[KMCG]

With Series 3 fast approaching in November, I wondered if anyone here are fans of the show, which has stirred/riled up a lot of hardcore Tolkien fans for daring to feature women in dominant roles and have non white actors play fantasy races. They review bomb the series and campaign against it.
I’ve quite enjoyed the show so far.
I thought S1 was better than S2, but both packed incredible production values, on a par with the most impressive features being made today.
Top of that list is the mighty fine music by Bear McCreary and his team, full of memorable themes and motifs, written in the classic/traditional style.
The show is all very serious and pompous and theatrical, as befits the source, but I got hooked into its world despite myself (after hating The Hobbit films and vowing to give a wide berth to all things LOTR for the foreseeable).
I’m looking forward to the third series and also what Bear McC might be writing up for us.

[GerateWohl]

I probably wouldn’t call myself a fan. But that applies for Lord of the Rings in general. I confess, I never read the book. I read THE HOBBIT and started reading LORD OF THE RINGS but got stuck a bit all the songs and poems and stopped at some point.
But I enjoyed all the movies despite struggling with Elija Wood as Frodo and Sean Astin as Sam because I felt the hardly carried all their scenes alone. Luckily Gollum was mostly there to do the job.

For the series, yes, season 1 was better than season 2. But as well looking forward to season 3. I don’t mind the diversity thing. Even though that gives the show kind of a convention cosplayer touch. Fantasy or not. If you want to show a people who lived hidden from the other people only for themselves since ever, does it makes sense to cast them as a modern immigration society? But I also see no point in playing the spoilsport. If that’s the precondition to get the show, I am fine with it. I like the show. And I appreciate the effort to make the show somehow consistent with the movies. And I like McCreary’s score a lot.

[Thor Joachim Haga]

We chatted a bit about it in the McCreary thread, I think (or maybe it was the “box set” thread).

I’m a big fan of the LOTR trilogy. They rightfully stand as contemporary classics, and as masterpieces. But mostly for the craft and art and world it inhabits. I was never able to nerd out on all the names and places and plot points, like so many fans do with apparent ease. Like Gerate, I’ve only read THE HOBBIT, and the film versions of that were wildly uneven, and a far cry from the LOTR trilogy. I have LOTR standing on my shelf, ready to be read, though. I actually found the book in relatively okay shape sitting by the public paper dumpster nearby!

The series, meanwhile, is somewhere inbetween. I do miss a lot of grain and dirt and “ephemeral” quality, there’s still too much of the digital, glossy look. I don’t mind the diversity in this (I have far greater issue with the recent hit series WIDOW’S BAY, which I just completed….great series, but the fact that two white people have a biological son of Iranian origin, because the producers operated with “colour blind casting”, is taking the diversity thing too far; even if you have supernatural elements, there needs be some basic scientific rules in place). All in all, decent show.

McCreary’s score is also uneven. There are some absolutely beautiful elements in it, but also some meandering, aimless stuff. I’ve whittled the overlong soundtrack down to a neat program of about an hour, which will satisfy all my needs for now. I MIGHT be open for a “Volume 2” if there is new and exciting music in season 3 and beyond. How many seasons are there supposed to be?

[Malte Müller]

I have indeed read the books and the Hobbit (which is certainly a children’s tale and much simpler than the LOTR books). And a few other shorter tales.

I am not that much a fan of the Hobbit movies over extending a rather short story but I love the three original films including the scores. (I also like the animated movie and primarily its score).

The series make be a rather free adaptation. I gladly could catch it in free TV over here even in the English original. It might have been a bit to polished/colorful – the glossy look Thor refers to – at times and the Sauron mystery and his tricking to create the rings was not that convincing to me, I liked it a lot. Even if I am not a fan of prequels telling story that already work left to your own imagination. McCreary’s music is great though and archieves sounding like LORT without sounding too much like Shore. I don’t need the box sets though (well my wallet also does not want me to anyway ;-))

How many seasons are there supposed to be?

I think I read something of a plan for five seasons

[Thor Joachim Haga]

sounding like LORT

Funny typo. ‘Lort’ in Norwegian is another word for ‘shit’.

[Malte Müller]

Funny typo. ‘Lort’ in Norwegian is another word for ‘shit’.

Awesome 😉

[Cailin]

I’ve never read the Lord of the Rings books either, but I love the films. Haven’t read The Hobbit, and didn’t like the film adaptations. I just bought a Kindle Paperwhite a couple of months ago (older version, secondhand on eBay), so to take away some of the barriers I have to reading more. Since it’s backlit, I can read at night propped up in bed and not bother my husband, since I don’t need a reading light with it…and I can increase the font size, so I don’t have to wear my reading glasses (one of the drawbacks of getting older) and can just read a few pages at a time anywhere. All that said, I have the trilogy installed on my device, but it’s such a commitment, since the three long books, as we know are really one epic story, that I haven’t jumped in yet. Maybe reading it will be a winter project. 🙂

[Malte Müller]

Yeah, starting such a book is a barrier. Just like starting (or rewatching) a series that already has several seasons. I read LORTR in the mid 90s I think and remember I was so hooked to finish it within maybe two weeks. But I had more time back then 😉

reading glasses (one of the drawbacks of getting older)

I don’t need them yet but I am wearing far sight glasses since my childhood and nowadays I have to start to take them off to read smaller text…

[Thor Joachim Haga]

I had to change to progressive glasses a couple of years ago, but I still put them on my head when I read small text up-close. I’ve had glasses since I was 13 or so. But the big challenge these days isn’t sight, but that damn tinnitus that takes a lot concentration away from focussing on text, especially books.

Wildly off-topic here. 🙂

[Malte Müller]

Wildly off-topic here. 🙂

All is connected 😉

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