5 ms·

As a lifelong fan of LOTR, I'm having a lot of fun with this show. I don't really see why people dislike it so much. This show tells a story already known for d

As a lifelong fan of LOTR, I'm having a lot of fun with this show. I don't really see why people dislike it so much. This show tells a story already known for decades. It's not meant to have hairpin twists every episode. The fun comes from the production, the interpretation of the characters, the gorgeous backdrops. All of which I enjoyed tremendously so far. At least for me, Tolkien's work was always a slower pace, at times almost medidative experience. It's got suspense and action, but also a depiction of melancholy and beauty unlike anything else. And I feel the show is using these qualities well. The dialogue, criticized by many, is actually very feasible and for the most part fits LOTR well (except a couple of infractions). Yes it's geeky, and sometimes unnecessarily heavy handed. Welcome to Middle Earth! That's part of the charm, and always has been, especially when something truly beautiful is being said. I really don't know what expectations everyone had for this show, maybe a GOT clone, which thankfully it is not. Personally I feel like it was made for Tolkien fans like myself. I just hope they don't screw it up going forward.

maxerickson 4y ago
People who see themselves as "fans" are the worst, basically.
- magic_hamster 4y ago
  Entitled fans, yes. You can still like something without being obnoxious though.
rascul 4y ago
I too am a Tolkien fan and I enjoy the show. Seems like a good one so far. Much of the criticism seems to be nitpicking from people with certain expectations that weren't met. If you don't like it, that's fine. You don't have to watch it. I'll continue enjoying it.
- m_mueller 4y ago
  I just hope they can stick with it despite all this backlash from everywhere. Very curious about their take on Sauron, which hasn’t been shown yet as the evil sorcerer that he was.
  - KerrAvon 4y ago
    Probably not a problem: Amazon Prime currently lists it as their #1 show in America.
  - earleybird 4y ago
    Re Sauron My belief is that we're still in a time when Sauron can assume a fair form - after all, Numenor is still around.
    - m_mueller 4y ago
      my hope is that they show him as a super likeable beautiful character that every weak mind starts to love immediately, before pulling out the rug under everyone's feet.
Barrin92 4y ago
>Yes it's geeky, and sometimes unnecessarily heavy handed. Welcome to Middle Earth! exactly! I feel like I've lost my mind talking to people about this. How has anyone who likes the movies or books a problem with the dialog in the show? It's always been lyrical and corny.
unity1001 4y ago
> I don't really see why people dislike it so much Fanboyism. Fashion. Its a pretty good show. Actually I consider each episode a movie. The story is rich. Comprised of interwoven stories that coherently connect to each other. I would go as far to say that I like it better than the last 2 books of Lotr trilogy, where the story and setting turns to a neverending beautification of monarchy, leaving behind the gripping story of a band of misfits fighting against great evil and difficulties until the end of the fellowship of the ring. That's because Tolkien was a monarchist, of course. But that does not help anything.
emptysongglass 4y ago
I am relishing a fantasy series that doesn't devolve into an obsessive desire with rape and other sexual atrocities. My wife and I don't get the Game of Thrones fanbase: the show is mostly horrific sexual abuse of women with some male sexual humiliation thrown in. Rings of Power feels more like a return to fantasy as a meditation on wonder: I feel sometimes as if I was a child again stumbling upon some ruin in EverQuest or swampy bog of alien dangers.
- mariusor 4y ago
  I believe the early fans of A Song of Ice and Fire were excited about it because it went against the fantasy culture that Tolkien had started of a sanitized diaphanous world where the villains were unquestionably evil and the good guys could do no wrong. I think Martin tried to present his world in a more believable way as to how history shows us similar feudal periods went. I think I also prefer Tolkien's flavour, but I can appreciate Martin's grittiness none the less.

maxerickson 4y ago

People who see themselves as "fans" are the worst, basically.

magic_hamster 4y ago
Entitled fans, yes. You can still like something without being obnoxious though.

rascul 4y ago

I too am a Tolkien fan and I enjoy the show. Seems like a good one so far. Much of the criticism seems to be nitpicking from people with certain expectations that weren't met. If you don't like it, that's fine. You don't have to watch it. I'll continue enjoying it.

m_mueller 4y ago
I just hope they can stick with it despite all this backlash from everywhere. Very curious about their take on Sauron, which hasn’t been shown yet as the evil sorcerer that he was.
- KerrAvon 4y ago
  Probably not a problem: Amazon Prime currently lists it as their #1 show in America.
- earleybird 4y ago
  Re Sauron My belief is that we're still in a time when Sauron can assume a fair form - after all, Numenor is still around.
  - m_mueller 4y ago
    my hope is that they show him as a super likeable beautiful character that every weak mind starts to love immediately, before pulling out the rug under everyone's feet.

Barrin92 4y ago

>Yes it's geeky, and sometimes unnecessarily heavy handed. Welcome to Middle Earth! exactly! I feel like I've lost my mind talking to people about this. How has anyone who likes the movies or books a problem with the dialog in the show? It's always been lyrical and corny.

unity1001 4y ago

> I don't really see why people dislike it so much Fanboyism. Fashion. Its a pretty good show. Actually I consider each episode a movie. The story is rich. Comprised of interwoven stories that coherently connect to each other. I would go as far to say that I like it better than the last 2 books of Lotr trilogy, where the story and setting turns to a neverending beautification of monarchy, leaving behind the gripping story of a band of misfits fighting against great evil and difficulties until the end of the fellowship of the ring. That's because Tolkien was a monarchist, of course. But that does not help anything.

emptysongglass 4y ago

I am relishing a fantasy series that doesn't devolve into an obsessive desire with rape and other sexual atrocities. My wife and I don't get the Game of Thrones fanbase: the show is mostly horrific sexual abuse of women with some male sexual humiliation thrown in. Rings of Power feels more like a return to fantasy as a meditation on wonder: I feel sometimes as if I was a child again stumbling upon some ruin in EverQuest or swampy bog of alien dangers.

mariusor 4y ago
I believe the early fans of A Song of Ice and Fire were excited about it because it went against the fantasy culture that Tolkien had started of a sanitized diaphanous world where the villains were unquestionably evil and the good guys could do no wrong. I think Martin tried to present his world in a more believable way as to how history shows us similar feudal periods went. I think I also prefer Tolkien's flavour, but I can appreciate Martin's grittiness none the less.