this is a mixed bag for me also.
It is not completely horrible as I expected it to be, nor is it good as I had hope for it.
first two episodes are around or slightly below the Hobbit level.
some good parts, bunch of filler.
and the pace is sloooooow.
visual are great, maybe sterile somewhere, but still great, we can see where 80% of the budget went to.
props to the CGI team.
Karendriel is hell bent on revenge for her brother's death and wants to speak to Elven management all the time. Even if you are correct, and she is correct about Sauron, there is a thing called overextending, and Elrond rightfully has scolded her and told her that her zeal will create much company for her brother in death.
and that ice troll fight? haha!
why does she have a company with her if they are so incompetent?
Either she is so good that she does not need help in that quest or is she so stupid to bring bunch of incompetent "red shirts" just to have then for cannon fodder. That is somewhat irresponsible to your troops. It also put her in danger as a large group is easier to spot and there is clearly no use for them in combat.
That quest should have her alone there. Might be some better character development if she is alone with here rage, hate and zeal.
maybe some inner monologue voice over.
The bobbits, err harfoots can be cut completely and have us some more mass battle recollection about the war with Sauron.
They are like those endless, useless scenes in Hobbit with dwarves singing, and bathing and throwing plates...
And whats with amnesiac Maianator, Valardine model T-800 Olorin?
was he send back from the future or maybe just from asteroid belt around Arda.
I was half expecting Gandalf to start yelling; WHAT AGE IS IT??
Since I still cant be bothered to remember new character names just yet, I will say that only interesting thing would be the part with the black elf guy and his (not)girlfriend.
There could be something interesting in this; discover the mystery of the orcs.
also with her son and (not)Morgul blade.
Elrond and Durin storyline could be predicted from mile away, especially when Durin's wife entered the dialogue.
yeah, no one saw that reconsiliation coming...what a plot twist...
They might pull something decent about Elven/dwarven collaboration in building the towers, some orcs in digging the foundations, some new magical creatures discovered, anything.
it just seems that biggest limit is their source material of maybe 50 pages, they need to make a lot things up and have it not correlate with any books as they have no right to that material.
And they want to make 5 seasons of it? From that skinny source material?
guess, we'll see.
Best of luck to them, they'll need it.
