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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

JohnC

By JohnC
in Film, TV & Radio

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Girth Certificate

Girth Certificate

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Posted

what I would say is I don't think there have been any moments in the series that would stand up there with the memorable or iconic bits of the movies. Nothing like 'and my axe' or the whole sequence with the collapsing stairs in Moria or Galadriel's mirror, or 'they're taking the hobbits to isengard, to isengard the hobbits the hobbits the hobbits the hobbits to isengard'. 

 

Everything is very good and competent and expensive but there's no spark to it. Jackson kept a lot of his crazy indie schlock movie shots and wonky angles and then did them on a massive scale when he made the movies and the series feels lacking in comparison. There was probably 1 genuinely surprising moment in almost 500 minutes of TV. Last week's episode of Andor had 2 where I actually gasped. 

 

Except for the title sequence with the little rocks and stuff, I love that, especially the part where the symbols are changing too quickly and it feels like everything is going out of control, but it's over too quickly. It should have been a 4 minute long HBO style intro that gives time for the darkness to really build and then the big horns come in and then after a bit more the main theme and the light comes back.

Rings of Power Main Titles: Extended Edition coming to blu-ray next year!

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kensei

kensei

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6 hours ago, Benny said:

If I could pick one thing I really didn't like about the series, I think it was in episode 6:

 

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The scene where the villagers are being held by the Orcs, and an older man and woman are shown in extreme distress and terror as they watch an Orc slowly pushing a sword into them both, without any cuts away from it. I found it really nasty and exploitative, and it felt like it was trying to be Game of Thrones in tone for a bit, which for me does not fit the source material at all. There is always darkness and terror and horror in The Lord of the Rings, but I don't think it needs gratuitous torture.

 

 

I tend to agree, but

Spoiler

There are some properly nasty things in there. Sauron tortures Celebrimbor, has him shot with  arrows and then hoists his body on a poll like a banner and takes it into battle. Numenor engages in human sacrifice at Sauron's behest, if I recall correctly.

 

I think if there's a really strong image or story impact you could go there but I don't think it should be lingering on it for minor characters.

 

 

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Festoon

Festoon

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35 minutes ago, Girth Certificate said:

Except for the title sequence with the little rocks and stuff, I love that, especially the part where the symbols are changing too quickly and it feels like everything is going out of control, but it's over too quickly. It should have been a 4 minute long HBO style intro that gives time for the darkness to really build and then the big horns come in and then after a bit more the main theme and the light comes back.

Rings of Power Main Titles: Extended Edition coming to blu-ray next year!

 

They should've just used the GoT sequence and theme with Middle-Earth names stuck over it.

 

I don't get why they never used the title reveal they made though.

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Floyd

Floyd

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I hear series 2 is already well underway? I'm going to stick with it. I'm a sucker for this kind of thing, even though I don't really know much about the lore. It's enjoyable enough. Hopefully this time next year we'll get some more.  

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jonamok

jonamok

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Just finished it. Absolutely fucking brilliant start to finish. Normally I can empathise with the hate people have for things (I’m a miserable, hypercritical, fault-finding cunt too about most things), but here I just can’t see it. It was a work of art. Certainly not faultless, but definitely a 9/10 experience.

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Thor

Thor

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21 hours ago, jonamok said:

Just finished it. Absolutely fucking brilliant start to finish. Normally I can empathise with the hate people have for things (I’m a miserable, hypercritical, fault-finding cunt too about most things), but here I just can’t see it. It was a work of art. Certainly not faultless, but definitely a 9/10 experience.

Agreed, so I am really puzzled at all the media articles slating the show. Did they watch something different? 

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Festoon

Festoon

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17 minutes ago, kensei said:

Erik Kain hates it for approximately the reasons I didn't like it, but much much more so

 

https://www.polygon.com/23414847/rings-power-season-1-review

 

I think the point that the obvious protagonist for a show based around the Rings of Power is Celebrimbor rather than Galadriel is spot on, though. 

 

Jesus, a show about Elven Liberace.

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kensei

kensei

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1 hour ago, Festoon said:

 

Jesus, a show about Elven Liberace.

 

A show about Elven Michelangelo or Van Gogh. Tortured artist is a really easy riff. His grandfather is the greatest Smith the world ever produced.

 

The depiction of him as middle aged as opposed to the young and beautiful Galadriel is nonsensical. Elves are immortal and Galadriel is older. It would make sense to move Elrond's relationship with Durin to him, since he was noted as a friend to the Dwarves and helped make the gates of Moria.

 

Ultimately he's the one tempted. Elrond, Gil Galad and Galadriel are suspicious of "Annatar" and turn him away, but it's Celebrimbor that gets on board with him. He has a grizzly fate with a slight defiance that looks perfect for the first arc of a Second Age show, from the forging of the rings to the start of the war.

 

Even if you really like what they did, you can still think it was a swerve from the obvious direction.

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Festoon

Festoon

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30 minutes ago, kensei said:

 

A show about Elven Michelangelo or Van Gogh. Tortured artist is a really easy riff. His grandfather is the greatest Smith the world ever produced.

 

The depiction of him as middle aged as opposed to the young and beautiful Galadriel is nonsensical. Elves are immortal and Galadriel is older. It would make sense to move Elrond's relationship with Durin to him, since he was noted as a friend to the Dwarves and helped make the gates of Moria.

 

Ultimately he's the one tempted. Elrond, Gil Galad and Galadriel are suspicious of "Annatar" and turn him away, but it's Celebrimbor that gets on board with him. He has a grizzly fate with a slight defiance that looks perfect for the first arc of a Second Age show, from the forging of the rings to the start of the war.

 

Even if you really like what they did, you can still think it was a swerve from the obvious direction.

 

Too obvious. A bit dull.

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kensei

kensei

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I can see how it's easily beat out by

 

Spoiler

I found your crest in the scrolls, you're the King!

No wait, I found some other scrolls, you're Sauron! 

 

Riveting. 

 

Something along the lines of the above could be done well or badly. But it offers the chance of something character focused.

 

What we got instead was a fairly weak mystery. 

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Thor

Thor

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15 minutes ago, KriessG said:

I heard this was pandering to the woke crowd and completely disrespectful to the source material. True?

 

 

If by that you mean actors of non white ethnicities and women in prominent roles, then yes to both. Tolkien was 'of his time'. 

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