The Rings of Power (new Amazon series based on Tolkien)

[Big Insect]

Aye, and the country-living humans we've seen so far all have northern (English) accents, and the elves all use received pronunciation.

Seems also to be a lot of rural Irish accents as well.

[Steve J]

We thought the Harfoots sounded Irish rather than West Country.

[Big Insect]

I was also a big fan of the first couple of Hellboy films - shame the 3rd was so truly terrible.
I'd like to see more of that sort of 'Lovecraft inspired' fantasy - could never remember if Hellboy was DC or Marvel - never really cared, if truth be told 

[Big Insect]

I've got this on my 'To Watch' list but with House of the Dragon starting as well I can only manage one expansive Fantasy series at a time without my brain merging storylines/characters.

I might be one of the very few (on this forum anyway) who hasn't watched GoT. I saw part of one episode on a plane journey (remember those - back in the olden days) but found it a bit dull. I had the same problem with Harry Potter. I read a couple of books to the children but found the plagiarism of J.R.R.Tolkien and C.S.Lewis and others too much to cope with. Whilst Tolkien borrows heavily from old Saxon, German and Norse legends, you do get a feel that he is at least trying to create something new-new. The argument that J.K.Rowling used Harry Potter to make fantasy more accessible is a bit thin IMHO. I suspect that if I settled down and actually made an effort to watch GoT I might enjoy it - but maybe that's a project for my retirement 

[John Cook]

I might be one of the very few (on this forum anyway) who hasn't watched GoT.

My wife and I watched the entire series over a month during the first lockdown while self-isolating.  The Chinese and their wretched COVID have a lot to answer for.  It was OK and passed the time until the last series where it was almost as if they ran out of ideas.  The ending was the biggest anti-climax imaginable.  The first episode of House of the Dragon was replete with gratuitous violence and sex and not much else.  I'll persevere as the characters may develop but at this stage I'm not too hopeful.
I agree about Harry Potter. I've seen several of the films on TV but haven't read any of the books.  I thought it was just a second-rate Tolkien/Lewis knock-off aimed at children. 
I read all Tolkien's stuff years ago and thought the films were more entertaining.  I am not persuaded by a look-alike 'Tolkien' series, seems a bit unoriginal to me but the entire movie industry seems terminally repetitive and bereft of ideas at the moment.

[Leon]

I've never watched/read any Harry Potter either, just doesn't float my boat.  I have a weird issue with child actors and rarely find them believable in their roles.  I loved the Narnia books as a kid but can't watch the films as most of the main actors annoy me!

[Big Insect]

I agree Leon - it's probably why I cannot engage with any of the teen vampire/werewolf stuff either.

[Leon]

I agree Leon - it's probably why I cannot engage with any of the teen vampire/werewolf stuff either.

Yep, no time for any of that!  Twilight and the endless vampire TV series just don't do it for me.  Buffy was OK for a few years as it seemed to understand it's own cheese level. 

[flamingpig0]

I found it relatively watchable and much better than those execrable Jackson films; I am not horrified at the black proto-Hobbits and Elves and can have a non-aggression pact with Lenny Henry if necessary.

[fsn]

"What we were trying to do was to analyze what was important to Tolkien and to try to honor that. In a way, we were trying to make these films for him, not for ourselves. The most honest form of filmmaking is to make a film for yourself. The worst type is dictated by demographics or what is hip or what kids are into." - Peter Jackson

"But that was then, this is now and we're telling the story now." - Lenny Henry.

C'est magnifique mais ce n'est pas Tolkein.

[Raider4]

Buffy was OK for a few years as it seemed to understand it's own cheese level. 

Ahh, no children there. Cordelia was played by a 27 year old and Xander by a 26 year old when the series started. Even Alyson Hannigan was 23. At least Sarah M-G was a teenager (just).


They were all supposed to be ~16-17.

See also Grease.

[flamingpig0]

. The most honest form of filmmaking is to make a film for yourself. The worst type is dictated by demographics or what is hip or what kids are into." - Peter Jackson


C'est magnifique mais ce n'est pas Tolkein.

That is from the guy who turned the short children's book into three interminably long films and inserted a sexy female elf and a love triangle into them!

[Raider4]

C'est magnifique mais ce n'est pas Tolkein.

I enjoyed the first two episode - much better than, say, Wheel of Time or The Witcher - and will keep watching.


Having Galadriel as the focus removes any sense of peril. We know she's not going to fall from an icy cliff, or be eaten by a sea monster, or die in any other way.

[Raider4]

That is from the guy who turned the short children's book into three interminably long films and inserted a sexy female elf and a love triangle into them!

I wonder if it's possible to strip out anything and everything not in the book from those films and make a decent  coherent film?

[flamingpig0]

Cordelia was played by a 27 year old

So beyond the dating age for late middle-aged Hollywood actors.

[flamingpig0]

I wonder if it's possible to strip out anything and everything not in the book from those films and make a decent  coherent film?

Possibly - as long as they keep the female elf


also - is this really really Tolkien or Frank Herbert?

[Big Insect]

also - is this really really Tolkien or Frank Herbert?

More Harry Potter unfortunately - why introduce the worm burrowing things I don't know ... at least the LotR films seem to remotely stick to the basic plot - no new monsters.
But then we got Billy Connolly on a Goat in the last Hobbit movie and it all went a lot Games Workshit (sadly)

[Steve J]

Well we're enjoying the series for what it is at present, without trying to over think/analyse it.

[Big Insect]

Well we're enjoying the series for what it is at present, without trying to over think/analyse it.

Thanks for bring us back to that point Steve 
I am looking forward to the next episode on Friday.

[John Cook]

"What we were trying to do was to analyze what was important to Tolkien and to try to honor that. In a way, we were trying to make these films for him, not for ourselves. The most honest form of filmmaking is to make a film for yourself. The worst type is dictated by demographics or what is hip or what kids are into." - Peter Jackson

"But that was then, this is now and we're telling the story now." - Lenny Henry.

C'est magnifique mais ce n'est pas Tolkein.

Peter Jackson and Lenny Henry are fluent in bullshit.