The "Stranger" actually has the best part because he's not subject to the abysmal dialogue they write since he's said a total of about 6 words the entire season.
Yet he can't say anything an he's pushed around by a irrational midgits. His counterpart just blew away their caravan when the midges were annoying her. You'd think they'd learn to be polite to strangers 5x their mass.
He was sent by the valar, to aid Middle earth in there Fight against evil. But first he has to learn halfwit life and culture, How to speak, read a map, pull a cart, clothes himself, brush his teeth, plant a tree And walking upright. But after that, he's really really really going to do good or evil. Damm da darrr, mystery box
One of the many, many hackneyed annoyances of this show is its desperation to slip into recognisable *Game of Thrones* mode yet also somehow begrudgingly realising that Tolkien's lore is not in the same spirit as Martin's lore. The horrible "The Sea Is Always Right" maxim is desperately trying to invoke the various Westeros sayings such as, "Winter Is Coming", "A Lannister Always Pays His Debts", "The North Never Forgets" etc. Cynical me feels it's a feeble attempt to also drum up RoP merchandise that "nerds" can adorn at conventions and fan get-togethers to help encourage the perpetuation of the IP. It's also so tiring and transparent.
The crappy thing about the "The Sea Is Always Right" episode was there is nothing really in it that caused the characters to proclaim that "nugget of wisdom."
@@DaChaosify Nah, I get the Strength to the Southlands-part. If we ignore that "the southlands" seems to be less than 200 people... They just won a pyrrhic victory, had that tiny victory snatched away from them by loosing their homes, found their long lost king to have him whisked away to St Memorial Elf Hospital with only hope to see him again. I totally get them hyping themselves up. The Sea Is Always Right, though? They're sailors on a beach. There's water there. 'Nuff reason, right?
Strong, kind, compassionate, loyal to his friends, willing to sacrifice himself for the good of others, well spoken, badass fighter, and pulled THE most beautiful and wonderful elf princess Aragorn is quite literally That Guy
Viserys walking across the room was more than just a walk. It was tv history. Scriptwriter, actor, lighting department, camera crew, make up department...all in perfect cohesion, making magic. But the sea is always right
When they inevitably have a scene where an elf puts a ring of power on his finger... Please have the camera be to the back of the hand with only the middle finger out. XD
It's quite confusing that most media seem to ignore all this and write in talking points. The Emperor's New Clothes syndrome is so extreme these days it feels like we're constantly being gaslit
They are all actors and all are paid by the same guild owned by the real hollywood palpatine empreor. Politicians are actors..thats why they are so bad at it and stuff still get done..well because some others get shit done behind the curtain. Same thing for medias and the entertainement industry. They get a lot of money to win the hearts of the public...and then use this emotional attachment to spread "the message" to win their mind.. Its mass madness.
Two reasons. One they are being bribed by Amazon to write favourably of the series and two; they don't want to piss off streaming sites for fear of not getting early access. Which would mean they cannot get their reviews out first.
@@muddhutter Yes I know the reason. But the gap between what they say and what normal people observe is now so huge, that it just becomes like some weird parody of reality, like they are still clinging to the hope that most readers...won't notice? Or something
I think it runs deeper than that. I'll give you an example. the not hobbits having carts but no draft animals. Historically, societies that don't have draft animals don't really use the wheel. Case in point the Meso-American tribes were actually well aware of the wheel, but they didn't really use it for anything except children's toys. There's something very odd about the not hobbits having wheeled carts to carry their goods around in (which again, peoples without draft animals don't really use) that I couldn't put my foot on until right towards the end. The writers are drawing their inspiration from the indigent homeless community in downtown Los Angeles, and they do use wheeled carts, specifically shopping carts, to carry their stuff around in. So basically, the not hobbits are the homeless of Middle Earth in this, because the writers can't actually come up with a real society (something Tolkien was literally able to do off the top of his head while working on something else).
I came into this expecting another fun thrashing of Rings of Power and got a masterclass in understanding Daemon Targaryen. Thank you sir, liked and subbed.
@@ttrev007 a good actor can make the make the bad writing less obvious, and most of them certainly didnt do that. adar was the exception, he gave it all, and his character was the most realistic and likeable
@@kimrasmussen7188 i am unwilling to blame them until i see some of their other work. In addition to bad writing their is directing and editing that can kill a character so i am slow to judge an actor before i have more evidence.
@@ttrev007 really? i call it when i see it. i dont care if their other 10 movies were perfect, when something is bad, then i say it. and one look at stoneface was enough. she doesnt command respect, or eminate mystery, she just wants to talk to the manager.
Guyladriel in this series is so "awesome" that she could defend Rohan and Minas Tirith, Destroy Saruman and throw the one ring into Mt. Doom by all by herself.
Yes! One of the things that really stuck to me to adulthood: do the right thing ni matter what. You’ll never become perfectly enlightened or good, but remaining on that path no matter what is honorable and the right thing to do. Growing up I realized doing this saves me from ruminating over guilt and regret and can be the easy thing to do in the long run.
I love how this reaction video never states anything about Tolkien lore and still manages to find everything wrong with the show. Just proves that even outside of Tolkien fandom, the show really failed to deliver.
This is a video that I wish the Showrunners would look at. Your analysis is very clearly stated and you have a gift for using precise words that get to the point. Sure there’s a tad bit of “colorful” profanity here or there but any open mind can see beyond that. I like your points. The show runners say they can accept criticism. I am not convinced after seeing the recent interview articles that were published. Those articles still circle on the critiques about race issues. That’s NOT the major problems of this show. The showrunners are not mature enough to do an interview on the major complaints of writing, characterization, pacing, etc. For that reason they are not going to earn respect for their craft. Skirting honest intelligent confrontation is not admirable. It’s cowardice.
Rant as epitaph, nicely done. When I think high fantasy, Tolkien, and "sweeping, epic, spectacle", I think... the way it was done in the LOTR films, bits of Arthurian adaptations, Princess Bride, GOT, Highlander, Narnia, Greek myth, anything with dragons etc. Then I think "imagine doing that with a billion bucks". I will keep imagining, because they didn't. So, while there's some spectacle, nice scenes, it's hardly sweeping as the closest we get to scale and grandeur is maps and yet another jarring jump cut, there are hardly any people anywhere, and it cannot be epic because the stakes are so low. I tried to tease out exactly how much the writers lean on the audience's foreknowledge of the world of Tolkien, vs what they show, and it's huge. The audience is made to carry the epic qualities: a vast rising evil, the temptations of men to backslide, the uses and abuses of magic, weapons of power that will save or doom, depending on the actions of characters who are actually At Risk. But no. The amazing thing is that there is so little power, or powers, or magic, in the show. There are no epic themes because the characters have not been written to develop, endure, carry and deliver them. Most characters, aside from the self-confessed compulsive vengeful and genocidal Galadriel seem to bump along from scene to scene, without direction or motive, forgetting from episode to episode what they were doing and why. I'll watch the last show, and that's it. Oh, the diversity points are well made - when actors start poncing around as if they have made civil rights breakthoughs like Rosa Parks, then there's some delusional juju going down.
Characters in Jacksons LoTR had resumes jam packed with heroic deeds. Pippin lighting the beacons, Gimli leaping from helms deep to defend Aragorn, Eowyn standing her ground against the Witch King, Faramir overcoming the temptation of the ring, Sam defeating Shelob...the list goes on and on. I challenge anyone to name a single heroic thing Galadriel did in RoP.
The line “there is a tempest in me” is a modified version of the line “there is a hurricane in me” from the movie Elizabeth The Golden Age with Cate Blanchett. So even that line is stolen from something else!
There are several compelling analyses of this show online, but this would have to be one of the best. You’ve nailed the critical differences between Tolkien’s timelessness and the creators of this ‘modern’ debacle.
I am a huge Tolkien fan and read all of his work multiple times. Even the criticized Bombadil chapeters and poems, i really like. The mystic and vision that magically appears when reading his stories and history of middle earth is like magnets to fantasy lovers. The writers and showrunners of ROP really dont understands the material or they just fails to translate it to the screen. I do belive they have read the books before making this show but they treat it as any other fantasy show. By inserting social justice and rewrite many things there are no Tolkien left accept namesn of characters and places. They really have f.cked this one up with thair social politics.
I've been on very many RoP videos across the length and breadth of CZcams and I've yet to find anyone with a positive opinion of the show... This pleases me greatly 😁
It makes me sad, as I would have preferred the show be good. The show is even worse than I imagined. On the bright side, the house of dragons is surprisingly good.
Emergency Awesome is devoid of criticism. For them those hollow plot-points like "Who's Sauron" is enough. But even such channels find it hard to like Genocidriel.
@@mrfreeman2911 I'd have LOVED if this show had been good, lore and character accurate, but it wasn't. It not only pushes a political and social ideology that is divisive but it also disrespects one of the greatest authors to have ever lived. I want it to burn so brightly future generations look back and say "never again'".
Having kept abreast of all schools of though regarding RoP, I find this short essay to be intelligent and well thought through. One of, if not the best summations.
@@nujacordep1686 - that makes sense, but the Harfoots and the Southlanders are a hodgepodge of ethnicities that simply wouldn't work in those small populations.
Well, this will be the first time I've subbed just because the name of the channel is so great. About to watch this first video of yours I've had recommended to me.
Have you noticed how black people were cast as characters? The women are queens while the men are... one's a regular soldier while the other's a hobo leader...
Have you too noticed in the scene where Bronwyn (or however she is spelled) asks for volunteers, the first hand rising is a black one? Not that i meant it in any way rassist, but this show is one big smack of identity politics in your face.
Thanks much. Excellent analysis good Sir. I think another consideration to add, is that the "true" showrunners (McKay & Payne are simply young, manipulable fronts) really had no idea initially who to pitch this travesty toward, so defaulted to what they know only within their small isolated and very secular bubble. Considering almost every single interview provided, focused on "The Message" and did their utmost to denigrate and insult the Fans of Tolkien's lore, it appears their sole intent is to garner praise with a "new and modern" fandom. One that will cheer their smashing of the old ways, and usher in a new renaissance of "right think" for their new era of entertainment. Well, they've got sufficient money for that but what they overlook, is that the audience they seek, will simply consume product and then march off to the next "rally", forgetting this show even existed by the time season two hits the fan. I suspect that for many of their ilk, as long as the paycheques roll in, they don't care about that, either.
You earned a subscriber today! I watched countless reviews of this show, you put it so eloquently, few could. Could you perhaps explore Galadriel more? Her being moral and embodiment of good is flawed in the show. As in they do try to make her seem so but philosophically this falls flat on every single occasion. The overarching idea this comes down to is that the goal justifies the means with her. Hope this is something you can make a video on.
EXCELLENT! Finally Galadriel is seen in her proper, glorious light!!! I propose that henceforth Friday shall be known as GALADRIEL DAY. Right??? Thank you for this well-deserved review!
Very well done! The truth is that this hardly comes across like a spontaneous rant, but rather a carefully drafted and well thought out essay, that struck just the right balance of critical analysis, original insight and humor. Just one comment: your final remark seeking to distinguish yourself from so-called conservative reactionaries unintentionally validates Amazon's campaign to characterize all critics in this way. The truth is that there's no real evidence that any significant proportion of the fan base has engaged in the type of toxic behavior that Amazon alleges
I honestly wonder if any of the shows fans are even remotely interested in why other people don't like it (to be fair, there are also haters that don't bother either). I've looked into why people like the show, as a writer I'm curious about all of the pov, but the fans analyses are not nearly as in depth as critical reviewers breakdowns like yours and simply don't notice or care about the glaring issues we see. I'm also quite 'liberal' but I agree with just about everything you said here. Good video, subbed.
12:00 "...through the distorted funhouse mirrors of these modern, fey Hollywood screenwriters." "Fey"? Now I have to go grab my dictionary. Nice to hear an original adjective now and again.
As a very conservative person I’m glad to see people across the political spectrum from me on the same side of an issue. Its way too common to see people just agreeing with something because it came from someone who is “on their side”.
I think you've actually been too kind. Crazy thing is, if it had even just been a nondescript fantasy that was written and realised well, I could have happily pretended it was not bastardising Tolkien, had no effect on the real lore, and was from some messed up parallel dimension, and just enjoyed it for what it was. But the writing has been so bad, and the characterisation so pathetic. The plot holes so enormous, even within it's own bizarre time and distance-free logic. The dialogue is just a dumpster fire of pretentious wank. I don't think I ever actually got far enough though those problems to be annoyed by the idpol aspects.
No, but that's how we're "supposed" to see her. And it's how the other characters see her. In reality, she's a vile, petty, uncaring, capricious, vindictive, selfish monster.
Where are the fighting men in a show about swords? Fun game count how many male hobbits you see. Where are the roads? They can build cities better than anying on earth today, but not a single road on the show.
Excellent summation of a total disaster! Except for a couple of little thing.. I can tell you, from my physics studies in my college days, if you can find a way to send thousands of litres of water into a magma chamber of a volcano, it will indeed cause a massive reaction, a little like throwing water onto a frying pan fire. Of course how Galadriel survived the subsequent 820°c pyroclastic flow without even frizzing her eyebrows, well that's another matter! The other, is accents. UK, American.....and let's not forget the Hollywood, Darby O'Gill and the little people" attempt at my own Irish accent used by many of the harfoots, including Lenny Henry, who is as Irish as an Indian curry. Talk about cultural appropriation!
While pyroclastic flow is certainly a thing, the unbelieveably complex way they go about it, with magic “key” swords, huge ditch excavations that devastate the landscape in ways unseeable by the “far-seeing” elves, using an elvish watchtower as a damn, seems like a very Rube Goldbergian. Why not just a lever instead of a magic sword? How about using a closer body of water? How about the simple fact that Mount Doom already exists in the lore without having to be “set off”?
Your complains about cultural appropiation have no base because Irish haven't been sanctioned as "protected culture" by the Californian White Intellectual Elite, aka Hollywood. So they can do watever they please with your contry, even make a humorous take on The Great Famine and call you a fassssshisssht if you ever poiint out that it's wrong to do so.
The Irish accents are regressive and downright scandalous. Great that another generation of Americans will see the Irish as whimsical fantasy fairy folk. Imagine if the harfoots spoke in Carribbean accents..
Pouring water into a magma chamber will indeed create a reaction. But for it to be massive requires a closed system that will develop pressure. The system of delivering water by tunnels is self-defeating because pressure will not accumulate and the pressure of the steam will vent out the tunnels.
I prefer this kind of bird's eye view rather than specific nit-picky criticism as much as the series invites it. Your generous effort is thought provoking and engaging. The series can't even be considered as a counterfeit since that would require it to be indistinguishable from the genuine article which it clearly isn't. Well done sir. Watched twice.
@@EchoChamberlain that film has been in the back of my mind since rop has been out..iv been thinking about all of Peter Jackson's old films..he was the only man that could of pulled lord of the rings off because of his past films..he was made to make those films
And the chanting in almost every episode. ''ThE sEa Is ALwAys RIgHt'' ''AdAr'' ''ElF lOvAHH'' ''StreNgTh To ThE SOUtHlAnDs'' ''phAraAzOOOn'' and the worst god damn it ''No BoDy gOes Of tRail, AnD nobOdy WaLks AloNe''... I will murder myself.
The craziest thing to me is that I only saw about 30 minutes of the show and I could tell it was probably not great, I saw all the online backlash and detailed explanations of why it was actually terrible, and my mom, a lifelong Tolkien fan is like “yeah, I’m looking forward to season two.”
You call this a rant, but you just spat out facts and common sense. You just got yourself a new subscriber mate👍 As a leftist myself I gotta add that the woke do not represent the left as a whole, some of us still have a brain
Hey... they have at least one theme. It's "Good and Evil" vs "Good and Evil." Duh. They made that explicit in the first episode with the whole "Touch the darkness, Galadriel... come on and just give it a feel and everything will be better." Then they reinforce it with things like mithril being so great because it's a mixture of good and evil. Too bad that goes against one of the main themes of the entire world that Tolkien wrote... The one where evil is a corrupting burden to be fought against and carried, if necessary, to where it is to be destroyed.
The only people that seem to like the show are those who have either never watched the films or read the books. Since all i'm hearing is " It looks pretty" .
Good summary. A few comments of my own. While I think mystery boxes are not a bad thing as such, they become bad when a show relies on them too much - as in has nothing else in it to keep the audience's interest. Lost was a good example, at least in the first season. One mystery box after another on top of a third one, but at the same time you had interesting characters that were being developed - we were getting flashbacks from their past, learning about their personalities, priorities, flaws. It got stale quickly, and the show lost me in season two (no pun intended), but for season one it really worked. RoF almost entirely relies on mystery boxes and has nothing else going for it. Diversity. I have nothing against inclusivity in a LOTR production, even if it somewhat contradicts the source material. I get it, different times and whatnot. But you're dead on about the homogenous tribes and stuff. The way diversity is portrayed in RoF is literally tokenism. We have multiple tokens instead of a standard single token like in the old times, but it's tokenism all the same. Which I think is actually obnoxious and offensive to people of colour. That's not how race works. Empowered females. Movies and literature are full of strong female protagonists and heroines, who are at the same time likeable and relatable. Even Daenerys in GOT (prior to the last season). She has an amazing hero's journey growing from a vulnerable, innocent girl to a power to be reckoned with. Jessica Jones is another recent example - she's a strong lead (not just in terms of physical strength), but also deeply flawed and yeah, she can be a b!tch at times, but at the same she's very relatable and likeable. There are more shows like that with strong female leads who are written well. The Crown, Sabrina, Handmaid's Tale, Killing Eve, many of the female characters from The Walking Dead. None of those characters have Mary Sue characteristics. All of them have to either grow to become those powerful women and gradually become such characters due to experiences they're being put through. No such luck with Galadriel or Bronwyn, they're just "awesome" and "commanding" from the beginning, because that's how they're written. This is not empowerment. That's not how real world works (and apparently the show is suppose to reflect the world we live in, because Amazon). In most cases you need to earn the respect and authority - regardless of whether you're a woman or man. Yeah, historically it's easier for men, because that's how we hairless apes evolved, but the way to equalise things is not by denying the reality... My biggest gripe with the show is how poorly it is written. Bad acting, miscasting, those can be worked around or become less obtrusive if the story is good and characters interesting. Here we don't have those. When I compare RoF with Andor, who's also a "slow burn", it's like comparing turds to gold nuggets. Characters in Andor act like real people and feel like real people, even though it's as much a fantasy series as LOTR is. In RoF they're all constructs that have almost nothing realistic about them. I find it really telling if the made up mini-boss in the series is way more interesting and relatable than the protagonists...
@Echo video idea for you: how they ruin same-race hetero relationships consistently Ironman-gwinith? ironman dies Hulk-widow? Widow dies Jane-Thor? Jane dies Vision-witch? vision dies Strange-whatername? she leaves him because of blip and it was never meant to be "the widespread destruction of the happily ever after" Just notice how in RoP the only relationship that doesn't give virtue points is gonna end up with the man being literally sauron
The Silmarilion was a collection of short stories and random writings. I don't know how they are going to develop this into a cohesive story. For one thing, why these mysterious characters? The burning man- just tell us who he is. The three Spirit People that destroy all the Hobbit's stuff? I mean, what was that for? I have trouble with the location as well. Where are the hobbits on a map? How did the Numenorians get to Mordor? I thought the Numenorians were almost "super men," They built those colossal monuments. It doesn't explain how Numenor floods? And why?
The ONLY actual kool scene with the elves was the scene when the Elf commander thwiped the chain with his leg and attacked the Orc, but that was it. It was over pretty fast. Nothing else has been believable, like Galadriel jumping off the dudes blade or The elf jumping to break the shade tarp…. All dumb
Don't worry about these haters Galadriel. They think they're so smart with their big words and their highbrow accents. Just because you came from books doesn't mean anything. The internet is getting rid of all the books anyway! You just keep being great ;-)
Rant all you want, I really liked it! In my opinion, it fit well into the universe Tolkien built. It gave the characters plausible backstories. And, finally, after 40 years of waiting, some female characters that have strengths and weaknesses. Have you ever read the Lord of the Rings book? Then you must remember how, page after page, Tolkien describes Legolas riding across the Country. Maybe stick to Game of Thrones, if you’re looking for bloodshed and murder.
I’m glad you brought up the actors, because they are truly bang average at best. Matt Smith in House of the Dragon is a stark contrast in terms of on screen gravitas and aura, he is helped massively by engaging and intriguing writing but nevertheless he gives a scene stealing performance very often. Regardless of all the other issues in Ring of Power, the actors are not of the calibre required to pull off a Lord of the Rings story, some of their dialogue and acting is borderline laughable if not cringey.
The genius of Tolkien is that his male characters are masculine *without* being toxic. They're strong, capable and intelligent, but also effusive,, caring and show emotions (when appropriate). Amazon are trying to "fix" something that isn't broken.
Almost every scene has a cliff hanger, always cutting away before the reveal theyve built up to. Leaving me feeling completely worn out with cliff hangers. Weak!
The backlash at this show is comforting. Kudos to all the true Tolkien fans who weren't quiet about this 👏
They will be expecting you to grow tired and just accept it, Amazog is in this corruption for the long haul, like 10 years long to end this abortion.
The "Stranger" actually has the best part because he's not subject to the abysmal dialogue they write since he's said a total of about 6 words the entire season.
Yet he can't say anything an he's pushed around by a irrational midgits. His counterpart just blew away their caravan when the midges were annoying her.
You'd think they'd learn to be polite to strangers 5x their mass.
His name is Meteor man and he has always been my favorite Tolkien character.
He was sent by the valar, to aid Middle earth in there Fight against evil. But first he has to learn halfwit life and culture, How to speak, read a map, pull a cart, clothes himself, brush his teeth, plant a tree And walking upright. But after that, he's really really really going to do good or evil. Damm da darrr, mystery box
@@Jim-Tuner i thought his name was METHrandir
..he eats snails..
This show would work as a parody if they added a laugh track after each line of dialog.
this is actually a phenomenal idea, someone should make a compilation of RoP scenes with laugh tracks lol
I make my own laugh track
"I am good"-not gandolf
One of the many, many hackneyed annoyances of this show is its desperation to slip into recognisable *Game of Thrones* mode yet also somehow begrudgingly realising that Tolkien's lore is not in the same spirit as Martin's lore. The horrible "The Sea Is Always Right" maxim is desperately trying to invoke the various Westeros sayings such as, "Winter Is Coming", "A Lannister Always Pays His Debts", "The North Never Forgets" etc. Cynical me feels it's a feeble attempt to also drum up RoP merchandise that "nerds" can adorn at conventions and fan get-togethers to help encourage the perpetuation of the IP. It's also so tiring and transparent.
The crappy thing about the "The Sea Is Always Right" episode was there is nothing really in it that caused the characters to proclaim that "nugget of wisdom."
Or what about "Strength to the Southlands!" which rings equally as hollow.
@@DaChaosify Nah, I get the Strength to the Southlands-part. If we ignore that "the southlands" seems to be less than 200 people... They just won a pyrrhic victory, had that tiny victory snatched away from them by loosing their homes, found their long lost king to have him whisked away to St Memorial Elf Hospital with only hope to see him again.
I totally get them hyping themselves up.
The Sea Is Always Right, though? They're sailors on a beach. There's water there. 'Nuff reason, right?
It felt more like a valar morghulis moment. "All Men Must Die"
@@rovhalt6650 yes, that one, too. 👍
Aragorn was the epitome of healthy masculinity. Full stop
Strong, kind, compassionate, loyal to his friends, willing to sacrifice himself for the good of others, well spoken, badass fighter, and pulled THE most beautiful and wonderful elf princess
Aragorn is quite literally That Guy
I felt more emotion watching King Viserys struggle to walk across a room and sit on the Iron Throne than in this whole season.
exactly.
Viserys walking across the room was more than just a walk. It was tv history. Scriptwriter, actor, lighting department, camera crew, make up department...all in perfect cohesion, making magic.
But the sea is always right
@@roddo1955 Sea is always right! Except when it isnt lol.
@@purefoldnz3070 sometimes it's left
@@roddo1955 we might get that plot line in season 2.
Rings of Power: the most expensive LOTR bloopers show in history
The most expensive pile of crap ever to be flushed down history’s toilet.
Well, The Hobbit was pretty bad.
Rings of Power: A middle finger the Middle-Earth. You sir made a really good rant, well structured and to the point, I love it.
When they inevitably have a scene where an elf puts a ring of power on his finger... Please have the camera be to the back of the hand with only the middle finger out. XD
It's quite confusing that most media seem to ignore all this and write in talking points. The Emperor's New Clothes syndrome is so extreme these days it feels like we're constantly being gaslit
They are all actors and all are paid by the same guild owned by the real hollywood palpatine empreor.
Politicians are actors..thats why they are so bad at it and stuff still get done..well because some others get shit done behind the curtain.
Same thing for medias and the entertainement industry.
They get a lot of money to win the hearts of the public...and then use this emotional attachment to spread "the message" to win their mind..
Its mass madness.
It's very concerning, you mean. This kind of blissful ignorance is why history repeats itself so often.
Two reasons. One they are being bribed by Amazon to write favourably of the series and two; they don't want to piss off streaming sites for fear of not getting early access. Which would mean they cannot get their reviews out first.
@@muddhutter Yes I know the reason. But the gap between what they say and what normal people observe is now so huge, that it just becomes like some weird parody of reality, like they are still clinging to the hope that most readers...won't notice? Or something
At this point I'm gonna need blacked out sunglasses so I'm not forced to accidentally see all the naked butts running around.
Also, and sorry to lower the tone. Women like to watch strong male characters not wimps.
That's not lowering the tone. You're exactly right.
You totally hit the nail on the head, I kept trying to articulate to my friends why modern shows reeked of Downtown L.A. in their casting choices
I think it runs deeper than that. I'll give you an example. the not hobbits having carts but no draft animals. Historically, societies that don't have draft animals don't really use the wheel. Case in point the Meso-American tribes were actually well aware of the wheel, but they didn't really use it for anything except children's toys. There's something very odd about the not hobbits having wheeled carts to carry their goods around in (which again, peoples without draft animals don't really use) that I couldn't put my foot on until right towards the end. The writers are drawing their inspiration from the indigent homeless community in downtown Los Angeles, and they do use wheeled carts, specifically shopping carts, to carry their stuff around in. So basically, the not hobbits are the homeless of Middle Earth in this, because the writers can't actually come up with a real society (something Tolkien was literally able to do off the top of his head while working on something else).
I came into this expecting another fun thrashing of Rings of Power and got a masterclass in understanding Daemon Targaryen. Thank you sir, liked and subbed.
agree with the acting part, its really horrible. it feels more like a high school drama, not a billion dollar show.
a couple of good ones too. isildur and thurin i think. not sure though. guyladriel is awful. her career is over after this.
I decided to withhold my judgment with the actors. They were given such bad material to work with i don't feel like i could judge them.
@@ttrev007 a good actor can make the make the bad writing less obvious, and
most of them certainly didnt do that.
adar was the exception, he gave it all,
and his character was the most realistic and likeable
@@kimrasmussen7188 i am unwilling to blame them until i see some of their other work. In addition to bad writing their is directing and editing that can kill a character so i am slow to judge an actor before i have more evidence.
@@ttrev007 really? i call it when i see it.
i dont care if their other 10 movies were perfect, when something is bad, then i say it. and one look at stoneface was enough.
she doesnt command respect, or eminate mystery, she just wants to talk to the
manager.
Guyladriel in this series is so "awesome" that she could defend Rohan and Minas Tirith, Destroy Saruman and throw the one ring into Mt. Doom by all by herself.
One of the greatest things I learned from Tolkien was this. Even if it doesn't seem like you can win, you still have to try.
Yes! One of the things that really stuck to me to adulthood: do the right thing ni matter what. You’ll never become perfectly enlightened or good, but remaining on that path no matter what is honorable and the right thing to do. Growing up I realized doing this saves me from ruminating over guilt and regret and can be the easy thing to do in the long run.
I love how this reaction video never states anything about Tolkien lore and still manages to find everything wrong with the show. Just proves that even outside of Tolkien fandom, the show really failed to deliver.
This is a video that I wish the Showrunners would look at.
Your analysis is very clearly stated and you have a gift for using precise words that get to the point. Sure there’s a tad bit of “colorful” profanity here or there but any open mind can see beyond that. I like your points.
The show runners say they can accept criticism. I am not convinced after seeing the recent interview articles that were published. Those articles still circle on the critiques about race issues. That’s NOT the major problems of this show. The showrunners are not mature enough to do an interview on the major complaints of writing, characterization, pacing, etc.
For that reason they are not going to earn respect for their craft. Skirting honest intelligent confrontation is not admirable. It’s cowardice.
Gotta say, this series has been a godsend to CZcams critic channels. So many good channels have popped up because of this monstrosity of a series
Rant as epitaph, nicely done. When I think high fantasy, Tolkien, and "sweeping, epic, spectacle", I think... the way it was done in the LOTR films, bits of Arthurian adaptations, Princess Bride, GOT, Highlander, Narnia, Greek myth, anything with dragons etc. Then I think "imagine doing that with a billion bucks". I will keep imagining, because they didn't. So, while there's some spectacle, nice scenes, it's hardly sweeping as the closest we get to scale and grandeur is maps and yet another jarring jump cut, there are hardly any people anywhere, and it cannot be epic because the stakes are so low. I tried to tease out exactly how much the writers lean on the audience's foreknowledge of the world of Tolkien, vs what they show, and it's huge. The audience is made to carry the epic qualities: a vast rising evil, the temptations of men to backslide, the uses and abuses of magic, weapons of power that will save or doom, depending on the actions of characters who are actually At Risk. But no. The amazing thing is that there is so little power, or powers, or magic, in the show. There are no epic themes because the characters have not been written to develop, endure, carry and deliver them. Most characters, aside from the self-confessed compulsive vengeful and genocidal Galadriel seem to bump along from scene to scene, without direction or motive, forgetting from episode to episode what they were doing and why. I'll watch the last show, and that's it. Oh, the diversity points are well made - when actors start poncing around as if they have made civil rights breakthoughs like Rosa Parks, then there's some delusional juju going down.
Well said!
Characters in Jacksons LoTR had resumes jam packed with heroic deeds. Pippin lighting the beacons, Gimli leaping from helms deep to defend Aragorn, Eowyn standing her ground against the Witch King, Faramir overcoming the temptation of the ring, Sam defeating Shelob...the list goes on and on.
I challenge anyone to name a single heroic thing Galadriel did in RoP.
Couldn't have explained it any better
The line “there is a tempest in me” is a modified version of the line “there is a hurricane in me” from the movie Elizabeth The Golden Age with Cate Blanchett. So even that line is stolen from something else!
There are several compelling analyses of this show online, but this would have to be one of the best. You’ve nailed the critical differences between Tolkien’s timelessness and the creators of this ‘modern’ debacle.
I am a huge Tolkien fan and read all of his work multiple times. Even the criticized Bombadil chapeters and poems, i really like. The mystic and vision that magically appears when reading his stories and history of middle earth is like magnets to fantasy lovers. The writers and showrunners of ROP really dont understands the material or they just fails to translate it to the screen. I do belive they have read the books before making this show but they treat it as any other fantasy show. By inserting social justice and rewrite many things there are no Tolkien left accept namesn of characters and places. They really have f.cked this one up with thair social politics.
This was the best review I have heard until now.
I've been on very many RoP videos across the length and breadth of CZcams and I've yet to find anyone with a positive opinion of the show...
This pleases me greatly 😁
It makes me sad, as I would have preferred the show be good.
The show is even worse than I imagined. On the bright side, the house of dragons is surprisingly good.
Emergency Awesome is devoid of criticism. For them those hollow plot-points like "Who's Sauron" is enough. But even such channels find it hard to like Genocidriel.
@@mrfreeman2911 I'd have LOVED if this show had been good, lore and character accurate, but it wasn't. It not only pushes a political and social ideology that is divisive but it also disrespects one of the greatest authors to have ever lived.
I want it to burn so brightly future generations look back and say "never again'".
This series feels like it was written by a high school D&D club who have had no real-life experiences or actual human interactions.
Having kept abreast of all schools of though regarding RoP, I find this short essay to be intelligent and well thought through. One of, if not the best summations.
I'm 90 seconds in and this is already fantastic. Subbed.
The writers don't understand how genetics work.
Right the queen has a white das so she’s mixed so the mother must be of African descent to make it make sense
@@nujacordep1686 - that makes sense, but the Harfoots and the Southlanders are a hodgepodge of ethnicities that simply wouldn't work in those small populations.
The biggest favor I can do myself is to never watch rings of power
I couldn’t have said it better myself, so I won’t even try. A brilliant, scathing and well-deserved indictment.
Well, this will be the first time I've subbed just because the name of the channel is so great. About to watch this first video of yours I've had recommended to me.
Have you noticed how black people were cast as characters? The women are queens while the men are... one's a regular soldier while the other's a hobo leader...
Have you too noticed in the scene where Bronwyn (or however she is spelled) asks for volunteers, the first hand rising is a black one? Not that i meant it in any way rassist, but this show is one big smack of identity politics in your face.
@@stormempire51 bingo!!!!! Forgot about that among the titanic weight of garbage this show has offered 😅
Ooh, effete. Good word and, I think, the perfect descriptor for these modern male characters playing second fiddle to the Mary Sue.
Thanks much. Excellent analysis good Sir.
I think another consideration to add, is that the "true" showrunners (McKay & Payne are simply young, manipulable fronts) really had no idea initially who to pitch this travesty toward, so defaulted to what they know only within their small isolated and very secular bubble. Considering almost every single interview provided, focused on "The Message" and did their utmost to denigrate and insult the Fans of Tolkien's lore, it appears their sole intent is to garner praise with a "new and modern" fandom. One that will cheer their smashing of the old ways, and usher in a new renaissance of "right think" for their new era of entertainment.
Well, they've got sufficient money for that but what they overlook, is that the audience they seek, will simply consume product and then march off to the next "rally", forgetting this show even existed by the time season two hits the fan.
I suspect that for many of their ilk, as long as the paycheques roll in, they don't care about that, either.
You earned a subscriber today! I watched countless reviews of this show, you put it so eloquently, few could.
Could you perhaps explore Galadriel more? Her being moral and embodiment of good is flawed in the show. As in they do try to make her seem so but philosophically this falls flat on every single occasion. The overarching idea this comes down to is that the goal justifies the means with her.
Hope this is something you can make a video on.
I really love your take on the show. You have named all the show's weak points eloquently. Tx
Best. Title. Ever. You win the internet today!
Next episode we probably have a new cool font change to look forward to.
Halbrand ..... -Halbrand- ........... *SAURRRRON!*
EXCELLENT! Finally Galadriel is seen in her proper, glorious light!!! I propose that henceforth Friday shall be known as GALADRIEL DAY. Right??? Thank you for this well-deserved review!
Very well done!
The truth is that this hardly comes across like a spontaneous rant, but rather a carefully drafted and well thought out essay, that struck just the right balance of critical analysis, original insight and humor.
Just one comment: your final remark seeking to distinguish yourself from so-called conservative reactionaries unintentionally validates Amazon's campaign to characterize all critics in this way. The truth is that there's no real evidence that any significant proportion of the fan base has engaged in the type of toxic behavior that Amazon alleges
My God, Lad..! You went and you actually killed it..!
Good show,
...Subbing.
With a title like this how could I not click.
Loving these videos. Good work sir
You nailed it! The elevator speech to explain it all! Its the theme, the moral.
I hope that one day people like you will join forces and make the AN EPIC LOTR series
Where you have all the time you need and all the money you need
I honestly wonder if any of the shows fans are even remotely interested in why other people don't like it (to be fair, there are also haters that don't bother either). I've looked into why people like the show, as a writer I'm curious about all of the pov, but the fans analyses are not nearly as in depth as critical reviewers breakdowns like yours and simply don't notice or care about the glaring issues we see. I'm also quite 'liberal' but I agree with just about everything you said here. Good video, subbed.
>People who work at the UN
>role models
12:00 "...through the distorted funhouse mirrors of these modern, fey Hollywood screenwriters." "Fey"? Now I have to go grab my dictionary. Nice to hear an original adjective now and again.
It was so apt, in so many obvious ways.
As a very conservative person I’m glad to see people across the political spectrum from me on the same side of an issue. Its way too common to see people just agreeing with something because it came from someone who is “on their side”.
wow, one of the best reviews ever. great job
I think you've actually been too kind. Crazy thing is, if it had even just been a nondescript fantasy that was written and realised well, I could have happily pretended it was not bastardising Tolkien, had no effect on the real lore, and was from some messed up parallel dimension, and just enjoyed it for what it was. But the writing has been so bad, and the characterisation so pathetic. The plot holes so enormous, even within it's own bizarre time and distance-free logic. The dialogue is just a dumpster fire of pretentious wank. I don't think I ever actually got far enough though those problems to be annoyed by the idpol aspects.
I wouldn't call this depiction of Galadriel "morally perfect" by any stretch.
No, but that's how we're "supposed" to see her. And it's how the other characters see her. In reality, she's a vile, petty, uncaring, capricious, vindictive, selfish monster.
1:35 those are not the nails a working farmer or villager would have.
Got me with the opening lines sir. Subbed
Where are the fighting men in a show about swords?
Fun game count how many male hobbits you see.
Where are the roads? They can build cities better than anying on earth today, but not a single road on the show.
All very good questions, wish I'd added them to the rant.
Excellent summation of a total disaster! Except for a couple of little thing.. I can tell you, from my physics studies in my college days, if you can find a way to send thousands of litres of water into a magma chamber of a volcano, it will indeed cause a massive reaction, a little like throwing water onto a frying pan fire. Of course how Galadriel survived the subsequent 820°c pyroclastic flow without even frizzing her eyebrows, well that's another matter! The other, is accents. UK, American.....and let's not forget the Hollywood, Darby O'Gill and the little people" attempt at my own Irish accent used by many of the harfoots, including Lenny Henry, who is as Irish as an Indian curry. Talk about cultural appropriation!
While pyroclastic flow is certainly a thing, the unbelieveably complex way they go about it, with magic “key” swords, huge ditch excavations that devastate the landscape in ways unseeable by the “far-seeing” elves, using an elvish watchtower as a damn, seems like a very Rube Goldbergian. Why not just a lever instead of a magic sword? How about using a closer body of water? How about the simple fact that Mount Doom already exists in the lore without having to be “set off”?
Your complains about cultural appropiation have no base because Irish haven't been sanctioned as "protected culture" by the Californian White Intellectual Elite, aka Hollywood. So they can do watever they please with your contry, even make a humorous take on The Great Famine and call you a fassssshisssht if you ever poiint out that it's wrong to do so.
@@mblaydoe Very true Marc. It was certainly unnecessarily complex. :)
The Irish accents are regressive and downright scandalous. Great that another generation of Americans will see the Irish as whimsical fantasy fairy folk.
Imagine if the harfoots spoke in Carribbean accents..
Pouring water into a magma chamber will indeed create a reaction. But for it to be massive requires a closed system that will develop pressure. The system of delivering water by tunnels is self-defeating because pressure will not accumulate and the pressure of the steam will vent out the tunnels.
I prefer this kind of bird's eye view rather than specific nit-picky criticism as much as the series invites it. Your generous effort is thought provoking and engaging. The series can't even be considered as a counterfeit since that would require it to be indistinguishable from the genuine article which it clearly isn't. Well done sir. Watched twice.
A laugh track after each line of drivel is delivered would be great but not enough. Need to add bongos to Galadriel’s dialogue in particular.
I was expecting like the men from 300 should be the soldiers of Numinor then these boy bands.
Recent drama school graduates probably from the same god-forsaken class. 😂
dude you had a clip from Bad taste! that was my favorite film in my teen year's...thanks bro that got me!
I hoped that just one other human being would recognise it, and that would make the whole process worthwhile!
@@EchoChamberlain that film has been in the back of my mind since rop has been out..iv been thinking about all of Peter Jackson's old films..he was the only man that could of pulled lord of the rings off because of his past films..he was made to make those films
It's so strange for the first time a see someone spend so much money and hired so many people just for do it a fanfic.
And the chanting in almost every episode. ''ThE sEa Is ALwAys RIgHt'' ''AdAr'' ''ElF lOvAHH'' ''StreNgTh To ThE SOUtHlAnDs'' ''phAraAzOOOn'' and the worst god damn it ''No BoDy gOes Of tRail, AnD nobOdy WaLks AloNe''...
I will murder myself.
The craziest thing to me is that I only saw about 30 minutes of the show and I could tell it was probably not great, I saw all the online backlash and detailed explanations of why it was actually terrible, and my mom, a lifelong Tolkien fan is like “yeah, I’m looking forward to season two.”
Depth and breadth of education, or the evident lack of it, is at the heart of the Amazon show runners’ crashing failure.
You call this a rant, but you just spat out facts and common sense. You just got yourself a new subscriber mate👍
As a leftist myself I gotta add that the woke do not represent the left as a whole, some of us still have a brain
I don't think they know the lore as well as they think they do. It's like they love the movies and looked up the rest in a fan wiki.
Hey... they have at least one theme. It's "Good and Evil" vs "Good and Evil." Duh. They made that explicit in the first episode with the whole "Touch the darkness, Galadriel... come on and just give it a feel and everything will be better." Then they reinforce it with things like mithril being so great because it's a mixture of good and evil.
Too bad that goes against one of the main themes of the entire world that Tolkien wrote... The one where evil is a corrupting burden to be fought against and carried, if necessary, to where it is to be destroyed.
Nicely done, mate. You've earned yourself another sub.
The only people that seem to like the show are those who have either never watched the films or read the books. Since all i'm hearing is " It looks pretty" .
Your thumbnail/title is 100% accurate
Good summary. A few comments of my own.
While I think mystery boxes are not a bad thing as such, they become bad when a show relies on them too much - as in has nothing else in it to keep the audience's interest. Lost was a good example, at least in the first season. One mystery box after another on top of a third one, but at the same time you had interesting characters that were being developed - we were getting flashbacks from their past, learning about their personalities, priorities, flaws. It got stale quickly, and the show lost me in season two (no pun intended), but for season one it really worked. RoF almost entirely relies on mystery boxes and has nothing else going for it.
Diversity. I have nothing against inclusivity in a LOTR production, even if it somewhat contradicts the source material. I get it, different times and whatnot. But you're dead on about the homogenous tribes and stuff. The way diversity is portrayed in RoF is literally tokenism. We have multiple tokens instead of a standard single token like in the old times, but it's tokenism all the same. Which I think is actually obnoxious and offensive to people of colour. That's not how race works.
Empowered females. Movies and literature are full of strong female protagonists and heroines, who are at the same time likeable and relatable. Even Daenerys in GOT (prior to the last season). She has an amazing hero's journey growing from a vulnerable, innocent girl to a power to be reckoned with. Jessica Jones is another recent example - she's a strong lead (not just in terms of physical strength), but also deeply flawed and yeah, she can be a b!tch at times, but at the same she's very relatable and likeable. There are more shows like that with strong female leads who are written well. The Crown, Sabrina, Handmaid's Tale, Killing Eve, many of the female characters from The Walking Dead. None of those characters have Mary Sue characteristics. All of them have to either grow to become those powerful women and gradually become such characters due to experiences they're being put through.
No such luck with Galadriel or Bronwyn, they're just "awesome" and "commanding" from the beginning, because that's how they're written. This is not empowerment. That's not how real world works (and apparently the show is suppose to reflect the world we live in, because Amazon). In most cases you need to earn the respect and authority - regardless of whether you're a woman or man. Yeah, historically it's easier for men, because that's how we hairless apes evolved, but the way to equalise things is not by denying the reality...
My biggest gripe with the show is how poorly it is written. Bad acting, miscasting, those can be worked around or become less obtrusive if the story is good and characters interesting. Here we don't have those. When I compare RoF with Andor, who's also a "slow burn", it's like comparing turds to gold nuggets. Characters in Andor act like real people and feel like real people, even though it's as much a fantasy series as LOTR is. In RoF they're all constructs that have almost nothing realistic about them.
I find it really telling if the made up mini-boss in the series is way more interesting and relatable than the protagonists...
Perfectly said.
Well said sir, and I like your writing.
First-time viewer. What an awesome piece of text you've composed. Instant sub. Amazing stuff.
What a great video , superb 👍
@Echo video idea for you: how they ruin same-race hetero relationships consistently
Ironman-gwinith? ironman dies
Hulk-widow? Widow dies
Jane-Thor? Jane dies
Vision-witch? vision dies
Strange-whatername? she leaves him because of blip and it was never meant to be
"the widespread destruction of the happily ever after"
Just notice how in RoP the only relationship that doesn't give virtue points is gonna end up with the man being literally sauron
You just earned yourself a sub, my dude.
Great rant, by the way. Well said!
I'm just going to print this link onto business cards and hand them out when people ask me to explain why Rings of Power fails at every turn.
Ouch, that was a *brutally honest* review 👏
The show lost a liberal this is something
to really think about.
let me summarize the show in one line. " Billion dollar Blunder".
The placing of characters based on ticking a box rather than it making sense.
Well, at least the caterers made some dosh during this thing.
The Silmarilion was a collection of short stories and random writings. I don't know how they are going to develop this into a cohesive story. For one thing, why these mysterious characters? The burning man- just tell us who he is. The three Spirit People that destroy all the Hobbit's stuff? I mean, what was that for? I have trouble with the location as well. Where are the hobbits on a map? How did the Numenorians get to Mordor? I thought the Numenorians were almost "super men," They built those colossal monuments. It doesn't explain how Numenor floods? And why?
Name of movie/show at 00:26?
The ONLY actual kool scene with the elves was the scene when the Elf commander thwiped the chain with his leg and attacked the Orc, but that was it. It was over pretty fast. Nothing else has been believable, like Galadriel jumping off the dudes blade or The elf jumping to break the shade tarp…. All dumb
Don't worry about these haters Galadriel. They think they're so smart with their big words and their highbrow accents. Just because you came from books doesn't mean anything. The internet is getting rid of all the books anyway! You just keep being great ;-)
Rant all you want, I really liked it! In my opinion, it fit well into the universe Tolkien built. It gave the characters plausible backstories. And, finally, after 40 years of waiting, some female characters that have strengths and weaknesses.
Have you ever read the Lord of the Rings book? Then you must remember how, page after page, Tolkien describes Legolas riding across the Country. Maybe stick to Game of Thrones, if you’re looking for bloodshed and murder.
I’m glad you brought up the actors, because they are truly bang average at best. Matt Smith in House of the Dragon is a stark contrast in terms of on screen gravitas and aura, he is helped massively by engaging and intriguing writing but nevertheless he gives a scene stealing performance very often. Regardless of all the other issues in Ring of Power, the actors are not of the calibre required to pull off a Lord of the Rings story, some of their dialogue and acting is borderline laughable if not cringey.
Well done Sir!
Video title is perfect
The genius of Tolkien is that his male characters are masculine *without* being toxic. They're strong, capable and intelligent, but also effusive,, caring and show emotions (when appropriate). Amazon are trying to "fix" something that isn't broken.
The show may have purloined some of Tolkien's nomenclature but beneath the names is this really Tolkien's world? I don't believe it is.
Very well put...💪🏼🤓
Good analysis
Almost every scene has a cliff hanger, always cutting away before the reveal theyve built up to. Leaving me feeling completely worn out with cliff hangers. Weak!
Well said
Brilliant sir! 👏
Word.