"the lord of the rings: the rings of power" is out on amazon

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MrSquished

Lifer
Jan 14, 2013
25,873
24,215
136
I think its absurd they spent so much money yet cant even use the Silmarillion, but what's worse is they got unproven writers and directors in charge of this billion dollar program.

Maybe the estate wasn't going to give up rights to the Silmarillion because of the direction Amazon was going to take with the show.

Over $50 million an episode and yet the scale of the show feels rather small.


Who owns the rights to the Silmarillion? Is it still the Tolkien estate? I had assumed it was someone else because why would the Tolkien Estate withhold it from Amazon?
 

JS80

Lifer
Oct 24, 2005
26,271
7
81
Can someone explain the undying lands? Is it supposed to be a metaphor of what we understand as "heaven"? Can you can back from it? By only "immortals" and "ring bearers" being allowed does that mean there is a gatekeeper that fights others away or others physically cannot live there?

Also, I tried watching and keep falling asleep through first 3 episodes. I dunno if its because I start it late but I don't have the same problem with HOTD. Is it just me or is it extremely boring?
 

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
72,101
32,407
136
Can someone explain the undying lands? Is it supposed to be a metaphor of what we understand as "heaven"? Can you can back from it? By only "immortals" and "ring bearers" being allowed does that mean there is a gatekeeper that fights others away or others physically cannot live there?

Also, I tried watching and keep falling asleep through first 3 episodes. I dunno if its because I start it late but I don't have the same problem with HOTD. Is it just me or is it extremely boring?
The undying lands is another name for Valinor and Eldamar (Elfenhome). After the Numenoreans made asses of themselves at the end of the second age, Eru split up Middle Earth (Arda) and put the undying lands permanently out of reach of men. There is nothing particularly undying about them other than that the Valar and elves are immortal. The ringbearers getting to go there is never really explained other than as a reward. IIRC, it is left unclear whether the mortal ringbearers are granted immortality or if they still die once they cross over. My thought is that they still die.

Edit: The ringbearers getting to go there is interesting in that direct communication from the Valar would be needed to pass that message, something that never happens after the second age and was rare even in the second age. Perhaps Gandalf brought the message with him after his reincarnation.

Edit2: Going to the undying lands was supposed to heal the ringbearers of the pain of losing the ring and Frodo of the pain of Shelob’s bite and the Morgol knife wound.
 
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MrSquished

Lifer
Jan 14, 2013
25,873
24,215
136
Boom.

Two episodes left. Wonder what the resulting resolutions and ensuing cliffhangers will be. Don't fuck up that balance!
 

Scarpozzi

Lifer
Jun 13, 2000
26,391
1,780
126
Like isn't the point of fighting with swords and arrows to kill those that are fighting you? Middle Earth deserves to die if their Kings and elves can't finish the job.
 

[DHT]Osiris

Lifer
Dec 15, 2015
16,782
15,801
146
Like isn't the point of fighting with swords and arrows to kill those that are fighting you? Middle Earth deserves to die if their Kings and elves can't finish the job.
The only one that mattered was being kept alive for questioning, and the only one that they should have killed wasn't around to get deaded.
 

Newbian

Lifer
Aug 24, 2008
24,778
881
126
Like isn't the point of fighting with swords and arrows to kill those that are fighting you? Middle Earth deserves to die if their Kings and elves can't finish the job.
Did you never watch the original LOTR movies?

Both had a chance to destroy the one ring and didn't after saurons body was destroyed.

None of the new group knew that one human was a bad.
 

Artorias

Platinum Member
Feb 8, 2014
2,222
1,532
136
Waits for the bitching that this episode was too slow.

I tapped out after episode 5, I just cant.

I don't care if a film is "slow" and I'm not all into Michael Bay explosions everyone 5 minutes, however if your writing is going to be piss poor I'm not watching.

Apparently ep 6 was rated best of the season due to everyone talking less. Says it all really.
 

[DHT]Osiris

Lifer
Dec 15, 2015
16,782
15,801
146
So much salt itt.

Another excellent episode.

Still curious about timing, I know the Balrog is 'Durin's Bane', but which Durin? That fucker looks pretty roused to me but they need at least some time to harvest mithril, use it enough for it to be known around the world that their true wealth comes from mithril, make at least a suit of chainmail and presumably provide enough to the elves for some rings... Gimli's comments regarding Moria in Fellowship almost sounded like he visited it himself, or at least knew of it being a thriving city, but that would mean there's a few thousand years between now and then, I guess that's enough time for the Balrog to get nice and pissed off at shorties banging against rocks above his head?
 

MrSquished

Lifer
Jan 14, 2013
25,873
24,215
136
So much salt itt.

Another excellent episode.

Still curious about timing, I know the Balrog is 'Durin's Bane', but which Durin? That fucker looks pretty roused to me but they need at least some time to harvest mithril, use it enough for it to be known around the world that their true wealth comes from mithril, make at least a suit of chainmail and presumably provide enough to the elves for some rings... Gimli's comments regarding Moria in Fellowship almost sounded like he visited it himself, or at least knew of it being a thriving city, but that would mean there's a few thousand years between now and then, I guess that's enough time for the Balrog to get nice and pissed off at shorties banging against rocks above his head?
They are really digging into the background of the lore behind LOTR. I thought I was going to hate the Harfoots but I'm really enjoying them.

I think they could do with a few less slow pans on characters faces but overall, looking forward to the finale and season 2. 2 just started filming in the UK recently.

I definitely think the stranger is gandalf. He is gandalf the gray when we meet him in lotr so he is not yet gandalf the white. He will take time to grow into the gandalf we know
 
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[DHT]Osiris

Lifer
Dec 15, 2015
16,782
15,801
146
I definitely think the stranger is gandalf.
I was giving 50:50 on him being Radagast (and I'm still not sold either way) due to the nature connection. Still up in the air on that one. No clue who the Istari hunters are though, seem kinda wizard-ey themselves..
 

eelw

Lifer
Dec 4, 1999
10,214
5,323
136
I was giving 50:50 on him being Radagast (and I'm still not sold either way) due to the nature connection. Still up in the air on that one. No clue who the Istari hunters are though, seem kinda wizard-ey themselves..
But wasn’t that Radagast in the intro scene to the Harfoots?