn't like the potrayal of Elrond as a lower rank politician and the dialogue between him and galadriel was kinda cringeworthy.

The scenes with the haarfoots were just boring and felt forced.

Giving it a 5 star rating cause i dont want to be absolute and wanna see where it's going, but the first episode was below expectations. For me at least.

A Terrible beginning to a tepid idea.

[mhorg2018 · 1/10 · 2 September 2022]

A Shadow of the past.

Let's look at this opening. Elf children running about like human children, being mean? I don't recall elves even thinking such until Feanor drew his sword on his half brother. What's with these haircuts? They look like they just came out of Supercuts. And everyone running around in gossamer robes like they were angels or something? Morfydd Clark. Where did the casting directors find her? Unemotional and unitone. At least they mentioned Morgoth-who the elves knew as Melkor until Feanor renamed him Morgoth, the great enemy of the world. They didn't all sail. Feanor burned the ships he stole at the kinslaying. Nice shot of the end of the Great War of the jewels (which got a mention!) They left out that, in the early battles, the elves swept through the orcs like they didn't exist. Galadriel was never mentioned as a warrior-not once. She didn't believe the Eldar could defeat Morgoth and took no part in the wars of the first age. She did become close with Melian, Thingol's wife and learned wisdom from her. She wasn't a captain of any army and there was no army of the north, unless you count Angband, under Sauron. Describing her in a footnote as an Amazon, doesn't make her an Amazon. Fingolfin gave his life to save Beren. This isn't mentioned. His body was never recovered. Also, Galadriel would have obeyed Gil-Galad, the last High-Elven king in middle-earth. Galadriel never hunted Sauron. Galadriels strength came from knowledge and from having seen the light of the two trees since she was born in Valinor. This is left out. NOWHERE is she mentioned as a WARRIOR. NOWHERE. She took no part in the kinslaying, marching across the ice of the frozen north back to Middle-Earth. Where is Celeborn? Galadriel had little interaction with men, other than the survivors of Numenor and, later, the Dunedain. This isn't the Elrond from the books, who was born IN THE FIRST AGE, and is called Half-Elven because he is a descendant, with his brother, of Earendil. Elros chose to be mortal, and be the first king of Numenor, Elros Tar-Minyataur. But that's left out as well. Galadriel is entirely brave, her male companions are cowards and buffoons. Commander of the Northern armies? Warrior of the Wasteland? Who wrote this drek. And, while Numenor exists, Sauron is off in Mordor, plotting. He can still appear fair and won't lose this ability until the destruction of that land. What's all this Harfoots nonsense? Hobbits (who shouldn't even be in this as they played no part in the second age), are descended from the Fallohides, Harfoots and Stoors. Or were the writers simple minds too small to recall this? Galadriel chose to remain in middle-earth after the war of wrath and, with Celeborn, founded Laurellindorian, later known as Lorien. And Elrond, by the second age is wise, and he grew up with the evil Galdriel claims he didn't grow up with. WRONG. His father is Earendil, who with a Silmaril upon his brow, reached the blessed realm and got the Valar to come defeat Morgoth. Guess making Galadriel a super-warrior was more important than Elrond being the loremaster he is in the books. Ooops. Elrond and Galadriel are friends eh? They're also relatives since she's his MOTHER IN LAW. Making her a warrior was a ridiculous idea. Men enslaved by Elves? Where the hell did this absolutely, untrue, stupid idea come from? From being high? Elves and Men wed only three times in all of Middle-Earths history. THREE TIMES. No other relationships. No "torrid affairs", NONE. Another ridiculous idea. Oh, did I mention that the first episode was boring as hell? BORING. And the men who followed Morgoth, the Easterlings, those who weren't killed, returned east. Hobbits aren't even mentioned in the Chronology until the third age when two brothers found the shire. And why are these 'harfoots' so untidy? Hobbits aren't bums. So, Galadriel (Morfydd Clark needs to go back to acting school) comes back from almost reaching Aman as a meteor? I'm really gagging now. Just choking on how silly this is. Amazingly silly.

It looks expensive

[LouZephyr · 1/10 · 2 September 2022]

The visuals are very nice, but that is all good i can say.

Story is boring, characters are unlikeable and the dialogue is really bad.

I was zero invested in anything and this is supposed to be the pilot of a series, i surely won't continue watching.

I guarantee that this won't last the promised 5 seasons, i can't see many people liking this and it already shows.

My girlfriend fell asleep while watching and she is a lord of the rings fan.

It tries also very hard to be like "game of thrones" yet it fails completely in doing so.

So much money wasted and i feel bad for the actors.

They are already deleting reviews and covering up that this series is a huge fail.

I started "The Boys" instead.

Thanks but no thanks, i am out.

A Shadow of the Past

[lassegalsgaard · 9/10 · 2 September 2022]

As much fun as it has been to revisit the realm of Westeros, this is the show that I have been dying to see, looking forward to the imminent return to Middle-earth and its creatures. A lot of fuzz has been made about the show and the liberties taken by Amazon, and I honestly couldn't care less as it seems like the same people who want to hate on anything, and would probably have hated on the films had social media been around back then. This first episode was an epic return to this world with new introductions to fascinating characters and a looming threat.

With the great love I have for Tolkien's novels, I was ready for this to be a different tale than what he ever wrote. And while the show is definitely not a one-to-one adaptation of his stories, it feels like a piece of Tolkien writing. J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay definitely brought out the big guns and wrote to the strengths of the characters, coming up with a first episode that sets up this giant world with multiple characters that I am excited to follow over the next few weeks. The beginning was great and kinda jumped over what I thought the show was, but the fact that I'm not sure what we're going to see is actually what makes me even more excited to tune in every week. For all the pacing issues that this episode had been accused of, I saddled in for a long ride, but actually found it to be rather smoothe. Sure, there are certain scenes that could have been a little shorter, but they never bothered me as I was fascinated by all the conversations the characters had and the level of detail the writers put into the language. The Elves take up a big part of this episode, but the Harfoots get some screen time and they are adorable. I'm glad that Morfydd Clark is getting a big role that people will see, because she is a massive talent and someone to look out for. She did great as Galadriel and is a promising lead for this.

"A Shadow of the Past" is a promising start to this show and sets the stage for whatever's to come and I'm here for it. All the characters feel like Tolkien creations and the world seems as ripe for stories as it did when Peter Jackson's films came out, so I'm very happy right now.

No vibes yet

[moviesknight · 7/10 · 2 September 2022]

The story has to develop but it seems disconnected as of yet. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a high wall to scale but it doesnt even try. Will see about it in the coming episodes how it fares. Connections are developing but not that great. The makeup team seems to be trying too hard. The scale and landmarks are ok for now. The charcaters are just getting familiar. Slow start to what I hope jsut lives to the hype. This episode focusses of Galadriel a lot. Some conversations are deep and thats how it should be, when a series follows a book, dont create dumbed down versions of conversations, stick to the source. The ending was just the beginning of this series, so fingers crossed.

I don't expect much from this show, but... (Commenting on ep1/2)

[mickenrach-61172 · 1/10 · 2 September 2022]

Please, writers, when you do comment on something that IS in Tolkien's known writings, please be accurate. Please. It's really annoying to watch when you get basics wrong.

Finrod Felagund did not "vow to hunt Sauron down", and was not killed while doing so. Finrod was captured by Sauron while assisting Beren in his quest to wrest a Silmaril from Morgoths crown, and was then killed in a dungeon by a warewolf. So... Galadriels opening remarks are both inaccurate and really annoying. Yes, you could argue it was all part of the "war" (obviously due to copyright the produces have Galadriel lumping the entire events of the fulirst age into one "war"), but still ... not accurate. Galadriel I did not mind overall but - where is Celeborn? If he was in her life (which he was) from the first age, why did he have no influence on her decisions, either to stay and fight or go into the West? I guess, according to this adaption, they are estranged at this point.

Also, I hate the short haired, old looking elves. Gil-galad, Elrond and Celebrimbor all look fusty - not elven, not like warriors, and not "wise". Celebrimbor is downright weedy. Also, their attitude towards the possible return of the shadow was un-elven. Some of the elves came off as whiny cowards. Actually, generally, there were a lot of whiny characters in this episode. Characters were either gung-ho adventurers or else whiny scared and annoying.

Now to men: ugh. Seriously annoying accents. We get it. Outside of Numenor, men are dirty, backwards elf haters. Not one likeable character there. Even Bronwyn was kind of annoying. And her "relationship" with an elf... Sigh. Please. Over done already don't you think? Must there be an impossible/frowned on relationship in every tolkien-esque adaption? Not original, precious. Not original at all.

I did love the music. Very Tolkien-esque. Also the effects are fantastic.

Overall though, the pacing was off. Either too fast through big scenes, or too slow when it came to certain characters. I.e. Why did we have to spend soooo long with Harfoots. I don't mind having "Hobbits" in the show - I mean they must've been around somewhere in middle-earth during the second age - but aside from Nori, they came off a little annoying, especially Nori's sidekick friend.

Meteor man is interesting. He's obviously a good guy, possibly one of the Maier sent to help. Let's hope he can learn to talk before the season ends.

Halbrand is interesting and mysterious. I think he's definitely a villan, or will become one.

The Dwarves and the Khazadum scenery were awesome. However - it's doubtful that Elrond was ever so close with "prince" Durin. Galadriel and Celebrimbor loved the Dwarves due to their shared love of creating things from metals and gems, but Elrond? Again... sigh. I guess if it's not mentioned the producers have decided they can put it in. So I foresee many more forays off-lore with additions.

Arondir is an ok character. Still - long hair would've made him more elven.

I think that covers my opinion so far.

I'm hoping in future episodes the characters improve and grow on me. We'll see.

You have not seeen what I have seen!

[rioksane-02950 · 2 September 2022]

To all the people who are disliking the show before watching it - don't let hate succumb you to the deep depths of the Sundering Seas.

I have read LOTR many times, read Silmarillion once and love the original trilogy as the best cinematic creation of all time. But this premiere episode of Rings of Power was simply put fantastic.

First of all, the visuals. Every single scene was beautifully created. Every singe frame is a piece of art. Yes, its heavy on CGI, but there is also tons of actual scenery, clothes, armor, items, and locations that all tell a different tale.

Second, the music. Bear McCreary (with Howard Shore) has created new tunes that can be compared to the iconic themes from the trilogy. The main theme, Galadriels theme, harfoots, dwarwes, you name it. I have listened the OST non-stop since its release two weeks ago.

What surprised me the most, was the quality of dialogue. The elves do not just say "Sun is shining", no, they say "let the light of a thousand stars lighten your way". The infamous "You have not seeen what I have seen!" is the lowest moment of all dialogue in the episode and even it serves a purpose. I love how some woRds are pRonounced, woRds like MoRgoth, GaladRiel and SauRon. It makes it familiar, but unique.

When it comes to performances, I cannot praise Morfydd Clark enough. She is a force of nature, as Lady Galadriel should be. Another good one is Ismael Cruz Cordova as Arondir, the elf soldier. The harfoot hobbits come around as lighthearted and curious folk too.

I had to check who directed the episodes, since the usage of closeups, wide vistas and imaginery images was interesting. J. A Bayona does a fantastic job with making it all work together.

The premiere presents an interesting premise for things to come.

What a delightful start to the show, hoping that they can keep the quality high!

Well below average

[belaentara · 2/10 · 2 September 2022]

Episode 1 presents a world it is very hard to recognise from books or earlier works in the universe.

Galandriels character is unbelievable. What is her motivation? What does she know that noone else knows? Why does she think Sauron is lurking. It all seems weird indeed.

So until further explanation the viewer has to wonder why she is being so strict on those around her demanding to die for a journey that for some reason can not be delayed for rest.

And also wonder why her trainer didnt train anyone else as you see 5 elves getting smashed in seconds before Galandrial steps in.

The only upside I could think of was the character of Nori.

Oh and the two wanderes with elk horns on their back. The best scene sofar.

The troll animation looked cool. But I did not watch the show to see animations of monsters. With lord of the rings expect world building. With fantasy I expect a what if set in a believable world.

When showing fantasy the most important aspect is to emerge the viewer into the fantasy. Viewers has their own background in their real world. So you have to explain in this fantasy what is different from the real world. Rings of power did not suceed in that aspect. I expected long haired elves because lotr had earlier established that.

If rings of power want to explain a different world setting they have to help the viewer understand why? What has changed.

It could be Rings of power is aiming on bringing in a new younger audience. An audience not inspired by Tolkien. Not inspired by traditional fantasy of D&D, not inspired by Peter Jacksons Trilogy. That is my only conclusion. I continued on watching episode 2...havent finished it yet. Had to take a break.

On the new episode of what never happened in middle earth

[giorgosmoustakis-05610 · 2/10 · 2 September 2022]

They wanted to create something new. Something unwritten on the books. And they failed. The series has a lot of problems. The main is that's boring. Bad actings as well. Cringe dialogs. No plot. Bad narration. Why on earth they didn't based their story on the books. There is no atmosphere. Just a tone of cgi and camera movement. You can only watch it from curiosity.

Sometimes it seem they trying to enlarge the acenes so they have enough material for all the episodes. I mean... The books are endless of inspiration material, whats happened to you guys? You just have to read the books two times in a raw and you will get all the inspiration you will need to create something atlist decent.

An ambitious reminder of the wonder of Tolkiens world

[razorwirekiss-1 · 10/10 · 2 September 2022]

I think many of us have forgotten the sheer glory it was to see LOTR back when it first came out.

The multitude of life and the beauty and horror it contained.

This series seems to remember and wants to remind us that the world of Middle Earth and beyond is a trove of stories. Both from the creator Tolkien and others who love his works.

I love this show so far. Beautiful but filled with uncertainty. I believe, given the arc Amazon is pushing over 5 seasons this will be long loved and remembered.

I leave the internet trolls to tear at it while I watch the trolls here share their world with many creatures, both ethereal and demonic.

Prime Videos "What If" series

[luisgus-72268 · 5/10 · 2 September 2022]

The first episode looks good, visually there were things that looked good. The decorations of the Trees with the carving for example. Lindon looked well as far as we could see. The Silvan Armor looks interesting. Felt like I was watching something new, other times felt like I was watching the Witcher.

If we take the Tolkien out of this episode, the episode could have been better; Because on its own its an ok watch. There isn't a lot going on and the story is starting..

They said this was Tolkien, but why doesn't it feel like it? Its Tolkien minus the lore, minus the original characters, minus the history. In other words it's a "What if Series" based on Tolkien.

This is not it.

Made me feel like a kid again

[maxglen · 8/10 · 2 September 2022]

Growing up on the Jackson movies and then later reading the source material and it's accompaniments like The Silmarilion, The Middle-Earth franchise is a big comfort for me. Perfect escapism. I'm not sure whether it's the fact I had low expectations of Rings of Power or wether or not it's genuinely wonderful but I had a blast with this first episode. Where to start? How about the visuals? Breathtaking. Absolutely breathtaking. Rings of Power is supposedly the most expensive show ever made and honestly, I can see it. Music is up next. Bear McCreary and Howard Shore both do a stunning job with the soundtrack. Of course with Shore's involvement the atmosphere of those first three films is maintained but also built upon with the inclusion of McCreary, who has previously worked on the recent God of War, Black Sails and the Walking Dead just to name a few of my favourites. Acting? Pretty darn good. There's a few performances I don't care for but the brunt of the main cast do an excellent job and keep me attentive. Of course, acting is only ever as good as the writers allow and the dialogue, like the acting is mostly pretty solid; there's a few questionable lines but I found myself quite impressed with the dialogue and pacing. It's not perfect but it is far from what I thought it might be and for that I am grateful. A Shadow of the Past gets a strong 8 to a light 9/10 from me. Hope it can stay consistent. Thank you for reading my review and have a lovely day or night wherever you may be!

Delightful Visuals + Enchanting Dialogue

[shone-diggity · 10/10 · 2 September 2022]

Visually stunning - no one can deny that. But since we are spoiled so much by amazing cgi these days, I invite you to focus instead on the wardrobe of the characters, especially their armor. The Elven soldier from the watchtower(?) - who is without a doubt a serious badass just by how smoothly he swings his bow around his shoulder as if he's done it for 79 years - has such an awesome breastplate! The palma merenti crown that elves wear looks sooo fancy, too.

When the elves talk, it feels like we are watching a play; Elrond and Galadriel's dialogue sounds Shakespearean with flowery prose that matches the gorgeous garden setting. Words fall out of their elven mouths like ethe golden leaves that grace their capes.

I enjoy that this is a series, and not a movie. I feel like with the series we can take our time developing more of the story, the characters, and dive deeper into the land of Middle Earth. It is very exciting to share this with my nephews who have recently read The Hobbit.

This is our intro to LOTR: Ring of Power and I'm all for it!

6.5. I'm looking but I can't find Gold. (Spoiler free)

[benjaminchristopher · 7/10 · 2 September 2022]

I'm rating this episode not the series, there's still 7 more to go and I'm hoping they interconnect and build up on what good points work here.

There is no doubt that this looks incredible, it does belong on a big screen really. But is that enough? 500m budget over 8 episodes, any TV show should look good, heck even Eastenders would look great. The acting here isn't anything note worthy, I know the Elves are supposed to be purposefully emotionless to some degree, like a Vulcan- but it's just not too fun to watch.

As a family piece of entertainment I think it passes the test, it does seem to have something for everybody.

I don't think it's anywhere near as bad as most people on here are making it out to be but I'm not feeling anything like I did when the films came out, maybe I'm just getting cynical in my older age. Personally, the best thing about this is how amazingly lush the Elven realms look. There is good use of location shots and environment and the CGI really is something- I just hope they don't go the way the Hobbit films went where you may as well just be playing a game. I want to like this, I do! Let's hope 7 more episodes find its way.

Go in with an open mind and you'll be rewarded

[tueda · 10/10 · 2 September 2022]

First the inclination is to compare, and the difference in style and cohesion will irk some. Nostalgia is a hell of a drug and we've been taking the Lord of the Ring one collectively as a species for the last 20 years.

The show, as a stand-alone narrative piece, it is astounding. The intricacies of the world laid out in small subtle details. The set piece is extravagant and gorgeous. This is peak middle earth opera.

A younger flawed Galadriel. Hell bent on revenge that fuels her existence. Having experienced mortality and the end, she's desperately looking for meaning. She refuses the metaphorical death of paradise and continues to struggle in Middle Earth.

Arondir on a similar crossroad in his life. Does he choose the metaphorical death of paradise? Or does he continue to struggle and try to protect his newly discovered vulnerability?

Noris innocence and curiosity is perfectly laid for amazing character development through the show.

I'm just afraid people won't give it a fair chance. That last scene with the meteor and Galadriel's choice sent shivers.

There is a lot of potential here.

A decent start

[zihshtvc · 7/10 · 2 September 2022]

Starts off well enough and the opening felt somewhat similar to Peter Jackson's FotR. Excellent visuals and you can tell the sets were very carefully selected and built. The cinematography is very well executed, but some of the action sequences felt a little strange specifically in the snow cave. Acting seemed a little wanting, but hopefully that I don't dwell on that the whole time. Lots of setup so I hope there's more meat later on but overall a decent start that I think Peter Jackson fans could appreciate.

Durin is by far the best actor and most Jackson like character I saw in the first two episodes. Excited to see where this series takes us but I'm cautious going forward.

Aesthetically and musically pleasing, with a good intro to many characters

[rationalnerd · 9/10 · 2 September 2022]

With that budget, it does not come as a surprise that this first episode is visually gorgeous. Tolkien's epic fantasy is back, and it is colorful and stunning and I am excited to get many more episodes of this. Musically, I am already blown away by several of the musical themes, and I honestly can't wait to dive deep into the soundtrack (but I may wait until the first season is over to do so).

Story wise, this first episode does a great job seeing up its world and characters. I came in only knowing Galadriel and Elrond, as I haven't read most of Tolkien's work, but have grown attached to many of the characters we just discovered. Nori the harfoot is cute in her curiosity, and the ending of the first episode got me concerned about her fate. Theo, Bronwyn's son, has found something that he probably should not have touched. I am deeply invested into Galadriel's fight. I know many more characters have still to be introduced, and I am excited to get to see them.

It may sounds cheesy on paper, but I appreciate what was done with the map of the Middle Earth. Since we are jumping between places, it's nice to visualize where everything is.

This episode ends with signs that a darkness just woke up again in this world. Let's now see how our characters deal with it.

I loved it

[bertmest · 9/10 · 2 September 2022]

First of all, the visuals are absolutely incredible, as it should be with all this money involved. Many reviewers here seem to think this is the only positive part of the show so far.

I strongly disagree. The story starts off slow but it's a good introduction to (some of) the characters. The dialogue is pretty great although it might feel a little pretentious at times. Good acting across the board as well. It's not reasonable to expect what some people are expecting here, some of these reviews are truly baffling to me.

Anyway, to each their own, but as a big Tolkien fan myself, i recommend it to anyone interested in the world of Middle-Earth.

Back home after 20 years

[KzArashi · 10/10 · 2 September 2022]

In January 2002, friends and I went to the movies to watch THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE SOCIETY OF THE RING.

Now. 20 years later, in this fantastic premiere of THE POWER RINGS. It was like coming home.

Sad to have watched it alone.

As with the Peter Jackson trilogy, there are changes and conceptions regarding the material in the books. But just like 20 years ago - I DON'T CARE! - I boarded and let myself go.

I really enjoyed these first 2 episodes.

The actor's performance are great as is the characterization of the mystical environment of the Middle Earth.

And the new plot aspects creators for the series are well engineered so to not deviate from what is already established in Tolkien's legendarium.

Slow Burn World Building

[brookslangford · 9/10 · 2 September 2022]

I loved the first episode. Though the pacing was slow, what Tolkien project isn't?

You could feel the world building being done. I loved the introduction to characters and being back in Middle-Earth. The visuals were stunning and the storylines were all intriguing enough to keep me invested in the story going forward. The acting was impressive and added weight to a well made show. I love this show already. If you hate it, then don't watch it.

I don't feel like I have to choose between this and House of the Dragon... they are just different. This feels like positive artistic high fantasy, while HotD feels like cynical realistic fantasy.

Who knew Tolkien fans were as bad as Star Wars fans.... I truly don't understand why people need to share their hatred of something...

Beautiful and sprawling prologue

[sammysamo-279-385568 · 10/10 · 2 September 2022]

The premier is stunning visually as is to be expected. It lives in the same world as other LotR stories but also feels unique. The dialogue is poetic for the elves, and more prose for the hobbits. They've built upon lore to make a lived-in world with loads of charm and interesting characters without being constricted by purism (racism). More viewers will finally see themselves reflected in this series and it makes it all the more interesting. The music is stunning, the costumes are detailed and thematic based on the races. The sets are huge and often practical. Notice that many of the negative reviews not have anything specific to say that actually makes sense. It's impressive in every way and I can't wait to see where it goes.

Fantastic

[rafaelpedrop · 10/10 · 2 September 2022]

What an incredible first episode! Loved the story, the characters, the soundtrack, the visuals... everything. I can't wait to keep watching. This series clearly pays homage to the original trilogy by Peter Jackson, but it also has a flair of its own. This is the prequel to rule them all. Thank you, Tolkien, for conjuring up such an amazing universe. Being a huge fan, the first episode has surpassed all my expectations. The fist episode alone is than 99% of any tv or movies out there. It's almost laughable that people think this is not a good show. I suppose everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Incredible music and imagery

[fredrikhermansson-95655 · 10/10 · 2 September 2022]

I'm here for the Goosebumps!

Wonderful imagery, storytelling and music. Even though it is more of a "saga" so far and less raw than the LOTR movies, and differs from the original Tolkien writings(which even LOTR did BTW), I feel like it still delivers a true Middle Earth experience with the same world, imagery, ideas and cultural differences as I grew up to love. I love especially the music since it isn't a copy of the LOTR score but still has a similar feeling. Screw the criticism and just enjoy a good, EXPENSIVE show! If I'd want to criticize I could but I'd rather go on an adventure and see where this goes.

I'm hooked and I want to be.

/A child in a young man's body, who grew up slaying orcs in the woods and reading LOTR, Silmarillion, and Bilbo.

Tolkein-ish and somehow reminded me of a big budget version of movie Willow

[david-fernandez · 8/10 · 2 September 2022]

So, this is a TV series commissioned by Amazon with the bulk of the story lifted from the vague appendices from the Lord of The Rings books. So lets just say that there quite a lot of room for 'interpretation' and that's not a bad thing because most people haven't read or know of the content in those appendices which is a great basis for a spoiler free experience. The acting is adequate, the costumes and visuals are stunning/beautiful, getting the pre-LOTR / The Hobbit era just right where everything seems just a tad more primitive than the settings for the books we all know and love. The first episode covers the usual drama tropes i.e. Defiance of authority and tradition, forbidden love, an unseen enemy / ominous threat, revenge and to be honest it's handled quite well.

Now for the loaded question and that is that some more cynical out there have complained that there are breaches in the canon and lore of Tolkein when it comes to the 'appearance' and 'uniformity' of groups of characters in this production; I for one don't mind this as that to me is almost incidental (hey they did it partly in The Witcher and we all loved that); for me what is important is the story, character (as in motivation and persona) and the dramatization.

This production is not a 'Wheel of Time' (awful as that was I gave up on it and could not continue) and watching the 1st episode has compelled me to watch more.

Don't listen to the naysayers who wrote off this production before they saw it months ago, open your mind, sit back, relax and enjoy a wonderful fantasy adventure.