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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Jul 23, 2022 14:41:15 GMT
Having loved all six films, I will sign up to Amazon Prime for this, even though I don't expect the characters to be as likeable as in the films, with them not being Hobbits. I expect it to feel more like Game of Thrones. Which means I'll still like it.
As per the films, it looks like female characters will be more prominent and stronger than in the original Tolkien, which is right and proper in this day and age.
Martin
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Post by The Doctor on Jul 23, 2022 15:19:53 GMT
Looks shite.
-Ralph
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 2, 2022 20:20:09 GMT
I made it 26 seconds in and bailed.
-Ralph
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Post by legios on Sept 3, 2022 16:56:41 GMT
Watched the first two episodes Friday evening and this lunchtime. Thought it was decent. Technically pretty solid - although some of the way it is paced is not entirely my thing (I'm not saying it is bad per se. Just the visual flow of it at times is a bit "stately"). This may be partly due to how much of it concerns elves though. I find Tolkien's elves a little frustrating - in the way I suspect most quasi-immortals probably would be. I did like a certain group of characters though - Nomi is absolutely endearing and probably my pick for favourite character.
I wasn't entirely sold on the first episode - again, see under "immortal elves, frustration of" I suspect. But now that the various different story threads are starting to move a little bit more in episode 2 I'm finding myself a bit more engaged. Also Dwarves. Dwarves - the more petulant the better.
I think I will probably stick with this. It gives me a Friday evening show, so I've now got She-Hulk for Thursday evenings and RoP for Friday's. I really should make a decision about what is going to be my Tuesday evening show. Probably something from Netflix whilst I work on clearing down my backlog ahead of it being the one I suspect I'm going to "let go" soon.
Karl
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Sept 3, 2022 19:21:38 GMT
Seen the first two hours. I enjoyed it. Galadriel's great. And the Dwarves are always fun. Some of the other story arcs may grow on me as the series progresses.
Martin
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 3, 2022 23:16:21 GMT
I do quite like that She-Hulk show.
-Ralph
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Sept 10, 2022 11:16:22 GMT
OK, Episode 3 is the one that makes me committed to this series. I _get_ it now, or at least I get the A-plot, which is the one I'm now completely hooked on. Yes, the Dwarves were good in Episode 2, and they aren't in Episode 3, but if that's the price to pay for more time to progress the A-plot, that's a price I'm happy to pay at this point.
Martin
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Rich
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Post by Rich on Sept 10, 2022 11:46:09 GMT
OK, Episode 3 is the one that makes me committed to this series. I _get_ it now, or at least I get the A-plot, which is the one I'm now completely hooked on. Yes, the Dwarves were good in Episode 2, and they aren't in Episode 3, but if that's the price to pay for more time to progress the A-plot, that's a price I'm happy to pay at this point. Martin Agree with all of this. I'm still struggling with 'Irish' lot. Can't believe somebody thought that was a good idea. |
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Sept 28, 2022 18:06:47 GMT
Just catching up with Episode 5. The Brandyfoot travelling song felt very Tolkien. I'm sure Ralph would have enjoyed it.
Interesting to see the Moon looks exactly like our Moon. Almost like they're going to pains to confirm to any doubters that this is not another planet.
Martin
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 28, 2022 20:53:44 GMT
I always assumed Middle Earth was another planet.
-Ralph
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Sept 29, 2022 4:38:37 GMT
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Post by The Doctor on Sept 29, 2022 7:27:50 GMT
I always assumed Middle Earth was another planet.
-Ralph
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Sept 29, 2022 17:45:54 GMT
I think I always knew it was Tolkien's alternate European mythology inspired by the Norse Ring Legends, but with English Hobbits inserted.
Martin
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Rich
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Post by Rich on Sept 29, 2022 18:04:25 GMT
The lyrics felt Tolkien but the performance was terribly, painfully overwrought and American.
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Oct 14, 2022 7:05:25 GMT
Cracking finale.
I'd love a second series, but the ending is so satisfying that it wouldn't leave anything hanging loose if we didn't get one.
Martin
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Post by The Doctor on Oct 14, 2022 7:37:49 GMT
Second series is in production.
-Ralph
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Oct 14, 2022 15:43:12 GMT
Guessing second series will be about the forging of the Dwarf Rings. And so on. Is the Elf leading the Orcs Galadriel's brother? Martin |
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Rich
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Post by Rich on Oct 15, 2022 23:00:07 GMT
Sadly, I found the final third of this series to be a very diminishing return and by the end I just didn't care any more.
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Post by Bogatan on Oct 25, 2022 11:09:41 GMT
I didnt hate it but I also couldnt get invested in it and I think after reading some reviews Ive realised why. It doesnt work as a stand alone tv series. It tends to assume the viewer will have a decent knowledge of the books or at least the films. Even though its not entirely part of either of those continuities. A couple of things the reviews pointed out had completely gone over my head Spoiler
The guy who cuts off the finger with the ring on in LOTR. He in this but didnt appear to do anything. Everytime he appeared I was left wondering what the hell was going on.
I now know he will be important later but he still served no purpose here.
And then the Balrog appears, I did recognise that, but I didn't really know its back story. Without that (and even with what I knew) a giant moster appearing at the end of an episode is going to make people with no knowledge outside of what the show has told them to assume it is going to play a major role in THIS tv series. Not in an unrelated story set 1000 years later.
I guess this is what its like to watch a random MCU show if you dont watch all the MCU output. Although in this case I felt like it was watching an MCU show and requiring detailed knowledge of the not shared continuity of the comics. And generally I dont think Marvel have done that. As I said I didn't hate it, but it didn't seem like it was a show aimed at me. Beyond that it just felt a bit uneven, like a compilation of unrelated shows made by different people with dfferent budgets and aims. A lot of it was good, some of it was not and it didn't quite gel. |
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Oct 25, 2022 17:28:52 GMT
I remain of the view that it's not a patch on the (extended) LotR films, but better than the Hobbit films. And I do like the Hobbit films. I did know who Elendil and Isildur were as soon as they were named. Isildur is name-checked several times in the LotR films, including in the first minute of The Fellowship. Martin |
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Jim
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Post by Jim on Jan 5, 2024 12:56:37 GMT
I finally finished watching this after watching the first episode back in 2022 and taking over a year's break (and not even because I didn't enjoy it or anything!).
Really enjoyed it. I love LotR and Tolkien's extended mythology around it, and also the general vibe of Jackson's films, and I feel like this delivered on that, at least for me. Although it rubs some people up the wrong way, I also think it's nice to get some earnest, straight-forward fantasy TV. Not something that's constantly winking at the camera, filled with knowing quips, or ostentatiously "for adults". It just told its story straight, and without trendy ultra-violence and suchlike.
Some very likable performances in there too. Looking forward to season 2.
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Jim
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Post by Jim on Jan 5, 2024 13:00:00 GMT
{Spoiler}
And then the Balrog appears, I did recognise that, but I didn't really know its back story. Without that (and even with what I knew) a giant moster appearing at the end of an episode is going to make people with no knowledge outside of what the show has told them to assume it is going to play a major role in THIS tv series. Not in an unrelated story set 1000 years later.
I expect that to pay off in the next season - I reckon we'll see the fall of Moria to the Balrog and orcs, probably ending with the elves sealing the door that's opened in Fellowship. It felt more like they were setting that up to me than just providing a bit of backstory for the first movie.
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Post by Llama God on Jan 20, 2024 10:10:24 GMT
Except that Moria's not meant to fall due to the Balrog being unearthed until well into the Third Age - long after Sauron's defeat by Isildur as seen at the start of Fellowship. Now, of course they can accelerate events if they want to - and that's fine, sometimes they need to do that, because what works in a book would make terrible television. The events happening in Numenor for example are happening far too late and far too quickly, but if they'd dragged them out over the necessary centuries then that wouldn't give us a particularly interesting TV story arc.
So I don't mind them bringing things forward. But we do know how extensive the Mithril mines end up, and I'm guessing that that won't happen until Durin III passes and enables Durin IV to take the throne, and I don't see all that happening in the space of the next season.
Basically, what I'm saying is... much as I love the Balrog sequence in Fellowship, they should've skipped this.
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on May 14, 2024 16:40:33 GMT
Martin
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Post by The Doctor on May 14, 2024 18:27:06 GMT
Yeah, but just imagine if they were hunting Gollum.
-Ralph
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Post by Fortmax2020 on May 14, 2024 19:21:10 GMT
Oh yes. This programme exists. Never did finish season 1.
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Aug 30, 2024 20:50:46 GMT
All up to date having watched the first three episodes of season 2.
Martin
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Rich
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Post by Rich on Sept 28, 2024 19:24:33 GMT
Tried to watch the first ep of series 2. Honestly, it was almost unwatchable and I turned it off.
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Cullen
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Post by Cullen on Sept 30, 2024 10:38:43 GMT
I've watched the first 6. Waiting for Thursday to watch the last two together. It's watchable enough but the teleporting around the map does my head in. Is Eregion right next to Kazaddum, because the prince just pops down there every 2 mins? It also still surprises me that these programs can get the absolute best in terms of sets, props, CGI, sound, music etc but can't get anyone to write a decent plot or dialogue.
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Cullen
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Post by Cullen on Sept 30, 2024 10:41:43 GMT
Just looked on the map and they are pretty close to be fair. But there's still no sense of scale for the world. People are just where they need to be for the next scene.
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