The Rings of Power discussion thread

**Hal...** · 10-27-2022

Originally Posted by wideopenears

At the end of the day, I also find that "the world" holds up well in The RoP treatment, and I have no issue with the creator's adherence to the exact "facts" ---

Sure, some things were invented for the show but so much of it was taken from the source material. As you've probably seen before, Amazon has the "x-ray" feature, where if you press the up arrow on your remote, it brings up the actors in that scene. There's also a tab or link for the characters, etc. For the RoP, they also added "trivia" (I mentioned this earlier in the thread). There are maybe ten each episode and each is a short bit of info with the source of that material; e.g. one of the appendices to the LotR. There's also a link to where in the episode it occurs so you can jump directly to the scene.

Anyway, so it's not like they didn't follow the source material. They just took a few liberties with it. But I agree, they are respectful of JRRT's vision. Good enough for me.

**wideopenears** · 10-27-2022

In the world of Tolkien, all "facts" are alternative.

**Hal...** · 10-27-2022

**Jerjo** · 10-27-2022

I understand the need to keep it PG on the level of the Jackson movies but couldn't we have gotten a little bit of Galadriel skin?

**Progatron** · 10-28-2022

Originally Posted by Jerjo

I understand the need to keep it PG on the level of the Jackson movies but couldn't we have gotten a little bit of Galadriel skin?

Saint Maud is the movie you seek.

**Hal...** · 10-28-2022

Originally Posted by Progatron

Saint Maud is the movie you seek.

I've had that on my watch list for quite a while but never got around to starting it. That's going to change.

**Just Eric** · 11-02-2022

I was thinking about the subject of purity and obedience to original content this weekend. IMHO we see this more in literary / film adaptations or in the case where a "universe" is created and continued, think Star Wars, Star Trek, etc. But isn't what new artists doing with original content exactly the same as a band covering a classic and putting their spin on it? I know some people get up in arms about this band ruining x song, but in general we accept cover bands and covered songs as a thing and in many cases a celebrated thing.

**hippypants** · 11-03-2022

Watched the first episode of Rings of Power last night and enjoyed it. I've hesitated on it as I got a little bored with the Rings after the Hobbit series. Actually I didn't think that was too bad had they left it at two movies--I think they tried too hard to milk that series.

**aith01** · 11-03-2022

Originally Posted by hippypants

[...] the Hobbit series. Actually I didn't think that was too bad had they left it at two movies--I think they tried too hard to milk that series.

Yeah, I feel the same way. I would have liked to see Guillermo del Toro's vision for the second Hobbit movie, when Jackson was supposed to hand the reins over to him after the first film. It would have been something a lot different, I think.

I'm still sad that never came to fruition -- and mad that the studio wanted to milk it, which is why they stretched it out into another trilogy instead of just two films as originally planned.

**Hal...** · 11-03-2022

Originally Posted by Just Eric

I was thinking about the subject of purity and obedience to original content this weekend. IMHO we see this more in literary / film adaptations or in the case where a "universe" is created and continued, think Star Wars, Star Trek, etc. But isn't what new artists doing with original content exactly the same as a band covering a classic and putting their spin on it? I know some people get up in arms about this band ruining x song, but in general we accept cover bands and covered songs as a thing and in many cases a celebrated thing.

Good point. Off the top of my head, I can think of four songs where I think the cover is better than the original: All Along the Watchtower (Hendrix), No Opportunity Necessary, Everydays, and America (all Yes), Without You (Harry Nilsson), and Satisfaction (Devo).

And then, of course, are remakes of movies that are as good as, and sometimes better than the original: Scrooge (1951), The Thing (1982), The Planet of the Apes reboot, and Psycho.

**Sturgeon's Lawyer** · 11-03-2022

Originally Posted by hippypants

Watched the first episode of Rings of Power last night and enjoyed it. I've hesitated on it as I got a little bored with the Rings after the Hobbit series. Actually I didn't think that was too bad had they left it at two movies--I think they tried too hard to milk that series.

Absolutely correct. The Hobbit was done as an animated show quite competently in the '70s by Rankin-Bass. One movie. Ninety minutes. And they covered the whole book except for the interlude with Beorn. A little sketchy in places, but respectful of the source material.

Peter Jackson's bloated monstrosity stands in stark contrast. The relatively few bad parts (which however were bad enough that I can't rewatch them) of his LotR were exactly the things Jackson either added in -- which was insanity, given how much he had to compress the source material to fit it into reasonable-length movies -- or changed drastically, particularly degrading changes to characters who are exemplars of nobility.

The Hobbit trilogy consists to a very large extent of shit Jackson and company made up. And I do mean shit. The whole elf/dwarf romance thing is completely contradictory to how Middle-earth works; it isn't a Romeo and Juliet kind of thing, it's more like if Timmy and Lassie eloped -- not quite that extreme, but very much against the whole spirit of (in particular) the Dwarves; and whatsername was a Green-elf, a subset of the Elves who really hated Dwarves because of some violent betrayals in the past, and I mean six thousand years past, but Elves live way longer than that; Galadriel is at least seven thousand years old and quite possibly more than that.

**hippypants** · 11-04-2022

Did anyone feel inspired to play anything music-wise after watching The Ring of Power? I played Loreena McKennitt's The Mirror and The Mask and it worked pretty well. A side note, I saw where Netflix is doing a second series for Sandman. I've yet to watch the first one.

**Quantum Cat** · 11-04-2022

^^^ No. I was more disgusted than inspired.

**Hal...** · 11-04-2022

Originally Posted by hippypants

Did anyone feel inspired to play anything music-wise after watching The Ring of Power?

Nope. I've never cared for that kind of music. In fact, those modern Celtic type songs played during the credits of the movies felt anachronistic to me, but I can't really explain why.

Didn't like Enya's song in Titanic, either.

I liked Howard Shore's music in the original trilogy, tho.

**Sturgeon's Lawyer** · 11-04-2022

Originally Posted by Hal...

Didn't like Enya's song in Titanic, either.

Are you perhaps thinking of Celine Dion? Enya turned down Titanic.

**markowitz** · 11-07-2022

Originally Posted by hippypants

Did anyone feel inspired to play anything music-wise after watching The Ring of Power? I played Loreena McKennitt's The Mirror and The Mask and it worked pretty well. A side note, I saw where Netflix is doing a second series for Sandman. I've yet to watch the first one.

I found this song watching Britania, a TV series. Not a bad hobbit/Celtic song. Usually titled Wild Mountain Thyme.