nicholaspeteredwards
Joined Jul 2017
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nicholaspeteredwards's rating
I just watched The Lord of the Rings, Rings of Power.
To preface any sort of review, I must begin simply stating that I am a massive Tolkien fan. I've been watching LOTR since I was 3, and read my first Tolkien novel at 6. By the time I was 14, I had read the Children of Hurin, Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales. By 16, I added the entire HoME (History of Middle-Earth) to my list. When I first heard of Amazon's show, I was immediately sceptical. I was worried it would be awful, as bad as Wheel of Time. I thought, of all things, that it would be a frivolous waste of time and money.
I couldn't have been more wrong.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is a spectacular return to Middle-earth. Visceral, breathtaking and immersive, from the prologue reminiscent of the first minutes in Fellowship of the Ring, to the vast landscapes of Tir-Harad - I found myself gloriously gripped and filled with joy. Eyes watering, I cried tears of joy, seeing Middle-Earth brought to screen unlike I've seen since I was but a small boy, when watching Jackson's incredible LOTR Trilogy for the first time (which is the greatest trilogy ever made, fight me!). The dialogue rang in my ears like song and poetry. The lit of each race's speech making each distinctive and unique. This show is unlike anything I've seen on TV. It's cinema masquerading as TV, yet retains all the glorious writing of its medium intact. I have never been so impressed with an adaptation since the LOTR Trilogy, and I may well never encounter these feelings again. The musical score hit my heart, drifted in my ears and resounded in my soul. The acting of the characters was so good, they felt truly real to me. There was never a dull moment - this felt like a book brought to screen.
Everything about this show is grand and visually stunning. Many have feared that the show would shove a political agenda down viewers' throats. I am thrilled to say that at least so far, that concern is unfounded. There has been much internet chatter and scrutiny over the particular casting choices that were made. However, the casting director made fantastic choices and each actor fits their role perfectly. Also, the female characters display an inner strength, but without any of the self-intitled, narcissistic idiocy that make a Mary Sue. Each character is beautifully flawed, with a journey ahead. All are treated with the same care and cadence.
Again, I must say the acting is phenomenal. Within the first episode, one gets a sense of what each character is like. The Harfoots provide a charming and full of heart solace from the darker storyline threads. Prince Durin IV and Princess Disa are both boisterous bundles of fun. The costumes and the sets were beautiful. Fans of the Jackson trilogies will be able to find similarities in the various architectural styles. Bear McCreary's score is incredible, with each character and location having a distinct theme, varying from simple choral voices for the elves to dramatic swells for the character of Galadriel. The CGI is first rate, and I was in awe of the detail and the beautiful design of the realms belonging to the Elves. Khazad-Dum especially presents vast scope and grandeur. I cannot give this anything but a perfect score. Truly a jaw dropping success from Amazon. The haters are wrong.
To preface any sort of review, I must begin simply stating that I am a massive Tolkien fan. I've been watching LOTR since I was 3, and read my first Tolkien novel at 6. By the time I was 14, I had read the Children of Hurin, Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales. By 16, I added the entire HoME (History of Middle-Earth) to my list. When I first heard of Amazon's show, I was immediately sceptical. I was worried it would be awful, as bad as Wheel of Time. I thought, of all things, that it would be a frivolous waste of time and money.
I couldn't have been more wrong.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is a spectacular return to Middle-earth. Visceral, breathtaking and immersive, from the prologue reminiscent of the first minutes in Fellowship of the Ring, to the vast landscapes of Tir-Harad - I found myself gloriously gripped and filled with joy. Eyes watering, I cried tears of joy, seeing Middle-Earth brought to screen unlike I've seen since I was but a small boy, when watching Jackson's incredible LOTR Trilogy for the first time (which is the greatest trilogy ever made, fight me!). The dialogue rang in my ears like song and poetry. The lit of each race's speech making each distinctive and unique. This show is unlike anything I've seen on TV. It's cinema masquerading as TV, yet retains all the glorious writing of its medium intact. I have never been so impressed with an adaptation since the LOTR Trilogy, and I may well never encounter these feelings again. The musical score hit my heart, drifted in my ears and resounded in my soul. The acting of the characters was so good, they felt truly real to me. There was never a dull moment - this felt like a book brought to screen.
Everything about this show is grand and visually stunning. Many have feared that the show would shove a political agenda down viewers' throats. I am thrilled to say that at least so far, that concern is unfounded. There has been much internet chatter and scrutiny over the particular casting choices that were made. However, the casting director made fantastic choices and each actor fits their role perfectly. Also, the female characters display an inner strength, but without any of the self-intitled, narcissistic idiocy that make a Mary Sue. Each character is beautifully flawed, with a journey ahead. All are treated with the same care and cadence.
Again, I must say the acting is phenomenal. Within the first episode, one gets a sense of what each character is like. The Harfoots provide a charming and full of heart solace from the darker storyline threads. Prince Durin IV and Princess Disa are both boisterous bundles of fun. The costumes and the sets were beautiful. Fans of the Jackson trilogies will be able to find similarities in the various architectural styles. Bear McCreary's score is incredible, with each character and location having a distinct theme, varying from simple choral voices for the elves to dramatic swells for the character of Galadriel. The CGI is first rate, and I was in awe of the detail and the beautiful design of the realms belonging to the Elves. Khazad-Dum especially presents vast scope and grandeur. I cannot give this anything but a perfect score. Truly a jaw dropping success from Amazon. The haters are wrong.
Since season 8, when new writers took over Smallville, I had hope for the shows redemption once more. Al Gough and Miles Millar were taking the show nowhere, and after seasons 6 and 7, left much to be desired. Thus, for me, season 8 was refreshing, and some of the best Smallville I'd seen in years, and also the start of seeing Clark truly grow into Superman from the comics. The season however, fizzled out sometime in the later half (with some decent episodes spread out, here and there), but it was the final most of all that made me want to drop the show. Truth be told, I left for a few years, not bothering to watch what was perhaps my favourite show back in the day - until I heard from a friend how amazing Season 9 was. I was shocked, and surprised, at first I did my own research into reviews for the second last season, then I began to watch, and boy, was I not let down. Season 9 lived up to all my hopes and dreams, exceeding expectations and became one of my favourites of the whole show. The strong writing, coupled with the great acting and good direction really gave Smallville its second wind.
Zod was one of my favourite characters in this season, his arc was beautiful to watch, and the actor was magnificent. But Welling, Durance, and several other cast members all did great jobs as well, making this one of the seasons of Smallville with a mostly great cast of actors.
But enough of my thoughts of the whole season, and now, onto the finale, which has so much impact and strength to fuel new heights. The opening sequence alone would make any comic fan happy. The twist leading into the finale on Zod taking on the role of The Blur to manipulate Lois, and Clark being aware of this but still hiding himself was very well played and interesting to watch. I had been worried that it would be a repeat of how season 5 and 6 played Clark and Lex off of each other with Lana in the middle however, S9 again surprised me. This was much more original and not dragged out.
One of the best finales in a very long time, it also had the infamous cliffhangers that Smallville is known for, and boy did they do well with them. Overall, I have to say this was some of the best dramatic TV produced by Smallville in years. In fact, this whole season, and furthermore this episode, really puts Smallville down as the best CW/WB television ever produced, and moreover, places it as some of the best television of its era.
Perfectly written, brilliantly acted, and well filmed. The final moment of the cliffhanger not only caught me off guard, but had me dying to watch the next season straight after.
Zod was one of my favourite characters in this season, his arc was beautiful to watch, and the actor was magnificent. But Welling, Durance, and several other cast members all did great jobs as well, making this one of the seasons of Smallville with a mostly great cast of actors.
But enough of my thoughts of the whole season, and now, onto the finale, which has so much impact and strength to fuel new heights. The opening sequence alone would make any comic fan happy. The twist leading into the finale on Zod taking on the role of The Blur to manipulate Lois, and Clark being aware of this but still hiding himself was very well played and interesting to watch. I had been worried that it would be a repeat of how season 5 and 6 played Clark and Lex off of each other with Lana in the middle however, S9 again surprised me. This was much more original and not dragged out.
One of the best finales in a very long time, it also had the infamous cliffhangers that Smallville is known for, and boy did they do well with them. Overall, I have to say this was some of the best dramatic TV produced by Smallville in years. In fact, this whole season, and furthermore this episode, really puts Smallville down as the best CW/WB television ever produced, and moreover, places it as some of the best television of its era.
Perfectly written, brilliantly acted, and well filmed. The final moment of the cliffhanger not only caught me off guard, but had me dying to watch the next season straight after.