The Fellowship of the Ring

[Ruin Explorer]

I dread Rings of Power season 2, a little bit.

For real.

Like I didn't hate the first one. I genuinely liked parts of some of the episodes - damning with faint praise I admit - but seriously I did. I liked that they showed Numenor and its society and I felt they kind of nailed it (admittedly a lot of that based on it being very in tune with MERP's portrayal!). Lenny Henry was genius casting as a hobbit. I didn't hate stupid sexy Sauron (because Tolkien really felt like we should feel sorry for Sauron in some ways, even if basically none of that is in LotR's actual text-text). And so on. It was a curate's egg but it had a kind of interesting vision (to be fair I have a history of enjoying wacky but not antagonistic takes on Tolkien material).

But S2... everything I hear about it, right down to them losing the most charismatic actress on the show by far (not their fault to be fair, she wants to help work for change in Iran), to the actual specific plot points and casting decisions, just sounds... a bit worrying.

 

[Parmandur]

Besides the fact that I'm just a huge fan of sci-fi and animation, I think WALL-E is simply one the best examples of visual storytelling in the history of film. The movie accomplishes so much with so little dialogue. It's a textbook in how movies can be a unique medium. In that regard, I put it on par with Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 2001 A Space Odyssey, and Metropolis.

Man, I agree for Act I, but I do think it goes down a botch once the robots leave Earth.

 

[Parmandur]

My reaction to him the first time I read it was identical. I probably was mad with that dude until I was like, in my 30s and re-read LotR with way more context.

Then I was like "This guy is really important to understanding what Tolkien is actually saying with these books". I still don't necessarily like him or even agree with the "kind-hearted Unabomber" sort of message, but at least I get it now and it's not just "UGH THIS WASTEMAN!".

I think it's fine he's not in the movies, and don't worry, Rings of Power is going to absolutely RUIN Tom Bombadil for everyone. I have no doubt they will destroy him with some grotesque misrepresentation of his character. Especially as they've cast Rory Kinnear, a genuinely great character actor, but one who specializes in tetchy bureaucrats and repressed jerks and isn't great in other roles - and both of those things the absolutely and total opposite of Tom Bombadil. Also, Tom Bombadil really should be kind of hot, like under the beard and tomfoolery and stuff - he should be someone magnetic (like Winston Duke - not suggesting him specifically, but he was the first large inherently-sexy man I could think of). And that ain't Rory Kinnear.

EDIT - I should say I don't loathe Rings of Power unlike some (though I do have... questions), and it made a lot of artistic decisions I respected in S1, but I really don't think S2 sounds like anything but a disaster.

I'm one of the weirdos who loved basically everything about Season 1 (needed more musical numbers), so I'm optimistic for Season 2: time will tell.

 

[Stalker0]

I dread Rings of Power season 2, a little bit.

My only hope is that WoT season 2 was a Huge improvement from S1. They took a lot of the feedback and critiques to heart and actually made a solid season, though not perfect.

Maybe RoP could do the same, here's hoping.

 

[Zardnaar]

My only hope is that WoT season 2 was a Huge improvement from S1. They took a lot of the feedback and critiques to heart and actually made a solid season, though not perfect.

Maybe RoP could do the same, here's hoping.

WoT S2 has a good claim to best fantasy show on atm. HotD has beaten it imho but as usual ymmv.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

They should have cast Ed Greenwood as Tom Bombadil.

 

[ART!]

WoT S2 has a good claim to best fantasy show on atm. HotD gas beaten it imho but as usual ymmv.

I watched the first 2 eps of WoT and did not take to it - how would you compare the first and second seasons?

 

[Zardnaar]

I watched the first 2 eps of WoT and did not take to it - how would you compare the first and second seasons?

S2 was way better enjoyed it. S1 was meh.

 

[Rabulias]

I watched the first 2 eps of WoT and did not take to it - how would you compare the first and second seasons?

Caveat: I am not a reader of the books. I found each season 1 got better in many things over the course of the season, and by the end was a much more solid offering. I even said to friends that I wondered how the producers could finish episode 8 and look back on episode 1 and not go back and tweak it.

Season 2 was a definite improvement overall, much more consistent quality. Still, House of the Dragon is a much better show, IMO.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

A proper Fellowship of the Ring would be a musical, in a full Bollywood-inspired style.

Not joking, I would watch that.