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As a huge Tolkien fan, I am quite relaxed about deviations from the source material. I get that there are storytelling constraints that demand timeline compres
by jl6 4y ago
As a huge Tolkien fan, I am quite relaxed about deviations from the source material. I get that there are storytelling constraints that demand timeline compression. I am also perfectly fine with the addition of new characters.
Where RoP falls down is the execution of the storytelling. Inconsistent pacing, cringy amateurish dialogue, fakeout deaths, plot armor, and so much Harfoot filler. The first five episodes should have been two episodes and the last episode should have been three episodes. I wish they had opened the mystery boxes much earlier in the season and then showed how Sauron was cunningly manipulating the other characters - but that would have required some intelligent plotting and dialogue.
My diagnosis of root cause is that a good show starts with a good story. But what RoP started with was a brand, onto which they grafted a story.
I am hoping that someone will recut the whole first season into a 3 hour movie.
For fairness, it’s not a terrible show, just a bit mediocre. I want to give credit to some parts which were awesome: Adar, the dwarves, the cast and character design generally, the scenery, mount doom, and all of the forging of the rings (this is the bit that I wish was shown over more episodes, not just squeezed into the finale).
- secondcoming 4y ago> and so much Harfoot filler I really hope we've seen the last of them. I've not read the books and so can't comment on accuracy, but despite the slow start the last aired episode wasn't bad at all.
- ohCh6zos 4y agoDon’t worry, reading the books would not give you much of a reference for the shows.
- elihu 4y agoThe Harfoots are mentioned in the prologue of the Lord of the Rings, "concerning hobbits". Honestly, I think they're probably the best example in the show of the writers extrapolating off of what's in the books to create new content that is mostly consistent with the world Tolkien created. I can see where opinions could vary, though.
- jemmyw 4y agoI also don't mind deviations. I've read the Silmarillion, but it wasn't the easiest read and I don't recall it that well. However, I'd put more weight on the bad things here. The writing, story, dialog, characterisation, consistency of character. They're all really bad. It stops you getting drawn into the world because it's not believable. The characters don't seem to do things because that's what they'd do, they do things because the story needs them to do it for the next thing to happen. The CG, effects and all that, these get all the attention but aren't typically why people come back to a show. I don't want to watch a third rate drama dressed up.