haha yes

Agree. Its the obvious choice and this isn't that clever a show.

I'm leaning more towards Sauron

Ye possible either him or Sauron or something new? Or some hybrid? What ever it is it makes currently very little sense for me. Not a fan of that so far.

@@ThePhilosophersGames You could title the main review The Wrongs of Power! 😂😉

It's not 98%...

That is one of the strangest things I have red in my comment section for some time. Rotten Tomatoes is woke?

but thats the "critics", the audience score is an amazing 38%

RT is utterly irrelevant for critic and user reviews.

@@ThePhilosophersGames Its all a lie. All of it. Internet is not made for men. Their flaws tainted it.

​@@Makkaru112 Thanks but If they're hate porn channels I'm not going to waste my time, but I'll give them a look when time permits if they're not. I really liked the pacing of being able to just sit and actually gawk at the culture in the show, watch folks chat in the background, and just enjoy the setting! The detail was just mmm mmm good! Compared to The Wheel of Time & House of the Dragons' first episode... this was a different kind of cool for me at least. Now I'm a comic book guy, so I get now detail or lack thereof can be annoying, but this show's rights are kinda tangled up right now. So I'm not mad because there's really not much you can do about that sorta thing. Yet they're trying and I'm going to give them a chance to fall on their ass. Hopefully, they don't.

@@Makkaru112 If you could just shed some more tearz i can start taking a bath. This Show will skyrocket. Deal with it.

@@Unworshipediety Tolkien Untangled is a glorious channel. Rainbow Dave is a joy and is always kind in his content. George the Giant, however, is hate porn for sure.

Average fantasy fan

yes episodes werent that good 3-4/10 for me

Yes it is in a way very similar to what peter Jackson did, but also sometimes very different. When it comes to the classical Middle-earth feeling I also noticed it is very different in a way. There is some cleanness about it.

Yes exactly 😄 Some stuff is even decent.

Yes I know what you mean.

haha it's often exactly this.

@@ThePhilosophersGames It may be fanfic. Dont know what this is anyway. Nor am i interested. But it feels like Middle Earth. Anyway. It is Middle Earth.

@@bluewhitespartan5258 it does not feel like middle earth at all lol. Rewatch peter Jackson's lotr and hobbit and truly feel what middle earth feels like...

@@CosmicSpider69 The PJ movies are Fanfic as well.

@@Spielkalb-von-Sparta according to you every movie is a fanfic. PJ MOVIE'S WERE TRUE TO THE LORE! the hobbit was a bit long but it was still the same story! Amazon in other hand, changed the lore completely which is infact a fanfic...

To be fair you are not wrong, that is also a possibility for a translation. It could mean "blessed fire" or "blessed heat" as well. But also "what is heat" or maybe fire. Hard to tell. Glad you enjoyed it ^^ Thank you for commenting!

Yes watched them at 3:00 in the morning. First Two Episodes are out. Curious what you think of the Dwarves ^^

The other episodes will be aired each Friday three hours later. 4:00 UTC. Depending on your time zone you've got to convert it.

Indeed it is a shame that they're limited by copy right issues. Some of the dialogues are well done, but some I felt a bit "wooden" as well.

Most of the dialogue feels Tolkienian to me.

Yes Halbrand is strange to me, it almost feels obvious, but maybe it's a distraction? The Stranger also gives me some evil vibes at times I have to admit. But maybe that is deliberate to distract us?

Yes i think Galadriel needs some getting used to. Not sure if I like how she starting point of her character is written. Some of I like, but some other elements I dislike.

@@ThePhilosophersGames boy oh boy the starting point is terrible in my humble opinion. Daughter of two elven kings is being bullied really? Oh and some of the metaphors and attempts at making the dialogue profound just fall flat if you think about them a little. I'm really disappointed with Galadriel's plotline. If they switched the new elf for her I feel like that would have been a better way of showing her search for Sauron and some actual success that gives her proof of evil forces and not just stubbornness. But hey at least this way the new guy gets one of the most promising plotlines so far

@@ThePhilosophersGames also quick question since I'm not sure but did they whitewash the easterlings? Or am I crazy for thinking that?

​@@luiseescartin8026 I'm pretty sure they did. The easterlings are aupposed to be more Asiatic, and the Harad should be more middle-eastern. I honestly hate the elf-human relationship they're trying to make. It feels like just more forced diversity (black man gets the white woman), and also ridiculous that they're trying to make it another Beren & Luthien or Aragorn & Arwen.

They have a casting approach that ignores ethnicities for the most part I assume. Further it depends on the Easterlings I guess. Tolkien never really described them We only have some brief descriptions of the Haradrim.

Yes I noticed it today myself today, at least one time, which seems strange to me as well.

E.g. the italian shots on Galadriel's eyes, Elrond before entering Moria saying how warm they will welcomed there and than it#s the exact opposite. Some camera angles, the design of the "drakes" or what ever they were in the First Age scenes look a lot like the "fell beasts"/winked steeds from Peter Jackson (in the book they have beaks), etc. I'm still not sure who the Stranger is. The fire references ("it's quite cool") seem more Sauron like. But I could be wrong. Saruman would be an interesting idea as well.

I'm also looking forward to next Friday. When it comes to Galadriel, I think they did not help her with this setup. Just send her directly to Númenor as a Diplomat, maybe let her ship be attacked by a see monster on the way, if you really want this shipwreck thing. But the whole shipwreck setup we got seems very forced and not very elegant to me. like the actress and think she did a very good job and I think Galadriel has a lot of potential still in this series, but I think her story setup did not work well most of the time. I guess I'm OK with her being obsessed hunting down Sauron.

I didn't like Galadriel at all. She feels too much like a Feanorian. Actually she behaves more like Feanor than like Galadriel. Being a woman I wanted her to be her strong self, an amazing leader ( not that I liked having her be a soldier, a general commanding armies, I hate it) but going with the show runners choices , I was expecting that the show portrayed her as a good leader, respected and loved by her troops, tall, fierce, commanding. And she is a terrible leader, her only focus is revenge against Sauron because her brother was killed, not because Sauron is Evil and destroying and killing everyone and everything around her as it should be. Instead she doesn't care for her soldiers, she puts them down, she doesn't listen to their advise. This is what i did not like in this Galadriel so far. Not even considering the lore, thinking of the series for what it is and referring only of the characters plots and subplots. She is a weak character, she is introducing us to this World and it's events. So why waste time with her being bullied instead of showing us a wonderful beautiful portrait of life in Valinor, something actually meaningful? She as a child playing with her brothers and cousins, freely, happily would have impacted a lot more when followed by the betrayal, destruction and death. Do we really need the poor bullied child and the victim background? She is special since the day she was born, not a bullied kid. It was boring dialogue and too many clichés intermixed with amazing scenic images, the beauty of the Trees, the destruction of their peace and the amazing Morgoth shadow. That was awesome visually but it fell flat emotionally. Then she behaves like a stupid karen by misbehaving, disregarding her King's orders and reacts to this by demanding to speak to him...really? She is unlikable, rude, petulant ,shallow. Not strong, not powerful. I believe that this is why so many don't like her. I am only giving my honest opinion, not trying to disrespect your opinion. :)

I don't disagree with you. I also did not like the setup of Galadriel so far. But I assume they will develop her from here and she becomes a better leader and wiser, more teh Galadriel we know. But I hope the character development starts soon 😅

@@ThePhilosophersGames i think that's exactly the point. We all know the Galadriel from the 3rd age and the way she is portrayed in the Peter Jackson movies as that admirable, sublime, wise and strong person. A leader to whom everone automatically looks up to. But the 2nd age Galdriel we meet here is a very different one. She is thousands of years younger and so much less experienced, just having lost her brother who meant very much to her. She still has to become that powerful wise woman we had already known. And i think that's what they are trying to show us. So it's going to be very interesting and exciting

Yes I can see why some people might think that. It depends on what you want from the show. I was positively surprised by some of it and so I'm more positive.

Indeed it is. Simply bland.

The Hobbit and Silmarillion don't feel like the Lord of the Rings either, so I'm assuming you mean Peter Jackson's adaptations. How narrow-minded.

@@scweneyti2384 Why is that narrow minded? People are entitled to not like something or feel it doesnt live up to the original source material. I don't understand the defensiveness to people sharing their honest opinions!

😂 Wasn't that bad or me, it's different though

@@cjm3109 I understand. You dont understand.

@@bluewhitespartan5258 I don't understand what? Trolling?

Exactly!

Does she just jump off the boat?

@@provisionalhypothesis I’m talking about the prologue in valinor, thought it was a very bad way to start with kid Galadriel fighting with the kids and an awkward conversation with a lame looking Finrod

Yes I said it in the stream as well. I think this Young galadriel, boat and Finrod scene it kind of works, but is not that elegant. Also taking this as dialogue foundation for Galadriel's (strange) decision later, didn't convince me either.

@@ThePhilosophersGames this hurt me so much right from the start 🤣, I adore anything First Age and it just didn’t vibe with me or had any Tolkien feel in it. The proluges in Lotr and The Hobbit were way better.

good for you

How edgy of you. Nothing about this was nearly as bad as you'd lead people to believe. Sounds like you already had an idea of what elves where like and were never open to any other interpretation. Your loss.

@@scweneyti2384 ahm that was sarcasm

@@tobytomada3501 I assumed yours was, I was replying to the parent comment.

Misleading as hell. Great Show. Ridicolous critic. Biased asf.

Tolkien did not write much about the 2nd Age.

Well that precept for liking the show is just irreconcilable for anyone that likes Tolkiens works

They want to use a very famous franchise (which ideally is loved but had no major release in recent years) to get people hyped and push people to use Amazon Prime. That's all the thinking there is (also sorry for the late answer).

@@bluewhitespartan5258 Worth every $250 million then! 🤣😂

@@ThePhilosophersGamesThe whole thought process behind the concept appears to be so lazy now it’s laid bare for everyone to see. They’re now constrained by the ‘source material’ and their marketing strategy that it appears to be a poisoned pill.

Impossible.

Unreal.

It is Melkor's Song

A lot of lore contradictions, but also a lot of impressive detail true to the lore. I expected that, but was still impressed with some of it, so that's a plus for me, but I can see why people might dislike it.

@@ThePhilosophersGames In Tolkien's books the Numenorians forget Eru and begin to believe he doesn't exist. Sauron in fact manipulates them into believing he was made up to control man. And it's this hubris that leads to the destruction of Numenor. I wouldn't be surprised if they leave that out as it's quite a reflection of the present. Also I don't think they even have access to Eru as he wasn't part of the Hobbit nor LOTR... I just don't understand why they would try to make a show on something they lack the rights to???

Having the rights does not change the books in any form, but gives them the opportunity to stay closer to what Tolkien actually wrote. They can fail, but without it they can't stay close even if they wanted.

When the whitewashed Easterling used "knife-ears" as a slur against Arondir, the writers proved beyond any doubt that they have no idea what setting they're in.

@@Bastardson_ wait, does where supposed to be easterling?? i hoped they just made up that region

Wrong.

@@michaelscott1507 The map transition showed them due east of Mordor, which would be Rhun. One of the Elves referred to it as Harad. Either way, the people there should look black or Asian depending on how far south it's meant to be.

Yes maybe, that or Sauron or a new character? Or maybe Sauron and Gandalf fused into one body and one tries both fight for control 😅

Maybe an unknown Maiar. He has dark vibes though. On the other hand he seems to have some love for nature.

haha yes true

Don't you want to watch the fool-fire burn?

Yes true. I liked most of it, but a few things worry me.

That's an interesting idea, but I would imagine he would appear in a more "official way" and without I assume losing his memory.

Interesting idea, but I personally don't think so. Though I must admit I have no better suggestion 😅

Yes I can see people not liking the Elves. The Galadriel sections are quite strange esp. plot wise. Elrond I like a lot though. The Harfoots surprised me as well. I expected a complete disaster, but it was pretty nice, though I'm worried when it comes to who the stranger might be.

Dude the dialogue was spot on! Have you even read tolkien

Can't complain much about the dialogue. Some details I disliked or I felt were not elegant enough, but some dialogue was pretty decent in my opinion. Pronunciation was also most of the time spot on, which impresses me.

Dialogue was very good. Isso.

Average 'yeah dude' dialect fan

Yes I can see that many people will like it. I was also more positive than I expected.

Yes I have to watch with subtitles to understand some of what they say 😅 Agreed the boat and swimming stuff looked good, but felt completely off. Didn't like these parts as well.

@@ThePhilosophersGames Thanks for the reply

I keep seeing the exact same positive comments too 🤔

Well, you know how it is - "Evil cannot create anything new, they can only corrupt and ruin what good forces have invented or made"...

@@meduseldtales3383 Exact description of the Haters memes and negative Terror. Great Show.

I think it’s just very mixed. It’s not terrible but it’s not great. I feel like being open minded in general about it really helps with how you experience it. Can’t wait for episode 3 next week!!

I think the actress is fine, but I'm not too convinced on how they wrote Galadriel. I guess she will develop a bit and it becomes better than, but so far it seems strange. Esp. the jumping off the boat thing.

Nice to hear that you liked it ^^

This is the way.

They have a lot valid complains, which you would know if you cared to listen to them. Even mainstream media reviewers like Grace Randolph called Galadriel in this show an unlikable Mary Sue and a Karen, who wants to talk to the manager. 'Washington Post', that is woke and belongs to Bezos himself, admitted that the show is boring. There's nothing to like about the main character. The costumes are very poor and look fake, they didn't even give realistic looking hair to some of the characters. The pacing is off and the style is inconsistent: sometimes whimsical and fantastical, sometimes unnecessarily gory.

@@salez9830 it’s supposed to be fantasy not realistic. I don’t understand why people can’t comprehend that. It’s only been two episodes that set things up, no way you can complain about pacing when they’re establishing things. Now, maybe a few episodes in it may become an issue, but so far it’s just fine. Sometimes you need to not take things so seriously and just like things for what they are.

@@cmpunkfan1122334 just because the genre is fantasy doesn't mean anything. There are themes and philosophy inside the work that should be respected and translated, themes that are predominantly Catholic... This is why there's such negative backlash.

10 minutes isn't enough to make any determination about the showrunners. You're a troll from your first word.

Why would you be ashamed it? 😅 It's just a TV show. But yes depends on what you want. It has a ton of lore contradictions as to be expected, but also some fascinating details. It's imo much better than I feared it would be, though it's still fan fiction.

Liar.

@@ThePhilosophersGames lol I am half joking. my main gripe is a single chapter from the silmarilion would of made made much better tv show then this. even a few pages out of that book could of been adapted into a tv show. the scummy Tolkien estate hood winked Amazon good.

I thought some scenes felt like I was watching something I'd see on the CW

😪

I honestly was unimpressed by the visuals and cinematography.

I can see that in places, but not in general. At least when it comes to dialogue.

Thank you much appreciated. It was also recorded like in the few minutes I had before I started streaming right after seeing the episodes. So really unplugged. I think it was decent. Dialogue was OK, not jokes every 5 minutes, nice details to languages, which i like, some strange decisions as well and some lore contradictions. So i see people dislike it, but I can also see why one would like it. I personally enjoyed my time with it.

I went to watch the show with an intention to witness the fool-fire burn in flames and rejoice in it. But the bastardization of Tolkien was less than I expected, and certainly less than what comic book geeks will tell you. If there's one emotion I would use to describe what I saw of the show, it would be simply 'frustrating disappointment.' For I am frustrated at how close to greatness they could have come had they stayed true to Tolkien, and disappointed to behold how bland and uninspiring the show came out. It would blend in with any other generic media with its themes.

@@ThePhilosophersGames Thanks for the updated thoughts! I’ve now heard reviews from the other two creators I trusted to be objective, and on the balance, I don’t think I’ll be watching the show itself. I will, however, continue watching your reviews!

Where is the wokeness? I just watched both episodes 8.5/10 or 9/10 for me.

@@gang-ridertv5433 when they talk about "woke" it is a way of saying they hate a strong female character and a few actors of color, it is very clear that they are racists hiding behind tolkien's lore

As said, it's not only the prettiness, but you see some people worked on that series, that had vast knowledge. The pronunciation in PJs films was not as on point. The language elements seem pretty good. The writing also. But Ofc lore is pretty off at times. Not sure if I like how they wrote Galadriel and I'm still very worried about the Stranger.

@Ryan Besides the "woke garbage" (which i just ignored because I'm next level tired) it's just an opinion that dislikes the show, which is cool with me. At least he had also something positive to say "it's pretty" and did not e.g. insult other who might enjoy it. I might disagree overall, but it's also stupid to just like the positive comments only. Though that happens easily. Also I know the user from the comments.

@@gang-ridertv5433 It is like that.

You too.

too late I think

Why, and how???????

@@gandalftehdank6052 Why? Because amazon has destroyed the story and lore, they have disrespected the author, and they have attacked and bullied the fans. We need to show them we will not let them treat us this way anymore. How? Don't watch the show. Money and viewership numbers are the only things these companies care about, so the lower those numbers get, the more likely it is for things to change. And spread the word.

@@clarechaddon2545 Just rejoice to see the fool-fire burn.