This is the first review (out of four) here that didn\'t immediately descend in meaningless histrionics so I felt like I should give you some kind of props here. Fair review.
"All you Fascists bound to lose."
Hey, my review didn\'t descend into meaningless histrionics. :(
Tbh, this review has inspired me to keep up with the show, so I agree it\'s better informed.
Well, inclusion per se isn't really the issue since fantasy counterpart cultures of black people, Asian people etc. do already exist in the setting as part of the various human groups. People on both sides are acting like they don't, that the setting is all European or "all white". Just making it clear.
The non-white races that get to be in Lord of the Rings are portrayed as evil, exotic and faceless. Tolkien compared the orc`s features Mongolians. Meanwhile the "good" races, particularly the superior and godly elves, are presumed to be pure and white skinned. Whilst we can trawl through his books for references to "brown" hobbits and better representation, the simple fact of the matter is that Tolkien's racial dynamics are not great for 21st Century entertainment.
Book me today! I also review weddings, funerals and bar mitzvahs.
More cogently, Tolkien said he always pictured the Numenoreans and their rump states as ancient Egyptian rather than Anglo, and absolutely nobody who complains about brown people in his world ever complains about casting Anglos to play them.
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Early Impressions: Slow Burner, Sputtering
As always seems to be the case with all geeky franchise adaptations, there is an unnecessary, all consuming argument about race and "wokeness" that surrounds the Middle Earth fantasy adaptation, The Rings of Power. There is always a battery of "true fans" who insist that a story is inherently ruined by the inclusion of black people. I find those discussions exhausting, especially as whenever I do watch these shows, my feeling is inevitably, "Really? This is what you were complaining about?"
The first thing you notice about Rings of Power is the visuals. In the prologue alone, we are treated to spectacular vistas and landscapes, stylized battlefields and dreamscapes. This show avoids the ubiquitous earthy tones of the Peter Jackson movies, choosing a wider palette to striking dramatic effect. Rings of Power is a triumph when it comes to cinematics in television. I felt like I was watching a movie rather than a tv show, and it certainly looks like the most expensive tv show ever made.
Storywise we have four threads with various combinations of dwarves, elves, humans, hobbits and, er miscellaneous. Some threads are definitely more interesting than the others, but all move along at an achingly slow pace. A slow burner should be expected when it comes to a Tolkien adaptation, but in this case it is not the good kind of slow. Parts are simply boring to watch.
What's making it boring are the characters. Tolkien wrote a lot of his characters and cultures as broad archetypes, who only become interesting when they have contrasting characters and cultures to bounce off of. Otherwise they just seem bland and samey. This is particular apparent in the early episodes of Rings of Power, where the fantasy races stick to their own kind. It's like if Star Trek only had Vulcans in it; that would be a boring show to watch too. It's only when the fantasy races eventually start to mix that their personalities, philosophies, ambitions and cultural differences start to clash, and that's exactly when the show becomes more interesting. Unfortunately it takes a couple of episodes just to get to that point. So whilst it does drag its feet, by episode three there are enough conflicting groups of people that the story does feel like it has meat and soul to it.
Whereas episode two was losing me, episode three has got me wanting more. The stakes are ramping up, the conflicts are becoming more apparent, the character interactions are more fun, and the show has plenty of twists and turns, with a couple of dark horse characters coming out to the front. I will be back for more.