In the movies, elves had this glow and aura about them that made them look different. You notice that in the Hobbit as well, how Legolas, Tauriel and Legolas' father gave off a different aura than Bilbo and the dwarves. The difference between elves in the series and in the movies, is that in the series they look like humans with long ears, they don't have that nobility and majesty in them that the movies show.
Yessss you explain this so well! I was wondering why the elves look or feel so bland in the series. In the movies, the elves really capture my attention. A different aura and majestic.
@@theelectricprince8231 The dark lord Morgoth is a Valar. A literal god. Dark lord Sauron is a Maia. Both types of creatures are way more powerful than elves. Also, I think Jackson portrayed the elves wonderfully, just as Tolkien intended. This new show really doesn’t distinguish elves from humans. And I have no idea why they gave elves such modern haircuts, some of which actually require electric razors to be achieved?
She didn't say Elrond was gay in the books. She said he seems gay on the show. She then said there were no gay characters in Tolkien's works. So I have no idea why you decided to comment this useless fact.
Not that I have seen the show yet, but that's exactly what Tolkien would do - write pages upon pages to describe a tree or a flower or the environment in general before progressing the plot. Time will tell if that is something the showrunners tried to capture, and if hey did so well.
Seriously I wanna see her play stuff like Far Cry, Horizon ZD, Control, Tomb Raider😭😂 so many good stories happening in games and her reactions are hilarious
I did not feel the subtext of Elrond being gay. In fact, this is the only review that has said that. Male characters should be able to be diplomats and not warriors, and still have the ability to be straight. They should also be able to have male companionship and still be straight.
@MasterOnion North She said she thought it was bad because there's no action, that's ridiculous, only an idiot thinks that a show needs to have action all the time to be good, by the way she said that the series is bad for being PG-13, funny that the movies of the lord of the rings are also, so logically she must think lord of the rings bad, the truth is she doesn't like the tolkien universe
I think it's funny that Haters of the series are agreeing with a criticism from a person who doesn't like lord of the rings or the tolkien universe, just for tantrum
Did you just say it’s become a clear element of the elves? Like elves = gay? Seriously? Tolkien didn’t include gay sexual tension in his books because he’s Roman Catholic, it’s because he didn’t include any sexual tension in his books. They are non-sexual to the point of forgetting about it, because it’s not important. Something modern writers too often forget.
The first honest review I've seen so far. Emphasizes both good and bad. The effusive, glowing reviews from the selected critics were hard to believe as there were 0 criticisms. Thx Grace!
No that's the first review that u agree with that's all. Also I have seen criticism on other reviews also. No one is gove it 10 its be 8 some 9 mostly 8.
There have been criticism. Some of have said it's kinda slow in the start. But picks up speed as it goes on. This is coming from reviewers that have already watched the entire show already.
So the Nerd of the Rings review was not honest? The review you agree with doesn't equal 'honest' lol. If anything I'd take NOTR's word on the show than Grace's as she is not a big Tolkein head.
that kind of stood out to me too - sorry Elrond was gay....since when? Someone should tell his daughter.... makes me think differently about that scene where he gives Aragon that big sword - THANKS AMAZON!!!!
All I'm saying is that this is what happens when you give a franchise on the level of LoTR to a couple of guys who had no real experience whatsoever. Just another Wheel of Time is what is sounds like.
@@jtlindstrom Aside from Galadriel taking on the Snow Troll by herself, I am actually really enjoying the Rings of Power. I think its better than the movies actually, and I really like the pacing. I was really disappointed with WOT.
@@TheGraemi They have printed on chainmail at one point. It's literally cloth with a printed design with them trying to fool people. CGI value might be high but the costumes are a downgrade from the triology made 20 years ago for less money then this first season cost.
I'm not sure about that, most of the reviews I've seen of both trailers and first two shows have criticised exactly that; what the showrunners and cast have set out to achieve as it is so at odds with Tolkien's work.
Dude, Stranger Things Season 4 had a ton of spectacle. When I was watching Season 4 it was immediately clear that this season cost way more than the previous ones. The scene where Eleven drops a helicopter in the desert. I'm sure I've never seen anything like that in a TV show. Same with the last episode. The majority of which is set in the upside-down. The whole Vecna mind place. This season clearly had a lot of money put into it. Also remember, when Grace says ST season 4 had a budget of 25 Million per episode. That's 1 and half hour long episodes. With the 2nd last episode bieng 2 hrs and the last episode bieng 2 and a half hour long.
@@zachymoore It probably is the talent costs because watching the The House that Dragons Built episodes (BTS of HOTD on HBO Asia), I can’t imagine how expensive all the sets and costumes were.
Btw respect for this review. A lot of my favourite fictional characters are female. But there is a difference between writing a strong and relatable female character and humiliating or vilifying men rendering them incompetent so that the female character looks better. I'm glad you start to notice that in many of your recent reviews and are honest about it.
That's a weird criticism... Men put down other men ALL the time in movies and shows... Why is it weird when a female does it? Tony Stark was an asshole to MANY of the male Avengers, and we LOVED it... But when women get snarky with men, it's looked at as a bad thing... That's such a weird mentality
@@cruzanassassin It's men being portrayed as incompetent in a strange flanderization. Better Call Saul had a male and female lead (kinda) in Saul and Kim. They were both competent.
@@kashanti1 nah... It's a timing thing... If these shows/movies that men get pissed over played 15 years ago... No one would have a problem with them... But it's popular now to bash women for everything... That's why people like Andrew Tate are so popular... That's y shows like she hulk and movies like Captain Marvel and black panther get review bombed before they come out...
What did you expect, this is not lore accurate, they destroyed the characters, locations and timeline from Tolkien because they wanted to focus on sending messages because sadly the writing talent in Hollywood nowadays is the same untalented lot...
This is all due to "diversity hires". Great screenwriters, cinematographers, gaffers etc did not make the cut simply because they were white. It no longer matters how qualified you are for the job only if they can meet their diversity quotas.
@@TueSorensen Yes major characters are completely missing or changed, events just didn't happen, timeline is being taken from thousands of years down to taking place in a couple years, they seem to cross vast lands in seconds just look at when they visit the dwarves but take no camping supplies with them for a trip that would take days.
Lord of the Rings is more escapist for me. A beautiful, fantastic world full of wonder. GOT for me is an exploration of human nature, which is often dark. IMO the two series are completely different.
@@Fedorevsky I’ve read the silmarillion and I kinda agree with him. I get the feeling LOTR is more “pure” fantasy with wizards, different races, monsters… While GOT is more like a medieval political drama with some fantasy elements (dragons and a bit of magic) which are treated reallistically. There are also complex and dramatic storylines within LOTR of course, like Beren and Luthien, the rise and fall of entire kingdoms like Doriath or Gondolin… But in general there aren’t as much politics as in GOT
I love how people are roasting the fact that the show is such a Frankenstein abomination of a story due to the rights issue, by literally making up their own version of what the story actually is - stitched together from barely compatible peoples, places and things. XD
@@sigmacademy They would have been better off going for a full scale Terry Pratchett style parody. It would probably even be less offensive in that form than it is now.
1. This is a prequel taking place thousands of years before the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. 2. Robert Aramayo is playing Elrond, Galadriel's son-in-law and is the father of Arwen.
You forgot 3.This show is not in anyway faithful to the writings of Tolkien, this is essentially bad fan fiction brought to you by ex bad robot employees and amazon. Thanks JJ.
I just recently got into Game of Thrones, especially after seeing the House of the Dragon trailers. I'm currently halfway through season 5 of that, and even though I know how the entire show ends, I can't stop watching because the story is so compelling. I have no interest in watching this show; the trailers got me nowhere and it didn't feel like it was giving off the same vibes of Lord of the Rings or Hobbit.
That's pretty much the biggest red flag for this show - that the showrunners seems to be lacking the information they need to properly plan out a story for a single season, never mind the 5 seasons they are hoping for. Peter Jackson KNEW the stories he had to create both trilogies for, so he knew EXACTLY how much he could cut and how much he needed to keep, and there's videos online of him WORKING himself practically to death to get it RIGHT. One does not get the same energy from this team, because they are supposed to know MORE because if they don't know what they aren't allowed to use in the mythos, how do they know what they CAN? :/
You are correct. That was obvious when she said that Elrond was portrayed as Galadriels gay BFF. I think the writing was 5% glancing over Wikipedia and 95% Fan fiction.
@@sigmacademy that’s why I will forever love The Hobbit no matter how much people think it sucks- Jackson loved Tolkien and is a true fan. He expanded on the story (like Tauriel and her character details I was surprised by how much thought they actually gave her).
The reviewers I’ve seen so far aren’t either. Maybe those of us who are will see more good in the show. Or maybe not. The way Grace described the first episodes does sound about like what I would expect from a TV adaptation of Silmarillion-type material. It is indeed a slow burn. Can’t wait until we get to the “Of Beleriand and its Realms” episode!
If a guy grew up with mostly sisters like me, he is likely to be a little more feminine than his friend who has mostly brothers. So we must be able to separate personality from texuality. We have to remember that bromance which are friendship that have evolve to the point that you become like brothers from other mothers. Lastly we have to remember that Tolkien fought in a world war I. In war you and your fellow men become like second families sharing secrets, hopes and dreams and whenever someone dies you mourn.
@UCte6JSEHRQvfCu5TYFRyGbA it's got nothing to do with "truth". I just hate reviews that spend so much time making comments on other shows. If I want to buy an orange don't spend 5 minutes talking about apples and melon.
It is shocking to hear "how much" was spent on this and then to hear how "careless" the character development is . . . that is the foundation of ALL good storytelling. Grace - you confirmed my suspicions . . . I may watch just out of boredom - but it looks like it may increase my boredom rather than alleviating it. [Kinda scared - lol!] Your analysis is always spot on so hopefully the script is a "slow burn" and will pick up. But to have Galdariel so miscast is an impossible thing to overcome no matter HOW good the script is. She is a pivotal character.
The problem is the actress was okay for the role in her previous role in another movie, but she lacks the on screen presence and charisma of her older self (not slamming the actress, just comparing her to the character she is supposed to become). This might be intentional as part of a character journey, but since I saw her in another movie, I doubt it very much. The best on-screen presence here is Disa, which is a shame, because she practically has a SINGLE line in the trailers, and the trailers are so incoherent in selling the show to fans it's not even working in the show's favor.
my problem with the show is I can't separate elve from humans. I love the lord of the ring movie bc it always makes me feel that in the fantasy world, there are also many races and each has its own style and culture. I am Asian and in that time or even now we have different styles than people in the west. you are not going to see big buff guys with girls around them here and i see that in the movie. i know right away they are elve or humans. the first time i saw the poster of Galadriel wearing armor, i couldn't tell who she was. i thought she was a princess who fought in a war.
I think this issue is particularly clear with a character like Galadriel. Elves act like these otherworldly beings largely because of their near immortality. They aren't brash or spontaneous because they have time to ponder and reflect, which can sometimes be to their detriment, making their behavior and culture drastically different from other races. While Galadriel is younger than in LOTR, she is still hundreds of years old at the time of this show, and yet she still gives the feeling of a generic twenty-something warrior princess.
Celebrimbor barely appears in these two episodes, not to mention being played by a very old actor, which is strange since he's supposed to be Galadriel's nephew.
I love how casually Grace dismissed J.R.R. Tolkien with regards to the characters and world he created. Grace's suggestion that Tolkien's characters and world would presumably be made better if only he hadn't actually been serious about adhering to his religious convictions (which, I assumed was a right he was entitled to have) and included LGBTQ+ characters was so asinine. Also, why is that every time Grace watches a scene with two or more male characters interacting with each other in a non-violent way she automatically starts to project homosexual undertones to said interactions?
"Also, why is that every time Grace watches a scene with two or more male characters interacting with each other in a non-violent way she automatically starts to project homosexual undertones to said interactions?" +2
Yeah it's one of my main gripes with so many fantasy "lovers" - the conclusion that, unless it's explicitly stated otherwise, two attractive men having a moment in screen where they get along well is an implication that they're gay or have some sort of feelings for each other. This was one of the big projections about Frodo and Sam after the PJ movies were released - that they surely must be "gay" or "closeted" gay because no straight men behave like that to eachother. Horrific and harmful stereotypes and gatekeeping what constitutes positive male friendships. Why is Elrond implied to be gay, anyway? Because he has coiffed hair? Or he is soft spoken and well groomed? That he doesn't burp and eat meat ravenously like the Dwarves do? Pfft. By this account, Legolas is also gay because Orlando Bloom is prettier than the majority of the women in those movies.
Ok Grace said she could barely remember the movies.... wtf? How do you "forget" Lord of the Rings? Then goes on to talk about Lee Pace's fantastic performance. Does she remember the movies or not?
I’m probably going to pirate house of the dragon because it’s not available in my country. But i can watch rings of power legally… i just don’t really want to.
@arslan hbo max is only available in 60ish countries. There are still multiple first world countries that can’t get it without a vpn. And I’m not going to go through all the trouble if getting a von just to watch one show.
This is so weird! Everyone is saying it's the most honest review! Based on what? None of you have seen it yet... And how can you tell if someone's opinion is honest or not? Simply criticizing something doesn't mean a review is honest
@@PredatorPeyami but if someone thinks the show is amazing how are they liars? For one, u haven't seen the show yet... Secondly it's their opinion! You not agreeing doesn't make them liars... There are people who don't like the Godfather... Clearly you like it... So if it was coming out in 2 days, and one of the rare reviewers that didn't like it gave their review, u would have called them one of the only honest reviewers and all the other ones dishonest... But when u watched it for urself, u would have agreed with the majority that thought it was a masterpiece
@@timsimpson6019 not skipping anything based on Grace. Never have, never will. I choose not to watch Rings of power months ago. Not or ever would be an Amazon subscriber
I watched it, as a show this could turn out to be a good prequel to LOTR. Lot better than Hobbit movies, because this time its real make up !!! Doesn't deserve this much thrashing. There's enough action, and one can easily understand they're setting up the story
It's interesting that House of the Dragon's battle episode will be the Sunday after Rings of Power premieres. Coincidence? I think not. Also, today will forever be known as the day that Grace said, "Sweet elf action." 😆
Hbo strategically released HotD, episode 3 is the first big battle in the show which happens to be on the same week as RoP release. It will be interesting to see people compare both shows.
"It's not that the story isn't good enough, it's that there is no real story." Seems like Amazon should have tried harder to get the rights to the Silmarillion, rather than making stuff up and pretending it was Tolkien. Well, they can't say the fans didn't warn them.
It would be interesting to know who the person was that actually bought those rights. It's the single most worst judgment call ever made in entertainment history. How do you tell a story set in an universe where you aren't allowed to use any of the major characters, events or items? You could, but it would LITERALLY not be connected to ANYTHING in-universe that matters. They could rather have bought something wholesale like Scorpion King, that already had everything build into it that they wanted, but which just needs a canon reboot because of the mess that its continuity is in the movie series. :/
It's gonna be a really interesting development seeing how Rings of Power does against House of the Dragon. Earlier in the year before either show premiered I was in the camp that Rings of Power was going to overshadow House of the Dragon, but now I'm not so sure. House of the Dragon really rallied the fandom back together and is even drawing in the general audience back in as well, so I feel it may be a case of "House of the Dragon doing it first and doing it better". Not to say Rings of Power won't have its audience, but Amazon may have shot themselves in the foot just a little bit pitting it against House of the Dragon
Grace refers to him as a GBF to Galadriel, but that's just her opinion. Maybe he's just...really British? Or bi? Grace barely remembers the movies so she probably has no idea that he has a daughter.
Elrond married Galadriel's daughter, Celebrían, and had two sons, Elladan and Elrohir as well as Arwen. His wife was captured and tortured by Orcs, was rescued by her sons and physically healed by Elrond but was too emotionally wounded by her captivity that she ended up sailing into the West. After the fall of Sauron, when the ringbearers, including Galadriel and Elrond, sailed to the West, he would finally be reunited with his beloved wife. So, no, he wasn't gay. :)
@@LadyKirin They are talking about the show though. They do have him do weird greetings with other male elves like the weird touching their cheeks, almost creepily caressing them. Given the things the show runners have said in interviews it wouldn't shock me if they are trying to hint that their Elrond might swing both ways which as you've shown contradicts Tolkiens writing which isn't shocking since the guy was a devote Catholic.
We should be glad that there were/are none lgb characters in all of The Lord of the Rings because J.R.R. Tolkien was a devout Roman Catholic. That's why it's good.
14:02. The reason why you can't find a story in it is because they're not allowed to use anything you'd recognize in the LOTR mythos. It's essentially their own story that might or might not align with the actual mythos already there and the only reason you could lure people to this show is by keeping the mythos accurate and/or truthful, which both the showrunners and the talent has indicated on multiple occasions isn't a priority in interviews. It's like you ask someone to write a sci-fi story, but the writer isn't allowed to include any of the sci-fi tropes or cliches. Now, if the showrunners ever read the Star Wars Expanded Universe, or the novel series for Assassin's Creed, or played the Halo game and read the novels, or Star Trek and any of its novels/graphic novels/comics, or Alien and its comics series, etc. they would have had a pretty good idea on moving around in and expanding a world without having to use any of the main characters of previous films. There is an ART to doing it successfully, but not many are equipped to do so, because not many people are active readers and as such lose out on the benefits that reading provides them. :/
That's the thing. They could of just wrote side stories in an anthology like show with all new characters and they wouldn't face the blacklash they are now for just changing established lore.
@@AllGreyEverything Which one? Rankin Bass from the 70s was pretty bad. Current was shackled by Jackson trying too hard to make a trilogy out of it. It dragged on forever with much that wasn't in the book, just to fill out the time. I think the fans would have been a lot happier with shorter screen time, but that included Bombadil. It was a children's book. That trilogy put even seasoned adult Tolkien fans to sleep.
Hmm…I don’t understand most of her points. I saw it yesterday night in theaters with a packed audience (of all ages) and we all loved it and actually cheered. There was action, there was thrill, Galadriel’s story is gripping to me. And yes, it’s gorgeous to look at.
Agree with it all! Jury is still out to see how the season holds together, but I was surprised how emotionally effected I was by the storytelling. They captured the seriousness and the sense of whimsy colliding. And yes, it's gorgeous too.
I think she wanted a giant action sequence like in GOT or the LOTR fms but I don't understand why you would need that in the first 2 episodes? 🤔🤨 but I agree with you. I enjoyed it a lot.
You don't understand her points because you're not a rage farmer, like Grace. There was also no one in the first 2 episodes that was in any way portrayed as gay, she entirely invented that. Her business is clicks, and making ridiculous claims to piss people off gets them.
@@Travesty9090 I’m a Grace fan but sometimes I see this opinion and almost agree with it. It’s insane about the gay elves, I’m gay myself and I didn’t get an ounce of that with any of their scenes.
I think Grace’s review here exemplifies the kind of person Rings of Power was not meant for. The kind of person who never personally connected to the spiritual or thematic depth of the fantasy genre and who probably complains to this day that Jackson’s trilogy was too long. We’re all entitled to our opinion but it’s sad to see a critic eviscerating something so beautiful when there’s already a mob on social media trying to destroy it. Just gives the trolls validation and that’s something I know Grace never wants to do intentionally. But here I can’t help feeling she’s with the mob.
I, as just a casual LOTR’s viewer, actually enjoyed the first two episodes, surprisingly. Breathtakingly beautiful and I love elves and dwarves. I do agree that there was a lack of action, way too many characters that we want to get to know about, and therefore lack of character/story developments. But I will definitely keep watching as I hope so painfully that there will be some epic battling and elf magic.
I’m a book reader who liked the Jackson films quite a bit, but not nearly as much as a lot of LOTR fans. I actually think this show blows the Hobbit Films out of the water. Right before I watched the first episode of Rings of Power I watched the Desolation of Smaug… so I went in without bias of favorable memory.
“Tragically, there are no LGBT characters in all of The Lord of the Rings because J.R.R. Tolkien was a devout Roman Catholic." Tragically? First of all why should he have to have homosexual characters in his work? Why do you care? I mean He also didn't feature gonorrhea in his works either, was he obligated to have that in there too? Also if you're going to start disparaging any kind of media over the first half of the 20th Century and even before that for not having LGBT characters, you're going to wind up with a long list I'm afraid.
Wait, I'm so confused... who are the gay elves? Like, whoever was walking with Elrond clearly was gay, but I'm confused by the pictures she has on screen. I also think we associate softness with femininity and therefore if a male is softer, he must be gay. Elves are soft and firm, regardless of their sexuality.
I think she's talking about Elrond and Celebrimbor embracing and the odd Elrond touching his face. It doesn't line up with how the elves greeted each other in Jackson's work. They don't say it outright but they do have some weird behavior.
So.... Just The Rings of Power sound like fan fiction. Amazon could have bought the rights to D&D instead and they would have probably saved themselves a lot of headaches. Oh, well...
@@TueSorensen The problem is many of these characters appear in Tolkeins works during this time period. None of them seem to act as they did in those stories. Most of these characters have been changed drastically.
@@logosofgame4273 I am not a Tolkien reader, so... I don't really let that influence my enjoyment of the TV show. But do the characters outright contradict what's in the books, or do their TV stories just take place in different time periods, so they might still be consistent with the book versions in the fullness of time...?
@@TueSorensen I don't have the widest knowledge of Tolkien lore so someone more knowledgeable can correct me, but some of the characters, Galadriel and Tar-Miriel in particular, were not prominent military figures during any of the periods this show is depicting. From what I remember, Galadriel went on a personal quest somewhere else following her brother's death instead of seeking to avenge him, and Tar-Miriel was almost immediately forced into marriage as part of a political coupe to usurp her right to the throne, meaning she never truly ruled Numenor as seen in this show. These events take place in books that Amazon doesn't have rights to, so they've filled in these blanks with their own version of events.
@@silverscion2144 OK, well, but there you have it! The reason they made these changes: they had to. Personally, I'm good with it. A film or TV adaptation will never be 100% accurate to the literary original; it's a different medium, and the story needs to work in the new medium. I love seeing Galadriel as a warlord (warlady?). 🙂
60M an episode? - I think I would have preferred Prime make a heap of movies instead. They could have brought back the mid budget movie and given us 16 of assorted genres.
Grace, this was specifically written to be in the tone of Tolkien's universe which is not lascivious or salacious. The fandom is already hesitant, rightly or wrongly so, therefore they went to mirror the Lord of the Rings stylization....at least it was said to be. If you came in wanted GOT, then you would be disappointed more than likely.
@@alzer6467 It looks that way, Ill go a little further in on the episodes to see if some of the lore issues get reasonably abridged treatments. I noticed with PJ's treatment he made bridges on some of the lore that I ended up accepting as part of his considerred license. I genuinely dont think that will happen here, but Ill wait a little longer.
@@johns5558 PJ had to do some changes for time and or the screen but in an interview he was upfront they didn't want their messages in the movie they want Tolkien's messages. The show runners have said the complete opposite multiple times now in the press talking about how the universe has to match a more modern audience and be like the world around us.
Wow I’m surprised, this is one of the first videos where I’m of the complete opposite opinion to Grace. I completely ate up the first two episodes of Rings of Power! I think the world building was balanced well and we got a good sampling of each of the locations which I’m sure we will revisit again as the story progresses. I don’t think there’s a “main character” per say, but like LOTR there are several important characters that the first two episodes did a good job of introducing us to, and I’m excited to see them all start to intersect with each other as the series progresses. I’m also finding it so interesting that people are comparing it to GOT/HOTD. I was a huge GOT fan and have tried to give HOTD a go but the first two episodes of HOTD didn’t excite or interest me anywhere near as much as ROP. In fact I’m quite bored watching HOTD and I find most of the characters unlikable and predictable.. but to each their own. I think I’ll be more likely to see ROP through to the end rather than HOTD.
Not bringing Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens onto this series was a massive mistake by Amazon. They should have been involved as they did an incredible job adapting Tolkien's books previously. Thanks for the honest review Grace - I myself am so deeply skeptical about this series, and think it's going to be one very costly mistake for Amazon, but at least we will always have Peter Jackson's work.
I have to disagree, I think Only Murders Season 2 handled the return of Steve Martin's character's surrogate daughter quite well while balancing the meta with the mystery. Lots of new tricks applied, with all of them--IMHO--landing quite well. We even got Nathan Lane's character and his son, and a lot of Martin Short and his son. Frankly, I think there were a lot of touching scenes, my favorite being Steve Martin's character helping the building caretaker's pregnant candidate with compassion through what had become a confusing and scary water break and beginning labor. That was an excellent scene, Steve Martin playing against type with genuine emotion. Lovely.
This is such a shame. Such a waste. Amazon disregarded the advice of true Tolkien scholars, and they ignored Peter Jackson, even though he was willing to partake in the project and make the world feel visually and tonally akin to the movies. Add to that the gargantuan budget, and this should have been the easiest victory in television history.
@@cheddartheadventurer7511 I don't think they skimped on the writing talent - I thought this was really good (just watched the first two episodes). Better than any other adaptations of the Tolkien universe so far. People should really watch it.
In my opinion it works perfectly with the Peter Jackson movies and at least the first episode is just as good. The second episode isn’t as good but the first one is amazing.
@@Florfilm can you name any character development in the show? They are all just blank and wooden. They are like characters from a fantasy rpg computer game.
If what you say is really true it is tragic that they wasted so much potential in making this. The Lord of the Rings is the story that so many of us grew up with, the original high fantasy, and the inspiration for most of the things that came after including Game of Thrones. The first live-action movie cost $93 million so these 2 episodes cost more. Mindboggling how they managed to mess this up and after so many years of preparation managed to premier at the same time as House of the Dragon.
I thought it was great. Watch it and make your own opinion. She's not a fan of Lord of the Rings so thr series isn't really for her. LOTR are my favorite movies of all time and I love this so far.
@@lpphillyfan I watched it and was shaking my head the entire episode but I've actually read the books so everything they do to change and contradict what Tolkien wrote sticks out terribly for me. On top of that the dialogue is just terrible, they messed up on the look of characters like the elves they don't seem other worldly immortal beings like they did in the movies they just look human with pointy ears.
I think it's funny that Haters of the series are agreeing with a criticism from a person who doesn't like lord of the rings or the tolkien universe, just for tantrum
What on earth are you talking about. I liked her review because she had some funny lines. I didn’t mention agreeing with her. How do you know I’m a hater of the series? Mentioning the word tantrum is also extremely rude!
If you're a LOTR fan than you'll appreciate it more than Grace. LOTR are my favorite movies ever and I love this series so far. However, if you know the lore, the changes might bother you.
It's as if Amazon simply wanted to make a The Lord of the Rings TV show because of the iconic IP instead of really spending time on "why" they should be making such a show... storywise.
Also funny how Grace is ripping into Galadriel's actress' performance yet praised Amandla Stenberg for playing two twins the EXACT same goddang way as wooden plans in The Acolyte. I smell me a Disney bias, Grace. Might wanna fix that.
Plot: There isn't really much plot-wise on rings of power, it's the story of the good and evil, how good grows complacent and get dimmed by evil, the battle and the triumph. Character: I actually liked Galadriel's character, if all of us is her, we'd sure be living in better world. She's true that complacency will blind us from evil and that evil never rests. After all the darkness she's seen, she'd sure not want to see one again. What otherwise her character would be, I'm not sure if it'd make sense to me. Vfx and Production design: OH my, it's breathtaking, I'm in awe with every scene. What an impeccable feat. Definitely the best ever made. Overall, I like rings of power, there's that nostalgic feeling, same feeling from watching LOTR and the hobbit.
If their writing stays on course, that's a given. (and as long as the writers of the show doesn't run off in the last season to chase another project that never materializes).
I think the galadriel actress has it really hard, having to be compare with kate Blanchett... she was an amazing galadriel and she has that certain strength and regal but also the softness that the character requires
Got and HOTD are weekly appointment which I love, and I think it contributed a lot to the show's success and influence. But it means you have to hook your audience with stuff to keep them coming back, the same way networks shows keep teasing you every ten minutes so you don't turn off the tv when the ad break pops. With what you're telling us rn, I think this shows plays more like a nteflix show, so I think I'm just gonna binge watch the all thing once it aired fully haha
Both HotD & TRoP are based on in-world supporting “history books”, GRRM being very much inspired by JRRT. However, this review suggests that the HBO show, that I have seen, worked much harder on inventing dialogue and scenes that are not in its source, whereas the Prime show follows it source in glossing over big chunks of history. If you’re going to make a TV show out of what has been for 60 years just D&D reference books, you probably need to work harder.
I don't know if you realize, but there really isn't source material for this show. It's sort of a void in Tolkein's writings. There are broad outlines, names, places, some very high level story points, but nothing to tie them together well. The shows creators haf a fairly blank slate. Unfortunately, it seems in filling it what they created isn't very Tolkeinesque. Makes me ask Grace's 1st question. Who is this for? Also, is that a big enough group to justify the cost?
No ROP is mostly fan fiction, it's not based on Silmarillion since they don't have the rights. They only have rights to the appendices from the trilogy and hobbit. So they have like a couple hundred pages at best to use.
@@danz1182 The problem is they don't have the rights and are putting in things that flat out contradict what professor Tolkien did write. The professor and Christopher have to be spinning in their graves over this abomination of a show.
And equating Elves being "fair of face beyond the beyond the measure of men" (as Tolkien describes them) with being "gay" is peak post-modern Hollywood. Even Lee Pace's depiction of Thranduil wasn't "gay"....more like "aloof" which is what one would expect the Elvenking to be depicted as. But of course every movie/show has to have "queer representation" now....
This is the first time in at least a year I have agreed with you and on two things! House of the Dragon is shockingly, absolutely wonderful and Rings of Power is a massive disappointment. Galadriel is absolutely insufferable and plot, plot is important.
I obv haven’t seen the first 2 episodes yet but having recently rewatched The Hobbit & LOTR Trilogies it seems like this show is gonna be the super extended version of those. The beginning of each trilogies first movie is spent jumping around a ton introducing characters and tons of setup, it was my main problem with The Hobbit (tho I adore that trilogy even though it’s not particularly liked). Hope this show is good, ready for more LOTRs after my recent rewatch.
No the show is nothing like Jackson's works. Jackson was on record about how the crew kept any of their own messaging from the show wanting to put in what Tolkien had established instead. This show does the opposite and the characters are unrecognizable from their book and movie counterparts.
I like Graces reviews, i do. I like thats she was honest here. But not everything needs LGBT stuff in it. Especially if the creator is a hardcore Catholic. You have to remember when those books were written LGBTQ wasnt really mainstream and accepted (i mean it still isnt unfortunately) but not every movie or show needs a LGBTQ character, hell they shouldn't mention anyone sexual status at all. So i appreciate her honesty, but not everything needs LGBTQ if it doesn't fit the story.
Grace, you said there wasn't much in the way of action. Are you sure we watched the same episodes. I loved the first 2 episodes. There was a good amount of action and a lot of incredible locations. A bit of slow growth but that is just ok. Very well done. Looking forward to the next episode. Will be interested to see who The Stranger is.
Honestly, I don't know what people expect these days. I think many people just crave big crazy action scenes within the first 10 minutes because theyve watched too mant Marvel movies or compare every fantasy setting to Game of Thrones (where it's point was to be more gritty, bloody and dark than LoTR type high fantasy). IMO, having big action scenes in the first episode of two of a series with 5 SEASONS would've been overkill. I think it's a good idea that they are building up to things slowly and having tension grow gradually with the mystery surrounding Sauron and evil starting to appear here and there. The horror type elements with the tunnel orcs were great. Much better than a big bloody fight scene at this stage, when it's still very early on.
That's exactly why I like the way they approached the trailers. They gave us lots of visuals but not a single clue about what the plot might be. I'm sick at those trailers where you just understand everything that's going to happen through a season just in 3 mins. In order to understand the plot on this one, well guess what, you'll need to watch it. I thought the first 2 episodes were stunning and I can't wait for more.
I suspect this will go down in history as the biggest streaming blunder ever. I will not be watching this as I do not have Prime in my country, but I will be watching as many RU-vid reactionary/weekly summary videos as I can. They are going to make some serious bank off of this.
At 60 million per episode with no actual Tolkien lore to show for it! The biggest waste of money in streaming history. They must really hate Tolkien to be wasting this amount just to spite his legacy.
Yeah, coz Marvel is based on books where there are 10 words per page, and half of them are "Wroom" or "Boom", and SW target audience is 12yo IQ 80-, while this fanbase is a bit different sort
My favorite part was when Guyladriel raised up her hands and shouted, "Are you not entertained?" before Sauron snapped back, "I am the senate!" Truly a breathtaking masterpiece, far better than Jackson's trilogy.
but voldemort fighting darth vader was also pretty good, rly awesome choreography, when they team up to find dragon balls and summon shrek i almost shed a tear.
What was even better was after she killed the Ice Troll and looked back at her squad and said "come with me if you want to live" simply stunning writing
