Wheel of Time Discussion - Spoilers(with book spoilers)

[wicked cool]

After 3-
special effects good (did feel at times Trollocs dipped into bad but also great at times)
Acting -average to poor. There’s not a single performance as good as a secondary character in got or equivalent (I would argue the actors in magicians are better ) so this goes into casting
Scenery/locations good
Costumes-good and bad. Rands coat looks very modern along with his hair
Now as a casual fan who gave up on this series they are as of right now not giving a lot of direction for the viewer. It comes off as groups of people are just walking around looking for the dragon.

show right now is a c- for it’s budget which I thought was substantial
Graded below
Obviously GOT
I would argue the acting in Witcher
I would argue acting in the magicians
Shadow and bone has actors that are better and is easier for audience to follow

if it stays like this it won’t get 3 seasons

 

[Parmandur]

if it stays like this it won’t get 3 seasons

Well, it already has 3 seasons in the bank, at least.

 

[Zardnaar]

Well, it already has 3 seasons in the bank, at least.

If it does poorly they can always cancel them.

All they'll care about is the amount that watch or uptick in subscriptions.

I wouldn't pay much attention to hyperbole one way or another.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I see where they are going with that, but that just might make it worse. The change feels like Brandon Sanderson more than Robert Jordan.

Actually, that is incorrect. Brandon Sanderson commented on the Wheel of Time subreddit discussing some of the consulting he did with this series, and how he didn't want Perrin's wife to be killed.

 

[Mercurius]

I'm surprised that peopled loved the trollocs . They were almost really good, but so obviously fake, and at times really bad. I liked the look of them - they were more fearsome than I remember from the books, although its been decades - but their movements looked like 20-year old CGI. Isn't this supposed to be super high budget? Hopefully they'll be polished up over the next season or two.

In fact, that's my feeling of the first episode (haven't seen the other two yet): Shows some promise, but is also quite lacking. As some have mentioned, it splits the difference between the awful Shannara (Xena-esque without the charm ) and GoT. If it is starting that way, maybe it will improve.

But yeah, part of the problem is the casting. Rand is dull, and very much seems like another Hayden Christiansen. Mat was probably the best of the group. Nynaeve was solid, Perrin and Egwene OK. Rosamund Pike was good, as expected. Lan was OK.

All that said, I mostly enjoyed it and my daughters (13 and 16) really liked it, so it is something to watch with them.

 

[Mercurius]

One more thing, this time positive. I liked that they didn't go for yet another full-on Medieval vibe. I'm not sure that what they did worked very well, but at least they tried to veer a bit from standard Medieval fantasy. Two Rivers felt a bit like a mix of far-future bucolic dystopia, hippy commune, and even tones of the Wild West. It was different than I expected, and I kind of liked it.

 

[Mordhau]

One more thing, this time positive. I liked that they didn't go for yet another full-on Medieval vibe. I'm not sure that what they did worked very well, but at least they tried to veer a bit from standard Medieval fantasy. Two Rivers felt a bit like a mix of far-future bucolic dystopia, hippy commune, and even tones of the Wild West. It was different than I expected, and I kind of liked it.

I actually thought the whole thing looked like modern D&D art.

Or in other words, I thought it really went for a standard fantasy look - which is not at all medieval.

 

[Mercurius]

I actually thought the whole thing looked like modern D&D art.

Or in other words, I thought it really went for a standard fantasy look - which is not at all medieval.

OK, fair enough. I still think it had its own ingredients, and I can't think of another film/series that felt truly similar.

 

[Parmandur]

One more thing, this time positive. I liked that they didn't go for yet another full-on Medieval vibe. I'm not sure that what they did worked very well, but at least they tried to veer a bit from standard Medieval fantasy. Two Rivers felt a bit like a mix of far-future bucolic dystopia, hippy commune, and even tones of the Wild West. It was different than I expected, and I kind of liked it.

The books do take place in the future of our world, after a couple of apocalypses, both nuclear and magical.

The overall setting goes for more of an 18th century, "Enlightenment" era vibe than Medieval, socially and technologically.

 

[Mordhau]

OK, fair enough. I still think it had its own ingredients, and I can't think of another film/series that felt truly similar.

Oh yeah. I think it's actually the first tv series to actually capture some of the look and feel of fantasy art.

The closest equivalent I can think of is the way the Lord of the Rings movies built on existing Tolkien art.