What they did to the elves is just… they made them so human, like that’s how they come across as on screen, humans with pointy ears. I remember watching Lord of the rings as a teen and being in awe of the elves. There’s just so many things wrong with this show.
I didn't watch the show and that's the thing that jumped at me the most, they were just average people with pointy ears. Not the magical beings we are used to.
Saruman is literally sent as an emissary from Valar (just like Gandalf) and through his devices Sauron was defeated at Dol Guldur. Gandalf is a friend and helper to Saruman until Saruman becomes frustrated by "weak and idle friends" not doing enough and losing his hope ultimately against Sauron's power. That is the only reason he turned into a "ends justify the means" approach of seeking good (and order in the Aulean vein). Even then Saruman wanted the good of Middle Earth as the ultimate goal, though he was proud and believed only his "wise" way was viable and he was willing to do evils "done by the way" i.e. collateral damage. That is why Gandalf still offers him clemency and asks for his help (despite having reached both higher power and understanding than Saruman) after the Helms Deep, knowing all of this as Saruman told him himself at the beginning of the story. This show is travesty.
@@TJ_ax u honestly think ALL the beloved franchises are honestly “going up in flames” in quality? Any given year gives us some examples that make a case for the opposite I’d say…
I think closed-minded fanboys like you all live a reclusive life and need to broaden your minds. You can't grow in intelligence until you expose yourself to new experiences and knowledge. So, don't close yourselves off. By your type of thinking, you shouldn't play Nintendo games, because Nintendo started as a card game. By those same biased thoughts, you wouldn't drive a vehicle unless it is based on the Ford Model T. Things SHOULD evolve and be modified and updated.
@@alexputnam1930 The Killer remake, The Exorcist Believer, Alien Romulus, Godzilla x Kong, Rings of Power- for me, yeah..... Furiosa was ok. Godzilla -1.0 was the only saving grace the past year
In a recent Radio One interview with the actor who plays Not-Gandalf, he spoke on how the showrunners told him they’d be shooting a random scene that would be spliced into the Final Cut of the episode and that it would be his name reveal. So either they did so to keep it a secret or they’re making it up as they go. He even stated he had no idea who his character actually was in the first season, only that he was a wizard.
They don't seem to have a clue what to do with the Harfoots now they've put them in the show lol. It was like they didn't think much further than the idea of having that Frodo-Sam archetype present. It was such a key element of Jackson's success so we must have it here, we'll figure the rest out as we go. It's absolutely F crazy! lmao. The incompetence is actually astonishing.
"We're losing her!" Well, no shit, she got stabbed in the chest and fell off a 15 story building, so she should be DEAD! But she's Guyladriel the Magnificent, and she cannot die.
About wizards in the second age... Originally, there were none. Then, later Tolkien seemed to retcon this so that the 2 blue wizards did arrive in the second age, before the other 3. (So yeah, Gandalf and Saruman still weren't around) But even them weren't evil. Ever. And what did they ddo in this version? They thwarted Sauron's plans in the east. Which, may I remind you, in this show, don't exists, because Sauron HAS NO PLANS IN THE EAST.
After listening to a Lot of criticism of this show I decided to just watch it as a fantasy series.and to be honest it’s not bad I think they take it a bit to seriously.just enjoy it for what it is.its not real .
Yes, follow along and parrot what other men think and believe instead of forming your own opinion. An audience of insecure little boys just waiting to be part of the club of right think about this show. Any person who actually watched this show and got nothing of value from any of the performances and visualizations and characterizations is a bitter loser who does not deserve happiness and satisfaction, in this life or the next. But the losers above can't prove me wrong because he won't watch the show and is content to let others tell him what it is and how to feel. If he had a d*ck he'd have cut it off to not be a man.
They tried to tie up too many loose ends in one episode. Each effort seemed lazy and rushed, especially the Khazad-dum plotline, the Numenor plotline, the Wizard plotlines. Very disappointing to make such a big world feel so small
You have touched a point that it's very important, even if we were supposed to throw away the canon, they can not hold the logic of their own story, of their own logic, its so bizarre. At this final episode, how the orc were supposed to know about the 9 rings? haahahah
Why are you acting like the Dark Wizard is Sarumon? They never said or implied this and he fits as a blue wizard that went to the East and started cults. What am I missing here?
They literally added a wall to Eregion. And the look of the city changed too. They literally can't keep their own continuity within the show even visually, forget about the writing and story.
Damn I'm gonna miss these Tolkien reviews of Rings of Power of yours. You're so funny when you call out the bullshit that this show features. This show has so many flaws it's crazy. Imagine having that budget and the Second Age at your disposal and f'ing it up THAT MUCH!
It's true that Gandalf, Saruman and Radagast did not arrive in Middle Earth during the second age, but Tolkien in his later writings did write that the Blue Wizards arrived during the second age, which was a change from what he previously wrote where he said the Blue Wizards arrived together with the other wizards in the third age.
@@Patrick-sheen Yes, I like a lot of those paintings, too, especially the one by John Howe, even if he mistakenly depicted Fingolfin with blond hair. Anyway, you have a good point: the crown should be bigger. But I do think it is unclear exactly how much bigger it should be. When I wrote "I should say" I mean more or less the same as "I would say". It's my opinion. My opinion is, however, based on one of the letters of Tolkien. I'll try to look up the reference. It might be of interest....Ah, I found it! I see now I was applying a statement about Sauron to Morgoth. I may very well be mistaken in doing so. Here is the quote: from Letter No. 246 to Eileen Elgar, "...in a tale which allows the incarnation of great spirits in physical and destructible form their power must be far greater when actually physically present. Sauron should be thought of as very terrible. The form that he took was that of a man of more than human stature, but not gigantic." So, how tall was Morgoth? I don't know.
@@Zorbatrog in the Silmarillion, the fight with Fingolfin talks about his height but I’m not 100% either. Searching on Google talk about 30 feet. Aragorn in the books should stand at 6.6 feet which is a reflection of his Dúnedain roots, which is taller than the normal men of Middle Earth. Heights in general are amplified in the books. I’m no expert on any of it though. You’re correct about the hair btw 😀 one final point: when the Valar finally bind Morgoth and send him into the void, it specifically states that they bend and mould his crown to create a neck brace from which the chains are hung. Essentially the crown ceases to exist at that point.
Saruman is bad from the very beginning? 🙄 How ? 😅 It doesn't make sense in any way. Show runners/writers are incredible clowns. It is genuinely impressive how they continue to fuck everything up ))) Thank you , James 😎
I started season 1 when it came out hoping it would be good, hated it. Spent the rest of the season pulling my hair out over nonsensical decisions and character moments/plots and ended up hate watching season 1 instead. Hated that feeling so decided not to watch season 2 and rather the reviews. So glad I haven't continued to watch this bad fan fiction
In this story, in the context in which Sauron was presented...I am left wondering...what does he feed on? By recreating him as a being similar to Venom but more extreme. Is it consuming other beings? Did he eat during the siege of Eregion? Why didn't he eat the blacksmith? Or the girl? his detractors... or anyone who stands in front of him.😂
How did black-elf survive?.......he was death-knifed multiple times last week by orc-elf and left for dead......but he just shows up again in the finale this week unaffected with no wounds or explanation.
I'm not upset with the show for making up their own history and characters, it's just so terribly written. It feels like they just sprint to scenes that might have been cool if they were build up and the dialogue wasn't so terrible. I could totally see Charlie Vickers be an awesome, maniuplative villain if they wrote one for him. Most of the actors are trying so hard to do something with the crap they are given, that I do feel bad for them.
here's a fun challenge: find an original line of dialogue from this season that you think was actually well written. For me the only thing that comes close was the king dwarf saying "I never let you; that was just you, getting stronger". I mean it made absolutely no sense, given the context is the king was being incredibly weak the entire season, and the whole arm wrestling story just comes out of nowhere. But on its own it's a pretty good line, and I'm going to go ahead and say it was 10x any other piece of writing in the entire season. For the first season the best line has to be "I've been awake since before the breaking of the first silence. in that time, I've had many names." which to me also sounded pretty good, but made very little sense in context. Of course that's a vast improvement to most of the dialogue; which both sounds terrible; and makes zero sense in context lol
@@MrCrisisZ u honestly think that for the whole complete season overall? Or just in the way that folks in the comments section of social media and/or RUclips just wanna disingenuously shit on things whole-cloth with unfair exaggeration, over generalizations, & no nuance….
@@alexputnam1930 up until what Episode 4 it was okay.. Dragon on Dragon battle was epic and made the season worth it, but season 2 was a disaster. Daemon i'm going to harrenhall.. okay.. next episode.. still in Harrenhall.. last episode still in Harrenhall.. just sitting there doing absolutely nothing. The Dragon seeds were cool but this season was off by a lot. They dialed down Blood and Cheese making it way less cool than the book. It seemed like people sitting around doing nothing. No nettles instead we get this arc where Daemon's child is running around westeros finding a dragon in the last episode. Look they lost their show runner and while people were hyped it was clear that it wasn't the same show. I'll still watch I was just disappointed.
@@MrCrisisZ Yea first half was good. But after that they knew the had no budget or time for the start of the war so they just had Rhaenyra stand around for three episodes looking confused going on about Dragonseeds Dragonseeds Dragonseeds. They could had have done the Dragonseed stuff in half an episode.
Dude that was just as bad. George R.R. Martin literally shredded it and the people in charge after the finale. The Penguin and Shogun are the only shows that have impressed me this year. Most have been huge disappointments.
About not caring about the characters... I feel deep hatred towards Kemen, wow that actor got to deliver some awesome lines in this episode. I felt my eye twitching with hate
Well, you didn't mince words at the closing of this video! Good on you! However, I'm afraid the detail of Sauron breaking Narsil by stepping on it is just the particular way that Jackson visualized it for the film.
As a mom, the description of Galadriel as a toddler taking a dump is 100% correct. The only good think about ROP was that I found your channel. Enjoy your content and your expressive thumbnails
1) Did Numenor have a panantir still? That would explain knowing about Sauron. 2) I had thought the Dark Wizard was Saruman. He looks like Saruman and has a similar relationship to Gandalf. But after the Bombadil stuff, the only way to make that work seemed like Gandalf being misled about his nature OR gandalf needing to put Saruman on the straight and narrow. Given that they didn't give the dark wizard a name, I'd assume they were leaving that door open initially. 3) Durin attacking the Balrog was goofy. Don't know if that's meant to take the balrog off the board for now. 4) Couldn't remember if Galadriel had told Halbrand about the 'touch the darkness' line. 5) I doubt the harfoots leaving is the end of that. I think they're demented enough to still give you the origins of the shire.
I think Season 4 will be Founding of the Shire and Founding of Gondor... I'm really concerned that they're going to have Minas Tirith as the Capital even though it didn't exist when Gondor was founded and Osgiliath is supposed to be the Capital. But these writers are dumb af.
My expectations were very low when I was watching the trailers and teasers before the season one released. But this is crazy, no one could ever imagine how bad it was actually going to be. The fact that these writers can make something this soulless out of Tolkien's work is kinda impressive tho
I laughed so hard when a bunch of low tier uruk/orcs captured gil galad and elrond😂😂😂😂 Then dwarfs show up out of noehere and magically elrond starts fighting back 😅😅😂😂😂
Was hoping throughout the season that James would give some positive glimmer of hope to any episode - alas, none! Pleased to not have wasted any time on this season. Thanks, James! 😊
James is a joyless hate watcher who is poisoned and bitter. There was plenty to enjoy about this season. It's not all great but there were some great moments, and any human who watched this and pretended there were not is not worth listening to. But like so many others, you will never know because you love letting other people tell you want to think and believe and feel. Carry on little follower. And make sure to keep watching James so he can tell you want to think about something else in the next video. Every one of you is pathetic.
Yeah, I followed the first season(but not the second). You could already see then that the writers wanted to do "their own thing" and were adamant about it. Even before the first season, all consultants/academics left one by one. But I guess it has its audience.
they've done their worst to fill this show with premises that can't be salvaged in future seasons. I don't know how I could sit through 3 more seasons of this. RIP ROP!
Same... really thought it was going to be Alatar and the Dark Wizard was going to be Pallando, it made sense in my head... But now it's Gandalf and Saruman... which is soo dumb and Destroys continuity.
I only watch thru the creators who can truly see this for what it’s worth and I value that honesty stay true ❤thanks for your service 😅 and thanks for still managing to make something better than what ever happened with this 😒
It is hard to believe that this is the most expensive show ever made when half the armor looks like it was purchased at Spirit Halloween and the three Elven rings look like they came out of a gumball machine.
“The stick finds you 🤓” NEVER THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO SAY THAT 👍🏼👍🏼 The writing is absolutely terrible in this show, every scene is so predictable and makes me cringe my eye balls out 😍
Do we know Ciaran Hinds is Saruman? Or is it just heavily implied at this point? Was kinda hoping for a blue wizard not that I'd trust these writers to do one justice.
Haven't watched the 2nd season yet....i got the impression from the first (which i enjoyed!😮) that that was as good as it was gonna ever be .....Saruman and Gandalf should never have been in it and they shouldve stuck with who is Sauron for a couple of series and simply told little stories (even if made up) around Middle Earth and Numenor or something ....that enriched the world building... Yeah....i have to agree that the depiction of the elves especially Galadriel is way off the mark. I also cringe when tolkien tropes are being 'invented' and when original character dialogue is being reprocessed.... Oh im an Abercrombie fan too! 👍👍👍👍
James have you seen the upcoming Mea Culpa DLC of Blasphemous II coming out on Halloween day? It's gonna contain a lot of new content. The penitence never ends.
James, your reviews were always spot-on! The show is complete garbage. I don't even like the costumes, because they look too new and shiny. Only the orcs look actually good - but l would've loved to get a better look at the orc babies! The show could've featured the first orc babies ever - but the show-runners chickened out 😉 But seriously - if the show-runners wanted us to look at the orcs from a different perspective, they should have gone all the way and show us the daily lives of the orcs and their way of life. There would've been enough time, if they would've deleted the awful storyline of the Harfoots and the Stranger who had no business to be present in the Second Age. It was difficult to develop even a tiny scrap of sympathy for Amazon's orcs, since we only saw them doing violent and evil things - just like ordinary Tolkien orcs.
21:35 - 😆. Great review. I will check out Joe Abercrombie. Your reviews have given me the excuse to rewatch The Lord of the Rings Trilogy for the 100th time.
i so 100% agree with your down to earth criticism. Most of the other channels are just so rage baiting and over the top. This just calls this Trash out for what it is. I am so sad that they fcked it up so badly. could've been amazing and awe inspiring.
Thinking about the sword fight reminded me of Brienne (of fucking Tarth) and the Hound in GoT which is probably the best sword fight ever filmed. Having said that, why don't fantasy shows even try to emulate that? Ugh, Rings of Power is like eating cardboard with no salt.
Was seriously disappointed in Gandalf reveal. Like it just goes against everything I like about the lore of LOTR. I do like some aspects of the show, but that Gandalf reveal had my head in my lap. Last episode was just ridiculous and dumb.
After the football game tonight, I'll watch the last episode. The first three episodes were pretty good, especially when you watch it like I do - seeing it as a high fantasy show, just with Tolkien window dressing. And after those first three episodes, it truly became a complete and utter BOREFEST! But that's been Hollyweird for decades, taking beloved and well-known novels, thinking somehow they can change it and do it better than the source material, and mostly making half-assed or utter shit.
They've taken one of the greatest works the world has seen and twisted and tortured into something horrendously shit. There's so many things wrong with this show its unreal.
I legitimately had to stop watching this show. The repurposed Gandalf line, was the final straw. I feel myself becoming more and more grouchy, and unpleasant the more I watch
Abercrombie is great so is bg1 and bg2. Baldurs gate 3 isnt real time so im waiting for someone to mod it so it plays like the originals. Go read malazan book of the fallen by steve erikson
The series that launched a thousand RUclips channels . The wost part about all this, is the fact it's ruined every decent forum or group associated with LOTR or Tolkien and worse still is the fact that self proclaimed Tolkien lovers like Nerd of the Rings, the Tokien Professor et al ... were bought out.
I really didn’t like this show so I’m not trying to defend it but the show never said that dark wizard is Saruman. I think you’re making a mistake assuming he his
Shortcuts and elegant words meaning nothing Could you please do a video with a list of books - from 80s to present day? As most of fantasy today is meh ..
I must say it sounds like they actually had a fantastic idea. I didn't watch but i kept up. I didn't like what i was hearing until the last two episodes. Obviously the show is trash but i now see what they were after and how it could have been legendary. They blew it.
What is so sad too is, you go to a normal Phantasie convention and even half serious Cosplayers look better and more in Character as 90% of this cast. Not just the elves, even the humans look like they lost a drinking game and are forced in "funny clothes and Make-up" and feel absolutely misrable. Lol Its all so fake and without any soul...
No cap, I would rather watch the ‘Ruins of Gondolin’ RUclips videos (which, despite frequently relying on generative AI technology, thoroughly RESPECT Tolkien’s words and is GORGEOUSLY produced) than go anywhere NEAR this Amazon Prime show.
Why can they not hire someone who not only loves, appreciates the lore and has actual talent. I love the lore but I do not have half the talent that J. R. R. Tolkien had. But there are some talented writers out there who do, and some of them are fans of Tolkien and the mythology and religious themes that inspired it. Why could they not hire them to write and correct this boring show?
![The History of Morgoth [COMPILATION] | Tolkien Explained](/img/1.gif)
this show is one scene away from ''somehow Morgoth has returned''
21:39 james finally broke
Lol not that it matters, but do they have the rights to morgoth?
Lore ? They can't even remember which direction the sun rises from !!
what are you talking about everyone knows the sun just yo-yos up from the center of the world which is shaped like a doughnut!
The way you described Morfydd Clark’s fighting faces is spot on and absolutely hilarious too!
What they did to the elves is just… they made them so human, like that’s how they come across as on screen, humans with pointy ears. I remember watching Lord of the rings as a teen and being in awe of the elves. There’s just so many things wrong with this show.
I didn't watch the show and that's the thing that jumped at me the most, they were just average people with pointy ears. Not the magical beings we are used to.
The elves should have an aura around them like if you saw angels on earth.
@@JohnSmith-t7r1c exactly
Saruman is literally sent as an emissary from Valar (just like Gandalf) and through his devices Sauron was defeated at Dol Guldur. Gandalf is a friend and helper to Saruman until Saruman becomes frustrated by "weak and idle friends" not doing enough and losing his hope ultimately against Sauron's power. That is the only reason he turned into a "ends justify the means" approach of seeking good (and order in the Aulean vein). Even then Saruman wanted the good of Middle Earth as the ultimate goal, though he was proud and believed only his "wise" way was viable and he was willing to do evils "done by the way" i.e. collateral damage.
That is why Gandalf still offers him clemency and asks for his help (despite having reached both higher power and understanding than Saruman) after the Helms Deep, knowing all of this as Saruman told him himself at the beginning of the story.
This show is travesty.
Your knowledge and understanding of the Lore of the Legendarium is to be commended!
“How does it feel to watch all your favorite franchises go up in flames?”
still hurts tbh. Star Wars hurts the most especially now my son loves it. I’m able to separate ROP from Peter Jackson’s masterpieces.
@@TJ_ax u honestly think ALL the beloved franchises are honestly “going up in flames” in quality? Any given year gives us some examples that make a case for the opposite I’d say…
I think closed-minded fanboys like you all live a reclusive life and need to broaden your minds. You can't grow in intelligence until you expose yourself to new experiences and knowledge. So, don't close yourselves off.
By your type of thinking, you shouldn't play Nintendo games, because Nintendo started as a card game.
By those same biased thoughts, you wouldn't drive a vehicle unless it is based on the Ford Model T.
Things SHOULD evolve and be modified and updated.
@@Twitch_Moderator Evolve and modify? ok, sure but they have to evolve and modify into something better or superior... not this pile of dogshit.
@@alexputnam1930 The Killer remake, The Exorcist Believer, Alien Romulus, Godzilla x Kong, Rings of Power- for me, yeah..... Furiosa was ok. Godzilla -1.0 was the only saving grace the past year
In a recent Radio One interview with the actor who plays Not-Gandalf, he spoke on how the showrunners told him they’d be shooting a random scene that would be spliced into the Final Cut of the episode and that it would be his name reveal. So either they did so to keep it a secret or they’re making it up as they go. He even stated he had no idea who his character actually was in the first season, only that he was a wizard.
So they definitely did that to keep it a secret i'd imagine
They don't seem to have a clue what to do with the Harfoots now they've put them in the show lol. It was like they didn't think much further than the idea of having that Frodo-Sam archetype present. It was such a key element of Jackson's success so we must have it here, we'll figure the rest out as we go. It's absolutely F crazy! lmao. The incompetence is actually astonishing.
If you removed Gandals and not!Frodo from the show nothing would be lost at all.
"We're losing her!" Well, no shit, she got stabbed in the chest and fell off a 15 story building, so she should be DEAD! But she's Guyladriel the Magnificent, and she cannot die.
and she woke up with a new shirt with no stab wounds in it.. glad they were walking around with spare clothes for her
@@TheIntrovertedChurch Gil-Galads ring can only fix her clothes, it can't fix her so he made her modest and then gave up.
About wizards in the second age...
Originally, there were none.
Then, later Tolkien seemed to retcon this so that the 2 blue wizards did arrive in the second age, before the other 3. (So yeah, Gandalf and Saruman still weren't around)
But even them weren't evil. Ever. And what did they ddo in this version?
They thwarted Sauron's plans in the east.
Which, may I remind you, in this show, don't exists, because Sauron HAS NO PLANS IN THE EAST.
Don't worry boys, sauron will have a lightsaber next season & Gandelf will hop on the 9 3/4 train to mordor.
😅🤣
Grand Elf, I nearly pissed myself laughing
"I always meant for Sauron to be this wondering douchebag" - J.R.R Tolkien
😂
I'm a Tolkien purist at heart. Haven't watched the show and never will. But your reviews have been priceless!😅
After listening to a Lot of criticism of this show I decided to just watch it as a fantasy series.and to be honest it’s not bad I think they take it a bit to seriously.just enjoy it for what it is.its not real .
Yes, follow along and parrot what other men think and believe instead of forming your own opinion. An audience of insecure little boys just waiting to be part of the club of right think about this show. Any person who actually watched this show and got nothing of value from any of the performances and visualizations and characterizations is a bitter loser who does not deserve happiness and satisfaction, in this life or the next. But the losers above can't prove me wrong because he won't watch the show and is content to let others tell him what it is and how to feel.
If he had a d*ck he'd have cut it off to not be a man.
They tried to tie up too many loose ends in one episode. Each effort seemed lazy and rushed, especially the Khazad-dum plotline, the Numenor plotline, the Wizard plotlines. Very disappointing to make such a big world feel so small
You have touched a point that it's very important, even if we were supposed to throw away the canon, they can not hold the logic of their own story, of their own logic, its so bizarre. At this final episode, how the orc were supposed to know about the 9 rings? haahahah
Why are you acting like the Dark Wizard is Sarumon? They never said or implied this and he fits as a blue wizard that went to the East and started cults. What am I missing here?
They literally added a wall to Eregion. And the look of the city changed too. They literally can't keep their own continuity within the show even visually, forget about the writing and story.
Damn I'm gonna miss these Tolkien reviews of Rings of Power of yours. You're so funny when you call out the bullshit that this show features. This show has so many flaws it's crazy. Imagine having that budget and the Second Age at your disposal and f'ing it up THAT MUCH!
Whaaa you mean the moment Galadriel fell from mountain top and survived didn’t win you over!.? lol
It's true that Gandalf, Saruman and Radagast did not arrive in Middle Earth during the second age, but Tolkien in his later writings did write that the Blue Wizards arrived during the second age, which was a change from what he previously wrote where he said the Blue Wizards arrived together with the other wizards in the third age.
Morgoth was 20 or 30 feet tall from what I can gather from the Silmarillion. The crown should be about the size of a horse.
He ran out of metal, so he has tiny crown. 20-30 feet tall with tiny crown.
More like 10 feet tall, I should say.
@@Zorbatrog Fingolfin was over 7 feet tall and the paintings show Morgoth towering over him as though he was a child
@@Patrick-sheen Yes, I like a lot of those paintings, too, especially the one by John Howe, even if he mistakenly depicted Fingolfin with blond hair. Anyway, you have a good point: the crown should be bigger. But I do think it is unclear exactly how much bigger it should be. When I wrote "I should say" I mean more or less the same as "I would say". It's my opinion. My opinion is, however, based on one of the letters of Tolkien. I'll try to look up the reference. It might be of interest....Ah, I found it! I see now I was applying a statement about Sauron to Morgoth. I may very well be mistaken in doing so. Here is the quote: from Letter No. 246 to Eileen Elgar, "...in a tale which allows the incarnation of great spirits in physical and destructible form their power must be far greater when actually physically present. Sauron should be thought of as very terrible. The form that he took was that of a man of more than human stature, but not gigantic." So, how tall was Morgoth? I don't know.
@@Zorbatrog in the Silmarillion, the fight with Fingolfin talks about his height but I’m not 100% either. Searching on Google talk about 30 feet. Aragorn in the books should stand at 6.6 feet which is a reflection of his Dúnedain roots, which is taller than the normal men of Middle Earth. Heights in general are amplified in the books. I’m no expert on any of it though. You’re correct about the hair btw 😀 one final point: when the Valar finally bind Morgoth and send him into the void, it specifically states that they bend and mould his crown to create a neck brace from which the chains are hung. Essentially the crown ceases to exist at that point.
Lol, did they really just randomly add Isildur's brother AT THIS POINT?
why not they randomly add everything else so it's just par for the course.
Saruman is bad from the very beginning? 🙄
How ? 😅
It doesn't make sense in any way.
Show runners/writers are incredible clowns. It is genuinely impressive how
they continue to fuck everything up )))
Thank you , James 😎
I started season 1 when it came out hoping it would be good, hated it. Spent the rest of the season pulling my hair out over nonsensical decisions and character moments/plots and ended up hate watching season 1 instead. Hated that feeling so decided not to watch season 2 and rather the reviews. So glad I haven't continued to watch this bad fan fiction
In this story, in the context in which Sauron was presented...I am left wondering...what does he feed on? By recreating him as a being similar to Venom but more extreme. Is it consuming other beings? Did he eat during the siege of Eregion? Why didn't he eat the blacksmith? Or the girl? his detractors... or anyone who stands in front of him.😂
He's still constipated after eating that woman and Rat.
How did black-elf survive?.......he was death-knifed multiple times last week by orc-elf and left for dead......but he just shows up again in the finale this week unaffected with no wounds or explanation.
I'm not upset with the show for making up their own history and characters, it's just so terribly written. It feels like they just sprint to scenes that might have been cool if they were build up and the dialogue wasn't so terrible. I could totally see Charlie Vickers be an awesome, maniuplative villain if they wrote one for him. Most of the actors are trying so hard to do something with the crap they are given, that I do feel bad for them.
Grundilf will spend season 3 looking for his hat
here's a fun challenge: find an original line of dialogue from this season that you think was actually well written. For me the only thing that comes close was the king dwarf saying "I never let you; that was just you, getting stronger". I mean it made absolutely no sense, given the context is the king was being incredibly weak the entire season, and the whole arm wrestling story just comes out of nowhere. But on its own it's a pretty good line, and I'm going to go ahead and say it was 10x any other piece of writing in the entire season. For the first season the best line has to be "I've been awake since before the breaking of the first silence. in that time, I've had many names." which to me also sounded pretty good, but made very little sense in context. Of course that's a vast improvement to most of the dialogue; which both sounds terrible; and makes zero sense in context lol
Sooo glad we had HoTD season 2 this summer & just have the show in general
season 2 of HOTD was a pretty massive dud
@@MrCrisisZ u honestly think that for the whole complete season overall? Or just in the way that folks in the comments section of social media and/or RUclips just wanna disingenuously shit on things whole-cloth with unfair exaggeration, over generalizations, & no nuance….
@@alexputnam1930 up until what Episode 4 it was okay.. Dragon on Dragon battle was epic and made the season worth it, but season 2 was a disaster. Daemon i'm going to harrenhall.. okay.. next episode.. still in Harrenhall.. last episode still in Harrenhall.. just sitting there doing absolutely nothing. The Dragon seeds were cool but this season was off by a lot. They dialed down Blood and Cheese making it way less cool than the book. It seemed like people sitting around doing nothing. No nettles instead we get this arc where Daemon's child is running around westeros finding a dragon in the last episode. Look they lost their show runner and while people were hyped it was clear that it wasn't the same show. I'll still watch I was just disappointed.
@@MrCrisisZ Yea first half was good. But after that they knew the had no budget or time for the start of the war so they just had Rhaenyra stand around for three episodes looking confused going on about Dragonseeds Dragonseeds Dragonseeds. They could had have done the Dragonseed stuff in half an episode.
Dude that was just as bad. George R.R. Martin literally shredded it and the people in charge after the finale. The Penguin and Shogun are the only shows that have impressed me this year. Most have been huge disappointments.
About not caring about the characters... I feel deep hatred towards Kemen, wow that actor got to deliver some awesome lines in this episode. I felt my eye twitching with hate
The real villain in this show 😅🤣
Sad to hear about the death of Orc family man. Playing Burzum - The Crying Orc for you my son
I haven’t watched one of those episodes but love popping in to see you roast it lmao
LOL, that thumbnail reminds me of that scene from "Big Trouble in Little China." You know which one I'm talking about!
Well, you didn't mince words at the closing of this video! Good on you! However, I'm afraid the detail of Sauron breaking Narsil by stepping on it is just the particular way that Jackson visualized it for the film.
As a mom, the description of Galadriel as a toddler taking a dump is 100% correct. The only good think about ROP was that I found your channel. Enjoy your content and your expressive thumbnails
Theo is to be King of the Dead - with of the set up with his "own promises to keep" - he cannot be killed off yet - but soon he will
Your opening animated intro for Geekin' is SO creative! 👌
Excellent analysis and review 🖖🏽
1) Did Numenor have a panantir still? That would explain knowing about Sauron.
2) I had thought the Dark Wizard was Saruman. He looks like Saruman and has a similar relationship to Gandalf. But after the Bombadil stuff, the only way to make that work seemed like Gandalf being misled about his nature OR gandalf needing to put Saruman on the straight and narrow. Given that they didn't give the dark wizard a name, I'd assume they were leaving that door open initially.
3) Durin attacking the Balrog was goofy. Don't know if that's meant to take the balrog off the board for now.
4) Couldn't remember if Galadriel had told Halbrand about the 'touch the darkness' line.
5) I doubt the harfoots leaving is the end of that. I think they're demented enough to still give you the origins of the shire.
From memory they have lots of palantiri at this time, because they later use them to communicate in Middle-Earth after the fall of Numenor.
I think Season 4 will be Founding of the Shire and Founding of Gondor...
I'm really concerned that they're going to have Minas Tirith as the Capital even though it didn't exist when Gondor was founded and Osgiliath is supposed to be the Capital.
But these writers are dumb af.
@@xLionsxxSmithyx Season 3 will focus on the Balrog, and how he's just misunderstood, and only turned to evil because everyone was mean to him.
@@aldunlop4622 he's Been alone in a Cave for ages and just wants a friend to play with.
I reckon Durin Dies in Season 3.
Numenor should have all of the Palantir.
My expectations were very low when I was watching the trailers and teasers before the season one released. But this is crazy, no one could ever imagine how bad it was actually going to be.
The fact that these writers can make something this soulless out of Tolkien's work is kinda impressive tho
I've enjoyed this review series tremendously, thank you, James!
I don't get the confusion of galadrial descending the cliff. She Mary Poppins down green lantern style...
I laughed so hard when a bunch of low tier uruk/orcs captured gil galad and elrond😂😂😂😂
Then dwarfs show up out of noehere and magically elrond starts fighting back 😅😅😂😂😂
Buy this man drink, he watched the worst show ever, so normal people do not have to endure.
I gave up BUT your work is always worth hearing!
Love to hear your take on Kaos on Netflix... I was pleased 😊
lol that thumbnail is quite possibly my same expression watching the finale crap 😂
Was hoping throughout the season that James would give some positive glimmer of hope to any episode - alas, none! Pleased to not have wasted any time on this season. Thanks, James! 😊
James is a joyless hate watcher who is poisoned and bitter. There was plenty to enjoy about this season. It's not all great but there were some great moments, and any human who watched this and pretended there were not is not worth listening to. But like so many others, you will never know because you love letting other people tell you want to think and believe and feel. Carry on little follower. And make sure to keep watching James so he can tell you want to think about something else in the next video.
Every one of you is pathetic.
Why does he think, that the dark wizard is saruman? I think the dark wizard is Alatar.
Yeah, I followed the first season(but not the second). You could already see then that the writers wanted to do "their own thing" and were adamant about it. Even before the first season, all consultants/academics left one by one. But I guess it has its audience.
they've done their worst to fill this show with premises that can't be salvaged in future seasons. I don't know how I could sit through 3 more seasons of this. RIP ROP!
Love your videos, agree with your critiques 100%
This final is everything that you should avoid in film / TV show industry. Just bad tv, bad tv, bad tv.
Didn't think it was Saruman, but maybe a Blue Wizard.
Same... really thought it was going to be Alatar and the Dark Wizard was going to be Pallando, it made sense in my head...
But now it's Gandalf and Saruman... which is soo dumb and Destroys continuity.
@@xLionsxxSmithyx yes, of course they're going for max memberberries every time. It's amazing how much this show sucks.
I only watch thru the creators who can truly see this for what it’s worth and I value that honesty stay true ❤thanks for your service 😅 and thanks for still managing to make something better than what ever happened with this 😒
It is hard to believe that this is the most expensive show ever made when half the armor looks like it was purchased at Spirit Halloween and the three Elven rings look like they came out of a gumball machine.
“The stick finds you 🤓”
NEVER THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO SAY THAT 👍🏼👍🏼
The writing is absolutely terrible in this show, every scene is so predictable and makes me cringe my eye balls out 😍
Couldn't resist the facial expression in the thumbnail..
😅
Sounds like it is so bad that it might be worth watching 😎 Great to hear a true fan unleashing his wrath. Good job James ⭐️
Do we know Ciaran Hinds is Saruman? Or is it just heavily implied at this point? Was kinda hoping for a blue wizard not that I'd trust these writers to do one justice.
Haven't watched the 2nd season yet....i got the impression from the first (which i enjoyed!😮) that that was as good as it was gonna ever be .....Saruman and Gandalf should never have been in it and they shouldve stuck with who is Sauron for a couple of series and simply told little stories (even if made up) around Middle Earth and Numenor or something ....that enriched the world building...
Yeah....i have to agree that the depiction of the elves especially Galadriel is way off the mark. I also cringe when tolkien tropes are being 'invented' and when original character dialogue is being reprocessed....
Oh im an Abercrombie fan too! 👍👍👍👍
See u guys in s3, thanks for watching
Think I'm gonna Gouge out my eyes.
James watching your takes on this show is much more entertaining than the show itself. I watched it just to see how bad it will get.
James have you seen the upcoming Mea Culpa DLC of Blasphemous II coming out on Halloween day? It's gonna contain a lot of new content. The penitence never ends.
*for the algorithm*
amazing 8 episodes, i don’t really understand why folk are disappointed
Do you also enjoy the taste of dogshit sandwiches?
James, read The Amber series by Zelazny. It is incredible. The first 5 books especially. There is nothing like it.
Did Sauron finally kiss Galadrial at the end ?
James, your reviews were always spot-on! The show is complete garbage. I don't even like the costumes, because they look too new and shiny. Only the orcs look actually good - but l would've loved to get a better look at the orc babies! The show could've featured the first orc babies ever - but the show-runners chickened out 😉 But seriously - if the show-runners wanted us to look at the orcs from a different perspective, they should have gone all the way and show us the daily lives of the orcs and their way of life. There would've been enough time, if they would've deleted the awful storyline of the Harfoots and the Stranger who had no business to be present in the Second Age. It was difficult to develop even a tiny scrap of sympathy for Amazon's orcs, since we only saw them doing violent and evil things - just like ordinary Tolkien orcs.
21:35 - 😆. Great review. I will check out Joe Abercrombie. Your reviews have given me the excuse to rewatch The Lord of the Rings Trilogy for the 100th time.
Some fair criticisms but also unfair...We don't know if that's Saruman
i so 100% agree with your down to earth criticism. Most of the other channels are just so rage baiting and over the top. This just calls this Trash out for what it is.
I am so sad that they fcked it up so badly. could've been amazing and awe inspiring.
The thumbnail 😂
😆 I think he is losing his mind watching this, poor guy
Your thumbnails are gold man 😂
Gods thanks so much for your thoughts. The finale was excruciating. So glad it's over.
Great vid.
Thinking about the sword fight reminded me of Brienne (of fucking Tarth) and the Hound in GoT which is probably the best sword fight ever filmed. Having said that, why don't fantasy shows even try to emulate that? Ugh, Rings of Power is like eating cardboard with no salt.
Was seriously disappointed in Gandalf reveal. Like it just goes against everything I like about the lore of LOTR. I do like some aspects of the show, but that Gandalf reveal had my head in my lap. Last episode was just ridiculous and dumb.
After the football game tonight, I'll watch the last episode. The first three episodes were pretty good, especially when you watch it like I do - seeing it as a high fantasy show, just with Tolkien window dressing.
And after those first three episodes, it truly became a complete and utter BOREFEST! But that's been Hollyweird for decades, taking beloved and well-known novels, thinking somehow they can change it and do it better than the source material, and mostly making half-assed or utter shit.
They've taken one of the greatest works the world has seen and twisted and tortured into something horrendously shit. There's so many things wrong with this show its unreal.
I legitimately had to stop watching this show. The repurposed Gandalf line, was the final straw. I feel myself becoming more and more grouchy, and unpleasant the more I watch
Peter Jackson was a genius in this trilogy
The thumbnail for this one... 🤣
I think that was it for me. Going to cancel the prime this week. I’m not even mad. It was just disappointing.
And where is Celeborn?...
Abercrombie is great so is bg1 and bg2. Baldurs gate 3 isnt real time so im waiting for someone to mod it so it plays like the originals. Go read malazan book of the fallen by steve erikson
The series that launched a thousand RUclips channels .
The wost part about all this, is the fact it's ruined every decent forum or group associated with LOTR or Tolkien and worse still is the fact that self proclaimed Tolkien lovers like Nerd of the Rings, the Tokien Professor et al ... were bought out.
😆😆😆 The Thumbnails get more and more extra. You can see James descent inot madness.
I really didn’t like this show so I’m not trying to defend it but the show never said that dark wizard is Saruman. I think you’re making a mistake assuming he his
This is getting a 3rd season. Why?
Shortcuts and elegant words meaning nothing
Could you please do a video with a list of books - from 80s to present day?
As most of fantasy today is meh ..
I must say it sounds like they actually had a fantastic idea. I didn't watch but i kept up. I didn't like what i was hearing until the last two episodes. Obviously the show is trash but i now see what they were after and how it could have been legendary. They blew it.
Totally support James' kill list! Please give Kemen a fast pass to the front of the line.
What is so sad too is, you go to a normal Phantasie convention and even half serious Cosplayers look better and more in Character as 90% of this cast. Not just the elves, even the humans look like they lost a drinking game and are forced in "funny clothes and Make-up" and feel absolutely misrable. Lol Its all so fake and without any soul...
No cap, I would rather watch the ‘Ruins of Gondolin’ RUclips videos (which, despite frequently relying on generative AI technology, thoroughly RESPECT Tolkien’s words and is GORGEOUSLY produced) than go anywhere NEAR this Amazon Prime show.
So glad I skipped this season
I'm glad I skipped the whole thing.
Im so glad you are both so glad. How lovely 😊
Same
Be glad for me too for being glad i didn't watch a second of this turd
@@allenwilhelm7799 very demanding 😒... I am not gladdend by this
Why can they not hire someone who not only loves, appreciates the lore and has actual talent. I love the lore but I do not have half the talent that J. R. R. Tolkien had. But there are some talented writers out there who do, and some of them are fans of Tolkien and the mythology and religious themes that inspired it. Why could they not hire them to write and correct this boring show?
Indeed, I did enjoy your video 👍
The Sauron Celebrimbor, and the Durin storylines were the best. I liked season 2 but I could happily leave everything else out