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NOSY'S NUANCED NOVELLA by @DrNosy
Despite watching the first 2 episodes, I'm still processing things. I've decided I need the entirety of S1 before I can fairly judge it. Things are unfolding slowly. The things I loved are things I had no expectations abt. The things I didn't like had to do with the lack of exposition & nuance in layering the characters + motives (Elrond). There are some things that felt strange. Such as the choice of VFX art (overly flashing symbols, veil of blinding light), editing (meteor tracked in the sky), and plot (Gil-galad's 'kingly' speech, Galadriel on a boat in the Sundering Seas). I understand why these things were done, and I suppose it's always a problem with any fantasy show bc you're trying to draw the line between deep lore vs. slowly revealing visuals. The things I'd no expectations abt and loved very much (Dwarves, Harfoots), I'd describe as being Tolkienesque.
Despite watching the first 2 episodes, I'm still processing things. I've decided I need the entirety of S1 before I can fairly judge it. Things are unfolding slowly. The things I loved are things I had no expectations abt. The things I didn't like had to do with the lack of exposition & nuance in layering the characters + motives (Elrond). There are some things that felt strange. Such as the choice of VFX art (overly flashing symbols, veil of blinding light), editing (meteor tracked in the sky), and plot (Gil-galad's 'kingly' speech, Galadriel on a boat in the Sundering Seas). I understand why these things were done, and I suppose it's always a problem with any fantasy show bc you're trying to draw the line between deep lore vs. slowly revealing visuals. The things I'd no expectations abt and loved very much (Dwarves, Harfoots), I'd describe as being Tolkienesque.
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ANDDDD ANOTHER PREMIERE REVIEW from @one-trick-rick
Truly surreal to see the stars, and of course my favorite Tolkien content creators all in one room before the big screening. No one gets to this kind of of event out of toxic spite, everyone seemed very excited to be there. I thought the actors would be a little irked having to entertain us nerds, but I forget that this cast is so incredible sincere.
Excitement was building while we waited in the theater, and I had a great conversation with a well versed Tolkien fan to my left and someone who had only seen the movies on my right (they both liked it). The first episode starts in beautiful but furious manner. I’m going to say the euphoria I felt in the opening minutes was because of the incredible visuals and score and not the champagne I had earlier. I truly was overwhelmed, and had to constantly remind myself what I just saw so I wouldn’t forget when it was time to gather my thoughts.
I’m very glad to say the show wasn’t always furious paced, and it’s in the slow moments that I teared up twice. There are things that I won’t fault others for disliking, and I look forward to genuine discourse (thankful for this discord for that)
All in all, If they can continue this quality or even up it as the seasons progress, There will be more Emmy’s than haters by season 5 ( the dream at least)
Truly surreal to see the stars, and of course my favorite Tolkien content creators all in one room before the big screening. No one gets to this kind of of event out of toxic spite, everyone seemed very excited to be there. I thought the actors would be a little irked having to entertain us nerds, but I forget that this cast is so incredible sincere.
Excitement was building while we waited in the theater, and I had a great conversation with a well versed Tolkien fan to my left and someone who had only seen the movies on my right (they both liked it). The first episode starts in beautiful but furious manner. I’m going to say the euphoria I felt in the opening minutes was because of the incredible visuals and score and not the champagne I had earlier. I truly was overwhelmed, and had to constantly remind myself what I just saw so I wouldn’t forget when it was time to gather my thoughts.
I’m very glad to say the show wasn’t always furious paced, and it’s in the slow moments that I teared up twice. There are things that I won’t fault others for disliking, and I look forward to genuine discourse (thankful for this discord for that)
All in all, If they can continue this quality or even up it as the seasons progress, There will be more Emmy’s than haters by season 5 ( the dream at least)
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ANOTHER PREMIERE REVIEW from @AuroraBoreale 1/3
Seeing the first two episodes felt as if I had read only a few paragraphs of a 12-book long epic. I’m keen to read to the end, but it’s hard to gauge at this point if I’ll end up liking what they’ve done since there is still so much I haven’t seen. I’m inclined to think that this season will mainly focus on introducing (or re-introducing) characters, building up cultures and their underlying history, contextualizing their relationships to one another, and establishing a stage for later action to take place on in later seasons.
Much like the middle seasons of Game of Thrones, the show might suffer from trying to develop too many narratives and perspectives at once. The large cast only allows you to get so far into each storyline in every episode, and the pacing felt slow to start with. Though, I can see that the showrunners are attentive to that as we have yet to set foot in Númenor. We’re all heading there together! which I thought was a nice touch.
I went into this expecting to be swept up in Galadriel’s story, but I found myself questioning the motivation the writers gave her character. It felt as if she may be poised for some Batman-ing across Middle Earth, but I could stand corrected. She also makes, to my mind, a questionable choice that leads her to Michael Phelps-ing (or Katie Ledecky-ing) it across an entire sea back to Middle Earth. I know, the genre is called fantasy, but this had me laughing during what was meant to be a highly dramatic scene and pivotal in her character development. I also felt squeamish when I saw attempts to weave political and palace intrigue into the show that set Gil-Galad and Galadriel at odds with Elrond in the middle. But, then Celebrimbor (Brimby) shows up with a relic of everyone’s favorite elf to love or hate from the First Age and you catch a glimpse of why this show has the title it does.
ANOTHER PREMIERE REVIEW from @AuroraBoreale 2/3
And then, there’s Khazad-dûm and Princess Disa. I’m no Varking Runesong, but I would be completely content in watching this storyline alone. Gone are the days in which dwarves serve as comedic relief. Princess Disa will steal all of your hearts within seconds, playing someone who can be both gentle and formidable at once. The dwarves are coming to us with more depth and range than we’ve seen before. In a single dinner sequence, you experience laughter, pain, love, longing, understanding, misunderstanding, forgiveness and reconciliation – all while you’re treated to Khazad-dûm in its heyday. Fellowship has always been at the heart of Tolkien, and this storyline made me feel that I had returned to a more familiar Middle Earth than at any other point in the premiere. Durin greets Elrond rather coldly when we first arrive in Khazad-dûm, and you might be fooled into thinking, as Elrond does, that his friend is being unreasonable, stubborn or proud (“Save me from the stubbornness of dwarves!” as Gandalf might say). But, you’ll quickly see the tables turn, and view the interaction from Durin’s perspective. I don’t think I’ve ever been more sympathetic or interested in the dwarves as I was during these scenes, and I cannot wait to see the changing dynamic of a relationship so affected by how they each experience time.
ANOTHER PREMIERE REVIEW from @AuroraBoreale 3/3
This series was always going to be a trickier adaptation than The Lord of the Rings trilogy. While we have potential plot points, the heavy burden of forging paths between those rests on the shoulders of writers, who are essentially ghost-writing in Tolkien’s absence, attempting to pay homage to both his voice and his vision. There were several nods to the Jackson team’s films, particularly a variation of the ‘history became legend, legend became myth’ during Galadriel’s introduction and shots that resembled Jackson’s style. With that said, this feels very different, and that’s not wholly a bad thing. Say what you will about this adaptation, whenever you pass judgment on it for yourself, thought and care has gone into it. I may have been lucky enough to see these episodes early, but it has come at the cost of having to wait nearly a month for the next episode. And I cannot wait.
Seeing the first two episodes felt as if I had read only a few paragraphs of a 12-book long epic. I’m keen to read to the end, but it’s hard to gauge at this point if I’ll end up liking what they’ve done since there is still so much I haven’t seen. I’m inclined to think that this season will mainly focus on introducing (or re-introducing) characters, building up cultures and their underlying history, contextualizing their relationships to one another, and establishing a stage for later action to take place on in later seasons.
Much like the middle seasons of Game of Thrones, the show might suffer from trying to develop too many narratives and perspectives at once. The large cast only allows you to get so far into each storyline in every episode, and the pacing felt slow to start with. Though, I can see that the showrunners are attentive to that as we have yet to set foot in Númenor. We’re all heading there together! which I thought was a nice touch.
I went into this expecting to be swept up in Galadriel’s story, but I found myself questioning the motivation the writers gave her character. It felt as if she may be poised for some Batman-ing across Middle Earth, but I could stand corrected. She also makes, to my mind, a questionable choice that leads her to Michael Phelps-ing (or Katie Ledecky-ing) it across an entire sea back to Middle Earth. I know, the genre is called fantasy, but this had me laughing during what was meant to be a highly dramatic scene and pivotal in her character development. I also felt squeamish when I saw attempts to weave political and palace intrigue into the show that set Gil-Galad and Galadriel at odds with Elrond in the middle. But, then Celebrimbor (Brimby) shows up with a relic of everyone’s favorite elf to love or hate from the First Age and you catch a glimpse of why this show has the title it does.
ANOTHER PREMIERE REVIEW from @AuroraBoreale 2/3
And then, there’s Khazad-dûm and Princess Disa. I’m no Varking Runesong, but I would be completely content in watching this storyline alone. Gone are the days in which dwarves serve as comedic relief. Princess Disa will steal all of your hearts within seconds, playing someone who can be both gentle and formidable at once. The dwarves are coming to us with more depth and range than we’ve seen before. In a single dinner sequence, you experience laughter, pain, love, longing, understanding, misunderstanding, forgiveness and reconciliation – all while you’re treated to Khazad-dûm in its heyday. Fellowship has always been at the heart of Tolkien, and this storyline made me feel that I had returned to a more familiar Middle Earth than at any other point in the premiere. Durin greets Elrond rather coldly when we first arrive in Khazad-dûm, and you might be fooled into thinking, as Elrond does, that his friend is being unreasonable, stubborn or proud (“Save me from the stubbornness of dwarves!” as Gandalf might say). But, you’ll quickly see the tables turn, and view the interaction from Durin’s perspective. I don’t think I’ve ever been more sympathetic or interested in the dwarves as I was during these scenes, and I cannot wait to see the changing dynamic of a relationship so affected by how they each experience time.
ANOTHER PREMIERE REVIEW from @AuroraBoreale 3/3
This series was always going to be a trickier adaptation than The Lord of the Rings trilogy. While we have potential plot points, the heavy burden of forging paths between those rests on the shoulders of writers, who are essentially ghost-writing in Tolkien’s absence, attempting to pay homage to both his voice and his vision. There were several nods to the Jackson team’s films, particularly a variation of the ‘history became legend, legend became myth’ during Galadriel’s introduction and shots that resembled Jackson’s style. With that said, this feels very different, and that’s not wholly a bad thing. Say what you will about this adaptation, whenever you pass judgment on it for yourself, thought and care has gone into it. I may have been lucky enough to see these episodes early, but it has come at the cost of having to wait nearly a month for the next episode. And I cannot wait.
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PREMIERE ATTENDEES MASTER POST
@TheChivKnight
So the NYC Screening was an amazing night. The first two episodes completely subdued any fears I initially had with the show. The cinematography was top notch. On the IMAX screen the CGI was almost completely unnoticeable, and the sound was amazing. I think by them working with John Howe there is enough connective tissue where this feels both familiar and fresh at the same time. Since these first episodes are setting up a lot of different story lines its hard to say how each of them will land but what I can say is I am very invested on how these stories unfold. I was nervous Arondir would be another over the top Legolas (like in the hobbit) but he may well be my favorite character. He gives me more of Strider vibes. Galadriel is perfect. Now this show is at a disadvantage to the die hard Tolkien fans because Tolkien himself didn’t write much about the second age… so yeah there will be new characters, new dialogue, and adaptation choices that some people may not agree with. BUT as a fan of Tolkien myself having read all the main works, listened to Corey’s entire collection on the Silmarillion, LOTR being my favorite movies… I am very excited to see where this adventure takes us.
@TheChivKnight
So the NYC Screening was an amazing night. The first two episodes completely subdued any fears I initially had with the show. The cinematography was top notch. On the IMAX screen the CGI was almost completely unnoticeable, and the sound was amazing. I think by them working with John Howe there is enough connective tissue where this feels both familiar and fresh at the same time. Since these first episodes are setting up a lot of different story lines its hard to say how each of them will land but what I can say is I am very invested on how these stories unfold. I was nervous Arondir would be another over the top Legolas (like in the hobbit) but he may well be my favorite character. He gives me more of Strider vibes. Galadriel is perfect. Now this show is at a disadvantage to the die hard Tolkien fans because Tolkien himself didn’t write much about the second age… so yeah there will be new characters, new dialogue, and adaptation choices that some people may not agree with. BUT as a fan of Tolkien myself having read all the main works, listened to Corey’s entire collection on the Silmarillion, LOTR being my favorite movies… I am very excited to see where this adventure takes us.
