The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power | Amazon Prime Video - September 2, 2022

[MeatHookGekko]

The action scenes look really stiff and poorly choreographed.

^
The above video is from the 2nd season of Vikings on the History Channel. It was formerly their flagship show and original programming darling.

Michael Hirst ( The Tudors) took a relatively modest budget ( for the scale he was working with) and stretched it out a lot.

The 6th season budget was IIRC about 80 million. So 4 million an episode. I mean this is the History Channel and not Amazon here.

The Last Kingdom also has a modest budget relative to it's scale and size.

Honestly Bezos should have just hired Hirst. He's familiar with period shows and sword/shield era type shows.

Actually, Amazon might have been better off just starting a completely new series from scratch and given it to Hirst. The 250 million buy in for the rights alone makes this production a money loser no matter what.

 

[ScoutingForToys]

The Last Kingdom also has a modest budget relative to it's scale and size.

The Last Kingdom is an amazing series.

 

[MeatHookGekko]

The Last Kingdom is an amazing series.

Rumors are the TLK cost about 3.4 million average per episode across it's entire run. Considering it was filmed in Hungary with a massive tax credit, that gave them the chance to have some huge sets, larger battles, bigger set pieces.

Considering TLK has actual international appeal, this is akin to Robert Rodriguez with El Mariachi and Kevin Smith with the first Clerks, in terms of massive returns on the initial investment.

You don't need a massive budget to tell a good story that makes the audience care about the characters and narrative.

Remember Moon with Sam Rockwell? That was a great film and apparently cost way less than it looked.

I bet this is some giant money laundering scheme for Bezos.

 

[RandomHero]

I was REALLY trying to maintain an open mind about this show, but the trailer today killed any enthusiasm I had to give for this show. As someone who is very familiar with the Second Age of Middle Earth, I have no idea what the hell the plot of this show is supposed to be. Outside of Galadriel being the main character, I can't tell who these people are and what they're trying to do. Nothing feels recognizable. This doesn't feel like Middle Earth.

And seriously, what the hell was that song choice? Howard Shore came back to score this show. How do you not utilize some of his work, either classic or new? The music made it feel like they're trying to market this show to the 12 year olds who aren't allowed to watch a mature show like House of the Dragon.

I love Tolkien. I wanted to love this show. But I can't help but feel we're about to watch something akin to a bad fan fiction turned into a billion dollar TV show.

Maybe this will be the sign studios need to stop screwing around with the fans who want these stories to stay true to its subject matter.

 

[jye4ever]

I know nothing about 2nd age and the Similac and I still don’t after any of these trailers what the heck is it all about.

LOTR EE are a trilogy cinematic masterpiece.

This looks like Willow 2.

 

[JMT1979]

The Last Kingdom is an amazing series.

The books are even better!

 

[BeefEaster]

This just looks like some generic fantasy show with the LOTR name slapped on it.

Can't wait til this fad of making movies and TV shows that are more concerned with appeasing the twitter crowd than actually being good is done with.

 

[Sassafras]

This just looks like some generic fantasy show with the LOTR name slapped on it.

Can't wait til this fad of making movies and TV shows that are more concerned with appeasing the twitter crowd than actually being good is done with.

Nothing like Tolkien should have been handled by protégés of the Great Beast, the Destroyer of Worlds, Lord of Macguffins, Master of Lame Scripts, Ruler of the Magic Box the High King Abrams.
I was initially bothered by the weak resumes of the showrunners - people with little experience in dealing with massive period pieces have run into trouble before. Let alone works that are the basis of modern fantasy.

But, occasionally enthusiastic new directors and writers, who are deeply imbedded in the material, can do stellar work. IMO it's clear some research was done. But the apparent indifference to the depth of Tolkien's work, and the shallow modernizing of the presentation is pretty off-putting. Unless you are a 12 year old girl, I guess. Maybe. So far there's no way I could view this as a prelude to the Jackson films, or anything more than expensive fan fiction. Watchable, and then completely forgettable.

 

[Wor-Gar]

But, occasionally enthusiastic new directors and writers, who are deeply imbedded in the material, can do stellar work.

People often forget most of the most cherished franchises around here were started by new talent -- Spielberg, Lucas, Cameron, Scott, Zemeckis, Broccoli, Burton, Wachowskis...

 

[MeatHookGekko]

I’m with Ruffalo. I’m all for people having opinions, but I’m also all for being objective about ****. It’s specious, at best, when you count that, of the myriad of Marvel projects, the ones so many “people” (re: anonymous dudes writing RT audience scores) think suck the most are the ones led by people who aren’t white dudes. I keep an open mind with whatever I go into and there are things I like and don’t like, but goddamn. It gets to the point where I’m like “at what point did it become a prerequisite to behave like a ******* clichè?”

Like, I’m sorry, but Brie Larson can go out on TV or YouTube or wherever and say “A Wrinkle in Time” isn’t made for middle aged white men and I don’t care about their opinions. I want to hear how it resonates with a 12-year old black girl,” and it’s no skin off my ass. You know why? Cause I’m a ******* adult with enough real **** to deal with in my life that I don’t have an identity crisis every time somebody says something controversial on TV.

 

[jye4ever]

Grace said first two episodes are beautiful to look at but boring as hell rated G snoozefest lol

Oh and there is a scene were all the male Dwarves cower in fear of an attack while Galadriel shows all the men how it’s done I’m not kidding.

 

[ironwez20]

Bae is so good with her words

 

[Wor-Gar]

Boring as hell? So it should fit right in with Jackson's LOTR.


I kid.

















kind of...

 

[Wor-Gar]

To solve all these problems with people's divisiveness on casting, maybe one day they'll make a series with a select-a-character option. Choose what actor you want playing the roles.

 

[greygoose]

Boring as hell? So it should fit right in with Jackson's LOTR.


I kid.

















kind of...

 

[willocrew]

Grace said first two episodes are beautiful to look at but boring as hell rated G snoozefest lol

Oh and there is a scene were all the male Dwarves cower in fear of an attack while Galadriel shows all the men how it’s done I’m not kidding.

Go girl power!!!!

 

[ObiGlennKenobi]

just watched the first ep.
Loved it.
Soundtrack is beautiful.
Great backgrounds and scenescapes.
Loving the characters so far.

 

[slynger]

Definitely not groundbreaking, but a solid 1st episode.

 

[Victοr]

This place is so evil, our torches give off no warmth.

How can you be certain?!

It's colder.

-

Put up your sword, Galadriel.

But what am I without it...

What you have always been; my friend.

-

BRAVO BEZOS! 1 (ONE) BILLION DOLLARIDOOS!

Some of the most wooden acting in recent memory. Everyone's like a theatre kid trying to put on their best "staring in the distance" face. Zoom-ins that belong to an early 2000s capeflick, and a barrage of close-ups of unconvincing nobodies trying to be "deep" and "insightful" but just looking like deers in headlights. They're trying, but it's all so amateurishly done that it doesn't gell. Writing on the level of "It is over; the evil is gone" which then tries to sound "poetic" with bangers such as "if but a whisper of a rumour of the threat you perceive is true". Green screen from a circa 2015 YT video. What even is this? I said screw it, I like elves and whatever, I can kill an hour. But God. Taking the time to sail the high seas alone was too much effort.

I can see how someone could ignore all that and genuinely pass the time, but I'm out. The best thing I'll say is that despite the green screen, most of the sets do look pretty cool. It's not CW tier or anything, but this isn't 1B$ budget.

Oh, and just one last thing. GALADRIEL LITERALLY DOES A WUXIA JUMP OFF A BLOODY SWORD!

I just... I don't understand what they're even trying to do with this show...

Whatever, this is it for me. I'll probably check the Sauron scenes when he inevitably shows up because I'm a sucker for villains in armour.

 

[Otomofan]

I woke up at 4AM and couldn't fall back asleep.

I saw that the first two episodes of this dumpster fire were on the torrent sites.

I almost clicked on the links, thinking it would be something "to do" while struggling with my insomnia.

Then I realized.....wait. I don't want to watch this. It looks like utter trash There's no reason to subject myself to this. There are millions of better things I could do at 4AM than watch even 30 seconds of this excrement.

So, I did not download the torrent. I did not watch any of it, not even 30 seconds. And I will continue to do so until my time on this mortal plane has ended.

And I never saw Power Rings of Power, and I went on with my life ignoring it as if it didn't exist, and I also ignored all the arguing over how terrible it is, and I was perfectly fine with that.

The End.