*****The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power*****

151,600 Views | 1847 Replies | Last: 1 mo ago by maroon man
TCTTS
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I really don't get the "cheap"/CW-esque complaints at all. I'm the king of calling out how terrible most shows/movies look, but this one continually looks stunning, IMO; like every dollar of "the most expensive series of all time" is on screen.
powerbelly
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It looks expensive but cheap imo. It looks great but not like middle earth.
TCTTS
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Ha, I still have to disagree. They're literally filming exactly where all the movies shot, in New Zealand. I'm continually in awe at how vast and epic the various terrains look, and how much it all looks like the Middle Earth from the movies to me, yet also just different enough for it to feel like its own thing, thousands of years prior.
The Porkchop Express
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Nice site with some IG posts of some of the filming locations in NZ

https://www.goodto.com/entertainment/where-is-the-rings-of-power-filmed-locations
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PatAg
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TCTTS said:

I really don't get the "cheap"/CW-esque complaints at all. I'm the king of calling out how terrible most shows/movies look, but this one continually looks stunning, IMO, like every dollar of "the most expensive series of all time" is on screen.
There have been two specific moments I felt reminded me of the Stargate Tv shows.
One was one of the scenes where the elves are prisoners and talking, and their are 3-4 orcs wearing capes and stuff talking.

The other is the scene where the Numenorean with the square beard and Cesar haircut is talking to Halbrand at the table, and then they follow him into the alley. Those scenes in particular really made me think of it, and some of it for sure has to do with how he talked/looked.

I also dont think its a bad thing.
It also makes sense to me that a tv show is not going to have hundres of thousands of extras for city scenes like a feature length movie might.

*just saw the previous posts saying they think the whole show is like that, which is crazy talk. So much of the show loooks amazing*
powerbelly
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TCTTS said:

Ha, I still have to disagree. They're literally filming exactly where all the movies where shot, in New Zealand. I'm continually in awe at how vast and epic the various terrains look, and how much it all looks like the Middle Earth from the movies to me, yet also just different enough for it to feel like its own thing, thousands of years prior.
Ya, I'm not comparing it to the other movies. I think Khazad-Dum is the only thing they have done well. The rest just feels like generic fantasy. ETA: It doesn't feel real, and that isn't a good thing for middle earth.
cbr
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TCTTS said:

I really don't get the "cheap"/CW-esque complaints at all. I'm the king of calling out how terrible most shows/movies look, but this one continually looks stunning, IMO; like every dollar of "the most expensive series of all time" is on screen.
Just have to disagree. Dont know if it was style choices or lack of talent but this show quality is closer to the star wars prequels than the lotr movies, hell, back to back, house of dragons looks bigger and more real.
PatAg
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Gotta say, I havent personally seen these takes reflected anywhere else but Im not really going out of my way to watch or read anything on the show. Just occassionally will pop into my timeline.
Brian Earl Spilner
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TCTTS said:

I really don't get the "cheap"/CW-esque complaints at all. I'm the king of calling out how terrible most shows/movies look, but this one continually looks stunning, IMO; like every dollar of "the most expensive series of all time" is on screen.


For me it's not about it looking cheap (it doesn't), it's that I don't love the cinematography. I posted a few pages back, but I far prefer the cinematic and more atmospheric look of the film trilogy. This looks incredibly vibrant (and fantastic), but doesn't quite feel like the same Middle Earth.
TCTTS
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That's certainly a fair critique. I get that.
redline248
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While we're talking about the look of things...I think there is a big difference in the outdoor scenes and the ones filmed on indoor sets. The alley fight was a good example. Some of the other Numenorean sets seem "small." Contrast with the harfoots or scenes with the humans in the southlands...that all feels more real, somehow. Maybe it's that I believe the cramped and dusty confines of those poor people's homes vs the grandeur of Numenor. I understand that they can't really build what they want (or what my imagination expects)...but it's, at the least, a minor distraction from time to time.

Khazad-Dum looked pretty dang good, though..except maybe inside Durin's home.
Lathspell
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I definitely get that similar feeling. I can't put my finger on it, but it does not feel of the same quality of GoT or the original LotR trilogy. Maybe the filter has a little to do with that.

As i've mentioned before, it just feels like i'm watching a community theatre production with a very big CGI budget. I don't feel immersed in this world, I find the dialogue very clunky, and the last episode was really starting to drag.

We get occasional great cinematic pieces, but those are sporadic.

I'm actually dreading this next episode, because I know I'm going to have to trudge through so much Harfoot content. It's almost as bad as having to read all of Treebeard's damn poems.
PatAg
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DallasTeleAg said:

I definitely get that similar feeling. I can't put my finger on it, but it does not feel of the same quality of GoT or the original LotR trilogy. Maybe the filter has a little to do with that.

As i've mentioned before, it just feels like i'm watching a community theatre production with a very big CGI budget. I don't feel immersed in this world, I find the dialogue very clunky, and the last episode was really starting to drag.

We get occasional great cinematic pieces, but those are sporadic.

I'm actually dreading this next episode, because I know I'm going to have to trudge through so much Harfoot content. It's almost as bad as having to read all of Treebeard's damn poems.
I'm expecting that wolf (or whatever was around back then in middle earth) to reappear and cause a ruckus with the caravan.
The Porkchop Express
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Mark me down as Team Wolf.
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OnlyForNow
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I'd agree the way it's shot is a lot different.

Take the scene where Elrond is listening from far away, in the LOTR movies that would have been a grand epic shot twisting away and shooting skywards, I still liked this version but shot very differently.
Brian Earl Spilner
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KidDoc
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TCTTS said:

Ha, I still have to disagree. They're literally filming exactly where all the movies shot, in New Zealand. I'm continually in awe at how vast and epic the various terrains look, and how much it all looks like the Middle Earth from the movies to me, yet also just different enough for it to feel like its own thing, thousands of years prior.
I like the landscape shots plenty but the makeup, beards, and everything about the dwarves and harfoots looks cheap and fake to me. The orcs look great and that fight in the house with the orc vs humans was my favorite scene. It just feels like a caricature to me for some reason.
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rynning
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cbr said:

TCTTS said:

I really don't get the "cheap"/CW-esque complaints at all. I'm the king of calling out how terrible most shows/movies look, but this one continually looks stunning, IMO; like every dollar of "the most expensive series of all time" is on screen.
Just have to disagree. Dont know if it was style choices or lack of talent but this show quality is closer to the star wars prequels than the lotr movies, hell, back to back, house of dragons looks bigger and more real.
It's unfortunate that both Rings of Power and House of Dragons are being released at the same time, so comparisons are inevitable. I'm also watching both and agree somehow RoP feels cheaper and smaller than HoD.

I can't quite put my finger on it either. Is it the plot, the acting, dialogue, lighting, pacing, tone? Not sure. I think the "wide" shots are fantastic. The problem, whatever it is, is when they pull in close for some, but not all, scenes. Just my opinion.
bobinator
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I think some of the "cheap"-ness is due to some of the Elven stuff. When people watch a show like this, they're expecting these shots to look like the past like it would on normal earth. Stuff should be gritty, dark, worn in, etc. And that is how it is on GoT and HotD.

But in Rings of Power the sets are often bright and clean. It makes it look plastic, which then in turn makes it feel cheap.

I think people are also going to naturally compare the shows, but they're not necessarily made for the same audience. I imagine, Rings of Power is going to be a lot less subtle.

But mostly jumped on here because I'm finally caught up and this show is a lot better than I was expecting.
KCup17
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Catching up on this thread is rough. Anyways so far I enjoy about 75% of the series. I kind of made up my mind that there will be some things I don't like and others I do. I'm always down for a story of Middle Earth.
Southlake
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The Collective
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I'll say this. I appreciate that my kids can watch this show. My 10 year old son in particular likes fantasy that isn't necessarily made for kids, but obviously, he can't watch stuff like GOT.
Claude!
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The Porkchop Express said:

Mark me down as Team Wolf.


Kind of a non sequitur, but I guess that's something you can....


....oh, team wolf.
Cromagnum
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Have not tuned in yet. How is the show so far?
The Porkchop Express
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Claude! said:

The Porkchop Express said:

Mark me down as Team Wolf.


Kind of a non sequitur, but I guess that's something you can....


....oh, team wolf.
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bobinator
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I like it, in fact it's better than I expected, but if you're expecting the same level of subtlety and grit as a Game of Thrones-type show, it's not that.
powerbelly
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I like half of it half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of it half as well as it deserves.
canadiaggie
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powerbelly said:

I like half of it half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of it half as well as it deserves.

Best post of the thread. Pack it up, folks
Ol Jock 99
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bobinator said:

I like it, in fact it's better than I expected, but if you're expecting the same level of subtlety and grit as a Game of Thrones-type show, it's not that.
It being released at the same time as House of Dragons definitely hurts it (comparison wise). LOTR is good, really good even, but it will naturally compared with GOT, and GOT is knocking it out of the park.
Brian Earl Spilner
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Cromagnum said:

Have not tuned in yet. How is the show so far?


Well there's a pretty long thread you can read.
PatAg
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KCup17 said:

Catching up on this thread is rough. Anyways so far I enjoy about 75% of the series. I kind of made up my mind that there will be some things I don't like and others I do. I'm always down for a story of Middle Earth.
bingo
Madmarttigan
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Ol Jock 99 said:

bobinator said:

I like it, in fact it's better than I expected, but if you're expecting the same level of subtlety and grit as a Game of Thrones-type show, it's not that.
It being released at the same time as House of Dragons definitely hurts it (comparison wise). LOTR is good, really good even, but it will naturally compared with GOT, and GOT is knocking it out of the park.


Other than a darker and grittier atmosphere I don't really consider GOT some clear cut winner between these two shows. GOT largely has a imo weak interpersonal political storyline with no overarching threat to make it more interesting (only watched 4 episodes so far). It has better acting and a darker atmosphere but I enjoy the story of LOTR more right now.

At the end of the day I hope both are a roaring success to continue to pave the way for more fantasy content. Anything to wipe the memory of WoT from the minds of future studios and their considerations.
TCTTS
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Madmarttigan said:

Ol Jock 99 said:

bobinator said:

I like it, in fact it's better than I expected, but if you're expecting the same level of subtlety and grit as a Game of Thrones-type show, it's not that.
It being released at the same time as House of Dragons definitely hurts it (comparison wise). LOTR is good, really good even, but it will naturally compared with GOT, and GOT is knocking it out of the park.


Other than a darker and grittier atmosphere I don't really consider GOT some clear cut winner between these two shows. GOT largely has an imo weak interpersonal political storyline with no overarching threat to make it more interesting (only watched 4 episodes so far). It has better acting and a darker atmosphere but I enjoy the story of LOTR more right now.


Agreed. GOT certainly *feels* more prestigious, but the plot/stakes just aren't doing it for me right now, on the level that LOTR is.
AgsMnn
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I love this show and the GOT show that are both playing.

I look forward to Fridays and Sunday nights.
bobinator
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I think Rings of Power is a better show so far, but people are giving House of the Dragon some rope to get to the timeline we're going to live in.

If it weren't a Game of Thrones show people would hate this time jumping thing. But it is, and we all want to feel that Sunday night GOT magic again, so we're giving it a lot of runway.
 
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