Members I Am A Swede Posted August 26, 2022 Members Share Posted August 26, 2022 ^^ Thank you. Please register in order to view this content Unfortunately it already has disappointed me to the extent that I have no plans to ever watch this. I was hopeful when the news first broke, but it has been downhill ever since. I can still remember being very excited after the Hobbit films, but in hindsight I think it was the sheer spectacle that wowed me. But for all the problems those movies had (and let's face it, they had quite a few) at least they didn't change Tolkien's story. They added a lot, and turned a really rather short story into three mega-epics. But when you look closely they didn't change the characters, or the story. This show is doing exactly that, changing established characters, and distorting the world that Tolkien wrote. I first read The Lord of the Rings before I was 10, and The Silmarillion shortly thereafter. I go back to Unfinished Tales frequently, and I love diving into The Book of Lost Tales and the other parts of The History of Middle-Earth. This is a fantasy world that is so close to my heart and has been for almost 4 decades. Watching Peter Jackson's movies (especially LotR) I had the feeling that those involved shared my love for the source material. Yes, there were changes, some of which were fine, and some of which I disliked, but the overall feeling was a feeling of respect for Tolkien and his work. I get nothing like that from the people involved in this show. I was disappointed by what they turned the Chronicles of Narnia into (I still haven't even watched The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) and I was appalled by what they did to The Dark Is Rising, which is probably the worst adaptation of anything I have seen up to this point, but this is on another level. It will, in all likelihood, still be a success, but I will not be a part of it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cat Posted September 1, 2022 Members Share Posted September 1, 2022 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members janea4old Posted September 1, 2022 Members Share Posted September 1, 2022 (edited) Same. And for me 5 decades! First read in 1971. I first read the Narnia books in 1964! Edited September 1, 2022 by janea4old 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Taoboi Posted September 1, 2022 Members Share Posted September 1, 2022 Cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members YRBB Posted September 2, 2022 Author Members Share Posted September 2, 2022 (edited) AT LONG LAST! I am quite impressed and happy with the first episode. Visually, it strongly evokes the original trilogy and just feels like Middle Earth. Story wise, I felt it was gripping enough so far. I loved the little glimpse of Sauron. Felt like it came right out of the movies (but I will try not to constantly make that comparison, difficult as that may be). Morfydd Clark as Galadriel was phenomenal. The ending was a lovely cliffhanger. I think its biggest triumph for me personally was that I felt immersed in that world even after the episode ended. It was convincing and gripping enough. Not all hope is lost. Edited September 2, 2022 by YRBB 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Noel Posted September 3, 2022 Members Share Posted September 3, 2022 Please register in order to view this content The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Epic drama set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings' follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. Studio: New Line Cinema Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Action, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy S01E01 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members janea4old Posted September 3, 2022 Members Share Posted September 3, 2022 @Noel There is already a thread here: https://boards.soapoperanetwork.com/topic/55535-amazon-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power/ @Errol can the two threads be merged? Not sure where the ,merged thread should be located. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Noel Posted September 3, 2022 Members Share Posted September 3, 2022 (edited) Crap-ola. I looked under the subforum for Prime Video and could not find it. From the link you gave, I've posted in that thread several weeks ago, but I believe it was posted in the general Primetime Shows forum (not the actual Netflix | Apple TV+ | Amazon Prime subforum). If it needs to be merged, then that's fine of course. Edited September 3, 2022 by Noel 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members I Am A Swede Posted September 4, 2022 Members Share Posted September 4, 2022 (edited) I think it's safe to say that opinions have been somewhat divided after the premiere. They've been either absolutely glowing, praising the show (and Amazon) to the heavens, or completely scathing. I have found though that a much larger percentage of the negative reviewers actually present reasons for their dislike (terrible writing, stiff acting, unlikeable characters, a dull and slow moving show), and even offer some positive (some beautiful scenery, nice music), while the positive reviews mostly just seem to declare the show amazing, magnificent, breathtaking and an overall marvelous experience. They don't seem to have found a single flaw. Yet, it is the negative reviewers who are labeled trolls and have their reviews deleted. Funny that.... Please register in order to view this content I don't have access to Amazon Prime so I haven't seen it, except for the few glimpses offered in reviews on Youtube, and I agree that some of the scenery does look spectacular. But beautiful scenery can't make up for bad writing, bad acting or bad pacing, and those three are the most common denominators in the reviews I've seen. Since I haven't watched the show I can't weigh in on those points. But I have to say that some of the casting looks awful. Celebrimbor looks like Regis Philbin's younger cousin. None of the elves I've seen look anything like elves. Where's the grace, the poise, the elegance? And the hobbits, sorry, Harfoots...... What I can gather from the reviews and the plot summaries the show pays just as little respect to Tolkien's actual writings as expected, but even without taking that into consideration there are things that defies belief. Do the writers actually realize how far apart Middle-Earth and Valinor are? It's an entire ocean between them, not something like the English Channel. Yet they still have Galadriel jump from her ship just as its about to land in Valinor and start swimming (!) back towards Middle-Earth. That's almost like trying to swim over the Atlantic Ocean! And for the love of everything that's holy, please, please, please don't make Meteor Man be Gandalf! Please!!! (The Istari don't land in Middle-Earth until well into the Third Age) Edited September 4, 2022 by I Am A Swede 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vee Posted September 4, 2022 Members Share Posted September 4, 2022 (edited) I believe the only reviews being deleted (not from critics, but from RT users) are because it's been a target of right wing incel review bombing, a common tactic of theirs for any project with diversity and/or female leads in recent years. Edited September 4, 2022 by Vee 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members I Am A Swede Posted September 4, 2022 Members Share Posted September 4, 2022 (edited) IMDb has 72 star reviews, of which thirty-six (!) are 10/10, fourteen are 9/10, thirteen are 8/10, six are 7/10 and three are 6/10. They use words like "Amazingly mesmerizing", "Stunning", "Spectacular", "Awesome", "Top Notch", "Mind blowing", but not a single review with less than 6 stars is featured. Do you expect me to believe that all of the lower scoring reviews (and I'm absolutely sure there have been some of those) were being made by right wing incels or trolls? Or could the complete lack of negative reviews have anything to do with the fact that Amazon owns IMDb, and that they are censoring the reviews? Please register in order to view this content I have no problem with people enjoying this show, that's their prerogative. But I do have a problem with this attempt by the showrunners and Amazon trying to label all those of us who have objections to what they are doing as trolls, racists, misogynists and any other -ist you can think of. Are there some of those among the critics? There probably are, and that sucks, but we're not all that. And it sucks even more that all our valid criticisms are being summarily dismissed like this. We wanted to love this show, and we would have been their biggest supporters if they had done right by Tolkien. But they haven't, and now that we're objecting to what they are doing they simply insult us and call us names. Edited September 4, 2022 by I Am A Swede 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members janea4old Posted September 4, 2022 Members Share Posted September 4, 2022 (edited) According to THP ("The Hollywood Reporter"), Amazon was holding/suspending the reviews on the Amazon site to verify if they are reviews by viewers and not from groups of people who have racist agendas. Hollywood Reporter also said that despite the fact that Amazon owns IMDB, the reviews on IMDB were not being suspended. Quoting THP snippets: An Amazon source says reviews are being held 72 hours to help weed out trolls and to ensure each review is legitimate. The source later claimed Prime Video started the policy this summer on all its shows. “Review bombing” is when a group of online users post numerous negative reviews for a product or service due to its perceived cultural or political issues rather than its actual quality. Amazon owns IMDb but hasn’t suspended that site’s audience ratings. End quote. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-amazon-review-bombed-1235211190/ Edited September 4, 2022 by janea4old 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members I Am A Swede Posted September 4, 2022 Members Share Posted September 4, 2022 (edited) No, they just delete reviews that are negative. And why is it only "review bombing" when the reviews are negative? It can work both ways. Some of the reviews out there are so over-the-top positive that it's bordering on the ridiculous. I don't think for a moment all of them are legitimate. Is it really that difficult for Hollywood to understand that sometimes people just don't like the product they put out? Tolkien's world is the origin of the fantasy genre as we know it. It has been around for 70 years and counting, and has acquired a large, loyal fanbase. Is it really that surprising that when someone bastardizes the world they know and love they are upset and critical? Please register in order to view this content Edited September 4, 2022 by I Am A Swede 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vee Posted September 4, 2022 Members Share Posted September 4, 2022 (edited) "Review bombing" is a very common and well known troll practice these days towards films, TV shows or other media that are perceived as 'woke.' When users spam user review sites, YT comment sections, etc. they do this often to try and smear any project they deem too progressive, usually because it features women, people of color, LGBT folks or other minorities. You can google it. It didn't start here. Your opinion of this show isn't the issue here. You're entitled to your opinion (as are the Tolkien scholars and fans who seem to love it); I personally don't give a shít about LOTR or this show. But the fact is The Rings of Power was targeted by right wing trolls just like many, many other pieces of media because its marketing has focused on what they perceive as a 'woke Galadriel' as a feminist heroine. They are spamming these sites for that reason and because it features Black actors and other minorities in key roles. People can hold whatever individual opinion they want, but when it comes to the mass negative spamming for these products it is not a organic criticism issue, It is incels and misogynists. Edited September 4, 2022 by Vee 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members janea4old Posted September 5, 2022 Members Share Posted September 5, 2022 (edited) I just watched. Over two episodes she's still swimming. It's taking her forever. Some ships and rafts pass by and she gets some respite. But she's still out st sea. She's only able to swim that far because she has a strong elf-body and a strong will. But she still hasn't reached shore. They are making the enormous distance evident. And yes it should be the distance of an ocean or half-ocean at least. It's supposed to be a near-impossible task and they're showing it that way. Edited September 5, 2022 by janea4old 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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