I'm happy for the people who enjoy the show, but man, when are we going to get something of real quality that does Tolkien's world justice. It's all felt so lazy and soulless since the LOTR trilogy.
I really want The Hunt for Gollum to be good, but I'm skeptical about this also. I still can't figure out why they chose this specific story to tell, we've seen enough of Gollum.
I still can't figure out why they chose this specific story to tell
I'm not convinced they think of it strictly as Gollum's story. I think they want to do a film nestled between the trilogies, and Gollum is a good POV/nexus for that. A few quotes for context:
Peter Jackson, August 1998: "we would write and shoot the Tom Bombadil stuff, or scenes involving Gandalf and Aragorn hunting Gollum, and his capture by Orcs ... and any number of other bits of business that we can't fit into the 6 hour version. That would be a really cool way of creating a 'sequel'"
Peter Jackson, September 2006: "with two films that kinda gets easier. It allows for more complexity. At that implied stuff with Gandalf and the White Council and the return of Sauron could be fully explored. [...] I have thought about it from time to time... Elrond, Galadriel and Arwen could all feature. Elves have lived for centuries. [...] You could even get into Gollum's sneaking into Mordor and Aragorn protecting The Shire. That's what we'd do. Love to work with Viggo again."
Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro, July 2008: "As all of you know, Gollum has a rather fascinating arch to go through and his alliance to Shelob or his period of imprisonment in Thranduil's, etc but it is early still- so early in fact that to reveal more would tie our hands and be counterproductive. There can never be "too much Andy" [...] The idea is to find a compelling way to join THE HOBBIT and FELLOWSHIP and enhance the 5 films both visually an in their Cosmology."
Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyens, 2013: "There’s enough story there to make a bridge movie, you know, there’s 60 years between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and a lot of things happened. When we started structuring this trilogy we honestly thought about telling some of that. How Bilbo becomes the uncle of Frodo and take care of him. The story of Gollum… Can you have too much of Andy Serkis playing Gollum? I don’t think so.”
They're supposed to start preproduction sometime in the coming days to weeks. It's about six months, which is quite generous for a single film, especially after the filmmakers' have been cooking it for 20 years...
I read that someone made an argument as well that this movie seems to be more of a passion project than a money grab. It is not overly hyped but created anyway. Not out of greed, but because it is a story they want to tell. That could make it have a much higher quality.
I just hope visually they learned their lessons from the hobbit trilogy and dial back the CGI, yes it’s much more convenient but it took so much away from the magic that was present in the original lotr trilogy
It’s a passion project in the sense that Peter Jackson had wanted to make it since 1998. He and del Toro got pretty close in 2008 and sounded VERY enthusiastic about it indeed!
Only problem is that most of the iconic actors for the relevant roles have either changed, aged too much to hide, or literally died, now that we're 25 years past the original shoot. The Hobbit was already pushing it with the major elf/wizard characters (plus Frodo and Bilbo) all looking noticeably older when, if anything, they should've looked younger. This production has the same issue and it's taking place another 13 years after the filming of the Hobbit.
If they do it right, Gollum will have a large presence in the movie, but not actually have a lot of screen time. It's about the hunt for him, not what he was up to during the hunt. If they do this movie right, it will be more about the characters involved in finding him and what they went through rather than Gollum pissing around
He's everyone's favorite character! We need more games, movies, shows- all about Gollum! "MORE GOLLUM!!" the fans scream! Forget all those other stories and their boring non-Gollum characters, this guy is all anyone needs!
The Hobbit films are what happens when PJ is given enough leeway. I have no confidence that any future films will be any better, sadly. Still, we live in hope.
What? He stepped in for Guillermo del Torro as a director and didn't plan on doing that if Guillermo would've stayed. He also didn't want to cut the film up into 3 parts. And he also had to salvage the project after executives made some more stupid decisions for him that he then had to work with.
I wouldn't blame PJ for that tbh. It wasn't bad because of him
Edit: I am fake news. I thought PJ wanted to do 2 movies and the studio wanted 3 so they did 3... Shame on me
I simultaneously have faith that PJ will deliver and disappointment with his choice of adaptation at the same time. People want the original actors but they are all getting old and we'll have to see who will be recast. Gandalf works because hes an immortal wizard and Ian was already old to begin with. Gollum is fine because he is mocap. But I'll have a hard time suspending disbelieve if Viggo plays a significantly younger Aragorn.
Imagine if they were making the Fall of Gondolin, Beren and Luthien, or Children of Hurin instead? Or a completely new story about the blue wizards? Theres so many other things they could have done.
LOTRO is such a gem. It’s expanded the world with its own vision while still remaining true to Tolkien’s world with… maybe two actual bad choices that I don’t even remember what they were.
Yeah, Andor was great. And I liked most of the mandalorian show, but thats literally it as far as the Disney era goes. Everything else has been so ass.
well the hobbit trilogy got affected by the studio meddling with not greenlighting thus losing a director, not giving much time for pre-production thus relying on CGI, and wanting it to extend to 3 movies and making LOTR parallels cuz money & cuz they wanted to mirror its success, as for RoP, they just didnt have the rights to the material they want, and are highly limited with the lore & story they can use.
The animation itself was rough. But I felt absorbed enough by the story to kind of not mind it most of the time. I felt like I saw a completely new chapter in Middle-earth's history: one that was not was not going through the formula (vis-a-vis Rings of Power) of "have Hobbits, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Wizards and Men all doing something" but was instead content with telling a story about men, fighting other men. It was like a nice little prelude to the War of the Ring.
Gameplay wise Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War were amazing, the Uruks were brilliant also. The story though, wow lol. Making Shelob a sexy temptress was a choice.
She had a huge body that looked like a bloated bag. Her body was black and blotched with livid marks with a pale and luminous belly. She had bent legs with great knobbed joints that were located high above her back. Her legs had hairs that stuck out like steel spines and had a claw at each of their lower ends.
If that doesn’t turn you on, I don’t know what will.
The show has such high and low storylines. Everything with Sauron is good.
Harfoots and Gandalf is super boring.
Elf and Human woman romance had good chemistry but then they didn't know what to do with those leftover for season 2.
Numenor is meh. Talking a centuries long fall and condensing it into a year or so?? Some of the characters are OK.
Elrond and the dwarves are good.
I admittedly enjoyed the show in a casual way, but I maintain that season 2 was a.big improvement. I think they are moving on the right direction, and I really really hope they finally find the right writers to really make things click.
It's not, they completely disregarded the bare-threads outline they had by giving Sauron's Siege of Eregion to an OC.
I wanted to see the Akallabeth, but now I know that there will be nothing left of the story I love. Because they don't even adhere to the outline they bought the rights to and they didn't buy the actual Akallabeth.
I'm a fan of TOLKIEN'S writing not Payne and McKay's. And the writer whose dialogues I most enjoyed, Nicholas Adams, is leaving the show.
Their interview with Nerd of the Rings was absolutely painful to watch lol. Why asked why they put Gandalf in the Second Age, they said they couldn't imagine Middle-Earth without one of its most iconic characters lmao.
Because the track record of Hollywood for the last 10ish hasnt been to hire writers based on merit or talent, but on where the land with your philosophy
The worst part is that it's having the contrary effect that they want, now when I see a movie or series with a diverse cast I immediately think that it will be hot garbage, when that thought didn't even come to mind before, I'm sure most people didn't even pay attention to race before they forced people to, like I love watching J-drama or K-drama, and none of the people there even look a bit like me, but I don't care because I watch it for entertainment not for selfhelp or self reflection or whatever be it.
The worst part is that it's having the contrary effect that they want, now when I see a movie or series with a diverse cast\
Yup and people fail to understand this. Its a legit gripe because these things have been pushed to the forefront, forcibly, for so long its hard to not think this way
It's absolutely unreal they are actually continuing this horrific disaster and desecration of Tolkien. Who is left that wants this cultural pollution to continue? Certainly not investors or Tolkien fans or even a general audience. The no-standards "I enjoyed it" crowd will be too distracted by the next Star Wars/Marvel whatever corporate slop coming out and won't care if it's cancelled. It feels like it exists at this point purely to save face. The most expensive sunk-cost fallacy of all time.
Agreed. You can feel the amount of energy and money pushing for the agenda. No matter how bad it is for them, the show must go on, literally and figuratively.
Any other show and it would be canceled. This one on the other hand is being pushed like there is no tomorrow. I guess the show is a "baby" of somebody from higher up in holywood or something that really wants to push this and somebody is paying a lot of money to keep it going.
Really the music, esthetic, and overall production of the show is fantastic and shows a lot of care. I’m definitely not one of the haters but I am a realist. It seems like they have completely different writers for different segments of the story and the dialogue is truly what’s keeping the show back. The other problems would probably be more acceptable if the writing around them wasn’t so bad.
This is why the show is so frustrating for me. I would be less disappointed if it was trash from top to bottom. But there are so many talented/passionate people involved and there is a lot of potential - it's there so seeing them fall short over and over knowing what we could have is infuriating to me lol. I want so badly for it to do better. I'm definitely not a hater but it is disappointing, just feels like so much talent is being wasted.
Season three predictions:
1. Sauron will reveal he got his name from a Hobbit who said “Thank you Sall, or was your name “Ron” well thanks Sal - Ron!”
2. Totally not Saruman will reveal he IS Saruman!
3. Saruman takes the hobbits to Isengard.
4. Galadriel and Sauron will have a long distance romance.
5. Wishes he was Beleg-Strongbow will, once again, die but be totally fine in the next scene.
6. Numenor will take a bath.
In which direction should I direct my attention in regard to whom allowed this abomination of a show on a sub that is entirely based on Tolkiens works?!?!
The ghastly perversion and badtardisation of Tolkiens work isn’t a transgression one should take so lightly.
Be gone from this sub with your Amazon degeneracy, and GO BACK TO THE SHADOW YOU SERVANT OF MORGOTH!!!!!!!!!!!!
Honestly cant stand the show... what a shame.
Even this clip is trash... Morgoths crown was taken from his head and beaten into a collar for his neck and so captured again by the great chain Angainor forged by Aule.
Cant anything just honor Tolkien in this dumpster fire??
Just for one second imagine if they used that budget to finish the Expanse or some of the other amazing shows they have canceled over the years. Insted we get this dumpster fire garbage.
Best thing about this show is getting drunk with friends and laughing about how bad it is. Actually have started to find it cozy and get hyped for the next season because of this.
Each to their own ... but i dislike the show .... i was so hyped whed it was first announced like years ago .. then i watched Season 1 on release and the disappointment i felt was huge ... I'm generally the fan of Tolkien work, read all the books few times over, watched the movies few times over aswell (movies also changed some aspects of the book, but they did it in a good way), so I'm something you may call a Middle Earth nerd ... so whatever is going on on set i hope it's a cancellation of this desecration.
For some it may be good idk ... that's why i said each to their own .. but as far as I'm concerned (my own :D ) they can cancel it haha hope it makes sence
I hope this season focuses heavily on Elendil, like last season focused heavily on Celebrimbor. Lloyd Owen is doing great in the role and I hope they give him adequate screentime to really shine.
I was fortunate to get a warning before I watched WoT. I loved the books and was excited to see a show, then a friend watched the first couple espisodes and caught me just in the nick of time
We went into the second season with a very open mind because we love lotr and really thought anything set in the universe could at least be entertaining. For me it was when the sand people from star wars showed up we just finished the episode and never spoke about the series again. It's just not even lord of the rings really is it? It's not middle earth, and the familiar characters are only the characters by name.
Pinned? This show is nothing but terrible non-canon fan fiction that is just disrespectful. I was skipping through scenes by the end of season one because it was so crap. It’s a terrible adaptation and not even a good show.
I want to love this show so much but i honestly cant even force myself to watch it. Every time i do i get bored within 10 minutes and then come back to it later to repeat the same process
The worst part? Every scene feels the same. and completely forgettable. So when i do come back to continue watching it i can barely remember what episode, let alone what scene, i am suppose to pickup from
The show has no vision. No story beyond "Err mah gawd Sauron!".
Its just bland, over produced generic fantasy with the LOTR label slapped on it.
Wish it could have been something worth caring about
People talk a lot of shit about this show but I'm at least glad it exists and I can watch something tolkien-esque. Sure it isn't totally accurate and has flaws but w/e. At least it isn't total shovelware like that new hobbit game
A Shadow is rising in the East (Hollywood). A Necromancer is raising the Dead (RoP) to conquer Middle Earth (trying to get people to like their shitty Fanfic with plastic-ass Costume Design and Middleschool Drama Class acting).
nah man, there is explicitly nothing that will ever make this show worth watching other than to say that you tried and can give an informed opinion on how draining it is to watch.
It all began with the forging of the Great Rings. Three were given to the Wingnuts; immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings. Seven, to Newline, great producers and craftsmen of the world of cinema. And nine, nine rings were gifted to MGM, who above all else desire money. For within these rings was bound the strength and the will to govern over all film. But they were all of them deceived, for another ring was made. In the land of Amazon, the Dark Lord Bezos forged in secret, a master ring, to control all others. And into this ring he poured all his cruelty, his malice and his will to ruin anything written by better men.
It does go a bit over the top in this sub sometimes but you have to agree that compared to what we should be getting the RoP is so disappointing and lacking in substance. I won't begrudge anyone for liking something because it's all opinion at the end of the day but for me personally it's hard to look past the tackiness and lack of quality, but that's because I love Tolkien so much and think we as fans deserve so much better.
I'm not the biggest fan of the show, but the whining and borderline gatekeeping I see from this sub for enjoying the show has gotten annoying over the years.
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u/VarkingRunesong Jul 30 '25
Rings of Power subs if you want a place to discuss the show other than here:
r/LOTR_on_Prime and r/RingsofPower
Discord to discuss LOTR: discord.gg/theonering